Buffalo paid a premium to move from No. 9 to No. 4 for Sammy…
Buffalo paid a premium to move from No. 9 to No. 4 for Sammy Watkins, but Watkins delivered 2,459 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in three Bills seasons before being traded for E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round pick. Cleveland received No. 9 plus 2015 first- and fourth-rounders, yet the chain produced Justin Gilbert, Cameron Erving and Ibraheim Campbell with limited Browns impact. Hindsight favors Buffalo despite the expensive original price.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2014 1st round pick (4th overall, Sammy Watkins)
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 2014 1st round pick (9th overall subsequently traded, Anthony Barr ), 2015 1st round pick (19th overall, Cameron Erving) and 2015 4th round pick (115th overall, Ibraheim Campbell)
Trade Analysis
Buffalo's move was criticized because the price for a wide receiver was enormous: the Bills sent pick No. 9 plus their 2015 first- and fourth-round selections to Cleveland for No. 4. Sammy Watkins did not become the transcendent franchise receiver that price implied, but he was productive. In three Buffalo seasons he caught 153 passes for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns, including a 1,047-yard, nine-touchdown 2015 campaign.
The Bills also recovered value before Watkins' rookie contract expired. In 2017 they traded him and a sixth-round pick to the Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round selection. Gaines helped the 2017 playoff team, and the acquired second-rounder later became part of Buffalo's package to move up for Josh Allen. The Allen result cannot be credited entirely to Watkins because several other major assets were involved, but the later return materially softens the original acquisition cost.
Cleveland accumulated excellent draft ammunition but did little with it. The Browns moved from No. 9 to No. 8 by adding a fifth-rounder and selected cornerback Justin Gilbert, who lasted only two seasons in Cleveland. The 2015 first-rounder at No. 19 became Cameron Erving, who struggled to establish himself before being traded to Kansas City. The fourth-rounder at No. 115 became Ibraheim Campbell, a useful but limited contributor.
This is a case where process value and realized value diverge. Cleveland received the more favorable bundle of picks, but the actual players did not justify a winning grade. Buffalo gets an A- because Watkins produced at a high level and later returned meaningful assets. Cleveland falls to a C because the premium picks failed to become core players. Hindsight therefore shifts the verdict to Buffalo.