Re-drafting the entire NFL seems to be a new trend going around the internet. ESPN was the first to take a shot at it. Their re-draft was widely criticized, with some questionable selections in the first round. Now, the folks at Pro Football Focus have taken a crack at it, adding some unique analytics-based insight.
PFF appears to be using Super Bowl odds for their draft order, which puts the Kansas City Chiefs at a big disadvantage, picking at No. 32. Still, the Chiefs managed to come away with the best player in the NFL who is not named Patrick Mahomes. After 31 other teams made their picks Kansas City was able to grab Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald.
Mahomes, of course, went No. 1 overall to the Bengals and perhaps surprisingly he was the only Chiefs player taken in the first round. 26 consecutive picks in this draft were quarterbacks, which tells you just how valued the position is. But for Kansas City to get Donald at Pick No. 32, that feels like a big win.
Just recently, PFF ranked Donald at No. 1 in their list of the NFL’s 50 best players entering the 2020 season. Yes, Donald was ranked one slot higher than Mahomes on the list. Here’s what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about Donald for that list:
“No matter how good you think Aaron Donald is, you’re underselling it. He is the best player in the NFL by a distance, and only the fact that his position doesn’t impact a game as heavily as quarterback or even receiver makes that in any way a debate. Since entering the league, Donald owns the best pressure rate, the best pass-rush win rate (factoring in wins at the line that don’t result in pressures), the best PFF pass-rushing grade and the most total pressures. He has done all this from an interior alignment on the defensive line, where pressure is harder to come by than on the edge. The gap between Donald and the next-best interior player is bigger than it is between any other player and the rest of his peers, and he remains atop this list for the fourth-straight year.”
How would Chiefs Kingdom feel if Donald suddenly became the face of the franchise? It’s obviously incredibly difficult to fathom Mahomes playing for another team, but in this alternate reality, I feel like it’s hard to be upset with the outcome. Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter and the Chiefs Wire forums.
