Re-Drafting the Top 5 Picks of Every NFL Draft of the 21st Century

The NFL Draft is the single most important day on an NFL general manager’s calendar. How a prospect’s skills will translate to the pros is the hardest thing for NFL front offices to decipher. How much weight do you put on the 40-yard dash? Off the field incidents? Game tape? In-person interviews? Team needs? There are hundreds of factors that go into each little blue card Roger Goodell reads off every April. It’s not an exact science and there will always be busts like Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, and Trent Richardson. There also will always be players who slip through the cracks and go undrafted like Adam Thielen, Arian Foster, and James Harrison. So today, we are giving NFL teams the advantage of hindsight and a chance to re-do their picks from the last 20 years. Before we get started, here are a few rules for the re-drafts:

• Best Player Available: Infamous 76ers GM Sam Hinkie always preached in taking the best player available, no matter what position they played or what the team needs were. NFL teams preach this same concept, yet most teams draft based on need, not on the talent available. In these re-drafts we aren’t looking at the team’s rosters at the time, we are just taking the best player on the board that will improve the team dramatically. You can always trade your current stars for other first round picks later. Even if your team had Drew Brees right now you would draft Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes if you had the first overall pick. The most valuable asset in the league is young, star players on rookie contracts.
• Positions Matter: It’s unfair, but some positions are just more important than others. There’s a reason only one kicker has been drafted in the first round since 2000. Quarterbacks, edge rushers, and left tackles will dominate the re-drafts, while positions like full backs, running backs, and centers we may not see too often. It’s pretty challenging to ask questions like would you rather start your franchise with Antonio Gates or Terrell Suggs? But we’re going to try damn it! Positional value is extremely important.
• Same Exact Careers: In this re-draft we aren’t looking at the what-ifs. In this alternate universe, we are still assuming Robert Griffin III has multiple knee surgeries. We are still assuming Chris Borland retires after just one season. We are still assuming Michael Vick misses his prime years because of dog fighting. There are no changes to these players careers whatsoever. 
• Durability is a Skill: They say the best ability is availability, and that quote is never more relevant than in the National Football League. Injuries are unfortunate, and we don’t wish them upon anyone. However, some guys are just more durable than others. Some guys just take more risks on the field, or don’t have the best diets. There are many factors at play, but durability truly is a skill. Players who were always in the trainer’s room like Jordan Reed, Carson Wentz, and Rob Gronkowski will drop lower in the re-drafts because they couldn’t stay on the field as well as their peers.

 

Alright guys, let’s return to the turn of the century and get this re-draft started!

 

2000

1. Cleveland Browns: Tom Brady, QB, Michigan
2. Washington Redskins: Brian Urlacher, LB, New Mexico
3. Washington Redskins: John Abraham, DE, South Carolina
4. Cincinnati Bengals: Shaun Alexander, RB, Alabama
5. Baltimore Ravens: Chris Samuels, OT, Alabama

Big shocker here, Mr. Brady jumps 198 spots in the 2000 re-draft to claim the top pick in the turn of the century draft class. Funny enough, Bill Belichick was fired by the Browns in 1996. In an alternate universe, maybe Brady and Belichick unite in Cleveland, and the Browns become the most dominant team of the 21st century. Okay, okay, even that’s a little too far fetched, what am I saying? Another interesting tidbit about the 2000 Draft was that Washington had the 2nd & 3rd overall picks back to back. In this re-draft, the Redskins build their defense of the future around Brian Urlacher and John Abraham, not too shabby. Like most drafts, there were some hits, there were some misses, but this draft will always be remembered for pick #199.

 

Class Talent Grade: B

 

2001

1. Atlanta Falcons: Drew Brees, QB, Purdue
2. Arizona Cardinals: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU
3. Cleveland Browns: Steve Smith, WR, Utah
4. Cincinnati Bengals: Reggie Wayne, WR, Miami
5. San Diego Chargers: Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech

Decisions, decisions. 2001’s Draft class was stacked with future HOFers. Drew Brees, Steve Hutchinson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie Wayne, Steve Smith, and Richard Seymour will all have busts in Canton some day(Tomlinson and Hutchinson already do). That being said, this draft was incredibly tough to redo. One of the toughest decisions in all the re-drafts was where do we put Michael Vick? Vick had a truly legendary career. He was the first QB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, every 10-year-old owned a #7 Falcons jersey in 2005, and he is the most dominant player in Madden history. Unfortunately, we missed out on Vick’s prime years after the infamous dog fighting incident in 2007. Vick was coming off his best year as a pro, then went on to miss his age 27, 28, and 29 seasons. He had an excellent comeback with the Eagles, and had an MVP caliber season in his second season with Philly. Yes, Vick only passed for 22,000 career yards and also struggled with injuries. However, Vick was the most popular player in football for years. He dominated SportsCenter, sold a ton of tickets and jerseys, and was just flat out electric. Stuff like that matters. Having a fan favorite, that makes people wanna come see the “Michael Vick Show” has to be factored into the re-draft selections. Steve Smith vs. Reggie Wayne was a tough call, but Steve Smith was just the better player. Their stats are very similar, but Smith was an electric return man, and not to mention he didn’t get the benefit of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck throwing him the ball. Smith went through a carousel of uninspiring quarterback play in Carolina like Matt Moore, Vinny Testeverde, Jimmy Clausen, and Jake Delhomme. Smith was just the more dynamic player, and his last years in Baltimore are really underrated too. I love Steve Smith.

 

Class Talent Grade: A+

 

2002

1. Houston Texans: Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina
2. Carolina Panthers: Ed Reed, S, Miami
3. Detroit Lions: James Harrison, LB, Kent State
4. Buffalo Bills: Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse
5. San Diego Chargers: Roy Williams, S, Oklahoma

2002’s Draft marks the first ever draft pick made by the Houston Texans. Houston completely whiffed on David Carr, so this time they go with future HOFer, Julius Peppers out of UNC. Ed Reed made a push at the 1st overall pick, but Peppers was a beast up until the day he retired. Peppers recorded 11 sacks in 2017, while Ed Reed played his last down of NFL football in 2013. So longevity was the deciding factor for #1. In a do over, James Harrison goes from being undrafted to becoming an instant millionaire with Detroit. In the 2002 re-draft, not a single offensive player is taken in the top 5, 2002 was just a painfully weak offensive draft class.

 

Class Talent Grade: D

 

 

2003

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Tony Romo, QB, Eastern Illinois
2. Detroit Lions: Carson Palmer, QB, USC
3. Houston Texans: Terrell Suggs, LB, Arizona State
4. New York Jets: Troy Polamalu, S, USC 
5. Dallas Cowboys: Andre Johnson, WR, Miami 

It’s a very tough call for the first overall pick in the 2003 re-draft, but gun to my head I have to go with the undrafted Tony Romo here. Carson Palmer had a great career. He threw for over 45,000 yards, made three Pro Bowls, and made it to an NFC Championship game with the Cardinals. However, after the ACL tear he suffered in the 2006 Wild Card round he was never really the same with the Bengals. Palmer’s record from 2008-2012 was an abysmal 22-38. Palmer also logged four seasons in which he started less than 10 games. He made an incredible comeback with Arizona and has already been inducted into the Cardinals Ring of Honor. Romo sat behind Drew Bledsoe for two years thus leading to a shorter career. However, Romo threw for 70 less interceptions, has a better playoff and regular season record, and a much better QBR than Carson. Romo was just the better quarterback. Andre Johnson is quite an interesting case study. Johnson racked up over 14,000 receiving yards with the amazing quarterback play of Ryan Fitzpatrick, David Carr, Brian Hoyer, and Case Keenum. If he had a legitimate quarterback during his tenure who knows what he could have accomplished. Johnson was the best receiver in football for years, but Polamalu and Suggs had much more memorable careers. Both are former DPOYs, 2x Super Bowl Champions, and future HOFers. So in this re-draft, Suggs heads to Houston, Polamalu finds a new home in the Big Apple, and Andre Johnson stays in Texas with the Cowboys.

 

Class Talent Grade: A

 

 

2004

1. San Diego Chargers: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Miami of Ohio
2. Oakland Raiders: Phillip Rivers, QB, NC State
3. Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh 
4. New York Giants: Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss
5. Washington Redskins: Jason Peters, OT, Arkansas

This question will be debated among NFL fans until the end of time: If you were given the 1st overall pick in 2004, would you take Eli, Big Ben or Phillip Rivers? Despite all the off-the-field issues, Big Ben was the clear #1 pick in a 2004 do-over. In Big Ben’s first two years in the league, his record was a jaw-dropping 22-3, which included a Super Bowl victory as well. In Phillip Rivers first two years, he threw for 148 yards…Ben has led the Steelers to 10 postseason runs, 4 AFC Championship games, and 3 Super Bowl appearances. He also played his entire career with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in his conference, who knows how decorated his resume would be if not for those two. Phillip Rivers had a great regular season career, but could never get San Diego over the hump in the postseason. He led the Chargers to just one AFC Championship game, and was pretty lackluster in the playoffs throughout his career. I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up the fact that Roethlisberger played his entire career with historically good defenses. The other side of the ball was locked down by legends like Joey Porter, Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, James Harrison, and Lamar Woodley. We will never know how different Rivers’ career would have been if he was drafted by Pittsburgh, but that’s the world we live in. Now we get to Eli. When talking about Eli Manning, I can’t help but point out that no NFL player in history has taken more shit on the internet than Eli. From the countless memes to the Twitter debates, it seems that Eli is always the butt of every joke. Manning has had one of the most fascinating careers in NFL history, and an even more fascinating Hall of Fame case. Eli is the younger brother of one of the best QBs of all time, pulled the “refuse to play in San Diego” card on draft night, beat Tom Brady in two Super Bowls, started 210 consecutive games, led the league in interceptions 3x, ended the Patriots quest for a perfect season, and finished his career with a record of exactly .500 (117-117). Eli is on an exclusive list of 12 quarterbacks who have won multiple Super Bowls, a list that includes Peyton, Montana, Elway, Brady, and Bradshaw. Say what you will about him, but I believe Eli Manning is without a doubt a Hall of Famer. When it’s all said and done, Rivers, Big Ben, and Eli should all have busts in Canton someday.

 

Class Talent Grade: B+

 

2005

1. San Francisco 49ers: Aaron Rodgers, QB, California
2. Miami Dolphins: DeMarcus Ware, LB, Troy
3. Cleveland Browns: Logan Mankins, OG, Fresno State
4. Chicago Bears: Roddy White, WR, UAB
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Frank Gore, RB, Miami

2005’s class gave us one of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history: What if the 49ers had taken Aaron Rodgers instead of Alex Smith? The 49ers incredible defenses of the early 2010s led San Fran to three straight NFC Championship games. In an alternate universe, Aaron Rodgers could have 3-4 Super Bowl titles. Unfortunately in the universe we do live in, Rodgers will most likely be retiring with just one ring on his finger. One of the craziest nuggets I found while doing research for the article is that 7x Pro Bowler Logan Mankins, never was a part of a Patriots Super Bowl winning team. He blocked for Tom Brady for a decade, and somehow never found his way on a title team. What probably haunts Logan even more, is that he was traded to Tampa Bay in 2014…the Patriots THEN defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX five months after he was dealt. Ouch. He barely missed the cut, but we can’t talk about 2005’s class without mentioning Cameron Wake. Wake’s path to stardom is pretty crazy. He went undrafted, was cut by the Giants, played in the CFL for two years, and didn’t play a single down of NFL football until he was 27. Now, Wake is a member of the prestigious “100 Sacks Club”, a club that boasts just 34 members. Unfortunately, we missed out on four prime years of athleticism from Wake because he came into the league at the wrong position.

 

Class Talent Grade: B-

 

2006

1. Houston Texans: Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon
2. New Orleans Saints: Brandon Marshall, WR, UCF
3. Tennessee Titans: Mario Williams, DE, NC State
4. New York Jets: Tamba Hali, DE, Penn State
5. Green Bay Packers: Elvis Dumervil, DE, Louisville

The 2006 Draft class brings back memories to the greatest college football game of all-time: The 2006 Rose Bowl. Who can forget that incredible battle that featured Vince Young, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and Matt Leinart? In my opinion, the 2005-06 college season was the peak of college football. Unfortunately, the aforementioned players above never really made much on an impact at the NFL level, which makes 2006’s re-draft the hardest of any year we cover. What makes it even harder is that this class didn’t have an Aaron Rodgers or a Julio Jones or a Rob Gronkowski, it was truly a mediocre offensive class. What this draft did have however is pass rushers, lots and lots of pass rushers. Dumervil, Ngata, Hali, Mario & Kyle Williams were all multiple time Pro Bowlers, so in this re-draft, four pass rushers make the top 5, while Brandon Marshall sneaks in as the only offensive player re-selected. Looking over all seven rounds of the 2006 Draft, all I have to say is YUCK. We’ve spent enough time talking about 2006’s Draft, I hate this class.

 

Class Talent Grade: D

 

 

2007

1. Oakland Raiders: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
2. Detroit Lions: Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
3. Cleveland Browns: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
5. Arizona Cardinals: Marshal Yanda, OG, Iowa 

2007’s class marks the first draft that Roger Goodell ever announced, and boy was it a memorable one. Every player in the top 5 of this re-draft will be wearing a yellow jacket in Canton someday. Out of all the drafts we cover, 2007’s has to be my favorite. This draft had so many franchise-changing players that shaped the league for the next decade plus. Marshawn Lynch, Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Eric Weddle, Ryan Kalil, and Greg Olsen couldn’t even crack the top 5 of this class. At the end of the day, Joe Thomas had the best career out of all of them. Thomas set an NFL record for consecutive downs played with 10,363 snaps in a row! Thomas is a 10x Pro Bowler and was the best O-lineman of the 2010s, it’s a damn shame that his talents were wasted on some disastrous Browns teams. Novice fans of football may not realize that Bill Belichick is not only the head coach of the most successful team of the 21st century, but he’s also the general manager as well. During his tenure, Bill has never given big money to pass rushers, running backs, receivers, heck even Tom Brady. One position he has doled out some large checks to however: cornerbacks. Bill has always believed in the philosophy that you can scheme up a pass rush or game plan receivers into routes, but there is just no replacement for a shutdown corner. So with that being said, Revis jumps Calvin Johnson in this re-draft because having a true shutdown cornerback is more important than having a dominant receiver. Revis had more All-Pro selections, played two more seasons than Calvin, and won a Super Bowl. Add in the fact that Johnson retired at age 30, Revis just had the more decorated career at one of the most important positions in football.

 

Class Talent Grade: A-

 

2008

1. Miami Dolphins: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
2. St. Louis Rams: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
3. Atlanta Falcons: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
4. Oakland Raiders: Duane Brown, OT, Virginia Tech
5. Kansas City Chiefs: DeSean Jackson, WR, California

The hardest question I had to ask myself in the entire re-draft process was: What the hell do I do with Joe Flacco in 2008? This isn’t a surprise as the internet has been meme-ingly debating “Is Joe Flacco elite?” for years. At the end of the day, if I’m a GM I wouldn’t want to use a top 5 pick on Joe Flacco. I just wouldn’t. He had that incredible 2012 playoff run and has a Super Bowl ring to show for it, but he just isn’t a QB I would want leading my franchise for 10+ years. He’s only thrown for 4,000 yards in a season once and has had three seasons with a completion percentage under 60%. Top 5 picks are extremely valuable. If you’re going to take a QB with a top 5 pick, he’s gotta be a difference maker, and Flacco just isn’t that. I try to be as unbiased as I can in the re-drafts, but I’m going with personal preference here. He’s always just been a C+ quarterback. DeSean Jackson sneaks into the top 5 because D-Jax was the biggest deep threat in football for years and could unlock a teams offense more than any other player in this draft. He was also a great return man early on in his career too, I mean who could forget his New Meadowlands Miracle punt return TD in 2010? The rest of the re-draft was pretty straight forward. Overall, 2008’s class was pretty weak.

 

Class Talent Grade: C

 

2009

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
2. St. Louis Rams: Clay Matthews, LB, USC
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
4. Seattle Seahawks: LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh
5. New York Jets: Alex Mack, C, California

The year is now 2009, and this marks the first year a team actually made the right choice at pick #1. Shockingly enough it was the Detroit Lions of all teams. Stafford has already thrown for 40,000 yards, started 136 consecutive games, and has led Detroit to the playoffs three times. He’s the runaway 1st overall pick in the 2009 re-draft. I wanted to sneak Edelman into the top 5 because of his playoff heroics, but I just couldn’t. Edelman is 2nd on the all-time playoff receiving yards list, but through his first four years in the NFL he had just 714 yards combined. Not surprising that it took a 7th round pick five years to breakout. LeSean McCoy was one of the best running backs in the league for years. McCoy has 14,868 yards from scrimmage in his career, while Jules has just 6,898. As much as I hate to put a running back in the top 5, there just weren’t many impactful offensive players in 2009’s class.

 

Class Talent Grade: D+

 

 

2010

1. St. Louis Rams: Earl Thomas III, S, Texas
2. Detroit Lions: Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: N’Damukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
4. Washington Redskins: Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma 

2010 was another loaded draft class at virtually every position aside from QB. This QB class featured Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Jimmy Clausen, all guys who had historically excellent college careers, but none of them made a real impact at the next level. Combined, this QB draft class has one career playoff win and that was Tim Tebow’s famous 80-yard strike to Demaryius Thomas in OT against the Steelers. 2010 was also one of the best WR classes of all time. This class featured Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Dez Bryant, Golden Tate, Antonio Brown, Eric Decker, and even the undrafted Victor Cruz was a Pro Bowler. Earl Thomas may surprise many coming in at #1 in this re-draft but around the 2017-2018 range, Earl Thomas was the most impactful defender in football. He’s a 7x Pro-Bowler, a Super Bowl champion, and a future HOFer. It’s no secret that the NFL has become a pass happy league, so having a dominant safety like Earl Thomas is extremely valuable. Thomas also jumps Trent Williams, AB, and Gronk because those three combined played just one game in 2019.

 

Class Talent Grade: A

 

 

2011

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos: Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
3. Buffalo Bills: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
4. Cincinnati Bengals: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
5. Arizona Cardinals: Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford

My goodness was the 2011 Draft class stacked with talent, one of the greatest classes of all-time. 16 of the 32 first round picks have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl! This draft will also be remembered for some atrocious 1st round QB whiffs like Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder. For me, this re-draft’s top 5 came down to…how good really is Cam Newton? Mr. Newton came into the league and had statistically the best rookie season in NFL history. 4,051 passing yards, 706 on the ground, and 35 total TDs! However, Cam’s been very trick-or-treat throughout his career. His record year-by-year is as follows: 6-10, 7-9, 12-4, 5-8-1, 15-1, 6-8, 11-5, 6-8, 0-2. Despite these records, Cam played on some terrible Panthers teams during his career. He was throwing to guys like Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn, Jerricho Cothery, and Corey Brown. He really only had Greg Olsen and a few good seasons from Kelvin Benjamin. At the end of the day, it is so hard to find All-Pro quarterbacks in the draft, ones you can truly build your franchise around. Cam was one of the most defining athletes of the 2010s, he was the best football player on the planet at one point in time, and he led his team to a Super Bowl. So I’m keeping Cam in Carolina. Many might be surprised seeing Watt slide all the way down to #4. If J.J. retires tomorrow, he’s in the Hall of Fame, the man won three DPOY awards in four seasons. Unfortunately, Watt has missed 32 games over the last four years, that’s two FULL seasons that he’s just sitting on the sidelines for. Von Miller has more career sacks, tackles, and forced fumbles. Not to mention Von’s got a Super Bowl MVP trophy on his mantle as well. In a lot of re-drafts, guys like Patrick Peterson, AJ Green, Cameron Jordan, and Tyron Smith would have been top 3 picks, but 2011’s class was just that deep.

 

Class Talent Grade: A++

 

 

2012

1. Indianapolis Colts: Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin
2. Washington Redskins: Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
3. Cleveland Browns: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
4. Minnesota Vikings: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse 

The 2012 quarterback class is absolutely wild. This collection of signal callers have had some crazy, diverse, and interesting careers in the NFL. We’ve got Robert Griffin III going from winning Rookie of the Year to blowing out his knee and finding himself out of the NFL completely. Andrew Luck came in as one of the most hyped prospects in history, then promptly retired just months after throwing for 39 touchdowns. There’s the folklorish career of Nick Foles who famously filled in for an injured Carson Wentz and played out of his mind to lead the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl. Case Keenum broke FBS records yet went undrafted, then went on to throw the Minneapolis Miracle to Stefon Diggs in 2017. 6’7″ Brock Osweiler had a few solid outings filling in for Peyton Manning then got handed a $72 million contract by Houston, now he’s out of the league. The 22nd pick, Brandon Weeden, gave up his baseball career and went on to become the oldest player ever drafted into the NFL. Of course, the Browns thought it was a good idea to rebuild around a rookie quarterback who was nearly 30. Then there’s the best of the group, the undersized Russell Wilson who won a Super Bowl in just his second season. What made this class’ re-draft so tricky was: What the hell do we do about the premature retirements of Andrew Luck and Luke Kuechly? Picks 1 & 2 are etched in stone, so for the final three spots I narrowed it down to Andrew Luck, Harrison Smith, Chandler Jones, Fletcher Cox, Stephon Gilmore, and Luke Kuechly. Apologies to Mr. Luck, but he only played five and a half full seasons of football, and with the abundance of talent in this class, he just can’t be considered for a top 5 pick. Although Kuechly made 7 Pro Bowls in 8 seasons, all the other players listed above are going to play another 5-10 years, while he enjoys retired life. It looks strange to see both guys left off this list, but longevity matters. The last item of note on 2012’s re-draft is that every player in the top 5 has a Super Bowl ring, 2012 was an extremely impressive class.

 

Class Talent Grade: A

 

 

2013

1. Kansas City Chiefs: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
3. Miami Dolphins: David Bakhtiari, OT, Colorado
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
5. Detroit Lions: Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State

When you look back at the history of the NFL draft, there’s one glaring trend. The first overall pick is almost always a QB, LT, or DE. The last time a wide receiver went #1 was Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. In the 2013 re-draft, the WR position is making a comeback and Hopkins goes #1 to the Chiefs. I really struggled to find a talking point about the 2013 Draft. I guess the only item of note is that 2013 was the worst QB draft class in NFL history. E.J. Manuel, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, Landry Jones, Ryan Nissab, just absolutely zip, zilch, nada from the QB spot in this draft. Not much more to say here, 2013 will be remembered as the most boring draft of the 21st century.

 

Class Talent Grade: D+

 

2014

1. Houston Texans: Aaron Donald, DT, Notre Dame
2. St. Louis Rams: Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
4. Buffalo Bills: Zack Martin, OG, Notre Dame
5. Oakland Raiders: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU

The 2014 Draft is hilarious for this one simple fact; every single player chosen between picks 5-17 all have made at least one Pro Bowl…except for one: cornerback Justin Gilbert who was taken at #9 by who else? The Cleveland Browns. Browns fans will also never forget this draft as this is the year they took Johnny Manziel with the 22nd pick. 2014 was just not their year, but what year is? Picks 1 & 2 are obvious, but many might be surprised to see Mike Evans ahead of Odell. OBJ may have more talent than Evans, but you know what I’m not getting with Evans? Sideline tantrums, going on a party boat with Trey Songz during the week of a playoff game, slamming helmets into kicking nets, etc. Those things matter. Beckham has also struggled with injuries; while Evans has been incredibly durable. Evans has 1,000+ yards in every season he’s been in the league, I don’t think it’s that bold of a claim.

 

Class Talent Grade: A

 

2015

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland
2. Tennessee Titans: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
4. Oakland Raiders: Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
5. Washington Redskins: Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA

The big debate surrounding the 2015 class was Jameis vs. Mariota, who do you take? The answer was neither. Both are entering year six of their careers and both find themselves in backup roles entering the 2020 campaign. With a horrible quarterback class that also featured Trevor Siemian, Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson, Sean Mannion, and Bryce Petty, 2015’s class became very tough to re-draft. After much debate, the Bucs select Stefon Diggs at #1. After the year he had with Buffalo, he’s cemented himself as a top 5 receiver in the league. Picks 2-5 were pretty murky, all have had similar careers, and I don’t feel great about the order, but so be it. In this re-draft a three former Vikings make the top 5 and Marcus Peters heads to Jacksonville. Overall, 2015’s class was pretty weak, no real superstars to show for it.

 

Class Talent Grade: C-

 

2016

1. Los Angeles Rams: Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
2. Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
3. San Diego Chargers: Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State
4. Dallas Cowboys: Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyreek Hill, WR, West Alabama

The 2016 Draft will always be remembered as the Laremy Tunsil gas mask bong draft. Truly one of the craziest draft moments of all-time. This re-draft was extremely tough. The first seven picks of this draft have all made at least one Pro Bowl. I wanted to go with my heart over my head at the first overall pick, but I just couldn’t. We gotta abide by the draft rules outlined in the beginning. Durability is truly a skill. Aside from Russell Wilson and Tom Brady, since 2016 no quarterback has won more games than Dak Prescott. Over their four year careers, Dak bests Wentz in virtually every single statistical category. Games played, passing yards, rushing yards, touchdowns, QBR, completion percentage, everything! Carson Wentz has also completed just ONE career playoff pass and it went for three yards. Yes, Wentz is more talented than Dak, I’m not arguing that. Some of the throws in Wentz’s highlight reel are truly jaw dropping (YouTube Wentz throw vs. Seattle, 2017). However, Wentz has a troubled injury history dating back to college, while Dak has never missed a single game in his four year career. So I’m sorry, but as of right now Dak would have gone #1 in 2016. There were a ton of worthy candidates for the #5 pick, but Tyreek Hill is a swiss army knife and the fastest player in football. Hill is the only player in NFL history to return a punt for a TD, rush for a TD, and catch a TD all in the same game. He can be used in so many different ways and truly unlocks KC’s offense, not to mention he has made the Pro Bowl in every season he’s been in the league.

 

Class Talent Grade: A

 

2017

1. Cleveland Browns: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
2. Chicago Bears: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
3. San Francisco 49ers: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
5. Tennessee Titans: George Kittle, TE, Iowa

Nothing will make a Bears fan cringe more than bringing up the 2017 NFL Draft. It’s no secret that the Bears made one of the biggest blunders in NFL draft history by trading up to take Mitchell Trubisky when Mahomes and Watson were still available. This is also the sixth straight year the Jags have a top-5 pick…BRUTAL. As we’ve covered, I have a bias against running backs going in the first round, but Christian McCaffrey is the Panthers offense. He had 1,400 yards on the ground and 1,000 yards receiving, making him just the 3rd player in history to have an 1,000 & 1,000 season. Without McCaffrey, the Panthers probably would have had the 1st overall pick in last year’s draft. The Titans pick was really tough. There were a ton of worthy candidates like Marlon Humphrey, Marshon Lattimore, Myles Garrett, and Alvin Kamara. However, George Kittle is the best tight end in football right now, and will be for a long time. Not only did Kittle set an NFL record for receiving yards in a season in 2018, but he’s also one of the best blocking TEs in the game as well. Easy choice for Tennessee here.

 

Class Talent Grade: A-

 

2018

1. Cleveland Browns: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2. New York Giants: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
3. New York Jets: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
4. Cleveland Browns: Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State
5. Denver Broncos: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama 

The 2018 Draft was touted as one of the deepest QB drafts in history. Funny enough the last of the five chosen in the first round has had the best career by far. 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson is the clear cut #1 pick in the 2018 re-draft and Josh Allen comes in as a close second. Injuries played a huge factor in this re-draft, as Bradley Chubb, Derwin James, and Denzel Ward have all missed significant time with injury. One item of note about the 2018 draft is that Miami just gave up on Minkah Fitzpatrick a year after he was drafted. That trade was an absolute disaster for the Dolphins even though they received a 1st rounder in return. Fitzpatrick reminds me a lot of another former Steelers safety, Troy Polamalu. He’s always around the ball, making plays, and finding the end zone. However, Darius Leonard led the league in tackles in his rookie year and has had the better career, so he comes in at #4.

 

Class Talent Grade: B-

 

2019

1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2. San Francisco 49ers: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
3. New York Jets: Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
4. Oakland Raiders: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

I truly commend the Cardinals and GM Steve Keim for their decision making in the 2019 Draft. Quarterback is the most important position in sports and they decided less than a year after taking Josh Rosen, “Ya know what, he’s just not the guy”. Arizona was going to take as many bites of the proverbial “quarterback apple” as they could until they found a franchise guy, and props to them, they did. Could Kyler some day be a top 10 QB? Sure, but right now Nick Bosa is one of the best defensive players in football. Period. If you just look at the numbers, you may not see it. But when you turn on his tape, even when he isn’t getting sacks, he is making the O-line work, wearing them down, causing pressures, which lead to bad throws and interceptions. Nick was the best defensive player on a Super Bowl caliber defense in his first year in the league. Bosa is going to be one of the best defensive players in the league for a long time. Murray also did not throw for a touchdown in 6/16 games he played in last year. Kyler’s going to be good, but Bosa is just a much better player at one of the marquee positions in football. 2019’s receiver class was also extremely deep with A.J. Brown, Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Hollywood. It’s a tough decision, but I just keep thinking back to the playoff game D.K. Metcalf had against the Eagles. 9 rec, 160 yards, 1 TD, the most receiving yards ever by a rookie in a playoff game. He’s going to be a problem for cornerbacks in this league for a long time. It’s much too early to tell how these guys careers will turn out, but for now this is the 2019 re-draft.

 

Class Talent Grade: C+

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