29. Green Bay Packers
Original selection: Kevin King, CB, Washington
Re-draft pick: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
On draft day, the Packers moved down to the top of the second round to select King, with the Browns trading up to take David Njoku. King spent five seasons with the Packers, playing in just 51 of 81 potential games. His contract expired in 2021 and he took the 2022 season off to get healthy. In March of 2023, he tore his Achilles, but he did sign on with the Falcons this past April.
Cunningham has his limitations. He missed a lot of tackles early in his career and he is not a great coverage option. However, he has a nose for the football. Only Budda Baker has more solo tackles of the players in this draft class. For as many tackles as he missed, Cunningham still made plenty. The Packers searched for off-ball linebacker help for a while, struggling to find players capable of filling the role. Cunningham is far from perfect, but he would have been an upgrade over Jake Ryan.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Original selection: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
Re-draft pick: Marcus Williams, S, Utah
Not a chance in the world that Watt would last until this spot in a re-draft. He was literally the second player off the board. Pittsburgh nailed this pick, finding one of the best defensive players of a generation. If Watt continues at his current pace for another couple seasons, he will end up with a gold jacket and a bust in Canton.
Adding Williams is a solid fallback plan in this scenario. After essentially redshirting his rookie year, he quickly became a starter with the Saints in 2018. He has above-average coverage skills and is a reliable tackler. He spent five seasons with New Orleans before signing a big deal with Baltimore. Had he landed in Pittsburgh, he would have been in line to take over for Mike Mitchell, who turned 30 during the 2017 season. Pairing Williams with Sean Davis would have given the Steelers a solid starting duo for the position.
31. Atlanta Falcons
Original selection: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
Re-draft pick: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
San Francisco traded up to take Foster. He was an immensely talented player, but there were red flags from the very beginning. He underwent surgery on his shoulder following his final season at Alabama and then got sent home from the combine for arguing with a staffer during a medical exam. Foster wound up playing just two years in the NFL, struggling to stay on the field. He was suspended for a weapons charge and misdemeanor drug charge. He was arrested for domestic violence just a few months later, prompting the 49er to cut him. Foster landed with Washington and was reinstated by the league, but tore up his knee during practice and never played for the team. After rehabbing the injury, he eventually landed in the USFL and now the UFL.
Atlanta had actually traded up a few spots on draft day to take Takkarist McKinley. He registered 17.5 sacks in four seasons with the Falcons and has bounced around the league since. At the time, the Falcons were getting by with Levine Toilolo playing tight end. Engram might have had an uneven start to his career, but he also had nearly as many receiving yards this past season as Toilolo did in his career. Engram also broke the single-season record for receptions by a tight end in 2023. Matt Ryan would have benefited from having Engram working across the middle of the field on passing downs.
32. New Orleans Saints via New England Patriots
Original selection: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Re-draft pick: Samson Ebukam, EDGE, Eastern Washington
New Orleans capped an excellent first round for themselves by selecting Ramczyk back in 2017. This was the pick acquired in the Brandin Cooks trade. Ramczyk has been a mainstay in New Orleans for the past seven years. However, he is long gone in this re-draft, forcing the Saints to pivot.
This selection came down to Taylor Moton and Ebukam for me. The Saints had Larry Wofford and Andrus Peat already playing guard, so I opted for Ebukam. He is far from an elite pass rusher, but he contributes when given opportunities. He has had at least 4.5 sacks every season since 2019. He had a breakout year this past season with 9.5 sacks while playing for the Colts. He would have been a solid addition to the Saints' defense across from Cam Jordan.