NFL Draft Brings Flurry of Trades: Eight Deals Among 11 Teams

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft brought eight trades Thursday night, as 11 teams added excitement and drama to the evening with moves up and down the first 32 picks.

The Chiefs kicked off the draft night trading in Pittsburgh by moving up to the No. 6 pick to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Kansas City sent their No. 9 pick, as well as their third-round (No. 74) and fifth-round (No. 148) selections, to the Browns.

Normally picking near the bottom of the first round after a Super Bowl victory or deep playoff run, the Chiefs had a top-10 pick after a 6–11 record that saw the franchise miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, a first in Patrick Mahomes’ career.

Delane will sign a four-year contract projected to be worth roughly $40 million. 

The standout defensive back will join the Chiefs’ secondary that this offseason lost former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in a trade to the Rams that sent the No. 29 pick in the draft to Kansas City—one of six teams that entered Thursday night with multiple first-round selections. 

Cowboys Make Two Trades

The Chiefs-Browns deal represented the only draft night trade involving a top 10 pick, but the Cowboys weren’t far behind, moving up a single spot from No. 12 to No. 11 to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.

Dallas—another franchise with multiple first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20) entering the night—sent its two fifth-round picks (Nos. 177 and 180) to the Dolphins to swap the 11th and 12th picks. Downs will sign a four-year contract projected to be worth $27.7 million. 

Later in the evening, the Cowboys made a deal with their NFC East rivals, the Eagles, that saw Philadelphia acquire the No. 20 pick to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. 

The Eagles sent pick No. 23 and two fourth-round selections (Nos. 114 and 137) to Dallas, and received a seventh-round pick (No. 218) in return. 

Lemon’s four-year contract with Philadelphia is projected to be worth $20.8 million. The Eagles are widely expected to trade three-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots after June 1 (the delay due to salary cap purposes).

The Cowboys used the No. 23 pick to select UCF edge Malachi Lawrence, who will make $20.2 million on his four-year rookie deal.

Late-Round Action

There were five trades during the final seven picks of the first round (Nos. 26-32).

The Bills, originally holding the No. 26 pick, traded back three times, to the Texans at No. 28, then the Patriots at No. 31, and ultimately to the Titans and out of the first round.

The Patriots sent their No. 31 pick and fourth-round pick (No. 125) to Buffalo to take Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu, which capped a wild draft day for New England after coach Mike Vrabel’s addressed reporters before the first round about further developments in the Dianna Russini scandal.  

The 49ers traded their No. 27 pick to the Dolphins to move back to No. 30, which they then traded to the Jets for the No. 33 pick.