Cleveland received 2014 3rd round pick (94th overall,…
Cleveland received 2014 3rd round pick (94th overall, Terrance West), while San Francisco received 2014 4th round pick (106th overall, Bruce Ellington), 2014 6th round pick (180th overall, Kenneth Acker). The hindsight grades are C for Cleveland and C for San Francisco. The verdict is grounded in the actual starts, production, tenure and downstream draft results produced by those assets.
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 2014 3rd round pick (94th overall, Terrance West )
San Francisco 49ers Received
- pick 2014 4th round pick (106th overall, Bruce Ellington )
- pick 2014 6th round pick (180th overall, Kenneth Acker )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 2014-05-09, Cleveland received 2014 3rd round pick (94th overall, Terrance West), while San Francisco received 2014 4th round pick (106th overall, Bruce Ellington), 2014 6th round pick (180th overall, Kenneth Acker). Hindsight is unusually useful here because the acquired assets now have a concrete NFL record. The grades can therefore be tied to what those players and picks actually produced for their new teams.
Cleveland Browns Return
Cleveland used No. 94 on Terrance West. As a rookie he played 14 games with six starts, rushed 171 times for 673 yards and four touchdowns, and added 64 receiving yards with another score. The Browns moved on after one season, so the pick produced real rookie workload but no long-term backfield solution. Those results are the basis for Cleveland's C grade.
San Francisco 49ers Return
San Francisco drafted Bruce Ellington and Kenneth Acker. Ellington played 26 games for the 49ers in 2014-15, catching 19 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns while also returning kicks. Acker missed 2014 on injured reserve, then started 13 games in 2015, made 68 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions before being traded. That record supports San Francisco's C grade.
Value in Hindsight
The trade is best understood through those specific outcomes. The meaningful comparison is the actual games, starts, statistics, longevity and downstream draft use created by each side's return. A pick that was moved again is credited through the supported transaction chain, not by pretending the original team drafted a player it never selected.
Final Verdict
The verdict is Even Trade. The difference between the grades comes from the documented football return above, not from generic assumptions about veteran players or draft capital. Each side is credited for what its acquired assets actually delivered, and the result is judged on that team-specific production.