In this new age of understanding value, one that was ushered in initially by Bill Belichick who religiously traded down in drafts, the trade up is no longer very popular. Unless of course a team wants to go get their franchise quarterback, or at least the guy they think could be their franchise guy.
Rarely do we see a team take a big swing to go get their new No. 1 receiver or an edge rusher to take their defense to the next level, but here are three teams that should.
I’m staying away from trade ups for quarterbacks because a rookie quarterback is not going to improve any teams Super Bowl odds this season though it would be smart for teams like the Titans and Vikings.
No, I’m going to bring you the three teams that are one piece away from having a championship roster and should go get their guy in round one on Thursday when the NFL Draft begins.
3 teams that should trade up to improve Super Bowl odds
Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Down the stretch of last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers went 7-2 with Kenny Pickett at quarterback and while the numbers don’t show it, his fourth-quarter heroics have the Steelers confident that they have their guy. Now, they need to protect their guy.
Andy Weidl is the Steelers new assistant GM and he came over from Philadelphia last year. Weidl loves to build from the trenches and his fingerprints are already all over the Steelers’ offseason, particularly adding Isaac Seumalo the former Eagles’ guard.
Pittsburgh still has a big weakness at tackle with Dan Moore Jr. and Chuks Okorafor the current starters. Consensus has turned Peter Skoronski into a guard because of his short arms, so that leaves a big three at tackle: Paris Johnson Jr. Darnell Wright, and Broderick Jones. The Steelers need to get one of those three and they’ll have to trade up to make sure they can do it.
I see Pittsburgh trading up with a team like the Texans at 12 who could be interested in loading up draft capital for next season.
If they pass on a quarterback at No. 2 then they better make sure they have enough ammunition to get Caleb Williams or Drake Maye next season.
Dallas Cowboys
If there’s anybody in the league that loves to make a splash on draft night it’s Jerry Jones. If there’s anybody that still loves running backs, it’s Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy.
The Cowboys finally let Ezekiel Elliott go this offseason and now they need another back. Tony Pollard is a dynamic home run hitter, but the way McCarthy is talking about running this offense, they will need more of an every down guy who can handle 25 touches a game.
Enter Bijon Robinson.
There’s talk that he could go No. 8 to Atlanta, and I don’t think that’d even be a reach, Robinson is that good. He’s a better prospect than Saquon Barkley who went No. 2 overall and while first-round running backs are seen as an idiotic move, a running back is still an incredibly valuable piece of a team and can take one from good to great.
Trading up into the top 10 is too rich for my blood, but I think the Cowboys will get antsy if Robinson slides past Atlanta.
The run on offensive linemen will start and then the Cowboys can trade up to No. 17 where the Texans sit and Houston gets to stockpile even more talent for next year’s draft by moving back away.
The Cowboys get their running back and Jerry Jones is thrilled, Cowboys fans, not so much, but I do think a player like Robinson who is Daniel Jeremiah’s third overall player would boost their Super Bowl odds.
Los Angeles Chargers
Another one of the draft’s top players might slide, but not because of positional value, because of off the field issues. However, when Jalen Carter is on the field he can wreck games from the interior of the defensive line. I could see Carter starting to slide down the board and if he gets to Bears at nine, likely following a run on quarterbacks, then the Chargers should bounce.
Chicago would be willing to move back again and accumulate more assets, and LA desperately needs a guy like Carter. We all thought that Brandon Staley revolutionized football, but it turns out he just had Aaron Donald. Donald allowed Staley to allocate very few resources to the running game, play his two-high safeties, and he rarely ever got burned. Donald made that all possible and Staley has been exposed since becoming the Chargers head coach.
Staley is on thin ice and if he sees a chance to get his next Donald that can unlock his defense from the interior of the D-line then he needs to trade up. That would sure up the greatest weakness of this defense, stopping the run and would give the Chargers the scariest pass rush in football. Carter would make them an instant Super Bowl favorite.
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