Preparing for the draft isn’t just meetings going over reports on the players a club likes. General managers and scouting directors also spend many hours preparing a strategy for the 3-day event. Much of it is figuring out a way to get the players you covet but you also have to prepare for the worst. I always felt that if you can accept the worst-case scenario then you are in good shape.
We often see a lot of trades happen during the draft with some teams wanting to move up and others wanting to go down. Teams usually trade up especially in the first round because they feel the player they are trading up for can be a difference maker. Last year we saw Atlanta trade up from the 26th spot to the 6th spot to draft Alabama’s Julio Jones. To make the swap Atlanta had to give up its pick in the first round (26th slot) and also a 2nd and 4th round pick last year as well as 1st and 4th round picks this year.
