The NFL Draft is upon us. Just because a team has the pick doesn’t mean it will use it. Remember, there is plenty of wheeling and dealing that goes on prior to and during the selection process.
Broncos-Seahawks swap picks
The Seahawks made a steal of a pick and then made a great selection. They fleeced then-Broncos coach Josh McDaniels by sending a 2009 second-round pick to Denver in return for its first-rounder in 2010. The Seahawks used the selection to draft Earl Thomas. The Broncos? They wound up with the forgettable Alphonso Smith.
Browns deal to select Brady Quinn
The Browns traded with Dallas to move up to No. 22 and select Brady Quinn, the star Notre Dame quarterback. The Browns got a second-rounder that wound up being sent to the Eagles, who picked quarterback Kevin Kolb. The deal did not work out as Quinn had a short NFL career. Dallas used the 2008 first-rounder it received to draft RB Felix Jones from Arkansas.
Browns trade to draft Johnny Manziel
The Brady Quinn trade did not pan out. The Browns went back into the QB market and decided to put themselves in position to draft Johnny Manziel. That didn’t work out, either. Cleveland gave up the No. 26 overall selection and a third-round pick at No. 83 for Philadelphia’s slot at No. 22 — and the right to grab the Texas A&M quarterback. The 26th pick turned out to be Louisville LB Marcus Smith. The 83rd pick eventually wound up with Houston, which selected Notre Dame lineman Louis Nix.
Ravens wheel, deal to get Joe Flacco
The Baltimore Ravens moved up in 2008 to the Houston Texans’s 18th slot in exchange for the No. 26 overall pick in the first round, as well as the Ravens’ third-round pick (No. 89 overall) and the Ravens’ sixth-round pick (No. 173 overall) in this year’s draft. The Ravens used the pick to draft Joe Flacco out of Delaware. The Texans used the first-rounder on lineman Duane Brown, the third-rounder on RB Steve Slaton and the sixth-rounder on Dominique Barber, a safety from Minnesota.
Patriots deal and pick two tight ends
The New England Patriots collected tight ends in the 2010 NFL Draft. The first came when they acquired the 42nd overall pick from the Raiders and used it on Rob Gronkowski. That worked out pretty sweetly. The sour deal, in the long run, was when they acquired the 113th pick in the same draft and selected the late Aaron Hernandez.
Broncos move up to get to Tim Tebow
In order for Denver to grab Baltimore’s first-round pick (25th overall), the Broncos gave up a second-, third- and fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft. Those picks were used to select Sergio Kindle, Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, respectively.
Jets move up to get Mark Sanchez
The New York Jets seem to like USC quarterbacks in their recent history. In 2018, they drafted Sam Darnold. In 2009, they swung a deal with the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 5 to get Mark Sanchez. In the long run, the deal didn’t pay off. At first it seemed like a winner, as Sanchez got Gang Green to two AFC Championship games. Cleveland wound up with the Jets’ first-round pick that was then dealt to Tampa Bay, their second-round (No. 52 defensive end David Veikune from Hawaii), and defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff.
Redskins move up to get RG III
A month before the 2012 draft, the Redskins mortgaged their draft house to move into position to select Robert Griffin III. In the deal, the Rams received the Redskins’ No. 6 overall pick, as well as the Redskins’ first-round picks in 2013 and 2014. The Rams also received Washington’s second-round pick in return for the second overall pick that the Redskins used on the former Baylor star.
This tweet simplifies what the Rams wound up with in the lopsided deal.
