This draft is either going to be a no-brainer or an NFL game of roulette.
The top four selections Thursday should take 30 seconds instead of an hour. The names already are written on cards.
Sam Bradford will go first to St. Louis. Detroit practically has told its fans Ndamukong Suh will be the second pick. Tampa Bay will take Gerald McCoy third, and Washington will select Russell Okung fourth.
After that, it gets a little messy. Kansas City really wants Okung, but it will settle for safety Eric Berry, who might be the best or second-best player in the draft. Seattle should follow with Trent Williams sixth, while Cleveland will opt for Earl Thomas at No. 7. Oakland will take Anthony Davis with the eighth pick. Buffalo wants Bryan Bulaga ninth and will select him. Jacksonville will take C.J. Spiller with the 10th pick.
There you go — I just saved you three hours watching the draft. Go see who was voted off “Survivor” instead.
But — and here we go with more butts than an Ocean City beach in August — what if things change from the start? If St. Louis skips Bradford or makes a quick deal for Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, would we see a ripple effect thundering through the top 10?
If Bradford is available at No. 4, the Redskins would take him, sending Okung to Kansas City at No. 5. That means Berry would fall to Seattle at six, which would knock Williams to Cleveland at No. 7 unless Oakland swaps picks with the Browns.
If Tampa Bay shocks everyone by trading with Kansas City so the Chiefs can grab Okung, does Washington suddenly trade down for a second-rounder to get a receiver?
If Washington opts for Williams instead of Okung, then Kansas City would get Okung and Berry would go to Seattle.
Suppose Oakland does its usual circus act and takes Maryland offensive tackle Bruce Campbell about 30 picks ahead of his worth — kind of like how it chose fellow Terp Darrius Heyward-Bey 20 picks early last year. Then Bulaga would drop out of the top 10 completely.
You want real craziness? Suppose the Redskins take Jimmy Clausen at No. 4? Then the Burgundy Revolution turns Saturday’s fanfest into a mob. There has been a lot of gossip on taking Clausen lately. Hopefully, it’s just mindless chatter.
The Redskins could get Okung or Williams to fill the void at left tackle. They might grab Bradford or Clausen as a long-term passer. Washington may even drop down for a couple early-round picks given its many needs.
Okung is the smart choice, but anything can happen.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
