Almost every team enters each year's NFL draft with a declared intent on maintaining the long-term view and focusing on selecting the best player available. But it doesn't take much for those plans to be skewed.
With wildly disparate salary cap outlooks from year to year, some teams can face heightened obligations when it comes to importing young, cost-controlled contributors at key spots. Positional pressures – particularly at quarterback – can also further box in a front office and coaching staff. And whether facing a rebuild or being asked to retool on the fly, decision-makers can face serious timeline crunches that some of their peers are spared.