Buffalo acquired Boston's 1965 AFL 10th-round choice for…
Buffalo acquired Boston's 1965 AFL 10th-round choice for defensive end Mack Yoho and used No. 79 on Chuck Mercein. Mercein instead entered the NFL with the New York Giants and never played for Buffalo, while Yoho's major-league playing record ends with the Bills in 1963 and shows no Patriots regular-season appearance. Neither acquiring club realized field production, making the exchange even rather than a Buffalo win.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 1965 tenth round pick (#79-Chuck Mercein)
New England Patriots Received
- player Mack Yoho
Trade Analysis
What Changed Hands
Buffalo sent defensive end Mack Yoho to Boston on May 30, 1964, for a 1965 AFL 10th-round draft choice. The AFL draft transaction trail identifies the pick as No. 79 Chuck Mercein. The unusual part of the exchange is that Mercein was also selected in the NFL draft, where the New York Giants chose him in the third round. That competing draft path is central to judging what Buffalo actually received.
What Buffalo Bills Got
The Bills held the AFL rights to Mercein through the acquired pick, but he did not play for Buffalo. Mercein joined the Giants in 1965 and appeared in 13 games with two starts, rushing for 55 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Those statistics demonstrate that he became an NFL player, but not for the Bills. Buffalo therefore received a draft right that never translated into regular-season production for Buffalo itself.
What New England Patriots Got
Yoho had been a Buffalo defensive lineman in the early AFL, but his major-league playing record ends before this transaction. He does not have a documented Boston Patriots regular-season appearance after the trade. That leaves New England in the same practical position as Buffalo: the club acquired an asset but did not realize regular-season field value from it.
Final Verdict
Even Trade is more accurate than the previous Buffalo win. Mercein's later NFL career should not be credited to Buffalo because he played for the Giants, and Yoho likewise did not provide documented regular-season production for Boston. Both teams receive C grades. The exchange was not damaging enough to warrant failing marks, especially given the late-round AFL pick involved, but neither organization can claim a meaningful football return from the asset it acquired. In hindsight, the trade produced no measurable regular-season value for either participating club.