With four weeks left in the regular season, it's time for a December do-over. In our third annual NFL re-draft, here's what we'd do with the first round, knowing what we know now:
| Don Banks' Revised Draft |
| 1 |
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Original pick: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
While Adrian Peterson has been the clear-cut rookie of the year, the Raiders have the fourth-ranked running game with emerging fifth-year vet Justin Fargas. An upgrade in the receiving ranks is still needed, and given JaMarcus Russell's lost year, taking the freakishly gifted Johnson would have been the wiser pick.
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| 2 |
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Original pick: Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions
The Lions rank dead last in the NFL in rushing (77.2 ypg), and the tandem of Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell pales in comparison to the talents of the most electrifying rookie rusher to hit the league since the Lions selected Barry Sanders third overall in 1989. |
| 3 |
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Original pick: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
Some second-guessed the Browns on draft day for bypassing Brady Quinn to take the Badgers tackle, but Cleveland hit a grand slam with the pick. Thomas has people talking Pro Bowl already, and his early dominance has as much to do with the Browns' playoff contention as anything.
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| 4 |
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Original pick: Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
Given the Bucs' need for another receiving threat, it was tempting to give them Dwayne Bowe in this slot. But Okoye has been described as a young Warren Sapp, and Tampa Bay could use a playmaking presence at tackle. Four of Okoye's five sacks came in September, but he continues to play staunch run defense.
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| 5 |
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Original pick: Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
The Cardinals' 25th-ranked running game still leaves a lot to be desired, but Brown has been a defensible pick, starting at right tackle in seven of the nine games he's played. Arizona is well-stocked at a lot of the positions that make sense for the second half of our re-draft's top 10.
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| 6 |
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Original pick: LaRon Landry, S, LSU
The Redskins found themselves facing injury issues on their offensive line from training camp on, so Thomas or Brown would have been natural fits had they lasted to No. 6. But Landry has been anything but a disappointment, and the Redskins need him all the more now in light of the Sean Taylor tragedy. |
| 7 |
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Original pick: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
Without Peterson's impact to rely on, the Vikings would be in the market for another big-play option. Bowe has been this draft's second-best performer in that department, leading all rookie receivers in catches (54), yardage (786) and touchdowns (4, tied). |
| 8 |
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Original pick: Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
We make it three ex-LSU Tigers in a row with Russell, whose rookie season in Oakland was effectively sacrificed to his contract stalemate. The Falcons' quarterback disaster makes this a no-brainer. Enough of Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman. Bobby Petrino would snap up Russell and have a QB to groom.
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| 9 |
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Original pick: Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio State
The Dolphins obviously have needs everywhere you look, but with veteran middle linebacker Zach Thomas playing in just five games this season, the polished Willis would have filled a very large gap in the middle of Miami's defense. |
| 10 |
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Original pick: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
The Ahman Green acquisition hasn't worked out, and Ron Dayne is just a stop-gap option. If the Texans had Lynch, the league's second-most impressive rookie runner, they'd have the makings of a very balanced offense. |
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