FanNation

Let me take a moment to rant about something I just don't get.  Teams seem to follow the draft point value chart pretty closely, except when it comes to future years.  It appears to me from the outside looking in that the team who is accepting the future years picks in order to move down would almost always end up ahead.  I think that it is far too easy for a GM/VP/owner psychologically to undervalue that pick in their head because its value isn't immediate.  To be honest, I think if a GM/VP/whatever were to state flat out they would never trade their future pick, or further deviate from the draft chart, in the long haul they would end up ahead.  Why?  The future picks would almost always outweight the value of what they are giving up.  The future year's draft strength increase would outweight the loss in this year's draft.  If they stuck to it, they would likely have this benefit over and over, making their drafts stronger as years go on.  Sure, it might mean not getting the exact player you love, but unless someone you have ranked VERY high has slipped to you (See: The Browns/Quinn of '07), I say NEVER offer a trade that mortgages your future and ALWAYS accept a value that on paper is a mismatch in your favor, even if that mismatch takes a year to amortize.  Maybe there's a reason I'm not a GM, but I truly feel this would work out.