Baltimore acquired tackle Tom Drougas from New Orleans for a…
Baltimore acquired tackle Tom Drougas from New Orleans for a future fourth-round pick, with contemporary material identifying it as a 1975 selection while later accounts differ on the year. The Colts moved Drougas to Denver only six days later for an eighth-round choice. That quick downgrade left Baltimore with less value than it paid and gives New Orleans the stronger side.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- player Tom Drougas
New Orleans Saints Received
- pick 1975 fourth round draft choice
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
New Orleans sent tackle Tom Drougas to Baltimore on August 17, 1974 for a fourth-round choice. Contemporary transaction material identifies the immediate payment as a 1975 fourth-round selection, while later histories sometimes describe the future-pick year differently. This treatment uses the most specific contemporaneous or club-history description available and leaves any genuinely unidentified draft choice unnamed rather than attaching a speculative player.
What Baltimore Colts Received
Baltimore's stay with Drougas was extremely short. Six days after acquiring him, the Colts sent him to Denver for an eighth-round choice. That quick flip recovered some value, but it did not match the fourth-round price paid to New Orleans. The return is evaluated on the assets that can be tied directly to the transaction, not on later guesses about uncertain pick chains. That keeps the historical package readable while preserving the limits of what can be established.
What New Orleans Saints Received
The Saints converted a former first-round tackle into a substantially better draft slot than Baltimore recovered in the follow-up move. Even without assigning a specific eventual player to the fourth-round choice, the round-value advantage is clear. The football result matters because a trade grade should reflect both the price paid and what the acquired asset actually delivered. Immediate roster value, later movement and retained draft capital all shape the comparison.
Final Verdict
New Orleans earns a B+ and Baltimore a C. The Saints received the stronger draft asset, while the Colts held Drougas for less than a week before moving him for a lower-round return. Baltimore salvaged value, but New Orleans won. The grade is based on the strongest documented version of the exchange and the subsequent value each club received. Where later histories disagree on a peripheral detail, the uncertain detail is left general instead of being presented as settled fact.