I never do NFL draft trades in my mock drafts.

I don't like to stack randomness on top of chaos, and as hard as it is to predict which players teams will pick, it's even more difficult to prognosticate accurately what picks teams will trade for.

And most of the time, for any given pick, teams don't trade at all.

That's not to say that trades don't happen.

Last year, the Vikings made two Round 1 trades on draft day in order to move up and select QB J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 from No. 11) and EDGE Dallas Turner (No. 17 from No. 23).

And the Lions moved up for CB Terrion Arnold (No. 24 from No. 29), and the Chiefs and Panthers traded up for WRs Xavier Worthy (No. 28 from No. 32) and Xavier Legette (No. 32 from No. 33).

Trades happen every year, and this year will be no different: There will be multiple transactions on Day 1 of the NFL draft in Green Bay.

The problem is that they will be almost impossible to call in advance.

Even so, that's exactly what we're looking to do in this article.

NFL Draft Trades We Might See in 2025

Here are five draft-day trades we might see on April 24.

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Giants Trade Up for QB Shedeur Sanders

We're one week into free agency, and still, the only QB on the Giants roster is Tommy DeVito.

Maybe they will eventually sign a veteran (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Kirk Cousins are candidates), but none of those guys is a long-term solution to the team's QB problem.

The Giants need a rookie QB who has a chance to develop into an established NFL starter.

But at No. 3 they're not guaranteed to get either Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), the consensus top two QBs in the class.

• Thor's Prospect Profile: Cam Ward
• Thor's Prospect Profile: Shedeur Sanders

The Titans need to upgrade QB Will Levis, and the Browns are likely to be without QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles). Both teams could easily choose to address the QB position at picks Nos. 1-2.

And that means the Giants will need to trade with either the Titans or the Browns if they want to get their guy.

I imagine they would prefer Ward, who is now the clear frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick (-800, DraftKings), but the Giants probably won't be willing to pay what they'll need in order to get him.

So they'll settle for Sanders at No. 2 by swinging a trade with the Browns, who have displayed a willingness in the past to move around in the draft and whose decision makers might be more desirous to go with a veteran QB for job-preservation purposes.

Projected Trade

• Giants Get: No. 2
• Browns Get: Nos. 3 & 34 plus 2026 third-rounder

Cowboys Trade Up for RB Ashton Jeanty

Let's imagine a scenario in which Ward, Sanders, EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State), and WR/CB Travis Hunter (Colorado) all go in the top four, in some order.

After them, let's say the Jags go with DT Mason Graham (Michigan), and then the Raiders are on the board at No. 6. They could go with RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), but they also need to upgrade their pass-catching unit, so let's give them WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona).

After that, let's give TE Tyler Warren (Penn State) to the Jets and EDGEs Jalon Walker (Georgia) and Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) to the Panthers and Saints.

So here the Bears are at No. 10 … with Jeanty still on the board.

The Bears might be tempted to take him, but maybe they have RB Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) rated almost as highly … and of course Cowboys Owner/GM Jerry Jones—with Jeanty just two picks away—could make the Bears an offer too good to refuse, just so he can be sure he gets his guy.

• Thor's Prospect Profile: Ashton Jeanty
• Thor's Prospect Profile: Omarion Hampton

On the one hand, you can say the Cowboys might not want to invest a Round 1 pick in the position given that they just signed RBs Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency.

On the other hand, one could argue that signing only Williams and Sanders is the sign that they'll address the position in the draft.

Projected Trade

• Cowboys Get: No. 10
• Bears Get: Nos. 12 & 76

The 49ers Trade Down for Whatever They Can Get

Every Saturday edition of the Fantasy Life Newsletter is now dedicated to the NFL draft, and last week I highlighted all the players the 49ers have lost via trade, release, or free agency since March started.

• WR Deebo Samuel
• LG Aaron Banks
• OT Jaylon Moore
• RB Jordan Mason
• RB Elijah Mitchell
• QB Joshua Dobbs
• DT Javon Hargrave
• DT Maliek Collins
• CB Charvarius Ward
• LB Dre Greenlaw
• SS Talanoa Hufanga

The 49ers are bleeding veterans, which means they need an abundance of new blood in the form of rookies.

And to get as many first-year players as possible, the 49ers could look to trade down from No. 11.

So let's imagine the 49ers call up Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel (who was the 49ers OC before leaving for Miami in 2022), and they say this: “We need an OT, the Bears need an OT at No. 12, and you need an OT at No. 13. There are only two on the board who fit this range. Trade with us so you can move up two spots and get your guy. All it will cost is a Day 2 swap and a fifth.”

That could get it done.

So the Dolphins trade up to No. 11 for either OT Will Campbell (LSU) or OT Armand Membou (Missouri), and the 49ers move down two spots, improve their draft position on Day 2, and pick up an extra Day 3 pick.

Projected Trade

• 49ers Get: Nos. 13, 48 & 150
• Dolphins Get: Nos. 11 & 75

Check out my most recent mock draft as well as our Fantasy Life NFL Draft Hub.

The Chargers Trade Up for TE Colston Loveland

After the Dolphins take an OT at No. 11 and the Bears take either Hampton or an OT at No. 12, we get back to the 49ers, who still want to accumulate more draft capital, so they start working the phones.

In the Chargers, they find a willing trade partner, as HC Jim Harbaugh would love to reunite with TE Colston Loveland (Michigan), the team needs to upgrade the position, and the Colts at No. 14 are prime candidates to draft a TE.

They have to pay for it, but in moving up to No. 13, the Chargers bypass the Colts and get their guy.

Projected Trade

• Chargers Get: Nos. 13 & 113
• 49ers Get: Nos. 22, 55 & 86

The Browns Trade Up for QB Jaxson Dart

Remember that the Browns decided early in Round 1 to trade down and pass up taking a QB at No. 2.

But that doesn't mean they're out of the QB market, because in this scenario they trade back into Round 1 and take QB Jaxson Dart (Mississippi) with the final Day 1 pick: They still need to address the position, Eagles GM Howie Roseman is always willing to trade, and in this instance all he needs to do is move down one spot.

• Thor's Prospect Profile: Jaxson Dart

With this move, the Browns get a generational prospect early in Round 1 with either Carter or Hunter, and then they're still able to secure a potential franchise QB on a deal that gives them a fifth-year option.

Projected Trade

• Browns Get: No. 32
• Eagles Get: Nos. 33 & 94

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