The 2016 NFL Draft is nearly a decade old, prompting a redraft of its first round. Key players like Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were selected, with some teams potentially making different choices now.
Key points
2016 NFL Draft is nearly 10 years old
Jared Goff was the first overall pick
Carson Wentz was the second pick
Some teams might change their selections in a redraft
New England Patriots forfeited their pick
Los Angeles RamsPhiladelphia EaglesNew England Patriots
The 2016 NFL Draft is somehow almost 10 years removed from where we are now, which is a pretty fascinating thing to think about.
That's the one where Jared Goff went first to the Los Angeles Rams and Carson Wentz went right after him to the Philadelphia Eagles. There were some busts in this first round, to be sure. However, some great players came out of the 2016 draft class, with some mid-round steals helping boost the teams that lucked upon them.
What if we redrafted that year's first round? How would it go? Well, we've tried to make fresh picks for all of the NFL teams who made selections in that first round. Some teams made big changes, while others stayed right where they were with the guys they chose. Also, remember the New England Patriots had their pick forfeited over Deflategate.
Goff is an essential part of Rams' history, even if he never directly brought the team a Super Bowl win. His general competence and ability to run Sean McVay's offense led the Rams to their first big game of the McVay era, which ended in a loss to the New England Patriots. Goff was the centerpiece for the trade, which gave the Rams the quarterback needed to go the distance and finally win a Super Bowl in 2022. You can't get here without the franchise taking Goff in 2016. This pick cannot change in order for the Rams to win the big one.
Q&A
Who were the top picks in the 2016 NFL Draft?
The top picks in the 2016 NFL Draft were Jared Goff, selected first by the Los Angeles Rams, and Carson Wentz, selected second by the Philadelphia Eagles.
What were some notable busts from the 2016 NFL Draft?
The 2016 NFL Draft had several notable busts, although specific names are not mentioned in the excerpt.
How might the 2016 NFL Draft first round look if redrafted today?
A redraft of the 2016 NFL Draft first round suggests that some teams would make different selections based on the players' performances over the past decade.
Why did the New England Patriots forfeit their pick in the 2016 NFL Draft?
The New England Patriots forfeited their pick in the 2016 NFL Draft due to the Deflategate scandal.
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The Eagles can turn back time and snag a franchise quarterback away from the Dallas Cowboys by taking Prescott with the team's second overall selection. Sure, drafting Wentz and his subsequent injury to thrust Nick Foles into the starting job won the team a Super Bowl. However, we still think Philadelphia would reach the promised land with Prescott under center. He would have given the team a decade-plus of stability at the position. Wentz never quite lived up to his early success in Philadelphia, even if he remains in the NFL as a solid backup option for teams.
Bosa's health has prevented him from living fully up to his potential, but he was still one of the best edge rushers of his generation at his peak. We have a feeling the Chargers wouldn't take this pick back, even if the team eventually knew that Bosa wouldn't quite stay on the field as much as hoped. He's still an elite defender in his heyday. We got close to going with defensive tackle Chris Jones here, but we'll give Bosa the edge for what the team needed then.
Jerry Jones trades out one star running back for another with Elliott for Henry. Sure, Elliott had a tremendous career, but Henry is still going as one of the NFL's best running backs. If the team was really sold on taking a running back way back then, you go Henry every time. He's the NFL's most bruising running back in a generation.
Ramsey, in his prime, was one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. However, he's bounced around a bit over the years. Jones has been a pillar of elite consistency for Kansas City ever since he joined the team a decade ago. If you're Jacksonville, you crave what Jones will be become. He'd likely still be with the team if drafted here. Even though Ramsey was absolute elite in his prime, Jones is still one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
The Ravens stick with Stanley all these years later, a franchise left tackle who should have plenty of good football left ahead of him. When you can get your blindside protector right for a decade-plus, you don't second-guess it.
Buckner was a stalwart defensive lineman for San Francisco, one of the best to play in a 49ers uniform over the last decade. However, Hill's explosive speed in future 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's offense would have wreaked havoc on the rest of the NFL. We'll say San Fran lucks out with the schematic fit by taking Hill a year before Shanny arrives.
The Titans see a falling Ramsey and pounce on him, keeping the hometown hero and Brentwood Academy legend in Music City as the new lockdown corner in Tennessee's secondary. Ramsey may still be with the team if this happens, given his deep ties to the area. We love how this alternate draft goes for the Titans, even if Henry is gone.
Floyd eventually developed into one of the better veteran edge rushers in the NFL, but it took him a while. His best playing days were never in a Bears uniform. Buckner falling here gives Chicago a safer bet in the trenches.
With tackle Will Beatty nearing the end of his career at the time and quarterback Eli Manning not long behind him, the Giants ignore the Tunsil bong controversy and add a franchise left tackle in the process. Apple wouldn't be a first rounder in a redraft, but Tunsil would go a bit higher than he did in reality for our imaginary purposes.
The Bucs could have gone in a number of directions with how the redraft board went, but we'll say they still invest in the secondary with Byard. The MTSU legend rose above his third-round standing and eventually became one of the NFL's best safeties who is still playing today. We imagine Tampa Bay would be thrilled to have him at this juncture.
The Saints make sure they still get Thomas in the fold in this redraft after snagging him in the second round. Rankins is still a viable rotational piece on any defensive line, but Thomas was a superstar there for a second. he is just too integral to the team's late-stage Drew Brees surge to lose him in this redraft process.
Sure, the Dolphins don't get Tunsil in this redraft. However, they get a future Hall of Fame guard in Thuney in the process. He would be an anchor on the Miami offensive line and give the Dolphins roughly the same of what they got out of Tunsil. Offensive line is still the right call with Thuney still on the board for Miami in this redraft.
In our redraft, the Raiders take Simmons away from the Denver Broncos and bring him to then-Oakland. If the team was trying to find an elite safety to solidify its secondary, Simmons would have been the perfect fit.
The Browns have struggled mightily to find a quarterback for so long, and Wentz would have been a very fair bet here. He likely defeats Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in a camp battle and gives Cleveland a quality starter at the position. Maybe, in this alternate universe, Wentz can stay healthy for the Browns? Midway through the first, we like the fit for Wentz and Cleveland both. There are good players available, but Wentz is great value at this stage.
Decker was a home run for Detroit here, a franchise left tackle who helped guide the team through its 2020s revival. You can't imagine the team going in another direction in this redraft.
Neal played a vital role in Atlanta's two-year stretch of meaningful playoff aspirations, so we'll leave him the choice for the Falcons. He was a great starter for Atlanta for a good while there.
Kelly's unfortunate concussion history has to be considered when looking at the full scope of his career. However, he was one of the best NFL centers while healthy. We feel like Indy would keep him here over another player.
Lawson never materialized into the impact defensive lineman that the Bills needed. In this redraft, the team snags Hargrave, a third-round steal, to help anchor its defensive front. Hargrave is a first-round talent in hindsight.
Lee didn't pan out for New York, but Jones would have. The LSU linebacker turned into a Pro Bowler for the Falcons as a second-round steal. We have a feeling New York would've loved adding Jones into the fold a decade ago.
Fuller had a solid career, but a lack of availability haunted him throughout his NFL tenure. Boyd wasn't always healthy himself, but he's one of the best receivers in this class. We feel like he would have been the better pick for Houston a decade later with the team needing to add to its wideout room to compliment DeAndre Hopkins.
The Commanders didn't really need another receiver, with Doctson not quite working out as far as first-round selections should. Elliott goes through a wild tumble in this redraft, if only because running back isn't a huge need for the teams picking after Dallas in this alternate universe. Washington snags Elliott late and makes him the focal point of its offense. This is a great redraft for the Commanders; we're sure they would have been thrilled here.
The Vikings decide to add a tackle for the future in this redraft with Conklin. With Matt Kalil on the last year of his Vikings tenure and a litany of injuries that hit the position that year, Conklin would have stepped in immediately to help on either side of the offensive line. He could have forged a good career in Minnesota through this redraft.
Jackson was a solid pro there for a bit, but Howard locked down opposing wide receivers for a number of years with the Miami Dolphins. He would have given the Bengals so much more viability at the position long-term.
Burns was decent during his NFL career, but Bradberry played at a very high level for a number of years. He would have given Pittsburgh the long-term starter it wanted in Burns through this redraft.
The Broncos had a mess at quarterback in 2016 after Peyton Manning's retirement. Lynch never developed into an NFL starter, but Brissett is slated to start for the Arizona Cardinals in the fall. He's been one of the best backup quarterbacks over the last decade, and he would have been an improvement over anyone Denver had that year.
The Packers luck out by keeping Clark in this redraft. There's no world where the Packers want this to go any differently with how good Clark was for them for so long.
Garnett struggled with injuries throughout his career, but Whitehair gave the Chicago Bears a decent starter for a number of years. If San Francisco still wants a guard in this redraft, we like the Whitehair fit quite a bit.
Reader slipped all the way to Day 3 somehow in 2016, while Nkemdiche never materialized into a full-time NFL starter. Reader heads to Arizona in this redraft and gives them a run-stuffer who is still active in the NFL.
Rankins had a good career start with New Orleans Saints, and the Panthers snag him here late in the first round to boost its defensive front. Carolina benefits from a falling Rankings, who goes later in this redraft.
The Seahawks exchange Ifedi for Vaitai in this redraft, a very solid right tackle who had a much more sturdy career than Ifedi did. In this redraft, Seattle gets a better return on its hope for an offensive lineman.
