Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade among all-time most memorable NFL Draft moments

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1999: Trading the house and kids for Ricky Williams

How badly did the New Orleans Saints want Texas running back and 1998 Heisman Trophy Award winner Ricky Williams? So badly that they traded eight picks to get him; New Orleans traded its first- (No. 25), third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round selections in the 1999 NFL Draft and its first- and third-round selections in the 2000 NFL Draft to Washington for the fifth overall pick. Williams went on to have a successful NFL career, but he only played in New Orleans for three seasons, as the Saints traded him to the Miami Dolphins in the 2002 offseason. Granted, New Orleans recouped some of the draft capital that it gave up to get Williams, receiving what became two first-round picks (a conditional third-rounder became a first-rounder) and swapping fourth-round picks with Miami.

2000: Raiders select kicker in first round

With the No. 17 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Raiders took FSU kicker and two-time All-American Sebastian Janikowski, who went on to have a successful career (2000-16 with the Raiders and 2018 with the Seattle Seahawks). Across his 17-year NFL career, Janikowski led the league with the longest field goal in a single season three times. Lane Kiffin even had Janikowski attempt a 76-yard field goal in 2008. Janikowski stands far and away first in Raiders history with 414 career field goals, with his 436 combined career field goals tied for 10th in NFL history. He also stands as the highest drafted kicker in the 21st century. 

2003: You forgot something!

Making a trade during the draft can be both stressful and exhilarating. In the 2003 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens teamed up for one of the most bizarre moments in league history. Agreeing to a trade with the Ravens to move back from No. 7 to No. 10 and also receive their fourth- and sixth-round draft selections, the Vikings reported the trade to the league office before the time to select expired, but Baltimore didn’t do the same. What happened as a result? The Vikings were skipped, and the Jacksonville Jaguars were put on the clock. In the end, Minnesota still picked ninth, with Baltimore staying at No. 10, and both teams would do just fine; the Vikings selected defensive tackle and future five-time All-Pro Kevin Williams, and the Ravens selected linebacker and future seven-time Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs.

2004: The trade of all trades

There are chaotic drafts, and then there is the 2004 NFL Draft. Despite Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning making it known to the then-San Diego Chargers that he didn’t want to play for the franchise, they took him anyway with the first overall pick. Then, the New York Giants pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Manning, sending the fourth overall pick (North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers), their 2004 third-rounder and their first- and fifth-rounders in the 2005 NFL Draft to San Diego for Manning. Who won the trade? It’s difficult to say. Manning helped the Giants win two Super Bowls and is first in franchise history with 57,023 passing yards and 366 passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Chargers stocked draft capital and Rivers went on to spend all but one of his 17 NFL seasons with the franchise, with whom he’s first in history with 59,271 passing yards and 397 passing touchdowns. But for about a half-hour, Manning was a Charger, creating an iconic photo of him holding the Chargers jersey that he never wore.

Sometimes a quarterback doesn’t get picked where they expect, and Rodgers’ 2005 NFL Draft experience epitomized that reality. The Cal star fell to the Green Bay Packers with the No. 24 pick. When asked how “disappointed” he was that the San Francisco 49ers chose not to select him with the first overall pick — and instead take Utah QB Alex Smith — Rodgers said that he was “not as disappointed as the 49ers will be” that they didn’t draft him. After sitting behind Brett Favre in Green Bay for three seasons, Rodgers went on to become one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Following the 2024 season, Rodgers is fifth in NFL history with 503 passing touchdowns and seventh with 62,952 passing yards and, most notably, helped the Packers win Super Bowl XLV. That said, the 49ers ended up being a kryptonite for Rodgers & Co., going 0-4 in the postseason against San Francisco with Rodgers under center.

2014: “Johnny Football” goes to Cleveland

It was tricky to figure out where Johnny Manziel was going to land in the 2014 NFL Draft, and the Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy Award winner ultimately fell into the bottom-third of the first round. Then, the Browns — who had already selected Oklahoma State defensive back Justin Gilbert with the eighth overall pick — traded back up with their second first-round pick to select Manziel at No. 22, sending the Philadelphia Eagles picks No. 26 and 83. Walking up to the stage to get his Browns jersey, Manziel did his signature money celebration. Unfortunately for the Browns, Gilbert only played three seasons in the NFL, and Manziel only played two.

Draft day is an exciting time for every young player. For Tunsil, that excitement was derailed when his Twitter account was hacked and a video was leaked of him wearing a black gas mask and smoking marijuana. By the time Tunsil regained access to his account and deleted the post, the draft had started, and the drama affected him mightily. A projected top-10 pick, Tunsil fell to the Dolphins at No. 13, costing him roughly $8 million. The now-30-year-old has gone on to have a fabulous NFL career, however, earning five Pro Bowl honors in nine seasons.

2018: Trades galore

Four of the top 10 selections in the 2018 NFL Draft were acquired via trade. The New York Jets traded up three selections with the Indianapolis Colts roughly five weeks ahead of the draft to ultimately take USC‘s Sam Darnold at No. 3; the Buffalo Bills traded up for the No. 7 pick to select Wyoming‘s Josh Allen; the Arizona Cardinals traded up to select UCLA‘s Josh Rosen with the No. 10 pick. Rosen then claimed that “there were nine mistakes made ahead of me” and that he’d “make sure” those teams find out they “made a mistake.” Five quarterbacks in total were taken in the first round, Oklahoma‘s Baker Mayfield (Browns at No. 1) and Louisville‘s Lamar Jackson (Ravens at No. 32) being the other two. Mayfield and Darnold have combined for three Pro Bowl honors, while Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and Allen has claimed one MVP award. Rosen only appeared in 24 career games, making 16 starts.

2018: David Akers roasts Cowboys fans

AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, was the site of the 2018 NFL Draft, and the Eagles were coming off their first Super Bowl in franchise history. On Day 2, the Eagles had former kicker David Akers announce their second-round pick, and the six-time Pro Bowler chose violence. Getting booed by a crowd largely made up of Cowboys fans, Akers delivered this iconic line: “Hey Dallas, the last time you won the Super Bowl, these draft picks weren’t born!”

2024: Falcons take QB right after signing another one to massive deal

In March 2024, the Falcons signed veteran quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal. Six weeks later, they drafted Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick. Despite the free-agent quarterback splash, the Falcons used a top-10 selection on the successor to the player who hadn’t even yet played a down for the franchise. Lo and behold, with three weeks remaining in the 2024 regular season, the Falcons benched Cousins for Penix. Going into the 2025 NFL Draft, Penix is expected to be Atlanta’s starting quarterback, with Cousins’ future up in the air.

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