Detroit Lions Draft CB Shaquill Griffin in 2017 Draft Do-Over

Our Dakota Brecht takes a look at what could have been had the Lions selected CB Shaquill Griffin in the 2017 NFL Draft

With all major sports leagues hitting the pause button on their seasons, the 2020 NFL Draft has become the talk of the sports world -- as fans yearn for some sense of normalcy.

But let’s take a brief break from the chatter regarding this year’s draft, and take a look back at the 2017 draft.

Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report recently “re-drafted” the 2017 draft by applying the following logic: taking players he believes teams would have taken if the draft was today.

As we all know, the Lions selected linebacker Jarrad Davis with the No. 21 overall pick in the draft.

Davis has been a major disappointment for the Lions, as he has not lived up to his first-round potential.

According to Pro Football Focus, Davis ranked last among all NFL linebackers after Week 9 of the 2019 season.

Subsequently, in Gagnon’s re-draft, he took the Lions in a different direction:

“Instead of drafting the disappointing Davis here or the even more disappointing Teez Tabor in Round 2, the Lions can add a Pro Bowl cover man in Shaquill Griffin.

The 24-year-old will have to become more consistent in coverage and increase his splash-play count in order to become a star, but Pro Football Focus graded him as the 13th-best corner in the NFL in 2019."

With what we have seen out of Griffin thus far, there is no question he would have been a better pick than Davis at No. 21.

Many other notable players would have been better to take with Detroit’s first-round selection in 2017. Here are just a few of them:

- T.J. Watt originally went 30th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was re-drafted by Gagnon at No. 3 by the Chicago Bears.

- George Kittle, a fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, has turned into a superstar tight end in the NFL, and was re-drafted fourth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

- Chris Godwin was drafted in the third round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has proven to be an elite weapon. He was re-drafted seventh overall by the Los Angeles Chargers.

- Alvin Kamara has been a dual-threat monster for the Saints -- with his ability to be effective both on the ground and as a receiver. He was originally drafted in the third round by the Saints, but comes in at pick No. 11 in Gagnon’s re-draft.

Related 

Running Back Possibilities for Lions in 2020 NFL Draft

Draft Analyst Charles Davis Explains Detroit Lions Draft Needs

Potential Successors for Lions WR Marvin Jones in the 2020 NFL Draft