It gets vicious out there sometimes. The Internet world of sports. The crude nature of the comments section. The fun is often forgotten. These are games, after all. Games people loved playing as kids. When neighborhood football was more exciting than the NFL.
That’s all this is – a little bit of fun. A strange rearrangement of the 2023 NFL Draft. A look at the possibility of the same ten players being drafted in the top ten but by different teams. In this re-draft, every player goes somewhere else to maybe have fun and enjoy football.
CAROLINA PANTHERS – C.J. STROUD (Original Pick: Bryce Young)
There’s no telling if C.J. Stroud would have excelled with the Carolina Panthers, but looking back on his rookie season, the team would take him first overall in a re-draft. Stroud looked more poised than the Panthers’ Bryce Young, but there is a difference in systems.
The Houston Texans were better prepared for the 2023 NFL season. They provided Stroud with the proper support, which allowed him to shine. Stroud looks to be on his way to superstardom, which must make the Panthers wonder what could have been.
HOUSTON TEXANS – BRYCE YOUNG (Original Pick: C.J. Stroud)
It was clear from the start who the top two picks of the 2023 draft were going to be. It was just a matter of who went first. Here, if the Carolina Panthers selected C.J. Stroud, then the Houston Texans would have drafted Bryce Young.
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Without a great supporting cast behind him, Young struggled with the Panthers, but he might have transitioned to the NFL in a much easier way with the Texans. With Young as their quarterback, the Texans might have still made a run at the AFC South title.
HOUSTON TEXANS – JALEN CARTER (Original Pick: Will Anderson Jr.)
Questionable off-field behavior dropped Jalen Carter out of the top five, but the Houston Texans would take the gamble here. The third overall pick, which was traded up from the Arizona Cardinals, was meant for a defensive selection, so Carter comes into play.
Will Anderson Jr. was everything the Texans wanted him to be, but for the sake of hypothetical situations, they would be pleased with Carter. The Philadelphia Eagles, the team that drafted Carter in the real world, seem content with their top pick of the 2023 draft.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – WILL ANDERSON JR. (Original Pick: Anthony Richardson)
The Indianapolis Colts wanted a quarterback, and before his injury, Anthony Richardson looked good. However, in this re-draft, the Colts go defense instead, and maybe find a way to draft Will Levis somewhere down the line.
Will Anderson Jr. was an impressive rookie who helped the Houston Texans turn their team around in a hurry. Anderson proved to be a top-five prospect, and in this re-draft, he stays in that group, getting drafted by the Colts fourth overall.
SEATTLE SEAHAwKS – ANTHONY RICHARDSON (Original Pick: Devon Witherspoon)
There has been a lot of discussion about the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback situation. But in 2023, after signing a big contract with the team, Geno Smith was their guy going forward. However, with Smith already north of thirty, the Seahawks could have made this move.
Anthony Richardson would not have been the Seahawks’ starting quarterback in 2023, but he could have sat behind Smith until it was his turn. Richardson didn’t get to play much during his first year with the Indianapolis Colts, but when he was on the field, he played well.
ARIZONA CARDINALS – DARNELL WRIGHT (Original Pick: Paris Johnson Jr.)
In 2023, the Arizona Cardinals drafted an offensive tackle to protect Kyler Murray. And in the re-draft, they do the same. Paris Johnson Jr. started all seventeen games for the Cardinals during his rookie season and played solid football, but Darnell Wright did a little more.
Wright was drafted by the Chicago Bears to protect Justin Fields, a quarterback with a similar style to Murray. And even though Murray missed much of the 2023 season, Wright would have fit in on the Cardinals’ offensive line to protect any quarterback on the team.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS – BIJAN ROBINSON (Original Pick: Tyree Wilson)
The Las Vegas Raiders went into the 2023 season hoping for a repeat performance from Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing yards in 2022. Jacobs was solid, but Bijan Robinson would have added an extra layer to their backfield.
With Jacobs and Robinson carrying the ball, the Raiders would have had an intense one-two punch. On a team that averaged less than two hundred passing yards per game, this combination could have helped relieve the quarterback pressure.
ATLANTA FALCONS – DEVON WITHERSPOON (Original Pick: Bijan Robinson)
The Atlanta Falcons couldn’t resist drafting Bijan Robinson, who entered the draft as one of the most exciting running back prospects in recent years. But here, they go with a powerful defensive back and select Devon Witherspoon.
During his rookie season, Witherspoon provided a spark to the Seattle Seahawks’ defense. Any team in the top ten would have made the right call by adding him to their secondary, and in this re-draft, the Falcons are the lucky ones.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – TYREE WILSON (Original Pick: Jalen Carter)
With Jalen Carter, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted a run-stopper. But in this re-draft, Carter was selected inside the top five as many thought he would. But the Eagles still go defense at number nine, as they draft Tyree Wilson.
And while Wilson didn’t have the biggest rookie season with the Las Vegas Raiders, there’s room to improve. The Eagles wouldn’t get the same immediate impact as they got with Carter, but they would have a player with potential on their side.
CHICAGO BEARS – PARIS JOHNSON JR. (Original Pick: Darnell Wright)
In 2023, the Chicago Bears still believed in Justin Fields. And when their quarterback needed more protection, the Bears drafted Darnell Wright, who turned out to be a good choice. But here, Wright has already been selected to protect Kyler Murray.
This leads to the Bears drafting Paris Johnson Jr. to fill their need on the offensive line. Johnson would have started for the Bears and did his job the way he did for the Cardinals. The most thankless job on the football field.
