You are right about that, a 2nd is definitely wishful thinking. But maybe if you can gather enough mid round picks it will be enough to move up into the second if there's a guy out there you like. I'm just spitballing here really, but I do think we need to use the extra space as a weapon to gather as many assets as possible even if they are just used again in other trades.
I don’t disagree. But I also want to help us collectively level-set our expectations.
If we get a couple fourths for example (I could see one, but two retentions seems unlikely), even if we pair those, it’s not probable that we move up into a 2nd spot. Maybe we can move our 3rd and a 4th or two but some of that will depend on the position of those picks in the draft order. Given how many picks move in a draft, I am not sure I would hang my hat on being able to pull that off.
This is also heavily relies on a team needing our retention space and yet another willing to trade down. I personally don’t like those odds in comparison to say not making our roster better, wasting a higher pick to move out salary, and in avoiding those moves likely having all of our draft picks slotting up in the draft. We would have to have lot go right on the weaponizing cap front to gain a better return.
This shouldn’t read as I am opposed to weaponizing cap space. You should do so intelligently and in a calculated fashion. To date, I do not believe we have done that. We have used it to help build a better roster and attempt to correct a compounded mistake. Choosing to do that now seems misguided to me. I would much rather we use it for asset accumulation and not at the presumed expense of draft position.
