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Three First-Round Picks for Four Starts

November 9, 2026

On August 25, 2023, the San Francisco 49ers traded Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. Lance had started four games in two seasons — the fewest starts for any quarterback taken in the top five of the draft in the common draft era for the team he debuted with.1 He spent 2021 behind Jimmy Garoppolo, was handed the starting job in 2022, and broke his ankle early in Week 2. Brock Purdy — the last pick of the 2022 draft — took over the starting job late that season.2 In 2023, Lance lost the backup job to Sam Darnold, and was, in his own words, at "square zero."1

Twenty-nine months earlier, the 49ers had paid three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up nine spots and draft him third overall.

The bill

On March 26, 2021, San Francisco sent the No. 12 pick, its 2022 first-rounder, its 2023 first-rounder, and a 2022 third-rounder to Miami for the No. 3 overall pick.3 The third-rounder was a compensatory pick the 49ers had received when the Jets hired Robert Saleh as head coach.4 The 49ers insisted they hadn't traded up with one quarterback in mind — they liked the options that would be there at No. 3.5

Peter King reported that Miami agreed only once it had a path back into the top eight: the Dolphins wanted Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle, and Waddle would not have lasted to No. 12.6 They found that path the same day, flipping the No. 12 pick to Philadelphia for the No. 6 pick. The full terms: Miami sent No. 12, a 2021 fourth-rounder (No. 123), and its own 2022 first-rounder to the Eagles for No. 6 and a 2021 fifth-rounder (No. 156).7

So before the draft even started, the No. 12 pick had already changed teams twice.

The root: Houston's pick

The No. 3 pick came from Houston — the centerpiece of the Laremy Tunsil trade of August 31, 2019, when Bill O'Brien, coaching the Texans without a general manager, sent two first-rounders, a second-rounder, Johnson Bademosi, and Julie'n Davenport to Miami for Tunsil, Kenny Stills, a 2020 fourth-rounder, and a 2021 sixth-rounder.9 Houston's 2021 first-rounder became the No. 3 pick, which became the Lance pick. But the rest of that haul kept moving too:

  • 2020 first-rounder (No. 26). On draft night 2020, Miami flipped it to Green Bay for the No. 30 and No. 136 picks. The Packers took Utah State quarterback Jordan Love at No. 26.10
  • 2021 second-rounder (No. 36). Miami kept it and drafted Oregon safety Jevon Holland.11
  • 2020 fourth-rounder (No. 111). Houston traded it back to Miami on draft day 2020, and the Dolphins spent it on Georgia guard Solomon Kindley.11
  • 2021 sixth-rounder (No. 202). Houston dealt it to Cincinnati in March 2021; the Bengals used it on Chris Evans.25

The relay: No. 12 becomes Micah Parsons

The No. 12 pick changed teams three times in 34 days. San Francisco sent it to Miami on March 26. Miami sent it to Philadelphia later that same day. And on draft night, April 29, the Eagles sent it to Dallas — along with a third-rounder, No. 84 — for the No. 10 pick, which Philadelphia used on Heisman winner DeVonta Smith.8

Dallas used No. 12 on Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. Parsons was the unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, with 13 sacks.21 On August 28, 2025, Dallas traded Parsons to Green Bay for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.22

The No. 84 pick Philadelphia attached was one it had acquired from Indianapolis in the Carson Wentz trade on February 18, 2021.731 Dallas spent it on defensive lineman Chauncey Golston.25 The No. 156 pick Miami got from Philadelphia in the March deal was flipped to Pittsburgh on May 1, 2021; the Steelers took defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk.25 Philadelphia kept No. 123 and drafted Zech McPhearson.25

The 2022 first-rounder becomes Tyreek Hill, then Cole Strange

San Francisco's 2022 first-rounder landed at No. 29. On March 23, 2022, Miami sent it to Kansas City — along with a 2022 second-rounder (No. 50), a 2022 fourth-rounder (No. 121), a 2023 fourth-rounder (No. 122), and a 2023 sixth-rounder (No. 178) — for Tyreek Hill, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension with $72.2 million guaranteed.13

Kansas City didn't keep No. 29 long. On the first night of the 2022 draft, the Chiefs packaged it with No. 94 and No. 121 and sent all three to New England for the No. 21 pick, which they used on Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie.14 The Patriots spent No. 29 on Chattanooga guard Cole Strange.15

Kansas City flipped No. 50 to New England on day two of the draft (the Patriots took receiver Tyquan Thornton); New England flipped No. 94 to Carolina the same day (the Panthers took quarterback Matt Corral) and kept No. 121 (defensive back Jack Jones).26 The 2023 fourth-rounder went from Kansas City to Detroit to Arizona, and the Cardinals took Jon Gaines II at No. 122.27 The 2023 sixth-rounder — originally Chicago's, acquired by Miami in October 2021 — went from Kansas City to Dallas on day three, and the Cowboys took Eric Scott Jr. at No. 178.27

The 2023 first-rounder becomes Bradley Chubb, then Sean Payton, then Bryan Bresee

San Francisco's 2023 first-rounder also landed at No. 29. At the 2022 trade deadline, on November 1, Miami sent it to Denver — along with a 2024 fourth-rounder and running back Chase Edmonds — for linebacker Bradley Chubb and a 2025 fifth-rounder. Chubb signed a five-year, $110 million extension with the Dolphins.1617

Denver held the pick for three months. On January 31, 2023, the Broncos sent the 2023 first-rounder and their 2024 second-rounder to New Orleans for the rights to head coach Sean Payton — who was still under contract with the Saints after stepping away following the 2021 season — plus New Orleans' 2024 third-rounder.18 The Saints used No. 29 on Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee — a pick New Orleans' own draft notes trace from San Francisco, through Miami and Denver.19

New Orleans flipped the 2024 second-rounder (No. 45) to Green Bay on draft night 2024, and the Packers took Edgerrin Cooper.28 Denver sent the 2024 third-rounder (No. 81) to Seattle in 2023 — the Seahawks took offensive lineman Christian Haynes — and the 2024 fourth-rounder (No. 121) to Seattle in 2024 — the Seahawks took A.J. Barner.28

The 2025 fifth-rounder stayed in Miami, and the Dolphins took Dante Trader Jr. at No. 155.29

The leftovers

Miami's own 2022 first-rounder — the one it sent to Philadelphia in the March 2021 deal — landed at No. 15. On draft night 2022, the Eagles traded it to Houston (with three late picks) to move up two spots to No. 13 for Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis; the Texans took Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green at No. 15.20 And the 2022 third-rounder from the original Lance deal, No. 102, never left Miami: the Dolphins drafted Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall.11

The accounting

San Francisco paid three first-round picks and a third-rounder and got four starts from Trey Lance, then a fourth-round pick for the remainder of his rookie deal. "We take full accountability," general manager John Lynch said. "We own that."24

Miami packaged the three first-rounders from the Lance deal into the trades that brought back Jaylen Waddle — sixth overall, 104 receptions as a rookie, an NFL rookie record at the time12 — plus Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, and spent the third-rounder on Channing Tindall. Vendetta Sports Media, quoting Albert Breer, noted when the Chubb deal closed that the Dolphins had traded all three of the first-rounders from the Lance deal: the 2021 pick packaged to move up for Waddle, the 2022 pick sent to Kansas City for Hill, the 2023 pick sent to Denver for Chubb.23 And the Tunsil haul added Jevon Holland and — via Green Bay's draft-night trade-up — Jordan Love. Solomon Kindley came from No. 111, the Miami fourth-rounder Houston had received in the same deal and traded back on draft day 2020.11

The No. 12 pick San Francisco gave up became Micah Parsons, who won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 202121 and was traded to Green Bay in 2025 for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.22 Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, ended the 2022 season as the 49ers' starter.2

Trace every branch of this tree — the site's record holds eight trades and nine teams, from the Tunsil trade on August 31, 2019 to the Payton trade on January 31, 2023.30 San Francisco's return on the No. 3 pick was four starts from Trey Lance and the fourth-round pick Dallas sent back for him on August 25, 2023.

Sources

  1. Associated Press (via CapperTek) — Lance's four starts, fewest for a top-five QB in the common draft era for his debut team; traded to Dallas, Aug 30, 2023
  2. Sportsnet — 49ers trading Lance to Cowboys for a fourth-round pick; Purdy "the last draft pick in 2022," Aug 25, 2023
  3. National Football Post (Field Level Media) — Dolphins trade No. 3 to 49ers; MIA–PHI No. 12/No. 6 swap, Mar 26, 2021
  4. NBC Sports ProFootballTalk — 49ers announce trade; 2022 third-rounder was the Saleh compensatory pick, Mar 26, 2021
  5. 49ers Webzone — Schefter: 49ers did not trade up with one QB in mind, Mar 26, 2021
  6. NBC Sports Bay Area — Peter King: Miami's deal conditional on getting back into the top eight; keen on Waddle
  7. PhiladelphiaEagles.com — 2021 draft trade tracker: MIA–PHI terms, DAL–PHI terms, No. 84 from the Wentz trade, No. 156 from Dallas
  8. Sportsnet (AP) — Eagles trade up with Cowboys to No. 10 for Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, Apr 29, 2021
  9. Toro Times — Schefter's official Tunsil trade terms; O'Brien operating without a GM, Aug 31, 2019
  10. Pro Football Rumors — Packers trade No. 30 + No. 136 to Dolphins for No. 26, draft Jordan Love, Apr 23, 2020
  11. Miami Dolphins 2025 Draft Guide (PDF) — Holland 36th in 2021, Kindley 111th in 2020, Tindall 102nd in 2022
  12. Wikipedia — Jaylen Waddle: 6th overall 2021; 104 receptions, NFL rookie record (since broken by Puka Nacua)
  13. Sports Illustrated — Hill to Dolphins for five picks; 4-yr/$120M extension, $72.2M guaranteed, Mar 23, 2022
  14. Pro Football Rumors — Chiefs trade No. 29 + 94 + 121 to Patriots for No. 21, draft Trent McDuffie, Apr 28, 2022
  15. Patriots.com — Patriots draft Cole Strange at No. 29 after trading down, Apr 28, 2022
  16. Miami Dolphins Communications — Chubb trade terms: 2023 1st + 2024 4th + Edmonds for Chubb + 2025 5th, Nov 1, 2022
  17. The Comeback — Chubb's five-year, $110M extension with Miami
  18. The Ringer — Broncos send 2023 1st + 2024 2nd to Saints for Payton + 2024 3rd, Jan 31, 2023
  19. NewOrleansSaints.com — Saints draft Bryan Bresee at No. 29; pick via Denver/Miami/San Francisco
  20. NBC Sports ProFootballTalk — Texans select Kenyon Green at No. 15; Eagles traded up to No. 13 for Jordan Davis, Apr 28, 2022
  21. Bleacher Report — Parsons unanimously wins 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year
  22. Dairyland Express — Parsons traded to Packers for Kenny Clark + two first-round picks, Aug 28, 2025
  23. Vendetta Sports Media (quoting Albert Breer) — Dolphins traded all three Lance-deal first-rounders: Waddle, Hill, Chubb
  24. AP via 101.9 Jack FM — Lynch: "We take full accountability... We own that," Aug 26, 2023
  25. Pro Sports Transactions — 2021 NFL Draft pick transactions — Texans traded No. 202 to Cincinnati on Mar 19, 2021 (Bengals drafted Chris Evans); Eagles sent No. 84 to Dallas (Chauncey Golston); No. 156 from Miami to Pittsburgh on May 1, 2021 (Isaiahh Loudermilk); Philadelphia kept No. 123 (Zech McPhearson)
  26. Pro Sports Transactions — 2022 NFL Draft pick transactions — Chiefs flipped No. 50 to New England (Tyquan Thornton); Patriots flipped No. 94 to Carolina (Matt Corral) and kept No. 121 (Jack Jones)
  27. Pro Sports Transactions — 2023 NFL Draft pick transactions — No. 122 Kansas City to Detroit to Arizona (Jon Gaines II); No. 178 (Chicago's, acquired by Miami in Oct 2021) Kansas City to Dallas (Eric Scott Jr.)
  28. Pro Sports Transactions — 2024 NFL Draft pick transactions — New Orleans flipped No. 45 to Green Bay (Edgerrin Cooper); No. 81 Denver to Seattle (Christian Haynes); No. 121 Denver to Seattle (A.J. Barner)
  29. Pro Sports Transactions — 2025 NFL Draft pick transactions — the 2025 fifth-rounder in the Chubb deal became Dante Trader Jr. at No. 155 for Miami
  30. Football Trade Trees — Trey Lance (2021) trade tree — the site's trade tree for this deal; eight trades, all of them traced in full
  31. Football Trade Trees — Carson Wentz (2021) trade tree — the site's record of the February 18, 2021 Wentz trade that sent the No. 84 pick to Philadelphia
Explore the trade tree behind this story:

About this article: it was drafted with AI assistance from the Football Trade Trees database and public reporting, then reviewed by a human editor. Spot an error? Email [email protected].