What if Calvin Johnson went first overall?

[Kiltman]

10 hours ago, candyman93 said:

Browns would have traded up for Jamarcus Russell and passed on Joe Thomas.

Wonder if they would trade up one or just stay put

• At any rate Joe Thomas is probably a cardinal, since the Bucs needed a DE. 
   
• Washington stays with Landry because Snyder's eternal passionate mancrush for Sean Taylor
   
• I wonder if the Vikings would have went with Lynch, Levi Brown or one of the dlinemen that went after them.
        That would have huge reverberations in the 2010s as you would think Marshawn would have less to hate about Minneapolis/St Paul area than he did about Buffalo.
          It's not bustling but it's certainly bigger and more things to do than Buffalo (sorry buffalo)
         So if he's not traded to Seattle, we don't get the run against the Saints, which was kind of a tone setter for
           how that franchise would be for the rest of the decade. Seattle would probably still be good but they would be different.
               (Russell Wilson to the Eagles in 2012 is an interesting hypothetical, since they loved him as much as it's been said after the fact. Would change a ton)
   
• Going back, if Levi Brown sitting at #9, the Dolphins maybe go that route (so in 2008 when they already addressed OT the year prior, perhaps Matt Ryan is a dolphin in 2008?
  Would the Falcons have felt good enough to draft Flacco that early? Where would they have gotten their QB? 
   
• Also Revis likely goes to the Bills at #12, since they targeted corner in the 1st in 2008. Which affects the Jets being good in that small window..but not sure how much else.

[Danger]

14 minutes ago, Kiltman said:

Wonder if they would trade up one or just stay put

• At any rate Joe Thomas is probably a cardinal, since the Bucs needed a DE. 
   
• Washington stays with Landry because Snyder's eternal passionate mancrush for Sean Taylor
   
• I wonder if the Vikings would have went with Lynch, Levi Brown or one of the dlinemen that went after them.
        That would have huge reverberations in the 2010s as you would think Marshawn would have less to hate about Minneapolis/St Paul area than he did about Buffalo.
          It's not bustling but it's certainly bigger and more things to do than Buffalo (sorry buffalo)
         So if he's not traded to Seattle, we don't get the run against the Saints, which was kind of a tone setter for
           how that franchise would be for the rest of the decade. Seattle would probably still be good but they would be different.
               (Russell Wilson to the Eagles in 2012 is an interesting hypothetical, since they loved him as much as it's been said after the fact. Would change a ton)
   
• Going back, if Levi Brown sitting at #9, the Dolphins maybe go that route (so in 2008 when they already addressed OT the year prior, perhaps Matt Ryan is a dolphin in 2008?
  Would the Falcons have felt good enough to draft Flacco that early? Where would they have gotten their QB? 
   
• Also Revis likely goes to the Bills at #12, since they targeted corner in the 1st in 2008. Which affects the Jets being good in that small window..but not sure how much else.

I think this is likely:

Lets say then

1. Calvin Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson/JaMarcus Russell
3. JaMarcus Russell/Adrian Peterson (Depending on whether or not Browns move up 1 spot)
4. Gaines Adams
5. Joe Thomas
6. LaRon Landry
7. [Minnesota Vikings select...]

Vikings fans what do you guys think you would have done at the time? No hindsight or revisionist draft evaluation in mind.

[Danger]

I have to believe that the Lions don't have the 0-16 season with Adrian Peterson, he could operate more independently of the rest of the team than Calvin Johnson who needed the QB to throw him the ball.

[Kiltman]

37 minutes ago, Danger said:

I have to believe that the Lions don't have the 0-16 season with Adrian Peterson, he could operate more independently of the rest of the team than Calvin Johnson who needed the QB to throw him the ball.

could get real funky with things via the OTs if Rams pick Jake Long over Chris Long in 2008. They then don't take Jason Smith at #2 (lol) and since Peterson probably got the Lions a couple wins, Stafford probably is a Ram in 2009.

Which means Bradford's first victim to defraud is not St. Louis.
Who it would be I'm not sure.
Peterson again probably helps the Lions win a couple more games
Freeman is either still new with the Bucs or the QBOTF in Atlanta after they missed out on Ryan in 2008 to the Phins. 

So it's likely the Skins or a tradeup. If it's the Redskins in position to draft him. Then the McNabb to Washington trade doesn't happen. (which was always speculated to stop them from moving up to get him, not sure how much I buy a team being that dumb...but it is the redskins) and the colossal trade up for RG3 doesn't happen in 2012..which would likely have not be with the Rams anyway. RG3 potentially goes #3 to the Browns then.

As for McNabb....Bills (close to his alma mater) or Cardinals (where he lived in the offseason) being some likely destination for him.
Browns, Raiders also being possibilities (if it was Arizona then we don't trade Kolb to them the following year). None of it really changes much of history probably on this branch