2018 NFL Draft: top-five general managers are open to trading down

At the NFL combine this week, four of the general managers near the top of the 2018 NFL draft stated that they were open to trade down. John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns, Dave Gettleman of the New York Giants, Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts and John Elway of the Denver Broncos are all open for business. It has been made known by Buffalo Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane that the organization will be meeting with all of the top quarterbacks in the class.

“There are a lot of things I can do at No. 1, and not just get a quarterback,” Dorsey, owner of the first and fourth picks, said from Lucas Oil Stadium. “My door is wide open. If somebody wants to come up and talk to me about a trade, I’m willing to trade.”

“Any good GM wants to field calls from his peers, so why wouldn’t I?” continued Dorsey “That’s why I say, ‘Guys, just give me a call. See what’s up.’”

Gettleman is Beane’s former boss with the Carolina Panthers and the two have a close relationship. It’s just one of the close relationships the Bills’ brass has if they want to move up. Former Bills player Frank Reich is the head coach of the Colts, too.

“Are we open for business? Any decision I make’s gonna be in the best interest of the New York football Giants, plain and simple,” Gettleman, who holds the number two pick, told reporters Wednesday. “So if someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse, would I move back? It depends upon who’s there.”

“It’s got to be a two-way street,” said Ballard, who holds the third pick with the Colts. “We’ve got to have somebody that wants to move up to that spot. We’re open for business and willing to have discussions. We’re just trying to put ourselves in position to improve the football team.”

“We’re open,” said Elway, owner of the fifth pick. “Like you said, everything is going to come in order, and obviously like you said free agency is first. We’ll be open for business on the fifth pick depending on how things fall.”

With the possible exception of the Colts, all those teams could also be interested in taking a quarterback high in the draft. No one, besides the people within the organization knows if the quarterback interest is genuine or not in Buffalo.

The Bills hold the 21st and 22nd picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s a complete list of all their draft pieces.