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J.J. Watt goes 3rd overall in PFF's do-over of 2011 NFL Draft

PFF redid the 2011 NFL Draft, and their analysts put Wisconsin Badgers legend J.J. Watt at the third overall pick, with two players still coming off the board before him.
Lorin Cox|
Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium.
Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

J.J. Watt somehow lasted until the 11th overall pick back in the 2011 NFL Draft, despite two dominant seasons for the Wisconsin Badgers.

But even with the hindsight of seeing how his future Hall of Fame career played out, he still didn't rise to the top of his draft class.

PFF went through and redrafted the 2011 class, and their analysts moved him up to the third overall pick, with two players still coming off the board before him.

3: Buffalo Bills - DL J.J. Watt, Wisconsin Badgers

Watt is one of a few no-doubt Hall of Famers from the 2011 class. He played 12 seasons and earned five first-team All-Pro nods and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. From 2012 to 2022, he recorded an 86.0-plus PFF overall grade in all but one season — 2016, when he played only 157 snaps due to injury. He is one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
PFF

It's interesting to see them call Watt one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history and still have him picked third in the draft, but PFF kept 2011's original first two picks with the Carolina Panthers taking Cam Newton and the Denver Broncos taking Von Miller.

It's up for debate which of those three players each franchise would prefer with hindsight, but perhaps Watt's injury troubles were enough of a tiebreaker.

He still put together an incredible career, but the games he missed kept him from reaching more career-long records for sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles.

Watt remains an all-time Badgers legend and a player who should get a gold jacket in Canton the moment he is eligible in 2028.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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