Power ranking the worst trades in the NFL draft since 2000
Power ranking the worst trades in the NFL draft since 2000
A big way to upgrade your roster in the NFL is through trades. We often see this occur every offseason and leading up to the trade deadline in the NFL. However, it isn't near the level we see in the NBA or MLB. Given that we are just weeks away from the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay, we are exploring the trades that went down on draft day.
To put it more bluntly, the trades of reference are the ones that don't work out. For every massive trade that works out during the NFL draft, there are a lot more that don't meet the expectations of either party involved. In the first round of last year's NFL draft, there were a total of 10 trades. It started early with the Chicago Bears moving up to the No. 1 spot to select Caleb Williams. The trade took place in the 2023 draft when the Panthers were trying to secure the slot to select Bryce Young.
While we await to see if that trade works out for both parties, let's review five trades that are considered among the worst since the turn of the century. Cover your eyes, Bears fans, because you are number 1 on this list.
1. Chicago Bears (2017 NFL draft)
Bears trade up to draft Michell Trubisky, Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes
Hindsight is always 20/20 but looking back makes this trade look worse by the day. The Bears selected Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 selection after moving up just one spot to make him the first quarterback selected in the draft. The second quarterback taken was Patrick Mahomes, who has won three Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs for the Chiefs since. Trubisky is on his third team since being selected, going back to the Buffalo Bills to backup Josh Allen.
The Bears have since selected two more quarterbacks in the first round of the draft. They selected Justin Fields in 2021 and traded him prior to the 2024 season. That same offseason, Chicago made Caleb Williams the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL draft. Let's see if this one works out in the Windy City.
2. Washington Commanders (2012 NFL draft)
Washington gives up the farm for Robert Griffin III
Many in the Washington organization thought they were getting the quarterback of the future when they selected RG3 No. 2 overall after trading up. The team also drafted Kirk Cousins that year, who ended up taking over the starting quarterback role due to injuries to Griffin. Griffin would be released in the offseason leading up to the 2016 season. Cousins would leave Washington for Minnesota on a free agent deal following the 2017 season.
Here is who was selected with the traded picks:
No. 6: Traded from LA to the Cowboys (Mo Claiborne, LSU)
No. 39: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida/North Alabama
No. 22 in 2013: Traded from LA to the Falcons (Desmond Trufant, Washington)
No. 2 in 2014: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
3. Cleveland Browns (2012 NFL draft)
Browns outbid themselves for Trent Richardson
Richardson was coming off a national championship with the Alabama Crimson Tide and a very productive season. He touched the ball 302 times for 2,017 yards with 24 total touchdowns. But it was just one season of massive production. In hindsight, that probably should have been a red flag. However, the Browns opted to move up one spot, unloading the No. 4 overall pick along with the No. 118 pick, No. 139 pick, and No. 211 pick that was eventually traded to the Titans.
Cleveland would eventually get a first-round pick out of Richardson when they traded him to Indianpolis. They would use the Colts pick to trade up in the 2014 draft to select Johnny Manziel, who flamed out after just two seasons in the NFL. Clearly, nothing good came out of this pick.
Here is who was selected with the traded picks:
No. 4: Matt Kalil, OT, USC (Vikings)
No. 118: Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas (Vikings)
No. 139: Robert Blanton, S, Notre Dame (Vikings)
No. 211: Scott Solomon, De, Rice (Titans)
4. Denver Broncos (2010 NFL draft)
Broncos trade up and take Tim Tebow
The Denver Broncos, during the Josh McDaniels experiment, traded up to the No. 25 spot to take Tim Tebow, sending three picks to the Baltimore Ravens. Tebow did provide a memorable moment in the NFL playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 wild-card round. His pass to Demaryius Thomas brings back a lot of fond memories of the late DT. The Ravens used the three selections to draft Sergio Kindle, Ed Dickson, and Dennis Pitta.
In the offseason following the 2011 season, Tebow was traded to the Jets after the team signed Peyton Manning to be the quarterback of the team. He spent one year with the Jets and had stops with the Patriots, Eagles, and eventually the Jaguars, with three three-year run in the New York Mets farm system.
5. Miami Dolphins (2013 NFL draft)
Miami blows it with trades, selecting Dion Jordan
During the 2013 NFL draft, the Dolphins moved up nine spots to add edge rusher Dion Jordan of Oregon. The Ducks pass rusher had a somewhat productive career with 121 tackles, 29.0 TFLs, 14.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles over four seasons. Most of the production came after his freshman season. After a lackluster rookie campaign with just 2.0 sacks, Jordan was suspended for six games in the following season due to violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy twice. Then suspended for the entire 2015 season for a third violation.
The Raiders gave up the No. 3 pick and used the No. 12 pick to select D.J. Hayden and No. 42 to select Menelik Watson. Neither Hayden nor Watson were long-term players for the Raiders. Both Hayden and Watson were off the team to start the 2017 season. Jordan was released following the 2016 season and signed with the Seahawks. He joined the Raiders in November of 2019.
Jordan played in 63 games with just five starts, spanning four different teams, with his most productive play coming during the two-year run with the Seahawks.
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