Bill Dudley

Detroit Lions received Dan Sandifer from Washington for Bill Dudley. The recorded outcome favors Washington.

Pittsburgh sent the rights to reigning NFL MVP Bill Dudley to Detroit and received a package that included the 1948 third overall pick (used on Bobby Layne). Dudley had won the 1946 rushing title and MVP; Layne would become a Hall of Fame quarterback. On the surface, trading the defending MVP for a package including the Layne pick seems reasonable, but the execution muddies the picture. Pittsburgh never maximized Layne, eventually letting him go (see 1947-0024) before he became an elite QB. Dudley continued producing elsewhere. Slight Pittsburgh lean given the draft capital acquired, but the downstream mismanagement of the Layne asset diminishes this win substantially