1993 Draft Redo - What Should've Happened

What should each team have done in the first round of the 1993 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

Here's a look at past NFL drafts looking to see what each team needed, who they all 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 all know now and not taking future drafts into account, this is how the first round should've gone. There were 29 picks in the first round of the 1993 draft. In parentheses is the round the player was actually taken.

Who Went	How the Draft Should've Gone
1. New England Patriots Drew Bledsoe, QB Washington State	OT Willie Roaf (1st), Louisiana Tech New Orleans Saints
This is a really tough call. The Patriots needed everything on offense, and there's no real beef with Bledsoe. Jerome Bettis and Garrison Hearst would've been a nice addition as well. The pick is Roaf since you can't go wrong with a sure Hall of Famer.
2. Seattle Seahawks Rick Mirer, QB Notre Dame	QB Drew Bledsoe (1st), Washington State New England Patriots
Washington State's Bledsoe in Seattle would've been a great fit staying on his home turf. The pick might be Mark Brunell since the Seahawks were looking for a more mobile quarterback, and like Bledsoe, he'd also be staying close to home.
3. Phoenix Cardinals Garrison Hearst, RB Georgia	RB Jerome Bettis (1st), Notre Dame Los Angeles Rams
It took a long time for Hearst to turn into a big-time producer, while Bettis was a superstar from carry one. Johnny Johnson wasn't a bad back, but Bettis would've been a huge addition. The Cardinals should be happy with Chris Chandler and Timm Rosenbach at quarterback.
4. New York Jets Marvin Jones, LB Florida State	RB Robert Smith (1st), Ohio State Minnesota Vikings
Jones was never healthy enough to be the player many thought he'd be coming out of Florida State. The New York crowd would've been all over the fragile Smith, but with Brad Baxter, Blair Thomas and an aging Freeman McNeil in the backfield, they'd get over it. Michael Strahan would be the better pick for the future, but the Jets needed a runner. Now if they would only give that Jeff Blake kid a chance at quarterback.
5. Cincinnati Bengals John Copeland, DE Alabama	DE Michael Strahan (2nd), Texas Southern New York Giants
Strahan became an elite level superstar in 2001. The sack artist would've been exactly the player the Bengals thought they were getting when they drafted Copeland.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Eric Curry, DE Alabama	DB John Lynch (4th), Stanford Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Curry was one of the monster busts of the 1993 Draft. This might be a bit of a reach to take Lynch this high, but it worked out big time so there's no need to mess with it. The Bucs should stick with Vinny Testaverde at quarterback hoping he can turn his career around.
7. Chicago Bears Curtis Conway, WR USC	QB Mark Brunell (5th), Washington Green Bay Packers
Conway never warmed up to the Chicago weather and rarely played up to his potential. Even though Jim Harbaugh was a decent quarterback, Brunell was too good not to take for the long haul.
8. New Orleans Saints William Roaf, OT Louisiana Tech	OT Will Shields (3rd), Nebraska Kansas City Chiefs
Shields isn't Roaf, but the Saints need a tackle and he was a long-time rock and Pro Bowl performer more than a decade after being drafted.
9. Atlanta Falcons Lincoln Kennedy, OT Washington	DT Dana Stubblefield (1st), Kansas San Francisco 49ers
The Falcons need a ton of help on the run defense and they should take Stubblefield over the beefier KU teammate, Gilbert Brown.
10. Los Angeles Rams Jerome Bettis, RB Notre Dame	DT Gilbert Brown (3rd), Kansas Minnesota Vikings
The Rams didn't really need Bettis, yet they hit a grand slam with the pick. Brown could've been something truly special had he been able to keep his weight down, but he would've helped the poor Ram run D in 1993.
11. Denver Broncos Dan Williams, DE Toledo	RB Garrison Hearst (1st), Georgia Phoenix Cardinals
Hearst's career turned out to be a mixed bag suffering major injuries and needing to comeback several times before showing flashes of stardom. Considering Denver's rushing options were Gaston Green, Reggie Rivers and Sammie Smith, Hearst would've been a needed addition.
12. Los Angeles Raiders Patrick Bates, DB Texas A&M	QB Trent Green (7th), Indiana San Diego Chargers
With Jay Schroeder and Todd Marinovich quarterbacking the Raiders, the heady young passer from Indiana would've filled the bill.
13. Houston Oilers Brad Hopkins, OT Illinois	OT Brad Hopkins (1st), Illinois Houston Oilers
132 starts in 138 games. No need to mess with what worked.
14. Cleveland Browns Steve Everett, C Michigan	QB Elvis Grbac (7th), Michigan San Francisco 49ers
With Bernie Kosar's career grinding to a halt and Todd Philcox and Mike Tomczak backing him up, the Browns should've gone for the instant upgrade.
15. Green Bay Packers Wayne Simmons, LB Clemson	OT Lincoln Kennedy (1st), Washington Atlanta Falcons
The pick of Simmons sort of worked well for a while, but he never lived up to the 15th pick. The Packers needed a running back to replace Vince Workman, but there aren't any solid backs available. Needing to protect up-and-coming QB Brett Favre, the pick should've been the steady Kennedy.
16. Indianapolis Colts Sean Dawkins, WR California	WR Curtis Conway (1st), USC Chicago Bears
Many like to rip on Jeff George's bad career as a Colt, but check out the skill players he had to work with. WRs: Reggie Langhorne, Jesse Hester and Bill Brooks. RBs: Anthony Johnson, Rodney Culver and Ken Clark. This is a team that needed offensive playmakers in the worst way.
17. Washington Redskins Tom Carter, DB Notre Dame	LB Jesse Armstead (8th), Miami New York Giants
The Redskins were getting really old really fast needing a youth infusion almost everywhere. Taking the best player available, Armstead fits. He was a late round steal.
18. Phoenix Cardinals Earnest Dye, OT South Carolina	C Steve Everett (1st), Michigan Cleveland Browns
He didn't last too long in the league, but Everett was one of the game's premier centers while he was around.
19. Philadelphia Eagles Lester Holmes, G Jackson State	TE Frank Wycheck (6th), Maryland Washington Redskins
After losing Keith Jackson to the Dolphins, Philadelphia got ten catches from tight ends Pat Beach and Maurice Johnson. Wycheck would've given Randall Cunningham a new safety valve.
20. New Orleans Saints Irv Smith, TE Notre Dame	DE Michael McCreary (7th), Wake Forest Seattle Seahawks
The Saint defense was a killer in the mid-1990s. McCreary would've been precisely the lineman New Orleans would need as the stars up front got older.
21. Minnesota Vikings Robert Smith, RB Ohio State	LB Greg Biekert (7th), Colorado Los Angeles Raiders
The Vikings had an amazing nucleus with Rich Gannon at quarterback, Terry Allen and an aging Roger Craig at running back and Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Anthony Carter at receiver. The defense needed some work and Biekert would be a great fill in for ten years.
22. San Diego Chargers Darien Gordon, DB Stanford	WR Qadry Ismail (2nd), Syracuse Minnesota Vikings
Gordon wasn't quite the lock down corner the Chargers were looking for. He was, however, one of the great kick returners in NFL history. The Chargers should've take the speedy Ismail to help take the heat off Anthony Miller.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers Deon Figures, DB Colorado	DL John Copeland (1st), Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers desperately needed a receiver. With none worth taking, the pick is Copeland to help solidify an already strong defensive front.
24. Philadelphia Eagles Leonard Renfro, DT Colorado	PK Jason Elam (3rd), Hawaii Denver Broncos
While it pains me to take a kicker in the first round, Elam is worth it considering the Eagles relied on Roger Ruzek who made 16 of 25 field goals and 40 of 44 extra points in 1992.
25. Miami Dolphins O.J. McDuffie, WR Penn State	CB Tom Carter (1st), Notre Dame Washington Redskins
Carter was never a star, but the Dolphins had to do something to battle the Buffalo Bill passing game in the AFC East.
26. San Francisco 49ers Dana Stubblefield, DT Kansas	CB Darien Gordon (1st), Stanford San Diego Chargers
The Niners were great everywhere except the secondary. Gordon would've helped for a while and would've added a great kick returner to go along with Dexter Carter and John Taylor.
27. San Francisco 49ers Todd Kelly, DE Tennessee	DB Blaine Bishop (8th), Ball State Houston Oilers
The Niners wanted defensive linemen in the 1993 draft and at this point there were few worth taking. Bishop didn't have the size or the speed, but he made plays.
28. Buffalo Bills Thomas Smith, DB North Carolina	DB Brock Marion (7th), Nevada Dallas Cowboys
Thomas Smith never really panned out and while Marion was hardly a star, he would've been a better pick than Smith for the lousy Buffalo secondary.
29. Green Bay Packers George Teague, DB Alabama	LB Marvin Jones (1st), Florida State New York Jets
The Packers needed help at linebacker and even though Jones would be injured often, he would've given them a few solid seasons.