Re-drafting the 2017 NFL draft: Jaguars land Kupp, Jets tab Watson and five running backs selected
5. Tennessee Titans via Los Angeles Rams
Original selection: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Re-draft pick: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State
Tennessee thought it found a playmaker for Marcus Mariota to grow with when drafting Davis in 2017. There were flashes of brilliance mixed with inconsistency and injury. Davis racked up 3,879 yards and 17 touchdowns in four seasons with the Titans before leaving in free agency. He was an average receiver in two seasons with the Jets, retiring after the 2022 campaign.
Meanwhile, Godwin has been one of the most reliable receivers in the league over the past seven years. He trails only Kupp in receiving yards and his 34 touchdowns trail Kupp and George Kittle. Putting Godwin into the Titans offense that featured the rushing duo of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry and Delaine Walker at tight end would have made this team way more potent. Perhaps Mariota would have found a little more success before his time ran out in Tennessee.
6. New York Jets
Original selection: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
Re-draft pick: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
This one is a little tricky. The Jets ended up getting the best of Adams, who was a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro in his first two seasons. New York then traded him to Seattle for a massive haul, highlighted by two first-round draft picks. Adams had one more great season and then fell off a cliff. Injuries and struggles in coverage saw Adams quickly decline. Seattle released him after the 2023 season and he has yet to sign a new deal. His career is likely over.
The replacement pick is a controversial one to say the least. Watson looked like the next star quarterback when he arrived in Houston. A torn ACL derailed a promising rookie season, but he came back to make the Pro Bowl each of the next three seasons. His 2020 season was one of the best we have ever seen as he threw for a league-leading 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing 70.7 percent of his passes.
After that is where things went off the rails. Watson was accused of sexual misconduct by 26 different women, starting in the 2021 offseason. He did not play that season amidst a contract dispute with Houston. The Texans ultimately traded him to the Browns, who then gave him a fully-guaranteed contract. Watson served an 11-game suspension in 2022 stemming from an NFL investigation into his conduct. He has not looked like the same player since returning from that scandal. Playing in just 12 games due to suspension in injury over two seasons. His completion percentage has been below 60 and he has averaged just 185 yards passing per game in Cleveland.
For New York, it is hard to know how things would have gone. Their quarterbacks for the 2017 season were Josh McCown and Bryce Petty. The franchise has been searching for a quarterback since Joe Namath left in 1976. Perhaps things would have gone differently if Watson had been with the Jets. It's hard to imagine things would have gone better, because the team is rarely associated with things going well. However, even if Watson had turned into the eventual trade chip that netted three first-round picks, it would be worth the gamble here for the Jets. I know this is a much longer explanation than the rest, but there is a lot of nuance to Watson's situation.
7. Los Angeles Chargers
Original selection: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
Re-draft pick: George Kittle, TE, Iowa
In the twilight of Philip Rivers' career the Chargers tried to add another big body weapon to their offense in hopes of extending their championship window. Williams did eventually develop into a quality receiver, when he was on the field. He missed 26 games in his seven seasons with Los Angeles and did not have much of an impact his rookie season. His production was solid, but not quite worthy of being a top-ten selection. I expect to find a place for him later in this exercise.
If the Chargers were interested in finding a playmaker, Kittle would be top of the list. Tight end wasn't really a pressing need with Antonio Gates still hanging around, but the future Hall-of-Famer hung up his cleats after the 2018 season. Kittle would have been the heir apparent who could still provide some receiving upside in the short term. Inexplicably, Kittle slid to the fifth-round on draft day. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection. He is one of the best tight ends of this generation and could be on his way to Canton.
8. Carolina Panthers
Original selection: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Re-draft pick: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Finally, a pick that does not change. Drafting a running back in the top 10 can be a difficult decision to defend. Look at how it worked out for the Jaguars with Leonard Fournette. McCaffrey is also no longer with Carolina, having been traded during the 2022 season. He also struggled mightily with injuries. He played 10 combined games in 2020 and 2021, missing 23 due to injury. That seems like a recipe for a new player selected in this spot.
However, it is hard to argue against the value McCaffrey brings to the table. He leads the league in yards from scrimmage since entering the league and his 81 touchdowns trails only Derrick Henry in that span. That's especially impressive when you consider that he played 13 fewer games than Henry in that span. He was also a valuable trade asset for the Panthers, who netted a 2023 second, third and fourth-round pick in addition to a 2024 fifth-round selection for him. Carolina badly fumbled that additional draft capital, but that is besides the point. McCaffrey has been worth the investment and has transformed San Francisco' offense into one of the most potent in the entire league.