ESPN recently held a redraft exercise in which teams were given four picks, and had to draft one quarterback, one offensive player, and one defensive player, with the fourth pick up to the discretion of the selector.
In the redraft exercise, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback, with Minkah Fitzpatrick on defense, rounded out by Mitchell Schwartz at tackle and DK Metcalf at wide receiver. Bridgewater is not exactly a proven franchise piece, but when you’re picking 18th, your quarterback options are likely going to be slim.
Pro Football Focus recently used the same methodology for a redraft exercise, but so far they have only completed the first two rounds, with the second two rounds to be completed tomorrow.
And the Steelers ended up with…Tom Brady at quarterback. Because of course they did. Now that Brady is at the end of his career and his magic is seemingly gone, they finally have him. In the second round, they were given Davante Adams for their top wide receiver.
So…anything else interesting happen?
Well, Ben Roethlisberger ended up with the Baltimore Ravens. And unlike in ESPN’s redraft, he was actually taken in the first round, rather than deep in the draft. He was the first of three Steelers players to be taken in the first two rounds, with JuJu Smith-Schuster taken in the second round by the Carolina Panthers at 58 and then T.J. Watt selected by the Los Angeles Chargers on pick later.
Chase Young, Nick Bosa, and Myles Garrett were all drafted ahead of Watt among edge defenders, with Young being the first off the board on the first pick of the second round. I believe these are the only four to be taken within the first two rounds.
Since PFF has only completed two rounds so far, let’s stick with that. Between the two, which would you rather have: Teddy Bridgewater and Minkah Fitzpatrick, or Tom Brady and Davante Adams? I believe there is more wide receiver talent in the NFL than just about any other position, so I might be more inclined to add a defensive piece in the second round, but Brady is more likely to help you get to a Super Bowl than Bridgewater.
