San Francisco traded up with Indianapolis on April 29, 2017,…
San Francisco traded up with Indianapolis on April 29, 2017, sending picks No. 143 and No. 161 to the Colts for No. 121. The 49ers used No. 121 on running back Joe Williams, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve and never appeared in a San Francisco regular-season game. Indianapolis used the return on Marlon Mack and Anthony Walker Jr., both of whom became multi-year starters and productive contributors.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick 2017 4th round pick (143rd overall, Marlon Mack )
- pick 2017 5th round pick (161st overall, Anthony Walker )
San Francisco 49ers Received
- pick 2017 4th round pick (121st overall, Joe Williams )
Trade Analysis
The transaction itself is straightforward and is documented both by San Francisco's draft-day coverage and by Indianapolis' trade ledger. The 49ers moved from No. 143 to No. 121 in the fourth round on April 29, 2017, giving the Colts the later fourth-round pick plus No. 161 in the fifth. San Francisco selected Utah running back Joe Williams at No. 121. Indianapolis used No. 143 on running back Marlon Mack and No. 161 on linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. The realized value became heavily tilted toward Indianapolis. Williams did not play a regular-season game for San Francisco. The 49ers placed him on injured reserve before the 2017 season because of an ankle injury, and the club released him during the final 2018 roster reduction. That left San Francisco with no regular-season production from the player it traded up to select. Indianapolis received meaningful value from both returned selections. Mack played five seasons for the Colts from 2017 through 2021 and rushed for 2,484 yards with 20 rushing touchdowns during that span. His best season came in 2019, when he ran for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. Walker became a regular defensive starter, starting 14 games in 2018 and all 16 games in both 2019 and 2020. Pro Football Reference credits him with 105 combined tackles in 2018, 124 in 2019 and 92 in 2020, along with three interceptions across those three seasons. The contrast is unusually sharp for a mid-round pick swap: San Francisco surrendered two selections to move up for a player who never reached a regular-season game, while Indianapolis turned the return into a starting running back and a multi-year starting linebacker. TradeVerdicts therefore changes the legacy Even Trade assessment to a clear Indianapolis Colts Win. Indianapolis receives an A because both acquired picks generated starting-level value, including one 1,000-yard rushing season and three full seasons of starting linebacker play. San Francisco receives an F because the move-up produced zero regular-season games before Williams was released. Confidence is high because the pick exchange, player identities, Williams' roster history and the Colts players' production are all directly documented.