Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were the headliners, but this NFL Draft will be known as the Year of the Trade.
Feeling newly freed by a rookie salary cap that made moving up much less of a gamble, teams swapped picks on the first day like kids used to trade baseball cards. The result: a staggering 19 first-round trades, the most for that round since the merger in 1970.
The Redskins, Cowboys, Browns and Jaguars bet big on high picks at the cost of lost opportunities and value in the later rounds, and the Dolphins joined them on the list of gamblers simply by taking the inexperienced quarterback Ryan Tannehill eighth overall.
The true grades for this draft won’t be known for three years, but here is an unabashed first assessment:
NFC EAST
GIANTS: Jerry Reese went against type and drafted more for need than the best available, addressing holes at RB, WR, TE and OT. Happy to get Rueben Randle, but why did he fall so far?
Cowboys: CB Morris Claiborne is a talent, but Jerry Jones overpaid with so many other holes needing to be addressed. First four picks were for defensive players.
Eagles: Made their priority clear by taking defenders with four of its first five picks. DT Fletcher Cox could be a home run, but Eagles’ track record with defensive linemen is weak.
Redskins: The trade for RG3 reduced them to a ton of third-day choices, one of which Washington used — puzzingly — on another QB. But it will all be worth it if Griffin pans out.
NFC NORTH
Bears: They didn’t address their biggest liability — the offensive line — in the first four rounds, so the Jay Cutler Medical Watch still is on. But Cutler had to like the pick of WR Alshon Jeffrey.
Lions: OT Riley Reiff could start right away, but they reached with WR Ryan Broyles in the second round. Loading up on defense the rest of the way was no surprise.
Packers: After its dream season was torpedoed by a horrible defense, Green Bay predictably used its first six picks on that side of the ball. DE Nick Perry was a reach even at No. 28, but DT Jerel Worthy looks like a steal.
Vikings: Smartly leveraged the No. 3 slot to get more picks and OT Matt Kalil, the player they wanted (and needed). Minnesota also loaded up on receivers, which will help Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson.
NFC SOUTH
Buccaneers: Greg Schiano traded down after he couldn’t get Trent Richardson, but still landed a blue-chipper in S Mark Barron. RB Doug Martin looks like a solid addition, as does the pair of linebackers added after him.
Falcons: Only had two picks in the first three rounds and used one on an offensive lineman (Wisconsin’s Peter Konz) who can’t stay healthy. Then the Falcons drafted a fullback.
Panthers: Settled for tackling machine LB Luke Kuechly in the first and took a flyer on potential small-school gem OG Amini Silatolu in the second. Not a flashy draft, but one that will help.
Saints: Miserable offseason continued with what looks like an awful draft. Didn’t have a pick until the third round, then used it on an unknown (DT Akiem Hicks).
NFC WEST
49ers: Reached for WR A.J. Jenkins in the first round when they should have gone for offensive-line help. And we hope LaMichael James was a “best available” pick because San Francisco already is stocked at running back.
Cardinals: Some teams had Michael Floyd ahead of Justin Blackmon, so for Floyd to fall here at No. 13 is a potential boon. Quarterback still is a problem.
Rams: Expertly traded down twice in the top 10 (unheard of in the modern era), then added a pair of talents early in DT Michael Brockers and WR Brian Quick. CB Janoris Jenkins then became a gamble St. Louis could afford to take.
Seahawks: Taking OLB Bruce Irvin at No. 15 is one of the biggest reaches in years. LB Bobby Wagner is solid but not spectacular. Unlikely to be a productive crop.
AFC EAST
JETS: Went boom-or-bust with DE Quinton Coples in the first round, then ignored glaring hole on offensive line. WR Stephen Hill looks like a hit, but this wasn’t the game-changer draft Mike Tannenbaum needed.
Bills: GM Buddy Nix followed up a terrific run in free agency with what looks like a great draft based solely on the first two picks, SEC stalwarts CB Stephon Gilmore and OT Cordy Glenn.
Dolphins: Miami got potential steals with OT Jonathan Martin in the second and RB Lamar Miller in the fourth. Fate of this draft — and embattled GM Jeff Ireland — will be determined by QB Ryan Tannehill.
Patriots: Bill Belichick traded up twice in the first round, adding a highly rated pair in DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont’a Hightower, then kept throwing picks at his defense.
AFC NORTH
Bengals: Didn’t go for big names, but CB Dre Kirkpatrick looks like a difference-maker and the lineup got a big injection of depth. Has Mike Brown finally figured this draft thing out?
Browns: Had to overpay to get RB Trent Richardson, but still got a potential starting QB (Brandon Weeden) in the first round and line depth in later rounds, too. Well done.
Steelers: Age and injuries left them no choice but to fortify both trenches, and OG David DeCastro has Pro Bowl potential. Taking the troubled OT Mike Adams in the second round smacked of desperation.
Ravens: Didn’t have a first-round pick but still ended up with DE Courtney Upshaw, a player the Jets liked who had first-round talent. OG Kelechi Osemele is big, but looks like a reach.
AFC SOUTH
Colts: Paired QB Andrew Luck with TE Coby Fleener, his teammate at Stanford, and another tight end in Dwayne Allen. No team had more holes than Indy, which still looks like an expansion team. But this was a good start.
Jaguars: WR Justin Blackmon has the potential to be a big producer, but quirky GM Gene Smith used a third-round pick to draft a punter (Bryan Anger). Who does that anymore?
Texans: Left observers puzzled by going for defense (one-dimensional DE Whitney Mercilus) when playmakers were needed on offense and they only had one pick in the first two rounds.
Titans: Added blazing WR Kendall Wright to their games, but LB Zach Brown and other defensive picks in later rounds created no buzz.
AFC WEST
Broncos: They apparently think Peyton Manning cures all ills, because Denver traded out of the first round twice, reached for DT Derek Wolfe in the second and ignored the big hole at receiver.
Chargers: Fortunate athletic DE Melvin Ingram fell to them in the first round, then added a pair of potentially sturdy defenders on the second day in DT Kendall Reyes and S Brandon Taylor. Made the most of it.
Chiefs: Stayed true to recent form by taking a huge gamble at No. 11 overall on DT Dontari Poe, who is freakishly athletic but dogged by concerns about his poor motor. That pick overshadows the rest.
Raiders: Trades turned them into bystanders until the third round, where new GM Reggie McKenzie proved Al Davis really is gone by going for line depth instead of fast receivers.