Atlanta traded linebacking veteran Ralph Heck and defensive…
Atlanta traded linebacking veteran Ralph Heck and defensive tackle Joe Szczecko to the New York Giants on June 24, 1969 for two 1970 draft choices: the seventh-round No. 169 pick and eighth-round No. 194 pick. Atlanta used them on Gary Orcutt and Larry Brewer, neither of whom appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Heck and Szczecko both became immediate Giants starters.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- pick 1970 seventh round pick (#169-Gary Orcutt)
- pick 1970 eighth round pick (#194-Larry Brewer)
New York Giants Received
- player Ralph Heck
- player Joe Szczecko
Trade Analysis
The legacy TradeVerdicts row captured the two Atlanta draft selections but omitted the players New York actually sent those picks to acquire. Pro Sports Transactions identifies the June 24, 1969 trade as Atlanta sending Ralph Heck and Joe Szczecko to the Giants for a 1970 seventh-round choice and a 1970 eighth-round choice. Those selections became No. 169 Gary Orcutt and No. 194 Larry Brewer. The Falcons' own draft history and the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 1970 draft record corroborate both selections, so the old undisclosed-consideration placeholders can be replaced with the actual player return. New York received immediate starting value on defense. NFL career records show Heck starting all 14 games for the Giants in both 1969 and 1970 before making five more starts in 1971, giving New York 39 regular-season games and 32 starts across three seasons. He intercepted four passes for the Giants over that span. Szczecko also stepped directly into the lineup in 1969, appearing in all 14 games and starting 10 at defensive tackle. Together the two veterans supplied 53 Giants regular-season appearances and 42 starts after the trade. Atlanta's draft return produced no corresponding NFL value. The Hall of Fame draft record lists Orcutt as Atlanta's No. 169 selection and Brewer as No. 194, while the Falcons' all-time draft history shows neither player recording an NFL regular-season game. The Falcons therefore surrendered two players who became starters for New York and converted the compensation into two late-round selections that never generated regular-season production. That makes the hindsight result decisive. The Giants receive an A- for acquiring two useful defensive starters at the cost of a seventh- and eighth-round pair. Atlanta receives a D because both acquired selections failed to produce an NFL regular-season player while the outgoing veterans combined for substantial New York service. Confidence is high because the transaction ledger, Falcons draft records, Hall of Fame draft results and NFL player records align on the compensation and outcomes.