NFL.com envisions first-round trade between Packers, Steelers
If the Green Bay Packers want to trade up to target a specific player during Thursday night’s first round, general manager Brian Gutekunst could give a call to Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.
Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com envisioned a “win-win” trade scenario where the Packers trade with the Steelers to move up to No. 24, potentially to target a wide receiver.
Frelund’s trade details: The Packers send No. 29 (first round) and No. 92 (third round) to the Steelers for No. 24 (first round) and No. 140 (fourth round).
Frelund believes the Packers would have a much better chance of grabbing a top receiver (Rashod Bateman? Elijah Moore?) by getting to 24th overall and jumping teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints at the backend of the first round.
The cost to move up five spots in the first round would be dropping 48 spots later in the draft. In this scenario, the Packers would give up a third-round pick but receive a fourth-rounder.
The draft capital of the trade checks out.
On the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the Packers would receive 776 points of value and trade away 772 points, making this a very even trade. On the Rich Hill Model, the Packers get 253 points while the Steelers get 246 points. Again, very even.
On Monday, Gutekunst said he’ll explore trade-up opportunities, especially if a “game-changing type player” falls into the Packers’ range in the first round on Thursday night. Gutekunst traded up in the first round during each of his first three drafts as Packers general manager.
Adding to this: Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported that “many teams” have only 14-17 players rated as first-round caliber prospects this year. If a team like the Steelers is comfortable moving down or wants to build more draft capital, and a team like the Packers sees a first-round caliber player lingering on their board, a trade up could happen.
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