Trade up, down or stand pat? Plotting NFC teams' first-round draft strategy

With the NFL Draft looming April 25-27 in Detroit, front offices are busy fine-tuning strategies for the biggest three days of the league's offseason.

Should a team trade up, trade down or stand pat? Yardbarker NFL writers weigh in how NFC teams should approach the first round. 

NFC East 

DALLAS COWBOYS (First-round pick: 24th) | Trade down | With just under $5M in cap space and the 24th pick, Dallas needs as many cost-efficient players as it can get. With more second-round picks, the team might find the next Trevon Diggs (CB), Leighton Vander Esch (LB) or even QB Dak Prescott’s replacement if Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. is available.

NEW YORK GIANTS (First-round pick: sixth) | Trade down | Assuming the top-four quarterbacks are off the board, New York might get enough draft capital for the No. 6 pick to draft next year’s Caleb Williams. Unless the team believes one player can turn around the team’s 29th-ranked offense or 27th-ranked defense, the Giants should look for 2025 assets. 

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (First-round pick: 22nd) | Trade up | Clearly in “win-now” mode with the additions of RB Saquon Barkley and DE Bryce Huff, the team simply can’t afford to stay with James Bradberry at cornerback. Moving up from No. 22 to draft Iowa CB Cooper DeJean or Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell would do wonders for a team (and city) still reeling from a disastrous 1-6 finish in 2023. 

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (First-round pick: second) | Stand pat | Don’t get cute, Washington. Draft a franchise quarterback at No. 2 and build around him. With two second-round picks (36, 40) and three third-round selections (67, 78, 100), new general manager Adam Peters doesn’t need to dance around the draft board. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West 

ARIZONA CARDINALS (First-round pick: fourth) | Trade down | The Cardinals are desperate for wide receiver help and this year’s class is loaded with high-end playmakers, including LSU's Malik Nabers, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., and Washington's Rome Odunze. The even better news is that quarterback-needy teams will look to move up, so the Cardinals can probably get a haul of draft picks and still end up with an impact wide receiver. 

LOS ANGELES RAMS (First-round pick: 19th) | Stand pat | This is the first year the Rams have had a first-round pick since selecting Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016. They have addressed many needs in free agency, especially in the secondary, and are well positioned to let the board come to them, so Los Angeles should not feel pressured to move up or down. 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (First-round pick: 31st) | Trade up | Not only do the 49ers have one of the NFL’s best rosters, they also have 10 draft picks in 2024, including six within the first four rounds. There is no way that many rookies can make their roster, so this would be a great year to package picks for a move up in the first round to get offensive and defensive line help.  

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (First-round pick: 16th) | Trade up | The Seahawks must think long and hard about moving up to get into the quarterback game in what might be one of the best classes at the position in years. Geno Smith can be fine this season, but he is not a long-term answer and next year’s quarterback class is extremely thin. — Adam Gretz

NFC North 

CHICAGO BEARS (First-round picks: first and ninth) | Stand pat | After dealing QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears aren't trading the No. 1 pick, which they'll presumably use to select USC's Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, as tempting as it might be to trade back from No. 9 with only four picks total this year, Chicago should stand pat there, too, especially if it means giving Williams a weapon at wide receiver such as Nabers or Odunze.

DETROIT LIONS (First-round pick: 29th) | Stand pat | The Lions could move up or down from No. 29, but the first option is expensive and without guarantees, while the second may not yield a worthy enough return. By staying put, Detroit could still fill a position of need if cornerback Kool-Aid McKinistry (Alabama), edge-rusher Demeioun "Chop" Robinson (Penn State) or offensive lineman Graham Barton (Duke) are still on the board. 

GREEN BAY PACKERS (First-round pick: 25th) | Trade up | The Packers have 11 picks, but it's doubtful they'll leave Detroit having chosen a player at each spot. It's more likely they'll use a few of those picks to move up at some point in the draft — why not jump from No. 25 in the first round to target a cornerback such as DeJean, Nate Wiggins (Clemson) or McKinstry?

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (First-round picks: 11th and 23rd) | Trade up | The Vikings hold the No. 11 pick in the first round, but that might not be high enough to nab one of the top QBs in the draft. However, also armed with the No. 23 pick and nine picks overall, Minnesota has enough ammunition to move up to grab QB Jayden Daniels (LSU) or J.J. McCarthy (Michigan). — Mike Santa Barbara

NFC South 

ATLANTA FALCONS (First-round pick: eighth) | Stand pat: The Falcons got their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, in free agency, so there’s no need to move up. With the No. 8 pick, Atlanta should be in an excellent position to draft at an area of need, particularly edge-rusher. 

CAROLINA PANTHERS (First-round pick: none) | Stand pat: The Panthers might be tempted to move up into the first round, but the depth of this year’s wide receiver class is strong enough for Carolina to find one at No. 33. Plus, after trading draft capital last year to select QB Bryce Young, the Panthers should hold on to as many picks as possible.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (First-round pick: 14th) | Stand pat: The Saints need an offensive tackle with the career of Ryan Ramczyk (knee injury) in doubt and 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning struggling. The Saints could find a plug-and-play starter at No. 14 for the O-line, making this decision easy. 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (First-round pick: 26th) | Trade up: The Bucs spent big on retaining their own free agents this offseason, re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Tampa Bay owes it to its core to push for a fourth consecutive division crown and should move up to ensure it doesn’t miss out on one of the draft’s top interior offensive linemen. — Eric Smithling