Los Angeles traded pick No. 252 and a 2024 sixth-rounder to…
Los Angeles traded pick No. 252 and a 2024 sixth-rounder to Buffalo on April 29, 2023 for pick No. 215. The Rams selected running back Zach Evans, who appeared in 10 regular-season games as a rookie, rushing nine times for 19 yards without a touchdown, and never played another regular-season game for Los Angeles. The move-up therefore produced only a brief reserve contribution.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2023 seventh round pick (#252- Alex Austin )
- pick 2024 sixth round pick (#189, later included in Stefon Diggs trade package)
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 2023 sixth round pick (#215- Zach Evans )
Trade Analysis
The trade structure is confirmed by both clubs and the NFL's 2023 draft tracker. On April 29, 2023, Los Angeles sent pick No. 252 and a 2024 sixth-round selection to Buffalo for pick No. 215. The Bills had acquired No. 215 from Washington earlier that day. Los Angeles used No. 215 on Ole Miss running back Zach Evans, while Buffalo used No. 252 on Oregon State cornerback Alex Austin. The future sixth-rounder came from Denver and later became pick No. 189 in the 2024 draft.
Evans gave the Rams only limited rookie-season value. NFL records credit him with 10 regular-season appearances in 2023, no starts, nine rushing attempts and 19 yards. He did not record a reception or touchdown and did not add another Rams regular-season appearance after that season. For a trade-up that cost both a seventh-rounder and a future sixth, that is a modest realized return.
Austin did not produce regular-season value for Buffalo. The Bills signed him after the draft but released him during the August 2023 cut to 53 players. He later appeared in the NFL with Houston and New England, but those later results came after Buffalo no longer controlled his rights and therefore are not credited to the Bills' side of this transaction. The No. 252 asset itself effectively produced only offseason roster time for Buffalo.
The future sixth-rounder is the stronger part of the Bills' return. It became No. 189 in 2024, but Buffalo did not make that selection. The Bills included No. 189 in the April 2024 Stefon Diggs trade with Houston, along with Diggs and a 2025 fifth-round pick, in exchange for a 2025 second-rounder. Houston later moved No. 189 to Detroit, where it became Mekhi Wingo. TradeVerdicts does not credit Wingo to Buffalo, and it does not treat the 2025 second-rounder as if No. 189 alone generated that return. The defensible credit is that Buffalo preserved a sixth-round asset that remained useful in a much larger veteran trade package.
The hindsight edge belongs narrowly to Buffalo. Los Angeles received 10 games and 19 rushing yards from Evans, while Buffalo received no regular-season contribution from Austin but retained a future sixth-round asset with trade value. Neither side created a major direct football return. A C+ for Buffalo and C- for Los Angeles reflects that modest difference without overstating the later Diggs-trade chain.