NFL draft: 2012 re-do
17. Cincinnati Bengals
Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
Actual pick: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Kirkpatrick has not turned out how most people in Cincinnati would have liked him to, and injuries have contributed to that. Burfict, and undrafted free agent who signed with the Bengals, has been a key part of the defense. He’s been able to stay out of trouble in Cincinnati — legal issues caused him to go undrafted, and the Bengals took a chance on him. If he didn’t have those issues, he would’ve been a first-round pick in the first place. But here, knowing he’d stay clean in the NFL, the Bengals take him here.
18. San Diego Chargers
Melvin Ingram, LB, South Carolina
Actual pick: same
Ingram was a productive player in 2012; he tore his ACL in May 2013 but still managed to come back and play. When on the field, he’s been good, but the jury is still out on him due to the inability to grade him because of the lack of playing time.
19. Chicago Bears
Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
Actual pick: Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State
Poe didn’t play well until his second year in Kansas City, but he has turned into a Pro Bowl player. The McClellin experiment hasn’t exactly worked out; many believe this was a reach at 19th overall. On a defensive line that needs a lot of help, Poe would be a disruptive force in the middle.
20. Tennessee Titans
Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Actual pick: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Like Burfict, issues in college contributed to Jenkins’ fall to the second round. He was first round talent, but slid. Now that we know he’d eventually pan out in the NFL, he’s a first round pick in this re-mock. Jenkins has been a solid player under Jeff Fisher in St. Louis. Wright hasn’t had the impact most have wanted, considering his production at Baylor.
21. New England Patriots
Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Actual pick: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
Floyd has been heavily overshadowed by Larry Fitzgerald and even Andre Roberts in Arizona. But he’d probably be the featured target with the Patriots, as Tom Brady has no one to throw to on the outside. Floyd would help cover up Rob Gronkowski’s absence as well, as he’d help in the red zone and free up things for guys like Julian Edelman over the middle.
22. Cleveland Browns
Doug Martin, RB, Boise State
Actual pick: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma
Cleveland gets their franchise quarterback and running back in the same draft. I think it’s safe to say that Russell Wilson and Doug Martin are better than Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson.
23. Detroit Lions
Matt Kalil, OT, Southern California
Actual pick: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
I’ve watched a bit of Reiff when watching Matt Stafford, and I came away rather unimpressed. Luckily for the Lions, Pro Bowler Matt Kalil is still available — due to team need, he wasn’t selected third overall and he has slid all the way down to 23. He’s definitely better than the 23rd-best player, but again, the Lions lucked out with the way this re-mock went so far.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
Kevin Zeitler, G, Wisconsin
Actual pick: David DeCastro, G, Stanford
Offensive linemen have fallen due to team need in the top 20 of the draft, and Zeitler and DeCastro are still available. I prefer Zeitler over DeCastro — the latter got off to a bad start in Pittsburgh, and was involved with Maurkice Pouncey’s torn ACL, but rebounded nicely. But Zeitler has been consistent since he got to Cincinnati, and he’d be better than DeCastro in a role with Pittsburgh.