The Cincinnati Bengals used the ninth pick in the 2017 draft to take speedy Washington receiver John Ross.
But what if the front office hadn’t picked Ross?
That’s a question a new re-mock of the 2017 draft attempts to answer courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey. In that effort — a full re-mock of the 2017 opening round — the Bengals instead choose current New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams:
“A lot of people probably still remember Williams for the play he made — or rather, didn’t make — at the end of the Saints’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That’s a shame because Williams has developed into one of the league’s best free safeties. His 90.8 overall grade since 2017 ranks sixth at the safety position, and he ranks sixth in the entire 2017 class in PFF WAR over the first three seasons of his career. The Bengals are in a position where they can use all the help that they can get in coverage. Williams would be a massive step in the right direction, and he would be a clear upgrade over their previous pick in this slot, Ross, who has struggled to live up to the hype that accompanied his impressive 40-yard dash.”
It’s certainly an interesting direction for the Bengals to go in a redraft. There’s no question Williams is one of the better, rangy safeties in the NFL today and the Bengals could’ve used him.
But also interesting is the fact this redraft still had Myles Garrett on the board for the Bengals. The thought of him with Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap is…intriguing, to say the very least.
As for Ross, he played three games as a rookie, quietly scored seven times as a sophomore while used as an elite redzone weapon, then at one point led the NFL in receiving before landing on 506 yards and three scores over eight games last season.
If Ross can stay healthy, there’s an outside chance some of the flashes he showed last year with a new head coach translates into at least No. 2 wideout potential. A rookie passer might be able to help. And if he does, future redrafts might just keep him at No. 9.
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