It’s often said that an NFL Draft cannot be accurately evaluated until several years after its conclusion—that it’s impossible to get a proper gauge on any player’s perceived fit or any team’s class until we see how all situations ultimately play out.
It’s fun, especially during the NFL offseason, to look back on drafts of old and form a more contextual and, thus, informed final opinion of a particular class and its players. Re-drafts are a popular tool through which to evaluate past drafts, as it’s an approachable way to re-rank players while also giving fans around the league the opportunity to imagine what if things had gone just a bit differently?
Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team recently partook in the exercise, penning a first-round 2022 NFL Re-Draft for the outlet. He has the Buffalo Bills—who initially traded up to select Florida defensive back Kaiir Elam in the 2022 draft—taking another cornerback, this time leaving the first round with then-LSU defender Derek Stingley Jr.
“It’s true that Stingley hasn’t quite lived up to the hope he’d be a versatile cover man with top-notch ball skills, but he’s flashed enough to believe he’s on the right track to be a starting-caliber option,” Valentino wrote of Buffalo’s new selection at pick No. 23. “The same can’t be said for Kaiir Elam, who has played in only 16 games for the Buffalo Bills and is coming off a major ankle injury.”
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Stingley was initially selected with the third overall pick by the Houston Texans, and though he’s been solid, he perhaps hasn’t quite lived up to the hype that was once associated with him. He was widely viewed as one of the best defenders in college football and a future top-five selection after a freshman 2019 season in which he notched 21 pass deflections and six interceptions, shining on a Tigers team that went 15-0 en route to a National Championship. Injuries limited him to just 10 additional games throughout his collegiate career, but the Texans still felt confident in taking him with a top-three selection in 2022.
The former Tiger has flashed when available throughout his two professional seasons, but he’s been limited to just 20 regular season games due to looming hamstring injuries. He’s tallied 82 combined tackles, 18 pass deflections, and five picks as a professional, particularly impressing under the leadership and in the scheme of new head coach DeMeco Ryans in 2023.
Elam—Buffalo’s initial first-round pick—does not appear in the re-draft, which is to be expected given the fact that he’s appeared in just 16 regular season games over his career. He’s shown moments of promise but has struggled to earn the trust of the team’s coaching staff due to his aggression and knack for taking untimely penalties. The Bills were able to land a starting cornerback in the 2022 draft, however, selecting Villanova defender Christian Benford in the sixth round; the 23-year-old has started 19 games over the past two seasons and again projects as a starter for Buffalo in the upcoming campaign.
