With a breath taken it’s time to continue our journey through the 2014 NFL Draft that could have been. In previous installments, I regaled you with the thoughts behind the multiverse in string theory and even threw a little Star Trek at you. Is there a way I can make the concept even more obscure?
Yeah, but I’m not going to do that to you. Hell, I could go through the alternate universe stories from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Smallville, Dr. Who and not to mention Sliders. That entire show was based on the protagonist team traveling between alternate Earths. I won’t subject you to that. You’ve suffered enough.
Here’s a recap of the draft re-do so far; 1. Houston Texans – Aaron Donald, 2. St. Louis Rams – Jadeveon Clowney, 3. Jacksonville Jaguars – Khalil Mack, 4. Buffalo Bills – Derek Carr, 5. Oakland Raiders – Teddy Bridgewater, 6. Atlanta Falcons – Odell Beckham, Jr. 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Mike Evans, 8. Cleveland Browns – Blake Bortles, 9. Minnesota Vikings – Taylor Lewan, 10. Detroit Lions – Devonte Freeman, 11. Tennessee Titans – Zach Martin, 12. New York Giants – Kelvin Benjamin, St. Louis Rams – Jake Matthews, 14. Chicago Bears – C.J. Mosley, 15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix.
If you’d like to read Part 1 you can click here, part two click here and part three click here.
On to the re-draft! We’re making progress and doing God’s work.
16. Dallas Cowboys – Dee Ford, DE, Alabama
Original pick: Zack Martin, OG, Notre Dame
With the addition of Martin here, the Dallas Cowboys built the strongest offensive line in the NFL and with their other moves, they ended up two deep pretty much across the line. It’s that depth that makes me switch lines with the pick, going with Dee Ford at defensive end. The Cowboys have been desperate for some pass rush for years and Ford fixes that problem immediately. While last season was Ford’s first double-digit sack stat sheet, it’s only because he’s been rotting on the depth chart behind Justin Houston and Tamba Hali on the Kansas City Chiefs’ depth chart. Whit Houston out most of the year, Ford got to show what he could do and that was 38 tackles, one forced fumble, two passes defended and 10 sacks. And unlike the Chiefs, George Selvie and Jeremy Mincey would not keep Ford on the sideline. With a healthy Houston back in the fold for the Chiefs, Ford has probably wrapped up Hali’s era as a starter in Kansas City.
17. Baltimore Ravens – Telvin Smith, LB, Florida State
Original pick: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
With Mosley off the board, the Ravens still have a pressing need at inside linebacker and Smith is easily the second best inside linebacker of this draft class. Hell, you could argue he’s the best and I’d probably just nod along. Smith was originally drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 144 overall, so he jumps up 127 picks in this re-draft, surpassing our previous record holder Devonte Freeman by 34 picks. Since taking over at middle linebacker with the Jaguars half way through this rookie year, Smith has recorded 350 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 19 passes defended and four interceptions all on one of the worst-performing teams in the league. Just imagine what this guy could have done on the Ravens. Of course, Baltimore does lose out on Mosley, but Smith with actual NFL-level coaching could frankly even this one out.
18. New York Jets – Deone Bucannon, Safety/Linebacker, Washington State
Original pick: Calvin Pryor, Safety, Louisville
While this may look, on the outside, like I’m just upgrading the position the Jets picked in the first place, Bucannon brings a whole lot more to the table. He’s an inside linebacker in the Arizona Cardinals 3-4 scheme and could very well fit that mold here with New York, replacing Demario Davis, who they lost in free agency, but got back in a trade with the Browns this offseason. As a linebacker, Bucannon has missed just three games over the last two seasons and recorded 198 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, five passes defended and an interception. As a safety his rookie season he started nine games and still recorded 88 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three passes defended. Regardless of where the Jets would plug him in, Bucannon was the pick to make here.
19. Miami Dolphins – Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU
Original pick: Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee
Lucky for the Dolphins they ended up with Landry anyway, snatching him up in the second round with pick No. 63. In our draft re-do, the Dolphins take no chances, sending James, their current starting right tackle, on down the line for one of the most dynamic slot receivers in the NFL. In three seasons in the league, Landry has caught 288 passes for 3,051 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also scored on a rush play. As a starter, James has been decent but unspectacular. The Dolphins just recently demoted him to right tackle after trading for Brendan Alberts.
20. New Orleans Saints – Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Original pick: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
I was very tempted to replace Cooks here with Willie Snead IV since basically that’s what the actual Saints have done on their roster. Instead, in this alternate universe Watkins is the fourth wideout off the board as he probably should have been. When healthy, Watkins is the dynamic weapon and speedster everyone hoped he would be coming out of Clemson and he’s done it in Buffalo with quarterbacks that couldn’t sniff Drew Brees’ jock. Watkins has dealt with injuries that, as I stated earlier, might not have beset him had he landed with another team. Especially with the pro training staff and wide receiver coaches Sean Payton keeps on staff in New Orleans. Cooks has been a fantastic weapon for the Saints and outperformed Watkins so far as a pro. But he didn’t want to be in New Orleans and rejected his role in their offense, getting shipped out of town in a trade with the New England Patriots. This pick avoids all that drama and lands the Saints a guy with arguably better skills.
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