With only two teams still in game-prep mode and a shiny championship trophy on the line, the fanbases of 30 other NFL clubs are living out a far more disappointed version of the reality they had fervently believed was coming their way just a few months prior.
For those not in Chiefs Kingdom or Iggles Nation, it’s already the multiverse time of year. And while mock drafts let the faithful gaze into their crystal balls to imagine a new and improved future, redrafts allow for a hypothetical what-if look back at the season that might have been.
ESPN asked its NFL Nation reporters to rewind to April 28, 2022 and make their teams’ first two rounds of picks again, this time factoring in everything we learned about how last year’s rookies actually played over the course of their debut seasons.
In a do-over where there are no secrets or surprises, the Cowboys lose out on their impressive first-rounder and let their second-rounder fall. But every selection has a ripple effect of possibilities, and Dallas walks away from this imaginary exercise with two totally different players for the 2023 season.
Would they have changed the outcome of the season, for better or worse? That’s up for debate… maybe something Cowboys fans can chew on while they’re watching other teams battle for the Lombardi.