NFL draft odds paint an interesting picture with the event set to kick off Thursday. The Chicago Bears are heavy favorites to take Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, but the draft starts to look interesting after that. Draft odds favor quarterbacks for the first three picks, but their landing spots, and in which order they’ll go, aren’t certain.
Added intrigue also comes from the possibility of draft night trades. Trades up and down will happen as teams seek to land the player that best fits their needs. This year is no different — but which teams could trade their first round pick?
Which teams could trade their NFL draft pick?
New England Patriots
There’s been some speculation in the last couple of weeks that the New England Patriots could be open to moving back from the No. 3 spot in the draft. The Patriots haven’t had a top-10 pick since 2008 when the team selected Jerod Mayo — now heading into his first season as Patriots’ head coach — and haven’t had a top-five pick since 1994 when they selected Willie McGinest with the No. 4 overall pick. This is rarefied air in Foxboro.
With such a dire and immediate need at quarterback, and the 2024 NFL draft possessing three or four quarterbacks likely to go in the top 10 picks, the Patriots may yet, and will likely, hang tight with their top-three pick. Odds at online sportsbooks favor one of Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or JJ McCarthy to be the selection there. However, a trade-back isn’t out of the question. The Patriots could hand the keys to Jacoby Brissett for one year, assess their needs on a wider scale, and then make a decision on a quarterback while having more knowledge about the direction of the team a year down the line.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are in prime position to trade down. They currently sit with the No. 4 overall pick and have a roster full of needs. If the top three picks in the draft are indeed quarterbacks, the Cardinals have a clear run at wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who might just be the most talented player in the draft and a generational prospect. Drafting Harrison Jr. would give Kyler Murray a potential star receiver, something the roster needs.
However, the Cardinals are in a good spot. They have a franchise quarterback and could command a pretty penny if a team like the Minnesota Vikings is seeking to trade up to find one of its own. A trade would also see the Cardinals net a third, and potentially fourth if they trade with the Vikings, first-round NFL draft pick in 2024. An excellent opportunity to address multiple needs.
Los Angeles Chargers
Like the Cardinals, the Los Angeles Chargers are in an enviable position. They already have their franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert and now are just looking to strengthen specific areas of need; mainly wide receiver and offensive tackle. Luckily for the Chargers, the 2024 NFL draft class isn’t bereft of either position. They could feasibly pair Herbert with Harrison Jr. or add an elite tackle prospect in Joe Alt. The expectation is that this won’t be a team picking frequently in the top five or 10, so an elite prospect might not be within its grips too often.
An elite prospect doesn’t solve all of the Chargers’ issues, though, even if it would drastically improve their starting talent. But with such a deep class at Los Angeles’ two positions of need, there’s reason to believe that a trade back out of the top 10 could prove fruitful. The team could still draft a receiver or a tackle in the first round and pick up extra picks to help fill out its roster.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are the most popular trade-up candidates right now and for good reason. Kirk Cousins joined the Atlanta Falcons this offseason after six years with the Vikings, leaving a gaping hole at quarterback. The team signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract and could well start the season with him as the starter, but rumors have persisted for some time that the Vikings are in pole position to trade up on draft night.
The Vikings netted themselves an extra first-round pick in a pre-draft trade with the Houston Texans, acquiring the No. 23 pick on top of the No. 11 that they already owned. This may give the Vikings enough ammo to trade up to the top of the first round and draft their quarterback of the future.
New York Giants
With the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the New York Giants are in an interesting position. It makes sense that they could either trade up or down from the No. 6 pick, and no one would bat an eye either way. Daniel Jones is pegged to be the Giants starting quarterback again in 2024, but the team could feasibly get out of his contract after next season.
With that in mind, the Giants might look to jump into the top four and circumvent any chance of losing out on one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 draft if they are open to moving on from Jones. A trade back is a possibility, too, in another attempt to strengthen a roster that has notable flaws.
