With all the rumors of draft-day trades you will hear a lot about the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart.
What the heck is that, anyway? It is an actual chart that assigns a point value to each pick in the draft. The first pick is given a value of 3,000 points. The last pick of the 7th and final round has a value of 2 points.
Teams use the chart to make sure that, at least on paper, they are getting roughly equal value back when they give up a draft pick.
The Eli Manning trade is a great example. When the Giants acquired Manning from San Diego, the No. 1 overall pick, they gave up their fourth selection, a second first-rounder, and third and fifth-round selections.
So, to get Manning (3,000 points), the Giants gave up 3,299 points. That's roughly equal value, according to the chart.
For more on how general managers use the trade value chart, check out this explanation by Gil Brandt of NFL.com.