Trading up for a nickel corner would be such a bonehead move....
Would it, though? The game has changed.
Strong safety, box safety, nickel corner and hybrid ILB overlap and merge. #1 and #2 targets are increasingly coming out of the slot, whether a WR or a TE. Then there are the pass catching RBs that are coming into vogue.
So, if you find a guy with the quickness and speeed to cover a range of receivers, with the physicality to handle TEs and defend the run, and the smarts to handle zone coverage, that guy being a top pick is justified. He doesn't have to be a 2 down player. He doesn't just have to just cover Landrys, Amendolas and Senus and otherwise sit on the bench. James fits the mold of 3 down player.
Fitzpatrick is more in the FS / CB mold where he could start as nickel corner, back up at safety, take over for Clinton-Dix next year, and maybe even beat out somebody for perimeter corner or rotate to the perimeter against certain matchups.
It's a matchup game. Having guys who project well to a variety of roles is highly valuable.
Now, we have the Rapaport rumor of a trade up. Gutekunst (or Gutey if you prefer) spoke of the talent "cliffs" on the board where at certain points there are drop offs. One could certainly argue that such a cliff sits right around #14. If the rumor is true, and it is certainly plausible, the default assumption should be he's thinking about Ward. But that might require going up to #6 if Indy is willing, and that would be costly, perhaps the #14, #45 and a kicker or kickers of some value, perhaps the #76 and another pick. Moving up to #6 would generally require at least a small premium payment over the draft chart value.
Alternatively, moving up just a couple of slots for Fitzpatrick or James would be less costly for a player who may have an equivalent grade, fills a need, and provides scheme flexibility. This would not be a bonehead move.
If he can't swing the trade for the guy he wants and then hits the cliff, I'd expect he'd try to move down.
Prearranged conditional trades based on the availability of a single player or group of players might not pan out at all. You could look to trade up to #10 and all three of the aformentioned players could be off the board already. In-the-moment trades as the board plays out are difficult to arrange on the spur of the moment even with 5 guys working the phones.
In short, what fun!