Going back to the 2018 NFL Draft and giving every team a chance at a redo.
The 2018 NFL Draft produced eight Pro Bowlers in the first-round, but plenty of future superstars slipped into the later rounds. Four Pro Bowlers heard their names called in the second round, while two more fell to the third, and one even went undrafted. If teams evaluated prospects perfectly, all of these stars would’ve gone in the top 32 selections.
Some teams ended up unsatisfied with their first-round selections as well. Notably, the Arizona Cardinals selected Josh Rosen at 10th overall and traded him away a year later. Cincinnati, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle also want do-overs. Now, they’re getting a chance to go back to April 26, 2018, and make a new wave of selections.
I compiled this redraft using limited hindsight, meaning I took into account the skill and production of members from the 2018 draft class, but I didn’t account for every free agent signing or trade that occurred after the draft. I evaluated every team’s roster and needs based on who they selected in the real draft and their depth charts entering the 2018 season.
Out of the 32 selections from the original 2018 NFL Draft, only three remained the same in the redraft. Most teams either drafted better players or realized their original picks went much higher than previously anticipated. However, a significant number of teams drafted at the same position that they did in the real draft.
About 13 other players performed well enough during their first two seasons to receive consideration for first-round selections in the redrafting process. Only four of those players were former first-round selections, including Rashaan Evans, Sony Michel, Kolton Miller and Da’Ron Payne. 19 of the players selected in the redraft were originally selected in the first round, meaning 13 players fell out of the top 32 selections.
Texas’ Poona Ford and Maryland’s J.C. Jackson deserve special recognition. While neither went in the redraft, they both earned consideration despite going undrafted. Only one formerly undrafted player went in the redraft.
Second-round selections Will Hernandez, Donte Jackson, Christian Kirk, Harold Landry and Connor Williams all deserve honorable mentions but they didn’t go in the redraft. Third-rounder Sam Hubbard and fifth-rounder Tre Flowers both outplayed their draft stock in the first two seasons of their careers, but neither cracked the top 32 selections. Punter Michael Dickson also deserves an honorable mention for being the only Pro Bowler from the 2018 class not to go in the redraft.
Now, let the mayhem begin.