Teams with the first pick are usually considered on the clock and can begin negotiations with their pick in advance.
-- How far in advance have teams previously begun negotiations? Anyone have a sense?
-- Do you think the Browns will wait until draft night to reveal their pick? I tend to believe the Browns aren't going to trade that first pick, but do they still hold out until draft night?
1. If they have one or two players at the top of their board, they can start negotiating now to ensure they get a guy they really want
2. Know who they want, but wait until they are on the clock to see if anyone (like the Giants) are will to give up significant value to get the pick. They can drop back a few slots and still get a guy they want
I think they wait.
Even then, I'm not sure they negotiated early, but if they had, they'd already made their move to trade up and had identified their target.
Obviously it gave the club more time to get a deal done and the player to camp on time.
It also gave the team some leverage with the implied...
"here is what we are offering for you to be the #1 pick. Or we can offer it to someone we have graded just as high as you."
Let all the predraft trades happen and then strategize about how to get the two players that they covet. Even if it means that their top choice is picked at 4.
Yup. Having the 4th pick complicates things, that's another variable that will impact what they do at 1. It doesn't really benefit them to act early here.