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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.