Market for Bush

sorry if this was posted already. from espn insider:

Bush Market

USC RB Reggie Bush still figures to be the first player selected in the 2006 draft. The Texans have spent recent weeks leaking rumors to the media regarding their possible interest in selecting Williams with the first overall pick. They've even gone as far as to open up predraft contract talks with Williams and his agent, Ben Dogra, while making it abundantly clear to the media that no such talks have occurred with Joel Segal, who represents Bush.

The Texans' interest in Williams is sincere, but only if they strike a deal to trade down. All the other talk can be chalked up to predraft smoke screens. This type of nonsense takes place annually. Just as the 49ers used WR Braylon Edwards (Browns) and DC Antrel Rolle (Cardinals) to get a better deal for QB Alex Smith, the Texans are using Williams to establish more leverage before sitting down with Segal to hash out a predraft deal with Bush.

The only thing standing in the way of Bush heading to Houston is a potential trade between the Texans and Jets. Multiple sources have told me the Jets are aggressively seeking a deal that would catapult them to the top of the draft board to bring Bush to New York. Referring back to the Trade Value Chart, such a deal for the first overall pick (worth 3,000 points) would cost Jets something similar to the following:

? Pick No. 4 (1,800)
? Pick No. 29 (640)
? Pick No. 35 (550)
? Pick No. 103 (88)

As it stands right now, the Jets own seven of the draft's first 117 selections, giving them the ammunition to make this kind of blockbuster move. If they made the deal with the Texans for Bush, the Jets would be left with three of those picks (71, 97, 117) in the first four rounds.

While Bush is unquestionably the best prospect in this year's draft, it would still be understandable if the Texans opted to make such a deal. General manager Charlie Casserly must assess Bush's value as compared to those four picks, which could land his team a quartet of prospects similar to the following:

? Pick No. 4: Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson
? Pick No. 29: Ohio State DC Ashton Youboty
? Pick No. 35: Penn State DE Tamba Hali
? Pick No. 103: Virginia Tech OLB James Anderson

When considering the Texans' glaring needs along the offensive line and on defense, it would be difficult to chose Bush over those four prospects -- especially with RB Dominic Davis already in house.

Regardless, Bush will be the first prospect called to the podium next Saturday.

 

McShay also says if New Orleans doesn't deal the #2 pick, that they'll take mario williams.

 

more from the article:

Most NFL teams use a Trade Value Chart to make sure they're getting enough in return -- or not overpaying -- when trading draft picks. The chart assigns a point value to every pick in the seven-round draft. New Orleans' No. 2 overall pick, for example, is worth 2,600 points. In order to be a fair trade, whatever package of picks the team received in return should add up to 2,600.

For the Titans to move up to the second pick, they would need to surrender their first-round pick, No. 3 overall and worth 2,200 points, as well as their second-round pick, No. 39 overall and worth 510 points, to match the value of the Saints' pick. That would leave Tennessee with only one selection in the first three rounds, since the Titans already traded their third-round pick to Buffalo.

For the Jets to move up to No. 2, they would need to give up both of their first-round picks, No. 4 overall (worth 1,800 points) and No. 29 overall (acquired from Denver via Atlanta and worth 640 points), as well as their original third-round pick No. 71 (worth 235 points). New York would retain its second-round pick, No. 35 overall, and a compensatory pick at the end of the third round, No. 97 overall.
-- Todd McShay

 

He says the Raiders are supposedly trying to leapfrog the Titans and Jets by trading into #2 spot with New Orleans. But they want Vince Young, not Leinart...which wouldn't affect the Jets anyways