With the No. 21 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Jarrad Davis out of Florida, and I nearly threw my television through a window in disgust.
After settling down a bit, I decided that I would give Davis a chance since he was now on my favorite team but he never panned out and eventually left town. Wait, what?!?! He’s back?!?! Well, maybe he will pan out this time around.
But what if we could hop in the old time machine and travel back to 2017 and re-do the 2017 NFL Draft?
Detroit Lions pass on Jarrad Davis, land All-Pro in 2017 NFL re-draft
Thought The 33rd Team did not actually go back in time to alter the 2017 NFL Draft, they did take a stab at what a re-draft would look like and our Detroit Lions fared much better.
With the No. 21 overall pick in the 2017 NFL re-drat, the Detroit Lions select S Budda Baker out of Washington.
From The 33rd Team:
#21-Detroit Lions
Original Pick: Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida
Re-do Pick: Budda Baker, SAF, Washington
The Lions were searching for defensive help in the 2017 NFL Draft after finishing 31st in Defensive DVOA in 2016. Despite having Glover Quin and Darius Slay, the Lions were 30th in Defensive DVOA versus the pass and allowed the 19th-most yards through the air. Budda Baker is a four-time Pro Bowler and just the fourth player in Cardinals franchise history to receive at least four Pro Bowl nods in his first five NFL seasons. Baker has also earned three All-Pro nods over his career as a safety.
Baker’s explosiveness and instincts have made him one of the best run-defending safeties since he joined the NFL. Pro Football Focus has charted Baker with 161 run stops in his five-year career to go along with five career INTs and 18 PBUs. Pairing Baker with Quin (and eventually replacing him) would give the Lions a hard-hitting culture fit-one that would have more of an impact than the player they originally drafted.
What could have been…
