Does Trading Down Work?

A few teams in the 2008 NFL Draft are considering the idea of trading down to accumulate more picks(Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs). Let’s take a look at how a couple teams have done with this process.

In the 2001 draft the San Diego Chargers held the first overall pick. The Chargers, needing to rebuild their team, decided to trade the top pick to the Atlanta Falcons(which selected Michael Vick). The Falcons sent San Diego the 5th(LaDainianTomlinson) and 67th(Tay Cody) picks in the 2001 draft, the 48th(Reche Caldwell) overall in 2002, and KR/WR Tim Dwight.

In 2004 Eli Manning sat atop everyone’s draft board, and guess who held the frst pick yet again, the Chargers. Eli and Archie didn’t want to play in San Diego, so they traded him to the New York Giants. In exchange for the rights to Eli, New York sent the 4th(Phillip Rivers) and 65th(Nate Kaeding) picks in that draft, along with the 12th(Shawne Merriman) and the 144th(traded) picks in the 2005 draft to San Diego.

Bill Parcells, now the head man in Miami, hasn’t had much luck trading down in an effort to rebuild. In 1997 Parcells was the head coach for a New York Jets team that totaled one win the season before(Rich Kotite was head coach in 1996) so the first pick in the 1997 draft went to the Jets. Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Darrell Russell, and Peter Boulware were the top stars in this draft. Parcells had the accumulation of picks on his mind instead, and traded down not once, but twice, finally selecting James Farrior at pick 8. New York did receive a few more picks, but the players that were selected weren’t even on the roster a couple years down the road anyway.

In my opinion the Miami Dolphins should stay at number one and draft either Glenn Dorsey or Chris Long.Kansas City on the other hand should trade down with theDallas Cowboys, get Dallas’ 2 1st round picks and another 2nd. With those picks the Chiefs could select Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Dr. C) and Jeff Otah in the 1st round, filling two of the Chiefs biggest needs. Dallas then could get their guy in Darren McFadden.