Multiple teams looking to trade down in draft?

The defining characteristic of this year’s draft class is the lack of blue chip prospects at the top of the board. As a result, a number of teams have expressed a willingness to trade down from even the highest draft slots toward the middle of the first round or later. 

Days away from the first round, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that the desire to move back still remains (Twitter link). “Multiple teams,” as he states, have called others currently slated to pick outside of the top half of the opening round regarding trade scenarios. Not surprisingly, however, “the interest in moving back… has greatly exceeded the interest in moving up.”

The Jaguars have been named among the teams looking to trade down, though they have yet to receive offers for the top pick. The Lions have made it known they would be willing to cede the second overall selection; given the lack of quarterbacks worthy of that slot, however, it is also unlikely they will move down. That has turned attention to the trio of teams that each hold two picks in the top half of the round.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio recently spoke about the possibility of moving either the third or 13th overall selections. The latter seems to be the far likelier target for a team looking to move up, pointing further to the possibility of the top 10 remaining as-is come Thursday night. The two key teams with respect to those initial 10 picks are the Jets and Giants; Big Blue may have an incentive to move down from No. 7 for, among others, financial reasons, but both teams could stand to add impact rookies across a number of positions with their respective selections.

Overall, draft day trades will, as always, be a key storyline to watch. It won’t come as a surprise, though, if there are fewer of them on Day 1 than in previous years.