NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 07: Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown by eating Airheads candy on the sideline during the game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 7, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Redrafting the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft

8 years ago

Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It's been a week since the 2017 season came to an end and it seems an appropriate time to reflect on where the season began for most teams: at the draft.

With the clarity hindsight provides, we're able to go back over April's draft and envision the first-round picks teams wish they'd made.

Here's a do-over of the 2017 NFL Draft. Cleveland, you're back on the clock.

1. Browns - QB Deshaun Watson

Actual pick: DE Myles Garrett

The Cleveland Browns will rue the day they passed on Watson. In this scenario, the franchise gets to right a wrong (and avoid an 0-16 season) by selecting the national championship-winning quarterback with the first pick in the 2017 NFL redraft.

Watson was well on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, despite a loaded field, before tearing his ACL. He's the kind of talent the Browns have spent years searching for.

2. Bears - QB Mitchell Trubisky

Actual pick: Trubisky

The Chicago Bears just might have something in Trubisky.

His play didn't elicit the kind of headlines some of his fellow rookies received, but he fared much better than expected in his first season. Thrown into the fire in Week 5, he held is own the rest of the season, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes.

The rebuilding Bears laid their first stone with the selection of Trubisky.

3. 49ers - RB Alvin Kamara

Actual pick: DE Solomon Thomas

Imagine Jimmy Garoppolo and Kamara sharing a backfield for the next decade. It's a scenario the 49ers could have had if they had taken the eventual Rookie of the Year winner with the third pick. The Niners can't be faulted for that, however, as Kamara was passed over by every team, multiple times.

Kamara took the league by storm with 1,554 total yards and 13 touchdowns. He'd be a fine successor to Carlos Hyde as the 49ers lead back.

4. Jaguars - RB Leonard Fournette

Actual pick: Fournette

The Jags got it right the first time. With Fournette in their backfield, Jacksonville enjoyed a one-year turnaround from three wins to 10 and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game.

No one in Duval County is second-guessing that selection.

5. Titans - CB Marshon Lattimore

Actual pick: WR Corey Davis

The Titans entered the draft with gaping holes in their receiving corps and secondary. Instead of reaching for Corey Davis with the No. 5 pick, Tennessee could have had top-flight corner Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Titans addressed their need at corner with the 18th pick, but Lattimore was one of the best at his position in 2017, finishing the year as Pro Football Focus' fourth-ranked cornerback, while Adoree Jackson was ranked 35th.

6. Jets - S Jamal Adams

Actual pick: Adams

Met with another opportunity to pick their quarterback of the future, the Jets would likely wait until 2018 and keep their selection of Adams.

He wasn't the sexiest pick of the draft, but the LSU star will solidify the Jets' back end for years to come.

7. Chargers - DE Solomon Thomas

Actual pick: WR Mike Williams

Williams was a forgotten man in his first year in the pros. A back injury nearly derailed his season before it began, and a knee ailment ended it after 10 games. He produced just 11 catches for 95 yards.

With the opportunity to pick again, the Chargers would instead address a run defense that ranked 31st in 2017 and select defensive end Solomon Thomas, a player celebrated for his run defense from the edge.

8. Panthers - WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Actual pick: RB Christian McCaffrey

The Panthers appeared as though they didn't know what to do with McCaffrey.

With the in-season trade of Kelvin Benjamin in mind, the Panthers sure could have used the contributions of a receiver such as Smith-Schuster. The wideout finished the year with more yards than any Panthers pass-catcher.

9. Bengals - CB Tre'Davious White

Actual pick: WR John Ross

Another failed receiver pick in the top 10. Instead of Ross, who finished the year without a catch, White proved much more deserving of a top-10 spot. The runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year would have slotted right in as a starting corner for the Bengals, where William Jackson has been unable to.

10. Chiefs - QB Patrick Mahomes

Actual pick: Mahomes

Despite starting just one game his rookie season, Mahomes made Alex Smith expendable. He's the future, and now the present in Kansas City.

11. Saints - RB Kareem Hunt

Actual pick: Lattimore

The Saints aced the 2017 draft. Lattimore and Kamara swept Rookie of the Year honors and the club ameliorated its O-line with the selection of tackle Ryan Ramczyk. If they were presented with an option of a 2017 draft redo, the Saints surely would opt out.

But if Kamara and Lattimore were off the board by the 11th pick, Hunt - the league leader in rushing - would be welcome in the Saints offense.

12. Texans - T Ryan Ramczyk

Actual pick: Watson

This is another team that doesn't need a do-over. They nailed their first-round pick when they traded up to get Watson.

In this scenario, Watson would be off the board and leave Houston with the option of addressing its need on the offensive line with the selection of Ramczyk.

13. Cardinals - LB T.J. Watt

Actual pick: LB Haason Reddick

Watt had two sacks in his NFL debut and finished the year with seven. Reddick had 2.5 sacks all season and was removed from the starting lineup after three games. It's obvious who had the stronger rookie season.

14. Eagles - DE Myles Garrett

Actual pick: DE Derek Barnett

Garrett is deserving of a much higher spot in this redraft, but after the Browns chose their quarterback of the future, he was bound to slip.

He could do worse than to land with the Super Bowl-champion Eagles and their collection of pass-rushing talents.

15. Colts - S Malik Hooker

Actual pick: Hooker

A torn ACL and MCL sapped Hooker's season after seven games, but, in his limited time, he proved to be the playmaker the Colts need at the safety position.

16. Ravens - CB Marlon Humphrey

Actual pick: Humphrey

Humphrey was solid, yet unspectacular in his first season. Picking smack in the middle of the first round, the Alabama corner proved a quality choice.

17. Redskins - DE Jonathan Allen

Actual pick: Allen

The Redskins didn't get to see much of Allen, as he played just five games before succumbing to a foot injury. Washington's run defense suffered without him. The team finished the year last against the run. They'll be much better with a healthy Allen.

18. Titans - WR Corey Davis

Actual pick: CB Adoree Jackson

Ah, a much more appropriate slot for Davis.

His season pales in comparison to other rookie receivers, but he showed in the postseason - particularly a two-touchdown performance against the Patriots - why he's worthy of a first-round selection.

19. Buccaneers - RB Dalvin Cook

Actual pick: TE O.J. Howard

Had the Bucs cut ties with Doug Martin after his suspension at the end of the 2016 season, a worthy replacement was available with the 19th pick.

In just four games, Cook averaged a full two yards per carry more than Martin did in 2017. If only the team had listened to quarterback Jameis Winston and facilitated a reunion with his college running back.

20. Broncos - T Garett Bolles

Actual pick: Bolles

At pick No. 20, the Broncos were unable to solve their quarterbacking issues with Watson, Trubisky, and Mahomes off the board, Denver's best suited waiting until either free agency or the 2018 draft to address the situation.

Bolles remains the pick.

21. Lions - RB Christian McCaffrey

Actual pick: LB Jarrad Davis

The Lions haven't had a 100-yard rusher in a game or a running back eclipse 1,000 yards in a season since 2013. It's clear Detroit needs to address the position, and McCaffrey is capable of accomplishing both.

22. Dolphins - CB Shaquill Griffin

Actual pick: LB Charles Harris

Kenyan Drake appears to have locked down the running back job entering next season. The next area of need is at corner, where the Dolphins could have used the services of Griffin, who thrived with the Legion of Boom.

23. Giants - T Cam Robinson

Actual pick: TE Evan Engram

The Giants' fortunes won't improve in the running game until they address their awful offensive line. Instead of waiting until the sixth round to draft an O-lineman, New York could have nabbed a starting left tackle for the foreseeable future by picking Robinson out of Alabama.

24. Raiders - CB Chidobe Awuzie

Actual pick: CB Gareon Conley

The Raiders were right to focus on the secondary with their first-round pick. After Lattimore, White, and Humphrey, the talent available at corner drops off significantly, but there is value available with Awuzie.