I've always wondered if Ricky never retired to live in a tent, who would we have drafted in that 2004? draft. My money would have been on Aaron Rodgers or Braylon Edwards. His decision to retire may have had franchise-changing implications that most people don't fully realize. Remember, Rodgers was expected to go very high in that draft, some people even saying he could be number one overall. Although, we did just sign AJ Feeley, so I'm sure Spielman thought we had that position covered...
This is precisely why it is not advisable to trade 1st round draft picks. If we trade up and mortgage the future on a player that is not a slam dunk HOF (impossible to know) player, it isn't worth the risk.
Very good point.