1990 Draft Redo - What Should've Happened

What should each team have done in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft?

2005 Draft Redo | 2004 Draft Redo | 2003 Draft Redo | 2002 Draft Redo
2001 Draft Redo | 2000 Draft Redo | 1999 Draft Redo | 1998 Draft Redo
1997 Draft Redo | 1996 Draft Redo | 1995 Draft Redo | 1994 Draft Redo
1993 Draft Redo | 1992 Draft Redo | 1991 Draft Redo | 1990 Draft Redo
1989 Draft Redo

Part of the joy of the NFL draft for the fun of watching talented college players realize their dream of hitting the big time, the instant betterment of the teams, and most of all, the second guessing.

Here's a look at past NFL drafts looking to see what each team needed, who they took in the first round, and in hindsight, who should've gone based on how their pro careers turned out (forgetting about proper coaching and other circumstances).

If each team could draft knowing what we know now and not taking future drafts into account, this is how the first round should've gone.

Who Went	How the Draft Should've Gone
1. Indianapolis Colts Jeff George, QB Illinois	RB Emmitt Smith (1st), Florida Dallas Cowboys
Despite all the ragging, George wasn't a horrible No. 1 pick. He never had any weapons to work with and the Indy line was miserable. Emmitt will end up running for more yards than any back in NFL history. A slam dunk No. 1.
2. New York Jets Blair Thomas, RB Penn State	LB Junior Seau (1st), USC San Diego Chargers
Thomas wasn't nearly the back he could've been if his knees were healthy. Seau's a shoo-in Hall-of-Famer.
3. Seattle Seahawks Cortez Kennedy, DT Miami	TE Shannon Sharpe (7th), Savannah St Denver Broncos
Kennedy might still be the pick, but Sharpe's a Hall-of-Famer and the greatest receiving tight end in NFL history.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Keith McCants, LB Alabama	DB LeRoy Butler (2nd), Florida State Green Bay Packers
McCants was a unmitigated bust. Butler would've been the leader of a Tampa Bay defense in need of a star in the secondary.
5. San Diego Chargers Junior Seau, LB USC	QB Jeff George (1st), Illinois Indianapolis Colts
Home run for the Chargers on this pick with Seau. George would be the QB for the next ten years with a decent line around him. Billy Joe Tolliver wasn't the answer.
6. Chicago Bears Mark Carrier, DB USC	OT Richmond Webb (1st), Texas A&M Miami Dolphins
Carrier was an instant star for the Bears, but Webb would help out the aging Bear front wall. Plug him in for the next 10+ years.
7. Detroit Lions Andre Ware, QB Houston	OT Glenn Parker (3rd), Arizona Buffalo Bills
The Lions needed offensive linemen to block for Barry Sanders, and Parker turned out to be a solid producer for a decade. Detroit can live with Erik Kramer and Rodney Peete at QB.
8. New England Patriots Chris Singleton, LB Arizona	RB Terry Allen (9th), Clemson Minnesota Vikings
Singleton wasn't all that bad, but not worth the ninth pick. Needing a consistent running back even though John Stephens has been great, Allen is the pick even thought there will be upcoming knee injuries.
9. Miami Dolphins Richmond Webb, OT Texas A&M	RB Larry Centers (5th), S.F. Austin  Arizona Cardinals
Webb's already gone, so Centers is a slam-dunk pick and maybe the most perfect fit in the draft. He's the blocking fullback the Dolphins need and a sensational pass catcher out of the backfield for Dan Marino.
10. New England Patriots Ray Agnew, DE NC State	DT Cortez Kennedy (1st), Miami Seattle Seahawks
It's too far for a player like Kennedy to slide any more. He'll eat his way out of the league, but star defensive linemen are at a premium.
11. Los Angeles Raiders Anthony Smith, DE Arizona	OG Dave Szott, (7th), Penn State Kansas City Chiefs
Al Davis loves offensive linemen and while Szott won't be a superstar, he gave the Chiefs 10+ years of solid production.
12. Cincinnati Bengals James Francis, LB Baylor	DB Eric Davis (2nd), Jacksonville State San Francisco 49ers
Davis will be among the most consistent defensive backs in the NFL for more than ten years.
13. Kansas City Chiefs Percy Snow, LB Michigan State	S Mark Carrier (1st), USC Chicago Bears
Snow was never the killer he was in college while Carrier will be one of the league's hardest hitting, ball-hawking safeties.
14. New Orleans Saints Renaldo Turnbull, DE West Virginia	RB Chris Warren (4th), Ferrum Seattle Seahawks
The Saints are a playoff caliber team needing a star running back to help out Rueben Mayes. When Warren was on, he was among the best in the league.
15. Houston Oilers Lamar Lathon, LB Houston	LB Bryce Paup (6th), Northern Iowa Buffalo
Lathon was good early on, but Paup turned himself into a pass-rushing star.
16. Buffalo Bills James Williams, DB Fresno State	DE Rob Burnett (5th), Syracuse Cleveland Browns
Burnett was a solid producer, but he needed star players around him to excel. He'd have that with Bruce Smith at Buffalo. Williams wasn't all that bad.
17. Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith, RB Florida	OG Keith Sims (2nd), Iowa State Miami Dolphins
As legend has it, Jimmy Johnson wanted a defensive player here hoping for James Francis or Lamar Lathon to slide. In this draft, the pick would be an offensive linemen to protect young franchise QB Troy Aikman.
18. Green Bay Packers Tony Bennett, LB Mississippi	QB Neil O'Donnell (3rd), Maryland Pittsburgh Steelers
Bennett was a very, very good player for a few years. O'Donnell is the pick to back up the Majik Man, Don Majkowski. The Pack could trade him to Atlanta in a few years for some Favre kid.
19. Green Bay Packers Darrell Thompson, RB Minnesota	RB Rodney Hampton (1st), Georgia New York Giants
Out with the unproductive Gopher star, in with the battering ram who'll give the Packers several 1,000-yard rushing years.
20. Atlanta Falcons Steve Broussard, RB Washington State	LB Andre Collins (2nd), Penn State Washington Redskins
Broussard wasn't bad, but not at the 20th pick. Andre Collins was a decent player.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers Eric Green, TE Liberty	TE Jackie Harris (4th), NE Louisiana Green Bay Packers
Green was a better tight end than Harris in his prime, but he didn't have the career Harris has had.
22. Philadelphia Eagles Ben Smith, DB Georgia	WR Terance Mathis (6th), New Mexico Atlanta Falcons
Mathis isn't a bad pick this late in the first round as a nice, productive receiver for Randall Cunningham, then the Eagles can take Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams later for one of the league's best young receiving corps.
23. Los Angeles Rams Bern Brostek, C Washington	RB Barry Foster (5th), Arkansas  Pittsburgh Steelers
After giving away Eric Dickerson, it's hard to believe that Greg Bell, Robert Delpino or Cleveland Gary are going to be that great. Foster will be the main back in a few years.
24. New York Giants Rodney Hampton, RB Georgia	QB Scott Mitchell (4th), Utah Miami Dolphins
Phil Simms was getting older. The Giants would have Mitchell and see how he panned out instead of hoping for Dave Brown of Duke to be a player a few years down the road.
25. San Francisco 49ers Dexter Carter, RB Florida State	LB Marvcus Patton (8th), UCLA Buffalo Bills
Patton will give the Niners a rock at linebacker for the next decade.