Teams set NFL record with 43 trades during draft

When the Houston Texans made the first trade of the NFL’s draft weekend, it was the start of a record number of swaps of players and picks that took place Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

At the conclusion of draft business Saturday night, teams had completed 43 trades over the three days. It broke the record of 40 trades set during the 2019 draft.

While the Carolina Panthers had made the biggest trade splash in March when they sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears to move up to the No. 1 spot, it was the Texans who opened the weekend’s flurry of trades.

The draft was not even 30 minutes old when the Texans, who had already selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 pick, moved back into the No. 3 spot to select Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. The Texans sent their other first-round pick (No. 12) as well as the No. 33 pick in this year’s draft to go with a first- and third-rounder in the 2024 draft to the Arizona Cardinals to make the move.

It was the first of six trades made on the clock in Thursday’s first round alone.

The Cardinals were also part of the first trade of Day 2 of the draft. The Tennessee Titans sent them two picks in this year’s draft — Nos. 41 and 72 — as well as a third-round pick in the 2024 draft to move up to No. 33 (the second pick of the second round). The Titans then selected Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.

The Cardinals were one of the most active teams and exited the weekend with the potential for at least 11 picks in the 2024 draft.

The Texans, along with the Buffalo Bills, were part of the record-breaking 41st trade of the draft as they moved up in the sixth round to select Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson at No. 205.

Even NFL veterans weren’t immune as during Saturday’s four rounds the Lions traded running back D’Andre Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints traded tight end Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos as part of a trade to get one of the Broncos’ sixth-round picks.

The moves continued throughout Friday and Saturday until the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns made the final swap so the Ravens could move to pick No. 229 to select USC tackle Andrew Vorhees in exchange for a sixth-round pick next year.