NFL Teams That Should Try to Trade Down in 2024 Draft's First Round
With the 2024 NFL draft fast approaching, teams almost certainly have been and will continue exploring the prospect of trading down in the first round leading up to the event's start on April 25.
Trading down can be a beneficial move for several reasons. Taking advantage of a rival franchise's desperation to land a particular prospect—often a quarterback—can transform one selection into a plethora of picks in both the current and future drafts. These selections can then be used to flesh out contending rosters with serviceable young talent.
Sliding down the board can also be cost-effective. Moving off an early first-round position allows a team to avoid the high price of that slot and instead pay more reasonable deals to the players they select later on. The No. 1 overall pick in 2024 will make $38.5 million over the next four seasons, while the player picked No. 32 pick will only be owed $12.1 million in the same span.
With that in mind, here are five teams that should try to trade down in Round 1 of the upcoming NFL draft.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 5
The Arizona Cardinals are once again in a position to trade down in the first round. The team pulled off the maneuver last year, giving No. 3 overall and No. 105 overall to the Houston Texans for No. 12 overall, No. 33 overall and 2024 first- and third-round selections.
While Arizona eventually sent over several picks to the Detroit Lions to slide back up to No. 6, the club still ended up ahead in terms of draft capital last year. Because of its big move, the team now holds the Nos. 4 and 27 selections in Round 1. The former is a particularly juicy pick to dangle as trade bait while still leaving the Cardinals with a first-round choice to pad the roster out with.
Given the Cardinals have committed to Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback—and he fared well upon his return to action from a lengthy injury layoff midway through last season—they will likely find themselves choosing between taking a single elite prospect and the bevy of picks that a trade down would provide.
That decision will be much tougher if Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 1 overall prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, is still available when Arizona is on the clock. The Ohio State product fills a position of massive need for the organization, but the Cardinals unsurprisingly have several other holes to fill after winning a meager eight total games over the last two seasons.
As great as Harrison would be in this lineup, the team arguably needs even more help along the defensive line and at cornerback. Arizona accumulated a paltry 33 sacks in 2023—the third-fewest in the league—and had just two of its middling 11 interceptions snagged by cornerbacks. Offensive line is also an area of concern after stalwart left tackle D.J. Humphries suffered a potentially career-ending ACL tear in the season's penultimate contest.
Given these roster woes, the Cardinals should be willing to pass up an elite wide receiver to acquire the draft capital necessary to complete a thorough rebuilding effort.
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 5
The Atlanta Falcons were a strong candidate to trade up on draft night before making the biggest splash possible at the onset of free agency.
By agreeing with Kirk Cousins on a four-year, $180 million contract, the Falcons instantly filled their most pressing need with a Pro Bowler. Atlanta no longer has to consider moving up from No. 8 overall to land a franchise quarterback and can instead focus on addressing the remaining problem areas in its lineup.
The Falcons' brass can approach the remainder of this offseason like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, "[the Falcons] believe Cousins is the type of player who moves them from a fringe playoff team to a contender" and expects a "seamless transition" as he prepares to play with Atlanta's core of highly drafted skill-position players.
Part of the approach should be trading down, a move that would allow them to net future first-round value (potentially landing a Cousins successor in the 2025 draft or beyond) in addition to Day 2 selections that could be used to pad the roster for a championship run.
Wide receiver is a particularly strong need for this team, an issue that can be easily remedied in this exceptionally deep class. Nine of the top 50 and 17 of the top 80 players on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board are receivers, allowing the Falcons to move way down and still come away with a high-end prospect like Xavier Worthy—who just set the combine record with his 40-yard dash time—or Ja'Lynn Polk on Day 2.
Atlanta will also want to come away from the 2024 draft with a cornerback who can complement A.J. Terrell on the outside and some young pass-rushers to bolster its defense. Considering the Falcons have just seven total selections to work with, they would likely feel much better about their chances of accomplishing their draft goals by picking up a few more in a trade-down.
Kansas City Chiefs
3 of 5
The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves on the cusp of history after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. To become the first team to three-peat, the Chiefs need to hit on a few of their 2024 picks, but they have just six to work with. Trading down would give them more chances.
Kansas City would be taking a page right out of the playbook of the last team to capture two consecutive Lombardi Trophies: the New England Patriots. The Patriots were well-known for their propensity to drop back multiple times during any given draft, with head honcho Bill Belichick even saying, "It doesn't really matter what round you take the player in. Once he walks in the door, he's a New England Patriot player."
While Kansas City's dynasty has been established on the arm of a first-rounder in Patrick Mahomes, most of its other key contributors have been unearthed on Day 2 and beyond. The team has gotten especially fantastic production out of second-round selections in recent years, with standout talents like Nick Bolton, Creed Humphrey, Chris Jones and Rashee Rice all contributing to recent titles. The Chiefs have also seen immense returns on the likes of third-rounder Travis Kelce, fourth-rounder L'Jarius Sneed and seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco, among others.
Although the Chiefs' highest selection is the last overall pick in Round 1, there should be plenty of interested parties that would prefer to secure the fifth-year team option that is unique to first-round choices.
Parlaying that pick into multiple Day 2 choices would increase the chances that the cash-strapped Chiefs exit the 2024 draft with several promising prospects—including ones who can fill needs such as defensive line depth, a wide receiver to complement Rice and a third-down running back.
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Los Angeles Chargers
4 of 5
The Los Angeles Chargers had a dismal 2023 season, but their chances of contending next season are far better than their No. 5 overall draft position generally would suggest.
The team has many of the pieces necessary for a deep playoff run already in place, including a legitimate quarterback in Justin Herbert, a veteran-laden defense and a newly acquired, competent, experienced head coach to run the show in Jim Harbaugh. While Herbert took a slight step back last year, he should flourish with a former NFL signal-caller now calling the shots for Los Angeles.
That luxury means the Bolts shouldn't even entertain the idea of standing pat at No. 5. The front office should instead be auctioning it off, taking bids from the many teams still searching for their own franchise quarterback. The return for this selection should be exceedingly strong, especially with reports such as one from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah noting as many as five teams could be angling to move up to land a passer. That heavy interest in moving up, as well as a projected weak crop of passers in the 2025 class, could result in a sizable haul for the Chargers.
Adding a slew of picks will do wonders for an organization currently mired in salary-cap hell.
With Spotrac projecting the Chargers are a league-high $20.6 million over the cap at the start of the new league year, the team simply cannot afford to be a major player on the free-agent market. L.A. will instead have to rely heavily on the draft to provide some much-needed reinforcements this offseason, but it currently has only eight picks—just three of which fall within the top 100—at its disposal.
With needs that range from critical (cornerback and right tackle) to forward-thinking (edge), the Bolts can parlay a move down the board into not only a fantastic 2024 campaign, but sustained success for years to come.
New England Patriots
5 of 5
The New England Patriots may be seeking to forge a new identity under Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf, but the first-year head coach and de facto general manager tandem could follow in their predecessor's footsteps by trading down in Round 1.
While few, if any, teams have more of a glaringly obvious need than the Patriots do at the quarterback position, there is still a real chance the club could opt to slide down from No. 3 overall. Given Tom Brady's impact in New England after being selected in the sixth round, it's clear that possessing an early first-round pick isn't always necessary when it comes to landing a franchise quarterback.
The Patriots at least seem open to the idea of taking a chance on a less regarded quarterback while making a trade down in the first round. According to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Wolf has indicated that he would like to "stockpile draft picks" to help fill the vast number of holes on this roster.
Even current Patriots star Matt Judon believes that his employer should be dropping down the board. During an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football (h/t PFN's Dakota Randall) the edge-rusher exclaimed, "Come on. Let's get more picks. Let's get more offensive weapons" while highlighting tight end, offensive line, wide receiver and running back as positions the Patriots should address in the 2024 draft.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler highlighted the Las Vegas Raiders as a candidate to call about No. 3, noting head coach Antonio Pierce is a "big fan" of Jayden Daniels and could opt to move up from No. 13 to secure the LSU signal-caller. Fowler also named the Minnesota Vikings, who recently lost Kirk Cousins in free agency, as another potential trading partner for the Pats.
Regardless of which organization they plunder for picks in a class littered with coveted passers, the Patriots will be much better positioned to compete in the coming years by moving off their premium draft slot.
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