The 2024 NFL draft is only days away. Every year trades of all kinds find their way to happen in the draft so let’s take a look at some moves that could happen in this year’s draft. Here are five trades that can happen in this year’s NFL Draft.
Possible NFL Draft Day Trades
Brandon Aiyuk Gets Traded
For the past few weeks, there has been talk about Brandon Aiyuk as a potential trade possibility. When Aiyuk tweeted to Mike Tomlin, rumors began to circulate. The 49ers are determined to keep Aiyuk and are hoping to reach a long-term agreement, but from Aiyuk’s side, it doesn’t appear like that will happen anytime soon. Could there be a deal on draft day then? It seems logical for teams that are in need of wide receivers, such as the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, to give it a try. Aiyuk’s production suggests that investing a first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft would be justified.
Arizona Cardinals Trade Back
In this year’s NFL draft, the fourth overall pick belongs to the Arizona Cardinals. The Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Vegas Raiders are three clubs that are likely to be eager to trade up for a quarterback, thus the Cardinals may be forced to move back in the draft. Alternatively, the Cardinals may choose to stand put and select Marvion Harrison Jr., a wide receiver from Ohio State, to complement quarterback Kyler Murray. They could get a good haul in exchange for trading their first pick, which would allow them to continue laying the groundwork for their future while still using one or both of their first-round picks to select an offensive weapon in the first round.
Minnesota Vikings Trade Up to Draft a Quarterback
The Vikings are in an interesting spot at pick number eleven in the first round. They have been heavily favored to trade up and take Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. For that to happen, they will most likely have to trade up and grab him. What are a couple of options where they could do that? As said previously, they can trade up with pick four by the Arizona Cardinals. Alternatively, they might select their future quarterback by trading up with the Los Angeles Chargers, who are selected after the Cardinals.
In this year’s NFL draft, the Vikings have two first-round picks and can even move up in the draft with the last pick. Another scenario, one that might seem more unlikely, is that they somehow place in the top three and select either Drake Maye of North Carolina or Jayden Daniels of LSU. However, that will end up costing more because a quarterback is required by all three of the top three clubs.
Denver Broncos Get into the Top 5
The Denver Broncos have not had an answer at the quarterback spot since Peyton Manning retired. Going through the likes of Trevor Simien, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Russell Wilson the list goes on. Right now, their starter is Jarrett Stidham. It’s safe to presume, most Broncos fans don’t want that to be the case. Denver holds the 12th select in the NFL draft and would require a significant improvement to rank in the top five.
Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. are more practical choices for them, but it would take a lot of work to get into the top three or five, but it would be worthwhile. They may now have their chance to develop into a signal caller after years of subpar quarterback play. Teams like the Chargers and Cardinals are excellent prospects to be traded back. Is the quarterback of the future in Detroit with Sean Peyton and company?
Buffalo Bills Replace Stefon Diggs
The Bills decided to let go of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs and traded him to the Houston Texans earlier this month. Their other wide receiver Gabe Davis was a free agent this past March and went south to Jacksonville. The Bills have a clear need at the receiver spot. Granted, they can select one early on the draft after the first round, but with the top talent available in the early parts of the draft this year, they’d be foolish to not explore any options to move up to select one of these playmakers.
The Bills are a team that wants to win immediately, but they will have to forfeit a ransom to go up that high with pick 27. Additionally, making a move to select one of the top wide receivers in the NFL draft, like Washington’s Rome Odunze or LSU’s Malik Nabers, will help them hold that position for the duration of the current campaign.
To be honest. While it will be challenging to replace Stefon Diggs’ output this season, Josh Allen might find some success in 2024 with a two-headed tight end position featuring veteran Dawson Knox and up-and-coming Dalton Kincaid, along with young wideout Kalil Shakir. They could also add a top prospect, such as Nabers or Odunze, to that pass-catching room.
