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The 2016 NFL Draft is somehow almost 10 years removed from where we are now, which is a pretty fascinating thing to think about.
That's the one where Jared Goff went first to the Los Angeles Rams and Carson Wentz went right after him to the Philadelphia Eagles. There were some busts in this first round, to be sure. However, some great players came out of the 2016 draft class, with some mid-round steals helping boost the teams that lucked upon them.
LATEST NFL MOCK DRAFT: Top 10 update after Giants-Bengals trade
What if we redrafted that year's first round? How would it go? Well, we've tried to make fresh picks for all of the NFL teams who made selections in that first round. Some teams made big changes, while others stayed right where they were with the guys they chose. Also, remember the New England Patriots had their pick forfeited over Deflategate.
Like we did when we redrafted the 2014 NFL Draft and the 2015 NFL Draft, let's dive in and see how this all goes.
Original pick: QB Jared Goff
New pick: QB Jared Goff
Goff is an essential part of Rams' history, even if he never directly brought the team a Super Bowl win. His general competence and ability to run Sean McVay's offense led the Rams to their first big game of the McVay era, which ended in a loss to the New England Patriots. Goff was the centerpiece for the Matthew Stafford trade, which gave the Rams the quarterback needed to go the distance and finally win a Super Bowl in 2022. You can't get here without the franchise taking Goff in 2016. This pick cannot change in order for the Rams to win the big one.
Original pick: QB Carson Wentz
New pick: QB Dak Prescott
The Eagles can turn back time and snag a franchise quarterback away from the Dallas Cowboys by taking Prescott with the team's second overall selection. Sure, drafting Wentz and his subsequent injury to thrust Nick Foles into the starting job won the team a Super Bowl. However, we still think Philadelphia would reach the promised land with Prescott under center. He would have given the team a decade-plus of stability at the position. Wentz never quite lived up to his early success in Philadelphia, even if he remains in the NFL as a solid backup option for teams.
Original pick: DE Joey Bosa
New pick: DE Joey Bosa
Bosa's health has prevented him from living fully up to his potential, but he was still one of the best edge rushers of his generation at his peak. We have a feeling the Chargers wouldn't take this pick back, even if the team eventually knew that Bosa wouldn't quite stay on the field as much as hoped. He's still an elite defender in his heyday. We got close to going with defensive tackle Chris Jones here, but we'll give Bosa the edge for what the team needed then.
Original pick: RB Ezekiel Elliott
New pick: RB Derrick Henry
Jerry Jones trades out one star running back for another with Elliott for Henry. Sure, Elliott had a tremendous career, but Henry is still going as one of the NFL's best running backs. If the team was really sold on taking a running back way back then, you go Henry every time. He's the NFL's most bruising running back in a generation.
Original pick: CB Jalen Ramsey
New pick: DT Chris Jones
Ramsey, in his prime, was one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. However, he's bounced around a bit over the years. Jones has been a pillar of elite consistency for Kansas City ever since he joined the team a decade ago. If you're Jacksonville, you crave what Jones will be become. He'd likely still be with the team if drafted here. Even though Ramsey was absolute elite in his prime, Jones is still one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
Original pick: OT Ronnie Staley
New pick: OT Ronnie Staley
The Ravens stick with Stanley all these years later, a franchise left tackle who should have plenty of good football left ahead of him. When you can get your blindside protector right for a decade-plus, you don't second-guess it.
Original pick: DT DeForest Buckner
New pick: WR Tyreek Hill
Buckner was a stalwart defensive lineman for San Francisco, one of the best to play in a 49ers uniform over the last decade. However, Hill's explosive speed in future 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's offense would have wreaked havoc on the rest of the NFL. We'll say San Fran lucks out with the schematic fit by taking Hill a year before Shanny arrives.
Original pick: OT Jack Conklin
New pick: CB Jalen Ramsey
The Titans see a falling Ramsey and pounce on him, keeping the hometown hero and Brentwood Academy legend in Music City as the new lockdown corner in Tennessee's secondary. Ramsey may still be with the team if this happens, given his deep ties to the area. We love how this alternate draft goes for the Titans, even if Henry is gone.
Original pick: OLB Leonard Floyd
New pick: DT DeForest Buckner
Floyd eventually developed into one of the better veteran edge rushers in the NFL, but it took him a while. His best playing days were never in a Bears uniform. Buckner falling here gives Chicago a safer bet in the trenches.
Original pick: CB Eli Apple
New pick: OT Laremy Tunsil
With tackle Will Beatty nearing the end of his career at the time and quarterback Eli Manning not long behind him, the Giants ignore the Tunsil bong controversy and add a franchise left tackle in the process. Apple wouldn't be a first rounder in a redraft, but Tunsil would go a bit higher than he did in reality for our imaginary purposes.
Original pick: CB Vernon Hargreaves
New pick: S Kevin Byard
The Bucs could have gone in a number of directions with how the redraft board went, but we'll say they still invest in the secondary with Byard. The MTSU legend rose above his third-round standing and eventually became one of the NFL's best safeties who is still playing today. We imagine Tampa Bay would be thrilled to have him at this juncture.
Original pick: DT Sheldon Rankins
New pick: WR Michael Thomas
The Saints make sure they still get Thomas in the fold in this redraft after snagging him in the second round. Rankins is still a viable rotational piece on any defensive line, but Thomas was a superstar there for a second. he is just too integral to the team's late-stage Drew Brees surge to lose him in this redraft process.
Original pick: OT Laremy Tunsil
New pick: OG Joe Thuney
Sure, the Dolphins don't get Tunsil in this redraft. However, they get a future Hall of Fame guard in Thuney in the process. He would be an anchor on the Miami offensive line and give the Dolphins roughly the same of what they got out of Tunsil. Offensive line is still the right call with Thuney still on the board for Miami in this redraft.
Original pick: S Karl Joseph
New pick: S Justin Simmons
In our redraft, the Raiders take Simmons away from the Denver Broncos and bring him to then-Oakland. If the team was trying to find an elite safety to solidify its secondary, Simmons would have been the perfect fit.
Original pick: WR Corey Coleman
New pick: QB Carson Wentz
The Browns have struggled mightily to find a quarterback for so long, and Wentz would have been a very fair bet here. He likely defeats Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in a camp battle and gives Cleveland a quality starter at the position. Maybe, in this alternate universe, Wentz can stay healthy for the Browns? Midway through the first, we like the fit for Wentz and Cleveland both. There are good players available, but Wentz is great value at this stage.
Original pick: OT Taylor Decker
New pick: OT Taylor Decker
Decker was a home run for Detroit here, a franchise left tackle who helped guide the team through its 2020s revival. You can't imagine the team going in another direction in this redraft.
Original pick: S Keanu Neal
New pick: S Keanu Neal
Neal played a vital role in Atlanta's two-year stretch of meaningful playoff aspirations, so we'll leave him the choice for the Falcons. He was a great starter for Atlanta for a good while there.
Original pick: C Ryan Kelly
New pick: C Ryan Kelly
Kelly's unfortunate concussion history has to be considered when looking at the full scope of his career. However, he was one of the best NFL centers while healthy. We feel like Indy would keep him here over another player.
Original pick: DE Shaq Lawson
New pick: DT Javon Hargrave
Lawson never materialized into the impact defensive lineman that the Bills needed. In this redraft, the team snags Hargrave, a third-round steal, to help anchor its defensive front. Hargrave is a first-round talent in hindsight.
Original pick: OLB Darron Lee
New pick: ILB Deion Jones
Lee didn't pan out for New York, but Jones would have. The LSU linebacker turned into a Pro Bowler for the Falcons as a second-round steal. We have a feeling New York would've loved adding Jones into the fold a decade ago.
Original pick: WR Will Fuller
New pick: WR Tyler Boyd
Fuller had a solid career, but a lack of availability haunted him throughout his NFL tenure. Boyd wasn't always healthy himself, but he's one of the best receivers in this class. We feel like he would have been the better pick for Houston a decade later with the team needing to add to its wideout room to compliment DeAndre Hopkins.
Original pick: WR Josh Doctson
New pick: RB Ezekiel Elliott
The Commanders didn't really need another receiver, with Doctson not quite working out as far as first-round selections should. Elliott goes through a wild tumble in this redraft, if only because running back isn't a huge need for the teams picking after Dallas in this alternate universe. Washington snags Elliott late and makes him the focal point of its offense. This is a great redraft for the Commanders; we're sure they would have been thrilled here.
Original pick: WR Laquon Treadwell
New pick: OT Jack Conklin
The Vikings decide to add a tackle for the future in this redraft with Conklin. With Matt Kalil on the last year of his Vikings tenure and a litany of injuries that hit the position that year, Conklin would have stepped in immediately to help on either side of the offensive line. He could have forged a good career in Minnesota through this redraft.
Original pick: CB William Jackson III
New pick: CB Xavien Howard
Jackson was a solid pro there for a bit, but Howard locked down opposing wide receivers for a number of years with the Miami Dolphins. He would have given the Bengals so much more viability at the position long-term.
Original pick: CB Artie Burns
New pick: CB James Bradberry
Burns was decent during his NFL career, but Bradberry played at a very high level for a number of years. He would have given Pittsburgh the long-term starter it wanted in Burns through this redraft.
Original pick: QB Paxton Lynch
New pick: QB Jacoby Brissett
The Broncos had a mess at quarterback in 2016 after Peyton Manning's retirement. Lynch never developed into an NFL starter, but Brissett is slated to start for the Arizona Cardinals in the fall. He's been one of the best backup quarterbacks over the last decade, and he would have been an improvement over anyone Denver had that year.
Original pick: DT Kenny Clark
New pick: DT Kenny Clark
The Packers luck out by keeping Clark in this redraft. There's no world where the Packers want this to go any differently with how good Clark was for them for so long.
Original pick: OG Joshua Garnett
New pick: OG Cody Whitehair
Garnett struggled with injuries throughout his career, but Whitehair gave the Chicago Bears a decent starter for a number of years. If San Francisco still wants a guard in this redraft, we like the Whitehair fit quite a bit.
Origina pick: DT Robert Nkemdiche
New pick: DT D.J. Reader
Reader slipped all the way to Day 3 somehow in 2016, while Nkemdiche never materialized into a full-time NFL starter. Reader heads to Arizona in this redraft and gives them a run-stuffer who is still active in the NFL.
Original pick: DT Vernon Butler
New pick: DT Sheldon Rankins
Rankins had a good career start with New Orleans Saints, and the Panthers snag him here late in the first round to boost its defensive front. Carolina benefits from a falling Rankings, who goes later in this redraft.
Original pick: OT Germain Ifedi
New pick: OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai
The Seahawks exchange Ifedi for Vaitai in this redraft, a very solid right tackle who had a much more sturdy career than Ifedi did. In this redraft, Seattle gets a better return on its hope for an offensive lineman.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2016 NFL Redraft: Changing up the first round 10 years later
Continue reading...
That's the one where Jared Goff went first to the Los Angeles Rams and Carson Wentz went right after him to the Philadelphia Eagles. There were some busts in this first round, to be sure. However, some great players came out of the 2016 draft class, with some mid-round steals helping boost the teams that lucked upon them.
LATEST NFL MOCK DRAFT: Top 10 update after Giants-Bengals trade
What if we redrafted that year's first round? How would it go? Well, we've tried to make fresh picks for all of the NFL teams who made selections in that first round. Some teams made big changes, while others stayed right where they were with the guys they chose. Also, remember the New England Patriots had their pick forfeited over Deflategate.
Like we did when we redrafted the 2014 NFL Draft and the 2015 NFL Draft, let's dive in and see how this all goes.
1. Los Angeles Rams
Original pick: QB Jared Goff
New pick: QB Jared Goff
Goff is an essential part of Rams' history, even if he never directly brought the team a Super Bowl win. His general competence and ability to run Sean McVay's offense led the Rams to their first big game of the McVay era, which ended in a loss to the New England Patriots. Goff was the centerpiece for the Matthew Stafford trade, which gave the Rams the quarterback needed to go the distance and finally win a Super Bowl in 2022. You can't get here without the franchise taking Goff in 2016. This pick cannot change in order for the Rams to win the big one.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Original pick: QB Carson Wentz
New pick: QB Dak Prescott
The Eagles can turn back time and snag a franchise quarterback away from the Dallas Cowboys by taking Prescott with the team's second overall selection. Sure, drafting Wentz and his subsequent injury to thrust Nick Foles into the starting job won the team a Super Bowl. However, we still think Philadelphia would reach the promised land with Prescott under center. He would have given the team a decade-plus of stability at the position. Wentz never quite lived up to his early success in Philadelphia, even if he remains in the NFL as a solid backup option for teams.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
Original pick: DE Joey Bosa
New pick: DE Joey Bosa
Bosa's health has prevented him from living fully up to his potential, but he was still one of the best edge rushers of his generation at his peak. We have a feeling the Chargers wouldn't take this pick back, even if the team eventually knew that Bosa wouldn't quite stay on the field as much as hoped. He's still an elite defender in his heyday. We got close to going with defensive tackle Chris Jones here, but we'll give Bosa the edge for what the team needed then.
4. Dallas Cowboys
Original pick: RB Ezekiel Elliott
New pick: RB Derrick Henry
Jerry Jones trades out one star running back for another with Elliott for Henry. Sure, Elliott had a tremendous career, but Henry is still going as one of the NFL's best running backs. If the team was really sold on taking a running back way back then, you go Henry every time. He's the NFL's most bruising running back in a generation.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
Original pick: CB Jalen Ramsey
New pick: DT Chris Jones
Ramsey, in his prime, was one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. However, he's bounced around a bit over the years. Jones has been a pillar of elite consistency for Kansas City ever since he joined the team a decade ago. If you're Jacksonville, you crave what Jones will be become. He'd likely still be with the team if drafted here. Even though Ramsey was absolute elite in his prime, Jones is still one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
6. Baltimore Ravens
Original pick: OT Ronnie Staley
New pick: OT Ronnie Staley
The Ravens stick with Stanley all these years later, a franchise left tackle who should have plenty of good football left ahead of him. When you can get your blindside protector right for a decade-plus, you don't second-guess it.
7. San Francisco 49ers
Original pick: DT DeForest Buckner
New pick: WR Tyreek Hill
Buckner was a stalwart defensive lineman for San Francisco, one of the best to play in a 49ers uniform over the last decade. However, Hill's explosive speed in future 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's offense would have wreaked havoc on the rest of the NFL. We'll say San Fran lucks out with the schematic fit by taking Hill a year before Shanny arrives.
8. Tennessee Titans
Original pick: OT Jack Conklin
New pick: CB Jalen Ramsey
The Titans see a falling Ramsey and pounce on him, keeping the hometown hero and Brentwood Academy legend in Music City as the new lockdown corner in Tennessee's secondary. Ramsey may still be with the team if this happens, given his deep ties to the area. We love how this alternate draft goes for the Titans, even if Henry is gone.
9. Chicago Bears
Original pick: OLB Leonard Floyd
New pick: DT DeForest Buckner
Floyd eventually developed into one of the better veteran edge rushers in the NFL, but it took him a while. His best playing days were never in a Bears uniform. Buckner falling here gives Chicago a safer bet in the trenches.
10. New York Giants
Original pick: CB Eli Apple
New pick: OT Laremy Tunsil
With tackle Will Beatty nearing the end of his career at the time and quarterback Eli Manning not long behind him, the Giants ignore the Tunsil bong controversy and add a franchise left tackle in the process. Apple wouldn't be a first rounder in a redraft, but Tunsil would go a bit higher than he did in reality for our imaginary purposes.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Original pick: CB Vernon Hargreaves
New pick: S Kevin Byard
The Bucs could have gone in a number of directions with how the redraft board went, but we'll say they still invest in the secondary with Byard. The MTSU legend rose above his third-round standing and eventually became one of the NFL's best safeties who is still playing today. We imagine Tampa Bay would be thrilled to have him at this juncture.
12. New Orleans Saints
Original pick: DT Sheldon Rankins
New pick: WR Michael Thomas
The Saints make sure they still get Thomas in the fold in this redraft after snagging him in the second round. Rankins is still a viable rotational piece on any defensive line, but Thomas was a superstar there for a second. he is just too integral to the team's late-stage Drew Brees surge to lose him in this redraft process.
13. Miami Dolphins
Original pick: OT Laremy Tunsil
New pick: OG Joe Thuney
Sure, the Dolphins don't get Tunsil in this redraft. However, they get a future Hall of Fame guard in Thuney in the process. He would be an anchor on the Miami offensive line and give the Dolphins roughly the same of what they got out of Tunsil. Offensive line is still the right call with Thuney still on the board for Miami in this redraft.
14. Las Vegas Raiders
Original pick: S Karl Joseph
New pick: S Justin Simmons
In our redraft, the Raiders take Simmons away from the Denver Broncos and bring him to then-Oakland. If the team was trying to find an elite safety to solidify its secondary, Simmons would have been the perfect fit.
15. Cleveland Browns
Original pick: WR Corey Coleman
New pick: QB Carson Wentz
The Browns have struggled mightily to find a quarterback for so long, and Wentz would have been a very fair bet here. He likely defeats Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in a camp battle and gives Cleveland a quality starter at the position. Maybe, in this alternate universe, Wentz can stay healthy for the Browns? Midway through the first, we like the fit for Wentz and Cleveland both. There are good players available, but Wentz is great value at this stage.
16. Detroit Lions
Original pick: OT Taylor Decker
New pick: OT Taylor Decker
Decker was a home run for Detroit here, a franchise left tackle who helped guide the team through its 2020s revival. You can't imagine the team going in another direction in this redraft.
17. Atlanta Falcons
Original pick: S Keanu Neal
New pick: S Keanu Neal
Neal played a vital role in Atlanta's two-year stretch of meaningful playoff aspirations, so we'll leave him the choice for the Falcons. He was a great starter for Atlanta for a good while there.
18. Indianapolis Colts
Original pick: C Ryan Kelly
New pick: C Ryan Kelly
Kelly's unfortunate concussion history has to be considered when looking at the full scope of his career. However, he was one of the best NFL centers while healthy. We feel like Indy would keep him here over another player.
19. Buffalo Bills
Original pick: DE Shaq Lawson
New pick: DT Javon Hargrave
Lawson never materialized into the impact defensive lineman that the Bills needed. In this redraft, the team snags Hargrave, a third-round steal, to help anchor its defensive front. Hargrave is a first-round talent in hindsight.
20. New York Jets
Original pick: OLB Darron Lee
New pick: ILB Deion Jones
Lee didn't pan out for New York, but Jones would have. The LSU linebacker turned into a Pro Bowler for the Falcons as a second-round steal. We have a feeling New York would've loved adding Jones into the fold a decade ago.
21. Houston Texans
Original pick: WR Will Fuller
New pick: WR Tyler Boyd
Fuller had a solid career, but a lack of availability haunted him throughout his NFL tenure. Boyd wasn't always healthy himself, but he's one of the best receivers in this class. We feel like he would have been the better pick for Houston a decade later with the team needing to add to its wideout room to compliment DeAndre Hopkins.
22. Washington Commanders
Original pick: WR Josh Doctson
New pick: RB Ezekiel Elliott
The Commanders didn't really need another receiver, with Doctson not quite working out as far as first-round selections should. Elliott goes through a wild tumble in this redraft, if only because running back isn't a huge need for the teams picking after Dallas in this alternate universe. Washington snags Elliott late and makes him the focal point of its offense. This is a great redraft for the Commanders; we're sure they would have been thrilled here.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Original pick: WR Laquon Treadwell
New pick: OT Jack Conklin
The Vikings decide to add a tackle for the future in this redraft with Conklin. With Matt Kalil on the last year of his Vikings tenure and a litany of injuries that hit the position that year, Conklin would have stepped in immediately to help on either side of the offensive line. He could have forged a good career in Minnesota through this redraft.
24. Cincinnati Bengals
Original pick: CB William Jackson III
New pick: CB Xavien Howard
Jackson was a solid pro there for a bit, but Howard locked down opposing wide receivers for a number of years with the Miami Dolphins. He would have given the Bengals so much more viability at the position long-term.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers
Original pick: CB Artie Burns
New pick: CB James Bradberry
Burns was decent during his NFL career, but Bradberry played at a very high level for a number of years. He would have given Pittsburgh the long-term starter it wanted in Burns through this redraft.
26. Denver Broncos
Original pick: QB Paxton Lynch
New pick: QB Jacoby Brissett
The Broncos had a mess at quarterback in 2016 after Peyton Manning's retirement. Lynch never developed into an NFL starter, but Brissett is slated to start for the Arizona Cardinals in the fall. He's been one of the best backup quarterbacks over the last decade, and he would have been an improvement over anyone Denver had that year.
27. Green Bay Packers
Original pick: DT Kenny Clark
New pick: DT Kenny Clark
The Packers luck out by keeping Clark in this redraft. There's no world where the Packers want this to go any differently with how good Clark was for them for so long.
28. San Francisco 49ers
Original pick: OG Joshua Garnett
New pick: OG Cody Whitehair
Garnett struggled with injuries throughout his career, but Whitehair gave the Chicago Bears a decent starter for a number of years. If San Francisco still wants a guard in this redraft, we like the Whitehair fit quite a bit.
29. Arizona Cardinals
Origina pick: DT Robert Nkemdiche
New pick: DT D.J. Reader
Reader slipped all the way to Day 3 somehow in 2016, while Nkemdiche never materialized into a full-time NFL starter. Reader heads to Arizona in this redraft and gives them a run-stuffer who is still active in the NFL.
30. Carolina Panthers
Original pick: DT Vernon Butler
New pick: DT Sheldon Rankins
Rankins had a good career start with New Orleans Saints, and the Panthers snag him here late in the first round to boost its defensive front. Carolina benefits from a falling Rankings, who goes later in this redraft.
31. Seattle Seahawks
Original pick: OT Germain Ifedi
New pick: OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai
The Seahawks exchange Ifedi for Vaitai in this redraft, a very solid right tackle who had a much more sturdy career than Ifedi did. In this redraft, Seattle gets a better return on its hope for an offensive lineman.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2016 NFL Redraft: Changing up the first round 10 years later
Continue reading...
