NFL Draft mailbag: Who will trade out of the first round?

We’re just a day away from the 2013 NFL Draft, and there are plenty of unanswered questions. Here are some that people asked me on Tuesday. Have one of your own? Leave it in the comments and I’ll answer it before the first rounds starts.

As of this week, I’m on the Ryan Nassib to Buffalo bandwagon and not getting off. Does it look like a good pick? No. But it could be a situation like the Dolphins and Ryan Tannehill last year. Get Nassib into a system he already knows, and he’s ahead of the rookie curve straight away.

This would be crazy. When a team is picking in the top five, it’s not smart to take a second player at a position. This would be akin to taking a right tackle or second cornerback this highly. It’s only worse because the Lions don’t need Austin. With Calvin Johnson, Matt Stafford is fine. Offensive tackle Lane Johnson of Oklahoma or a pass rusher like Ezekiel Ansah of BYU.

With all the moves made on veteran quarterbacks, it’s no longer a sure thing that a team will trade back into the first round for a quarterback – especially if the Bills take Ryan Nassib with the sixth pick. It would be smart for the Jaguars to jump back into the first round and grab Geno Smith. The Packers at No. 26 could be in a prime spot to trade out of the first round. New England could look to move as well to add extra picks.

Just the opposite, actually. If the Eagles really, really want Lotulelei, which they might, they may consider a trade up. The Raiders are hard to predict at third overall, but they direly need a defensive tackle. Lotulelei is the best in the draft and would be the best pick for them.

The issue is simply need. There just aren’t a lot of quarterback needs this year. Enough teams have quarterbacks that are just above average enough to warrant picking the position. Forget Smith’s stats, though. They’re not the proper way to evaluate a player. Besides, if you want to look at stats, Smith had a pretty bad stretch in the middle of the season.

The potential between the two is negligible. Milliner is the more instinctual of the two. His timing to break on the ball is better. Despite being smaller, he’s more physical. Rhodes has the size advantage, so he can challenge at the high point better.