One of the great variables of the NFL Draft is which teams will be active in the trade market. Some teams have made it a habit of trading their picks on draft day, and others have needs, picks to spare, and the willingness to package some of them together to make a big move. The tricky part is figuring out which teams will be aggressive in trying to move up — or down.
Here are eight teams that are more likely than most to make some sort of move on draft day beyond just handing in the card and making their allotted selection.
There aren’t really any rumors about the Patriots. They are quiet, as they often are. That doesn’t really mean anything, though. The Patriots have a remarkable record of trading their draft picks, and they have tons of them to play with — 12 in total, including six in the first three rounds. This year could see the Patriots trade up, which would be a rarity, but they have some serious needs to fill on offense. Of course, they could always trade down as well, as they have done so often in the past.
2) Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have so many picks that it’s tough to see them sitting still and holding on to them. As a result of their teardown last season, Oakland has eight picks, but three of them are in the first round. They already pick fourth, and they also have the 24th and 27th picks in reserve. Jon Gruden has made no secret of the fact that the Raiders will be aggressive, especially since they have a lot of needs to fulfill in the middle of their rebuild.
At this point it would be a surprise if the Seahawks didn’t trade back in the draft. They only have four picks in the entire draft, and it’s exceedingly likely that they’ll be moving out of the 21st spot in order to gain some more picks later in the process. The Seahawks are pretty well-poised after a playoff season, but they definitely have some needs, and the more picks they can rack up, the easier it will be for them to replenish their defense.
4) Washington Redskins
The Redskins are a bit of a wild card. It’s less likely that they’re going to move draft picks for other draft picks, but they have been frequently linked to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen since it became a realistic possibility that Kyler Murray would go first overall. That trade may or may not happen on draft day, and it’s unclear how eager the Cardinals are to even make such a trade. Still, Washington bears watching as a team that may be willing to move their picks if the right player comes along.
The Jets find themselves in a somewhat enviable position here. They possess the third overall pick, but as a team with a lot of needs and a QB in place, it may be beneficial for them to trade back. They sound interested in doing that too. Plus, every quarterback except for Kyler Murray is likely to still be on the board when the Jets’ number comes up. They don’t need a quarterback, but lots of teams do, and one may be desperate enough to make a huge offer for the third pick.
The big lingering question about the Giants is whether they’ll opt to select a long-term solution at quarterback in the first round or if they’ll put it off for another year. With the 6th and 17th overall picks, they could certainly package them together to get a very high pick if they feel like being aggressive. The reason they’re ranked so low is they just don’t sound exceptionally interested in making an aggressive move up the draft order.
The Steelers have already floated the idea of moving around in the draft thanks to their wide array of picks. After trading Antonio Brown, they now have ten picks at their disposal. They may want to be higher up than 20th after losing Brown and, at least technically, Le’Veon Bell in the same offseason. They have the ammunition to pull off a move, though it remains to be seen just how aggressive they’ll be in trying to make it happen. They could use another high-end playmaker.
Entering a full rebuild, it’s not entirely clear what the Dolphins’ draft plan is. They pick 13th overall and don’t have a ton of extra picks in reserve to swing a big move, but it’s worth watching. After all, the Dolphins don’t have a franchise quarterback, and if someone is tantalizingly dropping in the draft, it may be in their best interest to try to engineer a move up to secure the future of their franchise.
