There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and at least one major trade during the 2024 NFL Draft. With the big event just days away, several big-name analysts have started making predictions for what will happen after the Chicago Bears are officially on the clock. Trades are inevitable, as some teams fall in love with a certain prospect while others try to acquire more picks in an effort to land as many contributors as possible.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein is one of the most respected NFL Draft analysts out there, and he recently dropped a prediction for at least one major trade. According to Zeirlein, the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders will both try to trade up in the first round.
I’ll be pretty shocked if either Arizona or Washington (or frankly both) aren’t moving some of their enormous stockpiles of draft capital and making a move back into the first. I understand AZ has two picks in one, but I think it’s likely they package another pick and upgrade 27
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 20, 2024
Cardinals, Commanders Could Try to Trade Up In 2024 NFL Draft
Cardinals Trade Scenarios
As mentioned in the tweet above, the Arizona Cardinals already have the 27th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so Zierlein’s tweet implies that the Cardinals are interested in potentially moving up into the top 15. Armed with six picks in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, this team has plenty of draft capital to trade up for whoever they want.
Looking at the board, the most likely trade-down candidate is the New Orleans Saints. The roster is littered with holes and they don’t have a single pick in the third or fourth rounds. Using the Drafttek Trade Value chart as a guide, Arizona could give up picks 27, 66, and 90 (1,080 points) for the 14th overall pick (1,100 points).
Another possible NFL Draft trade candidate is the Chicago Bears. The team holds two of the first nine picks in the draft, and then two of the next 248 selections. Chicago will never trade the first-overall pick, but they could be willing to deal the ninth-overall selection. If the Cardinals want to move up that high, they’d probably need to give up picks 27, 35, and 90.
Commanders Trade Scenarios
Washington only has one first-round pick, but they have two second-round picks and three third-round selections. If they package both second-round picks, they can probably net a top-20 selection. The Seattle Seahawks will probably embrace a rebuild with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, so they might be willing to give up the 16th-overall pick for the 36th and 40th picks in the draft. While this could happen, it’s a steep price to pay for a team with needs throughout the roster.
Chances are, if the Washington Commanders trade back into the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they’ll aim for a pick in the late 20’s or early 30’s. This makes the Baltimore Ravens an ideal target, as the team lost several key players in free agency and needs to fill as many holes as possible via the NFL Draft. Would the Ravens be willing to trade the 30th pick (valued at 620 points) for picks 36 and 100 (640 points)?
The Chiefs also make sense for an NFL Draft trade. With L’Jarius Sneed gone, no left tackle, and uncertainty surrounding Rashee Rice, this team needs as many picks as possible to help defend their title. If Washington offered picks 40 and 100 (600 points) for the 32nd-overall pick (590), Kansas City would probably say yes.
Main Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – USA Today Sports
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