Three years ago, the Indianapolis Colts held the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and seeing as Andrew Luck was still firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback, a trade with the New York Jets was made to move back three spots.
The Jets, now owners of that No. 3 overall pick, used the selection on quarterback Sam Darnold, hoping he would be their future. For a while, it wasn’t obvious who the clear winner was in this trade—though most would lean the Colts’ side.
But it became clear Monday night when the Jets traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick.
As a reminder, here’s how the trade eventually went down to go along with the pieces the respective teams drafted with those new picks:
Jets receive
- No. 3 overall (2018): QB Sam Darnold
Colts receive
- No. 6 overall (2018): LG Quenton Nelson
- No. 37 overall (2018): RT Braden Smith
- No. 52 overall (2018): DE Kemoko Turay
- No. 169 overall (2018): RB Jordan Wilkins
- No. 34 overall (2019): CB Rock Ya-Sin
Some of this might look a bit off from the initial framework of the trade so stay with us. The Nos. 6 and 37 overall picks are straight up. The Colts initially received the No. 49 overall pick in the trade from the Jets but moved back during the draft to No. 52 overall. That’s when they selected Turay. But they also added an extra fifth-round pick in that trade to add Wilkins later on. They wouldn’t have been able to do so had they not traded for the No. 49 pick in the first place.
Then, the No. 34 pick was also the original from the trade with the Jets, and the Colts went with Ya-Sin.
The Colts became clear winners of this trade perhaps during the 2020 season but it’s official now. Darnold was mismanaged by Adam Gase and the Jets front office. They failed to develop and build around him, which has stunted his growth and potentially keeping him from having a significant career.
The Colts turned that trade into several significant contributors including the three-time All-Pro in Nelson, one of the most underrated right tackles in Smith and some promising young pieces in Turay, Wilkins and Ya-Sin.
Nelson and Smith alone prove the Colts came out on the better end of the deal and if the Colts can get Turay and Ya-Sin to their ceilings, that would be icing on the cake.
Simply becoming the winner of the trade shouldn’t be the objective for teams. Making the team better should be the objective and if the other team also gets better, that’s a plus. Teams won’t trade with another if they feel they are being taken advantage of.
But it’s clear. The Colts won this trade from 2018 and it became official on Monday night.