San Diego and Oakland swapped 1976 draft choices on April 8,…
San Diego and Oakland swapped 1976 draft choices on April 8, 1976. The Chargers sent a fourth-round choice that became No. 110 Herb McMath and an eighth-round choice that became No. 220 Jerome Dove, while receiving a fourth-round choice that remains unidentified in the transaction ledger and a sixth-round choice that became No. 178 Calvin Lane. McMath immediately gave Oakland regular-season value on its Super Bowl XI championship team.
Las Vegas Raiders Received
- pick 1976 fourth round pick (probably #110- Herb McMath )
- pick 1976 eighth round pick (probably #220-Jerome Dove)
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- pick 1976 fourth round pick (selection not identified)
- pick 1976 sixth round pick (probably #178-Calvin Lane)
Trade Analysis
The April 8, 1976 pick swap is supported by both club and transaction records. The Chargers' historical trade ledger says San Diego sent a 1976 fourth-round choice from Washington and an eighth-round choice from Chicago to Oakland for 1976 fourth- and sixth-round choices. Pro Sports Transactions maps the Oakland side of the exchange to No. 110 Herb McMath and probably No. 220 Jerome Dove, while mapping San Diego's sixth-round return to No. 178 Calvin Lane. Its ledger still leaves the Chargers' incoming fourth-round choice unidentified, so that piece should remain unresolved rather than being assigned to a player by inference.
Oakland obtained the clearest realized value. The Raiders' official draft history identifies Herb McMath as the club's fourth-round selection at No. 110. The team's all-time roster page says McMath played all 14 games in 1976 and recovered a fumble as Oakland went on to win Super Bowl XI. Pro Football Reference credits him with 14 games, one sack, one fumble recovery and four Approximate Value for the Raiders that season. He was not a long-term core player, but getting a full championship-season contribution from one of the acquired picks is meaningful value from a mid-round exchange.
The second Oakland selection, Jerome Dove at No. 220, did not create the same Raiders value. Dove's later NFL career came with San Diego from 1977 through 1980, not with Oakland, so his later 60-game career should not be credited to the Raiders side of this transaction. That distinction keeps the evaluation from overstating the value of Oakland's eighth-round acquisition.
San Diego's identifiable return was much weaker. Pro Football Reference lists Calvin Lane as the Chargers' sixth-round choice at No. 178 and records no NFL regular-season games for him. Because the incoming fourth-round selection remains unidentified in the surviving trade ledger, San Diego may have received additional value that cannot be measured confidently from this record. That uncertainty argues against an extreme grade. A B- for Oakland and C- for San Diego still fits the evidence: the Raiders can point to a verified contributor on a championship roster, while the Chargers' only identified acquired player produced no regular-season NFL value and the other incoming selection remains unresolved.