1. Cincinnati Bengals – QB Joe Burrow (LSU)

This draft could go down as one of the best quarterback drafts of all time, but the Bengals wouldn’t think twice about making this pick again, as Joe Burrow has single-handedly made this team relevant again after being selected #1 overall by a 2-win team, taking them to the Super Bowl in his second season and then back to the AFC Championship in his third. He’s missed the playoffs entirely in his other three seasons, twice because of injury and most recently because of a terrible defense, but Burrow is still one of the better quarterbacks in the league and should keep the Bengals in contention for years to come, as long as he stays healthy. In total, Burrow has started 69 regular season games, going 38-30-1, completing 68.6% of his passes for an average of 7.46 YPA, 140 touchdowns, and 46 interceptions in those games and additionally winning five post-season games, as many as the Bengals had won in their previous 39 seasons before Burrow. 

2. Washington Redskins – QB Justin Herbert (Oregon)

While Burrow was an easy decision, this is where it gets tricky. The Redskins (now Commanders) would obviously take a quarterback here if they had the chance to do this all over again, as they originally passed on addressing the position in favor of selecting defensive end Chase Young, because they had 2019 1st round pick Dwayne Haskins, who would prove to be a bust. The Commanders would eventually find their quarterback in Jayden Daniels in the 2024 Draft, but they have the opportunity to get the game’s most important position right four years earlier in this scenario.

Jalen Hurts is obviously a strong candidate here, fresh off winning Super Bowl MVP, but he didn’t start until late in his rookie season, then was decent, but unspectacular in his second season as a starter, before breaking out in his third season, while Justin Herbert has been consistent throughout his career, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and then going on to complete 66.5% of his passes for an average of 7.21 YPA, 137 touchdowns, and 45 interceptions in 79 starts across his five seasons in the league, while going 41-38, despite consistent issues with the team around him.

Even if you think Hurts is the better of the two quarterbacks as of this writing, there is still a strong case to be made that, when you take the entirety of the last five seasons into account, Herbert has overall been the better of the two. He obviously hasn’t had the team success that Hurts has, but he also hasn’t had anywhere near the same team around him. In addition to benefiting from a great team around him, Hurts also benefited from not having to play right away in Philadelphia, two luxuries he wouldn’t be afforded if Washington made him the 2nd overall pick. I’ve gone back and forth on this one many times, but ultimately Herbert made more sense for the situation Washington was in five years ago.

3. Detroit Lions – WR Justin Jefferson (LSU)

The Lions could also take Hurts here, but they had Matt Stafford for another year and pretty seamlessly transitioned from the Stafford era to the Jared Goff era, so I think they would address another position here, even with great quarterback options still left on the board. This draft had a lot of great players, but I think you’d have a hard time arguing that Justin Jefferson isn’t the best non-quarterback from this draft. Arguably the league’s best receiver, Jefferson had a ridiculous 88/1400/7 slash line even as a rookie and has averaged an even more ridiculous 109/1641/9 slash line per 17 games throughout his career. He’d step in immediately as a #1 receiver for a Lions team that was led in receiving by a 30-year-old Marvin Jones in 2020.

4. New York Giants – QB Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma)

The Giants are in a similar situation to the Commanders, as they passed on a quarterback in this draft because they took one the previous year, but would not do so in hindsight because that quarterback ended up being a bust. Daniel Jones wasn’t quite as big of a bust as Haskins, who lasted just two seasons in Washington, but if anything his selection was worse because he was just good enough for the Giants to double down on him with a big contract, rather than cutting their losses and starting over at the position, leading to them still needing a quarterback to this day. 

In hindsight, they would have to pull the trigger on Hurts if he remained on the board, even if there was some risk, bringing Hurts into a way worse situation than the one he went to in Philadelphia. Since breaking out in 2022, Hurts has completed 66.7% of his passes for an average of 7.70 YPA, 63 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions, while rushing for 1,995 yards and another 42 touchdowns on 472 carries (4.23 YPA). He’s had a lot of help from his supporting cast, but there is no denying his 37-10 record with six post-season victories and a Super Bowl MVP over those three seasons.

5. Miami Dolphins – QB Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)

The Dolphins stick with their original pick here. The majority of teams would probably take Jordan Love over Tua Tagovailoa in this scenario, but for the purposes of this re-draft, I tend to stick with the original pick if it’s close. Tagovailoa has not shown himself to be an elite quarterback, nor has he proven he can consistently stay healthy, but that didn’t stop the Dolphins from giving him a 4-year, 212.4 million dollar extension last off-season, which makes him the 5th highest paid quarterback in the league in terms of average annual salary. 

After struggling for most of his first two seasons in the league, Tagovailoa has definitely shown flashes of being an elite quarterback, completing 69.0% of his passes for an average of 8.12 YPA, 73 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions over the past three seasons, while going 25-16, but his durability, consistently, and inability to win and perform well in big games have been a significant problem. The Dolphins giving him that massive contract has more to do with them still believing in his long-term potential than anything he has done yet.

6. Los Angeles Chargers – QB Jordan Love (Utah State)

The Chargers miss out on Justin Herbert in this re-draft, but they’re still picking high enough to get Jordan Love, who is the last of the five quarterbacks to be taken in this scenario. Love definitely benefited from spending three years on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers and would not have been ready to start right away the way Justin Herbert did, but he has arguably developed into a better quarterback in the long run. Over his past two seasons as a starter, he has completed 63.7% of his passes for an average of 7.52 YPA, 57 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions, while going 18-14 in the regular season and taking the Packers to back-to-back playoff appearances, including a post-season win over the Cowboys in 2023.

7. Carolina Panthers – WR Ceedee Lamb (Oklahoma)

Wide receiver wasn’t a pressing need for the Panthers in 2020, as both DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson topped 1000 yards that season, but Anderson fell to 519 yards in 2021 and 206 yards in 2022, while Moore was traded after the 2022 season, so Ceedee Lamb, probably the best available player remaining, still makes sense here. Lamb isn’t quite as good as Jefferson, but he’s topped 1,100 yards receiving in four straight seasons, while averaging 104/1330/8 per 17 games in his career, including a league leading 1,749 receiving yards in 2023.

8. Arizona Cardinals – OT Tristan Wirfs (Iowa)

The Cardinals had a solid left tackle in DJ Humphries at the time of this draft, but Wirfs would have been a massive upgrade at right tackle, while giving them insurance for the injury plagued Humphries, and ultimately moving over to the left side after Humphries was let go following the 2023 season, after missing 11 games in the previous two seasons. A right tackle for the first three seasons of his career, Wirfs seamlessly made the transition to left tackle with Tampa Bay in 2023, while finishing with PFF grades in the 80s in all five seasons in the league, across 79 total starts, since being selected 13th overall by the Buccaneers. He’s one of the best players in the league at his position and is likely the best available player remaining on the board.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars – CB Jaylon Johnson (Utah)

The Jaguars took a cornerback here originally in CJ Henderson, who wound up being a bust, getting traded to the Panthers for a third round pick midway through his second season in the league and not developing there either. Jaylon Johnson, on the other hand, has developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the league. It took him a few years to develop, as he finished with PFF grades in the 60s in each of his first three seasons in the league, but that jumped to 90.1 in 2023 and remained high at 76.2 in 2024. Originally a second round pick by the Bears, Johnson was extended on a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal after being franchise tagged at the conclusion of his rookie deal last off-season and, still only going into his age 26 season, he still has a very bright future. Even with the relatively slow start to his career, he’s arguably the best available player at this point in this re-draft.

10. Cleveland Browns – OT Andrew Thomas (Georgia)

The Browns had the right idea drafting a left tackle in Jedrick Wills here, but he never developed into a consistent starter, so the Browns take another offensive tackle in this re-draft. Thomas slips a little bit from where he was originally selected, 4th overall by the Giants, but he has still been one of the better left tackles in the league when healthy, finishing with PFF grades of 78.9, 89.1, 76.1, and 75.4 over the past four seasons respectively. Injuries have become his biggest issue, as he has missed 18 games over the past two seasons, after missing just 5 total games in his first three seasons in the league combined, but, still only going into his age 26 season, it would not at all be a surprise if he puts his injuries behind him and continues being a high level left tackle.

11. New York Jets – S Xavier McKinney (Alabama)

The Jets still had Jamal Adams as of the 2020 draft, but he was ultimately traded to the Seahawks for two first round picks later in the off-season and went on to decline mightily in Seattle. The Jets prepared for the loss of Adams by using a third round pick in this draft on Ashtyn Davis, but knowing that Adams would be gone later in the off-season and would struggle long-term even if he was kept, the Jets could shoot higher at the position in a re-draft. McKinney was a bit inconsistent early in his career and missed significant time with injury in both 2020 (10 games missed) and 2022 (8 games missed), but he has developed into one of the best safeties in the league, finishing with PFFs grades of 87.5 and 84.8 over the past two seasons, while making all 34 starts. Still only going into his age 26 season, he should remain one of the best safeties in the league for several more years.

12. Las Vegas Raiders – WR Tee Higgins (Clemson)

The Raiders’ original pick here, Henry Riggs, wound up getting cut for off-the-field reasons midway through his second season in the league, so the Raiders take a different wide receiver in this re-draft. Higgins has had some durability issues over the past two seasons, missing five games in each of the past two seasons, but he has averaged a 80/1116/8 slash line per 17 games in his career, with a yards per route run average of 1.95 and a yards per target average of 8.97. He wouldn’t have the same quarterback situation with the Raiders as he had in Cincinnati, but he would still give their passing game a big boost. A free agent this off-season after being franchise tagged last off-season, Higgins is expected to command around 30 million annually, still only going into his age 26 season.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – S Antoine Winfield (Minnesota)

The Buccaneers miss out on Tristan Wirfs, their original pick here, but their second round pick Antoine Winfield has developed into one of the better safeties in the league when healthy, so the Buccaneers use this pick to ensure they can keep him. Winfield disappointed in an injury plagued 2024 season, after signing a 4-year, 84.1 million dollar extension last year, but he previously had PFF grades of 86.1, 77.8, and 91.5 in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively and, only going into his age 27 season, he has obvious bounce back potential in 2025 and beyond.

14. San Francisco 49ers – WR Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State)

Brandon Aiyuk was originally taken with the 49ers’ other first round pick, 25th overall, but they would need to take him earlier this time around. The 49ers wouldn’t mind, as their original pick here, Javon Kinlaw, was a bust who was let go last off-season as a free agent after his 5th year option was declined. Aiyuk’s long-term outlook took a hit this season when he suffered a torn ACL early in the 2024 season, but he has averaged a 72/1061/6 slash line per 17 games, 2.04 yards per route run, and 9.65 yards per target in his career, including a 75/1342/7 slash line with 3.01 yards per route run and 12.78 yards per target in 2023, which led to the 49ers giving him a 4-year, 120 million dollar deal last off-season after franchise tagging him. Only going into his age 27 season, he still has a bright future if he can bounce back from his injury.

15. Denver Broncos – CB AJ Terrell (Clemson)

Cornerback was a big problem for the Broncos heading into the 2020 Draft. They used a third round pick on Michael Ojemudia and he immediately played 852 snaps in 16 games as a rookie (11 starts), but he finished with a 48.7 PFF grade as a rookie and only played 87 snaps the rest of his career after that. AJ Terrell would be a much better option. He has made 78 starts in five seasons in the league, receiving PFF grades of 60.8, 82.6, 63.9, 74.6, and 69.4 respectively in those five seasons. He originally went 16th to the Falcons, who locked him up with a 4-year, 81 million dollar extension after his 4th season in the league. In this scenario, the Broncos steal him away one pick earlier.

16. Atlanta Falcons – DE Alex Highsmith (Charlotte)

The Falcons missed out on AJ Terrell, who they would have loved to have kept, but they had a desperate need for edge rush help as well. In 2020, the Falcons had the 10th fewest sacks in the league with 29, with no one surpassing 4.5 sacks and no edge rusher surpassing 3 sacks. Alex Highsmith is at his best against the run, but he has also developed into a high level pass rusher opposite TJ Watt in Pittsburgh, with 35.5 sacks, 40 hits, and a 11.4% pressure rate in 77 career games, including 27.5 sacks, 26 hits, and a 13.0% pressure rate in 45 games over the past three seasons, while receiving overall PFF grades of 78.0, 90.3, and 89.5 over those three seasons.

17. Dallas Cowboys – CB Trevon Diggs (Alabama)

The Cowboys missed out on Ceedee Lamb, their original pick here, but they also made a good pick in the second round, when they took Trevon Diggs. Diggs has his issues in coverage, allowing 8.81 yards per target in his career, and he’s missed 21 games with injury over the past two seasons, but, despite the missed time, he still has 20 interceptions since entering the league, second most over that time period, including a league leading 11 in 2021. The Cowboys kept him with a 5-year, 97 million dollar extension after his third season in the league and, while his recent injuries may make them question that decision, I still think they would take him here in a re-draft.

18. Miami Dolphins – WR Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)

The Dolphins would eventually add Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to support Tua Tagovailoa, but back in 2020 they were led in receiving by Devante Parker (63/793/4). Jerry Jeudy didn’t have his first 1000 yard season until his fifth season in the league in 2024, but he averaged a solid 1.83 yards per route run in his first four seasons in the league, despite poor quarterback play, before breaking out with a 90/1229/4 slash line (6th in the NFL in receiving yards) in 2024. He could have been more productive sooner with the Dolphins.

19. Las Vegas Raiders – DT Nnamdi Madubuike (Texas A&M)

The Raiders had a big need for defensive tackle help going into this 2020 draft and this has remained a need for years. Nnamdi Madubuike took a couple years to develop and has never been a great run defender, but he has 25 sacks, 33 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate in 51 games as an interior pass rusher over the past three seasons with the Ravens, making him one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. After a 13-sack 2023 season, the Ravens franchise tagged Madubuike and extended him on a 4-year, 98 million dollar deal last off-season.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars – DE Jonathan Greenard (Florida)

The Jaguars whiffed on this pick originally, taking edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, who had just 5 sacks in 57 games for the Jaguars. Greenard took a few years to develop, playing just 963 snaps total in his first three seasons in the league, in large part due to injury (16 games missed), but he always flashed potential even in limited action and he has broken out over the past two seasons, with PFF grades of 78.2 and 80.8 and a total of 24.5 sacks, 20 hits, and a 13.6% pressure rate in 32 games. After his breakout 2023 campaign in Houston, he signed a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal with the Vikings last off-season, which proved to be a great value in his first season with his new team.

21. Philadelphia Eagles – RB Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)

The Eagles were led in rushing by Miles Sanders in 2020. Sanders wasn’t a bad lead back, but Jonathan Taylor would be an obvious upgrade and would have given the Eagles’ offense a Saquon Barkley type option much earlier. Taylor has missed 17 games with injury in five seasons in the league, but he has still rushed for 6,013 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career, which rank second and third respectively among running backs over that time span.

22. Minnesota Vikings – WR Michael Pittman (USC)

Michael Pittman took a year to develop, but he has averaged a 95/1038/4 slash line with 1.77 yards per route run and 7.39 yards per target in his past four seasons, including a pair of 1000+ yard seasons in 2021 and 2023. He’d obviously be a downgrade for the Vikings from Justin Jefferson, their original pick here, but he is the best remaining wide receiver for a team that had an obvious need at the position in 2020.

23. Los Angeles Chargers – DT Derrick Brown (Auburn)

Derrick Brown was a tough player to slot. He was originally the 7th overall pick and had a pair of elite seasons in 2022 and 2023, excelling against the run, adding 3 sacks, 22 hits, and a 7.9% pressure rate as an interior pass rusher, and finishing with PFF grades of 84.4 and 90.1 respectively. However, he took two years to develop into that player, with PFF grades of 61.0 and 64.4 in his first two seasons in the league, and then he missed almost all of 2024 with injury. At his best, Brown is an elite run defender who can also push the pocket as a pass rusher and he’s only going into his age 27 season, so he has a good chance to be a great value at this point in the draft, but I couldn’t find a good spot for him earlier. The Chargers needed help at the defensive tackle position in 2020 and beyond, so Brown would have been a welcome addition.

24. New Orleans Saints – G Mike Onwenu (Michigan)

The Saints used this pick originally on guard Cesar Ruiz, who never really developed into a player worth this selection. Ironically, his Michigan teammate Mike Onwenu was only a 6th round pick by the Patriots originally, but he made all 16 starts as a rookie and has started 73 games in five seasons in the league, while receiving PFF grades of 84.3, 87.0, 79.3, 71.5, and 65.2. He would be an upgrade for the Saints at what was a position of need back in 2020.

25. San Francisco 49ers – DE Chase Young (Ohio State)

Chase Young was a tough player to slot. The 2nd overall pick, Young won Defensive Rookie of the Year and looked like a future Defensive Player of the Year, but tore his ACL midway through his second season in the league, missed most of his third season, and overall hasn’t lived up to his potential since getting hurt. However, he hasn’t been bad overall, generally playing the run at a high level, finishing above 70 on PFF in four of five seasons in the league, and totaling 22 sacks, 35 hits, and a 11.4% pressure rate in 60 career games. The 49ers have been searching for a good edge defender opposite Nick Bosa for years, at one point trading for Young, but only keeping him for a half-season, before losing him to the Saints in free agency. Even with his injury issues, he makes sense for the 49ers at this juncture because of his upside.

26. Green Bay Packers – CB L’Jarius Sneed (Louisiana Tech)

Jaire Alexander had a great season for the Packers at cornerback in 2020, but the rest of their cornerback room was underwhelming and Alexander has been increasingly injury prone in recent years. L’Jarius Sneed, meanwhile, developed into a solid starting cornerback with the Chiefs, despite being a 4th round pick, starting 48 games from 2021-2023 while receiving PFF grades of 64.1, 76.1, and 71.1. That led to the cap strapped Chiefs franchise tagging him last off-season and trading him for a third round pick to the Titans, who extended him on a 4-year, 76.4 million dollar deal. Sneed missed most of 2024 with injury, but has obvious bounce back potential in his age 28 season in 2025 and would still have been a welcome addition for the Packers in 2020.

27. Seattle Seahawks – MLB Patrick Queen (LSU)

The Seahawks’ original pick here, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, was a bust who never exceeded a 60 grade on PFF in four seasons in Seattle, before leaving as a free agent to the Dolphins. Many felt the Seahawks should have taken Patrick Queen instead, rather than letting him go one pick later to the Ravens, and, in hindsight, that would have been a better move. Queen took a couple years to develop, but finished the 2022 season with a 70.0 PFF grade on 1,024 snaps and finished the 2023 season with a 73.1 PFF grade on 1,120 snaps, leading to him signing a 3-year, 41 million dollar deal with the Steelers last off-season. Queen regressed in his first season in Pittsburgh, but still would make sense for the Seahawks at 27 in a re-draft.

28. Baltimore Ravens – G Kevin Dotson (Louisiana)

The Ravens miss out on Patrick Queen by one pick in this scenario, but they get a much needed help at guard in Kevin Dotson, as they struggled to replace Marshal Yanda, a stud guard who retired after the 2019 season. Dotson, originally a 4th round pick, began his career as a solid starter with the Steelers, with PFF grades of 66.2, 64.2, and 65.4 with 30 total starts in his first three seasons, before breaking out with PFF grades of 85.2 and 81.3 across 30 total starts over the past two seasons after being traded to the Rams, who kept him as a free agent on a 3-year, 48 million dollar deal last off-season.

29. Tennessee Titans – G Robert Hunt (Louisiana)

The Titans completely whiffed on their original pick here Isaiah Wilson, who they were hoping could replace Jack Conklin, a free agent departure during the 2020 off-season. Instead, Wilson never played a snap for the team for disciplinary reasons, making him an all-time bust. Robert Hunt has played both right tackle and guard in his career and could immediately step in as the replacement for Conklin, before potentially moving inside to guard when Rodger Saffold left after the 2021 season. In five years in the league, Hunt has made 71 starts, while receiving PFF grades in the 60s and 70s in all five seasons in the league, after being selected in the second round by the Dolphins. The only reason the Dolphins didn’t keep him as a free agent last off-season was cap concerns, as he left for Carolina on a 5-year, 100 million dollar deal.

30. Miami Dolphins – S Grant Delpit (LSU)

The Dolphins had needs all over the field going into the 2020 NFL Draft and Grant Delpit could have been a useful player for them. He missed his entire rookie season with injury after being selected by the Browns in the second round of this draft, but he returned to develop into a solid starter, with PFF grades of 63.3, 63.6, 70.0, and 65.2 over the past four seasons respectively, while only missing another seven total games with injury. The Browns kept him as a free agent last off-season on a 3-year, 36 million dollar deal.

31. Minnesota Vikings – MLB Zach Baun (Wisconsin)

Zach Baun was another tough player to slot, spending the first four years of his career as a reserve (664 total defensive snaps) in New Orleans, before breaking out as an All-Pro in his fifth season in the league in Philadelphia, finishing the 2024 season with a 90.1 PFF grade on 938 snaps. The Vikings, who needed another linebacker inside next to Eric Kendricks in 2020, take a chance on him and hope he can become at least a solid starter earlier with more opportunity.

32. Kansas City Chiefs – WR Darnell Mooney (Tulane)

The talent in this draft is running out fast, but Darnell Mooney is a solid starting receiver, and Chiefs could have used another receiver in 2020 and 2021 opposite Tyreek Hill, who they eventually traded after the 2021 season and never adequately replaced. Mooney would obviously be a downgrade from Hill, but could be a useful player for a team that has had consistent problems in the receiving corps in recent years. Originally drafted by the Chicago Bears, with whom his production was kept down by inconsistent quarterback play (60/735/3 slash line per 17 games), Mooney signed with the Falcons on a 3-year, 39 million dollar deal last off-season and had a 64/992/5 slash line in 16 games on a much better passing offense. It’s not hard to imagine Mooney exceeding that in Kansas City’s offense after Hill was traded.