2017 NFL draft set a new record for number of trades

If it seemed like there were a ridiculous number of trades in the 2017 NFL draft, you were correct. This year’s draft set a new record for trades. The previous record was 34 trades, set in 2008.

The trades kicked off early in the first round this year, with the Chicago Bears swapping picks with the San Francisco 49ers to move up a spot and draft Mitchell Trubisky. After that, the trades kept coming.

There were also a number of picks already committed to other teams from earlier trades. The Titans held the fifth overall pick thanks to the trade with the Los Angeles Rams that led to Jared Goff being selected first overall last year. The Browns went into the draft with the 12th overall pick they got from the Eagles in the deal for Philadelphia to move up to No. 2 in 2016 for Carson Wentz.

The Patriots didn’t have a first-round pick, having sent the No. 32 selection to New Orleans as part of the Brandin Cooks trade. Because of trades, New England didn’t even pick at all until the No. 83 selection, which they used on pass rusher Derek Rivers out of Youngstown State. The Patriots traded away all of their original picks in this year’s draft.

This was Thomas Dimitroff’s ninth draft as the Falcons’ general manager, and he’s made at least one trade in each one. This year, the Falcons had two big trades. They swapped with Seattle to move up to No. 26 to select Takkarist McKinley, and then Atlanta traded back again in the second round with the Bills.

We didn’t see anything as dramatic as the Saints trading away an entire draft to get Ricky Williams back in 1999, but there was plenty of action on draft day. Time will tell if all of these moves will pay off for these teams.

Check out the complete list of this year’s trades on our draft trade tracker.