A brief history of the 32nd pick

This is the spot every team covets to be in during the drafting process, Pick 32 of the 1st round. Being in this spot requires that team to have had a Super Bowl victory. (or have traded for it…Ed Note) As the Chiefs are realizing this feeling for the first time since 1969, this is their first attempt with the modern draft in place. With that being said, I am a firm believer in learning from the past for a better future. The goal for this article is covering the moves of the last 10 Super Bowl winning teams and their actions with their first pick in the draft. 

Below is a graph showing the teams, the player selected at that spot and trade compensation for the Super Bowl Champions: 

Year	Original Team	Trade Compensation	Player Drafted: No. 32
2010	Saints	N/A	Patrick Robinson – (CB)
2011	Pakcers	N/A	Derrick Sherrod – (OT)
2012	Giants	N/A	David Wilson – (RB)
2013	Ravens	N/A	Matt Elam – (DB)
2014	Seahawks	Vikings: No. 40, 108	Teddy Bridgewater – (QB)
2015	Patriots	N/A	Malcolm Brown – (DT)
2016	Broncos	Seahawks: No. 26	Germain Ifedi – (OG)
2017	Patriots	Saints: No 118, Brandin Cooks	Ryan Ramczyk (RT)
2018	Eagles	Baltimore: No. 52, 125, 2019 2nd Round Pick	Lamar Jackson – (QB)
2019	Patriots	N/A	N’Keal Harry – (WR)

Trades: 

Trading that final pick in the first round was not as popular to begin the decade but has been traded 4 out of the past 5 drafts. Beginning with the Seahawks and their win in 2014 against Denver. They traded down to accumulate more picks to fill out holes on the roster as they were going to lose some pieces in Free Agency. 

The next draft involving a trade with the final pick is 2016 with the Broncos moving UP to draft Paxton Lynch (ouch) to replace the recently retired Peyton Manning. Trading with the Seahawks, the team they lost to 2 years ago, to attain Lynch they had to give up No. 31 (Deflategate stripped Patriots of 1st Rounder) and No. 94 in the 3rd. Seattle on the other hand selected Germain Ifedi to help bolster their line for Russell Wislon.

That very next draft, the Patriots traded No. 32 and No. 103 for WR Brandin Cooks and No. 118. Helping add a legitimate downfield threat who had eclipsed 1,000 yards that season was a no brainer deal and to bring in a mid round pick on top of that instead of an unproven player through the draft. However, the Saints knew exactly who they wanted and wasted little to no time in selecting RT Ryan Ramczyk who has gone on to be a 1st team All-Pro (2019) and 2nd team All-Pro (2018). 

The final trade from the final spot came from the Eagles trading down for No. 52, 125 and a 2019 2nd Round Pick.  Famously Baltimore on the receiving end of No. 32, selected Future MVP Lamar Jackson. 

Verdict:

There were 6 teams that held on to their pick instead of attempting to trade and accumulate more selections. 2010-2013, 2015, and 2019 are all the years the teams stayed put and attempted to draft the player that fell to them. The players who were drafted by the original team to hold the No. 32 selection seemed to be just role players at best. The best player selected without a trade has been Patrick Robinson while we wait on the final decision for N’Keal Harry as he was drafted last year. It’s the most envious position to be, it means last year was a success but you have to keep focusing on the year coming up. The teams who stayed put at No. 32 seemed to take players who ended up in a specific role however, there are less likely odds that you can recieve a franchise altering player that far down the 1st round. For the teams to trade out of that spot, there are 2 things that are clear, they need extra chances in the draft and there is not a player they are in love with at that spot. 

The draft is a mystery regardless of your position in the draft, the key aspect to drafting is getting YOUR guy. That is exactly what the teams that were on the receiving end of the No. 32 selection. The Vikings traded up to get Teddy Bridgewater who before his gruesome injury was a pro bowl QB and showed just last year he can play as evidenced by his shiny new $60 Million contract from the Panthers. The Seahawks were the only team to trade down to the final pick and drafted Germain Ifedi who played for them up until this Free Agency where he signed with Chicago. The Saints Bolstered their RT for the next decade with Ryan Ramczyk as he is arguably the 2nd best RT behind Mitchell Schwartz. Finally the last trade was Baltimore selecting Lamar Jackson after trading up and got their Franchise QB and the current MVP of the NFL. 

From the graph and history it shows that teams that have traded for the final pick have found much more success with their selections compared to those teams who stuck with their original selection. The Kansas City Chiefs should take this a cautionary tale and make sure if they do trade down, due to them being tied for a league low 5 draft picks this year, that they are not in-love with a prospect because he may not be there later. Teams do not want to waste selections on people they like, they want the players they love and need for their team. That is what the Chiefs and GM Brett Veach should learn from the past 10 NFL Drafts.