Re-drafting the 2018 NFL Draft: Where do the top quarterbacks land now?
The 2018 NFL Draft was six years ago, but that won't stop us from doing a re-draft of the quarterback-heavy class.
Former Denver Broncos GM John Elway recently said that him not taking Josh Allen was the biggest GM mistake of his career. Well, while I personally disagree, that has motivated me to create a re-draft of the famous 2018 NFL Draft, where the QB class was quite heavy.
Will players get picked by the same teams in this re-draft? Let's dive in!
Re-drafting the 2018 NFL Draft: Where do the top quarterbacks land now?
1. Cleveland Browns - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Well, if we're doing a re-draft of the 2018 NFL Draft, it's hard to not mock Lamar Jackson to the Cleveland Browns, who had originally picked Baker Mayfield here. John Dorsey was the Browns GM and was excellent in the NFL Draft, but he only hit a double with Mayfield.
Lamar Jackson has won two NFL MVP awards and is already the best dual-threat quarterback of all-time. The Browns would have been a lot better off with Jackson instead of Mayfield.
2. New York Giants - Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
The New York Giants taking Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick was a joke. Let's use hindsight here and go with Josh Allen, who came out of Wyoming. Allen was an incredibly raw prospect who completed less than 60% of his passes at Wyoming. It took him until year three in the NFL to hit his stride, but the Giants should have gone with a QB here.
This would have allowed them to seamlessly move on from Eli Manning as well.
3. New York Jets - Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
With the third overall pick, the New York Jets will take Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has not been a bad pro by any means, but he's not lived up to the hype being a first overall pick. The Jets definitely would have been better off with Mayfield instead of Sam Darnold, which is who they took.
But to be fair, Darnold was a better prospect than Mayfield. Darnold is now on the Minnesota Vikings and Mayfield is on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
4. Cleveland Browns - Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
A grand-slam of a pick and someone who most thought was going to have an All-Pro, Quenton Nelson has done just that through his first six years of his NFL career. He's made the Pro Bowl in all six seasons and is honestly on a Hall of Fame pace.
The Indianapolis Colts took Quenton Nelson, and he's helped stabilize the offensive line. He's had a marvelous NFL career and is probably going to be good for another seven seasons.
5. Denver Broncos - Roquan Smith, ILB, Georgia
The Denver Broncos miss out on the QB fun at the very top of the 2018 NFL Draft and decide to take an enforcer in the middle of the defense with Roquan Smith, who was originally taken by the Chicago Bears and is now signed long-term with the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos would still not get a potential franchise QB, but Smith could have been a staple in the middle of their defense for years to come.
John Elway did like Josh Allen, but could not make it happen.
6. Indianapolis Colts - Frank Ragnow, OC, Arkansas
Since the Indianapolis Colts missed out on Quenton Nelson, they will "settle" for Frank Ragnow, a player who has had a very good career with the Detroit Lions. Primarily a center now, Ragnow did play some guard in the NFL, and the Colts, in this 2018 re-draft, would take him and stick him at guard.
Ragnow is still very good, and he's also someone who has helped anchor his team's offensive line in recent seasons. The Colts still get a very good player with Frank Ragnow, who came from Arkansas.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Bradley Chubb, DL, NC State
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had traded their seventh pick to the Buffalo Bills, and that's the pick Buffalo originally used for Josh Allen. This time, they stick at pick seven and take Bradley Chubb, who was taken by the Denver Broncos and traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he signed a long-term deal.
The Buccaneers originally took Vita Vea, who is still on the team.