Back in 2009, the Detroit Lions found their franchise quarterback when they selected Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. Though he never led them to a Super Bowl like fans hoped, he was the unquestioned best player in that class.
Pro Football Focus proved that to be true in its redraft of the 2009 class, keeping Stafford as the No. 1 pick for the Lions. At No. 2 overall, the St. Louis Rams whiffed with their pick.
They took Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith, who played just three years for the Rams before being traded in 2012. In PFF’s redraft, the Rams select Clay Matthews instead, landing a future All-Pro edge rusher.
Matthews excelled in his first four years with the Packers. He earned a 76.0 PFF pass-rush grade in his rookie season, then posted PFF pass-rush grades above 81.0 in each of the next three. He also earned his two All-Pro honors in that span with a Super Bowl ring to boot.
Funny enough, both of the top two picks in PFF’s redraft ended up with the Rams. Stafford is their current quarterback and a Super Bowl champion now, while Matthews played his final NFL season with the Rams in 2019 before retiring.
In hindsight, Matthews would’ve been the better pick for the Rams, but he was a fringe first-rounder who didn’t come off the board until No. 26 overall so it’s not as if he was a unanimous top-10 prospect.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 2009 NFL redraft: Rams take All-Pro edge rusher instead of Jason Smith at No. 2 overall
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
