T.J. Watt just became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history after eight great seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But what if their best draft pick of the last decade never made it to them at No. 30 overall. Pro Football Focus published a 2017 redraft exercise this morning, and let’s just say that things would be quite a bit different.
For one, the Cleveland Browns would have QB Patrick Mahomes at No. 1 overall and not DE Myles Garrett. The San Francisco 49ers ended up taking Garrett with the No. 2 pick and Watt skyrocketed up the board to the Chicago Bears at No. 3. Watt was taken above notable players like TE George Kittle, WR Cooper Kupp, CB Marlon Humphrey, WR Chris Godwin and RB Christian McCaffrey. Watt got his due respect, but I still question Garrett going over him.
The Steelers, fresh off a 36-17 loss in the 2016 AFC Championship Game to the New England Patriots, ended up taking a familiar name at No. 30 in this exercise. PFF gave them WR Juju Smith-Schuster.
“With Watt off the board much earlier in this redraft, the Steelers pick up their original second-round pick. In 2018, Smith-Schuster made the Pro Bowl and led the league with 660 yards after the catch,” PFF wrote.
They originally took him at No. 64 overall in the second round. Smith-Schuster had a decent career with the Steelers, but he’s only had four productive seasons over his first eight. Two of those came right from the jump in his first two seasons with Ben Roethlisberger.
Kevin Colbert had some major difficulties drafting over his final several seasons as the Steelers’ GM, but he could really hang his hat on finding one of the best pass rushers of all time at No. 30. Had the draft played out the way that PFF has it, Colbert’s legacy would be in even more trouble. Not to mention the AFC North would be impossibly hard with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the division while the Steelers still search for their long-term answer to this day.
