![NFL Draft Pick Trades Antonio Brown-George-Gojkovich]()
The world of sports is one of the greatest homes for “what if” questions in pop culture. Sure, in movies, you could say things like, “What if Jack Nicholson didn’t decline the part of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”? And the same can be said for TV shows, or even music, “What if Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin stopped doing drugs?”
In the sports world, though, there are “What if” questions around every turn. From “What if the ball was caught?” or “What if this player didn’t get injured?” But today, we’re going to specifically look at draft picks that were traded from one team to the next, and we’re going to ask –
“What if these NFL Draft pick trades never happened and the players chosen ended up on the team with that pick originally?”
Now obviously, there are plenty of holes with a question like that, considering the odds are quite low that a team would have ended up picking the same exact player as the other team. But that’s why this game is fun – so shutty!
What If These NFL Draft Pick Trades Never Happened?
We’re only going back over the past 10 years of NFL Drafts in order to make it more relevant to everyone’s favorite teams now.
');
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails',
placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});
_taboola.push({flush: true});
/* === */
/* Desktop : below post content ad === */
jQuery('#taboola-below-article-content').html('');
jQuery('#taboola-below-article-content').html('
');
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});
_taboola.push({flush: true});
/* === */
/* Mobile : below post content ad === */
jQuery('#taboola-mobile-below-article-content').html('');
jQuery('#taboola-mobile-below-article-content').html('
');
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-m',
container: 'taboola-mobile-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Mobile Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});
_taboola.push({flush: true});
/* === */
if (typeof _gaq !== "undefined") {
_gaq.push(["_setAccount", "UA-13021289-1"]);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); //google
}
if (typeof ga !== "undefined") {
ga('send', 'pageview');
}
// Keywee
if(window.snowplowKW) { window.snowplowKW('setCustomUrl', currentLocation); window.snowplowKW('trackPageView'); }
/*jQuery('#rectangle-atf').empty().append("
");
jQuery('#div-gpt-unit-jd-ss-300x250-atf').empty().append("
");*/
/*var unix = Math.round(+new Date()/1000);
var $time = unix + '_'+ Math.floor(Math.random() * (9999 - 1 + 1)) + 1;
var $slug = $time + '_slider1';
var html = "
";
jQuery('#rectangle-atf').empty().append(html);
console.log('adding '+$slug);
try {
postscribe("#"+$slug, "
cmnUNT('100x100', tile_num++);");
} catch (err) {
console.log(err);
}*/
if(!unit_jd_ss_300_250_atf) {
var unix = Math.round(+new Date()/1000);
var $time = unix + '_'+ Math.floor(Math.random() * (9999 - 1 + 1)) + 1;
var $slug = $time + '_slider2';
var html = "
";
jQuery('#div-gpt-unit-jd-ss-300x250-atf').empty().append(html);
console.log('adding '+$slug);
unit_jd_ss_300_250_atf = true;
try {
//postscribe("#"+$slug, "
cmnUNT('100x100', tile_num++);");
} catch (err) {
console.log(err);
}
} else {
if (cmnUNT) {
//cmnUNT.refreshAds();
//console.log('refreshAds');
}
}
};
jQuery('.hide_all_but_not_slider').on('click', function(){
var $id = jQuery(this).attr('href').replace('#','');
//var $slug = '-mobile';
var $slug = slideshow_get_slug ();
jQuery('.post_content_am_ngg > :not(#'+$id+$slug+')').hide();
if(jQuery('#'+$id+$slug).parent().is(":hidden"))
jQuery('#'+$id+$slug).parent().show();
jQuery('.post_content_am_ngg > #'+$id+$slug).show();
console.log($slug);
if($slug == '-mobile')
jQuery('#'+$id+$slug+' .slides').slick("slickGoTo", 0, 0);
if($slug == '-mobile')
document.getElementById('nav-container').scrollIntoView();
else
document.getElementById($id+'-desktop').scrollIntoView();
});
jQuery(document).on('click', '.next', function(e){
counter++;
showCurrent();
if (currentSlideNo == numItems && related) {
currentSlideNo = numItems;
}
console.log(currentSlideNo);
jQuery('.current').html(currentSlideNo);
changeAd();
});
jQuery(document).on('click', '.prev', function(e){
counter--;
if(counter <= -1) {
counter = numItems - 1;
}
showCurrent();
if (currentSlideNo == numItems && related) {
currentSlideNo = numItems;
}
jQuery('.current').html(currentSlideNo);
changeAd();
});
jQuery(document).on('click','.first', function(){
counter = 0;
showCurrent();
if (currentSlideNo == numItems && related) {
currentSlideNo = numItems;
}
jQuery('.current').html(currentSlideNo);
changeAd();
});
jQuery(document).on('click','.last', function(){
counter = numItems-1;
showCurrent();
changeAd();
});
/*if('ontouchstart' in window){
jQuery(".mobile-wrapper .slides").swipe({
swipeLeft:function() {
counter++;
showCurrent();
},
swipeRight:function() {
counter--;
showCurrent();
}
});
}*/
jQuery('.mobile-wrapper .slides').slick({
adaptiveHeight: true,
mobileFirst: true,
appendArrows: $('#nav-container')
});
jQuery('.mobile-wrapper .slides').on('afterChange', function(a, index){
mobileCurrentIndex = index.currentSlide;
showCurrent('mobile');
changeAd();
});
jQuery('.next-arrow').on('click', function(){
jQuery('.mobile-wrapper .slides').slick('slickNext');
});
jQuery('.prev-arrow').on('click', function(){
jQuery('.mobile-wrapper .slides').slick('slickPrev');
});
if( slideshow_get_slug() == '-mobile') {
/*jQuery('#div-gpt-unit-jd-ss-300x250-atf').empty().append("
");*/
if(!unit_jd_ss_300_250_atf) {
var unix = Math.round(+new Date()/1000);
var $time = unix + '_'+ Math.floor(Math.random() * (9999 - 1 + 1)) + 1;
var $slug = $time + '_slider2';
var html = "
";
jQuery('#div-gpt-unit-jd-ss-300x250-atf').empty().append(html);
console.log('adding '+$slug);
unit_jd_ss_300_250_atf = true;
try {
//postscribe("#"+$slug, "
cmnUNT('100x100', tile_num++);");
} catch (err) {
console.log(err);
}
} else {
// if (cmnUNT) {
// cmnUNT.refreshAds();
// console.log('refreshAds');
// }
}
}
jQuery(".back-to-post").click ( function () {
jQuery('.post_content_am_ngg > *').show();
jQuery(".desktop-wrapper").hide();
jQuery(".mobile-wrapper").hide();
document.getElementById('innermain').scrollIntoView();
});
});
Rob Gronkowski, TE, Oakland Raiders -- 2010
![]()
It would be tough to love Gronk in silver and black, wouldn’t it? In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Patriots sent a sixth-round pick to move up two spots in the second round to take the tight end out of Arizona. When I imagine the possibility that Gronk could be a Raider, I immediately think of when Hulk Hogan became a bad guy in wrestling, with the darkened stubble and the evil demeanor.
The Raiders chose DT Lamarr Houston with that second-round pick, and LB Travis Goethel with the sixth-rounder. Yeah, seems about fair.
In 2011, the Raiders went with Kevin Boss and Brandon Myers as their tight ends. Yoiks! This was also Carson Palmer’s first year in Oakland, which could’ve changed considerably with Gronk in the huddle.
Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images
Julio Jones, WR, Cleveland Browns -- 2011
![]()
It’s tough to bust the Browns on this one, considering the Falcons traded a boatload of draft picks for the sixth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Atlanta traded the 26th pick, 59th and 124th picks of the 2011 draft, as well as 2012 first- and fourth-round picks. FIVE PICKS – two of which were first rounders – for the Browns’ sixth pick.
We can, however, bust the Browns for who they spent those picks on, including Greg Little, Phil Taylor and Brandon Weeden. The Browns have been searching for an offensive superstar ever since, and Julio Jones is easily one of the very best at his position over the past 10 years.
Photo Credit: Chris Graythen, Getty Images
Dez Bryant, WR, New England Patriots – 2010
![]()
Back in 2010, the Broncos were supposedly considering Bryant, but they ended up going with Demaryius Thomas, and the Oklahoma State wide receiver dropped to the 24th spot, where the Cowboys traded up three spots with New England to get him. This would have been the final year of Randy Moss’ career with the Patriots, which would have been perfect for Bryant to emerge as Tom Brady’s new go-to receiver for the next decade. The Patriots drafted CB Devin McCourty instead.
Coincidentally, the Broncos originally had the 24th pick, but moved up two spots.
Photo Credit: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Getty Images
Lavonte David, LB, Houston Texans -- 2012
![]()
The Bucs moved up from the third round to the late second to grab David, who would go on to earn an All-Pro nod and Pro Bowl berth. The Texans also got a fourth rounder and gave up a sixth rounder in the deal. With Brian Cushing leading their defense as an inside linebacker, it’s hard to imagine David prospering as much as he did in the Tampa 2 defense with the Bucs.
Photo Credit: Icon Sports Wire, Getty Images
Earl Thomas, S, Denver Broncos – 2010
![]()
There’s a certain amount of irony in the fact that the five-time Pro-Bowl, four-time All-Pro free safety would later haunt the Broncos, who traded the pick used on him, in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Broncos traded their 2010 first-rounder in order to get the Seahawks’ second-round pick in 2009, which they spent on CB Alphonso Smith, whom they traded away after one season.
Photo Credit: Jeff Gross, Getty Images
Antonio Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals -- 2010
![]()
Wow. Can you imagine Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Brown?
It’s hard to imagine Brown as a sixth-round pick back in 2010, as he is now considered the best wide receiver in the NFL – over the past three years, too!
The Cardinals and Steelers played against each other in the Super Bowl in January of 2009. But this trade came after Kurt Warner retired after the 2009 season. The Steelers wanted CB Bryant McFadden, and the Cardinals wanted to move up 40 spots, so Arizona gave up McFadden and the pick that turned out to be Brown, for the 155th pick that turned out to be QB John Skelton.
Sweet!
Photo Credit: George Gojkovich, Getty Images
T.Y. Hilton, WR, San Francisco 49ers -- 2012
![]()
The next two players in our discussion will show how things might have changed for the 49ers after their Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 NFL season.
Hilton came from a small school in Miami (Florida International University), and he wasn’t so big himself (5-foot-9), so it’s tough to fault the 49ers for not recognizing his abilities. They traded their third-round pick in 2012 for the Colts fourth-rounder in 2012 and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Allen Robinson, WR, San Francisco 49ers -- 2014
![]()
Just two years after missing out on making Hilton their slot receiver for the next five or so years, the 49ers also missed out on using Robinson as an outside receiver for the next five or so years!
The Jaguars sent third- and fifth-round picks to San Francisco for the right to choose Robinson out of Penn State in the late second round of 2014. Interestingly, the Dolphins picked WR Jarvis Landry just two picks later.
Remember how awesome this draft was for wide receivers? Davante Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Kelvin Benjamin, John Brown, Martavis Bryant, Brandin Cooks, Quincy Enunwa, Mike Evans, Allen Hurns, Landry, Jordan Matthews, Donte Moncrief, Robinson, Willie Snead and Sammy Watkins.
And the 49ers didn’t get one of them! Oh, wait, sorry, they did draft Bruce Ellington that year. (He might not make the team in 2017 after missing all of 2016 with a torn hamstring.)
Photo Credit: Bob Levey, Getty Images
Lamar Miller, RB, Indianapolis Colts – 2012
![]()
Miller’s speed and pass-catching ability seem like perfect fits in the Colts’ offense, and he would have come onto the team along with Andrew Luck in the same season.
The pick in which the Dolphins used on Miller actually bounced around a couple times. It was originally the Colts’ pick, but they traded up five spots with the 49ers in order to draft T.Y. Hilton. The 49ers then sent this pick to Miami for a fourth- and sixth-rounder in 2012, and a sixth-rounder in 2013. That second sixth-rounder was what the 49ers used to trade for WR Anquan Boldin.
In the end, the 49ers could have had either Hilton or Miller if not for their trades this draft, led by GM Trent Baalke and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. Good job, fellas.
Photo Credit: Michael Hickey, Getty Images
1/9
Rob Gronkowski, TE, Oakland Raiders -- 2010
It would be tough to love Gronk in silver and black, wouldn’t it? In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Patriots sent a sixth-round pick to move up two spots in the second round to take the tight end out of Arizona. When I imagine the possibility that Gronk could be a Raider, I immediately think of when Hulk Hogan became a bad guy in wrestling, with the darkened stubble and the evil demeanor.
The Raiders chose DT Lamarr Houston with that second-round pick, and LB Travis Goethel with the sixth-rounder. Yeah, seems about fair.
In 2011, the Raiders went with Kevin Boss and Brandon Myers as their tight ends. Yoiks! This was also Carson Palmer’s first year in Oakland, which could’ve changed considerably with Gronk in the huddle.
Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images
2/9
Julio Jones, WR, Cleveland Browns -- 2011
It’s tough to bust the Browns on this one, considering the Falcons traded a boatload of draft picks for the sixth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Atlanta traded the 26th pick, 59th and 124th picks of the 2011 draft, as well as 2012 first- and fourth-round picks. FIVE PICKS – two of which were first rounders – for the Browns’ sixth pick.
We can, however, bust the Browns for who they spent those picks on, including Greg Little, Phil Taylor and Brandon Weeden. The Browns have been searching for an offensive superstar ever since, and Julio Jones is easily one of the very best at his position over the past 10 years.
Photo Credit: Chris Graythen, Getty Images
3/9
Dez Bryant, WR, New England Patriots – 2010
Back in 2010, the Broncos were supposedly considering Bryant, but they ended up going with Demaryius Thomas, and the Oklahoma State wide receiver dropped to the 24th spot, where the Cowboys traded up three spots with New England to get him. This would have been the final year of Randy Moss’ career with the Patriots, which would have been perfect for Bryant to emerge as Tom Brady’s new go-to receiver for the next decade. The Patriots drafted CB Devin McCourty instead.
Coincidentally, the Broncos originally had the 24th pick, but moved up two spots.
Photo Credit: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Getty Images
4/9
Lavonte David, LB, Houston Texans -- 2012
The Bucs moved up from the third round to the late second to grab David, who would go on to earn an All-Pro nod and Pro Bowl berth. The Texans also got a fourth rounder and gave up a sixth rounder in the deal. With Brian Cushing leading their defense as an inside linebacker, it’s hard to imagine David prospering as much as he did in the Tampa 2 defense with the Bucs.
Photo Credit: Icon Sports Wire, Getty Images
5/9
Earl Thomas, S, Denver Broncos – 2010
There’s a certain amount of irony in the fact that the five-time Pro-Bowl, four-time All-Pro free safety would later haunt the Broncos, who traded the pick used on him, in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Broncos traded their 2010 first-rounder in order to get the Seahawks’ second-round pick in 2009, which they spent on CB Alphonso Smith, whom they traded away after one season.
Photo Credit: Jeff Gross, Getty Images
6/9
Antonio Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals -- 2010
Wow. Can you imagine Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Brown?
It’s hard to imagine Brown as a sixth-round pick back in 2010, as he is now considered the best wide receiver in the NFL – over the past three years, too!
The Cardinals and Steelers played against each other in the Super Bowl in January of 2009. But this trade came after Kurt Warner retired after the 2009 season. The Steelers wanted CB Bryant McFadden, and the Cardinals wanted to move up 40 spots, so Arizona gave up McFadden and the pick that turned out to be Brown, for the 155th pick that turned out to be QB John Skelton.
Sweet!
Photo Credit: George Gojkovich, Getty Images
7/9
T.Y. Hilton, WR, San Francisco 49ers -- 2012
The next two players in our discussion will show how things might have changed for the 49ers after their Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 NFL season.
Hilton came from a small school in Miami (Florida International University), and he wasn’t so big himself (5-foot-9), so it’s tough to fault the 49ers for not recognizing his abilities. They traded their third-round pick in 2012 for the Colts fourth-rounder in 2012 and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons, Getty Images
8/9
Allen Robinson, WR, San Francisco 49ers -- 2014
Just two years after missing out on making Hilton their slot receiver for the next five or so years, the 49ers also missed out on using Robinson as an outside receiver for the next five or so years!
The Jaguars sent third- and fifth-round picks to San Francisco for the right to choose Robinson out of Penn State in the late second round of 2014. Interestingly, the Dolphins picked WR Jarvis Landry just two picks later.
Remember how awesome this draft was for wide receivers? Davante Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Kelvin Benjamin, John Brown, Martavis Bryant, Brandin Cooks, Quincy Enunwa, Mike Evans, Allen Hurns, Landry, Jordan Matthews, Donte Moncrief, Robinson, Willie Snead and Sammy Watkins.
And the 49ers didn’t get one of them! Oh, wait, sorry, they did draft Bruce Ellington that year. (He might not make the team in 2017 after missing all of 2016 with a torn hamstring.)
Photo Credit: Bob Levey, Getty Images
9/9
Lamar Miller, RB, Indianapolis Colts – 2012
Miller’s speed and pass-catching ability seem like perfect fits in the Colts’ offense, and he would have come onto the team along with Andrew Luck in the same season.
The pick in which the Dolphins used on Miller actually bounced around a couple times. It was originally the Colts’ pick, but they traded up five spots with the 49ers in order to draft T.Y. Hilton. The 49ers then sent this pick to Miami for a fourth- and sixth-rounder in 2012, and a sixth-rounder in 2013. That second sixth-rounder was what the 49ers used to trade for WR Anquan Boldin.
In the end, the 49ers could have had either Hilton or Miller if not for their trades this draft, led by GM Trent Baalke and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. Good job, fellas.
Photo Credit: Michael Hickey, Getty Images
« Return to article
.
Photo Credit: George Gojkovich, Getty Images
