When the 2010 NFL Draft rolled around, the St. Louis Rams were coming off a dreadful 1-15 season in Steve Spagnuolo’s first year at the helm. Three different quarterbacks started games that year, with Marc Bulger being the only one to win a single start.
They were desperate for a franchise quarterback and one fell in their lap at the top of the draft: Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma.
The Rams took him with the first overall pick and though he only lasted four years in St. Louis, it was viewed as the right choice because of their glaring need at the most important position in the game.
Pro Football Focus redrafted the first round of the 2010 class and instead of Bradford, the Rams took a one of his college teammates at the top of the draft. PFF has them taking left tackle Trent Williams at No. 1 overall, selecting him three spots before he was originally drafted by Washington at No. 4.
Williams was well worth a top-five pick the first time around, and he moves up to the top overall selection in this redraft.
He is the highest-graded offensive tackle in the NFL since he was drafted, having finished 11 of his 14 seasons with at least an 80.0 PFF overall grade. Still active in San Francisco, Williams continues to dominate, posting an 85.6 PFF overall grade in his age-36 season. His bust in Canton will be waiting for him the moment he decides to retire.
Hindsight is always 20-20 when it comes to the NFL draft, so it’s easy to say the Rams should’ve taken Williams – now an 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle who’s one of the best players of this generation. However, the Rams badly needed a quarterback and Bradford was the unanimous top player at his position.
So with the Rams passing on Bradford, where did he wind up in this redraft? At No. 12 overall with the Miami Dolphins, who originally took Ryan Mathews with that selection.
Bradford didn’t live up to the hype attached to being drafted No. 1 overall, but Miami desperately needed a quarterback in 2010, with Chad Henne as their best option.
Bradford started his career poorly but actually earned PFF passing grades between 72.0 and 77.0 in four consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2016 with three teams, excluding his lost 2014 campaign due to a torn ACL.
The Rams would’ve loved for Bradford to stay healthy and become their franchise savior, but it’s hard to blame them for taking the best quarterback in the class with the first overall pick.
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