Advertisement

2018 NFL draft: The Patriots made a lot of trades with their Jimmy Garoppolo pick

When the New England Patriots traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers last October, they received a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, which turned out to be No. 43 overall.

It turns out that was just the start of getting something in return for the Niners’ future star.

[Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free]

See if you can follow the craziness here. As the No. 43 pick approached, the Patriots flipped the selection to the Detroit Lions – where former New England director of pro scouting Bob Quinn is general manager and former New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is the rookie head coach. The Lions used it to draft running back Kerryon Johnson from Auburn.

In return, the Patriots received the Lions’ second-round pick (51st overall) and fourth-round (117).

The Patriots then took No. 51 and traded it to the Bears, who drafted Memphis WR Anthony Miller, New England received the Bears fourth-round pick (105 overall) and Chicago’s second-round pick in 2019.

When that trade was completed, it looked like New England fans would have to wait until pick 63 on Friday night to finally see Bill Belichick and Co. draft someone.

But keeping with the theme of the night, the Patriots remained active. They sent pick No. 63 and the fourth-rounder from the Lions (117) to Tampa Bay for the 56th pick. The selection there was CB Duke Dawson out of Florida.

So who did the Patriots get for Garoppolo? Well, it’s a little confusing (which may have been the point of this exercise from Belichick).

But for those of you keeping score at home, the Patriots gave up Garoppolo and ultimately got back picks No. 56 and No. 105 in the 2018 draft and a Bears’ second-rounder in 2019.

At least that’s the return for now, anyway.

Adding to the musical chairs nature of things, the 49ers traded back into the second round, nabbing the No. 44 spot, one behind the original pick sent to New England, from Washington.

The Niners selected Dante Pettis, a receiver from Washington. Pettis’ father, Gary, was a Gold Glove-winning outfield during an 11-year Major League Baseball career.

That didn’t take long: on the second night of the NFL draft, Bill Belichick’s Patriots made a trade with Matt Patricia’s Lions. (AP)
That didn’t take long: on the second night of the NFL draft, Bill Belichick’s Patriots made a trade with Matt Patricia’s Lions. (AP)

More NFL draft coverage from Yahoo Sports:
NFL draft grades for Round 1
Barkley already an NFL star without playing a snap
Bills captain: Josh Allen will have to explain controversial tweets
Report: Chargers to cut team icon Antonio Gates