Chicago Bears received 1963 fourth round pick (#49-Stan…
Chicago Bears received 1963 fourth round pick (#49-Stan Sanders) from San Francisco 49ers in the 1962-08-30 trade. San Francisco acquired John Mellekas, who appeared in 11 games and started two for the 1962 49ers. San Francisco 49ers's return was John Mellekas. Chicago received the fourth-round pick used on Stan Sanders at No. 49. Those realized outcomes, rather than the labels on the assets alone, drive the hindsight grade.
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 1963 fourth round pick (#49-Stan Sanders)
San Francisco 49ers Received
- player John Mellekas
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1962-08-30, Chicago Bears received 1963 fourth round pick (#49-Stan Sanders), while San Francisco 49ers received John Mellekas. Hindsight turns on what those assets actually produced for the acquiring clubs, not on the abstract value of a player name or draft slot.
San Francisco 49ers Return
San Francisco acquired John Mellekas, who appeared in 11 games and started two for the 1962 49ers. That result supports San Francisco 49ers's C grade. The 49ers are graded on Mellekas's realized contribution after the trade.
Chicago Bears Return
Chicago received the fourth-round pick used on Stan Sanders at No. 49. Pro-Football-Reference lists Sanders with no NFL regular-season career, leaving the Bears with no realized player production from the pick. That supports Chicago Bears's C grade. Chicago's grade follows the pick's realized outcome rather than the value San Francisco received from Mellekas.
Value in Hindsight
The comparison is therefore specific to this exchange. Chicago Bears's result came from 1963 fourth round pick (#49-Stan Sanders); San Francisco 49ers's came from John Mellekas. The chain stops when an asset leaves the club, unless the club received another identifiable asset in that downstream move. That prevents the evaluation from assigning a later player's career to the wrong franchise.
Final Verdict
The supported grades are Chicago Bears C and San Francisco 49ers C, producing Even Trade. The key evidence is concrete: San Francisco acquired John Mellekas, who appeared in 11 games and started two for the 1962 49ers. Chicago received the fourth-round pick used on Stan Sanders at No. 49. Those results explain the grades without relying on generic trade-value language.