LA Chargers: The team’s track record of trading up in the first round
By Jason Reed
1983: Gill Byrd
- Traded 1983 second (49) and San Francisco’s 1983 second (36) to San Francisco for the 23rd overall pick
The Chargers and San Francisco 49ers had some interesting deals in the 1983 NFL Draft and it appears as if the Chargers came out as the clear-cut winners.
The Chargers had the right to swap picks in the draft from a previous trade for Fred Dean and opted to do so, giving the Chargers the fifth overall pick in the draft (which belonged to San Francisco) while giving the 49ers the 23rd overall pick in the draft.
In that trade the Chargers also got the 49ers’ second-round draft pick, so what did they do? They traded the 49ers’ second-round pick, as well as their own second-round pick, to move back into the first round and select at the position that was originally theirs, to begin with: the 23rd overall pick.
And with that pick, the Chargers selected defensive back Gil Byrd, who went on to be a two-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro and is the Chargers’ all-time leader in interceptions.
The 49ers then traded their 36th pick to the Los Angeles Rams, who selected below-average linebacker, Mike Wilcher. San Francisco kept the 49th overall pick to select Roger Craig, a solid running back who was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and was a key part of three 49ers’ Super Bowls.