Ranking the Wide Receiver for First Round Draft Pick Trades: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
By Jason Lisk
Odell Beckham, Jr. could be on the trade block for the right price. From the Giants perspective, that price would no doubt include a first round pick, at minimum. Beckham is still only 25 and prior to his injury-shortened 2017 season, had three pro bowl seasons, 1300 receiving yards each year, and double digit touchdowns, not to mention several highlight-worthy catches.
Using prosportstransactions.com, here’s a look back at all the trades where a wide receiver was the centerpiece of a deal for a first round pick, going back to 1978. Prior to 1978, teams traded receivers and draft picks like they were amphetamines in the clubhouse. The Cowboys once traded an undrafted free agent (Billy Parks) who had one decent year in Dallas to the Oilers for what would become the first overall pick and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. The best trade for a first round pick–Paul Warfield by the Dolphins, came in 1970, but plenty of other crazy ones surrounded it.
Here are the 14 since that era, ranked from worst to best (from the perspective of the team trading for the receiver). Most of these range from disastrous to just okay. [Update: Brandin Cooks to the Rams would be the 15th.]
#14 Randal Hill to Phoenix Cardinals (1991)
Randal “The Thrill” Hill was the 23rd overall pick for Miami in 1991. After a holdout that extended into August (Hill was represented by Drew Rosenhaus), the Dolphins traded Hill to the Phoenix Cardinals just one game into his rookie season. That might have been a warning sign. The Cardinals pick ended up becoming the 7th overall pick, which Miami used on pro bowl cornerback Troy Vincent.
Hill finished his career in the desert with 2,419 yards in four seasons.
#13 Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks (2013)
The next offseason, Seattle gave up a haul that included a first round pick (Xavier Rhodes) and the next year’s third round pick (Jerick McKinnon) to get the 24-year-old Harvin and sign him to a big contract.
It wasn’t to be, as injuries continued to plague Harvin and he ended up playing only 6 games for Seattle before being traded to the Jets prior to the trade deadline the following year.
#12 Mike Pritchard to Denver Broncos (1994)
Mike Pritchard was Atlanta’s first round pick in 1991. After consecutive seasons with 70+ catches in the run-n-shoot offense, the former Colorado Buffaloes star was traded at age 24 to the Denver Broncos for a package that included a 3rd round pick and a future 1st (which was in turn traded by Atlanta as part of the Chris Doleman deal, and used by Minnesota to take Derrick Alexander).
Pritchard suffered a lacerated kidney just three games into his Denver career and missed the rest of the season, and the following season was arrested for vehicular assault after striking two pedestrians. That was his final season in Denver and he finished with only 712 receiving yards total.
#11 Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys (2000)
Joey Galloway had over 1,000 yards in three of his first four seasons in Seattle, and totalled 22 touchdowns in his third and fourth seasons in the league. In 1999, he held out for a contract for half the season, before ending the holdout and returning, though he was behind and only started 4 games.
The next offseason, Seattle traded Galloway (27) to Dallas as the Cowboys were looking for the replacement for Michael Irvin, to help their veteran QB Troy Aikman. Dallas gave up the first round pick in 2000 (used on Shaun Alexander), and the 2001 first round pick (which was used in a slight trade down for Koren Robinson, while San Francisco took Andre Carter with the pick).
Galloway tore knee ligaments at the end of his very first game in Dallas, and never posted a thousand yard season with the Cowboys before moving on to Tampa in 2004.
#10 Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys (2008)
Roy Williams, the 7th overall pick in the 2004 draft, had what looked like a breakout season in 2006 with over 1,300 receiving yards. But he fell off in 2007, and then was traded five games into his fifth year in Detroit, at age 26.
The Lions got next’s first round pick (Brandon Pettigrew) along with a 3rd and a 6th round pick.
He only had 198 yards in the 10 games after being traded, and never reached 600 yards in any of his three season in Dallas.
#9 John Jefferson to the Green Bay Packers (1981)
If you are looking for the closest Odell Beckham, Jr. comparable in a big trade, it’s John Jefferson. Over the first three years of his career, Jefferson had 3,400 yards, 36 touchdowns, and led the league in receiving TD’s twice. He made the pro bowl all three years. Jefferson held out and the team traded him to the Packers at the start of the 1981 season. The trade was complicated but included a haul that allowed the Chargers to get a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and the option to swap positions on another first-round pick with the Packers.
The Chargers would then turn and use that swapped pick to trade for Jefferson’s replacement, Wes Chandler, and the other first round pick became running back Gary Anderson.
Jefferson, who unlike Beckham may have had his value overestimated by getting to play with a Hall of Fame QB in Dan Fouts, never made another pro bowl, and had 2,253 yards and 11 total touchdowns in four seasons with Green Bay.
#8 Peerless Price to the Atlanta Falcons (2003)
Peerless Price had a huge season in 2002 catching passes from Drew Bledsoe and playing opposite Eric Moulds, finishing with 1,252 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The Atlanta Falcons then traded for Price to be their #1 target for Michael Vick, and gave up their first round pick, which was used on Willis McGahee.
Price had 1,413 yards in two seasons in Atlanta, caught less than half the passes thrown his way, and finished with only 6 total touchdowns as a Falcon.
#7 Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks (2006)
At the start of the 2006 season, New England traded away top receiver Deion Branch for the first round pick the following year. At the time, Seattle was coming off a Super Bowl appearance and wanting to add another weapon for Matt Hasselbeck. That pick became Brandon Meriweather. Branch’s season high with Seattle was 725 yards in 2006 and he had a little over 2,300 yards in 4+ seasons in Seattle.
#6 Willie Gault to the Los Angeles Raiders (1988)
Al Davis loved fast receivers, and in 1988, he used a first round pick to get speedster Willie Gault from the Chicago Bears. The Bears used the pick on cornerback Donnell Woolford (and took QB Peter Tom Willis with the future 3rd).
Gault struggled in his first year in Los Angeles, though he still continued to be a deep threat and played for six more years with the Raiders, and had a career-high 985 yards receiving in 1990 at age 30 as the team went to the AFC title game.
#5 Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders (2005)
Randy Moss was perhaps the most productive young wide receiver in league history through age 28. He had never been under 1,200 receiving yards until his final season in Minnesota, and averaged nearly 12 touchdowns a season.
In 2005, the Raiders traded the 7th overall pick (which the Vikings tried to use on his replacement, Troy Williamson) and veteran Napoleon Harris for Moss. Moss had over 1,000 yards in his first year in Oakland, but by year two, it was pretty clear he was disinterested in staying in that culture with the Raiders, and averaged a career-low 42.5 yards per game. That allowed the Patriots to swoop in and trade for him on the cheap, and we all know what happened when he paired up with Tom Brady.
#4 Keyshawn Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000)
Tampa Bay was coming off a NFC championship game appearance in 1999, and looking for an upgrade on the offensive side of the ball, so they made a big deal to get Keyshawn Johnson from the Jets. Tampa gave up both first round picks they had (one of their own, and one from a trade two years earlier) and the Jets selected John Abraham and Anthony Becht.
Johnson had a solid run with Tampa Bay for four years, and had over 100 catches in 2001, finishing with 3,828 yards with the Buccaneers.
#3 Rob Moore to the Arizona Cardinals (1995)
Rob Moore was a solid wide receiver for the New York Jets, and after a pro bowl year in 1994, the Jets traded him to the Cardinals for a 1st round pick (which was used on Hugh Douglas) and running back Ronald Moore (no relation) and a 4th round pick.
Moore had a career year in 1997, leading the league in receiving yards with 1,584, and finished his five-year career in Arizona with over 5,000 receiving yards with the organization.
#2 Brandin Cooks to the New England Patriots (2017)
This one is very early, but if we are talking about value, it’s gonna be near the top. The Patriots gave up the final pick of the first round, which the Saints used on Ryan Ramczyk. (The Patriots also got a 4th, which they forfeited, and gave up a 3rd). In exchange, the Patriots got Brandin Cooks while still under his rookie deal, and were able to exercise the fifth-year option to get two years before paying a big contract.
Cooks put up similar production to his 2nd and 3rd years in New Orleans and if he can continue to put up some 1,000 yard seasons will be worth the price, compared to the average output of a receiver taken late in the 1st round.
#1 Wes Chandler to the San Diego Chargers (1981)
Twelve days after trading John Jefferson, the Chargers made their own big trade to replace him. They acquired Wes Chandler from the Saints for the 1982 1st round pick they would swap with the Packers in the following draft (used by the Saints on wide receiver Lindsay Scott).
Chandler, who like Jefferson was 25 at the time, made three pro bowls as a member of the Air Coryell Chargers, and in 1982, had over 1,000 yards in 8 games in a strike-shortened year. He finished with over 6,000 yards and 41 touchdowns in San Diego.