7 highly-unlikely 1st-round picks that would be really fun
The NFL draft is a complicated process that involves matching talent evaluations with team needs and blah, blah, blah, blah...
Let's just have some fun.
Too much of the draft process is spent contemplating which players should be drafted where and whether or not each prospect is a fit for each team - it should be a fun, exciting experience.
So, without necessarily using logic or reason, here are seven selections that would just make for really fun developments:
Cowboys stack backfield with Fournette
The Cowboys already have the best offensive line, the best rushing attack, and the league's leading rusher on their roster - but what if they could have the two leading rushers.
Leonard Fournette is expected to be a new breed of old-school running back, ready to flatten defenders with a deadly combination of power and speed. It may be a stretch to provide both him and Ezekiel Elliott enough carries to get in rhythm, but if Dallas was willing to commit to around 50 running plays a game, it could be done.
Browns pass on Garrett
It seems like a slam dunk, but the Browns are going to Brown, which means they may just pass on star pass-rusher Myles Garrett.
For Cleveland fans, this isn't a very fun move - but for everyone else: YAY!
Garrett has been going to the Browns in every mock draft on the internet for months now, and every team in the league has it written in ink on their draft board. If he isn't selected first, it will affect the entire opening round and Garrett will be connected to the Browns for the rest of his career.
Bucs get even faster with Ross
The Buccaneers already signed one of the NFL's few remaining true burners in DeSean Jackson to pair with the towering Mike Evans - so let's kick the speed up one more notch.
John Ross broke Chris Johnson's 40-yard dash record at the combine and happens to have drawn a lot of comparisons to Jackson.
Practically speaking, it may be tricky to find uses for so much speed, but from the point of view of opposing defenses, trying to gameplan for Jackson, Ross, and Evans with Jameis Winston at quarterback is a much taller task.
Adams makes Broncos secondary ridiculous
The Denver Broncos already have arguably the best secondary in the NFL with cornerbacks Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr., and Bradley Roby, as well as safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart. Why not make it even better?
LSU product Jamal Adams is a hard-hitting, supremely-talented safety who will likely be a top-10 pick. Putting Adams beside Stewart or Ward (or both) would be a recipe for chaos, as all three safeties can lay the lumber on unsuspecting receivers.
Defensive back is pretty much the last actual concern for the Broncos, but adding a thumper who can cover like Adams would really put the "No Fly Zone" over the top.
Bengals look to Trubisky to upgrade QB
We've all seen enough of Andy Dalton to know the guy is the picture of mediocrity and no team is getting out of a 26-year playoff-win drought with a mediocre quarterback.
Though, what might be really fun (for non-Bengals fans) would be to add another mediocre quarterback.
Mitchell Trubisky has drawn many comparisons to Dalton as a quarterback who isn't that bad at anything, though also isn't especially great in any one area.
On top of an unexpected quarterback battle, drafting Trubisky to the Bengals would also be fun because of his tie to the Browns and the fact he would be playing Cleveland twice a year. Trubisky is a native of the Cleveland area and has reportedly been coveted by the team.
Texans get another Watt
This one could actually happen - which could be really fun or really insufferable.
J.J. Watt, king of the humblebrag, has been hyping up his younger brother T.J. for the past few weeks, and it just so happens that the Texans could use an outside linebacker. The younger Watt is expected to be drafted late in the first round or at some point in the second - the Texans hold the 24th and 57th picks.
If Houston drafted T.J., the two Watts would likely be lining up side-by-side. Neat.
Patriots land championship QB
This is a two-for-one deal.
The Patriots currently don't have a first- or second-round pick, but they have the means to get one by trading Jimmy Garoppolo. So the first unlikely-but-fun move would be to trade Garoppolo for a package that includes a first-round selection, while the second would be to use that pick on another quarterback.
The Patriots don't have to worry about getting someone ready to go right away, so they can take a proven winner with the right intangibles who may need time to develop - Deshaun Watson, coming off a 2016 national championship game victory with Clemson.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)