NFL Draft 2011 - Seahawks' Draft Rumors: Pats Possible Trade Partners?

Richard Hill of the Pat's Pulpit recently asked the question as to whether or not the New England Patriots will be looking to trade up in this year's draft. They've got an arsenal of picks at their disposal and have moved up before in the past in front of teams with similar needs. In this case, the Pulpit speculates that the Pats will be looking to leapfrog the Ravens and Seattle just so happens to sit directly in front of the Ravens in the 2011 Draft. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Seattle has stated a desire to move back. Seems like a match made in heaven.

Let me lay out a scenario for you:

Say the rumors of the Patriots' desire to move up are true. If they want to go from #28 to #25, that's approximately a 60 point difference per the draft value chart. That's approximately equal to the value of a mid-fourth round pick. The Pats own the 28th pick in the 4th round, worth about 47 points. If they gave up their 4th this year and possibly a 6th in 2012 the Hawks could make the deal and get good value for it. For argument's sake, they'd probably take just that 4th round pick.

In this scenario, the Hawks would now own the 28th overall pick and an extra 4th rounder. And they could still move back into the early 2nd if they could find another trade partner. Teams still looking to jump back into the 1st to get in front of early 2nd round teams like the Bills, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, and Titans could offer up as much as a 3rd rounder to do so. I know I'm laying out pie in the sky scenarios but if the Hawks are really looking to trade back into the 2nd, it would be quite the coup to trade back with the Pats first.

It wouldn't be the first time it's happened, in 2009 the Browns traded down three times before making their selection at #21 - and could help the Hawks really recoup some picks, something they have stated they want to do.