A year ago at the trade deadline, the Patriots sent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round draft pick. At the time, it looked like a monumental trade for both franchises.

Which makes it surprising, a year later, that the team that benefited most from that trade may be the Lions.

New England traded the 49ers’ second-round pick to Detroit on draft day, and the Lions used that pick on running back Kerryon Johnson. On Sunday, Johnson ran for 158 yards, the Lions’ best rushing game in seven years, and he’s on pace to lead all rookie running backs this season with 1,184 yards.

Last year it looked like the 49ers had easily won the Garoppolo trade, as he joined the team mid-season and promptly led them to six consecutive victories. But this season, after signing a massive contract, Garoppolo did not play well before suffering a season-ending injury in Week Three. If Garoppolo doesn’t return to his 2017 form, the acquisition (and subsequent contract extension) of Garoppolo could turn out to be a mistake for the 49ers.

The Patriots’ grade on the Garoppolo trade is an incomplete. They moved down in the second round in the trade with the Lions, then made more trades that netted them some late-round players as well as the Bears’ 2019 second-round pick and the Lions’ 2019 third-round pick. Until the Patriots use those pick, we really don’t know how well they made out in the Garoppolo trade.

But what we do know is that the Lions got a player who is helping them win games right now. So far, they’re the team that has benefitted the most from the ripple effects of the Jimmy G trade.