Darelle Revis a Number One Pick? Redoing the 2007 NFL Draft
The hype surrounding Patrick Peterson in recent weeks, and the possibility that he could be the first player off the 2011 NFL draft board, has got me thinking about another cornerback and his draft day.
Darelle Revis was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft.
If GMs had the chance to revisit this draft, knowing what they know today, would the Oakland Raiders have selected Darelle Revis as the first overall pick?
Selections 32-27
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32. Indianapolis Colts: LeRon McClain
McClain has played mostly as a fullback for the Ravens but he would give the Colts an added dimension as a running back. McClain would be beneficial in the passing game also as a blocker but don't underestimate his hands and speed.
31. Chicago Bears: Ryan Harris
Harris is a reliable if unspectacular tackle. The Bears offensive line could have used him the past few seasons.
30. San Diego Chargers: Eric Weddle
The Chargers could take Ryan Harris here as they have been looking for a right tackle for a long time but Weddle has done well in San Diego and would probably not be available in round two like he was back then.
29. Baltimore Ravens: Greg Olsen
Olsen is too talented for the Ravens to pass up on even if the team still has Todd Heap.
28. San Francisco 49ers: Justin Blalock
Blalock has successfully been blowing open holes for Michael Turner in Atlanta, now he gets to do the same for Frank Gore in San Francisco.
27. New Orleans Saints: James Jones
The Saints don't miss a beat picking up Jones. The only significant drop-off from Meachem is the few lapses in concentration that cause Jones to drop some passes.
Selections 26-22
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26. Dallas Cowboys: Jermon Bushrod
Bushrod has the one thing that Jerry Jones is desperately searching for: A Superbowl ring.
25. Carolina Panthers: Robert Meachem
The Panthers are still looking for someone to help Steve Smith. Robert Meachem could have been a great choice ahead of Dwayne Jarrett in the second round.
24. New England Patriots: Zach Miller
Because, you know...Tom Brady needed more weapons to throw to during the 2007 season...
23. Kansas City Chiefs: Ben Grubbs
Without a stellar receiver left on the board, the Chiefs can't pass on Grubbs who has been a quality performer in Baltimore for the past few years.
22. Cleveland Browns: Kevin Kolb
The Browns do trade back into the first round but not for Brady Quinn. Kevin Kolb becomes the first quarterback off the board.
Selections 21-17
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21. Jacksonville Jaguars: LaRon Landry
The Jaguars needed a safety during this draft and Reggie Nelson did not work out. Landry drops out of the top ten into their waiting hands to give them a physical specimen at the back end.
20. New York Giants: Steve Smith
The Giants are lucky that the Packers prefer Breaston for his speed which means that they will be able to pick up Smith again who is possibly their most important skill position player.
19. Tennessee Titans: Ryan Kalil
The Titans did not realize how much they were going to miss Kevin Mawae. Picking up Kalil who could have slotted in at guard initially would have been a prudent choice.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Griffin
The Bengals have struggled with the safety position for the past few years, save for 2009, Griffin would have upgraded the position in a safety strong AFC North.
17. Denver Broncos: Brandon Meriweather.
The Broncos have Brian Dawkins playing safety at the moment, had they picked up Meriweather years ago he would still be firmly planted in the starting position.
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16. Green Bay Packers: Steve Breaston
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The Packers picked up a great fourth option receiver later on in this draft but Breaston is much better than James Jones and worthy of a first round selection.
He somewhat struggled during his first year as a full time starter but that was because of the Cardinals' overall woes as a football team, most notably at quarterback.
Breaston would fit right into what the Packers have looked to do over the past few years as he can beat his defender with his route running or catch the ball and explode like a return specialist.
Other options for the Packers were Robert Meachem or Brandon Meriweather.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Anthony Spencer
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The Steelers are definitely losing out in this draft revision.
The team goes from picking LaMarr Woodley, a two-time Pro-Bowler, in the second round to Anthony Spencer in the first.
Spencer is a good player but not on Woodley's level. He could still flourish in the Pittsburgh system as he is a talented pass rusher.
The Steelers are the first major losers of the draft but they have to upgrade outside linebacker to remove the passive Clark Haggans from his starting spot.
Other options for the Steelers were Brandon Meriweather or Ben Grubbs.
14. New York Jets: Lawrence Timmons
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The Jets had a void to fill at middle linebacker and Timmons was still available.
They will have watched the physical specimen be part of two Superbowl winning teams in Pittsburgh and seen the explosion that he brings to the field.
Timmons would give the team speed that they are crucially lacking in their front seven at the moment.
Other options for the Jets were Steve Breaston or Anthony Spencer.
13. St. Louis Rams: Ahmad Bradshaw
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In the past few seasons the Rams have seen Stephen Jackson's body start to be eroded by the amount of hits his body must absorb.
Ahmad Bradshaw would have been the perfect complimentary back for the Rams to have to prolong Jackson's career and give their offense direction.
The Rams original selection at this point, Adam Carricker, is no longer even in St. Louis.
Other options for the Rams were Lawrence Timmons and Steve Breaston.
12. Buffalo Bills: Joe Staley
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Nobody needs to tell the Bills the value of a blindside protector.
The team still had pro bowl left tackle Jason Peters at the time but Staley would have been a major upgrade over Langston Walker on the right side.
49ers fans will know of Staley's quality even if many across the league have overlooked him during his career.
Other options for the Bills were Lawrence Timmons or Brandon Meriweather.
11. San Francisco 49ers: Jon Beason
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The 49ers were in need of a stud linebacker to man their defense and they got one in real life.
They get one here too as Jon Beason becomes their selection. Beason may have dropped out of many people's minds as one of the better linebackers in the league because of the team he plays for but no matter how poorly the Panthers have been he has always stood out even after being moved to outside linebacker for a stretch.
Other options for the 49ers were Lawrence Timmons or Joe Staley.
10. Houston Texans: Leon Hall
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The Texans had one of the worst pass defenses in history last season and it hadn't been stellar before then.
Leon Hall would be a great pickup to round off the top ten as he has had a fantastic few years in Cincinnati playing across from Jonathan Joseph.
Joseph and Hall were the best tandem at corner in the league before last season when the whole of the Bengals roster struggled. He remains a top class corner however.
Other options for the Texans were Jon Beason or Joe Staley.
9. Miami Dolphins: Dwayne Bowe
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Needless to say the Dolphins missed when they selected Ted Ginn Jr. in the top ten of this draft.
Ginn has since been traded while Dwayne Bowe had a record breaking season for the Chiefs this past season.
The Dolphins would not need to trade for Brandon Marshall and pay him a crazy amount of money. Bowe may not have prevented the team from finishing last in the regular season that year but he would be a dangerous weapon in the long term.
Other options for the Dolphins were Leon Hall or Jon Beason.
8. Atlanta Falcons: LaMarr Woodley
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The Falcons would pick up Woodley here and keep him at defensive end opposed to the Steelers who converted him to a linebacker.
Woodley would be a wonderful addition to play on the other side of John Abraham. The team has had pass rushing problems late in the season over the past few years as Abraham often fades but Woodley excels late in the season and particularly in the playoffs.
The Falcons originally took Jamaal Anderson but Woodley would have been a large improvement over him in Atlanta.
Other options for the Falcons were Leon Hall or Jon Beason.
7. Minnesota Vikings: Sidney Rice
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No this wasn't the original selection.
Its funny how things work out sometimes. Rice was originally selected by the Vikings in the second round but is good enough to be taken by the team in the top ten in hindsight.
Rice will be a free agent this year but the Vikings will be desperate to get him back. Vikings fans don't need to be told of his quality.
Other options for the Vikings were LaMarr Woodley or Leon Hall.
6. Washington Redskins: Calvin Johnson
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Calvin Johnson is too good to fall past the Redskins no matter how tempted they would have been to take LaMarr Woodley who would now be wreaking havoc across from Brian Orakpo.
Keenan McCardell was the team's tallest receiver at the time and since then the receiving corp has continued to deteriorate in Washington.
The 'Skins need some explosion offensively and have done for years. Donovan McNabb may not have even been benched if he had been throwing to Calvin Johnson this year.
This was a great year for receivers and Johnson is the best so fittingly comes off the board first.
Other options for the Redskins were Sidney Rice or LaMarr Woodley.
5. Arizona Cardinals: David Harris
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The Cardinals are in a difficult spot. The best players left on the board are receivers (Johnson and Rice) who are too similar to their receivers at the time to take (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald).
The team thinks it needs a quarterback, little does it realize Kurt Warner would explode, but there isn't one worth taking in the top 20 never mind fifth overall.
They instead decide to take the best defensive player available in Harris.
David Harris is an outstanding player who is often overlooked by the media in New York because he goes about his job so quietly.
This year was a great draft year for inside linebackers and Harris is probably the smartest of the bunch.
Other options for the Cardinals were LaMarr Woodley or Lawrence Timmons.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Adrian Peterson
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*Offensive rookie of the year
The Buccaneers drastically needed help on offense for the 2007 season. Taking Adrian Peterson meant that they filled a need as well as taking the best player available.
Peterson is at worst the second best back in the league right now after solving his fumbling issues from a season ago. The risk of that problem rearing its head once more prevents him from going any higher.
Right now the team has Legarette Blount who looks like a young star in the making but he is nowhere near Peterson's level.
The Bucs other options for this choice were Calvin Johnson or Sidney Rice.
3. Cleveland Browns: Patrick Willis
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*Defensive rookie of the year
Willis somehow fell to out of the top 10 altogether in the 2007 draft.
Startling for a player who is now competing with Ray Lewis for the title as the best linebacker in the NFL according to most so called experts.
At 26 years of age, the middle linebacker has already become a fearsome leader in San Francisco and is widely considered one of the best defenders in the league. He gives you everything that you want in a middle linebacker whether its covering a pass deep or making a crunching hit behind the line of scrimmage.
Most years Willis would have been an even higher selection than this.
The Browns other selections in this slot would have been between Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson.
2. Detroit Lions: Darelle Revis
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Revis may not have had enough of an impact during his sophomore season to prevent the Lions from having possibly the worst NFL season in history, but long term they couldn't go wrong.
Widely renowned as the best cornerback in the league right now, Revis would have been a huge addition for the Lions.
They actually made a great selection that year taking Calvin Johnson who is one of the best receivers in the league nowadays.
The Lions options realistically were limited to three players; Patrick Willis, Revis or Adrian Peterson. Peterson's fumbling issues were probably the biggest downfall in his hope to be part of the winless Lions in 2008.
1. Oakland Raiders: Joe Thomas
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Imagine if the Raiders had paired Revis with Nnamdi? How unbelievably would that have been?
Unbelievable is the key word there. It's just not realistically a good idea to spend that much money on two cornerbacks. Both players would demand eight-digit salaries each year.
It was really difficult to pass on Revis, the easy thing to do was to look at him and say he is the best player in the draft and simply put him with the Raiders. Instead the Raiders choices fell between tackle Joe Thomas and Linebacker Patrick Willis.
Willis and Thomas have both become the best young players at their position but Thomas gets the nod because everyone knows the value of a franchise left tackle.
The Raiders would take one giant step towards fortifying their pass protection for their quarterback at the time, Daunte Culpepper.
Although its optimistic at best to think that even Thomas could hold off his man long enough for Culpepper to get the ball out at that stage of his career.
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