Pro Football Focus writer Trevor Sikkema recently went back and re-drafted the 2019 NFL draft after three seasons. Given what we know about the players in that draft class right now, things would have turned out much differently across the board.
One of the most significant changes for Kansas City is that they don’t end up trading away their first-round draft pick to acquire DE Frank Clark. PFF instead has the Chiefs keeping pick No. 29 and selecting Delaware S Nasir Adderley (Chargers). Why did they take Adderley, though? Because Juan Thornhill was already made a first-round draft pick by a division rival.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Thornhill at pick No. 27, which is where they actually took Jonathan Abram. Here is what Sikkema had to say about the Raiders scooping Thornhill in Round 1:
“I once again think the Raiders were on the right track with the position they targeted, they just drafted the wrong player. Abrams was an athletic thumper, but time proved what Las Vegas really needed: an athlete on the back end with good range to play free safety. That is what Thornhill, who has earned two 70.0-plus grades across three seasons, could have brought them.”
During Thornhill’s rookie season, he posted 58 total tackles, three interceptions, five passes defended and a defensive touchdown before suffering a torn ACL in the final game of the regular season. He hasn’t quite had the same success since his injury, but he’s aiming to have a big year in 2022. He was selected in the second round at pick No. 63 overall, so this is a pretty big jump for him in terms of his draft slot.
Adderley, like Thornhill, has also seen his career hampered by injury a bit, so the trade-off here is a bit of a wash. The Raiders definitely are the big winners in getting Thornhill over Abram. The only problem is that this scenario still leaves the Chiefs without a solution at pass-rusher and all of the productive players at EDGE went in the top-15 picks. Such is life in NFL re-draft, though.
What do you think about Thornhill being a first-round pick in this re-draft scenario? Has he performed in such a way that he should have been selected in the first round? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section down below or on Facebook and Twitter.
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