San Francisco sent veteran J.D. Smith to Dallas on September…

The Exchange

On September 6, 1965, San Francisco traded J.D. Smith to Dallas for the Cowboys' fifth-round selection in the 1966 draft. That pick became No. 69, and the 49ers used it on defensive back Mel Phillips. This deal must be evaluated on its own because San Francisco and Dallas completed another separate transaction involving Leon Donohue and a third-round choice on the same date. San Francisco 49ers Return The 49ers turned Smith into a mid-to-late draft selection and used it on Phillips. That gave San Francisco a younger player under team control and fit the normal logic of moving a veteran for future roster value. A fifth-round pick was not premium capital, but it provided a legitimate chance to refresh the depth chart rather than simply carrying an older player forward. Dallas Cowboys Return Dallas received Smith, an experienced NFL player who could contribute immediately. For a team building toward the sustained success that followed later in the decade, adding veteran depth for a fifth-rounder was a defensible cost. The Cowboys did not surrender a top selection, and the direct benefit was certainty: Smith was already a known professional rather than a prospect with an uncertain path. Value in Hindsight Neither side extracted a dramatic advantage from this individual transaction. San Francisco received legitimate draft value, while Dallas bought experience at a reasonable price. The key historical point is keeping this exchange separate from the Donohue trade; combining the two makes the 49ers' return appear much larger than it actually was. Judged correctly, the Smith-for-No. 69 exchange is balanced. Final Verdict Both teams receive a C. San Francisco obtained a real draft asset and Dallas acquired a veteran without paying premium capital. There is no need to force a winner from a modest exchange whose value was distributed differently between immediate experience and future roster control. The cleanest verdict is an even trade.