With the conclusion of the 2011 season, New England's pair of first-round picks has been settled. Thanks to last year's draft day trade to acquire the Saints first rounder this year, New England will pick 27th and 31st in the first round on April 26.
That leads us to the next question. In a dream world, one in which Bill Belichick actually decides to trade up to get an elite talent in the draft – a pass rusher or wide receiver might be an option this time around – how high could New England go in pursuit of a potential star?
Using the widely acknowledged trade value chart the 27th pick has a point value of 680 and the 31st pick is 600. Together that totals 1,280 points, a value that lands in between the 10th pick (1,300) and the No. 11 selection (1,250).
Beyond the two first-round picks, New England also has two second-round selections (Oakland's and its own) as well as regular picks in the third and fourth round. Though it could use those to sweeten a trade to get even higher, the limited number of picks makes that less of an option.
So, if Belichick saw a special player he wanted to go get he easily has the ammunition to get up to right around the No. 10 overall pick.
Will he do it? Only time will tell. But the odds certainly are against it given his draft history.
Given the state of the roster at this point, would you be interested in trading two first-round picks for one much higher selection? Or are there enough needs to warrant staying put? Let us know with a comment below!
