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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/ZhangtheGreat on 2024-07-01 17:43:00+00:00.
The players do not have to be first-round picks. As long as your team traded up to draft the player (even if it’s by one spot; hey, we never know when another team may have eyed the same trade!), they qualify.
For my team, DeVonta Smith in 2021 was absolutely worth trading up to grab. Obviously, it’s his production that counts (900+ yards as a rookie and back-to-back 1k+ yard seasons), but that we leapfrogged the Giants (who were eyeing him all the way) to swipe him kept him away from a division rival. I’d also say Carson Wentz was worth moving up for; even though he didn’t pan out in the long run, we don’t win the Super Bowl without his 2017 MVP-trajectory campaign.
As for a backfired pick, I have to go with Mike Mamula in 1995. Our front office fell in love with his combine production so much that we traded with Tampa Bay to move up for him. Using the picks we gave them, Tampa Bay took Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. In essence, we traded away two hall-of-famers for a guy who never came close to living up to his combine performance on the field. Another honorable mention is Jerome McDougle in 2003, whom we moved up 15 spots to take only to see him spend most of his time hurt.