According to Adam Schefter, there are multiple teams trying to trade back into the first round on Thursday night as the 2018 NFL Draft gets underway.
Typically an NFL team will wait for a few hours through the first round of the draft before trying to make a move up, as they wait to see whether or not a particular player they are interested in will fall to a place where they could potentially trade up for him. This year, however, multiple teams are already wanting to get back into the bottom of the first round before the 2018 NFL Draft has even started.
Per Adam Schefter, the teams at the bottom of the draft, including the Minnesota Vikings, are already fielding calls:
Teams already eyeing move into back of first round: Vikings have received calls today from six teams interested in potentially trading into back half of first round and No. 30 pick, per source. Calls coming for New England at 31 and Philadelphia at 32, too.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2018
The Kansas City Chiefs have already made it clear through their general manager Brett Veach that they are willing to trade up in the right scenario. In fact, Veach said that he’s traded up in every pre-draft scenario they’ve run. It’s hard to tell whether or not that’s just a smokescreen, since it’s hard to imagine what the Chiefs have to gain (or lose) by putting such information out there.
As for teams being willing to trade down, the Philadelphia Eagles, who sit at No. 32 overall with the final pick on Thursday night, have said they’re open for business in the right deal. For the Chiefs to move up from No. 54 overall to No. 32, they would have to trade a third round choice, of which they have two. Whether or not it’s worth it depends on the quality of players who will fall into Round 2, an answer we can only know later on Thursday night.
That’s why it’s so interesting that some teams are already trying to work their way into the first round. Even without knowing the available players, it’s clear teams want that first round choice and perhaps the ability to control a player for a fifth season that only comes as a contract option for teams with every first round pick.