Which NFL Teams Should Consider Moving Down in the Draft? Commanders, Cowboys & More

Fans want their teams to be aggressive throughout draft weekend. Trading up, taking impact players and making selections that bring excitement for the upcoming season. Sometimes, that’s not what general managers and front offices do. Instead, they’ll trade down to gain further assets in a draft for a multitude of reasons.

​Maybe the roster just needs more draft picks, or the capital a team is offering to move up is worth getting to move down. No matter what, each team has its reasons and checkmarks to fill before making anything official.

This draft will be no different; there’s depth for certain positions, and some are very scarce. You’ll see teams get aggressive to fill in needs, but which teams should consider moving down to allow teams to trade up? Here is a list of a handful of teams that should consider moving down on draft day. ​

Washington Commanders

Having the seventh pick, the Commanders can easily select one of the top prospects in this draft. The only problem is that the organization has only six total picks in this draft – this roster has a ton of needs, and having the seventh pick is nice, but the team doesn’t pick until 71 overall.

NFL, American Football Herren, USA Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders Nov 2, 2025 Landover, Maryland, USA Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels 5 looks to pass against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon 21 during the first half at Northwest Stadium. Landover Northwest Stadium Maryland USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAmberxSearlsx 20251102_ams_si2_029

The Commanders have needs at wide receiver, running back, edge rusher, linebacker and corner. While some may not be as pressing as others, the team has plenty of depth issues that six picks can’t fix.

If Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love falls, as hard as it’d be for Washington to pass him up, they could seriously look into trading back in the first round to gain some additional picks within the second and third rounds of this draft.

Dallas Cowboys

A true nightmare scenario for the Cowboys with the 12th overall pick is having prospects like LSU’s Mansoor Delane, Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman all off the board – it could spark Dallas to try and move back.

August 30, 2025: LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane 4 celebrates an interception against the Clemson Tigers during the second half of the NCAA, College League, USA Football matchup at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC. /CSM Clemson United States – ZUMAc04_ 20250830_zma_c04_541 Copyright: xScottxKinserx

Defense is the need for the Cowboys, specifically at edge, linebacker and corner. With the players listed about gone, there really isn’t an edge or linebacker worth taking at 12. If they decide to go corner, they’d be reaching, as there’s a significant drop-off after McCoy or Delane.

Dallas can truly look to trade down, and if a team comes calling looking to aggressively target, let’s say, Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane or a falling offensive tackle prospect in this class. The Cowboys can gain extra draft capital on top of their eight picks in this draft to seriously address too many holes on defense in rounds 2 and 3.

Arizona Cardinals

One of the biggest things fans don’t calculate is that you need two teams to make a trade work. Would it make sense for Arizona to trade down to gain some extra capital? Yes, but which team will come up, and which prospect at the top of this draft is worth giving up draft picks for?

Image Credits: Instagram@OlaivavegaIoane

There are certainly worthy players to trade up for in this draft, but the problem is the positional value. Running back, linebacker and safety are the top positions within this draft – there isn’ t a clear No. 1 offensive lineman in this class either, unless you view Ioane as the top one. But again, is a team gonna trade up to No. 3 overall to pick an offensive guard? Probably not. Arizona is an organization that should probably consider trading down, but, as mentioned earlier, it takes two teams to trade.

Arizona just has to find one.

Seattle Seahawks

This one may be a little too obvious. Seattle has only four picks in this entire draft, and even after a Super Bowl, this team has more needs than people think. Running back, edge rusher, cornerback and offensive guard are all things Seattle has to address within this draft, but only having four picks makes it tough.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider answers questions from the media during the NFL American Football Herren USA Scouting Combine on February 27, 2019 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire) NFL: FEB 27 Scouting Combine PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxDENxONLY Icon1902270871

General manager John Schneider has his first, second, third and sixth round pick from the Cleveland Browns. It’s hard to work with, but a realistic scenario is trading out of round 1, with the 32nd overall pick. A team could get aggressive to try to take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at the end of round 1, and if he’s there at 32, Schneider should expect some calls to come in, and he can try to take any offer he thinks is worth it.  

Buffalo Bills

The Bills gave up their second-round pick to acquire receiver DJ Moore to give themselves the weapon on the outside they’ve been missing. The problem is the team doesn’t have a second-round pick now and truly can’t address what’s been a major problem for Buffalo: the defense.

Having quarterback Josh Allen is great, but his contract takes up a lot of space, so teams that have this problem need to draft good young players to keep the team competitive. The problem is, Buffalo hasn’t drafted well in recent years.

January 11, 2026: Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen 17 in the first half of a wild card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, FL. Romeo T Guzman/Cal Media Jacksonville USA – ZUMAcg2_ 20260111_faf_cg2_019 Copyright: xRomeoxGuzmanx

Just looking at this Buffalo roster, edge rusher and linebacker are just two needs that are absolutely screaming at you by just looking at it. The team could easily get a quality linebacker in the first or third round, but edge depth is the main issue. The quality of edges takes a drop by the time the Bills pick again at 91 overall, so finding a Day 1 impact player is hard.

Buffalo could seriously look into trading back into the second round, gaining capital and attacking the second round by selecting an edge player, then acquiring a linebacker and even another receiver, given how deep those two positions are in this draft class.

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