Our friends over at Touchdown Wire are exploring some hypotheticals during the 2023 NFL offseason.
The latest posed by Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller — What would happen if the NFL reset all player contracts and held a league-wide draft with a randomized draft order?
Well, we know it’d enrage Kansas City Chiefs fans who waited a lifetime to see a star quarterback like Patrick Mahomes on their team. In this hypothetical, they find themselves saying goodbye to the reigning league MVP, who goes first overall to a team in the NFC.
Check out a quick look at the Chiefs players selected in Round 1 and who they managed to secure in the first round:
1. New York Giants: Patrick Mahomes, QB
There is very little question about who this pick was going to be, and it was essentially a lottery ticket that the Giants sprint to the podium. Patrick Mahomes is the best player in football at the most important position.
In any league-wide re-draft scenario, Mahomes will undoubtedly go No. 1 overall. Obviously, there’s the argument of positional value and that quarterback is the most important position in football. This probably has more to do with sheer talent and the fact that he’s proven to be the best player in the league time and again, despite his detractors.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Chris Jones, DL
The Rams miss out on returning Aaron Donald to the fold, but do land the next best thing with the selection of Chris Jones who has played close to the same level in the past few seasons.
The Rams replacing Aaron Donald with Chris Jones shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. There were some people even floating this as a real possibility when Donald was mulling retirement. If you can’t get a quarterback, get a player who is best at getting after the quarterback.
Where do the Chiefs pick and who do they select?
The Chiefs lucked out on the randomized draft order here. They picked No. 8 overall and selected Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Here’s what Miller had to say about the pick:
Andy Reid knows the importance of a franchise quarterback and Dak Prescott should be able to operate this offense at a high level. While not the same quarterback as Mahomes, you still have to think he will do well in a loaded offensive system.
Personally, I would have gone a different route. The Chiefs passed on some great defenders like Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett to make this pick. They also passed on some non-QB offensive talent in Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Heck, they even could have taken Kyler Murray or Justin Fields.
Yes, Reid knows the importance of having a franchise quarterback, but he also turned Kansas City into a winner with Alex Smith as his starter. I have to think that there might be more value in choosing another player with the No. 8 overall pick.
Notable first-round snubs?
I have to think age played a factor here, with the 33-year-old, Travis Kelce, missing the first round. Still, he has seven consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards or more receiving. It’s tough to pass on that type of production in Round 1, even if there might be a drop-off coming in the not-so-distant future. Alas, maybe he’ll go at the top of Round 2.
