You’ve made it this far, might as well finish it out. This is the final piece of the 2015 NFL Draft Do-Over puzzle and, believe it or not, we’ve got all the corner pieces in and the sides too. It’s time to just fill in the middle.
Click here to read Part 1, here for Part 2, here for Part 3 and here for Part 4.
27. Dallas Cowboys – David Irving, DE, Iowa State
Original pick: Byron Jones, CB, UConn
Irving has got to be frustrating the Cowboys. He’s headed for another four-game suspension, this time for PEDs. Lastr year he missed four games with a regular drug suspension. He finally made it into eight games and had seven sacks, helping Dallas build the pass rush they’ve been so desperate for over the last half decade. Still, rushers like Irving are never going to be cheap when they perform the way he does on the field. If you’re keeping track, he’s the second undrafted free agent to make it up to the first round and both are currently Dallas Cowboys.
Jones is a good safety, but he’s a second rounder in this re-do. He might even be available when the Cowboys pick again.
28. Detroit Lions – Jamon Brown, OT/OG, Louisville
Original pick: Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke
Tomlinson was a bust of Cleveland Browns-ian proportions and they traded him away to the 49ers last season for a 2019 fifth round pick. That’s right, a fifth round pick that’ll take two drafts to collect. Brown is a key cog in one of the best offensive lines in the league in Los Angeles and can also play tackle if called upon.
29. Indianapolis Colts – Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
Original pick: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
Dorsett was a wasted Chuck Pagano pick when this team has been desperate to build an offensive line to protect Andrww Luck since they drafted the kid. They finally traded Dorsett last season to the New England Patriots in exchange for back up quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Flowers has been a decent, but unspectacular right tackle for the Giants. Still, for the colts here he’s a need pick and the best fit out of all the remaining players on the board.
30. Green Bay Packers – Bernardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
Original pick: Damarious Randall, Safety, Arizona State
With the best corners gone, the Packers go inside to find their other starting inside linebacker to go with Nick Perry a year early. McKinney has been fantastic as a pro and just recently signed a $50 million contract extension with the Texans.
31. New Orleans Saints – Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
Original pick: Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson
Anthony gives Tomlinson a run for the worst bust of this original first round. He was traded for a 2018 fifth rounder last season to the Dolphins. While he, like Tomlinson, is officially a starter, Miami has declined his fifth-year option. Brown gives the Saints the interior defensive lineman they’ve lacked for a decade. He was ranked the No. 29 defensive lineman in the league by Pro Football Focus last year with an 83.3 grade.
32. New England Patriots – Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
Original pick: Malcolm Brown, DT, Texans
With Brown off the board, the Pats have to grab the second best defensive lineman on their board. Armstead has had trouble staying healthy, but still gets solid grades from PFF and is the best available option for New England here. I thought about going Ali Marpet here, but feel like defense is the way to go for a team that’s about to win two more Super Bowls.
No first round pick:
XX. Buffalo Bills – XX
First pick in 2015: Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State (Round 1, Pick 50)
XX. Seattle Seahawks – XX
First pick in 2015: Frank Clark, DE, Michigan (Round 2, Pick 63)
