You want to nit-pick and question everything your team has ever done? You’ve come to the right place. We’re going back through the 2015 NFL Draft and remaking every first round pick. You’re invited to play along.
Click here for Part 1. Here for Part 2.
16. Houston Texans – Kwon Alexander, ILB, LSU
Original pick: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
Johnson may eventually turn into an elite cornerback, but the kid just can’t stay on the field. Instead, I have the team solidifying the inside of their linebacker corps with Alexander. Alexander has never had fewer than 100 tackles in his first three seasons and while he’s had some health issues of his own, he’s also never missed more than four games in a year. Johnson, based on potential and his performance when he is healthy, still goes in the second round, injuries and all, in this do-over. In real life, they take Bernardrick McKinney in the second round and he fits this role for them. In this draft re-do, he’s long gone by the time their second rounder rolls around.
Alexander was originally taken in the fourth round and gets the bronze medal in the draft jump competition. Though, honestly as you’ll see, this one is kind of rigged.
17. San Francisco 49ers – Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
Original pick: Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
This was a loaded draft at inside linebacker and none of them went in the first round originally. There are plenty of arguments for their placement and their order, but I’ll put Kendricks, a key cog in an elite Minnesota Vikings defense, here in San Francisco to help replace the LB attrition they suffered from Patrick Willis’ retirement and Navorro Bowman’s injury. Armstead is a good player and the Niners certainly didn’t waste a pick or reach here and I was tempted to keep him. Ultimately, I think Kendricks is just more valuable.
18. Kansas City Chiefs – Damarious Randall, CB/Safety, Arizona State
Original pick: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Usually you’d look at this and say the draft re-do screwed the Chiefs here, but considering they traded away Peters for nothing because they didn’t like his personality, you can’t make that argument. The Green Bay Packers drafted Randall in the first, then moved him to corner where he’s been solid for his first three seasons. This last offseason they traded him to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Deshone Kizer.
19. Cleveland Browns – Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
Original pick: Cameron Erving, Center, Florida State
You want a a Cleveland Browns bust, Erving is just a classic. A reach at a position that should rarely be taken in the Top 20. Two years later and he isn’t even on the team.. It’s the absolute Brown-iest thing they could do. Cleveland needed to prepare better at wideout for Josh Gordon’s many suspensions and Funchess is a budding No. 1. He caught 63 passes and eight touchdowns in Carolina last season.
20. Philadelphia Eagles – Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State
Original pick: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
Ajayi was a steal for the Dolphins in the fifth round of the original draft, but one they gladly traded away to the Eagles. Ajayi is a multi-talented back who will only become more integral to Philly’s offense as they begin their title defense. Seeing that, and the players left here, there’s no reason they don’t go ahead and add him to the roster early in the re-do. Agholor is a second rounder in this draft and probably gone by the time the Eagles pick again, but it’s a trade I think they’d make.
To be continued in Part 4.
