INDIANAPOLIS -- After securing a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in last year's draft, Jaguars general manager David Caldwell finds himself more open to trading the No. 3 pick this year.
"We had no margin for error these last two years," Caldwell said. "I think this year we could be more open."
Caldwell acknowledged that because of the top-heavy quarterback class, which could very well leave either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston sliding into Caldwell's hands if Tennessee or Tampa Bay declines to draft one, there could be some more activity than there was in 2014.
"I would expect some calls," Caldwell said. "But as you guys in the media know, you pick everything apart and some of the quarterbacks may fall just like some of the quarterbacks predicted to go high last year fell to the late first round. So you don't really know what other teams' value is."
Caldwell said that there are some general managers who prefer to make calls well ahead of time, and then there were the Bills. When Buffalo decided to trade up for Sammy Watkins last year, they ended up bombarding the teams holding the No. 3 and No. 4 picks with phone calls minutes before the pick.
If Caldwell could generate a second first-round pick in 2015 or in 2016, this has to be looked at as an ideal draft. The team is more than a year away from competing in their division anyway, and bolstering the roster is the only way to get there.
Seeing how Caldwell balances the temptation of a potential game-changing pass rusher against the possibility of more high-level picks will tell us a lot about the young general manager.
Despite another top five pick, there seems to be a feeling of progress there. The organization feels like it's in better hands.
Swinging a deal like this could go a long way toward pushing that sentiment forward.
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