2022 NFL Draft: Contending teams rumored to be trading up in first
Which teams are rumored to be interested in trading up in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft? It sounds like some contenders could be on the move.
There have already been seemingly an unprecedented number of first-round picks traded in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the madness is probably nowhere near over.
Contending teams around the league, some of them with multiple first-round picks already, are potentially looking at making some noise and moving up the board.
This draft is already expected to be wildly unpredictable, so why not some fireworks in the trade department?
Contending teams trying to trade up in 2022 NFL Draft
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that some contending teams are thinking about getting aggressive in this year’s draft, especially when you look at the dropoffs in talent at specific position groups.
Notably, teams could be jockeying over wide receivers, tackles, or cornerbacks this year.
Two notes on the teams trading up …
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 28, 2022
1) Rival clubs believe an Eagles move up into the Top 10 would be for a corner.
2) The Chiefs are looking at a measured move up if the right players slip. They’ve told teams in the Top 15 they don’t want to pay the premium for a bigger move. https://t.co/dV0WqMHsmQ
As Breer mentions, and others have mentioned it as well, the Philadelphia Eagles could be looking to move up into the top 10 picks for a cornerback, but you could probably lump pass rusher in there as well.
If someone like Derek Stingley Jr. or Sauce Gardner starts slipping in the top 10 picks, teams could be fighting for positioning to draft one of them.
The Kansas City Chiefs currently own picks 29 and 30 in the first round of this draft. While it’s nice to have two first-round picks, there are few projections for the Chiefs at those two selections that really move the needle.
The Chiefs do have multiple needs defensively, but will they be aggressive in pursuing a replacement for Tyreek Hill? Maybe someone like Jameson Williams?
One way or another, it would make plenty of sense for the Chiefs to trade up and use some of the capital they just got in the Tyreek Hill trade to do so.
They may not be the only ones trying to move up for a receiver, though…
The scenarios really are all over the place for Dallas. I told you what 12-15 looked like for a trade up. 17-23 introduces a few more names and what it would cost. I’ll have the potential wipeout scenarios in the next hour. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/dqldUKoAgo
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) April 28, 2022
My final 2022 NFL mock draft has Dallas taking Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, but if they move up into the top half of this draft, they could take a tackle or potentially another receiver like Drake London.
Dallas ultimately got burned last year when they had hoped for Pat Surtain II or Jaycee Horn. It didn’t turn out too bad for them, though, as Micah Parsons ended up being an outstanding selection in the end.
Maybe this year, they get a little more aggressive so they get the player atop their board.
#Saints have been working the phones this week, with possibility to move up or down in the first round, per multiple teams. New Orleans holds the 16th and 19th overall picks.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 28, 2022
The New Orleans Saints now have multiple first-round picks and they could end up keeping both of them, but they also might be stuck in a spot where the top offensive tackles are all off the board when they pick.
A replacement for Terron Armstead is still needed for New Orleans, but will anybody still be there at pick 16?
On top of all of this, I think perhaps the one position that could be most coveted in a trade up in this draft could be off the edge.
Jermaine Johnson out of Florida State and Kayvon Thibodeaux are two players that teams could very well target if they have the ammunition to move into the top 10 picks to get them.
Thibodeaux is a player who was projected for a long time as the potential top overall pick.
Johnson had a breakout 2021 season and was outstanding in the pre-draft process.
Both of those guys should still end up top 10 picks but will a team currently slated to select in the top 10 be the one to take them or will they trade that opportunity away?