Where does Steelers edge defender T.J. Watt go in an NFL redraft?

The Steelers struck gold when they drafted T.J. Watt with the 30th overall pick in 2017. Here is where the emerging star would go in a 2017 redraft.

T.J. Watt has already outperformed his billing as the former 30th pick by the Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft. He finished the 2018 season with 13.0 sacks, and was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league down the stretch.

As a result, it stands to reason that the Pro Bowl pass rusher would be long gone by the time pick 30 rolls around in an NFL redraft. Here is the range and most likely landing spot for T.J. Watt in a 2017 NFL Draft do-over:

Range: picks 5-12 overall

To the surprise of many, the 2017 NFL Draft ended up producing some household names. Though Myles Garrett is turning out to be a fantastic pick, the Browns would have taken Patrick Mahomes in a redraft.

Deshaun Watson and Mitchell Trubisky would have also gone in the top few picks to the Bears and 49ers. Outside of these three quarterbacks, Myles Garrett, Marshon Lattimore, and Jamal Adams would be considered.

I have Garrett going to Jacksonville with the 4th overall pick. The Titans took Corey Davis with the 5th pick in the 2017 draft, but he hasn’t been spectacular. Lattimore, Jamal Adams, and T.J. Watt would all be in contention for this pick.

Watt would also be in strong consideration to teams like the Jets, Bengals Chiefs, Saints, and Texans (assuming he fell that far).

Most likely: 6th overall (Jets)

It’s certainly possible to justify T.J. Watt being selected as high as as the 5th overall pick in a redraft of the 2017 NFL Draft class. However, I would guess that the Titans would have gone with Jamal Adams at pick 5 – leaving the Jets to decide between players like T.J. Watt, Marshon Lattimore, and Malik Hooker.

New York’s outside linebackers were not looking good in 2017, and they would love to be able to add a 13.0 sack edge rusher to their roster. T.J. Watt could be inserted into the left or right side of the defense and provide added pressure on the quarterback.

It’s hard to say exactly where Watt would go in a redraft, and how a team would select if they could do it all over again. However, it’s clear that the Steelers budding star isn’t getting out of the top 12 picks, and is likely off the board shortly after the top 5.