This is strictly hypothetical, but I asked myself this question the other day. Would you trade Micah Parsons or CeeDee Lamb to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick? Why or why not? I feel like this is a good question to step back and assess how much you really value the player? – Cameron Hamrick/Mint Hill, NC
Nick Eatman: No thanks. Just think about how the NFL is structured with the draft. The bad teams pick first because they need the most help. The good teams pick at the end because theoretically, they're already good. But what you're suggesting, would be to trade the main pieces that have made this a good team to go up and get some player who is definitely unproven. I can sometimes see the logic if it's No. 5 to No. 1 and you just have to get a quarterback. Just look at last year. The Panthers went from No. 9 to No. 1 and gave up two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a quality receiver in D.J. Moore. Can you imagine moving up from No. 24? I can't. Not going to happen and really not needed.
Kurt: We've received this questions a few times with many fans hoping for another Herschel Walker-type trade. For those who've been hiding under a rock, that deal came back in 1989 when the Cowboys sent their star running back to the Vikings for a handful of players and a bevy of draft picks that Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson then used to rebuild the franchise into Super Bowl champs. It's considered maybe the greatest trade in NFL history. But when asked at the time why they did it, Johnson basically said they were already a bad team with Herschel, so they could be a bad team without Herschel and look to the future. And therein lies the difference. Today's version of the Cowboys isn't a bad team. In fact, they're a really good team. Are they great? Maybe not yet, but I don't think you trade a guy in his prime who you know is one of the top players in the league for an opportunity to draft one you hope will be. As long as the team can handle the financial gymnastics of all these big contracts, keep the young core guys and build around them. As they say, an All-Pro bird in the hand is worth much more than an unknown rookie in the bush.
