With this year’s draft just a month away, it’s time to check in on some of the most interesting storylines.

With the spending-palooza that is the first few days of NFL free-agency all but wrapped up, GMs, scouts, coaches, and other front-office personnel are directing their focus towards the next medium for team-improvement: the NFL Draft. Over the past decade, front offices have grown to be more resourceful, and it’s become en-vogue to see the draft as the real way to inject young, cheap talent into a depleted roster. As these ideas have become more common throughout league circles, the draft has only evolved into an even greater 32-team chess-match. Every team goes into it with a different approach — will drafting player-x make our team better this season? Should we trade back and go all-in next year? How do we maximize our value at this spot in the draft order? These are all questions which teams will be asking themselves over the next month, likely during countless meetings with ownership and other powerful people across the various organizations. That being the case, it seems fair to look at some of the biggest storylines reverberating throughout the league heading towards April 28.

Who will be the 1st-pick? Seems like the perfect place to start. As it stands today, the Titans will select first, but who knows for how long? With (hopefully) a franchise-QB in-hand, they’ll be able to dodge the usual hype which surrounds the #1 overall pick. Naturally, since the first pick almost certainly won’t be a quarterback, the story becomes a bit less juicy — and by proxy, trade rumors commence. Even after the dust has settled on the team’s GM search, the trade for DeMarco Murray, and other offseason moves like the signing of Rishard Matthews, the rumors won’t go away — even though they probably should. The reason they should is because the Titans haven’t made the playoffs since 2008. To boot, they’ve had ownership issues which have yet to be solved, and a newly hired decision maker in GM Jon Robinson.

Given each of these factors, they’re in no position to take risks, as their roster is too desperate for talent. The 1st pick is no sure thing, but it’s damn close, and they need to get as close as they can to a sure thing. With needs along the offensive-line and the obvious desire to keep Mariota protected, the clearest choice for Tennessee would be to plainly take the draft’s best player, Laremy Tunsil — the offensive-tackle from Ole Miss. If Tunsil is the pick, that sets them up with two building blocks going forward at the tackle position, along with 2014’s 1st-rounder Taylor Lewan. Quite the luxury to have, two young tackles on rookie contracts in a salary climate which proves to pay large sums for talent at that position. Most of Tunsil’s skills mesh seamlessly with the Titans’ plan offensively. He’s an athletic tackle, with great size, who makes his bones in pass-pro. His speed will prove effective in the run-game as well, likely blocking in a North-South, hammer-style run game — typical in Mike Mularkey’s scheme. All that said, Tunsil’s potential as a top-tier LT one day makes him too good to pass up in Tennessee.

Will a 1st-round pick be traded? So far, the only 1st-round picks we’ve seen change hands stems from the Byron Maxwell/Kiko Alonso trade between the Eagles and Dolphins, in which the two teams simply swapped selections in the draft order. There’s yet to be any pre-draft trades involving picks in the 1st-round and history says that this is unusual, as we’ve seen 1st-rounders move hands pre-draft in each of the last ten seasons. But, in 2016, so far it’s just the Eagles/’Fins swap and the stripping of the Patriots selection by the league office. So what makes this year so special? Why are teams so reluctant to trade away or for 1st-round picks? Here’s the easy answer — they’re too valuable. In fact, they’re almost too valuable in both directions, meaning that they’re too valuable to trade away and too steep to trade for. A league-wide enlightening is taking place and it’s going to make each team’s job a lot harder. However, if a trade were to take place in the next month, who are some of the prime candidates to do so? Given a myriad of factors, such as aging talent, closing windows for success, and utter desperation, teams like the Saints, Bengals, and Seahawks are teams to keep an eye on.

Who will be the first quarterback selected? The true monkey-wrench here, is the fact that the Titans don’t need one. If they did, Jared Goff is probably looking into real-estate opportunities in the greater-Nashville area. However, since they don’t, and a trade hasn’t been made, the question of who will be the first quarterback taken lies solely with the philosophies of those teams poised to select one. For instance, both the Browns and 49ers are teams within the top-10 who have an immediate need at quarterback. Both teams, given the coaches and their proclivities to run quarterback-friendly offenses, would likely be better suited to select a player like Goff. Yet, with other holes poking through the rest of each team’s roster like Swiss cheese, it’s entirely possible neither team takes a quarterback in round one. So, if that’s the case, then who gets taken first? Though unlikely, teams in need of a bridge to their current quarterback like San Diego, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New Orleans wouldn’t be too brash to make a play for a QB in the 1st-round if the right player was there and the opportunity presented itself. Although it’s more likely that Goff would fit more nicely if he were eventually plopped into offenses like Dallas, Philly, or New Orleans’ — teams like San Diego and Chicago would be better off with a player like North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. No matter the outcome, everything that’s taken place during the pre-draft process has shown that the first quarterback off the board will either be Goff or Wentz — as they’ve clearly separated themselves from the rest of the bunch. So all that’s left now is to wait and see which team’s bold enough to send the card to podium on draft night.

Which pick will surprise us the most? Considering the situations of the teams with early selections, it’s possible no stone is left unturned. We could be in for multiple surprises on Thursday night. Aside from the quarterback position, there could be leaps of faith taken elsewhere. A team like the Cowboys, no stranger to risk taking, and in need of a player who can generate pressure on the defensive line, could be the team to pull a rabbit out of their hat. If Joey Bosa is available when the Cowboys are on the clock, It’s hard to imagine Jerry Jones not pulling the trigger. Bosa’s ability to disrupt the line of scrimmage play after play, and to remain disciplined against the run is exactly the kind of defensive characteristics those in Arlington are looking for.

Likewise, a few more surprises to look out for could come from the likes of Baltimore and Philly. In the case of the Ravens, we’re looking at a team that probably won’t find themselves in this position again for quite a while. An injury-plagued season has left them with the No. 6 pick, and poised to add a long-term piece at a crucial position of need. With essentially a revolving door at running back since the decline and eventual departure of Ray Rice, the purple and black have struggled to run the ball — especially last season, with the Michael Jordan of zone schemes, Gary Kubiak, no longer around. It is for this reason, we could see the Ravens make waves by selecting Ezekiel Elliot in round one. Elliot possess all the necessary skills to be an all-world runner, he has terrific size, power, and speed — each proving to be more and more luxurious in today’s NFL. His ability to mix it up in-between blockers is a talent which one can imagine could pay dividends playing alongside Marshal Yanda and Eugene Monroe. If Ozzie Newsome elects to go with offense in round one, Elliot could be their man. If so, Look for Baltimore to add a guard during the middle-rounds to acquiesce the loss of Kelechi Osemele, and to possibly lend a hand to his new star running back.

For Philly, it’s possible they’ve already got their man waiting in the wings (sorry for the bird pun). Making the trade with Miami tells us that not only was the team uncomfortable with Maxwell’s play and the amount of money he was owed over the long-term, but that also, they might have their eyes on someone in the top-10 they’re nervous about missing out on. Who could that be? As evidenced by the Maxwell trade, there’s a pronounced need at the corner position, someone who can cover on the outside, down the field, and at the inside slot position. Does that point directly to Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves? Perhaps. Although, even after the wave of transactions the team has made since the new year, they still have roster cavities in other areas. Chip Kelly discovered the torment of sub-par guard play last season the hard way. After electing to release Evan Mathis before the season, they were stuck with Allen Barbre and Matt Tobin for most of the year. With Brandon Brooks signing for big money to supplement Tobin at right guard, they could sniff around for an upgrade over Barbre, who struggled last season, at left guard. As for potential fits, Jack Conklin from Michigan State, is someone who, if drafted by Philly, could be moved inside to guard — at least until Lane Johnson is ready to take over for Jason Peters at left tackle. Conklin is the type of bruiser the Eagles are looking for. Similar to Brooks, he’s a punisher in the run-game, bulldozing over anyone in his path. His technique is sound and his instincts will make him a long-term answer at RT one day, but for now, if they’re trying to put their best five on the field, he might be inserted into the lineup as a guard.

Which position is flooded with talent? Each year, as teams go through their pre-draft preparation, it is typical for them to examine each position and distinguish which areas have an abundance of talent in order to boost their chances of obtaining value. In the 2016 draft, it’s likely that scouts and GMs have noticed the large quantity of skilled defensive linemen. So how does that affect a team’s approach? Well, take a team like the Lions, who have needs along the defensive line, but also in the secondary. Given the saturation up front on the line, Bob Quinn and his staff might be more inclined to single-out a player in the secondary — an area with less eminence this year. Thus, the opportunity cost of taking a defensive lineman could prove to be consequential. With players like DeForest Buckner, Jarran Reed, and A’Shawn Robinson headlining their class, it will be interesting to see how the depth of their position affects their draft stock. Could a player like Robinson, who’s yet to flourish and still developing slide because of this? Something to think about.

How early will we see draft grades? In the era of clicks for cash, it is likely that the post-draft immediate grading will never cease to exist. The reality is that fans are interested in gauging their team’s ability to make the right decisions and that’s why they look at draft grades. Granted, most people within NFL circles know that you can’t actually grade a draft class until at least 2–3 years after the fact. Although draft grades seem rushed for the sake of adding content, it isn’t too hasty to survey draft classes and look for utter mistakes — like Bryan Anger over Russell Wilson.

Overall, it seems as if a pretty entertaining draft season is in store. Other interesting things to monitor: Will the Patriots get their 1st-round pick back? (no) How loud will the boos be when Roger Goodell steps to the podium to announce New England’s second-round pick? Will Peyton Manning make an appearance? Will the Giants take another receiver in round one, pair him with Odell and begin the apocalypse? Whose name will be botched the worst? The early favorite is Robert Nkemdiche.