NFL Draft: Re-drafting every first-round pick from 2017 NFL Draft

NFL Draft: Re-drafting every first-round pick from 2017 NFL Draft: 15, OT Ryan Ramczyk

Originally selected 32nd overall (+17)

It may have been a case of too little too late but it’s worth a try.

Andrew Luck had grown accustomed to peeling himself up off the ground and wiping mud off his jersey. For years Luck dealt with the pressure of being the number one overall pick as well as nonstop pressure from oncoming defenses. For the most part, he dealt with it well but he abruptly retired in 2019. To convince him to stick around a bit longer, the Colts could have used their first-round resources on Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

To say that he’s done a good job so far in the league would be an understatement. Ramczyk has twice been named to the All-Pro second team and once to the First Team in 2019 after stopping all opposing rushers and allowing exactly zero sacks. Admittedly, the damage done to Luck may have been too deep to change his mind. He suffered from a lacerated kidney, a shoulder injury and several other nagging issues during his time there.

Still, Luck fought his way back after spending the entirety of the 2017 season on the sidelines. With the Colts placing an emphasis on the offensive line for a change, maybe Luck would have looked at the game of football differently and stuck around a bit longer. Unfortunately for them, they’ll never know and now have to live with a bunch of what if’s.