Carolina sent the 14th pick to the Jets and received Nos. 25,…
Carolina sent the 14th pick to the Jets and received Nos. 25, 59 and 164, turning the package into Jon Beason, Ryan Kalil and Tim Shaw. The Jets used No. 14 on Darrelle Revis, who became a Hall of Fame cornerback and one of the defining defenders of his era. Carolina simultaneously landed two multi-time Pro Bowl starters, making this a rare draft-day exchange in which both teams won big.
Carolina Panthers Received
- pick 2007 1st round pick (25th overall, Jon Beason ), 2007 2nd round pick (59th overall, Ryan Kalil) and 2007 5th round pick (164th overall, Tim Shaw)
New York Jets Received
- pick 2007 1st round pick (14th overall, Darrelle Revis )
- pick 2007 6th round pick (191st overall subsequently traded, Korey Hall)
Trade Analysis
Few draft-day trades produce a cleaner win for both sides. The Jets wanted Darrelle Revis and moved from No. 25 to No. 14 to make sure they got him, sending Carolina the 25th, 59th and 164th selections. Revis justified every bit of that aggression. He became the centerpiece of Rex Ryan's dominant defenses, earned seven Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors over his career, and was later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At his peak, offenses routinely designed game plans around avoiding his side of the field.
Carolina's return was remarkable in a different way. The Panthers selected linebacker Jon Beason at No. 25 and center Ryan Kalil at No. 59, with Tim Shaw coming at No. 164. Beason became an immediate defensive leader, topped 100 tackles in each of his first four seasons, earned three Pro Bowl selections and received first-team All-Pro recognition. Kalil supplied even greater longevity, becoming a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro while anchoring Carolina's offensive line through multiple playoff runs, including the 2015 team that reached Super Bowl 50. Shaw was primarily a special-teams player, but Carolina had already won the value equation with its first two selections.
The temptation is to award the Jets the verdict simply because Revis was the best individual player. That misses the purpose of evaluating the entire exchange. New York paid a substantial but fully justified premium and obtained a Hall of Famer. Carolina surrendered the opportunity to draft Revis but converted the return into two long-term, high-level starters at important positions. The Panthers themselves have looked back on the deal as a Pro Bowl-producing win-win.
Both sides deserve A-plus grades. The Jets found a franchise-defining cornerback and received elite performance during consecutive AFC Championship Game runs. Carolina multiplied one premium selection into Beason and Kalil, two pillars of its roster for years. Neither organization would reasonably undo the transaction given what followed, so an Even Trade verdict here means exceptional value on both sides rather than mediocrity.