Tue Mar 31st 2026

Why I've Traded Most Of My First-Round Rookie Picks

Drake London <=====> 2026 1st round pick and 2027 1st round pick

• In this league, I did a complete rebuild over the last two years, and I became a top competitor last season as a result. My team is young and ready to compete for years, having accumulated many draft picks over the last two years. I was the worst team in the league two years ago, but last year I finished in third place, making the first-round pick I traded away for London this year the 1.10 pick in a twelve-team league. About halfway through last year's season, I wanted to stay competitive after losing Malik Nabers for the season. I wanted a young top-tier wide receiver to stay competitive this year and for years to come. London was my target, and I paid up to get him. To his credit, the other manager rejected many of my trade offers that included only one first-round pick and other players or later picks. I finally sent back the offer for two firsts, and he accepted. I think the price is steep, but I am still pleased with the trade, even though next year’s draft class will be much stronger than this year’s. Assuming Nabers returns to form next year, my starting receivers will be Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Nabers, and London. Pairing them with Tucker Kraft and/or Tyler Warren at tight end and a combination of Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo, Quinshon Judkins, Travis Etienne, and Jaylen Warren at running back and flex will keep my team young and competitive for years to come. Hopefully next year’s first-round pick will be the 1.12!

Tee Higgins <=====> 2026 1st and 2027 2nd round pick

• I traded away this first-round draft pick and a future second-round pick a few weeks ago after a rebuilding team put Higgins on the trading block. This is another league where I successfully rebuilt my team over the last few years and have become a top competitor again. I was the highest-scoring team last year but lost in the Super Bowl, making the first-round pick I gave up pick 1.9 in this ten-team league. I have strong starting receivers in this league, but I wanted more depth and a player to likely start in the flex spot. Now my receiver room consists of Puka Nacua, Drake London, George Pickens, and Tee Higgins. They will keep my passing game young and productive alongside Trey McBride and Colston Loveland at tight end. Omarion Hampton, Josh Jacobs, and Javonte Williams lead my backfield. With a competitive roster like this, I’m very pleased to have Higgins over 1.9 in this year’s class. There are a number of wide receivers like Chris Bell, Antonio Williams, and Elijah Sarratt that I have ranked significantly higher than most dynasty analysts. One of them is very likely to fall to me at 2.9 in a ten-team superflex league like this one. Unless I sustain significant injuries, I should be a top competitor again next season, so losing the second-rounder will not be too painful. Given that next year’s class is stronger and will have more quarterbacks, I could even try to trade away 2.9 this year to get back my second-round pick in 2027. I’ll at least suggest it when I’m on the clock and dynasty managers are eager to make a pick.

A.J. Brown <=====> 2026 1st round pick

• This trade was another I made after the season ended. A team decided they needed to go into rebuild mode, so they started offering their older players for rookie picks. When he sent this one, I gladly accepted. This is an FFPC league with very thin rosters: 16 in the offseason and 23 during the season. For this reason, I’ve learned that rookies have to make an immediate impact to improve rosters and even stay on rosters. Thus, proven veterans are more valuable. It took me some time to get familiar with a league like this, and to be honest, I don’t like it and may even quit after this season. However, I returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years last season and finished third, so I want to see this out for one more season. AJ Brown will pair with (you guessed it) Drake London in my starting lineup, which is strengthened by Jahmyr Gibbs, Quinshon Judkins, Jaylen Warrren, and Zach Charbonnett. FFPC leagues are tight-end premium, so Dallas Goedert, Hunter Henry, and Orande Gadsden’s great seasons last year kept my team stronger than it looked on paper to start the season. I’m not a fan of a shallow league like this, but I wanted to give it another try this season with a proven veteran. This trade may be easier to assess once we know whether Brown is playing for the Eagles. If he’s traded to a team like the Patriots, I’d be even more pleased to have him on my roster instead of a rookie at the 1.10 spot in this twelve-team league.

Derrick Henry and Jordan Addison <=====> 2026 1st round pick, Jacory Croskey Merritt, Troy Franklin, and Tez Johnson

• A rebuilding put Henry on the trading block in the middle of last year. As a top competitor and defending champion, I gladly offered a first-round pick for Henry, but then we added all these pieces to the trade, which made me like it even more. To be fair to the other manager, who looks like he lost this trade badly, the trade was made after Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson had a few productive games in a row. Henry caught fire to end the season and led me to my first-ever back-to-back championship, meaning the pick I traded is the 1.10 in this ten-team league. My roster in this league is embarrassingly good. It’s the best team I’ve ever built, and I would not be surprised at all to win the Super Bowl again next season. I went 12-2 last season and was the highest-scoring team, 118 points ahead of the second-highest team and 262 points ahead of the third-highest team. It should be a two-team race again next season, and the two players I added in this lopsided trade will help me again.

Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton <=====> 2026 1st round pick, Caleb Williams, and DeMario Douglas

• In the first year of this league, I made it to the Super Bowl but lost. Still, it was a fun season, and this trade helped me get that far. The Nix-Sutton stack was fantastic last season, and I am sure it will be again for the next few years, but the recent trade of Jaylen Waddle to Denver has me more concerned than I would have been without it. I made this trade when Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense were struggling, but they later improved. Now I have Williams and Nix ranked much closer together, with Nix at 12th and Williams at 14th. At the time, I considered them further apart. I realize that I am in the minority or perhaps even the only dynasty manager who values Nix ahead of Williams, but I still do, even though it’s close for me. The stack is also part of this trade that I love and was a significant reason I liked it then and still do now, or at least before Waddle landed in Denver. If I could take the trade back, I might, but the 1.11 for Sutton in this twelve-team league is still not terrible. Getting to the Super Bowl and taking home some of the prize money was worth it for sure.

Michael Pittman <=====> 2026 1st round pick

• I made this trade for Pittman very early in the season when a rebuilding team put him on the trading block. My third starting wide receiver, A.J. Brown, was the only weak spot in my lineup early in the season when he was playing terribly, and Pittman was incredible with Daniel Jones. Pittman helped my team for several weeks, but by the end of the season, Brown was in my starting lineup ahead of him, and he was the one who contributed to my championship season, making the pick I traded away the 1.10 in this ten-team league. Whether I liked the trade now or not, at least it helped me win some games and bring home the trophy and prize money. Every win with Pittman in my lineup early on mattered, and he helped me compile an 11-3 season in which I was the highest-scoring team in the league by 157 points! I wish that Pittman stayed in Indianapolis, but the move to Pittsburgh keeps his dynasty stock about the same, especially if the Steelers bring back Aaron Rodgers. This trade was the right move at the time, and I still believe I’d rather have Pittman than the 1.10 in this year’s class. A starting roster with the mix of Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, Cam Skettebo, Puka Nacua, Amo-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Michael Pittman, Travis Kelce, Tucker Kraft, and Colston Loveland will keep me competitive for years to come and ready to defend my title next season!

Davante Adams <=====> 2026 1st and 3rd round pick

• Ha! I remember making this trade about this time last year after the Rams signed Adams. I negotiated the trade during a rain delay at a Texas Longhorn baseball game. At the time, it was a move I do not regret. What I regret is how badly my team played this season, as I went from a perennial contender to one of the worst, even while Adams tore it up. A whole host of situations affected my team negatively last year, after years of playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win and loss in the last two years. Many of the staples of my team’s recent success disappointed. Justin Jefferson had a quarterback problem. Joe Mixon never played. Terry McLaurin hardly played. Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews had down seasons. Davante Adams and Puka Nacua were excellent, but had no support to help my team perform as we should have. Thus, the picks I gave up for Adam are now the 1.4 and 3.4, and I do wish I had those back! I just never saw a fourth-to-last-place season coming for this team. Sometimes that happens, and we have to adjust. I did all I could to obtain first-round picks as it became clear that I would not make the playoffs in this league, but I could not strike a deal. I at least brought some redemption on this trade by trading Adams away for Cam Skattebo just before our trade deadline. So I got back a player I consider a first-round pick from last year at least. My team also benefited greatly from some of the NFL free agent moves made this month, so my roster looks even better now, even though I will only have the 2.4 and 4.4 picks in this year’s rookie draft. Sadly, I also gave away a 2027 first-round pick for Derrick Henry in this league when I was still under the impression that I could sneak my way into the playoffs. Sheesh! But that’s a story I will have to address when I write this type of article again in 2027.

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