Draft day trades are peak offseason: frantically refreshing Twitter to see if your favorite team has made a move, then promptly see them get roasted for overpaying or getting fleeced. No matter which way you look at it, draft trades end up happening, and here are five moves that I believe could happen that teams should look to make.
Note: I'm not an expert at trade value, so I'm just throwing the idea out there for now of trades. I will throw in compensation but I doubt it will be accurate.
I think Jim Irsay is finally ready to get off the veteran QB ride. There is a very good chance the Colts can stay at #4 and pick the 2nd QB off the board, but I can see this team going above and beyond to get the guy they want. For the Bears, not only do they get lots of future draft capital, they still get a top 4 pick. More importantly, they still get one of Jalen Carter and Will Anderson, perceived to be the top two defensive players in this draft.
The Panthers are in the same boat as the Colts, and with their victory last Sunday their pick dropped to #9. It is almost a guarantee Bryce Young and CJ Stroud will be off the board in the first eight picks, but if they're taken in the first four, the Panthers might be inclined to move up instead of going the veteran route again. For Seattle, this team is still rebuilding and can use all the capital they can get, like the Bears only moving down four picks for it.
Trade 3: Texans trade up to #24 with Ravens for 2nd round pick, Browns 3rd round pick
In my mock draft from yesterday (https://thesixthseeds.wixsite.com/website-1) I had the Texans going QB-Defense with their first two picks. However, in a situation where a WR falls through (JSN?) I can see the Texans trading up for a third first round pick and taking a receiver here. I liken this trade to the Jermaine Johnson trade for the Jets last season, in which they traded up to get the guy they want. The Ravens, after trading away their second round pick to the Bears this season, could be looking to get back some draft capital, even if they arguably should take a receiver here.
Trade 4: Broncos trade #29 to Saints for rights to Sean Payton
This is fascinating to me, a question truly of how much one player is worth vs an arguable top 5 head coach. If I'm the Broncos, I would trust Payton with this team a lot more than any other coach on the market. If you have already sunk so much draft capital and cap space into a team, you need a stellar coach to lead it. For the Saints, this is a no brainer for a team that traded their own pick this season for Olave, allowing them to get back into the first round.
Trade 5: Raiders trade Derek Carr to Jets for 3rd round pick
Derek Carr has full autonomy over who he plays for. With a NTC and a contract that becomes guaranteed next season unless he is cut, he can pick which team he is traded to, or he can just get released and choose his team. Carr is one of the best QBs on the market this season, so I can see a team giving up capital for him. I don't think he would choose the Colts given their past QB history, or Commanders just for their overall history. The Jets, on the other hand, are a team that is arguably just missing a quarterback. Carr to the Jets just seems like a perfect match.
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