Denver traded the 15th and 68th picks to St. Louis to move to…
Denver traded the 15th and 68th picks to St. Louis to move to No. 11 in the 2006 draft and select quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler became a Pro Bowler and threw for 4,526 yards in 2008 before Denver later moved him for another major package. The Rams used their selections on cornerback Tye Hill and defensive tackle Claude Wroten, neither of whom became a long-term cornerstone, leaving Denver with the stronger result.
Denver Broncos Received
- pick 2006 1st round pick (11th overall, Jay Cutler)
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 2006 1st round pick (15th overall, Tye Hill)
- pick 2006 3rd round pick (68th overall, Claude Wroten )
Trade Analysis
Denver entered the 2006 draft with Jake Plummer coming off an AFC Championship Game appearance, yet Mike Shanahan saw an opportunity to secure a younger quarterback with rare arm talent. The Broncos sent the 15th and 68th selections to St. Louis for No. 11 and drafted Jay Cutler. It was an aggressive move for a player who would not open his rookie year as the starter, but Denver was betting on the position's long-term importance.
Cutler took over late in 2006 and started 37 games for the Broncos across three seasons. His peak came in 2008, when he threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns, earned a Pro Bowl selection and directed one of the league's most productive passing offenses. Denver did not reach the postseason during his tenure, and the relationship unraveled after Shanahan's departure, preventing the move from becoming a true franchise-quarterback success. Still, Cutler proved he was a high-end NFL starter rather than a failed projection. When Denver eventually traded him to Chicago in 2009, the Broncos received Kyle Orton, two first-round selections and a third-rounder while also sending back a fifth, preserving substantial value from the original investment.
St. Louis selected cornerback Tye Hill at No. 15 and defensive tackle Claude Wroten at No. 68. Hill showed early promise and started 21 games for the Rams, but injuries and inconsistency shortened his stay; he was traded to Atlanta in 2009. Wroten appeared in 15 games over two seasons and never became a significant part of the defensive front. The extra third-round choice therefore failed to turn the trade-down into the depth advantage St. Louis sought.
Denver earns an A-minus because it identified the premium player in the exchange, received Pro Bowl-level quarterback play and later retained considerable trade value. The grade stops short of A-plus because Cutler's Denver run lasted only three seasons and never produced a playoff berth. St. Louis earns a D-plus: moving down was defensible, but the two selected players combined for far less impact than the quarterback the Rams allowed Denver to acquire.