(03-17-2018, 07:49 PM)Jags02 Wrote: You mention some colossal busts in regard to trading down, but I also recall some epic successes. The 49ers, in particular, come to mind, and I'm thinking maybe the Cowboys, Steelers and/or Dolphins had a good run at trading down in a draft.

In my original post, I specifically referenced the Walsh era 49ers draft (1986) and the Jimmy Johnson era Cowboys of examples of teams trading back, accumulating a lot of mid round picks, and stocking Super bowl teams.  I do not know of any Steelers teams to trade back and get a boatload of picks to build their teams and build Super Bowl champions, nor do I know of any Dolphins teams that did that.  In the spirit of full disclosure, however, my draft frame of reference begins in 1983.  If, for instance, the Beathard era 70s Dolphins employed that strategy, I don't know about it and I wouldn't know where to begin.  Same with Pittsburgh.  In other words, I can easily find who those 70s teams picked, but I wouldn't readily know if they traded down to acquire those players.

As to whether the jets had to beat the Bills, I'm sure they had to on some level, but I have also heard the Colts did not want to trade down too far because they still wanted potential access to elite players in this draft.  I'd say mission accomplished on that front.

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