How does the NFL draft trade value calculator work?

By - MattB

Friday, June 25, 2021

In the late 1980s, Jimmy Johnson, head coach of the then-struggling Dallas Cowboys, concluded that trades involving draft picks, with no set currency value for each selection, were complicated at best and almost impossible at worst. Johnson, alongside team exec Mike McCoy, who came from a non-football background and was well known for having an analytical mind - got to work on a system that was the first step on the way to turning draft-day dealing from an art... to a science.

Mike McCoy, instructed by Johnson, got to work. After extensive research that involved plowing through the complete history of every trade made involving NFL draft picks, they created a definitive way to value each pick, making trades easy to objectify. The system, now known as the NFL draft trade chart, assigned a points value to every pick in the NFL draft and, in so, created a currency to facilitate smooth trading.

In the following years, Johnson had massive success building the Cowboys with trades involving draft picks, and this ultimately lead to the Dallas Cowboy Dynasty of the 1990s. It wasn’t long before every team in the NFL was using McCoy's system, and although it has been updated and amended, it is still used by NFL coaches and executives today.

So how does the NFL Draft trade value chart work?

McCoy assigned each pick in the full seven rounds of the NFL draft a points value. Starting with number one, which was assigned 3000 points, the number two pick 2600 points with the final pick of the first round worth 590 points. Picks in later rounds are given a significantly lower value - for instance, in the middle of the fourth round, they average 70 points, and at the tail end of the seventh round, this value falls to a paltry two points.

The main aim of the chart was to enable NFL executives to objectively evaluate trades and, more importantly, how to get the upper hand over any potential trading partner.

So how do you use the NFL value chart?

Choose the pick you would expect to need to select the chosen draft prospect and find its value in the chart below. Then select any of your picks that the summation of would either equal or exceed the value of the pick you need.

For instance, if you think the 49ers desperately need a new quarterback but drafting at #12, think all the top QB prospects will be gone - you will have to trade up to do so. Pick #12 is valued at 1200 pts, and you think you the mobile Justin Fields will be a great fit in Shanahan’s Offense and are being told he’ll fall past the Falcons at #4.

This enables you to offer the Bengals, picking at #5 (value 1700 pts) your first pick - but you’ll need to make up the difference by throwing in your second-round pick (#43 overall – value 470pts) and your fifth-rounder (#139 overall - value 36pts). For a grand total of 1706 pts!

Round 1		Round 2		Round 3		Round 4		Round 5		Round 6		Round 7
PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE	PK	VALUE
1	3000	33	580	65	265	96	116	128	44	160	26.2	191	13.8
2	2600	34	560	66	260	97	112	129	43	161	25.8	192	13.4
3	2200	35	550	67	255	98	108	130	42	162	25.4	193	13
4	1800	36	540	68	250	99	104	131	41	163	25	194	12.6
5	1700	37	530	69	245	100	100	132	40	164	24.6	195	12.2
6	1600	38	520	70	240	101	96	133	39.5	165	24.2	196	11.8
7	1500	3	510	71	235	102	92	134	39	166	23.8	197	11.4
8	1400	40	500	72	230	103	88	135	38.5	167	23.4	198	11
9	1350	41	490	73	225	104	86	136	38	168	23	199	10.6
10	1300	42	480	74	220	105	84	137	37.5	169	22.6	200	10.2
11	1250	43	470	75	215	106	82	138	37	170	22.2	201	9.8
12	1200	44	460	76	210	107	80	139	36.5	171	21.8	202	9.4
13	1150	45	450	77	205	108	78	140	36	172	21.4	203	9
14	1100	46	440	78	200	109	76	141	35.5	173	21	204	8.6
15	1050	47	430	79	195	110	74	142	35	174	20.6	205	8.2
16	1000	48	420	80	190	111	72	143	34.5	175	20.2	206	7.8
17	950	49	410	81	185	112	70	144	34	176	19.8	207	7.4
18	900	50	400	82	180	113	68	145	33.5	177	19.4	208	7
19	875	51	390	83	175	114	66	146	33	178	19	209	6.6
20	850	52	380	84	170	115	64	147	31.4	179	18.6	210	6.2
21	800	53	370	85	165	116	62	148	31	180	18.2	211	5.8
22	780	54	360	86	160	117	60	149	30.6	181	17.8	212	5.4
23	760	55	350	87	155	118	58	150	30.2	182	17.4	213	5
24	740	56	340	88	150	119	56	151	29.8	183	17	214	4.6
25	720	57	330	89	145	120	54	152	29.4	184	16.6	215	4.2
26	700	58	320	90	140	121	52	153	29	185	16.2	216	3.8
27	680	59	310	91	136	122	50	154	28.6	186	15.8	217	3.4
28	660	60	300	92	132	123	49	155	28.2	187	15.4	218	3
29	640	61	292	93	128	124	48	156	27.8	188	15	219	2.6
30	620	62	284	94	124	125	47	157	27.4	189	14.6	220	2.3
31	600	63	276	95	120	126	46	158	27	190	14.2	221	2
32	590	64	270			127	45	159	26.6			222	1.7

So how does the NFL Draft trade value chart work?

So how do you use the NFL value chart?

Jimmy Johnson-Mike McCoy - NFL Draft Pick Value Chart