It’s that time of year again when we take the opportunity presented by the NFL’s dead time to look back at a previous draft to see how it would play out with the virtue of hindsight. It’s often been said that you can’t really judge a draft until three years later, which brings us right to the 2015 NFL Draft, a defining selection meeting for plenty of teams.
Usually, when I go through these it’s not surprising to see how teams really screwed up their call. This time, I was shocked in the opposite way. More than any other mock re-do I’ve done in the past, this one had multiple teams selecting the same guy they picked three seasons ago.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Original pick: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State.
The Buccaneers aren’t kicking themselves for taking Winston here originally, but I felt back then that Mariota was the better potential NFL QB and I still feel the same way.
2. Tennessee Titans – Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
Original pick: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
With Mariota off the board, the Titans still need a franchise quarterback so they grab Winston here.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
Original pick: Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
The Jaguars didn’t grab their franchise running back until the 2017 when they selected Leonard Fournette. Instead of Fowler, who spent his first season injured and only played situationally last couple of years, they take Gurley here and get a two year head start on their AFC South championship team.
4. Oakland Raiders – David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa
Original pick: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
The Gurley vs Johnson debate will probably be settled this year, but considering we’re talking guys that are easily two of the five best running backs in the league, it’s not like there’s a loser here. Cooper is a good pro wideout and could be great, but the Raiders are still looking for a running back to add to their offense even now three years later. Johnson is a game-changer.
Believe it or not, Johnson jumping up from the third round to the first isn’t our biggest move of the re-draft. We have two UDFAs coming up.
5. Washington Redskins – Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
Original pick: Brandon Scherff, OT Iowa
Here’s our first repeat. Scherff plays guard for the Redskins, but he’s consistently been one of the best in the league since they drafted him. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded him out as the No. 8 guard in the sport.
6. New York Jets – Leonard Williams, DE, USC
Original pick: Leonard Williams, DE, USC
Like the Redskins, the Jets aced their pick the first time out. Williams allowed them to shed salaries and malcontents off the defensive line and still keep the production up front they need.
7. Chicago Bears – Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Original pick: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
White has been the bust of all busts so far in his short pro career. He’s been riddled with injuries and has only appeared in five games total. The Bears still needed a wideout here, so I went with Cooper for his abilities as an outside guy.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson
Original pick: Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson
That’s right, we have three picks in the Top Eight that remain the same. Beasley took a season to get going, but had 15.5 sacks in 2016, led the NFL and was a key part of the Falcons’ Super Bowl run. He was hurt most of last season, but I’m not changing this pick.
To be continued in Part 2.
