The first trade of the night ended up being the 7th pick of the NFL draft involving the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To get up to the 7th pick, the Buffalo Bills gave the Buccaneers their 12th pick of the first round, and their two second round picks. Those second-round picks are the 53rd and 56th pick in the draft. This is a good deal for both teams. First, the Bills get their quarterback they wanted. They had the choice of Josh Rosen as well as 7, who is ranked higher than Allen on most experts pick. The Bills obviously believe something that most people do not with Allen. If it works out for them, it is a great deal for them especially being able to keep their 22nd overall pick. For the Buccaneers, it ends up being a great deal. They get 3 picks in the top 56, and they also stay high enough in the draft to get a premier player in Vita Vea.
The next trade came just 3 picks later involving the Arizona Cardinals and the Oakland Raiders. Oakland gives up their number 10 pick, while the cardinals gave up their 15th pick, their third-round pick (79th overall) and their fifth-round pick (152nd overall). This is an absolute steal of a deal for the Cardinals. They go up to get Josh Rosen. Most people thought he would be gone in the top 3. The Cardinals end up taking a player expected to be in the top 3, at number 10 and only give up 2 extra picks to get him. This is the best possible situation for the Cardinals, and their fans have to be ecstatic about this pick. For the Raiders, they only move down 5 spots and gain 2 draft picks. They could have gotten more, as in past draft teams have traded more to get quarterbacks. It is still a decent trade for Oakland who ended up taking, Kolton Miller. He is an offensive tackle, which was much needed for Oakland.
Another trade happened 4 picks later at number 14 where the New Orleans Saints traded up with the Green Bay Packers. This was very unexpected and a major trade. The Saints give up this year’s first round pick (27th), fifth round pick (147th) and their 2019 first round pick. The Saints end up taking Marcus Davenport. This is even more surprising. Teams never trade 2 first round picks to get a defensive end. From the Packers perspective it is a good deal. They trade down 13 picks, but now have 2 first round picks in next year’s draft.
The Bills were not done with trading, as they traded up again, this time with the Baltimore Ravens. They trade their 22nd pick and their third-round pick (65th overall), to move up to the 16th pick. The Bills ended up drafting Tremaine Edmunds, the linebacker from Virginia Tech. This is a good move for the Bills. They did not give up much and they get a 19-year-old player with a high ceiling. Baltimore ends up trading down 6 picks and gaining a third-round pick (65th overall).
Another trade involving Green Bay happened, this time with the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers trade up to number 18 and end up taking Jaire Alexander. This is a great trade for the Packers as they take a great corner and fill a need on their team. The Seahawks give up their 18th overall pick and receive the 27th, 76th, and 186th pick in this year’s draft. With the 27th pick, they took Rashad Penny, a running back from San Diego State.
Baltimore also was not done trading in the first round. They again traded down, this time with Tennessee who traded up 3 spots. Tennessee takes Rashaad Evans, a linebacker from Alabama. Baltimore ends up getting the 25th overall pick where they selected, Hayden Hurst, a tight end from South Carolina. The teams also exchanged later round picks where Tennessee received the 215th overall pick and Baltimore received the 125th pick overall.
The Ravens still were not done. This could be the most interesting pick of the whole first round. Baltimore ends up trading back into the first round, and with the last pick of the first round, the Ravens took Lamar Jackson. A great pick for the Ravens. He will be able to sit and learn from Joe Flacco. The Ravens give up their second-round pick and fourth this year (52, 125 overall), and also their second round pick next year as well. The Eagles give up their 32nd pick, and their fourth-round pick (132 overall) to Baltimore.
