The trade of Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers has led to some reported friction within the organization. However, it turns out the Patriots could have had more than the second-round pick they ended up with this year.
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The Cleveland Browns were reportedly "willing to part with Houston's first-round pick and other goodies." That's according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That Houston pick turned out to be the No. 4 overall pick and that could have been huge for a franchise that hasn't picked in the top 10 (Jerod Mayo) since 2008 and the top five since 1994 when they took Willie McGinest at No. 4 overall.
So to have a top five pick and still be as good a team as they are would have been a improvement over whoever the Patriots are likely to pick in the second round. They could have gotten another major contributor on offense or defense, but knowing coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft the team will likely still find a diamond in the rough at some point in the draft.
The trade was great for the 49ers though as they went on to win their last five games of the season with him at the helm of the offense.
[h/t Pro Football Talk]
