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Re-Drafting the 2007 NFL Draft
July 9, 2020Re-Drafting the 2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 NFL draft class has long been thought of as one of the best in recent memory.
Back in 2017, Robert Mays of The Ringer called it the best of the previous decade. In 2016, NFL.com ranked the class as the seventh-best of all time.
It's a loaded group featuring a handful of surefire Hall of Famers, whether it's running back Adrian Peterson, wide receiver Calvin Johnson or offensive tackle Joe Thomas. It's also all the more remarkable given that the quarterback class that year was awful. No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell is widely considered one of the biggest busts in league history.
But what if the Oakland Raiders weren't saddled with that mega-bust? Who would the first overall pick have been? And given the benefit of knowing how the players would fare as professionals, how much different would the first round have looked?
That's what we're here to find out. We've relegated draft-day trades (only those that took place beforehand remain) to the dustbin of history and have taken a pass back through the first round of that loaded 2007 draft, which now includes a grand total of zero quarterbacks.
The Oakland Raiders are on the clock. Again.
1. Oakland Raiders
Original Pick: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
New Pick: Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
What the Oakland Raiders wouldn't give to have been able to take a second stab at the first overall pick in 2007.
It's not just that JaMarcus Russell was a bust in the NFL. He's arguably the bust—the biggest flop in draft history. This is a player who supposedly had to be bribed with cheeseburgers to watch game film.
At the opposite end of the NFL spectrum, you'll find Calvin Johnson,
By his second professional season, Megatron had established himself as one of the best wideouts in the game. When he came closer than anyone ever has to a 2,000-yard season with his 122 catches for 1,964 yards in 2012, he staked his claim as one of the greatest wide receivers ever.
Johnson went to six straight Pro Bowls from 2010 to 2015, was named a first-team All-Pro three times and is a mortal lock for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
2. Detroit Lions
Original Pick: Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
New Pick: Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
Of course, there's a flip side to the Raiders getting a do-over on one of their worst picks in franchise history: The Detroit Lions are denied one of their best picks in franchise history.
As consolation prizes go, though, Adrian Peterson isn't too bad.
In 13 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins, Peterson has piled up over 14,000 rushing yards and 111 rushing touchdowns. He has topped 1,000 yards eight times, been named to seven Pro Bowls and led the NFL in rushing three times.
In 2012, Peterson returned from an ACL tear to come within eight yards of Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record with 2,097 yards. That explosion was enough to net league MVP honors.
Peterson presently ranks fifth all-time in rushing yards, and he's made it no secret that his goal for 2020 is to gain 1,054 yards, moving past Sanders and into fourth place.
3. Cleveland Browns
Original Pick: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
New Pick: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
The Cleveland Browns haven't had much success in the 21st century, whether on the playing field or in the first round of the NFL draft. There's a long list of failed picks from Round 1 on both sides of the ball, including Johnny Manziel on offense and Justin Gilbert on defense.
The selection of Joe Thomas at No. 3 overall in 2007 was not one of those failed picks.
From the moment Thomas entered the NFL, he was not only one of the best offensive linemen of his era, but he was also one of the best offensive tackles of any era. He made the Pro Bowl after each of his first 10 seasons, and at the conclusion of nine of those 10, he was named either a first- or second-team All-Pro.
Not only was Thomas a Hall of Fame talent, but he was also incredibly durable. Until tearing his triceps in 2017, he hadn't just started every game of his professional career.
He had never missed a single snap.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Original Pick: Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
New Pick: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh
In 2013, cornerback Darrelle Revis was traded from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition to the draft capital the Bucs surrendered to land him, the team also made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
Revis lasted all of one year with the Buccaneers before he was released.
However, it's fair to wonder if things might have been markedly different if Tampa had actually drafted Revis out of Pittsburgh in 2007.
For much of his professional career, Revis was considered the gold standard among cornerbacks. No receiver wanted to be marooned on "Revis Island." By his second season, he had posted a five-interception campaign and made the first of four straight Pro Bowls. He intercepted 18 passes over his first five seasons, and by 2010, opposing quarterbacks mostly avoided throwing in his direction altogether.
Revis would finish his career with 29 interceptions, seven Pro Bowl trips, four first-team All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl ring as a member of the New England Patriots in 2014.
5. Arizona Cardinals
Original Pick: Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
New Pick: Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
Offensive tackle Levi Brown wasn't a complete waste in the NFL. He did manage to play for seven seasons and started 64 straight games from 2008 to 2011.
But Brown was an average tackle at best. At worst, he was a turnstile.
Patrick Willis, on the other hand, was an absolute force.
As a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers, Willis amassed a jaw-dropping (and league-leading) 174 total tackles, including 136 solos—numbers that netted him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, the first of seven consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and one of five first-team All-Pro nods.
Willis went on to lead the NFL in tackles again in 2009 with 152—one of four straight seasons to open his career in which he had 100-plus solos. Nagging injuries caused him to call it a career after just eight years, but when he was healthy, he was one of the best off-ball linebackers to ever play the game.
6. Washington
Original Pick: LaRon Landry, S, LSU
New Pick: Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan
Oh, what might have been for Washington.
When Washington drafted LaRon Landry sixth overall in 2007, it looked like the team was building a fearsome back end on defense. But that November, Sean Taylor was killed during a break-in at his home, and while Landry was solid in D.C. he didn't make the Pro Bowl until leaving the team in 2012.
In this re-draft, Washington is looking instead to the other side of the ball and strengthening the offensive line in front of quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Clinton Portis.
The San Francisco 49ers thought enough of Joe Staley to send their 2008 first-rounder to New England so they could get back into Round 1 in 2007 and pick up the lineman at No. 28. That gamble paid off in a big way.
Over a 13-year career spent entirely in the Bay Area, Staley made it to six Pro Bowls and anchored the offensive line for 49ers teams that played in two Super Bowls.
7. Minnesota Vikings
Original Pick: Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
New Pick: Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
Not being able to draft a franchise icon in Adrian Peterson would be a real bummer for the Minnesota Vikings. It would also leave the team with a rather glaring void at running back.
Marshawn Lynch may not have had quite the NFL career that Peterson did. But he was no slouch, either. Over 13 seasons in the pros with the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders, Lynch bulled his way to over 10,400 rushing yards. Six times over that span, he topped 1,000 yards on the ground, including a 1,590-yard effort in 2012.
Lynch led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice while playing for the Seahawks, and the 5'11" 215-pound wrecking ball made it to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2011 to 2014.
He was named an All-Pro twice, was selected to the NFL's All-2010s Team and played in two Super Bowls with the Seahawks, including a win in Super Bowl XLVIII.
8. Atlanta Falcons (from Houston Texans)
Original Pick: Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
New Pick: Marshal Yanda, OG, Iowa
This pick changed hands between the Falcons and Texans in the trade that sent Matt Schaub to Houston, because there was a time at which trading for Schaub was actually considered a good idea.
What most definitely was not a good idea was using the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft on defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who managed just 7.5 sacks in six seasons.
In this do-over, the Falcons are eschewing sizzle for steak. It's not that often that NFL teams use a top-10 pick on a guard. But if you could guarantee a career like Marshal Yanda's, it would happen a lot more often.
Yanda is one of the best right guards to ever lace them up and a surefire Hall of Famer. Over 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, he started 166 games, made it to eight Pro Bowls (including six straight from 2011 to 2016), was named a member of the all-decade team for the 2010s and won a Super Bowl after the 2012 season.
9. Miami Dolphins
Original Pick: Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio State
New Pick: Eric Weddle, S, Utah
Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is widely viewed as a draft-day bust. But it's not his fault the Miami Dolphins fell in love with his speed and over-drafted him. It's also worth pointing out that he's still playing in 2020, so he must be doing something right.
There are a couple of Pro Bowl wide receivers available here who could help Miami offensively, but the re-draft Dolphins are pivoting to defense and a player who could potentially don a beige jacket in Canton at some point.
Whether it was with the Chargers in San Diego, the Ravens in Baltimore or the Rams in L.A., Eric Weddle carved out a long career as one of the league's best safeties.
By his second professional season, he topped 100 solo tackles. In 2011, he led the NFL in interceptions (seven) and made his first Pro Bowl. He would go on to make five more while also earning five mentions as either a first- or second-team All-Pro.
10. Houston Texans (from Atlanta Falcons)
Original Pick: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
New Pick: Ryan Kalil, C, USC
For most of the Houston Texans' 18-year existence as a franchise, offensive line play has been an issue. Former Texans signal-caller David Carr holds two of the top three seasons in league history for sacks allowed: 76 in 2002 and 68 in 2005.
Had Houston made a wiser selection in 2007 than Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, perhaps that trend would have reversed sooner.
Center Ryan Kalil wasn't a top-10 pick in 2007. Or a first-round pick. He went 59th overall to the Carolina Panthers.
But over 13 seasons with the Panthers and New York Jets, Kalil showed that he should have been selected far earlier. In his third campaign, he made his first of five Pro Bowls. The 6'2", 300-pounder was named a first-team All-Pro twice, including a 2015 season in which the Panthers went 15-1 and advanced to Super Bowl 50.
Having a stabilizing force like that in the middle of an offensive line can make a massive difference.
11, San Francisco 49ers
Original Pick: Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
New Pick: Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State
This is the second time in the first 11 picks that a team has had its original selection yanked out from under it, only to select another great player at that same position.
Unlike Patrick Willis, Paul Posluszny was never considered the best player in the NFL at his position. He's not going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But over an 11-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, he established himself as a Pro Bowl-caliber player in his own right.
In 2008, Posluszny peeled off the first of what would be eight 100-tackle seasons in nine years. He racked up over 100 solos four times while adding 16 sacks, 15 interceptions and eight forced fumbles, and he finished his career with 1,214 total stops.
He might not be Willis, but he's got plenty of value of his own.
12. Buffalo Bills
Original Pick: Marshawn Lynch, RB, Cal
New Pick: Michael Griffin, S, Texas
The Buffalo Bills have no choice but to change things up at No. 12 overall. The team's original pick will be starting his career re-do in Minnesota.
That's OK, though, because it gives the Bills an opportunity to address another need—this time on defense.
After bidding goodbye to veteran Troy Vincent in the offseason, the Bills needed a second safety to start next to youngster Donte Whitner, who was drafted the year before. Preferably, he would be a safety whose range and athleticism would complement the thumping box safety.
Enter Michael Griffin, who piled up over 800 total tackles and 25 interceptions during a decade spent mainly with the Tennessee Titans. A two-time Pro Bowler, he had three seasons with over 100 tackles and intercepted a career-best seven passes (while earning his first trip to Honolulu) in 2008.
Griffin doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He was an excellent safety for a long period.
13. St. Louis Rams
Original Pick: Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska
New Pick: LaMarr Woodley, EDGE, Michigan
Back in 2007, the St. Louis Rams used the 13th overall pick on Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker. It was not a wise selection. Carriker battled injuries during an unimpressive five-year career in which he tallied just nine total sacks.
Truth be told, the 2007 class wasn't exactly loaded with pass-rushing talent—or at least not with players who turned that talent into professional productivity. The edge-rushers selected in Round 1 were massive disappointments as a whole.
LaMarr Woodley, however, was not. A second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Woodley made a Pro Bowl in his third NFL season, posted at least 10 sacks three years in a row from 2008-10, tallied 58 total sacks over his career and was part of the Steelers team that defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
He's the best of the edge-rushers remaining on the board.
14. Carolina Panthers
Original Pick: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh (by New York Jets)
New Pick: Jon Beason, LB, Miami (FL)
Back in 2007, the Carolina Panthers traded back in a deal that landed them more draft capital and gave the New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Oops?
This time, however, the Panthers are making the pick at No. 14. The problem is that there really isn't a better option available than the player they wound up with at No. 25—at least if you're judging Jon Beason from the best of his pro career.
Had it not been for Beason's ruptured Achilles tendon in 2011, the Panthers never would have drafted Luke Kuechly the following season.
Over his first four years in the NFL (starting with a 140-tackle rookie year) Beason earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and a first-team All-Pro nod. In each of the first three, he made over 100 solo stops.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers
Original Pick: Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State
New Pick: Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State
This marks the third of these re-drafts I've penned here at Bleacher Report. It also marks the third time that Pittsburgh's pick in the original draft and the do-over has remained the same.
Want to know why the Steelers have been so good for so long? The ability to draft consistently well has a lot to do with it. Pittsburgh chooses well and then keeps those players around for the long run.
Lawrence Timmons didn't play his entire career in the Steel City—the last of his 11 NFL seasons was played in Miami. But over his decade with Pittsburgh, he amassed nearly 1,000 total tackles, topped 100 stops six times, pitched in 35.5 sacks and 12 interceptions, made a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl ring in 2008.
This wasn't a great year for pass-rushers. But the off-ball linebacker crop was deep.
16. Green Bay Packers
Original Pick: Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee
New Pick: Greg Olsen, TE, Miami (FL)
It wasn't just the first-round edge-rushers drafted in 2007 who, for the most part, struggled as professionals. The defensive tackles didn't fare much better. In four NFL seasons, Justin Harrell made just 14 appearances while battling a litany of injuries.
He did not record a single sack.
Greg Olsen's pro career has been a touch more productive. Drafted with the next-to-last pick in Round 1 by the Chicago Bears, he's still kicking around as the starting tight end for the Seattle Seahawks.
He's been much more than a body, though. He's been selected to three Pro Bowls, he's been named an All-Pro twice, and he became the first tight end in NFL history to compile three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Over 13 seasons with the Bears and Carolina Panthers, Olsen has caught 718 passes for over 8,400 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers could probably make use of a player like that.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
Original Pick: Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida (by Denver Broncos)
New Pick: Jermon Bushrod, OT, Towson
Not to keep piling on the defensive linemen taken in Round 1 of the 2007 draft but…yikes.
Over five years in the NFL, Jarvis Moss never started all 16 games in a season and managed just six total sacks. But he was Denver's pick due to a draft-day trade. This time it's Jacksonville's, and help on the offensive line is coming.
It would have been quite the stunner to see the Jags take a young tackle from tiny Towson University in Round 1, but over his decade-plus in the NFL, Jermon Bushrod showed that with the benefit of hindsight, he would have been worth it.
It took an injury to starting tackle Jammal Brown to get Bushrod into the starting lineup for the New Orleans Saints in 2009. But that opportunity turned into 128 career starts with the Saints, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Bushrod made it to a pair of Pro Bowls and was the starting left tackle for the Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV.
Not bad for a fourth-round pick.
18. Cincinnati Bengals
Original Pick: Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
New Pick: Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
The class of 2007 produced one of the best cornerbacks and safeties of the 21st century in Darrelle Revis and Eric Weddle, respectively. But there wasn't a lot of depth behind them. The pair has more Pro Bowl honors between them (13) than every other defensive back in the group combined (10).
That was especially true at the cornerback position. But a lack of individual accolades and a lack of ability aren't necessarily one and the same.
Leon Hall never made a Pro Bowl over his 12 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. But from the jump, he was a quality starter at a premium position.
The 5'11", 195-pounder tied a franchise record for interceptions in a rookie season with five in 2007, and over his first four seasons in the Queen City, he nabbed 18 errant passes and piled up over 250 total stops.
19. Tennessee Titans
Original Pick: Michael Griffin, S, Texas
New Pick: Reggie Nelson, S, Florida
This is yet another instance in which a team's original pick and the do-over selection aren't that different.
Back in 2007, the Titans went with a deep safety in Michael Griffin. He's not an option here, but there's another free safety still on the board who had a successful 12-year career in the NFL.
Reggie Nelson didn't enjoy the sort of success early in his professional career that Griffin did. His three-year stint in Jacksonville was forgettable. But once he moved on to Cincinnati, he blossomed.
Over a six-year tenure with the Bengals that saw him play both free and strong safety, Nelson made a Pro Bowl and intercepted 23 passes. Eight of those picks came in 2015 when he tied for the league lead and was named a second-team All-Pro.
Nelson was a late-bloomer. But as his 832 career tackles, 38 interceptions and two Pro Bowl nods demonstrate, he was a very good defensive back once he got rolling.
20. New York Giants
Original Pick: Aaron Ross, CB, Texas
New Pick: Paul Soliai, DT, Utah
It's a pretty safe bet that the New York Giants are fine with how the 2007 season played out. New York pitched and lurched through the regular season, limped into the playoffs and then went on a magical run that culminated with the greatest upset in Super Bowl history.
The Giants knocked off the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII because of a front four that featured Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. As imposing as that line was, though, there's an avenue available to the Giants in this re-draft that could make it even better.
Paul Soliai was never much of a pass-rusher. He had 5.5 career sacks over 10 years in the NFL. In fact, he wasn't a statistically impactful player at all. He never had even 40 stops in a season.
But the impact a 344-pound defensive tackle can make shows up more on film than in the box score.
That Soliai's lone Pro Bowl season came in 2011 feels fitting. I hear that was a good year for the Giants, too.
21. Denver Broncos
Original Pick: Reggie Nelson, S, Florida (by Jacksonville Jaguars)
New Pick: Anthony Spencer, EDGE, Purdue
This is just about a best-case scenario for the Denver Broncos—sort of.
Not only do they get out from under the disaster that was Jarvis Moss, but they had actually traded up to make that pick, which they're no longer doing.
However, there's an asterisk that comes with this re-draft pick of Purdue edge-rusher Anthony Spencer, as well.
After five so-so years with the Dallas Cowboys, Spencer exploded in 2012. He racked up 95 total tackles, 11 sacks and two forced fumbles and made his first Pro Bowl. It appeared the light bulb had come on.
Spencer would only record another 0.5 sacks in the NFL.
In 2013, he missed the preseason after surgery on his knee. After playing in just one game, pain in that knee revealed that he needed microfracture surgery.
Spencer played 13 games in 2014 but recorded just half a sack. After that, his career was over. But that's what's left in the draft pool now: players who played at a high level for a short period and guys who were good but never great.
22. Dallas Cowboys
Original Pick: Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame (by Cleveland Browns)
New Pick: Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU
On a personal note, I still have flashbacks as a Browns fan about this draft. I literally started screaming "No!" at the TV from the moment it was announced Cleveland had traded up because I knew it was to get Brady Quinn.
Thankfully, that gaffe has now been erased from history forever by this re-draft. With the Cowboys back on the clock, Jerry Jones chooses to add another weapon for Tony Romo.
Dwayne Bowe's career took a downward turn after his first handful of years in the NFL, but in the early going, he appeared to be a star in the making. After missing 1,000 receiving yards by the narrowest of margins as a rookie, he peeled off three 1,000-yard campaigns over the next four years, including a 15-touchdown effort in 2010 that got him into the Pro Bowl.
That Bowe's professional career ended with one atrocious season for the Browns in 2015 just brings this pick full circle.
23. Kansas City Chiefs
Original Pick: Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU
New Pick: Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn
In 2007, the Kansas City Chiefs used their first pick on wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. But this time around, Bowe went to Dallas one pick earlier. And while there's some meat on the bone left at that position, there's better value to be had elsewhere.
For example: addressing an offensive line that ranked 29th or worse in both run blocking and pass protection in 2007, per Football Outsiders.
Over nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints and Chiefs, Ben Grubbs started 125 games on the inside. The 6'3", 311-pounder made it to the Pro Bowl in both 2011 and 2013 and was on the All-Rookie Team of the Pro Football Writers of America in 2007.
Four times during his professional career, Grubbs went the entire season without being flagged for holding. And over a three-year span from 2012-14, he played every offensive snap for the New Orleans Saints.
24. New England Patriots (From Seattle Seahawks)
Original Pick: Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami (FL)
New Pick: Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami (FL)
The 2007 season was almost perfect for the New England Patriots. They became the first (and only) team in league history to run the table in a 16-game regular season. But it all wound up being for naught after they were stunned by the Giants in the Super Bowl.
Like the season itself, New England's selection of safety Brandon Meriweather wasn't perfect. But at this point in Round 1, there really isn't a better option available with the pick New England got from Seattle in the Deion Branch trade.
The downside to this pick is that Meriweather's time in New England was relatively brief. He was released by the Pats during final cutdowns in 2011.
The good news is that by that time, Meriweather had made his way to a pair of Pro Bowls (including in 2010), and the hard-hitting safety went on to play five more years with the Bears, Redskins and Giants.
Had he been able to get his penchant for head-hunting under control, he'd have played longer—and more likely than not made another Pro Bowl.
25. New York Jets
Original Pick: Jon Beason, LB, Miami (FL) (by Carolina Panthers)
New Pick: David Harris, LB, Michigan
This pick was originally part of a flurry of wheeling and dealing that the New York Jets made in the 2007 draft.
Part of that Let's Make a Deal sequence led to landing Michigan linebacker David Harris in the second round—a pick that worked out well enough that he's worth a look again in this re-draft.
Frankly, it's surprising that over his decade in New York (and one year with the rival Patriots), Harris never made a Pro Bowl. He was, however, named a second-team All-Pro after amassing 127 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2009. That was the second of seven times Harris racked up triple-digit tackles. He finished his career with over 1,100, adding 36.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and six interceptions.
Harris may not have been an elite player, but he was a fixture on the New York defense for 10 years.
26. Philadelphia Eagles
Original Pick: Anthony Spencer, EDGE, Purdue (by Dallas Cowboys)
New Pick: Corey Graham, CB, New Hampshire
The Philadelphia Eagles flipped this pick to their NFC East rivals in Dallas. Who says those teams can't get along?
With draft-day trades nixed in the re-do, though, the Eagles will go with a small-school standout who won two Super Bowls over a 12-year professional career, including one with Philadelphia in 2017.
Corey Graham was never a great coverage corner, and by the time he made his way to Philadelphia in 2017, he had made the switch to safety. But after the fifth-round pick of the Bears made his first (and only) Pro Bowl in 2011 as a special teamer, he parlayed that success into a free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens and his first Super Bowl ring.
In Chicago and Baltimore, Graham was a part-time player. But over a two-year span at safety with the Bills in 2015 and 2016, he started all 32 games and averaged over 100 tackles per season.
27. New Orleans Saints
Original Pick: Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
New Pick: Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina
In 2007, the New Orleans Saints used their first draft pick on Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem.
When a knee injury wiped out his rookie season, it set the stage for a wildly disappointing pro career. A 45/722/9 stat line in 2009 is the best the 6'2", 214-pounder did in the NFL, and when last we saw him on the playing field, it was with the Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League.
Sidney Rice didn't have the greatest professional career, either. The second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings topped 500 receiving yards just twice over seven seasons in Minnesota and Seattle.
But for one magical year in the Twin Cities, Rice looked the part of a star. In 2009, he turned 121 targets into 83 catches, 1,312 yards, 15.8 yards per catch, eight scores and a trip to the Pro Bowl.
28. New England Patriots
Original Pick: Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan (by San Francisco 49ers)
New Pick: Doug Free, OT, Northern Illinois
Back in 2007, the New England Patriots flipped this pick to San Francisco for a first-rounder the following year. The Niners then went on to draft a cornerstone left tackle in Joe Staley.
In this re-draft, however, Staley is long gone, and Bill Belichick doesn't get to pull any of his draft-day moving and shaking. Instead, he has to sort through a rather uninspiring pile of players to find a fit for a team that's about to embark on the only 16-0 regular season in NFL history.
In his 10-year career with the Dallas Cowboys, Doug Free never made the Pro Bowl. But the 6'6", 324-pounder was a capable tackle who made 114 career starts while lining up at both tackle spots.
There isn't a team in the National Football League that can't use that kind of depth and versatility along the offensive line.
29. Baltimore Ravens
Original Pick: Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn
New Pick: Charles Johnson, EDGE, Georgia
The Baltimore Ravens came into the 2007 NFL draft with visions of getting back to the Super Bowl after going 13-3 the year before. The team instead backslid in a big way, free-falling all the way to 5-11. But that wasn't the fault of first-round pick Ben Grubbs, who went six picks earlier in this re-draft than all those years ago.
Still, Baltimore's Plan B isn't a bad pick, either. It could make an already formidable Ravens defense that much scarier.
Charles Johnson was a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2007. Over an 11-year career with the team that drafted him, he notched 67.5 career sacks. He topped the 10-sack mark three times and had a five-year stretch from 2010 to 2014 in which he piled up at least 8.5 sacks per season.
Johnson wasn't an elite edge-rusher. But he was an excellent complementary pass-rusher who probably would have thrived lining up opposite Terrell Suggs.
30. San Diego Chargers
Original Pick: Craig Davis, WR, LSU
New Pick: Steve Smith, WR, USC
The San Diego Chargers were in the midst of one of the best runs in franchise history in 2007.
The year before, the Bolts went 14-2 before falling to the Patriots in the playoffs. They followed that up with an 11-5 campaign and a trip to the AFC title game, where they lost to the unbeaten Pats.
The 2007 Chargers sent nine players to the Pro Bowl, but no wide receivers made the trip as pass-catchers. In an effort to bolster the wideout corps, they added LSU's Craig Davis at the back end of Round 1. But Davis was a complete bust as a pro, catching just 51 passes for 558 yards in four seasons.
Steve Smith's career didn't really go as planned, either. Knee problems limited him to just six seasons in the pros. But when he was healthy, he showed the ability to be a difference-maker.
He set a franchise record for catches in a season with the Giants in 2009, hauling in 107 passes for over 1,200 yards en route to the Pro Bowl.
31. Chicago Bears
Original Pick: Greg Olsen, TE, Miami (FL)
New Pick: Zach Miller, TE, Arizona State
The Chicago Bears were coming off a loss to the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. They were a talented team with a punishing defense, but the offense was sorely lacking in skill-position talent.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a great draft class for running backs or wide receivers. The quarterback class was so unimpressive that not one signal-caller went in Round 1 of this re-draft. And the best tight end of the group (and Chicago's original pick that year) is off the board already.
However, there's another young tight end still available who had a solid professional career of his own.
Unlike Greg Olsen, Zach Miller never had a 1,000-yard season. But over eight years with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, he caught 328 passes for over 3,800 yards and 20 touchdowns. His 60/685/5 stat line in 2010 got him a Pro Bowl invite, and he won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2013.
32. Indianapolis Colts
Original Pick: Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State
New Pick: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Marshall
The Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts struck out on their selection of Ohio State wideout Anthony Gonzalez with the final pick of the first round in 2007. He lasted just five seasons in Indy and only had about 1,300 career receiving yards.
Credit where it's due, though. He's been busy since his football career ended, winning a Congressional seat in Ohio in 2018.
The '07 Colts could have used some running back help. The team's leading rusher was second-year pro Joseph Addai, whose production fell off a cliff the following year. So it's a running back who makes the jump into Round 1 to close out this re-draft...all the way from pick No. 250.
Ahmad Bradshaw never led the NFL in rushing or came especially close. At no point during his nine-year career was he considered one of the best running backs in the NFL. But he was also an underrated talent who had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, averaged 4.6 yards per carry for his career, caught 187 passes and scored 48 times from scrimmage.