Fantasy Football

2014 NFL Re-draft, Imagine the Texans with JJ Watt and Khalil Mack?

Expect Khalil Mack to double his sack count this season
Could you imagine if the Texans would have drafted Khalil Mack over Jadeveon Clowney? Man the Texans would be a force.

By: Josh Shippen

  1. Houston Texans: Khalil Mack, LB (Original: Jadeveon Clowney, DE)

Mack has been a generational talent at linebacker, and is easily one of the top 3 people in this draft class. Mack would be taken first overall, especially over an up and down player with injury issues like Clowney.

  1. St. Louis Rams: Aaron Donald, DE (Original: Greg Robinson, OT)

Donald is the other generational defensive talent in this draft, and would certainly be taken over Robinson, who has had off the field issues and poor play. The Rams already drafted Donald, they would just draft him earlier.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (Original: Blake Bortles, QB)

Bortles did not work out in Duval, and as much as I don’t like this pick the Jaguars desperately needed a quarterback, no way you keep going with Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne! 

  1. Buffalo Bills: Odell Beckham, WR (Original: Sammy Watkins, WR)

What has been lost in the shuffle of the Browns mediocrity is that Odell had arguably one of the best stretches of a wide receiver that has ever been seen in NFL history. Give Beckham to the Bills, and watch them start getting way better.

  1. Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr, QB (Original: Khalil Mack, LB)

Derek Carr has been mediocre, I know I get it. I hear the protesting, but you forget that at the time that former GM Reggie McKenzie was yapping about Matt Schaub being the starter for Oakland, and that’s not a viable option. Carr would theoretically be going much earlier in the draft now that we know his ceiling, so the Raiders need to grab him while they can.

  1. Atlanta Falcons: Davante Adams, WR (Original: Jake Matthews, OT)

Adams would be a nice player to take over for aging wideout Roddy White, and be someone for Matt Ryan to lean on in the passing game, especially if Julio Jones was out. Matthews was a good player, but Adams would be so much better.

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR

Evans was a solid pick at 7, and I do not believe that the Buccaneers would change their pick even with their issues at quarterback. You have next year to take Winston and develop him.

  1. Cleveland Browns: Teddy Bridgewater, QB (Original: Justin Gilbert, CB)

Gilbert was an awful pick at 8 last year, and Bridgewater has had some solid years ahead of him. The big concern with Bridgewater is his ability to stay healthy, and his ability to be more than a game manager.

  1. Minnesota Vikings: Jadeveon Clowney, DE (Original: Anthony Barr, LB)

Finally Clowney comes off the board to the Vikings, who desperately need defensive pieces. I would still consider Barr here, but I think Clowney has a higher ceiling, and could end up being the more dominant player.

  1. Detroit Lions: Zack Martin, G (Original: Eric Ebron, TE)

Ebron on this list is a testament to how important coaching is in the NFL. Ebron can succeed in the Indianapolis Colts offense, but struggles in the Detroit offense. Zack Martin is a much safer pick here, and has been one of the best guards in the league over his career.

  1. Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan, OT

Lewan has been a very good offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans, and he is exactly what they needed. I believe the Titans would not change this pick.

  1. New York Giants: Ryan Shazier, LB (Original: Odell Beckham, WR)

With Beckham no longer an option, it would become the Giants to grab a new piece to their defense, and what better choice than Shazier who if not for a gruesome leg injury would be a successful starter in the NFL today.

  1. St. Louis Rams: Jake Matthews, OT (Original: Aaron Donald, DE)

Matthews would be a player to develop along the Rams’ offensive line, and would certainly be a better lineman than the before mentioned Greg Robinson that they picked in the first go round. 

  1. Chicago Bears: Kyle Fuller, CB 

Kyle Fuller ended up being a playmaker in one of the best defenses of the 2010’s, so yeah I don’t think the Bears are going to lose this pick, especially not at 14.

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers: CJ Mosley, LB (Original: Ryan Shazier, LB)

Mosley is the next best option after Shazier got taken at 12 by the Giants. The Steelers would add a centerpiece to their defense that they could build around in drafts to come.

  1. Dallas Cowboys: Trai Turner, G (Original: Zack Martin, G)

Zack Martin may be the best guard in football, but Trai Turner is pretty damn close. Turner would fill a similar role to Martin in Dallas, and although it is a downgrade it is still a great pick.

  1. Baltimore Ravens: Anthony Barr, LB (Original: CJ Mosley, LB)

The Ravens add a skilled linebacker in Barr, who would take the role that Mosley would have taken, and maybe stay for longer than Mosley did in Baltimore. So technically, it could be an even better pick for Baltimore.

  1. New York Jets: Jason Verrett, CB (Original: Calvin Pryor, S)

Verrett is an extremely good, but extremely injured player. He would certainly be a better player than Pryor who was off of the Jets in two years. Verrett, when healthy, could be a great starter for the Jets.

  1. Miami Dolphins: Jarvis Landry, WR (Original: JuWuan James, OT)

Same player, different pick. Landry is a steal at 19 for the Dolphins who desperately need someone to play as a first receiver. Landry would be that guy, making multiple Pro Bowls and leading in receptions in the season.

  1. New Orleans Saints: Allen Robinson, WR (Original: Brandin Cooks, WR)

Considering that Cooks seems to get kicked out of each team he has been on, Robinson would be a much better add to the Saints WR corps. Robinson is not the fastest ever, but his other mechanics are much better for the Saints to utilize.

  1. Green Bay Packers: Carlos Hyde, RB (Original: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S)

With Lacy becoming a big factor, Hyde would act as a person to help share carries with Lacy, both of them playing a similar role in the Packers backfield.

  1. Cleveland Browns: Demarcus Lawrence, DE (Original: Johnny Manziel, QB)

Would Johnny Football be the Browns pick again on the second go round? Nah, probably not. The Browns would probably fix up this pick with Lawrence, who would be a rock on the Browns’ defensive line.

  1. Kansas City Chiefs: Dee Ford, DE

The Chiefs would not change their pick at 23, keeping Ford as a nice defensive player. Good pick Chiefs, maybe don’t give him away to the 49ers next time.

  1. Cincinnati Bengals: Devonta Freeman, RB (Original: Darqueze Dennard, CB)

Freeman would be a great person to share carries with Gio Bernard who is not an established 3 down running back. A lot of people forget that before the Freeman injury, the Freeman/Coleman tandem was the best in the league for a stretch, only to be taken over by Kamara/Ingram a few years later.

  1. San Diego Chargers: Adrian Phillips, S (Original: Jason Verrett, CB)

Phillips was taken by the Chargers in the undrafted rounds, but Phillips would be a great first round talent for the San Diego Chargers, who desperately need to be exciting.

  1. Philadelphia Eagles: Joel Bitonio, OT (Original: Marcus Smith, LB)

Smith was a bust in Philadelphia, so the Eagles looked to newly arrived Bitonio to create some lanes for DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews to burst through.

  1. Arizona Cardinals: Deone Buccanon, S

I know Bucannon did not end up becoming a league star, but he gave the Cardinals some great years, and honestly what more can you ask for from your first round pick? Good pickup by Keim and Arians.

  1. Carolina Panthers: Malcolm Butler, CB (Original: Kelvin Benjamin, WR)

WIth Benjamin eventually fizzling out due to character, play, and weight concerns, the Panthers would add Butler as someone to play with rising star Josh Norman in 2014, and begin the makings of a star secondary.

  1. New England Patriots: Kyle Van Noy, LB (Original: Dominique Easley, DT)

Easley was gone very quickly and surprisingly in New England, so I suspect the Patriots would want to bring in someone who would be likely to stay in their system for a long time. Van Noy has been one of the best linebackers in the league in his tenure with New England, and fairly average everywhere else. If New England picked him up, he would likely stay there for his whole career as a defensive centerpiece.

  1. San Francisco 49ers: Chris Borland, LB (Original: Jimmie Ward, CB)

Who? Chris Borland came in as one of the best linebackers out of the whole rookie class in 2014. So why does nobody remember him? Well uh, he retired. But don’t just skip this pick hear me out.. IF (big if I know) Borland ended up not retiring in an alternate timeline, then the absence of Patrick Willis and the injury to NaVorro Bowman is suddenly a lot less damaging. Try Borland one more time to see if it works out.

  1. Denver Broncos: John Brown, WR (Original: Bradley Roby, CB)

Brown has been the most underrated talent in the past 10 years, and I feel like he would fit in great, especially with the search for a new quarterback looking really close for the Denver Broncos and the rapidly aging Peyton Manning.

  1. Minnesota Vikings: Daniel Sorenson, S (Original: Teddy Bridgewater, QB)

I tried to bring myself to put Blake Bortles here as a developmental player, but my conscience just would not shut the hell up and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Sorenson would be a great piece to add to the Vikings secondary, and get that defense to a level where they can be nasty.

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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