Grading all the trades and picks made in the movie ‘Draft Day’

“C’mon, Tom. Say it with me, you pancake-eating motherf***er.”

If there were ever a way for a general manager to flaunt that they had all the leverage in trade negotiations, it would sound something like that. That’s the line that fictional Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr., as played by Kevin Costner, drops when he’s trying to get a trade with the Seattle Seahawks over the finish line in the climactic scene of the 2014 movie “Draft Day.”

In the film, Cleveland swings three major deals on Day 1 of the draft as Weaver tries to revitalize the organization while also keeping his job safe. Weaver is also dealing with the recent death of his father, Sonny Weaver Sr., who had previously coached the Browns. On top of that, he learns earlier in the day that his girlfriend and Browns cap guru Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner) is pregnant. 

If those developments weren’t somehow emotionally taxing enough, Weaver is also in an arranged working marriage with his head coach, Vince Penn (Denis Leary). Drawing parallels to Barry Switzer, Penn is seeking a return to glory after an unceremonious exit as the Cowboys’ head coach despite leading them to a Super Bowl title. Penn’s past success has him thinking he knows better than his general manager, and he’s talking to GMs from other teams behind Weaver’s back. When the two have a disagreement, Penn goes into Weaver’s office on the day of the draft and burns a scouting report as the head coach threatens to quit on multiple occasions.

Despite all of that drama, Weaver is able to pull off a few moves that are portrayed as a heist, with Browns fans chanting, “Super Bowl! Super Bowl!” in one of the movie’s final scenes. Were Weaver’s maneuverings all that great, though? 

Let’s grade the trades and draft picks made in the movie “Draft Day.”

Browns land No. 1 overall pick from Seahawks for three first-round selections, including No. 7 overall pick

In the opening scene, Seahawks general manager Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit) senses that he has the opportunity to take advantage of Weaver, calling the Browns general manager to try to make a trade involving the No. 1 overall pick. 

Michaels’ intuition is correct. Weaver, who’s depicted as a fearless leader (he fired his father as Browns head coach!), is in a state of vulnerability when Draft Day arrives. In addition to mourning the loss of his father, Weaver is implored by Browns owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) to do something monumental in the draft.

“Defense doesn’t make a splash. Sonny, people pay to get wet,” Molina tells Weaver when the two are at an empty water park (symbolism!).

That quote leads Weaver to call back Michaels, who initially offered to give up the No. 1 overall pick for the No. 7 overall pick, a future first-round selection and a third-round pick. With reigning Heisman winner Bo Callahan (Josh Pence) being the presumptive No. 1 pick, that doesn’t seem to be a bad haul in exchange for a potential franchise quarterback.

Kevin Costner (left) portrayed Sonny Weaver in “Draft Day,” which was directed by Ivan Reitman (right). (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Summit Entertainment)

However, after telling Weaver that he’d “save football in Cleveland” if he gets the Browns the No. 1 pick, Michaels ups the price. He now wants three first-round picks, including the No. 7 overall selection, for the top overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Weaver, who is negotiating the deal while driving to the Browns’ facilities, agrees to the offer without consulting anyone. He gives up his team’s future draft capital just like that, making a move for a quarterback even though Cleveland isn’t in need of one (although current starter Brian Drew missed a good chunk of the previous season). The Seahawks, meanwhile, maintain that they’re content with their quarterback situation despite presumably finishing with the league’s worst record the year prior. 

Most of the trade pick value charts suggest that the Browns got fleeced in this deal. OverTheCap.com’s Fitzgerald-Spielberger draft chart has the Browns surrendering 4,502 points in draft picks, while the No. 1 overall pick is worth 3,000 points. But the price to jump up and secure a possible franchise quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick has typically cost that much over the years. In 2023, the Carolina Panthers sent the No. 9 overall pick, a future first-round pick, two second-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick, which they used on quarterback Bryce Young.

Still, why are the Browns giving up so much when they insist that they like their quarterback? What a coup by the Seahawks.

Grades

Browns: C-

Seahawks: A

Browns secure No. 6 overall pick for three second-round picks

The Browns make a pick that would’ve been viewed as one of the most stunning in NFL history at No. 1, selecting Ohio State linebacker Vontae Mack. The pick makes Molina so irate that he somehow gets from New York City to Cleveland by the time the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the No. 6 pick, are on the clock. 

With the Jaguars up and Callahan falling, Weaver gets his swagger back. He takes advantage of inexperienced Jaguars general manager Jeff Carson (Pat Healy), who’s hesitant and doesn’t want to make the call on drafting Callahan. 

Weaver determines that he’ll take the decision out of Carson’s hands for three second-round picks. Carson counteroffers with four second-round picks, but settles for three as Weaver is starting to display the machismo that plenty of other Costner characters have. 

The Fitzgerald-Spielberger draft value chart says that the Jaguars won this trade, receiving 3,279 points in draft capital compared to 2,092 points for the Browns. But moving out of a top-10 pick and not getting a first-round selection in return is kind of brutal, especially with a talent like Callahan still on the board. Carson didn’t even open up trade negotiations, which seems to be a common occurrence in the “Draft Day” universe. 

Grades

Browns: B

Jaguars: D

Browns get No. 7 pick, their two future first-round picks back and “David goddamn Putney” for No. 6 overall

Remember when the Seahawks indicated that they didn’t need Callahan? Well, it turns out they want him, and Michaels thought he nearly pulled a fast one on Weaver. 

Instead, Weaver flips the script on Michaels and holds all the leverage. He knows it, too. Weaver fires back with the same lines that Seahawks general manager used toward him earlier that morning. When Michaels doesn’t agree to Weaver’s offer to get his first-round picks back for the No. 6 selection, the Browns general manager tells him, “We live in a different world than we did just 30 seconds ago.”

Weaver asks for “David goddamn Putney,” who seems to be a standout punt returner, on top of his request for the return of his first-round picks. The Seahawks oblige so they can get their quarterback. 

By the time the trade is finalized, Weaver’s three trades have landed him the No. 1 overall pick and Putney for three second-round picks. Even without knowing where those second-round picks will fall in the future, that’s an impressive haul. The Seahawks, meanwhile, gave up Putney while moving back six picks from the No. 1 spot. Congratulations, Michaels, you played yourself. 

Grades

Browns: A+

Seahawks: F

Chadwick Boseman played Vontae Mack in “Draft Day.” (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Grading the picks

LB Vontae Mack

Weaver shows an affinity for Mack, and understandably so. The Ohio State product, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, was a star for the Buckeyes, recording four sacks when they took on Callahan’s Wisconsin team. The Browns’ scouts marveled at Mack’s ability when they watched his film, while his only flaw seems to be that he’ll tweet his thoughts on a whim. 

However, Mack doesn’t appear to be in play as the No. 1 pick prior to the Browns trading for the selection. Before Weaver lands the pick, Mack pleads with the Browns general manager to draft him at No. 7 or else he could fall into the late teens. The Houston Texans also show interest in Mack, with their general manager calling Weaver to get more background info on him. The Texans weren’t on the board until No. 15, though.

So even if the No. 1 pick was supposed to be “Vontae Mack no matter what,” this was an incredible reach.

Grade: F

QB Bo Callahan

We don’t learn much about Callahan’s quarterback ability in “Draft Day,” but the little we see is impressive. While he got rattled on one play after getting sacked by Mack in the Wisconsin-Ohio State game, Callahan made a terrific throw on the run after escaping a sack to throw a touchdown. That play led one of Cleveland’s evaluators to compare him to Ben Roethlisberger. 

But Callahan has a bit of an ego. It’s rumored that none of his teammates attended his most recent birthday party. However, there are other character concerns beyond that. He needs his agent to tell him how to speak to Weaver over the phone, and he storms out of the green room when he isn’t selected with the No. 1 overall pick. We also find out he lied about reading another team’s playbook earlier in the draft process. 

The talent certainly seems to be there with Callahan. Who knows if he’ll be able to put it all together, though. Good on Michaels for initially trading out of the No. 1 pick, but the decision to still draft him at No. 6 even as they liked their quarterback situation was questionable.

Grade: C

RB Ray Jennings

Similar to Callahan, we don’t know a ton about Jennings (Arian Foster) as a player. The Florida State product apparently took a toss play on a fourth-and-26 and turned it into a touchdown, which would make him one of the game’s best running backs. He also had over 2,000 total yards in his final season of college, helping him become a Heisman finalist. 

Former Texans RB Arian Foster played Ray Jennings in “Draft Day.”  (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

However, Jennings also has a character concern. He was arrested on an assault and battery charge as he was involved in a brawl prior to the draft. Jennings defends himself in a phone call to Weaver when the Browns general manager questions his role in the fight.

Ultimately, the Browns opt to draft Jennings. It’s implied that Jennings, who’s the son of Browns legend Earl Jennings (Terry Crews), is selected partly because of his family ties to the organization. Penn and Weaver’s father wanted Jennings, too. 

Still, are those good reasons to pick a player in the top 10? Probably not, but Jennings is definitely a playmaker.

Grade: B

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