The Rams moved from No. 3 to No. 2 in the 1983 draft and…
The Rams moved from No. 3 to No. 2 in the 1983 draft and selected Eric Dickerson, sending Houston No. 3 plus fourth-round choices in 1983 and 1984. Dickerson became a Hall of Fame superstar. Houston then traded No. 3 to Seattle and obtained the pick used on Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews plus two more selections, making this unusually strong for both sides.
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1983 first round pick (#2- Eric Dickerson )
Tennessee Titans Received
- pick 1983 first round pick (#3; later traded to Seattle, which selected Curt Warner)
- pick 1983 fourth round pick (#88-Mike McCloskey)
- pick 1984 fourth round pick (#102-Jimmy Smith (Kevin))
Trade Analysis
The first correction is to the Houston asset description. Houston received the No. 3 overall pick from the Rams, but it did not select Curt Warner. The Oilers traded No. 3 to Seattle the next day. Seattle chose Warner, while Houston received the No. 9, No. 42 and No. 69 choices and used them on Bruce Matthews, Keith Bostic and Chris Dressel. That downstream move is essential to judging the transaction fairly.
Los Angeles still landed the defining player. The Rams used No. 2 on Eric Dickerson, who immediately rushed for 1,808 yards as a rookie and set the NFL single-season rushing mark with 2,105 yards in 1984. He became a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest runners of his era. For a one-slot move up, that outcome justifies an A+.
Houston's side was also excellent. Matthews became a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, playing 19 seasons and 296 games for the Oilers/Titans franchise. The Oilers also received the two fourth-round selections directly from Los Angeles and gained Bostic and Dressel in the Seattle exchange. Calling Houston's original return merely the pick used on Warner badly understates the value Houston actually extracted.
The Rams win because Dickerson was an immediate transformational star and the specific target of the move. But Houston deserves an A- rather than a poor grade because the No. 3 asset was converted into a Hall of Fame cornerstone and additional players. This is the rare trade where the winner can be clear while the losing side still executed extremely well.