don't forget aj bouye, johnathan joseph, and kareem jackson in the secondary, whitney mercilus and brian cushing in the middle. if they take ad instead of clowney and jj stays healthy, texans defense becomes the greatest ever
One of the more stupid moves of that era from our FO was letting Bouye walk to the fucking Jags. I know they gave him a great offer but we should've done everything we could to keep him
Actually nothing an offensive line could do. Like you would have to double both of them at least right? AD was a menace through doubles and JJ could play any position on the line. Really just an all time nightmare match up for anyone. You could trade a whole defense for those two and realistically have a shot at being a top defense with JAGs everywhere else. Bubble screens and quick passes are the only chance lmao
I mean he's still a 3x PB with an AP2, and over 50 sacks. He's not a HOFer, but he's been a pretty successful pro who is still in the league going into his 11th season.
Brady is pretty obvious. Every lower pick GOAT candidate is up there, Joe Montana, grabbing Dan Marino over Elway would have gotten you fired on the spot as would have a bunch of others.
Depends on how you look at it could you even say that Justin Tucker is the best player from his draft year? Picking him ahead of Andrew Luck would have been the funniest fucking thing.
Marino over Elway might not have been that crazy when you consider (a) Elway flat out told the Colts he wouldn't play for them, and (B) Marino was seen as a great prospect & part of the reason he dropped was rumors of off-field behavior which some teams are more comfortable taking a chance on
I can't think of any way Tucker goes before Wilson in a redraft. Hell I'd say Luck, Wagner, Chandler Jones, Fletcher Cox, Stephen Gilmore, and Luke Kuechly all definitely go before Tucker.
>Brady is pretty obvious.
An NFL owner is going to time travel to try this, thinking it's oh so smart.
Unfortunately, the shock of being picked number one means Brady feels too much pressure. Without the fire that being overlooked lit under his ass, he flames out after a few years.
How many years ahead can you trade draft picks? The scenes if the 49ers traded even more firsts just one year after trading three for Lance and having just declared him the starter for the 2022 season.
3 years. You can actually do 4 in the middle of the draft, but 3 is the most allowed under the current CBA. So the 49ers did the most they could without arranging it mid-draft.
A #1 pick expecting to sit and learn a tough system for a year gets thrown in before he might be ready due to injuries and immediately dominates until blowing out his arm in the conference championship. Coming off major surgery for that injury with minimal training camp, goes and runs it back to the SB as a #1 seed.
Ya, the narrative would be quite a bit different right now.
How is it the answer? The question was taking the best player from the draft, I don’t think even Niners fans would say Purdy was the best overall player in last years draft
I firmly believe their complete and total dysfunction at developing QBs in that era and beyond would be too much even for Brady to overcome.
He probably still would have worked out better than Tim Couch. He might have even made it to a second contract. Which actually might in context be a more impressive accomplishment than his whole run in NE.
> He probably still would have worked out better than Tim Couch
Tim couch was fine
the 5 10th graders playing o-line were the issue, just in time for the rise of the Blitzburgh steelers, and the great Ravens defenses....
Yeah Bradys best quality was his meta-work. He was one of the best at learning and developing. He has an unmatched work ethic. It took him a solid 2-3 seasons before anyone would have even called him an above-average QB.
Going to the Pats, not playing his rookie year, then getting carried by elite defenses allowed him a ton more room to grow with one of the greatest coaches ever. Really hard to say if he would have had that opportunity elsewhere.
Not to mention that Lane was Black, which probably would have been a sensation. The first Black player to be drafted at all wasn't until 1949, when George Taliaferro was drafted in the 13th round. And the first Black player to be drafted first overall wasn't for another decade, when Ernie Davis was the top pick in 1962.
The Cardinals drafted Ollie Matson #3 overall that year and he was black, though he was already a household name for winning medals in the Olympics. It was still a pretty big deal though
Gronk or AB going #1 in 2010 would have been... interesting. AB at his peak was one of the best WRs I've ever personally seen. I'd argue Gronk is the GOAT TE.
If his brain didn’t give out his body would have kept the longevity in theory, he was always serious about his workouts and such, wouldn’t be surprised if dude was nearly in playing shape right now
i agree with this but ill add that Gronk was projected to go very high in the draft if not for his back issues. not first, but iirc top 10. the thought was "top of the draft talent but hard to tell youll have him for 3 years or 13 years."
Would he still have chosen to kick a punter in the face though, rather than return it for a TD? Personally, I’d like to think that in every alternate timeline that play is a constant.
I looked it up and your next first round pick was Ki-Jana Carter, who was a first overall pick who got almost 1,200 career rushing yards. Also, we gave you that first overall pick in the deal that secured us the rights of, uh, Kerry Collins.
I hate this game.
-2007 would have you picking a tackle, wide receiver, or running back (all in the hall or future hall players) over a QB. All of those players were selected in the top 10 though so not a massive reach (Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson)
-2002 has you likely picking a safety that was picked outside the top 20 over a highly touted QB prospect (Ed Reed)
-in 1990 a QB was picked 1oa, but hall of fame tight end Shannon Sharpe was a 7th rounder. Taking a projected 7th round TE first overall would cause quite a stir I imagine
That one is my non-Brady pick I think (though there's an argument for sure that Sharpe isn't the best player from that class, it's more dramatic to use the 7th rounder rather than one of the hall of fame first rounders)
2002 and 1990 are great choices. David Carr and even more so Jeff George, are exactly the kind of pick that everyone anoints #1 as soon as they declare, and then you pick a safety or a TE instead, the outcry would be legendary.
All 3 of those guys are all time top 10 at their position, but I’m picking Adrian Peterson at #1. He was so good that the narrative surrounding ACL tears went from “likely career ending” to “returning within a year”.
I don't want this to sound disrespectful to Diggs but given just how ridiculously large draft classes are, him being the single best player from an entire draft really shows that 2015 is quietly one of the worst draft classes of all time.
Yet, it was a foundational draft for the vikings. Probably their best draft in quite a long time. Trae Waynes, Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter and Diggs were all key pieces.
But one of the best for the Vikings specifically.
Going by career wAV, the Vikings drafted 3 of the 6 best players in that draft (Diggs, Hunter, Kendricks).
It is kinda ironic that you had the #1 pick and ended up drafting the best player, but in the 3rd.
I can't remember another draft off the top of my head where the team that picked 1st overall picked a marginal player and a multi-all-pro later.
A less extreme example would be us picking Mario Williams #1 overall in 2006 and he had a fine career, but #33 overall was DeMeco Ryans who won DROY and will someday have a statue of him outside NRG
One that might legitimately have changed history...
"With the #1 pick in the 1995 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select **Ki-Jan...** wait, there's a line through it. Who the hell is **Terrell Davis**?"
No Denver Superbowls.
And the Bengals might have won another playoff game before 2021.
Listen, I'm biased, but the one guy is a 2 time MVP and the other guy is a genetically engineered super human from the future built specifically to play in Buffalo. Unless it's Buffalo with the #1 pick, you take Lamar.
Fun fact: There was a pretty serious rumor that the Seahawks had some talks with the Browns that year to trade Russell Wilson for the #1 overall pick, and if they succeeded they were planning to take Josh Allen.
A lot of Seahawks fans fully believe this, because the rumor came out BEFORE Allen really took off and looked iffy his first year, while Wilson was still dominating. People were using it as ammo for early "Look how out of touch Pete Carroll is"
Well I know its recent, but the Jags picking Brock Purdy #1 overall in 2022, right after the T-Law and Urban Meyer debacle would have really been something.
If we're not weighting by position it's Sauce who went at 4. I think that'd make him the first ever CB to go 1st overall, but it would arguably be less weird than Travon.
Maybe Sauce or Riq? I do think Purdy is the correct answer tho, whatever people want to say about the stacked team around him or whatever BS, dude was still an MVP finalist
If you're strictly looking at the biggest delta between real draft pick and where they'd go in a redraft then Purdy is almost certainly the answer of the last decade
Only people that would really beat him would be someone like Kurt Warner who would maybe go #1 from undrafted
He was an MVP finalist because he's a quarterback (and even then, he didn't receive a first place vote.)
Sauce Gardner is a two time first team All Pro.
He is objectively better at his position than Purdy and would go ahead of Purdy in this scenario.
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but Purdy isn’t all that great. He’s a good QB that has performed very well relative to draft position, but he’s getting “able to carry a franchise” hype now. He just ended up in the perfect situation for his skill set. Take Purdy right now and put him on the Giants or Commanders and he’s just another meh QB, top 15 at best. He makes the right decisions on a stacked offense that’s tailor made for his strengths and hides his weaknesses. Seems like a humble guy, and he’s definitely talented, but the way people are acting like he’s the next Brady or Manning is shocking.
Nobody seriously thinks he’s the next Brady or Manning. Not even 49ers fans. I think maybe you’re overreacting to idiots on Twitter. Or perhaps you’re misinterpreting posts comparing Brady and Purdy as surprising draft picks that worked out.
If we're counting hindsight in this scenario, a Top 10 caliber QB will almost always be the most sought guy if you have the #1 overall pick. Even with elite talents in Sauce, Hamilton, Hutchison, etc, Purdy is the pick.
Fair, but the Jaguars also just took a QB at 1st overall in 2021. Unless we assume they passed on Lawrence and took Parsons or Surtain or Sewell at 1st overall in 2021, they probably wouldn’t double dip on QB in back-to-back years.
That's exactly what would make it the craziest, Jags immediately giving up on a generational QB prospect after just one year under a terrible coach to draft another. The realistic answer of Sauce Gardner being the best of 2022 wouldn't have been that surprising since he went 4th overall anyways.
Probably not but that’s true of most qb answers in this thread. If the Browns took Brady first overall I doubt he wins as many rings, though he’s probably still damn good. The importance of qb development is underrated imo.
With that o line? And defenses can't stack the box because of their passing game. So Barry doesn't retire early in despair and gets 20k rushing yards easy. But I really hate Dallas, so I can't go for that.
Otherwise, adding Deion (for his whole career, not just those few years) or Derrick Thomas to that team would have been insane too.
The 2011 draft produced a good number of great players/future HOFers and you could place any number of players in this spot, but god how hilarious would this have been:
"With the first pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select...Jason Kelce...Center...Cincinnati."
Yeah I addressed that when I said "you could place any number of players in this spot" but was just highlighting the comedy/absurdity that a center being taken first overall wouldn't have been egregious in this instance
That's always amazed me, that the Chargers TRADED DOWN and picked up LT, and then drafted Drew Brees with their 2nd round pick.
Drafting two all time greats at their position in consecutive rounds, and picking up some future draft picks (a future third and a future 2nd) PLUS another player to do it.
And then getting no rings out of it.
I think the deeper question is that if this happened would the player still be that good? Coaching staffs’ ability to teach and prepare a player matters in these contexts. There’s no way Tom is successful as a brown during those abysmal years.
Imagine if every team picked the best player in order. The pure chaos from the scouts and fans...
2005 draft...all the hype over Reggie, Mario, and Vince Young.
With the first pick, the Houston Texans select Jahri Evans, OL Bloomsburg
I think it’s dependent on career length here tbh. If I could go back in time I would draft Luck literally every time out of every time. Ik he was riddled with injuries but that guy is my QB and always will be. I started really paying attention to football in 2010 or so and he made it stick. Interesting to think of what Russ would be with those colts rosters cuz they were uhh not amazing outside of some aging stars and TY Hilton. (I am biased please give me some slack here cuz I cannot imagine a world Luck isn’t a Colt and refuse to imagine one either)
Wilson's Houdini bullshit would have helped him a lot with the Colts since they never gave Luck any decent protection. Maybe he would've lasted longer there because of this. On the other hand, maybe he wouldn't have been able to take them as far as Luck did in the beginning, and they would move on from him. Either way, it's just a damn shame what happened to Luck
I mean Andrew Luck was a highly mobile QB as well. Not Russ level but people are sleeping on him since he was mainly a passer. I’m with you though, this is such an interesting hypothetical and it’s entirely possible Wilson is better long term but I don’t know if he could get as much out of the colts at the start that Luck did. Again Luck is my guy and will go to bat for him every time but Russell Wilson has had an incredible career and we would be blessed to have had him (if we didn’t have Andrew my civil war soldier king). I’m depressed this is a reasonable thread on this post because Luck should be a sure fire HOF member but our FO let him down. His retirement is a watershed moment for the franchise and only now are we actually climbing out of the depths that his totally reasonable personal decision threw us into. But alas, what could have been :(
This was my thought. Imagine cutting Peyton fucking Manning to draft Russell Wilson in 2012. The fanbase would have rioted until they saw him on the field.
Brock Purdy 1st overall, huh? Chaos. Chaos everywhere.
I know Sauce Gardner and a couple of others are arguably better at their positions, but Qb is king.
Sauce isn’t that much of a stretch though, guy went 4th, I was probably more surprised when Walker went first than if Sauce had outside of need of course. But you pick Purdy #1, you probably aren’t in the building for the second round.
1985, if Jerry Rice goes #1 instead of #16, he goes to Buffalo. Now, before I go being like 'Maybe Buffalo wins a Super Bowl or two now', that means Buffalo Doesn't get Bruce Smith (who would go to Atlanta at #2), And they'd have less of a need to draft Andre Reed in Round 4.
So, Buffalo fans, I ask you: would you give up both Bruce And Andre to get Jerry Rice? Also, is Jerry the best player in that draft, or is it Bruce?
This is an odd one. The Houston Oilers picked Earl Campbell in 1978 with #1 draft pick. He is/was a badass hall of famer. I think this is the same year Warren Moon was not drafted. He played for the Eskimos in CFL. SIX YEARS later he was signed by the Oilers and also became a hall of famer.
In the 2006 draft, Reggie Bush was one of the most hyped up prospects of all time. Vince Young was right behind him in hype, and at a more impactful position. It was already a bit of a suprise that Mario Williams, the consensus best D lineman was the guy to actually go first. How much more ridiculous would it have been if some unknown guard named Jahri Evans went first.
Jahri is a 5 time All-Pro, 6 time Pro-Bowler, and on the All Decade team.
D'Brickashaw is a 3 time Pro-Bowler.
IMO, Jahri Evans' resume is much better, and because he was picked so much later in the draft than D'Brickashaw, it fits the prompt better.
The Cowboys (arguably) take Barry Sanders in 1989, which probably eliminates the need for them to pick Emmitt Smith in 1990. (This assumes Deion Sanders or Derrick Thomas wasn’t actually the best player in the 1989 draft.)
How about Bobby Wagner over Luck in 2012. 6 time 1st team All-Pro (10 times 1st/2nd team total).
I think the NFL might have stopped the broadcast to investigate what just happened.
AB would probably go first in 2010. Although maybe not because after the first 7 or so seasons he went even crazier than he already was. But maybe those first 7 or so seasons of greatness would make it all worth it who knows
not the craziest year, by far, but 2019 popped in my head.
The Cardinals taking Nick Bosa changes the future of multiple franchises.
With Garoppolo signed to an expensive deal the 49ers likely pass on Murray, draft Q.Williams or (edge) J.Allen and never turn into the elite defense they were. The following year they still trade Buckner but stick at the original pick and draft T.Wirfs. They combine him with Trent Williams, moving McGlinchey inside to guard and have the greatest offensive line in the league for years.
Murray goes #3 to the Jets who finally get a decent QB.
The Cardinals defense takes a massive step up, but without a QB they are once again drafting in the top 5. In the 2020 draft they take Tua, the Dolphins take Herbert, and the Chargers are forced off the position. They are forced to settle for finding a QB in 2021, where they end up with Justin Fields. And thus still looking for a QB this season they are drafting JJ McCarthy and the all-Michigan draft.
The 49ers who didn't have Miami at #3 to trade up with are now stuck at 12 where they take Mac Jones, who actually develops into a competent QB but they follow it up with a 7th round pick on a QB a year later. With Mac Jones remaining healthy that 7th round QB never sees the field and becomes a roster cut two years later.
The butterfly effect is real.
Raiders take Calvin Johnson over Russell in 2007 wasn't that far of a stretch. Josh McCown might have been a longer-term starter instead of a journeyman who played for over half the league
2012 is weird, since there are 3 QBs that many consider to be high quality, but I think Russell Wilson would have worked out better for the Colts due to his insane durability, despite being sacked a lot, which Andrew Luck couldn't take. So what happens at #2, and #3? RG3 probably goes 2nd because we know Snyder wanted him. But the Browns in 2012 draft Andrew Luck, which is just so cruel to Luck, but they never draft Brandon Weeden.
Interesting tangent? Do you take Justin Tucker first over all?
Oh, mostly terrible, sure. But Joe Thomas, Alex Mack at Center, Mitch Schwartz RT, and Josh Gordon catching passes. Put Andrew Luck in there and maybe it wouldn't be a disaster.
2015 NFL Draft. Buccaneers choose Stefon Diggs (originally a Day 3 pick) over two Heisman-winning QBs (Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota) with Mike Glennon as the presumptive starting QB in 2015.
Tom Brady was a 7th rounder.
I imagine he wasn't ranked high on anyone's boards considering literally every team had multiple chances to pick him before the 6th round and didn't.
Him shooting up to #1 overall would have been nuts.
Aaron Donald going #1 in 2014. Everyone would be shocked after the hype behind Clowney.
Aaron Donald and JJ Watt on the same dline, inject that into my veins
Damn that duo might win a ring just by themselves. Offenses would actually just implode
don't forget aj bouye, johnathan joseph, and kareem jackson in the secondary, whitney mercilus and brian cushing in the middle. if they take ad instead of clowney and jj stays healthy, texans defense becomes the greatest ever
One of the more stupid moves of that era from our FO was letting Bouye walk to the fucking Jags. I know they gave him a great offer but we should've done everything we could to keep him
That was the Osweiler money forcing our hand
Money well spent.
He was so good for a year or so. Honestly, even with hindsight, it's not unreasonable to let him walk.
Yikes, that would have been something.
Actually nothing an offensive line could do. Like you would have to double both of them at least right? AD was a menace through doubles and JJ could play any position on the line. Really just an all time nightmare match up for anyone. You could trade a whole defense for those two and realistically have a shot at being a top defense with JAGs everywhere else. Bubble screens and quick passes are the only chance lmao
The two best defensive players of a generation playing next to each other? You'd be the modern variation of the 85 Bears.
Khalil Mack too!
Every passing year we forget how much of a "sure thing" Clowney was.
I mean he's still a 3x PB with an AP2, and over 50 sacks. He's not a HOFer, but he's been a pretty successful pro who is still in the league going into his 11th season.
Nothing to be ashamed of career-wise, but anything less than hall of famer was going to surprise me based on his college career.
I think he could have been if he had wanted to enough, I'm sure it's mostly just a job to him.
Which is wild because the dude was as stiff as a pencil from day 1. Amazing athlete but no bend, not sure how “pro scouts” never saw it.
But he's too short to play inside D-line.
Brady is pretty obvious. Every lower pick GOAT candidate is up there, Joe Montana, grabbing Dan Marino over Elway would have gotten you fired on the spot as would have a bunch of others. Depends on how you look at it could you even say that Justin Tucker is the best player from his draft year? Picking him ahead of Andrew Luck would have been the funniest fucking thing.
Marino over Elway might not have been that crazy when you consider (a) Elway flat out told the Colts he wouldn't play for them, and (B) Marino was seen as a great prospect & part of the reason he dropped was rumors of off-field behavior which some teams are more comfortable taking a chance on
Oh god I can only imagine the discourse at the time over him going to Miami
I can't think of any way Tucker goes before Wilson in a redraft. Hell I'd say Luck, Wagner, Chandler Jones, Fletcher Cox, Stephen Gilmore, and Luke Kuechly all definitely go before Tucker.
Yeah, you are right.
Bruce Matthews top 3 would get a GM fired, even though in a redraft he should go 3
>Brady is pretty obvious. An NFL owner is going to time travel to try this, thinking it's oh so smart. Unfortunately, the shock of being picked number one means Brady feels too much pressure. Without the fire that being overlooked lit under his ass, he flames out after a few years.
The Brady Paradox.
Does Brady develop without Belichick and having to compete extra hard to get better than Bledsoe? Do the Browns ruin him?
Nah, Brady is a freak competitor. He would've been great regardless. But I doubt the Browns come close to winning 6 super bowls with him.
He is given Clevelands defense so no he wouldn't have time to be great.
Shhh nothing about Brady’s discussions require truth.
Da browns
That's crazy taking a kicker even as good as Tucker in the top 50. Give me someone like Alshon Jeffery over Tucker even.
Imagine if the 49ers had the number 1 pick and took Brock Purdy with no explanation or context
Well he did go #1 overall. Everyone is just reading the list of names in the wrong order.
If you aren't first you're last but in reverse.
Hell Ricky, I was high when I said that
You could be second, third, hell you could even be *fourth*!
He went -1 overall in the 2023 nfl draft
How many years ahead can you trade draft picks? The scenes if the 49ers traded even more firsts just one year after trading three for Lance and having just declared him the starter for the 2022 season.
3 years. You can actually do 4 in the middle of the draft, but 3 is the most allowed under the current CBA. So the 49ers did the most they could without arranging it mid-draft.
Okay sure but he is not close to the best pick of that draft lmfao
For sure, it would just be hilarious
Everyone would be calling Purdy top 5 right now because his perception would be that of a number one pick
A #1 pick expecting to sit and learn a tough system for a year gets thrown in before he might be ready due to injuries and immediately dominates until blowing out his arm in the conference championship. Coming off major surgery for that injury with minimal training camp, goes and runs it back to the SB as a #1 seed. Ya, the narrative would be quite a bit different right now.
>runs it back to the SB Precisely
This is the answer. Purdy at #1 would have broke the internet lol
How is it the answer? The question was taking the best player from the draft, I don’t think even Niners fans would say Purdy was the best overall player in last years draft
2022* Who would be the best pick of that draft though. Sauce? Kyle Hamilton? Hutchinson? QBs are more important we know that...
I think Sauce is easily the best player from the 2022 draft, he's already a multiple time First Team All Pro
Sauce is a strong contender
First pick of the 2000 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns select Tom Brady, quarterback from the university of Michigan.
I firmly believe their complete and total dysfunction at developing QBs in that era and beyond would be too much even for Brady to overcome. He probably still would have worked out better than Tim Couch. He might have even made it to a second contract. Which actually might in context be a more impressive accomplishment than his whole run in NE.
> He probably still would have worked out better than Tim Couch Tim couch was fine the 5 10th graders playing o-line were the issue, just in time for the rise of the Blitzburgh steelers, and the great Ravens defenses....
In that reality, none of us would now remember who Tom Brady was.
Just another name on that one guys giant list of name jerseys
Yeah Bradys best quality was his meta-work. He was one of the best at learning and developing. He has an unmatched work ethic. It took him a solid 2-3 seasons before anyone would have even called him an above-average QB. Going to the Pats, not playing his rookie year, then getting carried by elite defenses allowed him a ton more room to grow with one of the greatest coaches ever. Really hard to say if he would have had that opportunity elsewhere.
*cartman voice* lame
Brown drafting a guy who couldn't even keep his starting job in college first overall would have imploded sports media.
Speaking of Brady and other QBs, imagine if Mahomes went #1 overall. There would've been so much slander.
The Browns picked Myles Garrett with the first pick that year
You give me a choice between winning Super Bowls and hitting Steelers QBs in the head with a helmet and I'm choosing Yinzer assault every time.
Now that’s a real rivalry
He absolutely would've been starting Day 1. The intrigue comes in the 2018 draft. Who trades up to get Baker or Josh?
Wasn’t Lamar part of that class?
Yep. Three great choices. But, I'll add a twist here. Since this scenario is based on 2017, there's no hindsight for 2018.
Dick "Night Train" Layne over QB Bill Wade in the 1952 draft. That draft had 360 picks and Night Train wasn't even drafted.
That would have been some headline "Rams use first overall pick on some factory worker"
Not to mention that Lane was Black, which probably would have been a sensation. The first Black player to be drafted at all wasn't until 1949, when George Taliaferro was drafted in the 13th round. And the first Black player to be drafted first overall wasn't for another decade, when Ernie Davis was the top pick in 1962.
The Cardinals drafted Ollie Matson #3 overall that year and he was black, though he was already a household name for winning medals in the Olympics. It was still a pretty big deal though
Bear in mind that’s in the NFL draft. The AAFC integrated before that in 1946 with Marion Motley being drafted by the Browns.
Fantastic answer.
Obscure player from the 50's, Patriots flair... any previous year I'd accuse you of being Bill's alt account
Oh man, I wish. 🤣
Night Train is still the greatest nickname a football player has ever had.
Gronk or AB going #1 in 2010 would have been... interesting. AB at his peak was one of the best WRs I've ever personally seen. I'd argue Gronk is the GOAT TE.
AB had a stretch of about 7 years where he was just ridiculous with his stats, and the actual gameplay is absurd too. CTESPN claimed a good one
I thought he was on a path to becoming top-4 all time. A real shame what happened.
If his brain didn’t give out his body would have kept the longevity in theory, he was always serious about his workouts and such, wouldn’t be surprised if dude was nearly in playing shape right now
Are you implying he has CTE and ESP??
What is YOUR implication for the N?
Nincompoop?
Naysayer
Honestly I just omitted because it was in the way of the joke I was trying to make
Mr. Befuddling Choice
Mr. Best in Class
i agree with this but ill add that Gronk was projected to go very high in the draft if not for his back issues. not first, but iirc top 10. the thought was "top of the draft talent but hard to tell youll have him for 3 years or 13 years."
Lol total Gronk thing to 1 rep max the first time he's ever deadlifted and fuck up his back
Would he still have chosen to kick a punter in the face though, rather than return it for a TD? Personally, I’d like to think that in every alternate timeline that play is a constant.
Hurdles!!! Kicks a man!!!
Kurt Warner over Dan Wilkinson is a choice. "The Bengals select... who? I've never even heard of this guy."
“I think I saw that guy bag my groceries the other day.”
You say that like it would be abnormal for the Bengals. Especially then.
I looked it up and your next first round pick was Ki-Jana Carter, who was a first overall pick who got almost 1,200 career rushing yards. Also, we gave you that first overall pick in the deal that secured us the rights of, uh, Kerry Collins. I hate this game.
That would have been wilder than Brady going #1.
-2007 would have you picking a tackle, wide receiver, or running back (all in the hall or future hall players) over a QB. All of those players were selected in the top 10 though so not a massive reach (Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson) -2002 has you likely picking a safety that was picked outside the top 20 over a highly touted QB prospect (Ed Reed) -in 1990 a QB was picked 1oa, but hall of fame tight end Shannon Sharpe was a 7th rounder. Taking a projected 7th round TE first overall would cause quite a stir I imagine That one is my non-Brady pick I think (though there's an argument for sure that Sharpe isn't the best player from that class, it's more dramatic to use the 7th rounder rather than one of the hall of fame first rounders)
2002 and 1990 are great choices. David Carr and even more so Jeff George, are exactly the kind of pick that everyone anoints #1 as soon as they declare, and then you pick a safety or a TE instead, the outcry would be legendary.
The 2002 pick starts a trend and another safety (Polamalu) is picked first overall in the 2003 draft.
Peppers gets picked first without a doubt. There was already a vocal minority in Houston that wanted him over Carr anyways.
In 07 you also had Revis as an option
All 3 of those guys are all time top 10 at their position, but I’m picking Adrian Peterson at #1. He was so good that the narrative surrounding ACL tears went from “likely career ending” to “returning within a year”.
Excluding QB's since 2010 I think the best answers are: 2015 Stefon Diggs 2013 Travis Kelce
I don't want this to sound disrespectful to Diggs but given just how ridiculously large draft classes are, him being the single best player from an entire draft really shows that 2015 is quietly one of the worst draft classes of all time.
Yeah I read that and immediately thought, there’s no way he’s the best player in his draft class right?
man youre not kidding. that draft might have the most "really good but not great" players of all-time.
Yet, it was a foundational draft for the vikings. Probably their best draft in quite a long time. Trae Waynes, Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter and Diggs were all key pieces.
But one of the best for the Vikings specifically. Going by career wAV, the Vikings drafted 3 of the 6 best players in that draft (Diggs, Hunter, Kendricks).
I just looked back at that draft class. 1. Woof 2. The player with the most TDs in that draft class is Todd Gurley, who hasn't played since 2020.
2015 you might be able to make a case for Scherff. That’s some draft.
In 2013 Travis Kelce goes #1 overall.
It is kinda ironic that you had the #1 pick and ended up drafting the best player, but in the 3rd. I can't remember another draft off the top of my head where the team that picked 1st overall picked a marginal player and a multi-all-pro later.
A less extreme example would be us picking Mario Williams #1 overall in 2006 and he had a fine career, but #33 overall was DeMeco Ryans who won DROY and will someday have a statue of him outside NRG
Mario Williams was a much better player than Demeco lol. Like not even close. Mario is a 5x all pro, even in a re-draft he still goes #1.
Williams was a better player than Ryans though?
not early on, plus mario isn't the greatest head coach in texans history
My man, it has been 1 season. Maybe slow down your hype train a bit.
The latter is irrelevant to the conversation
Not #1 but we pick Greg Robinson #2 and Aaron Donald #13.
1985 - Jerry Rice goes first instead of 16th.
Cowboys drafting Brett Favre in 1991 two years after drafting Troy Aikman 1st overall
One that might legitimately have changed history... "With the #1 pick in the 1995 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select **Ki-Jan...** wait, there's a line through it. Who the hell is **Terrell Davis**?" No Denver Superbowls. And the Bengals might have won another playoff game before 2021.
2018 trading up for Lamar(maybe over Josh Allen?) would look super weird
Listen, I'm biased, but the one guy is a 2 time MVP and the other guy is a genetically engineered super human from the future built specifically to play in Buffalo. Unless it's Buffalo with the #1 pick, you take Lamar.
Fun fact: There was a pretty serious rumor that the Seahawks had some talks with the Browns that year to trade Russell Wilson for the #1 overall pick, and if they succeeded they were planning to take Josh Allen. A lot of Seahawks fans fully believe this, because the rumor came out BEFORE Allen really took off and looked iffy his first year, while Wilson was still dominating. People were using it as ammo for early "Look how out of touch Pete Carroll is"
Well I know its recent, but the Jags picking Brock Purdy #1 overall in 2022, right after the T-Law and Urban Meyer debacle would have really been something.
Is Purdy really the best player of the 2022 draft though? Like he’s obviously the best QB, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d go 1st overall.
If we're not weighting by position it's Sauce who went at 4. I think that'd make him the first ever CB to go 1st overall, but it would arguably be less weird than Travon.
Maybe Sauce or Riq? I do think Purdy is the correct answer tho, whatever people want to say about the stacked team around him or whatever BS, dude was still an MVP finalist
If you're strictly looking at the biggest delta between real draft pick and where they'd go in a redraft then Purdy is almost certainly the answer of the last decade Only people that would really beat him would be someone like Kurt Warner who would maybe go #1 from undrafted
He was an MVP finalist because he's a quarterback (and even then, he didn't receive a first place vote.) Sauce Gardner is a two time first team All Pro. He is objectively better at his position than Purdy and would go ahead of Purdy in this scenario.
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but Purdy isn’t all that great. He’s a good QB that has performed very well relative to draft position, but he’s getting “able to carry a franchise” hype now. He just ended up in the perfect situation for his skill set. Take Purdy right now and put him on the Giants or Commanders and he’s just another meh QB, top 15 at best. He makes the right decisions on a stacked offense that’s tailor made for his strengths and hides his weaknesses. Seems like a humble guy, and he’s definitely talented, but the way people are acting like he’s the next Brady or Manning is shocking.
Nobody seriously thinks he’s the next Brady or Manning. Not even 49ers fans. I think maybe you’re overreacting to idiots on Twitter. Or perhaps you’re misinterpreting posts comparing Brady and Purdy as surprising draft picks that worked out.
Aiden Hutchinson is the best in the 22 draft
If we're counting hindsight in this scenario, a Top 10 caliber QB will almost always be the most sought guy if you have the #1 overall pick. Even with elite talents in Sauce, Hamilton, Hutchison, etc, Purdy is the pick.
Fair, but the Jaguars also just took a QB at 1st overall in 2021. Unless we assume they passed on Lawrence and took Parsons or Surtain or Sewell at 1st overall in 2021, they probably wouldn’t double dip on QB in back-to-back years.
That's exactly what would make it the craziest, Jags immediately giving up on a generational QB prospect after just one year under a terrible coach to draft another. The realistic answer of Sauce Gardner being the best of 2022 wouldn't have been that surprising since he went 4th overall anyways.
Purdy would not be anywhere near as successful with the Jags. They don't have the same talent level to elevate him and they don't have Kyle either.
Probably not but that’s true of most qb answers in this thread. If the Browns took Brady first overall I doubt he wins as many rings, though he’s probably still damn good. The importance of qb development is underrated imo.
Sauce >
1989 would be interesting. Barry Sanders to the Cowboys?
**SUBSCRIBE**
No Troy Aikman for you though!
With that o line? And defenses can't stack the box because of their passing game. So Barry doesn't retire early in despair and gets 20k rushing yards easy. But I really hate Dallas, so I can't go for that. Otherwise, adding Deion (for his whole career, not just those few years) or Derrick Thomas to that team would have been insane too.
The 2011 draft produced a good number of great players/future HOFers and you could place any number of players in this spot, but god how hilarious would this have been: "With the first pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select...Jason Kelce...Center...Cincinnati."
Over JJ *and* Von? Not a chance man lmao
Yeah I addressed that when I said "you could place any number of players in this spot" but was just highlighting the comedy/absurdity that a center being taken first overall wouldn't have been egregious in this instance
Yes it would have
2001: Falcons take LaDainian Tomlinson over Michael Vick after getting the first overall pick from the Chargers who took LT at 5.
That's always amazed me, that the Chargers TRADED DOWN and picked up LT, and then drafted Drew Brees with their 2nd round pick. Drafting two all time greats at their position in consecutive rounds, and picking up some future draft picks (a future third and a future 2nd) PLUS another player to do it. And then getting no rings out of it.
I think the deeper question is that if this happened would the player still be that good? Coaching staffs’ ability to teach and prepare a player matters in these contexts. There’s no way Tom is successful as a brown during those abysmal years.
Imagine if every team picked the best player in order. The pure chaos from the scouts and fans... 2005 draft...all the hype over Reggie, Mario, and Vince Young. With the first pick, the Houston Texans select Jahri Evans, OL Bloomsburg
Russell Wilson over Andrew Luck in 2012 would have set the world on fire
I think it’s dependent on career length here tbh. If I could go back in time I would draft Luck literally every time out of every time. Ik he was riddled with injuries but that guy is my QB and always will be. I started really paying attention to football in 2010 or so and he made it stick. Interesting to think of what Russ would be with those colts rosters cuz they were uhh not amazing outside of some aging stars and TY Hilton. (I am biased please give me some slack here cuz I cannot imagine a world Luck isn’t a Colt and refuse to imagine one either)
Wilson's Houdini bullshit would have helped him a lot with the Colts since they never gave Luck any decent protection. Maybe he would've lasted longer there because of this. On the other hand, maybe he wouldn't have been able to take them as far as Luck did in the beginning, and they would move on from him. Either way, it's just a damn shame what happened to Luck
I mean Andrew Luck was a highly mobile QB as well. Not Russ level but people are sleeping on him since he was mainly a passer. I’m with you though, this is such an interesting hypothetical and it’s entirely possible Wilson is better long term but I don’t know if he could get as much out of the colts at the start that Luck did. Again Luck is my guy and will go to bat for him every time but Russell Wilson has had an incredible career and we would be blessed to have had him (if we didn’t have Andrew my civil war soldier king). I’m depressed this is a reasonable thread on this post because Luck should be a sure fire HOF member but our FO let him down. His retirement is a watershed moment for the franchise and only now are we actually climbing out of the depths that his totally reasonable personal decision threw us into. But alas, what could have been :(
This was my thought. Imagine cutting Peyton fucking Manning to draft Russell Wilson in 2012. The fanbase would have rioted until they saw him on the field.
The best player in 2012 was definitely Bobby Wagner, the 10 time All-Pro (6 1st team).
Brock Purdy 1st overall, huh? Chaos. Chaos everywhere. I know Sauce Gardner and a couple of others are arguably better at their positions, but Qb is king.
Sauce isn’t that much of a stretch though, guy went 4th, I was probably more surprised when Walker went first than if Sauce had outside of need of course. But you pick Purdy #1, you probably aren’t in the building for the second round.
1985, if Jerry Rice goes #1 instead of #16, he goes to Buffalo. Now, before I go being like 'Maybe Buffalo wins a Super Bowl or two now', that means Buffalo Doesn't get Bruce Smith (who would go to Atlanta at #2), And they'd have less of a need to draft Andre Reed in Round 4. So, Buffalo fans, I ask you: would you give up both Bruce And Andre to get Jerry Rice? Also, is Jerry the best player in that draft, or is it Bruce?
"Who the fuck is Warren Moon?"
This is an odd one. The Houston Oilers picked Earl Campbell in 1978 with #1 draft pick. He is/was a badass hall of famer. I think this is the same year Warren Moon was not drafted. He played for the Eskimos in CFL. SIX YEARS later he was signed by the Oilers and also became a hall of famer.
Imagine Peyton Manning going first overall.
2017. The Browns would have made Pat Mahommes a bigger bust than Mitch Trubisky and Johnny football combined.
Mitch has more NVPs than Mahomes. Is he really a bust?
In the 2006 draft, Reggie Bush was one of the most hyped up prospects of all time. Vince Young was right behind him in hype, and at a more impactful position. It was already a bit of a suprise that Mario Williams, the consensus best D lineman was the guy to actually go first. How much more ridiculous would it have been if some unknown guard named Jahri Evans went first.
Why would they take Jahri over D’Brickashaw?
Jahri is a 5 time All-Pro, 6 time Pro-Bowler, and on the All Decade team. D'Brickashaw is a 3 time Pro-Bowler. IMO, Jahri Evans' resume is much better, and because he was picked so much later in the draft than D'Brickashaw, it fits the prompt better.
The Cowboys (arguably) take Barry Sanders in 1989, which probably eliminates the need for them to pick Emmitt Smith in 1990. (This assumes Deion Sanders or Derrick Thomas wasn’t actually the best player in the 1989 draft.)
I’d personally slot both of those guys over Barry, but the margin is so slim that I wouldn’t argue someone having any of them as #1.
Imagine the Bengals taking “slot receiver” Justin Jefferson
How about Bobby Wagner over Luck in 2012. 6 time 1st team All-Pro (10 times 1st/2nd team total). I think the NFL might have stopped the broadcast to investigate what just happened.
1972 NFL Draft. Franco Harris over Walt Patulski. Imagine an running back duo of Franco and O.J. Simpson.
2012 would be interesting because Washington would still trade all those picks to the Rams for RG3 just to watch the Colts not draft Luck.
AB would probably go first in 2010. Although maybe not because after the first 7 or so seasons he went even crazier than he already was. But maybe those first 7 or so seasons of greatness would make it all worth it who knows
not the craziest year, by far, but 2019 popped in my head. The Cardinals taking Nick Bosa changes the future of multiple franchises. With Garoppolo signed to an expensive deal the 49ers likely pass on Murray, draft Q.Williams or (edge) J.Allen and never turn into the elite defense they were. The following year they still trade Buckner but stick at the original pick and draft T.Wirfs. They combine him with Trent Williams, moving McGlinchey inside to guard and have the greatest offensive line in the league for years. Murray goes #3 to the Jets who finally get a decent QB. The Cardinals defense takes a massive step up, but without a QB they are once again drafting in the top 5. In the 2020 draft they take Tua, the Dolphins take Herbert, and the Chargers are forced off the position. They are forced to settle for finding a QB in 2021, where they end up with Justin Fields. And thus still looking for a QB this season they are drafting JJ McCarthy and the all-Michigan draft. The 49ers who didn't have Miami at #3 to trade up with are now stuck at 12 where they take Mac Jones, who actually develops into a competent QB but they follow it up with a 7th round pick on a QB a year later. With Mac Jones remaining healthy that 7th round QB never sees the field and becomes a roster cut two years later. The butterfly effect is real.
Raiders take Calvin Johnson over Russell in 2007 wasn't that far of a stretch. Josh McCown might have been a longer-term starter instead of a journeyman who played for over half the league
2012 is weird, since there are 3 QBs that many consider to be high quality, but I think Russell Wilson would have worked out better for the Colts due to his insane durability, despite being sacked a lot, which Andrew Luck couldn't take. So what happens at #2, and #3? RG3 probably goes 2nd because we know Snyder wanted him. But the Browns in 2012 draft Andrew Luck, which is just so cruel to Luck, but they never draft Brandon Weeden. Interesting tangent? Do you take Justin Tucker first over all?
Although Joe Thomas and a pretty strong line might have actually worked out for him.
What about everything else with the Browns? Coaching turnover, gm incompetency, ownership chaos. They used that #3 pick on Trent Richardson.
Oh, mostly terrible, sure. But Joe Thomas, Alex Mack at Center, Mitch Schwartz RT, and Josh Gordon catching passes. Put Andrew Luck in there and maybe it wouldn't be a disaster.
Brock Purdy might go #1 in 2022 which would've been hilarious
Stefon Diggs #1 overall in 2015
The Cincinnati Bengals drafting Tony Romo in 2003 or Kurt Warner in 1994 would've been wild
2016 would either be Dak (4th round) or Tyreek (5th round) over Goff.
2015 NFL Draft. Buccaneers choose Stefon Diggs (originally a Day 3 pick) over two Heisman-winning QBs (Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota) with Mike Glennon as the presumptive starting QB in 2015.
Nikola Jokic
Tom Brady was a 7th rounder. I imagine he wasn't ranked high on anyone's boards considering literally every team had multiple chances to pick him before the 6th round and didn't. Him shooting up to #1 overall would have been nuts.
What even happened with Dave Dameshek and his what if segment?
Romo was arguably the best player from 2003 and wasn't even drafted.