Indianapolis acquired veteran tackle Irv Pankey from the Rams…

Indianapolis was buying experience. Irv Pankey had been a long-time Rams offensive tackle and brought more than a decade of NFL line play to a Colts roster looking for help in 1991. The problem was duration. Pankey's Indianapolis stint was brief, so the Colts received little long-term benefit from giving up two future selections. For a veteran acquisition to justify a third-round pick, the receiving team usually needs either multiple seasons of starting work or a meaningful short-term competitive payoff.

The Rams turned the better selection into Marc Boutte at No. 57 in 1992. Boutte immediately became a starter, opening 31 of 32 games during his first two seasons with Los Angeles. His career later continued in Washington, where he remained a regular defensive lineman. The 11th-round pick, Brian Townsend, added little to the balance, but Los Angeles did not need a second hit once Boutte became a reliable starter.

This is a strong example of age and contract horizon shaping hindsight. Pankey had already delivered his best years to the Rams, and Los Angeles converted the remaining value of a veteran lineman into a young player near the top of the third round. Indianapolis took the opposite side of that curve and did not receive enough games to justify the cost. The Rams' A-range grade reflects both the timing of the sale and Boutte's immediate starting value. The Colts fall into D territory because a reasonably valuable future pick produced only a short-lived veteran return. That asymmetry in remaining career runway is the central reason the draft return aged so much better for Los Angeles.