Trading players on draft day

[Rubes]

I keep seeing people interested in maybe packaging a player along with a draft pick to move up in the draft. Someone like Cook, or a player who hasn’t worked out well here (Elam was another example in previous years).

 

When was the last time this was done? I can’t find any recent examples of a player being part of a draft-day trade, though I’m no search expert on this. I can recall one involving Jerome Bettis, but that was decades ago, I believe.

 

Anybody know of any recent examples? Not that it can’t happen, but it seems like it’s become so extremely rare that I wouldn’t even bother to consider the possibility, especially on Day 1.

 

[Einstein's Dog]

Wasn't AJ Brown traded to Philly on draft day

[FireChans]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:05 PM, Rubes said:

I keep seeing people interested in maybe packaging a player along with a draft pick to move up in the draft. Someone like Cook, or a player who hasn’t worked out well here (Elam was another example in previous years).

 

When was the last time this was done? I can’t find any recent examples of a player being part of a draft-day trade, though I’m no search expert on this. I can recall one involving Jerome Bettis, but that was decades ago, I believe.

 

Anybody know of any recent examples? Not that it can’t happen, but it seems like it’s become so extremely rare that I wouldn’t even bother to consider the possibility, especially on Day 1.

 

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I think it’s largely not possible because of passing physicals and stuff, right?

 

Like you trade Cook for a fifth and then we take a player. Maybe Cook doesn’t pass his physical and they don’t want that player.

[T.E.]

Not really recent, but wasn't the Bledsoe trade during the draft?

[Rubes]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:08 PM, Einstein's Dog said:

Wasn't AJ Brown traded to Philly on draft day

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I think you may have one there. I think Chad Ochocinco may also have been traded on draft day, but that was like 13 years ago or something.

 

Maybe a couple others before 2000, but it does seem very rare in the last 25 years.

 

[Aussie Joe]

So we got two cases  after 2000?
 

yeah ..it’s probably not happening with Cook then

 

 

Edited Saturday at 10:19 PM by Aussie Joe

[Rubes]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:12 PM, T.E. said:

Not really recent, but wasn't the Bledsoe trade during the draft?

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Another good catch. Looks like it was on Day 2 of the draft.

 

Accoding to ESPN, the Bills traded for Bledsoe after they missed out on drafting Patrick Ramsey. Yikes.

However, this is an example of a team trading specifically for a player, not packaging a player to move up in the draft that day.

 

Edited Saturday at 10:26 PM by Rubes

[BlueRed]

Marquise Brown from BAL to Arizona I think was a draft day trade as well if I recall correctly. 

[GunnerBill]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:19 PM, BlueRed said:

Marquise Brown from BAL to Arizona I think was a draft day trade as well if I recall correctly. 

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It was.

[Rubes]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:09 PM, FireChans said:

I think it’s largely not possible because of passing physicals and stuff, right?

 

Like you trade Cook for a fifth and then we take a player. Maybe Cook doesn’t pass his physical and they don’t want that player.

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Not sure. That seems to make sense, yet it has still happened a handful of times. Wonder how that works, especially if the trade goes through and a player then gets picked.

 

[GunnerBill]

We traded for Bryce Brown, running back from the Eagles, during the draft. 2014 maybe?

[Rubes]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:19 PM, BlueRed said:

Marquise Brown from BAL to Arizona I think was a draft day trade as well if I recall correctly. 

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Another good catch. Maybe not quite as rare as it seems?

[Simon]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:15 PM, Rubes said:

I think you may have one there. I think Chad Ochocinco may also have been traded on draft day, but that was like 13 years ago or something.

 

Maybe a couple others before 2000, but it does seem very rare in the last 25 years.

 

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Totally off-topic but I'm reminded of a good Ochocinco story.

One of his former OC's in Cincinnati says that Chad used to occasionally call him at like 3:00am and just say "Coach, I'm open!", then hang up. 

[Rubes]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:22 PM, GunnerBill said:

We traded for Bryce Brown, running back from the Eagles, during the draft. 2014 maybe?

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Good call, but the Bills basically traded for the player. I was thinking of trades that involved a player so a team could move up in the draft. I don’t think that was the case here.

[GunnerBill]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:24 PM, Rubes said:

Good call, but the Bills basically traded for the player. I was thinking of trades that involved a player so a team could move up in the draft. I don’t think that was the case here.

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Correct. It was a direct trade rather than a move up trade.

[mannc]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:08 PM, Einstein's Dog said:

Wasn't AJ Brown traded to Philly on draft day

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I think it was before the draft…

[mannc]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:05 PM, Rubes said:

I keep seeing people interested in maybe packaging a player along with a draft pick to move up in the draft. Someone like Cook, or a player who hasn’t worked out well here (Elam was another example in previous years).

 

When was the last time this was done? I can’t find any recent examples of a player being part of a draft-day trade, though I’m no search expert on this. I can recall one involving Jerome Bettis, but that was decades ago, I believe.

 

Anybody know of any recent examples? Not that it can’t happen, but it seems like it’s become so extremely rare that I wouldn’t even bother to consider the possibility, especially on Day 1.

 

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It was a few weeks before the draft, but the Panthers traded picks plus DJ Moore to move up to first overall, to select Bryce Young, to their everlasting regret….

[BillsFanForever19]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:05 PM, Rubes said:

I keep seeing people interested in maybe packaging a player along with a draft pick to move up in the draft. Someone like Cook, or a player who hasn’t worked out well here (Elam was another example in previous years).

 

When was the last time this was done? I can’t find any recent examples of a player being part of a draft-day trade, though I’m no search expert on this. I can recall one involving Jerome Bettis, but that was decades ago, I believe.

 

Anybody know of any recent examples? Not that it can’t happen, but it seems like it’s become so extremely rare that I wouldn’t even bother to consider the possibility, especially on Day 1.

 

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It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. AJ Brown to the Eagles and Hollywood Brown to the Cardinals are the biggest that spring to mind for me. I've remembered some lesser players traded for Day 3 picks before, but I can't recall who they were.

 

It's not something you see regularly. And if we're talking about Cook again, he's not getting you much. It's not worth trading him. Whatever you'd get, you'll eventually end up getting back as a Comp pick anyways at a later date. Probably even more if he has a great season this year and someone pays him what he wants.

[JaCrispy]

  On 4/5/2025 at 10:12 PM, T.E. said:

Not really recent, but wasn't the Bledsoe trade during the draft?

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Also, if memory serves I thought we traded Stevie Johnson in draft day- after we took Watkins…

[BuffaloBillyG]

Josh Rosen was traded from the Cardinals to the Dolphins during the draft