A History of Bill's Draft Day Trades

Since Team Katy lobbed the first grenade this season on Bill's trade with them, I'm going to go back to memory lane to see if Bill "never offered a legitimate trade" in the words of the Team Katy President of Operations. Here is the history of the trades, all of which resulted in Bill getting a higher 1st round pick. Some details like which rounds were exchanged for the 1st round pick may have been lost, but I'll try to pick up the pieces.

2003
Bill and Andrew. This was the trade that started the Bill trading express. Andrew traded his OVERALL 2nd pick for a higher 2nd round pick. Bill ended up drafting Tomlinson, who served as the cornerstone of Bill's team for 5 seasons until he became trade bait for another trade. Andrew has only achieved a single winning season since this trade. On the surface, Bill is the big, big winner. However, Andrew has to share some of the blame since he drafted Eric Moulds with his 2nd round pick instead of Ahman Green or Peyton Manning. This trade may have been one of the reasons Andrew's team got taken over by the new Sheriff in 2007.

2004
I see that Bill gave his 1st round pick to Andrew (Steve McNair) for an 11th round pick. I am not sure, but this may also have been part of the 2003 trade package. It makes things slightly better, but not much. Unfortunately for Andrew, 2004 was one of the worst 1st round drafting class in FADUCO. Look at the results. YIKES! So this didn't do much to improve the 2003 trade imbalance.

2005
This was Bill's quietest off-season. Coincidentally or not, it was also his worst 1st round pick ever. Bill kept his 9th overall pick that season and picked ultra-bust JJ Arrington. Which probably made him more determined to secure a better draft pick the next season.

2006
It's still a mystery as to why, but Andrew again agreed to swap his higher 1st round pick for a higher 2nd round pick. Bill ended up with Chester Taylor for the 3rd overall pick, who was a solid RB2 contributor to his 2nd-place team during the season. That was the season Bill rode the San Diego Chargers with Brees and LT to the FADUCO Bowl. However, Andrew's selection of Corey Dillon later in the 1st round was pretty equivalent to Chester Taylor, so this draft could be considered a push. No harm, no foul.

2007
This is the draft that led to the demise of the Team Larry franchise. Bill, from the 9th position, swapped his 1st round pick with Kevin's (3 spots higher), then in turn upgraded that pick to Larry's 1st OVERALL pick in a draft rich with stud RBs. This enabled him to land keeper Maurice-Jones Drew, who is ranked in the top 4 in most polls this 2009 season. Only his passing over of Adrian Peterson prevents Bill from automatic induction in the Fantasy Trading Hall of Fame. Larry foolishly drafted over-the-hill Jamal Lewis, while Kevin actually got a solid keeper pick with the lowest of the 3 first round picks: Andre Johnson. The rest of Bill's draft picks were mediocre to bad, leading him to a losing record in 2007. This trade saved him for the long-term however. Final Results: Bill secured a future stud, Kevin did pretty well (won a championship that year), and Larry became extinct the next season.

2008
With the number 3 Overall pick, Bill doesn't trade down to the masses. However, he traded LT to Kevin for Reggie Wayne and Brian Westbrook right before keeper setting time. Given that 2008 was LT's worst season so far and Bill was able to flip Westbrook in the next season, this trade could be considered a small victory for Bill. However, since it doesn't involve draft day picks, I'm not including it in the record.

2009
To be determined. First time Bill gets two first round picks instead of just swapping positions. If Brian Westbrook has a successful season, this trade would be a positive for both sides, regardless of whether Bill succeeds with Katy's 1st round pick. If Westbrook fails but Bill picks a bust with the number 6 overall, it would be also a wash. However, if Westbrook fails and Bill picks another stud, it would be a win for Bill. Assuming four outcomes of equal probability, Bill would only come out ahead in 1 of the 4 scenarios.

It looks like Bill has been 2-0-1 plus an incomplete with his 1st round draft trades. In hindsight Andrew and Larry probably would have picked studs (LT and AP) with the picks they gave up, which amplifies their buyer's remorse and the perception that Bill doesn't practice fair trade. But Bill's counter-parties picked really badly with their swapped pick as well in those two "wins", so it's not all Bill's fault. Still, history has shown so far that if you have a top 2 pick, you shouldn't swap it.

Comments

POD said…
How come NDFC never trades with Vietnam?
Tuna said…
Evaluating trades in hindsight is ludacris. If you have a problem with Bill's trade, bring it up when it happens. I remember Bill offering Donny the house for Reggie Bush. If Donny would have taken the trade, you would have scream bloody murder since you were high on Reggie at the time. But in hindsight it would have been a bust for him.

Anyways, to prove the point. The first overall pick is up for grabs. Bill or anyone else: make an offer.