Draft rewind: Stafford tops a first-round in 2009 that sees plenty of changes
Draft rewind: Stafford tops a first-round in 2009 that sees plenty of changes
No. 1 (Lions) Actual pick - Matthew Stafford, QB Redraft - Stafford
Despite being one of four teams never to reach a Super Bowl, the Lions made the right pick here, snagging a player who has become the best quarterback for the franchise since Hall of Famer Bobby Layne graced the field 60 years before. Stafford reached the 40,000-yard plateau this season and has thrown for 253 touchdowns so far in 11 years. After missing 13 games with a shoulder injury in 2010, Stafford was the league’s Comeback Player of the Year after setting career highs with 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2011. The 2014 Pro Bowler has seven 4,000-yard seasons and has helped Detroit reach the playoffs three times.
No. 2 (Rams) Actual pick - Jason Smith, T Redraft – T. J. Lang, T
Smith was hyped coming out of Baylor, and the Rams gave him a six-year, $61 million contract. However, he suffered a concussion as a rookie and played only 45 games over four seasons. Lang, who was originally taken early in the fourth round, was a two-time Pro Bowler over 10 seasons in Green Bay and Detroit before retiring in 2019. He was on the Packers team that beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
No. 3 (Chiefs) Actual pick - Tyson Jackson, DE Redraft – Connor Barwin, DE
Jackson was a solid, but unspectacular, registering 265 tackles and nine sacks over eight seasons with the Chiefs and Falcons. Barwin, who was taken with pick 46, retired in mid-October after not playing this season. In 10 years, he amassed 56½ sacks, including two seasons with double-digit totals. His best season was 2014, when he had 14½ sacks with the Eagles and made his only Pro Bowl.
No. 4 (Seahawks) Actual pick - Aaron Curry, LB Redraft – Clay Matthews, LB
Curry was similar to Smith in that they both received $60 million deals as rookies and then failed to live up to expectations. Curry only played four years as well, totaling 344 tackles and 5½ sacks with the Seahawks and Raiders. Matthews is in his first year with the Rams after 10 in Green Bay. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2010. Matthews has amassed 89½ sacks (with four seasons of 10 or more), 513 tackles and six interceptions. He is also part of possibly the most prestigious family in the league, with his grandfather (Clay Sr.), father (Clay Jr.), brother (Casey), uncle (Bruce) and cousins (Jake, Kevin, and Mike) all having NFL experience.
No. 5 (Jets) Actual pick - Mark Sanchez, QB Redraft – Malcolm Jenkins, DB
The Jets traded picks 17 and 52 to move up to this spot. Jets fans are going to be upset with me because Sanchez helped the team reach the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons. However, he lasted only four seasons in New York before he was cut after shoulder surgery. Jenkins was drafted 14th as a cornerback by the Saints before converting to safety early in his career. The two-time Pro Bowler is a jack-of-all-trades, amassing 17 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 819 tackles and 7½ sacks. Jenkins has also been on two title teams (the 2009 Saints and 2017 Eagles).
No. 6 (Bengals) Actual pick - Andre Smith, T Redraft – Michael Johnson, DE
Smith has managed to stick around all this time, despite holding out as a rookie and dealing with several ailments (fractured foot in 2010, concussion in 2014, triceps injuries in 2014 and ’16, a knee injury in 2017 and elbow injury last year). So instead, the Bengals can select Johnson, who they originally drafted early in the third round. Johnson has played 155 games so far, totaling 398 tackles and 44½ sacks in 10 seasons, including a career-high 11½ in 2012.
No. 7 (Raiders) Actual pick - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Redraft – Mike Wallace, WR
Heyward-Bey never lived up to his potential, with his career-high being 975 yards in 2011. Wallace is one of the few stars to emerge from this receiving class after being drafted in the third round by the Steelers. He has 538 catches for 8,072 yards and 57 touchdowns in 10 seasons with four teams. Wallace set a career-high with 1,257 yards in 2010 and made his only Pro Bowl after amassing 1,193 yards the following season.
No. 8 (Jaguars) Actual pick - Eugene Monroe, T Redraft – Jairus Byrd, S
After four strong seasons in Jacksonville, Monroe was traded to Baltimore, where injuries ravaged what was left of his career. He underwent knee and shoulder surgeries and suffered a concussion and an ankle injury in Baltimore. Monroe has also been an advocate of medical marijuana use, especially due to the physical nature of professional football. Instead, the Jaguars look to their secondary for Byrd, who went to three Pro Bowls in his career, including his rookie season, when he had nine interceptions with the Bills. Byrd totaled 519 tackles and 25 picks over nine years.
No. 9 (Packers) Actual pick - B. J. Raji, DT Redraft - Raji
There might be players who were better at the defensive tackle position that came from this draft, but only one was nicknamed “The Freezer” and only one got to star in a State Farm Insurance commercial with Aaron Rodgers. Raji was a 2011 Pro Bowler, totaled 11 sacks in seven seasons with the Packers and started in Super Bowl XLV.
No. 10 (49ers) Actual pick - Michael Crabtree, WR Redraft - Crabtree
Despite never making a Pro Bowl, Crabtree has the second-best numbers of any receiver drafted. He has 637 catches, 7,499 yards, and 54 touchdowns, and has 1,000-yard seasons with the 49ers (2012) and Raiders (2016). Crabtree had five receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl XLVII.
No. 11 (Bills) Actual pick - Aaron Maybin, DE Redraft – Eric Wood, C
Maybin played just 48 games and had six sacks in four seasons with the Bills and Jets before retiring to become a professional artist and teacher. Instead, Buffalo just takes Wood a little earlier than they did originally (pick 28). Wood started 120 games at right guard and center, but suffered two broken legs during his career, as well as a neck injury that forced him to retire. He started in the 2017 AFC Wild Card Game, which was the first time the Bills appeared in the playoffs in 18 years.
No. 12 (Broncos) Actual pick - Knowshon Moreno, RB Redraft – LeSean McCoy, RB
Moreno had two strong seasons with the Broncos to start his career before a DUI (well, his license plate was “SAUCED” after all) and two torn ACLs (in 2011 and ’14) led to his exit from the league. He set career-highs with 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns in his last season in Denver in 2013. McCoy, who was drafted 53rd by the Eagles, has run for more than 10,000 yards and 71 touchdowns with Philadelphia, Buffalo and now Kansas City. “Shady” is a six-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and a six-time 1,000-yards rushing, including a career- and NFL-high 1,607 in 2013. However, he has had a few domestic violence allegations registered against him throughout his career.
No. 13 (Redskins) Actual pick - Brian Orakpo, DE Redraft - Orakpo
Orakpo’s 66 sacks rank second among drafted players, and he had three double-digit seasons. He was a four-time Pro Bowler who also had 425 tackles in 10 years. He retired after the 2018 season to focus on the Gigi’s Cupcakes franchise he opened along with Titans teammate, Michael Griffin.
No. 14 (Saints) Actual pick - Malcolm Jenkins, CB Redraft – Vontae Davis, CB
With Jenkins off the board, the Saints select Davis, a two-time Pro Bowler who is best known for how his career ended. Davis had 22 interceptions and 409 tackles in 10 seasons and played in the 2014 AFC Championship Game with the Colts. However, Davis took himself out of the first game of the 2018 season (his first with the Bills) and abruptly retired at halftime.
No. 15 (Texans) Actual pick - Brian Cushing, LB Redraft - Cushing
Cushing was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and made his lone Pro Bowl after a season that included 133 tackles, four interceptions and four sacks. A torn ACL cut his 2012 season short, and he suffered a broken fibula his following year. Cushing’s 674 tackles are the most in Texans franchise history, but he was suspended 10 games in 2017 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
No. 16 (Chargers) Actual pick - Larry English, DE Redraft – Michael Bennett, DE
English totaled 12 sacks in 64 games over six years within San Diego and Tampa Bay. Bennett, who was recently traded from New England to Dallas, started as an undrafted free agent signed by the Seahawks. His career began slowly, but took off after he went back to Seattle from Tampa Bay in 2013. In addition to playing in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII win over the Broncos, Bennett is a three-time Pro Bowler who has amassed 65½ sacks. However, he does have some off-field issues. He is involved with an ongoing investigation in which he claims police officers used excessive force against him outside a Las Vegas nightclub in 2017. Also, he has participated in National Anthem protests that have earned him plenty of criticism.
No. 17 (Buccaneers) Actual pick - Josh Freeman, QB Redraft – Alex Mack, C
After getting this pick from the Jets, the Browns traded down again, acquiring selections 19 and 191 from Tampa Bay. Freeman had a 24-35 record as a starter with the Bucs, but he set career-highs with 4,065 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2012. Instead, Mack could have been Jeff Faine’s eventual replacement in Tampa Bay. Mack went to three Pro Bowls in Cleveland and has been selected to three more since signing with Atlanta in 2016. He also started for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI against the Patriots.
No. 18 (Broncos) Actual pick - Robert Ayers, DE Redraft – Louis Vasquez, G
Chicago traded this pick, along with the 84th selection, a first-rounder in 2010 and backup quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver for quarterback Jay Cutler and pick 140. Ayers amassed 34 sacks in nine seasons, with a high of nine with the Giants in 2015. Vasquez, who started 101 games over seven seasons with the Chargers and Broncos, would have been a better option than Russ Hochstein at left guard. He was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in the 2013 season, which ended with a Denver loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII.
No. 19 (Eagles) Actual pick - Jeremy Maclin, WR Redraft - Maclin
Cleveland traded down yet again, acquiring picks 21 and 195 from Philadelphia. Maclin never made the Pro Bowl, but he had two 1,000-yard seasons (one each with the Eagles and Chiefs). He had 514 catches, 6,835 yards and 49 touchdowns in eight years.
No. 20 (Lions) Actual pick - Brandon Pettigrew, TE Redraft – Jared Cook, TE
Detroit acquired this pick, along with 82 and 192 for wide receiver Roy Williams and selection 210. Pettigrew was a solid starter for seven years in Detroit, totaling 301 receptions, 2,965 yards and 17 touchdowns. Cook was the only tight end from this draft who has made the Pro Bowl (after an 896-yard season with the Raiders in 2018). So far, Cook has 440 catches, 5,632 yards and 27 scores.
No. 21 (Browns) Actual pick - Alex Mack, C Redraft – Max Unger, C
After trading down three times, the Browns got this pick, as well as several others later in the draft. Mack is no longer available, but Cleveland was still able to get a stalwart for its offensive line. Seattle took Unger with the 49th pick, and he has started 130 games over 10 seasons with the Seahawks and Saints. Unger played in Super Bowls XLVIII and XLIX with Seattle, as well as last year’s NFC Championship Game with New Orleans.
No. 22 (Vikings) Actual pick - Percy Harvin, WR Redraft - Harvin
A former track star and member of the two-time National Champion Florida Gators in college, Harvin started his professional career strong. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl after amassing 790 receiving yards and 1,156 kickoff return yards in 2009. After three more solid years, migraine headaches and a torn labrum began to take their toll. Harvin finished his career with 4,026 yards and 22 touchdowns as a receiver and 4,127 yards and five scores on kick returns.
No. 23 (Ravens) Actual pick - Michael Oher, T Redraft - Oher
This selection was originally held by the Patriots, who got picks 26 and 162 in a trade with the Ravens. After winning several awards throughout his college career at Mississippi, Oher was a member of the All-Rookie Team, started all 80 games in five seasons with Baltimore and played in a Super Bowl XLVII win over San Francisco. A concussion ended his career, but he also appeared in Super Bowl 50 as a member of the Panthers. He was one of the subjects used in the book The Blindside: Evolution of A Game, and the film adaptation was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
No. 24 (Falcons) Actual pick - Peria Jerry, DT Redraft – Glover Quin, S
Jerry started his first two games as a rookie before suffering a knee injury that cost him the rest of the season. He played 64 games in five years before retiring. Although Erik Coleman started all 16 games in 2009, he only lasted one more year in Atlanta. Quin was drafted by Houston in the fourth round, and he became a solid starter over the next 10 seasons. He spent four years with the Texans, then signed with the Lions, where he had 19 of his 24 interceptions, including a league-high seven in his 2014 Pro Bowl season.
No 25 (Dolphins) Actual pick - Vontae Davis, CB Redraft – Jason McCourty, CB
Davis is no longer available, so the Dolphins turn to McCourty, who was selected by Tennessee in the sixth round and has appeared in 108 games since. McCourty has 18 interceptions, 665 tackles and has turned two fumbles for touchdowns. He got his first taste of the playoffs in 2018, when he won a title with the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
No. 26 (Packers) Actual pick - Clay Matthews, LB Redraft – James Laurinaitis, LB
New England dropped out of the first round, sending picks 26 and 162 to Green Bay for selections 41, 73 and 83. With sack-master Matthews long gone, the Packers grab Laurinaitis, who has the most solo tackles (663) of anyone taken in the draft. Laurinaitis was a three-time All-American who also could have played professional hockey (but teams avoided drafting him because he had more potential in football). He recorded at least 100 total tackles in each of his first seven seasons with the Rams, including an NFL-best 117 solo stops in 2012. The son of a former professional wrestling star (Joe, also known as Road Warrior Animal) signed with the Saints in 2016, but multiple quad injuries ended his season early and he retired before the next season began.
No. 27 (Colts) Actual pick - Donald Brown, RB Redraft – Arian Foster, RB
Brown had 2,829 yards in seven years with the Colts and Chargers and never had more than 645 in a season. Foster went undrafted before being signed by the Texans. He went on to record a franchise-record 6,527 yards over eight years, with four 1,000-yard seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler led the league with 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns in his All-Pro 2010 season, and he topped the NFL again with 15 scores two years later. Injuries took their toll on Foster, who endured a ruptured disc in his lower back, a ruptured Achilles tendon and a groin strain. He retired in the middle of the 2016 season.
No. 28 (Bills) Actual pick - Eric Wood, C Redraft – Andy Levitre, G
This selection was traded from the Panthers to the Eagles in 2008, then was moved to the Bills along with pick 121 and a sixth-rounder in 2010 for Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters. For the second time, Buffalo grabs a player the team originally selected later. Levitre was taken with the 51st pick and went on to start every game in his first eight seasons with the Bills, Titans and Falcons. A pair of triceps injuries cost Levitre part of 2017 and most of 2018, and he retired in April after starting 143 games in his career. He started next to Mack for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
No. 29 (Giants) Actual pick - Hakeem Nicks, WR Redraft – Julian Edelman, WR
Nicks had 5,081 yards and 31 touchdowns, and was a member of the Giants’ title team in Super Bowl XLVI, but New York instead takes an opponent from that game. Edelman was originally drafted by the Patriots in the middle of the seventh round, and he has done well taking over for Danny Amendola as a possession receiver in New England. While he has not made a Pro Bowl, Edelman is a member of three championship teams and has a pair of 1,000-yards campaigns. His best season was 2013, when he had 105 catches, 1,056 yards, and six touchdowns. He was named MVP of Super Bowl LIII after catching 10 passes for 141 yards against the Rams.
No. 30 (Titans) Actual pick - Kenny Britt, WR Redraft – Hakeem Nicks, WR
The numbers of Nicks (356-5,081-31) and Britt (329-5,137-32) are so similar, it’s hard to choose between them. Nicks has the edge, thanks to a pair of 1,000-yard seasons and a title, while Britt never appeared in a playoff game.
No. 31 (Cardinals) Actual pick - Beanie Wells, RB Redraft - Brandon Pettigrew, TE
After two years as a backup, Wells ran for 1,047 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011. He tore his Achilles tendon during a workout with the Ravens in 2013 and never played in the NFL again. Pettigrew would have been the receiving tight end with Anthony Becht as a blocker in Arizona, which was coming off a loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
No. 32 (Steelers) Actual pick - Ziggy Hood, DT Redraft – William Moore, S
Hood had 14 sacks and 11 passes defended in 141 games over his 10-year career, and he appeared with the Steelers in a Super Bowl XLV loss to the Packers. Tyrone Carter was winding down his career in Pittsburgh, so the team could pick his replacement in Moore, who was originally taken 55th by the Falcons. Moore was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, earning him the nickname, the “Missouri Hammer.” The 2012 Pro Bowler had 16 interceptions, including five in 2010, but he dealt with injuries in many of his seven seasons, was cut by Atlanta in early 2016 and hasn’t been seen in the NFL since then.
Other draft picks to make Pro Bowl that weren’t in the redraft: Henry Melton, DE (105th by the Bears, Pro Bowl in 2012); Johnny Knox, WR (140th by the Bears, Pro Bowl in rookie season as a kick returner); Kevin Huber, P (142nd by the Bengals, Pro Bowl in 2014); Thomas Morstead, P (164th by the Saints, Pro Bowl in 2012); Cedric Peerman, RB (185th by the Ravens, Pro Bowl in 2015 with the Bengals as a special teams player); Pat McAfee, P (222nd by the Colts, Pro Bowls in 2014 and ’16); and Graham Gano, K (undrafted, signed by the Ravens, Pro Bowl in 2017 with the Panthers).
Next: We go year-by-year, starting with a look at the 2010 Draft.
-By: Kevin Rakas