EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NFL draft is underway, and teams are making trades to spice things up. There was already a ton of action on that front entering Thursday, with seven of the 32 first-round spots switching hands in earlier deals. The movement continued in Round 1 once things got rolling. We're here to size up the biggest trades from all angles.A lot of people say that we'll find out who won draft-day trades in three or four years. Nonsense! NFL general managers don't have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to making the trades, so why should analysts have it when evaluating them? I'm grading these deals immediately, based on the information available -- just like the teams are doing.To evaluate these deals, I'll be relying heavily on our Approximate Value-based draft pick calculations, along with important factors such as positional value, salary cap implications and short- and long-term team outlook. Trades during the draft can be enormously consequential and can set the direction for a franchise for years to come, so don't sleep on the importance of faring well here.This page will be updated with deals as they come in throughout the draft, but we're only grading the biggest ones.NFL draft coverage:NFL draft trade trackerChiefs trade with Browns, move up to No. 6Chiefs get: Browns' first-round pick (No. 6)Browns get: Chiefs' first-round pick (No. 9), third-round pick (No. 74) and fifth-round pick (No. 148)Chiefs grade: D+Browns grade: A-The Chiefs had a rare opportunity to draft in the top 10 after their disappointing 2025 campaign, entering Thursday with the No. 9 overall pick. They decided to move up even higher.Kansas City dealt a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to move up three spots, leaping up from 9 to 6 in a deal with the Browns in order to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Delane immediately fills the Chiefs' drastic need at cornerback after Kansas City lost two starting corners to the Rams this offseason -- Trent McDuffie (trade) and Jaylen Watson (free agency).The Chiefs are betting on defensive coordinator Steve Spanguolo getting the most of whatever cornerbacks they have and developing that young talent. Now we know that plan includes Delane.But was it a smart deal? I don't think so.The trade was even on the Jimmy Johnson chart, but that is an antiquated measure and is indicative of NFL teams' overconfidence in their ability to forecast the difference between one prospect from another. By ESPN's Approximate Value-based draft pick valuations -- which are based on how players at each draft slot actually perform -- the Chiefs executed a larger-than-average overpay for a first-round, non-QB trade up.Here's the kicker: there was a good chance that Delane would have fallen to No. 9. In fact, at the time his selection, the Draft Day Predictor gave Delane a 90% chance to make it to the ninth pick. Even if that was a little high, there's still a good chance that the Chiefs surrendered a third-round and fifth-round pick for nothing!This is an easy win for the Browns. Trading down early in the NFL draft is one of the most obvious ways for teams to gain an advantage. Cleveland walks away with extra draft capital and still got Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano -- a highly ranked player at a position of need -- with the No. 9 pick.
