Jackson Free Press

Day one of the NFL Draft begins tonight with the first round and continues Friday and finishes on Sunday. This could be one of the wildest in recent memory, with the first two picks having already been traded.

In the remaining few hours before the draft, pass the time by reading as many mock drafts as you can if you don’t have a feel for the players. The best teams are able to build through and add free agents to become a title contender.

All the first-round action begins at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN and the NFL Network. Here’s what to watch for mainly tonight but a couple things throughout the draft.

Which quarterback do the Los Angeles Rams select?

It is hard to remember that the Rams are back in L.A. again. But they are, and they traded with the Tennessee Titans to get the top pick.

L.A. is going to draft a quarterback, but the question is, will it be Carson Wentz or Jared Goff? Whichever quarterback the Rams choose leaves the other for the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded with the Cleveland Browns for the second pick.

What will San Diego and Dallas do with picks at three and four?

The real intrigue of this draft begins with the Chargers and Cowboys. Both teams could make a pick on offense or defense. San Diego and Dallas could also start a run on defensive linemen since both teams need help in the trenches on the defensive side.

If the right deal comes along, either team could be enticed into a trade. Both could in fact move back in the draft if the teams that need a quarterback decide to move up.

Will the Browns and 49ers draft a quarterback?

After nearly two decades, Cleveland is still trying to find who will be the man under center. San Francisco might be ready to move from Colin Kaepernick and start fresh at quarterback.

The 49ers have the seventh pick, and the Browns follow with the eighth pick. Both teams have plenty of holes to fill, so they could pass on a quarterback in this round to pick one up later.

If both the Browns and 49ers take a quarterback, it could cause a run on the other ones in the draft.

Will the Saints take a quarterback or defensive player?

There is some thought that the Saints could go after a quarterback in the first round. New Orleans really needs defensive help like a pass rusher or in the secondary if they want to make a run at a title with Drew Brees.

On the other hand, Brees won’t play forever, so when do you get his replacement if you don’t think you already have him on the roster? This would be a classic build for the future or a play--for-right-now spot for the Saints.

More quarterbacks late in round one?

Two other teams …

Some interesting things have come out of New Orleans over the past few days. Both the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees seem to be trying to position themselves for some possible post-draft fallout.

By now, nearly every Saints fan knows that Brees currently has a $30 million salary number cap for this upcoming season. This is also the final year of his current contract with New Orleans.

The next few stories are why this is so interesting.

When the Carolina Panthers suddenly rescinded their franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman, making him an unrestricted free agent, it quickly became apparent that Washington and New Orleans were his top destination options.

Norman signed with Washington instead of New Orleans, but after Norman was off the market, ESPN reported that Brees was willing to rework his deal so the Saints could sign the star cornerback.

Neither side has said it had a contract deal in place after Norman signed with Washington. But could Brees have worked out a deal in a few short hours to give the Saints room to sign Norman?

Then, there was this: Just this week, Ian Rapoport said the Saints were looking to move up to the number-one pick before a trade was made between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee Titans.

Brees said in an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he doubts the Saints tried to make a move for the top pick. New Orleans General Manager Mickey Loomis also said the report was false during a recent press conference.

Rapoport, in the same story, reported that the Saints were also interested in possibly moving up from the 12th pick to inside the top 10 to draft former University of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.

If you don’t remember, the Saints spent a third-round draft choice on Garrett Grayson last year. Grayson just rode the pine after the preseason, mainly as the Saints’ third-string quarterback.

The theory that New Orleans might want to draft a quarterback in the first round raises some questions.

Would the Saints want to sign Brees to a contract of three or fewer years if they draft a quarterback in the first round?

Will the Saints let Brees play out this season and then move on from the future Hall of Fame signal caller?

Will New Orleans rework Brees’ deal so they can trade him once his salary is more trade-friendly?

Even if the Saints rework Brees’ deal and draft a quarterback, is the club saying the Super Bowl window is closed with Brees?

Do the Saints want to rework Brees’ deal and make a couple of final runs at a Super Bowl?

Is this all really a pre-draft smokescreen that the Saints are using to work a better deal with Brees?

Let’s take a look at each question.

If the Saints take a quarterback in the first round, they …