Los Angeles sent first- and sixth-round picks to New England…
Los Angeles sent first- and sixth-round picks to New England for Brandin Cooks and a fourth-rounder. Cooks immediately delivered 1,204 receiving yards for a Rams team that reached Super Bowl LIII, then was traded to Houston two years later for a second-round pick. New England used No. 23 on Isaiah Wynn, a capable but injury-limited lineman. Both clubs extracted meaningful value, making an even grade more fitting than a Patriots win.
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick Brandin Cooks and 2018 4th round pick (136th overall subsequently traded, Marquis Haynes )
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2018 1st round pick (23rd overall, Isaiah Wynn)
- pick 2018 6th round pick (198th overall subsequently traded, Kahlil McKenzie )
Trade Analysis
New England had acquired Brandin Cooks only one year earlier, but with a large receiver contract approaching, Bill Belichick moved him again. The Patriots sent Cooks and pick No. 136 to Los Angeles for Nos. 23 and 198. New England used the first-rounder on Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, while the Rams added an established vertical threat to an offense built around Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Sean McVay’s play-action passing game.
Cooks gave Los Angeles exactly the kind of immediate impact the trade was designed to buy. He posted 80 catches for 1,204 yards in 2018, helping the Rams reach Super Bowl LIII. His production declined in 2019 amid concussions and broader offensive regression, but Los Angeles did not simply lose the asset when it moved on. In 2020, the Rams traded Cooks and a future fourth-rounder to Houston for a second-round pick, which softened the original acquisition cost and extended the value chain.
Wynn’s Patriots career was useful but uneven. A torn Achilles erased his entire rookie season, and injuries continued to interrupt later seasons. When available, he started at left tackle and guard and gave New England competent offensive-line play. That is real first-round value, but it was not the dominant, durable return implied by an A- grade.
The trade therefore looks balanced in hindsight. The Rams bought a high-end receiver season during a championship-window push, reached the Super Bowl with him and later recovered premium draft capital. The Patriots converted a receiver they did not intend to pay into a first-round offensive lineman who became a starter.
Both sides move to B+. An Even Trade verdict better reflects the actual exchange than declaring New England the winner. The Patriots gained longer contractual control; the Rams gained more immediate peak impact. Neither advantage is large enough to separate the grades.