A common occurrence throughout the NFL Draft is the use of the trade market. Although most of the trades are picks-for-picks, some deals include players, too.
Here are five trades that just might work during the NFL Draft.
Patriots land Josh Rosen at last second
By the time this trade occurs, Kyler Murray will already be a member of the Arizona Cardinals, as the two will meet up following the first selection of the draft. This leaves some confusion at quarterback, with sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen temporarily in the backup role and newly-signed Brett Hundley in the third-string position.
Although Rosen struggled in 2018, he is entering just his second season in the league and surely deserves a better chance on a team that doesn’t struggle as much as the Cardinals. Although a trade with New England wouldn’t put Rosen in a starting role immediately, the Patriots would be able to have him learn behind a legendary quarterback in Tom Brady, and likely use Rosen as Brady’s successor when the future Hall of Famer’s time comes to retire.
New England Patriots acquire QB Josh Rosen and a 2019 6th-round pick (No. 179) in exchange for a 2019 3rd-round pick (No. 73, via Detroit).
Giants move down from No. 6 in trade with Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have been a popular name discussed in free agency, but not because they are making big signings as they look to break .500. Rather, Miami is actually believed to be struggling, despite a 7-9 record in the 2018 season. Defensive end Cameron Wake was signed by the Titans, and now Ryan Tannehill will join him after he was traded to Tennessee.
As things stand, Miami’s quarterback depth chart features journeyman backup Jake Rudock, who has attempted five passes in his NFL career, at the top of the list. Behind him is Luke Falk, a sophomore quarterback who was once projected to be a first-round pick and was compared to Tom Brady; after being drafted by the Titans, he was let go and snagged by Miami, and has yet to appear in a regular season game. Moving up seven spots to No. 5 allows Miami to have a better shot at the quarterback they want. Meanwhile, the Giants don’t want to draft a quarterback at No. 6, so trading down won’t come with as much stress, and will land the team more draft picks to turn the team around.
Miami Dolphins acquire a 2019 first-round pick (No. 6) and 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 142) from the New York Giants in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick (No. 13), 2019 second-round pick (No. 48), and 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 116).
Chargers trade up to No. 3 at last second
The Jets have been a team considering moving down in the draft. A trade with the Chargers allows them to move way down while building up several additional picks to build the future of New York football. Meanwhile, it allows the Chargers to select Ohio State defensive end, Nick Bosa, brother of current Charger Joey Bosa. The two brothers would team up to strengthen a solid defense in Los Angeles.
The biggest worry for Los Angeles would be what they would have to give up. Is it worth it to get a second Bosa? To move up just three slots (from No. 6 to No. 3) in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Jets had to give up three second-round picks, in addition to the No. 6 selection. It would obviously take a whole lot more if the Chargers wanted to move up 25 spaces in the draft to No. 3.
Los Angeles Chargers acquire a 2019 first-round pick (No. 3) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 105) from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick (No. 28), a 2019 second-round pick (No. 60), a 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2020 third-round pick.
Eagles acquire Jerick McKinnon from 49ers
Although the 49ers are expected to keep McKinnon in a crowded backfield also containing young sensations Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert, if the price is right there is no reason for them to refuse an enticing offer. The Eagles backfield has been one of their biggest weaknesses over the past few years, and it is only getting worse with Jay Ajayi’s expected departure and Darren Sproles’s retirement.
The Philadelphia backfield is headlined by new acquisition Jordan Howard, but they got him for a steal and could still further bolster a backfield that otherwise contains a few youngsters with potential, such as Corey Clement.
Philadelphia Eagles acquire RB Jerick McKinnon, a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 176), and a conditional* 2020 seventh-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick (No. 57).
* The conditional selection would kick in only if McKinnon is active for less than 10 games and starts less than eight games during the 2019 regular season.
Bills land A.J. Green in trade with Bengals
It is clear that the Buffalo Bills have struggled greatly in the past at the wide receiver position. Zay Jones and Robert Foster headline the struggling corps; that should tell you something. The tight end position does not have any standout receivers either, so the majority of Buffalo’s offensive production comes from the running game, which will be focused around the oft-impressive LeSean McCoy, the ageless Frank Gore, and the sophomore quarterback, Josh Allen.
The Bengals are clearly in a position in which they should be tanking and focusing on adding draft selections to build for the future. It seems unlikely that Cincinnati will be able to reach an extension with Green before he becomes a free agent at the end of the upcoming season, so trading him to a team that could have him in their future plans would be good for both Cincinnati and Green. The Bills are one of those teams, which we got a hint of when they attempted to pull off a trade for Antonio Brown.
Buffalo Bills acquire WR A.J. Green from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a 2019 5th-round pick and a conditional* 2020 7th-round pick.
* The conditional selection would kick in only if Green is active for at least one game with the Buffalo Bills during the 2020 regular season.
