Washington surrendered three No. 1 picks for the chance to draft Robert Griffin III. Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Research shows trading up to draft quarterback often isn't worth it

Nearly 24 hours before the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and possibly also the New England Patriots could all look to trade up to draft a hoped-to-be franchise quarterback.

Recent history shows such a transaction may not be worth the risk.
On Wednesday afternoon, NFL Research released the following about clubs that moved up during drafts for QBs last decade.

In short, things didn't go as planned for the majority of those organizations. 

Robert Griffin III won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors his first season with the Washington Redskins, but injury woes and also alleged off-the-field matters resulted in Washington replacing RG3 with Kirk Cousins before Griffin's rookie contract expired. Griffin and the Redskins parted ways after the 2015 campaign. 

Both Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are polarizing figures. Goff led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl LIII showdown versus the New England Patriots, but he played terribly on football's biggest stage. As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noted last November, Goff regressed during the 2019 season. 

When at his best, Carson Wentz has looked like a Most Valuable Player candidate capable of leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a championship. Unfortunately for the signal-caller and the Eagles, a torn ACL, back problems, and, most recently, head trauma plagued Wentz over his first four NFL seasons. 

It's hardly a stretch to suggest the Chicago Bears have buyer's remorse about trading up to draft Mitchell Trubisky in 2017. Later that draft, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up to the 10th pick to take a Texas Tech gunslinger named Patrick Mahomes. All Mahomes accomplished over his two seasons as K.C.'s full-time starter was win Offensive Player of the Year, NFL MVP, a Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP nod. 

The jury remains out on New York Jets QB Sam Darnold. While Darnold was neither a superstar nor a dud over his first two pro campaigns, he's shown promise that he can become worth the price Gang Green paid for him back in 2018. 

Of course, the Baltimore Ravens are probably glad they waited to move up to the 32nd pick of that player-selection process to take 2019 NFL MVP and 2019 passing touchdowns leader Lamar Jackson. 

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