The Ravens became the latest team to trade two first round picks for a player on Friday, acquiring Maxx Crosby in a deal with the Raiders. After a three-year break from those blockbuster trades, the NFL saw Sauce Gardner and Micah Parsons got for two first round picks in 2025, the first such monster trades since Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson in 2022.
Few of these trades in the past have resulted in Super Bowl championships for the team acquiring the star player, but a couple did:
- Matthew Stafford to the Rams
- Jalen Ramsey to the Rams
They both won the Super Bowl with L.A. in 2021.
That’s four first round picks for a Super Bowl win, not to mention the multiple first round picks that the Rams used to move up for Jared Goff in 2016. That move resulted in a Super Bowl appearance and helped L.A. complete the trade for Stafford.
Now the Rams are looking to their latest first round trade, cornerback Trent McDuffie, to help them get back to the Super Bowl again.
Most of those first round trades have been anything from “meaningless” to “disastrous” for teams. The Colts fell apart after trading for Gardner. The Packers barely made the playoffs and Parsons tore his ACL. The Browns and Broncos got virtually nothing from Wilson and Watson.
One thing about the F them Picks strategy that maybe doesn’t get as much attention as the rest of the narrative: The experience of trading first round picks probably helps you do it better then your competition.
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