NFL Trade Deadline: 30 greatest trades in NFL history

10. Falcons trade up to take Michael Vick No. 1

Watching Michael Vick early on in his career was like watching a real-life character from the popular Madden video games when looking at how much of a dual-threat playmaker he was. This was mainly because of the extra advantage he had by being effective with his legs.

Leading up to the draft, there was no question that Vick deserved consideration for being the top quarterback from his class. By seeing the Atlanta Falcons make a trade with the then-San Diego Chargers the day before was clearly the right move at the time.

Coincidentally, this happened to be the same year in which the Chargers selected LaDainian Tomlinson at No. 5. This means they were able to still land a future Pro Football Hall of Famer by swapping first-rounders, along with an additional third-round pick in the process.

As for the Falcons, Vick’s rookie season wasn’t exactly the most smooth experience in the world. He only made two starts while tossing two touchdown passes. However, it was his sophomore campaign in which this decision started to pay off in a big way for the Falcons.

That was the year in which Atlanta managed to reach the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles. While these results were disappointing then, it was the potential that stood out the most.

As impressive as it was to see Vick go 8-6-1 during the regular season, watching the Falcons’ new star rush for 777 yards with eight trips into the end zone with his legs that showed what the future held for the former Virginia Tech standout.