Trivia question: the Buffalo Bills had two first round selections in 1983. Name the one that's not in the Hall of Fame.
If you guessed tight end Tony Hunter, you are correct. On July 18, 1985, the Bills sent Hunter to the St. Louis Rams for a third-round draft choice and quarterback Vince Ferragamo in one of the first deals made under the direction of new General Manager Bill Polian.
Hunter was named the third-greatest draft bust in Bills history by Tim Graham of ESPN.com. The No. 12 overall pick in '83 (two spots ahead of Jim Kelly), Hunter started half of his 24 games in Buffalo, recording 69 catches for 733 yards and five touchdowns. He had one good season with the Rams, starting nine games and catching 50 passes for 562 yards and four touchdowns. By 1987, he was out of football.
Ferragamo was a seven-year veteran with the Rams who started 44 games. He was 26-18 as a starter, with winning records in both seasons he started 15 or more games. In 1980, he led the Rams to an 11-5 mark and a playoff berth on the back of his nearly 3,200 yards passing and 30 touchdown passes. Unfortunately, Ferragamo was nothing like that quarterback while he was with the Bills. In his lone season in Buffalo, he threw 17 interceptions and only five touchdowns while going 1-8 as the starter. He was off the team the following season.
With the No. 77 overall selection in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Leonard Burton, a center from South Carolina who played four seasons in Buffalo, starting seven games. Overall, both teams ended up with not a whole lot.
For more information on the trade, check out the Buffalo News' "Sports, Ink." write up on the anniversary.