Managing an NFL roster and being responsible with the available salary cap is challenging. Imagine inheriting a franchise with very little capital, one of the oldest rosters in the league, and immediately moving in new directions schematically on both sides of the football. With a desire to cultivate a new locker room culture from the ground up, draft picks become incredibly important. After all, there is intense pressure to field a competitive team as soon as possible and to stay competitive each season.
Chris Ballard had one of the best drafts in NFL history in 2018. He traded down in the first round to pick first-team All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.