St. Louis acquired the No. 1 pick from the Jets in April 1997…
St. Louis acquired the No. 1 pick from the Jets in April 1997 for selections 6, 67, 102 and 207, then drafted Orlando Pace. Pace became a Hall of Fame left tackle, seven-time Pro Bowler and cornerstone of the Rams' Super Bowl teams. New York successfully redistributed much of the return into several contributors, but none matched Pace's elite value, giving St. Louis the win.
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1997 1st round pick (1st overall, Orlando Pace)
New York Jets Received
- pick 1997 1st round pick (6th overall subsequently traded, Walter Jones ), 1997 3rd round pick (67th overall subsequently traded, Dan Neil ), 1997 4th round pick (102nd overall, Terry Day) and 1997 7th round pick (207th overall subsequently traded, Koy Detmer)
Trade Analysis
St. Louis made one of the clearest conviction trades of the 1990s. The Rams sent the sixth, 67th, 102nd and 207th selections to the Jets for the first overall pick and used it on Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace. The price was substantial, but Pace justified it. He became a seven-time Pro Bowler, earned multiple first-team All-Pro selections, entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame and protected the edge for the offense that won Super Bowl XXXIV and returned to the championship game two years later.
The Jets did not simply waste the package. They immediately traded the sixth pick to Tampa Bay for No. 8 and No. 104, selecting linebacker James Farrior and running back/returner Leon Johnson. New York also moved No. 67 to Denver for a collection of later selections that produced contributors such as Dedric Ward and Jason Ferguson. The seventh-rounder was traded for Ronnie Dixon, while No. 102 became Terry Day. The chain created several useful players and gave Bill Parcells' roster more depth.
That makes the Jets' grade respectable even though they lost the headline comparison. Pace played a premium position at a Hall of Fame level for more than a decade and became foundational to the Rams' greatest era. It is difficult for a collection of good starters and rotational contributors to equal that concentration of elite value. New York's decision to trade down was not irrational, especially because the club was rebuilding and successfully multiplied its assets. Still, St. Louis paid a large price and received exactly the franchise player it targeted. The Rams earn an A+, while the Jets deserve a B for turning the haul into real roster value without landing anyone remotely as impactful as Pace.