Jets earn better grade than Dolphins and Patriots for first-round trade-up originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets made a trade on draft night, moving up from their No. 33 overall pick at the top of the second round to select Omar Cooper Jr., the wide receiver out of Indiana.
But, they weren't the only team to swing a trade in the back-half of the first round. And every AFC East team made a trade, but the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots were the two other teams to trade up the board.
According to ESPN's Seth Walder, the Jets' late-first trade-up was the best move of the three, earning the highest grade between the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets first-round trade-ups.
The Jets trade with the San Francisco 49ers had the Jets giving up the No. 33 overall pick and the No. 179 pick to move up to No. 30 overall. Walder handed the Jets a grade of B+.
"The Jets were the third AFC East team in four picks to move up exactly three spots," Walder writes. "They paid the cheapest price by far..."
The Patriots moved up with the Buffalo Bills, sending the No. 125 and the No. 31 picks to move up to the No. 28 pick. Walder gave the Patriots a "B" grade for this deal.
A pick right before this, the Dolphins swung their trade-up, sending the 30th and 90th selections to the 49ers for the 27th and 138th picks. Walder gave Miami a "C" grade.
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All three teams made trades to move up three spots in the draft, and the Jets' deal was, by far, the best of the bunch.
They sent the 179th pick, while the Patriots sent the 125th pick; that's over 50 draft slots of difference in favor of the Jets trade.
And while the Dolphins didn't lose any quantity with their picks, they gave up the best selection by far with the 90th pick to move up. They moved back 48 spots, getting the 138th pick in return, but it was far too much to give up for such a trade.
The Jets' trade-up in Round 1, sending just a late fifth rounder, is a far better deal than the Patriots giving up a fourth rounder, or the Dolphins sending a third rounder and getting back a late fourth.
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