Draft day trades are an enigma. The packages, deals, and strategy all play out live on air but also have this presence of spontaneity. Teams are incessantly shopping and jockeying for a 72 hour period to land the best talent they can in a marquee event. It’s what makes the draft the draft.
By spreading the draft out to three days, the NFL has created periods of inflated value to spark trades and general interest. One of these inflation points is the beginning of the second round. General managers have had an entire night to regroup, evaluate the available players on the draft board, and work with other general managers to cobble together a trade.