It’s been nearly a decade since the 2018 NFL Draft. The further removed we get from every rookie class, the more opportunity we’re granted to reminisce and assess the decisions made. Redraft scenarios that course-correct those mistaken draft picks are perfect offseason exercises.
The top-five picks of the 2017 NFL Draft have produced two Super Bowl winners, but none of those triumphs occurred with the original team that drafted them. From MVP winners to All-Pro selections, the 2017 class had it all. Several organizations would love do-over decisions.
This redraft scenario changes every single top-five selection made during the 2017 NFL Draft. Franchise quarterbacks and Super Bowl winners land elsewhere, changing the trajectory of multiple organizations. Let’s dream for a second!
1. Cleveland Browns: Josh Allen, QB (original pick: Baker Mayfield)
Baker Mayfield has developed into a franchise quarterback, but it didn’t happen with the Cleveland Browns. Truthfully, that brings the Browns’ ability to develop any quarterback into question, but there’s no way they’re passing on Josh Allen in any redraft scenario. Allen was extremely raw coming out of Wyoming, and the Buffalo Bills did a fantastic job developing him into the MVP winner and four-time Pro Bowler he’s grown into. Nonetheless, perhaps this would have cured Cleveland’s QB woes.
2. New York Giants: Lamar Jackson, QB (original pick: Saquon Barkley)
The New York Giants came under significant criticism for drafting a running back at No. 2 overall. Saquon Barkley is an elite game-changer, but that decision never paid full dividends for the team, and it especially hurt watching him win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 2018 Giants still had an aging Eli Manning at quarterback, and they didn’t see Sam Darnold (who went one overall later) as a worthy successor. Unfortunately, they (and everyone else) slept on Lamar Jackson, who went 32nd to the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants lived through the Daniel Jones experiment, but drafting Jackson would have prevented that.
3. New York Jets: Saquon Barkley, RB (original pick: Sam Darnold)
Admittedly, this is an extremely confusing situation, even in a redraft scenario. Sam Darnold just won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, but there’s no point keeping him with the New York Jets when we know it went terribly there, right? The Jets have nobody but themselves to blame for fumbling Darnold’s development. Knowing they couldn’t support a quarterback, we guess we’ll give them Barkley, the best remaining player on the board after Allen and Jackson.
4. Cleveland Browns: Fred Warner, LB (original pick: Denzel Ward)
The Browns had two top-five picks in the 2018 draft. After going with a quarterback at No. 1 overall (both in real life and via this redraft scenario), attention shifts to landing a defensive playmaker. Denzel Ward is a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and remains with the Browns today. We could have kept this selection as-is, but linebacker Fred Warner is arguably the better overall defensive player. Warner was the steal of the draft, going to the San Francisco 49ers at 70th overall.
5. Denver Broncos: Derwin James, DB (original pick: Bradley Chubb)
Bradley Chubb was a stellar pass rusher for the Denver Broncos, but he didn’t make it past his rookie contract with the team, as they preferred to trade him to the Miami Dolphins rather than give him a lucrative extension. That makes any top-five pick a slight failure. Perhaps safety Derwin James would have a longer-lasting impact. James has developed into an elite safety and five-time Pro Bowler. The Broncos have an excellent defense and would have undoubtedly maximized his talents.
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