Minnesota Vikings: Re-drafting the team’s last 6 first-round picks

2015, No. 11 Overall

Original Pick: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Re-draft Pick: Byron Jones, CB, UConn (No. 27 Overall)

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a ton of top-tier talent to come out of the 2015 NFL Draft. There were some solid options to replace Trae Waynes as the selection at No. 11 overall, but none were obvious choices the way Donald was to replace Barr in 2014.

Andrus Peat was a consideration, but he’s been inconsistent and injury-prone. I also briefly thought about Arik Armstead, but in this scenario Donald is already on the roster. The Vikings’ planned on upgrading their roster with the selection of Waynes, so I replaced him with the largely superior talent of Byron Jones, who was selected towards the end of the first round in 2015.

Despite coming in with more question marks than Waynes, Jones has shined far brighter throughout his five seasons in the NFL. He’s emerged as one of the league’s most talented (and underrated) cornerbacks, often shutting down opponent’s top receivers and forcing quarterbacks to look elsewhere.

There’s a reason the Miami Dolphins just gave him a five-year, $82.5 million deal this offseason. Then again, Waynes got three years and $42 million from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Put simply, Jones would have been a significant upgrade on Waynes.