The Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles pushed all their chips into the middle of the table when they traded up to the top of the 2016 NFL Draft. Recent history indicates that risk won't pay off.
Over the last 10 years, there have been 10 instances of teams trading up in the first round to select a quarterback. Only two of those 10 quarterbacks -- Teddy Bridgewater and Joe Flacco -- are still starting for the team that selected him. Only three of the 10 targets could charitably be described as successful picks: Bridgewater, Flacco and Jay Cutler by the Broncos in 2006.
A trade up for a quarterback more often led to a rollercoaster ride that ultimately crashed. Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Josh Freeman, Brady Quinn and Blaine Gabbert are a who's who of shattered expectations over the last decade.
Griffin was the only quarterback that a team traded up to the top two spots over the last decade. As the Rams know, it's usually safer to be the team acquiring the draft picks. Not the big-name signal caller.
