Getty Quenton Nelson working out at the NFL Combine ahead of the NFL Draft.
During the offseason, we have plenty of time to dabble in other areas.
One of the most popular detours is the crazy re-draft scenarios where you get a second chance to alter history. The one presented to the New York Jets this week gave them a chance to completely change how the last couple of years ended up going.
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Very Interesting Hypothetical
A month before the 2018 NFL draft the Jets made a blockbuster trade up from the No. 6 overall pick to the No. 3 overall pick with the Indianapolis Colts.
That proactive move put the green and white in a perfect position to select one of the top quarterbacks available in the class.
They ended up taking Sam Darnold out of USC, but things never worked out and he was later traded to the Carolina Panthers.
However, would they still make the same choice if given a re-draft opportunity?
That very scenario was recently played out by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report. After knowing everything we do right now, he re-selected the first round and things turned out quite differently for the Jets.
The first two picks in this re-draft scenario ended up being the top passers from the class in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. However, the Jets went in a different direction with Davenport pulling the strings:
“It was already something of a shock when Quenton Nelson was drafted sixth overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. It’s no knock on Nelson—he was widely regarded as one of the top prospects in his class, with Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller ranking him third overall. It’s simply that offensive guards are very rarely drafted inside the top 10.
But if ever there was an exception to the rule, it’s Nelson. All the 6’5″, 330-pound mauler has done is make the Pro Bowl in all four professional seasons, get named a first-team All-Pro three times, and emerge as quite possibly the best offensive lineman in the league.”
What Could Have Been
It is a very interesting hypothetical because if the Jets never traded up prematurely from No. 6 to No. 3, they could’ve simply taken Nelson at that spot.
If they did that the Jets would’ve also kept all three of their second-round draft choices that they ended up shipping to the Colts.
While they would’ve swung and missed at quarterback, Gang Green would’ve had a three-time first-team All-Pro in the trenches.
The passers that were on the roster that season would’ve been Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown, and Terrelle Pryor.
Gang Green only later traded Bridgewater because they selected a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. If that doesn’t happen, then they keep the former Louisville star and his miraculous comeback is with the Jets instead.
Over the next four seasons from 2018 through 2021, the Colts were 37-28 and made two trips to the playoffs. While the Jets during that same time span went 17-48 and were among the worst teams in the league.
On paper, the trade made a bunch of sense for the Jets, but in practicality, it failed. The Colts played the odds with multiple lottery tickets and ended up with several starters and a stronger foundation.
Gang Green lost the trade point blank, however, they were able to salvage some of it by trading off Darnold to the Carolina Panthers last April for three draft selections. That didn’t completely make up for the initial trade, but it made it sting a little bit less.
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