Chicago traded picks 18, 83 and 201 to St. Louis in 1996 for…
Chicago traded picks 18, 83 and 201 to St. Louis in 1996 for No. 13 and selected cornerback Walt Harris. Harris became a six-year Bears starter and later a Pro Bowler, giving Chicago meaningful value. The Rams drafted Eddie Kennison, Jerald Moore and Hayward Clay; Kennison had the strongest overall career but much of it came after St. Louis. The broader package gives the Rams a narrow win.
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 1996 1st round pick (13th overall, Walt Harris)
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1996 1st round pick (18th overall, Eddie Kennison ), 1996 3rd round pick (83rd overall, Jerald Moore) and 1996 6th round pick (201st overall, Hayward Clay)
Trade Analysis
Chicago paid three selections to move from No. 18 to No. 13 in the 1996 draft and target Mississippi State cornerback Walt Harris. The move worked better than the original grade suggests. Harris became a starter immediately and held a major role in Chicago's secondary for six seasons. Across his full NFL career he appeared in 193 games, started 174, intercepted 35 passes and eventually earned a Pro Bowl selection with San Francisco. The Bears did not get his peak season, but they received years of dependable starting play from the asset they targeted.
St. Louis received more volume. The Rams used No. 18 on LSU receiver Eddie Kennison, who had an excellent rookie season with 924 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and went on to an 8,000-yard NFL career. Much of Kennison's best later production came with Kansas City rather than St. Louis, which limits the Rams' team-specific payoff. Third-rounder Jerald Moore contributed as a running back for several seasons, while sixth-rounder Hayward Clay had a short career. The package produced more total players but not a dominant Rams-era star.
That balance makes the trade much closer than an A-versus-C result. Chicago gave up meaningful capital, yet Harris justified a first-round investment by becoming a durable starter. St. Louis benefited from moving down and acquired a receiver who had immediate impact, plus additional depth. The Rams deserve a slight edge because they accumulated more usable value without moving far in the first round, but Chicago should receive credit for securing a player who anchored one position for years. A B+ for St. Louis and a B for Chicago better match the realized careers and the relatively small separation between the sides.