Seattle combined two sixth-round choices to move up for…
Seattle combined two sixth-round choices to move up for Tennessee cornerback Steve Johnson in the 1999 draft. Johnson did not make the Seahawks' regular-season roster, leaving the team without a lasting playing return from the move. The modest cost limits the damage, but the higher selection did not solve a roster need.
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 1999 6th round pick (187th overall, Kendall Ogle )
- pick 1999 6th round pick (191st overall, James Dearth )
Seattle Seahawks Received
- pick 1999 6th round pick (170th overall, Steve Johnson )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Seattle sent sixth-round selections 187 and 191 to Cleveland on April 18, 1999, receiving selection 170. The Seahawks used the earlier choice on Tennessee cornerback Steve Johnson. Cleveland drafted linebacker Kendall Ogle at 187 and tight end James Dearth at 191. The Browns received two selections and used both themselves, choosing players at different positions to expand their young roster.
Seattle Seahawks Return
Johnson gave Seattle a chance to add a young cornerback at a modest draft cost. The team preferred the player available at 170 enough to combine two later choices, but he was released before the regular season. That leaves no sustained Seahawks playing contribution to reward. His subsequent opportunities elsewhere do not change the fact that Seattle's investment failed to produce an established roster player.
Cleveland Browns Return
The Browns doubled their selections in this portion of their first draft after returning to the league. Ogle and Dearth each appeared in two games for Cleveland in 1999. Those appearances were real contributions, but neither became a durable Browns fixture. Dearth's later longevity as a Jets long snapper belongs to his New York tenure and should not be folded into Cleveland's grade.
Value in Hindsight
The contrast is between no regular-season return from Seattle's preferred corner and very limited playing time from Cleveland's two choices. Cleveland obtained more opportunities, which made sense for a team assembling a roster, but the additional volume did not yield a meaningful long-term advantage. The players' later careers cannot substitute for service delivered to the teams making this trade.
Final Verdict
C grades and an even verdict fit the small realized returns on both sides. Cleveland's brief appearances are insufficient to turn an otherwise unproductive late-round exchange into a clear win. Seattle's move up did not work, but the Browns also failed to convert their extra selection into sustained value.