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Draft-Day Trades In The Steve Keim Era? It Happens

Apr 24, 2019 at 10:05 AM

azcardinals.com

General Manager Steve Keim acknowledged he has fielded calls from other teams about potential trades with that No. 1 overall pick. It really is inevitable. It's the first overall pick. How realistic there will be a trade? That we don't know yet. But Keim has made at least one draft trade in five of the previous six drafts he has overseen as GM.

"I like to do deals," Keim said, "but at the same time, I like good players."

Translation: Trades can be good, but I've got to know the cost-benefit ratio. With the draft coming Thursday, here's a look at the trades Keim has made during the draft since becoming GM in 2013.

2013: Traded down in the second round, from 38 to 45, to pick up the Chargers fourth-round pick (110). He later flipped that Chargers' fourth-rounder for the Giants' fourth-round pick at 116 overall to also grab a sixth-round pick (187). The choices were LB Kevin Minter in the second round, OL Earl Watford in the fourth and RB Andre Ellington in the sixth.
2014: Traded down in the first round, from 20 to 27, with the Saints, and picked up a third-round pick (91). Took eventual LB Deone Bucannon and WR John Brown.
2015: Traded down in the third round, from 55 to 58, with the Ravens, picking up a fifth-round pick (158). Took RB David Johnson and LB Shaq Riddick with those two picks. Keim also traded up in the fourth round with the Browns, going from 123rd overall to 116th to draft DL Rodney Gunter, surrendering a sixth-rounder (198) and a seventh-rounder (241) to do so.
2016: None (although that was the year Keim traded a second-rounder and G Jonathan Cooper for LB Chandler Jones.)
2017: Traded up in the second round, from 45 to 36 to take S Budda Baker, and also giving up a fourth (119), a sixth (197) and a 2018 second-round pick to the Bears. Later, Keim traded down in the third round, from 77 to 98, to pick up a fourth-rounder (115th). Those picks ended up as WR Chad Williams and G Dorian Johnson.
2018: One pretty significant trade up, going from 15 to 10 to pick QB Josh Rosen, giving up a third (79) and a fifth (152).

The odds Keim makes a deal at some point between Thursday and Saturday are strong. History says that, and so does the fact the Cardinals are sitting on 10 draft picks, including seven on Saturday. It'll certainly be interesting to watch.