Greatest Draft Day Trades

by smashmouthsteel on Apr 22, 2008 12:16 PM EDT

In keeping with the theme I'd like to bring up the biggest Draft Day trades of all time. For my money and I'm sure many of you we'd all agree on that magical day in '96 when we traded for Jerome Bettis. I believe we gave up our '96 second round and our '97 fourth round for Jerome Bettis and the Rams third choice in '96. In my mind we gave up virtually nothing and just might have made the greatest Draft Day Value trade of all time. I know some people might point at some different trades like the 49ers trading up for Rice. This for me was the best - Bettis fit the mold in PGH. Destroying defenses and taking names. What do you think the best Draft Day trade was???

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question

Who did New Orleans trade the farm with to get Ricky? I forget.

by Michael Bean on Apr 22, 2008 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

also

Wasnt Eric Dickerson a draft-day trade? Maybe not, but I think I remember reading he was traded for a BOATLOAD of high picks over multiple years.

by Michael Bean on Apr 22, 2008 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

I think

Didn't SD trade down w/ Atlanta so that ATL could get Vick and SD ended up with LT?

by cgolden on Apr 22, 2008 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

plus

They got 1st choice of 2nd round, which they used on Brees. Brees+LT vs. Vick. Both franchises came out ahead, at least for awhile there.

by Michael Bean on Apr 22, 2008 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions

wow

that was a nice haul for the Bolts.

by cgolden on Apr 22, 2008 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe they got a few more picks in later

drafts. Seems like the pick they used Shawn Merriman was one of those (4th round the following year?). Also, IIRC, the pick they used on Nate Kaeding (maybe a 6th or 7th rounder).

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

youre correct

Now that I think about it again.

Definitely got Kaeding that year (though he blew a playoff game for them against the Jets in 04) and I think you're right about merriman the following year.

by Michael Bean on Apr 22, 2008 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't have a link

I think this was something I heard on the radio or TV (ESPNEWS or NFLN).

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Kaeding

was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2004 draft. LT and Brees were drafted 1st and 2nd in the 2001 draft and Merriman came in the 1st round in 2005.

by steelerark on Apr 22, 2008 3:43 PM EDT reply actions

some of those

might have come from the Manning-Rivers trade in 04 and not the Vick deal

by nerves of steel on Apr 22, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

Think you're right

One AJ Smith has seemed to do well (at least twice) is turn a trade for a highly touted player (Vick and Manning) to his advantage.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

i think

one of my more recent favorites is when, in 2001, we traded down a few spots and picked up Casey Hampton. The J E T S jets took Santana Moss, a player that many of the pundits had us selecting and who still hasn't really lived up to 1st round status, and we slid down and took one of the premier nose tackles in the league and one of my favorite players.

by steelerark on Apr 22, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions