I continue to hear that the Denver Broncos are potentially a 'mystery' team connected to trading up to the 2nd overall selection and taking Baylor's Heisman Trophy Winner, Robert Griffin III. As you could imagine, I am opposed to such a trade, but if the Broncos make the move, we as fans would either have to like it or lump it and complain until RG3 were to become a star or flame out and be a bust.
So what would it take for the Broncos to be able to move up and make such a crazy splash on draft day? Well, the Rams are rumored to be wanting at least what the Chargers received in the Eli Manning trade back in 2004, which netted them two first round picks, a third round pick, and a fifth round pick.
I think this year, with the cap limit on draft picks and the value of RG3 soaring beyond belief, it is going to take a lot more than just that to get a deal done.
If the Broncos are dead-set on making a move to get RG3, I think it would take a third team to get a deal done, a team potentially interested in the services of Tim Tebow.
Obviously, if Denver were to trade up for Griffin, they would have to be assumed to be moving on from Tebow and looking for a fresh start. So, you have to start with the complicated matter of, which team would be interested in acquiring Tebow? Would he have to play right away with his new team?
At this point of the year, all of these hypothetical situations are rolling through my brain, so I have a crazy idea that just might work if Denver is the 'mystery' team that wants to move up and get RG3.
First off, the trading partner likely will not be one of the teams trying to move up and get Griffin. I don't think any of those teams would actually help another team be able to move up and get the guy they covet.
Second, the team would have to be willing to take on the risk of Tebow. Tebow is a guy who is going to bring tons of excitement to an organization, whether it's the Broncos or whoever.
I think the organization that might be willing to take a chance on this would be the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles brought in Mike Vick, made him their franchise player, and payed him a huge contract after he was out of football for quite some time.
The Eagles are not afraid to take risks on guys because they know how to develop quarterbacks, and--at least in my opinion--Tebow has a lot going for him and a lot to work with.
That being said, we have to also look at what the Falcons gave up last year to move up from the 27th pick to the 6th pick to take Julio Jones. They gave up two first round picks, a second round pick, and two fourth round picks. That is some kind of bounty, which the Browns used to move up and get a guy in Phil Taylor who looks like a very good player.
I think it would take a similar kind of deal to get done for Denver, but they will have to get creative since this is a position where getting a high-profile player like Griffin would require moving Tebow immediately.
I think the Broncos would have to give up both first round picks in the next two drafts, 2012 and 2013, their 2nd round pick in 2012, Tebow, and their 4th round pick in 2012 just to even get in the discussion about moving up with the Rams. The 2nd round pick acquired for Tebow would be sent to the Rams so the Broncos can at least keep their own late second round pick, but I don't think it would stop there. The Rams are getting a 1st in 2012, 1st in 2013, 2nd in 2012, and a 4th in 2012 to move down from 2nd overall to 25th overall?
I don't think so.
In all likelihood, the Broncos would also have to include one of their top young receivers in a trade. It may seem unrealistic, but I think Denver would have to pull off a three-team deal to get Griffin, and when all is said and done, such a deal could look like this:
Broncos Get
- 2nd overall pick from St. Louis (Robert Griffin III)
- 2013 1st round pick from Philadelphia
Rams Get
- 25th overall pick from Denver
- 2nd round pick from Denver (via Philadelphia)
- 1st round pick in 2013 from Denver
- 4th round pick in 2012 from Denver
- 4th round pick in 2013 from Denver
- WR Demaryius Thomas from Denver
Eagles Get
- QB Tim Tebow from Denver
It might seem shocking, but the Broncos would probably have to give up this much in order to move up to take RG3 if that's something their interested in doing. Do you think it's worth it? Personally, I would not do it, simply because it requires giving up Tebow, Thomas, and our 1st round pick in 2013, essentially the future of the franchise.
Playing devil's advocate for a bit, this trade essentially replaces Tebow with RG3, leaves the Broncos with a 1st round pick yet in 2013, and basically the biggest loss is an injury-prone wide receiver who is largely unproven at this point. The Broncos would obviously be left thin at receiver, which could hinder RG3's development, but this is one of the deepest free agent classes of receivers I've seen in quite some time. If Denver pursues a guy like Dwayne Bowe or Vincent Jackson, this type of trade could easily go down and while Broncos fans would be P.O.'d right away, after a while it could seem like a pretty good deal.
The question becomes whether or not the Eagles would be willing to give up a 1st round pick in the future to get such a deal done, and whether or not the Broncos are willing to give up on Tebow right now.