64 1st Round Trades Since 2020

Between 2020 and 2024, the first round of the NFL Draft has been a hotbed of trade activity. According to calculations, a staggering 91 first-round picks have been exchanged between teams over this five-year span. With a total of 159 first-round selections during this period, that means over 57% of all first-round picks have been traded at least once.

 The original owners of these first-round picks have parted ways with their selections 64 times, illustrating how frequently teams maneuver to reposition themselves in the draft. On average, 12.8% of first-round picks change hands on draft night, but when factoring in picks that have been traded multiple times before being used, that number jumps to 18.2%.

 Perhaps the most remarkable statistic is that seven times during this stretch, a single first-round pick has been passed between four different teams before finally being used—an astonishing level of movement that underscores the aggressive nature of modern draft-day strategies.

 ROUND 1

Pick No. 1 | Tennessee Titans | Cam Ward, QB, Miami, Sr. – It appears the Titans free agency moves have led them to desire Ward with the No. 1 pick.

Pick No. 2 | TRADE | Carolina Panthers via Cleveland Browns | Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State, Jr. – Panthers can’t resist making another huge move up to grab Carter.

Pick No. 3 | New York Giants | Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado, Sr. – Despite signing both Jamies Winston and Russell Wilson the hopes of a new franchise quarterback is placed on the son of Hall of Famer.

Pick No. 4 | New England Patriots | Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado Jr. – Mike Vrabel gets one of the most talented players in the draft at No. 4. Hunter’s best value is at receiver and the defensive back ability is a bonus if the Pats wish to pursue it. Stefon Diggs is older and despite his arrival, the addition of a Justin Jefferson type talent to go along with Drake Maye is probably the best fit for Hunter and the Patriots. 

Pick No. 5 | TRADE | Chicago Bears via Jacksonville Jaguars | Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State, Jr. – Bears move up to select one of the most coveted running backs in recent years. Jeanty has a lot of teams who covet his ability. The Bears don’t miss him by moving up. 

Pick No. 6 | Las Vegas Raiders | Will Johnson, DB, Michigan, Jr. – Surprise pick, but Tom Brady will know the Wolverines. This is a WTF pick when reading. In 2022, Derek Stingley, who I loved leap Sauce Gardner in the NFL Draft to land at No. 3 overall. Johnson was hurt but his body of work is worthy of the sixth pick. 

Pick No. 7 | New York Jets | Will Campbell, OL, LSU, Jr. – Right tackle is a need and Campbell can be a guy to fit both guard and tackle needs.

Pick No. 8 | Cleveland Browns via Carolina Panthers | Jaxon Dart, QB, Mississippi, Sr. – Cleveland adds draft capital along with another quarterback to pins their hopes on.

Pick No. 9 | New Orleans Saints | Mason Graham, DT, Michigan, Jr. – Mickey Loomis is notoriously good at drafting interior help on both the offensive and defensive side of the football.

Pick No. 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars via Chicago Bears | Armand Membou, OT, Missouri, Jr. – Jags have a lot of options but I feel Membou could be a long-term solution on the offensive line. That is never a bad thing.

Pick No. 11 | San Francisco 49ers | Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia, Jr. – Quietly one of the best fits to a team still stacked with talent.

Pick No. 12 | Dallas Cowboys |Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas, Sr. – Receiver is tempting for Dallas. Barron is one player I’m super excited about and hence value him more than the WRs available.

Pick No. 13 | TRADE | Denver Broncos via Miami Dolphins | Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan, Jr. – Evan Engram is a great addition to the Broncos but long-term, the vertical threat of Loveland is a coveted piece for Sean Payton’s offense.

Pick No. 14 | Indianapolis Colts | Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State, Sr. – Warren the predicted No. 1 TE goes one pick below Colston.

Pick No. 15 | Atlanta Falcons | Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi, Jr. – My favorite player in the draft will provide Falcons fans a fond new memory for the DT position with Grady Jarrett moving onto the Bears.

Pick No. 16 | Arizona Cardinals | Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas, Jr. – Choice of receivers in the draft is still on the board so this was a tricky decision. However, depth at WR allows the Cardinals chase that position on day two of the NFL Draft.

Pick No. 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina, Jr. – Edge rusher is a need, and the Bengals will have a ton of options if they elect to go that route. Cincinnati needs to upgrade.

Pick No. 18 | Seattle Seahawks | Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona, Jr. – The last time the Wildcats had players drafted in Round 1 in back-to-back NFL Drafts was with Chris McAlister in 1999 then followed by Trung Canidate in 2000. Last year the Green Bay Packers took Jordan Morgan with pick 25.

Pick No. 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama, Jr. – No secret stud Lavonte David is nearing the end. No better way to welcome Campbell into the league by having him join forces early in his career with David.

Pick No. 20 | Miami Dolphins via Denver Broncos | Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State, Jr. (RS) – Miami drops down and nails Simmons with the selection. Simmons could be special.

Pick No. 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Matthew Golden, WR, Texas, Jr. – If Aaron Rodgers hasn’t signed with Pittsburgh by then, maybe this will help the former four-time league MVP get under contract.

Pick No. 22 | Los Angeles Chargers | Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia, Jr. – Damn! Williams at pick 22. The NFL Draft is unpredictable.

Pick No. 23 | Green Bay Packers | Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M, Jr. – Stewart I feel will actually land between 10-20 but under the stress of mocking, it plays out differently.

Pick No. 24 | TRADE | Philadelphia Eagles via Minnesota Vikings | Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama, Jr. – The Vikings would have taken Booker here themselves, but free agent additions to the offensive line in both former Indianapolis Colts Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. Eagles have no glaring needs, but Booker add option with Mekhi Becton leaving.

Pick No. 25 | Houston Texans | Mike Green, Edge, Marshall, Jr. – I know about the offensive line off-season moves, but Danialle Hunter is 31 years of age, still plays hard but Texans add another possible elite pass rusher to an already potent defense.

Pick No. 26 | TRADE | Baltimore Ravens via Los Angeles Rams | Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State, Sr. – The Ravens get nervous with Zabel around this last and don’t want to miss out on chance to draft him.

Pick No. 27 | Los Angeles Rams via Minnesota Vikings | Malaki Starks, S, Georgia, Jr. – The Rams have a young explosive defensive unit, and the secondary gets a surge of adrenalin with Starks. 

Pick No. 28 | Detroit Lions | James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee, Jr. – C’mon! The Lions get Pearce Jr. this late. Wow!

Pick No. 29 | Washington Commanders | Shavon Revel Jr., DB, East Carolina, Sr. – Sort of disappointed in Washington, lol. A very active team in the off-season they fail in my mock draft to move up and grab a high rated talent.

Pick No. 30 | Buffalo Bills | Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan, Jr. – Not too shabby of an option picking in this spot.

Pick No. 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon, Jr. (RS) – Chris Jones cannot play forever.

Pick No. 32 | TRADE | Kansas City Chiefs via Minnesota Vikings via Philadelphia Eagles | Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State, Sr. – There is always a first-round pick that changes multiple hands. So, this is one of them.

In conclusion, the approach of identifying the top 32 players offers practical insights and a solid foundation for evaluation. However, with an average of 12.8 first-round trades since 2020, the unpredictability of how things will unfold adds an undeniable level of excitement and chaos to the process. Hope you enjoy this chaotic mock. 

Trying to match the NFL trades over the years. I still fell short of their 12.8 average.