More choices with more chances. If 50% of draft picks make it, more picks helps your odds of replenishing your team.
Hey look at the picks available(13) and what we got 2 years ago in 03:
1. No. 29 Nick Barnett LB, Oregon St.
2. No. 62: To Eagles in Al Harris trade (PHI Starting TE L. J. Smith)
3. No. 79 Kenny Peterson DL, Ohio State
3. No. 94: To Bills in draft-day trade for Kenny Peterson (Bills LB Angelo Crowell, backs up Takeo Spikes)
4. No. 127: To Bills in draft-day trade for Kenny Peterson (Bills WR Sam Aiken #3 or 4 receiver with Bills)
4. No. 128: To Patriots in Terry Glenn trade (DE Bryant McNeal backs up Simeon Rice in TB)
5. No. 147 James Lee DT, Oregon St.
5. No. 165: To Seahawks in draft-day trade for James Lee (SEA FB Chris Davis, out of football)
6. No. 166 Hunter Hillenmeyer LB, Vanderbilt (Backs up Urlacher after $100K Packer signing bonus)
6. No. 185: To Eagles in draft-day trade for H. Hillenmeyer ( Jeremy Bridges Starting RG for Cardinals)
6. No. 203: To Seahawks in draft-day trade for James Lee (NO WR Kareem Kelly out of football)
6. No. 212: (Comp.) Brennan Curtin OT, Notre Dame (recently cut)
7. No. 244: To Eagles in draft-day trade for H. Hillenmeyer (PHI DB Norman LeJeune out of football)
7. No. 245 Chris Johnson DB, Louisville
7. No. 253: (Comp.) Deandrew Rubin WR, S. Florida (TB #5 or 6 WR)
7. No. 256: (Comp.) Carl Ford WR, Toledo (WR Bears)
7. No. 257: (Comp.) Steve Josue LB, Carson- Newman (LB Ravens)
Note the NFL does not permit trading of compensatory picks(Wells would not have arrived) or Sherman would have traded them.
Now that 2003 draft is making a pig's ear out of a silk purse!! We had 11 picks not including trades for Al Harris and Terry Glenn. We traded up/away and have 3 on the roster (Johnson won't make it) after 2 years from those 11 picks.
2005 we started with 7 picks (thanks to trades for Truluck + Combs), traded down/away and got 11 picks.
A 3rd round pick was turned into Underwood, Hawkins, Bragg, Campbell, Whitticker.
The odds are more than 3 of the 11 picks will be on roster in 2 years and more than 1 will be starting.