2018 NFL Draft first round re-draft: What changes one year later?
15. Oakland Radiers: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Original pick: Kolton Miller
Not a whole lot different than the original 2018 NFL Draft pick, just a slight upgrade in most people’s opinion. McGlinchey did play right tackle for the 49ers while Miller played left tackle, but McGlinchey projects to have a little more upside in general at this point.
The Raiders clearly wanted to find their franchise left tackle in this draft and may have even selected McGlinchey if he was still available. Miller was solid for Oakland in 2018 and could be the tackle that they desired. The upside of McGlinchey is just a bit more desireable at this point in the draft.
Finding a sufficient replacement for Khalil Mack should also be a priority for the Raiders, but again, this is not the draft for pass rushers. A solid blind side protector for Derek Carr, or whoever the quarterback of the future is, will be an important piece of the rebuild in Oakland/Las Vegas.
16. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Original pick: Tremaine Edmunds
Allen does find his way back to Buffalo at 16. Again, I considered keeping him the pick at number seven because he did show a good deal of upside. However, the lack of consistency, particularly with his arm accuracy, was the knock on Allen coming out of college and is still a concern to some at this point in his career. This led to him dropping from seven, by some quarterback-needy teams even, to 16 to the Bills.
Allen was incredibly impressive with his legs in 2018, leading the Bills in rushing yards and touchdowns. In addition to his running ability, Allen has a cannon for an arm that he has been working to hone in on deep bombs down the field.
Despite a sketchy offensive line and lackluster weapons around him, Allen kept the Bills competitive. Allen started just 11 games as a rookie and really seemed to show some growth by the end of the season. He led three game-winning drives and two fourth quarter comebacks for Buffalo, certainly proving himself as the best option on the roster, and at this point in the draft, for the future of the Buffalo Bills at quarterback.
Tremaine Edmunds had a great rookie season himself, and would probably be the pick here if Allen had gone between seven and 16. He has great upside and may have gone earlier than he was actually picked in this re-draft if so many teams didn’t have so many other needs. He shouldn’t fall too far.