Denver acquired veteran offensive lineman Russ Hochstein from…
Denver acquired veteran offensive lineman Russ Hochstein from New England on August 25, 2009 for a 2010 seventh-round pick. Hochstein became useful interior depth immediately, playing 46 games with 16 starts for the Broncos from 2009 through 2011. New England re-acquired pick No. 231, later packaged it with another seventh-rounder to move up for tackle Thomas Welch, who eventually played three games with one start for the Patriots.
Denver Broncos Received
- player Russ Hochstein
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2010 seventh-round pick (#231; later packaged in trade-up for #208 Thomas Welch )
Trade Analysis
The trade terms are clearer than the legacy row suggests. New England announced on August 25, 2009 that it had sent Russ Hochstein to Denver for a draft choice. A Patriots follow-up identified that compensation as a seventh-round pick, while the club's later media guide specifies that it was a 2010 seventh-round selection. Denver's own media guide likewise records an undisclosed 2010 pick. Pro Sports Transactions resolves the final identity: the selection was No. 231, the same seventh-rounder New England had sent to Denver eight days earlier in the Le Kevin Smith trade. The asset should therefore be recorded as a 2010 seventh-round pick, not an impossible 2009 selection exchanged after the 2009 draft.
Denver received substantial depth value for that late pick. Pro Football Reference credits Hochstein with 15 games and 10 starts in 2009, 16 games and six starts in 2010, and 15 more games in 2011. Across three Broncos seasons, that is 46 regular-season appearances and 16 starts. He was never a long-term star, but obtaining that amount of usable interior-line depth from a seventh-round asset is a strong practical result, especially because he could cover multiple offensive-line roles.
New England did not simply spend No. 231 directly. On the final day of the 2010 draft, the Patriots packaged picks No. 229 and No. 231 to Washington for No. 208, then selected tackle Thomas Welch. Because No. 231 was only half of that two-pick package, this transaction should receive partial credit for Welch rather than the full value of the player. Welch eventually appeared in three games with one start for New England in 2011 before continuing his career elsewhere. That is real downstream value, but much less Patriots production than Hochstein gave Denver.
Denver therefore wins the exchange. A B for the Broncos reflects three seasons of dependable depth and 16 starts from a seventh-round cost. A C+ for New England acknowledges that the returned pick stayed useful enough to help facilitate a draft-day move and contributed indirectly to acquiring Welch. The gap is meaningful without being extreme because New England recovered a fungible late-round asset and Hochstein was a role player rather than a foundational starter.