The biggest trade-ups in NFL draft his
Quarterback trade-ups dominate NFL draft discourse today, but teams have made major moves up draft boards to acquire blue-chip talent at other positions for decades. The gambles have not always paid off, and trade values have fluctuated across eras. Here are the most memorable trade-up moves in the common draft era (1967-present).
No team has knowingly acquired a No. 1 pick earlier than the Panthers, who obtained the top choice from the Bears before free agency began. Like the 49ers in 2021, the Panthers may not have reached a consensus on which quarterback they would take at the time they made the trade. Carolina gave up its 2024 first-round pick, D.J. Moore and two second-rounders for No. 1, with owner David Tepper making it known Young should be the pick. Adrift at QB since Cam Newton’s injuries piled up in the late 2010s, the Panthers took their lumps after going 2-15. Tepper fired Frank Reich, linked to being a C.J. Stroud backer, and the 2024 pick became No. 1. Nowhere to go but up.2021: 49ers recover quickly from Trey Lance misstep
Attempting to unlock dimensions Jimmy Garoppolo was deemed incapable of providing, the 49ers surrendered two future first-rounders and a third to climb from No. 12 to No. 3 via the Dolphins. Alabama’s Mac Jones was the initial rumored target, as Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were widely expected to go 1-2, but somewhere along the way the team zeroed in on Lance. The North Dakota State prospect only played one year in college, dominating as a redshirt freshman, before COVID-19 nixed Division I-FCS’s 2020 season. Lance has been a colossal bust, making four starts in three San Francisco seasons. Brock Purdy has helped the 49ers recover, but dealing Lance to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick capped quite the personnel debacle.
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