The 2017 NFL Draft's Biggest What-Ifs Become Painfully Clear In Top-Five Redraft Exercise

Next year's 2027 NFL Draft will officially mark a decade since the 2017 iteration. Passing time welcomes the gift of hindsight and the ability to reminisce on what went wrong with the 2017 NFL Draft. Today, we're conducting a redraft scenario that attempts to course-correct those errors in judgment.

The 2017 NFL Draft produced several superstars and MVP winners who are still extremely relevant today. Various teams made mistakes with their top 10 selections, however. Some organizations literally passed on future Hall of Famers.

Multiple organizations would accept do-over scenarios. That's precisely what this redraft scenario sets out to achieve. With so many busts in the top five, we've changed every singletop-five selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

2017 NFL Re-Draft Scenario: Changing Every Top Five Pick

1. Cleveland Browns: Patrick Mahomes, QB (original pick: Myles Garrett)

The Cleveland Browns certainly don't "regret" drafting Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall despite trading him this offseason to the Los Angeles Rams. Garrett developed into a Defensive Player of the Year winner and has established himself as one of the greatest players of his generation. But still, it's been nearly one decade since the Browns drafted him and they're still searching for the solution at quarterback. They'd undeniably take Patrick Mahomes in a redraft scenario. Mahomes could go down as the greatest quarterback in NFL history and Cleveland plays the what-if game when reminiscing on this draft.

2. Chicago Bears: Myles Garrett, EDGE (original pick: Mitchell Trubisky)

This didn't develop into a terrific quarterback class, but the Chicago Bears still made a gigantic error by taking Mitchell Trubisky over Mahomes. In a do-over that sees Mahomes go No. 1, the Bears would pass on a quarterback altogether and go with Garrett. Since drafting Trubisky, they've also drafted Justin Fields and Caleb Williams, but appear to have finally solved the issue with Williams. Ironically, EDGE has also been a routine weakness, one Garrett would have addressed.

3. San Francisco 49ers: Christian McCaffrey, RB (original pick: Solomon Thomas)

The San Francisco 49ers eventually landed Christian McCaffrey by acquiring him from the Carolina Panthers, but wouldn't things be more straightforward if they just drafted him originally? The 49ers took Solomon Thomas with the third pick. Thomas is still in the NFL, but he never lived up to the pre-draft billing. You can argue that McCaffrey plays a devalued position compared to some other prospects on the board here, but we couldn't pass on an opportunity to ensure he still lands with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: T.J. Watt, EDGE (original pick: Leonard Fournette)

The Jacksonville Jaguars would certainly accept a do-over on their Leonard Fournette decision. The 2017 NFL Draft presented a number of high-end talents who are available in this scenario, but T.J. Watt stands out among them. The eight-time Pro Bowler has produced three individual seasons with 15+ sacks, including a historic 22.5 in 2021 when he won his lone Defensive Player of the Year award. Watt would have solved a multi-year problem for the Jaguars' pass-rushing unit, though it's tough to envision him playing for anyone else other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

5. Tennessee Titans: Cooper Kupp, WR (original pick: Corey Davis)

This was arguably the most difficult decision. The Tennessee Titans definitely wouldn't take Corey Davis again, so we swapped him out for fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who developed into the best wideout in this class despite going 69th overall. We also strongly considered George Kittle, Trey Hendrickson, and Alvin Kamara here. Kupp became the WR1 the Titans were looking for when they took Davis. Hopefully Carnell Tate can fill that void for them this season.

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