The NFL Draft can be a launchpad for speculation, and years later, fans and analysts alike love to reimagine history through redrafts.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans may wonder what could have been if one of the greatest running backs in NFL history had landed with the team.
In a recent redraft of the 2007 NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Buccaneers selected former running back Adrian Peterson with the fourth overall pick.
Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
The Buccaneers originally used that selection on Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams. But in this alternate reality, Tampa Bay chooses to take advantage of hindsight and drafts a generational back instead.
“The Buccaneers had a young star running back at the time in Cadillac Williams,” PFF writes, “but he suffered torn patellar tendons in 2007 and 2008 that derailed his career. With the benefit of hindsight and a top-10 running back of all time available in Peterson, Tampa Bay hands this card in.”
Peterson would have entered a Tampa Bay offense that finished the 2007 season with a surprising 9–7 record and an NFC South title, despite lacking a true game-changer in the backfield. Earnest Graham led the team in rushing that year, but Peterson’s presence could have added an explosive new dimension to Jon Gruden’s offense.
“Peterson was a four-time first-team All-Pro with the Vikings and took home the MVP award in 2012, the last non-quarterback to receive the honor,” PFF writes. “He earned a 92.7 career PFF rushing grade and ranks in the top five all time in rushing yards (14,918) and rushing touchdowns (120).”
For Tampa Bay, adding a future Hall of Famer like Peterson could have changed the franchise. The Buccaneers cycled through running backs in the years that followed, never truly finding a long-term solution. Peterson’s arrival would have provided stability, star power, and a focal point for the offense during a critical stretch of the franchise’s post-Super Bowl years.
In PFF’s reimagining of the 2007 draft, Tampa Bay gets it right—and fans are left to imagine the dominant ground game that might have been.
