Randall Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Written by Mike Aitkens - NFL Draft Almanac Saturday, 25 March 2006 Every so often some of us will take the time to reflect back on past drafts. It is somewhat of a painful process, remembering the flops, the misses, and the downright horrible selections. It surely is not the healthiest way for a rabid sports fan to spend their free time, but it is just something that needs to be done. What I am planning here is to go through the past few drafts and highlight some of the bigger bonehead selections made in the 1st and 2nd rounds, as well as the alternatives that were still on the board. Trust me, it is a painful process, and even more painful when you think about what might have been. 2000 NFL Draft: With the 1st overall selection the Cleveland Browns selected defensive end Courtney Brown. While Courtney looked like an amazing prospect worthy of the selection, we now know that he was the furthest thing from it. The worst part is that in the 1st round alone some stellar talent has blossomed where Courtney fell behind. Brian Urlacher LB, taken with the 9th selection. John Abraham DE, taken with the 13th selection. Julian Peterson OLB, taken with the 16th selection. Keith Bulluck OLB, taken with the 30th selection. Looking at their current careers, any of those players mentioned would have had a bigger impact in Cleveland. This one in particular pains me to no ends. With the 36th selection the Philadelphia Eagles selected none other than Todd Pinkston. Now we will take a look at some of the other wide receivers still on the board: Jerry Porter WR, taken with the 47th selection. Laveranues Coles WR, taken with the 78th selection. Darrell Jackson WR, taken with the 80th selection. I do not even want to think about what might have been. Any one of those three players would have made more of an impact than Todd Pinkston. 2001 NFL Draft: In the 1st round two NFC East teams made bonehead selections at the wide receiver position. First up were the Washington Redskins, who selected Rod Gardner with the 15th overall selection. At the time the crop of wide receiver talent was still rather deep. Santana Moss WR, taken with the very next pick at 16. Interesting that some years later Santana is a member of the Redskins. Reggie Wayne WR, taken with the 30th selection. Chad Johnson WR, taken with the 36th selection. Chris Chambers WR, taken with the 52nd selection. It only gets worse for the Philadelphia Eagles, as they selected Freddie Mitchell with the 25th overall selection. As just mentioned Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, and Chris Chambers were still available. Now take a second and remember the 2000 draft when Todd Pinkston was selected. The possible wide receiver duo that could have existed in Philadelphia almost makes you want to cry. Cleveland shows their ugly face once again with their selection of Quincy Morgan with the 33rd overall selection, just three picks later at the 36th pick Chad Johnson was taken. Quincy Morgan, Rod Gardner, and Freddie Mitchell have all seen their days pass them by, however we all know what has become of Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, and Chad Johnson. 2002 NFL Draft: It started early in this draft as the Buffalo Bills selected offensive tackle Mike Williams with the 4th overall selection. Just a few picks later with the 9th selection the Vikings selected Bryant McKinnie. I am willing to bet that the Bills wish they had a draft day mulligan with this pick. Yet again the Cleveland Browns make an appearance, this time with their selection of William Green with the 16th overall selection. Running back talent was still on the board, and in hindsight you know Butch Davis wishes he could redo this pick. T.J. Duckett RB, taken with the 18th selection. DeShaun Foster RB, taken with the 34th selection. Clinton Portis RB, taken with the 51st selection. Brian Westbrook RB, taken with the 91st selection. Denver with the 19th selection used their pick on Hawaii wide receiver product Ashley Lelie. He has shown flashes in his days as a member of the Broncos, but he has yet to truly live up to the hype. Javon Walker WR, taken with the 20th selection. Antwaan Randle El WR, taken with the 62nd selection. Deion Brance WR, taken with the 65th selection. 2003 NFL Draft: "I'm Charles Rogers, I have 9 starts in 3 full seasons. I'm Charles Rogers, I've played in 15 games in 3 full seasons." Maybe that should have been his draft day rap for the EA Sports commercial he did, because we all know he never lived up to the hype. Taken with the 2nd overall selection, the Detroit Lions passed up on anther top flight wide receiver in Andre Johnson who was chosen with the very next pick. How ironic, a Matt Millen draft pick goes awry. With the 15th overall selection, the Eagles decided to trade up for Miami standout defensive end Jerome McDougle. Injuries and gun shot wounds have unfortunately derailed his career. Who did they pass up? William Joseph DT, taken with the 25th selection. Osi Umenyiora DE, taken with the 56th selection. With the 31st selection Al Davis decided to select cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha with the 31st overall selection. My best guess is that he was the fastest player on the board, as that seems to be the Al Davis way. Rashean Mathis CB, taken with the 39th selection. Ricky Manning CB, taken with the 82nd selection. Either one of those players seems to have developed at a more accelerated rate than what Asomugha is doing. 2004 NFL Draft: With the 9th overall selection the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Reggie Williams. Ironic that their 4th round selection of Ernest Wilford with the 120th pick has developed into the better wide receiver. Now I realize this next selection did not take place until the 3rd round, but when a team trades up for a punter as the Packers did it needs to be mentioned. I remember walking out of the draft that year on Day 1, and the Packers fans were still lost, confused, and screaming about that move. By trading up for B.J. Sanders whom they selected with the 87th overall selection, Mike Sherman decided to leave quite a bit of talent on the board that at the current time would have been significant. Matt Schaub QB, taken just 3 picks later with the 90th selection. That could have changed the 2005 Draft landscape for the Packers. Nathan Vasher CB, taken with the 110th selection. Again a player that the Packers could have used. Ernest Wilford WR, taken with the 120th selection. 2005 NFL Draft: While it may be a bit early to truly judge these selections, based on rookie production alone I will do my best. With the 4th overall selection, the Chicago Bears selected Cedric Benson. While Carnell Williams might have been a better selection for them, Thomas Jones a player already on their roster would establish himself as their go to running back. The Bears had plenty of alternative picks that they could have made. Their best bet would have been to trade out of the pick, giving themselves a more practical shot at the likes of? Derrick Johnson OLB, taken with the 15th selection. Heath Miller TE, taken with the 30th selection. For the third straight year in a row Matt Millen flexed his 1st round draft day muscles and drafted a wide receiver. This time around it was Mike Williams, a player who had been out of football for an entire year. Detroit with their many needs was the last team that needed to be drafting another wide receiver in the 1st round. Some players that should have been considered? Jammal Brown OT, taken 13th selection. Alex Barron OT, taken 19th selection. Anyone pick up on the trend here, addressing the offensive line was clearly their biggest need. Looking back we have seen some great bonehead moves made on draft day. Maybe the pressure just gets to people, maybe they clearly are not scouting the right guys. If anything this shows you that while a guy might look great on paper, it will not always translate to the field of play. Sometimes you will need to look deeper, and look at more of the intangible. It also should be noted that some of the people making these bonehead selections have lost their jobs, while others without a doubt deserve losing their job. 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pedroz13 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Great article....I can't believe Chad Johnson went so late in hindsight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Johnies Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Steve Smith was ca third round pick that many teams wish they had picked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Deion Brance WR, taken with the 65th selection. B.J. Sanders 1393694[/snapback] At least try to get the names correct to Branch and Sander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd1 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 No mention of Jamal Reynolds?? Even Tony Mandarich started more games than Reynolds! How about Ahmad Carroll when Chris Gamble was available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I guess we gotta wait a little longer to call Carroll a total bust. He actually looked slightly better in the second half of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted March 30, 2006 Author Share Posted March 30, 2006 Great article....I can't believe Chad Johnson went so late in hindsight. 1393714[/snapback] That draft 1-Justin Smith 2-Chad Johnson 4-Rudi Johnson 7-TJ Housh(and his father's last name is Johnson). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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