San Francisco moved from No. 9 to No. 7 on April 21, 2001,…

The trade structure is confirmed by both franchises' historical records. On April 21, 2001, Seattle sent the No. 7 pick and No. 191 to San Francisco for picks No. 9, No. 82 and No. 222. The 49ers used No. 7 on California defensive end Andre Carter and No. 191 on UTEP defensive end Menson Holloway. Seattle used No. 9 on North Carolina State wide receiver Koren Robinson, No. 82 on Auburn fullback Heath Evans and No. 222 on Princeton offensive lineman Dennis Norman. The legacy row had the correct assets but understated the quality of Carter's San Francisco tenure and treated the Seahawks' three-player return too generically.

Carter became an immediate five-year starter for the 49ers. Pro Football Reference credits him with 69 regular-season games and 66 starts for San Francisco from 2001 through 2005. He recorded 32 sacks over that span, including 6.5 as a rookie and a career-best 12.5 in 2002. He also supplied 155 combined tackles in the years for which those tackle totals are available in the record. Carter later continued a long NFL career elsewhere and earned a Pro Bowl selection with New England, but only his 49ers production belongs in this trade evaluation. Even without counting his later career, No. 7 produced a durable, high-volume edge starter.

Holloway did not add NFL game value. San Francisco drafted him at No. 191, but the 49ers waived him at the final 2001 cutdown. NFL roster records show him in the organization later that year, yet the 2001 draft ledger credits him with no NFL regular-season appearances. The trade therefore effectively rests on Carter's five San Francisco seasons from the 49ers' side.

Seattle received a broader but less concentrated return. Robinson played 57 regular-season games with 52 starts for the Seahawks from 2001 through 2004, catching 213 passes for 3,167 yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season came in 2002, when he posted 78 catches for 1,240 yards and five scores. He later returned to Seattle in 2008 after playing elsewhere, but that separate free-agent return is not counted as value from the 2001 draft trade. Evans appeared in 61 games for Seattle from 2001 through 2004, mostly as a reserve fullback and special-teams player, while Norman appeared in one regular-season game for the Seahawks before later becoming a starter with Jacksonville.

The direct outcomes are close. Carter supplied more premium positional value and more sustained starting work than any single Seattle player, while Robinson gave Seattle one high-end receiving season and several additional productive years. Evans added four years of roster utility and Norman added little direct Seattle value. Because the Seahawks moved down only two spots, still landed a multi-year starting receiver and added a useful fullback, they hold a slight cumulative advantage, but not enough for a wide grade gap. A B+ for Seattle and B for San Francisco captures a narrow Seahawks win while recognizing that the 49ers successfully acquired a five-year starting pass rusher.