Revisiting most impactful draft-day trade for 32 NFL teams - ESPN

From Ricky Williams to Patrick Mahomes to Eli Manning, almost every year a memorable trade happens during the NFL draft.

There are also the trades that yielded first-round picks, such as the Los Angeles Rams trading picks in 2025 that resulted in the franchise drafting quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 in the 2026 NFL draft.

So which draft-day trade has had the biggest impact — good or bad — on each NFL franchise?

We asked our NFL Nation reporters to look back at each team's most meaningful swap of picks, focused on draft weekend primarily but including big-time moves for first-round picks. Some trades have brought Super Bowl titles, and others brought mediocrity or regret. Either way, all have been unforgettable.

Scan through all 32 teams by division, or click here to jump ahead to your team:

Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

The trade: The Bills traded up to the No. 7 pick in 2018 to select QB Josh Allen, sending selection No. 12 and two second-round picks (Nos. 53 and 56) to the Buccaneers. The Bills also received pick No. 255.

This draft-day trade was actually the Bills' second trade up in the 2018 first round after moving up from pick No. 21 to No. 12 earlier that offseason. The result of the moves netted Buffalo its franchise quarterback for the long haul in Allen and one of the league's best signal-callers. What a pick the 2024 MVP has been for the organization, leading the team to two AFC Championships and five straight AFC East titles along with countless record-breaking statistics courtesy of both his passing and rushing abilities. The team was set on doing