2024 NFL Draft Trade Grades

J.J. McCarthy
By Walter Cherepinsky – @walterfootball
April 26, 2024



I’ll be posting 2024 NFL Draft Grades for every pick. Why not grade all of the trades?



Broncos acquire DL John Franklin-Myers from Jets for 2026 6th-round pick
This is a difficult trade to grade for the Jets at the moment. If the Jets do nothing related to the salary cap relief that comes with trading John Franklin-Myers, this will be a Millen. Franklin-Myers is a very good defensive lineman who excels at both stopping the run and generating pressure on the quarterback. Just trading him away for a mere 2026 sixth-round pick is irresponsible for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.

However, this deal could be a precurssor to another trade. The Jets may have moved Franklin-Myers to open up cap space for a highly priced receiver. The Jets missed out on the top receiver options in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they may have their eye on acquiring someone like Brandon Aiyuk or Tee Higgins. If so, this trade will be viewed more favorably.

As for the Broncos, they’re getting a big upgrade for their poor front seven for almost nothing. Sure, they have to pay Franklin-Myers, but given that they’ll have a quarterback under a rookie deal, they’ll be able to pay for him.

Grade for Broncos – A
Grade for Jets – MILLEN or B

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49ers acquire No. 86 (Dominick Puni) from Eagles for No. 94 (Jalyx Hunt), 132 (4th)
Dominick Puni is a fine prospect, but I don’t know that the 49ers really needed to trade away a fourth-round pick for him. I won’t grade this too harshly for the 49ers because they’re doing their best to protect their young quarterback, but they may miss their fourth-round pick.

The Eagles, meanwhile, won this trade. They acquired a fourth-round pick and then selected a prospect I pegged to them in the second round of my mock re-draft.

Grade for 49ers – C+
Grade for Eagles – A

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Colts acquire No. 79 (Matt Goncalves) from Cardinals for No. 82 (Tip Reiman), 191 (6th)
I don’t think the Colts needed to trade up for Matt Goncalves. However, they gave up a sixth-round pick, so I don’t think they’ll be hurt too much by this deal. I’d like to give the Cardinals the win, but they drafted Tip Reiman with the pick they acquired. Yuck!

Grade for Colts – C+
Grade for Cardinals – D

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Texans acquire No. 78 (Calen Bullock) from Eagles for No. 86 (traded), 123 (4th)
It’s important for the Texans to add defensive back talent, given how lethal the passing attacks have gotten within the division so suddenly. Trading up for Calen Bullock makes sense, although I’m not 100-percent sure it was quite necessary. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad move.

As for the Eagles,this is the first of two occasions in which they traded down in the third round. They dealt the 86th pick they acquired from Houston, but getting a fourth clinches the victory for them in this trade.

Grade for Texans – B
Grade for Eagles – A-

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Jets acquire No. 65 (Malachi Corley) from Panthers for No. 72 (Trevin Wallace), 157 (5th)
Plenty of receivers were taken off the board in the second round, so the Jets, who were desperate for an upgrade at the position, had to pull the trigger. They gave up a fifth-round pick in the process, which doesn’t seem like a huge deal. It would have been far worse had they missed out on Malachi Corley.

The Panthers also did very well in this trade. They were able to get the player they wanted at No. 65 despite moving down seven spots. They acquired No. 157 for free.

Grade for Jets – A-
Grade for Panthers – A

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Chiefs acquire No. 63 (Kingsley Suamataia), 211 (6th) from 49ers for No. 64 (Renardo Green), 173 (5th)
These one-pick swaps are always perplexing, but the Chiefs gave up a fifth-round pick and got a sixth-rounder back for their trouble, so it’s whatever. Guaranteeing Kingsley Suamataia was fine, though probably unnecessary.

The 49ers have to win this trade because they acquired a player they wanted at No. 63, and yet they moved up an entire round for free.

Grade for Chiefs – B-
Grade for 49ers – A-

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Panthers acquire No. 46 (Jonathon Brooks) from Colts for No. 52 (Adonai Mitchell), 142 (5th), 155 (5th)
This is a weird trade for the Panthers. They needed a running back, but Jonathon Brooks won’t be 100 percent this year because of the torn ACL. It’s odd that they would jump up six rounds for an injured player, and yet the prospect chosen at their 52nd pick could be considered a superior asset.

With that in mind, the Colts won this trade. They landed a talented receiver after moving down six spots, picking up a pair of fifth-round choices in the process.

Grade for Panthers – C+
Grade for Colts – A+

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Saints acquire No. 41 (Kool-Aid McKinstry) from Packers for No. 45 (Edgerrin Cooper), 168 (5th), 190 (6th)
It’s shocking that Kool-Aid McKinstry fell to No. 41, so I understand the Saints moving up for him. However, I don’t think New Orleans is in a position to relinquish assets, given the declining state of the roster. However, giving up fifth- and sixth-round picks isn’t too bad.

The Packers did well in this trade as well, picking up two third-day choices to move down only four spots.

Grade for Saints – A-
Grade for Packers – B+

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Eagles acquire No. 40 (Cooper DeJean), 78 (traded), 152 (5th) from Redskins for No. 50 (Mike Sainristill), 53 (Ben Sinnott), 161 (5th)
It was extremely unlikely that the Eagles were going to land Cooper DeJean at No. 50, so they did well to move up 10 spots to acquire their guy. I love that the Eagles are aggressive like this because their Super Bowl window is wide open right now. They basically just moved down from 53 to 78 for the move, which is more than acceptable.

The Redskins probably shouldn’t have made this trade. They drafted a quarterback No. 2, so why would they give one of their biggest rivals a player who can help create turnovers against their new quarterback twice per season? It’s not like the Redskins got a great deal either.

Grade for Eagles – A+
Grade for Redskins – D

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Rams acquire No. 39 (Braden Fiske) from Panthers for No. 52 (traded), 155 (5th), 2025 2nd-round pick
Both teams won this trade. The Rams surrendered a second-round pick next year, but they obtained a player they almost certainly wouldn’t have obtained at No. 52. Braden Fiske is a talented defensive tackle, and he was needed in the wake of Aaron Donald’s retirement.

The Panthers did well to acquire more assets, which was needed because of their underwhelming roster. Getting a second-round pick for 2025 is a big deal, especially if Matthew Stafford gets hurt again. I love this trade for both teams.

Grade for Rams – A
Grade for Panthers – A

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Falcons acquire No. 35 (Ruke Orhorhoro), 186 (6th) from Cardinals for No. 43 (Max Melton), 79 (Tip Reiman)
It’s quite clear that the Falcons don’t know what they are doing. They pissed off Kirk Cousins with the ridiculous Michael Penix pick, and then they wasted a third-round pick by moving up eight spots for Ruke Orhorhoro, a prospect they almost certainly could have landed at No. 43. Dumb.

The Cardinals easily won this deal, though they missed out on some good prospects by trading down eight spots. Still, getting an extra third was great, although it was ultimately wasted.

Grade for Falcons – MILLEN
Grade for Cardinals – B

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Chargers acquire No. 34 (Ladd McConkey), 137 (5th) from Patriots for No. 37 (Ja’Lynn Polk), 110 (4th)
The Chargers moved down a whole round to move up three spots in the second round. Did they need to do this? Perhaps not, but they secured a proper replacement for Keenan Allen, so it’s difficult to dislike this trade for them.

I’ll give the Patriots the win for this deal. They moved up a whole round to move down three spots, and they selected the player they easily could have chosen at No. 34.

Grade for Chargers – B
Grade for Patriots – A+

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Panthers acquire No. 32 (Xavier Legette), 200 (6th) from Bills for No. 33 (2nd), 141 (5th)
I like that the Panthers got Xavier Legette, but I don’t know why they thought they had to surrender 59 spots on Day 3 to do it. Perhaps they knew someone else was trying to move up for Legette, but how could they really know that? I won’t grade this too harshly, but it seems like the Panthers didn’t have to do this.

As for the Bills, I’m sure their fans are very frustrated right now, but they can still get a talented receiver at No. 33. There’s nothing wrong with picking up extra resources, including the valuable 33rd choice, which gets a ton of attention.

Grade for Panthers – C+
Grade for Bills – B

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Chiefs acquire No. 28 (Xavier Worthy), 133 (4th), 248 (7th) from Bills for No. 32 (traded), 95 (3rd) and 221 (7th)
There were so many quality receivers available at the end of Round 1, so why did the Chiefs feel the need to trade up for Xavier Worthy? There’s a chance Worthy would have been available at No. 32, but even if he wasn’t, Kansas City could have gotten a player of the same caliber at that spot. I can’t say I like this trade for them for that reason.

The Bills win this deal for the same reason. They need a receiver, but there are so many good ones available, so why not trade down? For their troubles, the Bills turned their fourth-round pick into a third-round selection.

Grade for Chiefs – C
Grade for Bills – B

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Lions acquire No. 24 (Terrion Arnold) and 2025 7th-round pick from Cowboys for No. 29 (Tyler Guyton) and 73 (3rd)
I thought this was an outstanding trade for both teams. I can’t imagine that the Lions in their wildest dreams imagined that Terrion Arnold would be available at No. 24, so they were wise to move up five spots to acquire him, filling a huge need in the process.

As for the Cowboys, they easily could have drafted Tyler Guyton at No. 24, but they picked up a third-round pick and still got him at No. 29. Acquiring a third-round pick for free earns an A+ grade any day of the week.

Grade for Lions – A
Grade for Cowboys – A+

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Vikings acquire No. 17 (Dallas Turner) from Jaguars for No. 23 (Brian Thomas Jr.), 167 (5th), 2025 3rd- and 4th-round picks
I liked what the Vikings did with their first trade, but not so much with this one. In fact, I think this was an awful deal. As Cassandra put it, this was a weird use of resources. Also, it didn’t seem like Minnesota knew that Turner was flagged medically. I know teams have their own doctors, but it almost seemed like the Vikings were shocked that Turner was falling when it was quite predictable.

The Jaguars, conversely, hit a home run with this trade. They acquired three significant picks to trade down and still acquire a player they easily could have taken at their natural selection. This is an easy A+ for Jacksonville.

Grade for Vikings – F
Grade for Jaguars – A+

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Vikings acquire No. 10 (J.J. McCarthy), 203 (6th round) from Jets for No. 11 (Olu Fashanu), 129 (4th), 157 (5th)
It’s no surprise that the Vikings traded up for J.J. McCarthy, but most people thought they’d go way higher than that. While I don’t like McCarthy as a prospect – he has a low floor similar to Mac Jones – I am a big fan of this trade because Minnesota was able to obtain a quarterback by just giving up a fourth-round pick and swapping fifth- and sixth-round choices.

I’ll grade the Vikings highly, but the Jets won this trade because they were still able to get the prospect they wanted after trading down. They basically got a fourth-round pick for free and moved up 50 spots in the middle of Day 3, so this was an excellent trade for them.

Grade for Vikings – B+
Grade for Jets – A

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