Five Potential Round One Draft Trades
There have already been a plethora of first-round picks dealt this offseason before the draft has even started. The Broncos traded theirs to the Seahawks, the Browns traded theirs to the Texans, the Raiders traded theirs to the Packers and many more.
That doesn’t mean the dealing is over though. Expect at least two more trades in the first round to occur on draft night. Here are some possibilities.
Steelers Move Up Into Top Ten
With the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh suddenly had a gaping hole at the quarterback position that had been stable for the last 15 years. The current possibilities at starter are Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
With an up-and-coming division that has young, elite quarterbacks of Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson, I’d bet the Steelers are thoroughly examining their options at quarterback in the draft. There have been lots of rumors spreading over the last month that the team is enamored with Willis.
Unfortunately, there’s a very small possibility that he makes it to the 20th overall pick.
They’d likely have to move up into the top 10 to have a chance at the Liberty signal-caller. The Giants and Jets are two teams to monitor for trade partners.
Both have two picks inside the top 10 and could potentially be interested in moving back.
Giants Move Back For 2023 First Round Pick
Several reports have surfaced suggesting that the Giants are strongly considering moving back in the draft from one of their two first-round picks.
A deal with another team would likely send a 2023 first-round pick the Giants’ way. This could be a lot more beneficial next year with a generational quarterback class on the way. It seems that the Giants are sticking with Daniel Jones at quarterback as of now.
He certainly hasn’t locked up the job for the next few years. Jones will need to put up a strong performance this season to keep his job. New York has several holes on their roster and adding more draft assets is a decent strategy to solve that.
If they were to trade back, I’d assume they’d swap their seventh overall pick with a team in the teens. Adding a 2023 first-round pick as well.
There are still solid options that will be available for the Giants too. An abundance of offensive tackle and edge-rushing talent is available at the top of the draft. These are two of the positions the Giants need most.
Saints Move Up For Offense
With the recent trade that sent the Saints a second first-round pick at 16, they now have the ammo to move up in the draft if they choose to. Whether that’s for a quarterback, wide receiver, or offensive tackle remains to be seen.
Jameis Winston is certainly a serviceable option, but not the franchise leader the Saints were used to having with Drew Brees.
New Orleans still has holes at wide receiver and offensive tackle, and this draft has plenty of talented options for those positions at the top of the draft.
Panthers Move Down
This isn’t necessarily a likely option, but it’s certainly possible. The Panthers have the sixth overall pick, but then don’t pick again until 137. Moving back could be very beneficial to add more draft picks for a team that isn’t headed in a certain direction yet.
Especially if they decide to not go QB, their pick will be increasingly valuable to other teams looking to move up. Potential trade-back candidates include the Eagles, the Saints, the Steelers, or maybe even the Vikings.
Seahawks Move Down
The Seahawks always typically look to trade down in the first round. Now that’s been when they’re picking at the end of the first round. The tables have turned, and they now hold a top ten pick.
It’ll be interesting to see if John Schneider and the Seahawks move down again.