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The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is one week away. We know there will be plenty of trades throughout the three days of the draft, but this year’s first round could be a particularly busy day.
After quarterback Joe Burrow and edge rusher Chase Young, things open up in a big way. Burrow is just about a lock to go No. 1, and while Washington has some options at No. 2, Young makes a ton of sense. Odds are pretty good that is how the first two picks of the draft go.
After that, things get interesting with the Detroit Lions at No. 3. They could go for some kind of best player available, but they also could trade down with a team that is looking to pounce on one of Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 and No. 6 both need a long-term quarterback answer, so teams know that if they wait through both of them, there’s a decent chance both Tagovailoa and Herbert are gone.
Beyond the obvious potential options, rumors are circulating through the rest of the draft board. A Philadelphia-based media personality is hearing the Philadelphia Eagles are aggressively trying to move up in the draft because they really like CeeDee Lamb. He mentioned the Carolina Panthers at No. 7 and the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12 are teams to watch in a potential move.
Earlier in the week, SI’s Albert Breer offered up a mix of rumors and speculation on potential trades. He sees the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Las Vegas Raiders as trade-down candidates. Additionally, he sees the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Broncos as trade-down candidates.
Trading can be unpredictable, but there are certain teams that make a lot of sense as candidates to move down. The 49ers are the best example of that. They have two picks in the first round (13th and 31st), but then don’t have a pick until the fifth round. The 13th pick holds more value, but the 31st pick is valuable because of the fifth year option on first round picks. They could likely find a team looking to move into the first round and turn that into a little more value on day two.