2017 NFL Draft Do-Over: Who do Tennessee Titans come away with?
By Luke Worsham
The Tennessee Titans came away from the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft with a WR and CB. In a re-do, it’s a similar but different result.
With the 2017 NFL season coming to a close, we now know how most of the players selected in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft will fare during their careers. If teams had the opportunity to redo the draft, here’s how it would likely go.
player. 53. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: Same)</strong> <p>As Mike Mayock said while the Browns were on the clock, “Don’t overthink this, pull the freakin’ trigger!” The Browns pulled the trigger on Garrett, and it was a rare home run for that franchise. The freakishly athletic pass rusher registered seven sacks as a rookie, and that number should be a baseline for the remainder of his career.</p>. Defensive End. Texas A&M. Myles Garrett. 1
Quarterback. Clemson. Deshaun Watson. 2. player. 57. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: QB Mitchell Trubisky)</strong> <p>The Bears oddly traded up one spot to take a quarterback despite recently inking veteran Mike Glennon to a lucrative multi-year contract. Trubisky was okay as a rookie and had some flashes of brilliance, but Deshaun Watson played at a very high level with the Texans. Watson’s production could’ve saved the jobs of John Fox and his staff.</p>
Alabama. Reuben Foster. 3. player. 42. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: DE Solomon Thomas) </strong> <p>Foster fell to San Francisco at the end of the first round due to concerns about his health and character. In his limited playing time as a rookie, he put those concerns aside by playing at a high level and proving to be an NFL star in the making. In this redo, the Niners lock up their franchise player at #3 instead of waiting.</p>. Linebacker
4. player. 52. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: RB Leonard Fournette) </strong>The best player available in this spot would be CB Marshon Lattimore. But with Pro Bowlers A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey already in place, the Jags would be wise to take safety Jamal Adams. His run-stopping ability and fast-paced style of play would be an upgrade over Barry Church and would make the “Sacksonville” defense even better.. Safety. LSU. Jamal Adams
Marshon Lattimore. 5. player. 35. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: WR Corey Davis) </strong>Davis showed some flashes as a rookie of having the potential to become a true #1 wide receiver, but Lattimore was arguably the best defensive player in this draft. Instead of waiting for Adoree’ Jackson, who was stellar as a rookie, the Titans take a true shutdown corner that’s just a couple notches better.. Cornerback. Ohio State
<strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: S Jamal Adams) </strong>With Adams now off the board, the Jets look for an upgrade over their aging running backs and decide on the most exciting offensive player in the class, Alvin Kamara. The shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year is a true swiss army knife, and teams should be embarrassed that he lasted until the third round in real life.. Running Back. Tennessee. Alvin Kamara. 6. player. 30
Ohio State. Malik Hooker. 7. player. 13. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: WR Mike Williams) </strong>The Chargers improved greatly under new coach Anthony Lynn this year, but it was no thanks to their first-round receiver. This time, instead of making a luxury pick at an already deep position, the Chargers add another playmaker to their ball-hawking secondary. Before tearing his ACL, Hooker was on a roll in the backfield of the Colts defense, showing to be a rare talent at safety.. Safety
87. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: </strong><strong>RB Christian McCaffrey) </strong>Though he’s a very talented player, McCaffrey to the Panthers never really made sense. His small-size and inability to carry the load between the tackles doesn’t fit Carolina’s style of power running and grinding out tough yards. To replace the aging Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers should have chosen the bigger Kareem Hunt.. Running Back. Toledo. Kareem Hunt. 8. player
9. player. 56. <strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: WR John Ross) </strong>As usual, the Bengals looked like they had no idea what they were doing whenever Ross was on the field last year. He ended the season as a healthy scratch and only touched the ball once. Instead of getting a player they seemed to have no intention of using, they should have selected Howard, the most clean-cut prospect in the entire draft, to replace the increasingly ineffective Tyler Eifert.. Tight End. Alabama. O.J. Howard
<strong>(ORIGINAL PICK: QB Patrick Mahomes) </strong>The Chiefs traded up to this spot to select Mahomes, who they likely still see as their quarterback of the future. But, after working on his deep ball all offseason, veteran QB Alex Smith played at an MVP level at times during the 2017 season. Instead of preparing for the future, Kansas City should have added more talent to an already Super Bowl caliber roster. Thomas would be the best player available in this scenario.. Defensive End. Stanford. Solomon Thomas. 10. player. 124