2002 NFL Draft......Revisited

[miami_fan]

I usually wait until closer to the draft to throw this out there but I saw an article today that brought this to mind.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/years/2002

Ahhh the 2002 NFL draft! High hopes were in abundance that weekend. David Carr was the perfect face of the Houston Texans franchise and the next great QB in the league. Mike Williams was going to be on the right side of the Bills’ O-Line for the next 10-15 years. The Raiders improved by getting Phillip Buchanon and Napoleon Harris. The Rams got a steal by taking Eric Crouch in the 3rd round. Of course there were some dumb picks as well. Why did the Pats, after signing Cam Cleeland and Christian Fauria, draft Daniel Graham? Cincinnati took Levi Jones? At ten? Denver, what are you doing? Why are you taking Clinton Portis?

Fast forward to Valentine’s Day 2007. The Class of 2002 has completed their 5th years in the league. Well some of them have. Some are Super Bowl champions. Some are All Pros. Others are wishing they had studying harder in school. Time to take a look back at your team’s 2002 draft and the draft in general. What grade do you give your team now? Who was the biggest surprise for you in the draft? Who was the biggest bust? What went wrong for the guy who was the “perfect pick” for your team?

2002

Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
3 90 Seth McKinney C Texas A&M
4 114 Randy McMichael TE Georgia
5 161 Omare Lowe FS Washington
5 170 Sam Simmons WR Northwestern
7 241 Leonard Henry RB East Carolina


This is the year the Dolphins got Ricky Williams from the Saints so no 1st round pick. They traded the second round pick the year before. I am pretty happy with McMichael especially in the 4th round. McKinney has not been that bad but not as great as advertised. Two starters out of five mid to late round picks I will give them a B-. My surprise is that Steve Spurrier actually drafted a couple of pretty good running backs in Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright. The biggest busts for me unfortunately are from the University of Miami. Phillip Buchanon and Mike Rumph both have been very disappointing.

[DaddyTorgo]

heard on the radio today that minnesota was interested in david carr, and that the price was rumored to be a 4th round pick.


how the mighty have fallen

[Honolulu_Blue]

Detroit Lions
Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
1 3 Harrington, Joey QB Oregon
2 35 Edwards, Kalimba DE S. Carolina
3 68 Goodman, Andre' CB S. Carolina
4(c) 134 Taylor, Jonathan DE Montana State
5 138 Owens, John TE Notre Dame
6 175 Cash, Chris CB USC
7a 214 Staley, Luke RB Brigham Young
7b(c) 253 Murphy, Matt TE Maryland
7c(c) 259 Rogers, Victor T Colorado

A typically solid draft for Matt Millen.

The break-down:
Harrington was a bust.

The Lions re-signed underachieving defensive end Kalimba Edwards to an inexplicable 3-4 contract last year.

Andre Goodman is with the Dolphins and appeared to be playing as well as he did for the Lions.

Jonathan Taylor never took a NFL snap.

John Owens is still kicking around somewhere in the league as a back-up tight end.

Chris Cash signed with the Falcons and got hurt. He was servicable, but not great.

Luke Staley was a risky pick given his injuries. He never played a down in the NFL.

Matt Murphy played some back-up tight end. I have no idea if he's till around.

Victor Rogers lingered for years as a back-up lineman and on the IR, but never paned out. He may still be in the league, but I don't think so.

The summary.
Out of the 10 picks the Lions had in that draft, only one is still playing (and still playing like crap) for the Lions (Kalimba Edwards) and the rest mediocare back-ups scattered throughout the league or out of it entirely.

Way to "restore the roar", Millen.

[MikeVic]

At a glance, the Steelers had a pretty good draft.

[JPhillips]

The Levi Jones draft. The Bengals got killed for taking him, but now he's a top ten LT. He got a huge extension and will hold the left tackle spot hopefully until he retires.

The rest of the draft was a nightmare.

1 Levi Jones LT
2 Lamont Thompson S
3 Matt Schobel TE
4 Travis Dorsch K
6 Marquand Manuel S
7 Joey Evans DE

[PackerFanatic]

1 - Javon Walker WR
3 - Marques Anderson FS
4 - Najeh Davenport RB
5 - Aaron Kampman DE
5 - Craig Nall QB
6 - Mike Houghton T

Walker turned out great in 04, then got hurt in 05, and wanted out of GB. (still hate him for that) Kampman is the only guy from this draft still on the team and other than maybe Walker, easily the best pick up of this draft. Davenport was great while he was here, but obviously didn't amount to anything, and poor Craig Nall...

[stevew]

At a glance, the Steelers had a pretty good draft.

1 30 Kendall Simmons Auburn OL-serviceable, although he got lazy last year. Someone I would want to upgrade, plays more like a 3rd than a first really..

2 30 Antwaan Randle El Indiana WR/QB-I'll miss his returns and the occasional trick play. Not worth the bank the Skins paid him.

3 29 Chris Hope Florida State S-He's pretty good, but I don't think that he was much better than the guys they replaced him with. Certainly not for the amount of cash he got.

4 30 Larry Foote Michigan LB-solid but unspectacular starter.

5 31 Verron Haynes Georgia RB-okay in spurts, in FOF terms a 35/35 backup RB.

6 30 Lee Mays UTEP WR-Fuck lee mays

7 1* Lavar Glover Cincinnati CB -not sure what happened here.

7 31 Bret Keisel BYU DE- pretty solid pick for a 7th rounder. Starting DE, although he's more serviceable than actually good.

I guess 5 guys who started make up for taking lee mays.

[Coffee Warlord]

Another in a long line of miserable drafts in the late 90's / early 00's for the Bears.

1.29 OT Marc Colombo Boston College
- Total bust.

3.07 CB Roosevelt Williams Tuskegee
- Released.

3.28 OG Terrence Metcalf Mississippi
- Nothing special, backup.

4.06 DE Alex Brown Florida
- Best pick of their draft.

5.05 SS Bobby Gray Louisiana Tech
- Gone.

5.30 OLB Bryan Knight Pittsburgh
- Who?

6.27 RB Adrian Peterson Georgia Southern
- 3rd Stringer, but a solid backup RB.

6.31 WR Jamin Elliott Delaware
- Gone.

6.38 TE Bryan Fletcher UCLA
- Who?

[Pyser]

giants

1- jeremy shockey - pro bowler. good.
2- tim carter - wr - often injured, expected to be released today
3- jeff hatch - t - i dont think hes still around
5- nick greisen - lb - i liked him, think hes on tenn or something now
6- wesly mallard - lb - no idea
7- daryl jones - wr - think hes gone too

not too good

[miami_fan]

Actually the more I look at it, I am changing the Dolphins's grade to a C.

[Doug5984]

13 New Orleans Donte' Stallworth WR Tennessee
Stallworth wasn't a bad pick, it just wasn't a good one... He had a lot of injuries with the Saints, and I was glad to see him go, and even happier we were able to get a little something for him.

25 New Orleans Charles Grant DE Georgia
Grant has been a very solid DE for us, his contract is up this year and we are probably going to be giving him the franchise tag. A good pick.

44 New Orleans LeCharles Bentley C Ohio State
Bently played great in New Orleans but simply wanted to much money so we let him go and traded C's with Cleveland- I was very happy with Jeff Faine this year, and he was much cheaper so still not a bad pick.

125 New Orleans Keyuo Craver CB Nebraska
Was supposed to be the next starter at CB- blew out his knee, and never heard from again (I think there were rumors he was caught smoking pot in the parking lot)...

150 New Orleans Mel Mitchell SS Western Kentucky
Another "starter" in the making, was able to start a little- had a few injuries and I couldn't tell you where he is now.

186 New Orleans J.T. O'Sullivan QB Cal-Davis
Last I heard he was in Green Bay...

196 New Orleans John Gilmore TE Penn State
Flop

224 New Orleans Derrius Monroe DE Virginia Tech
Not a clue...


I would give this class an A, we had 4 starters out of it (Including Mel Mitchell)...and the top 3 players are all still names in the league.

[Blade6119]

St. Louis drafted Eric Crouch...that about sums up their entire draft...just a awful draft...

[st.cronin]

New England

TE Daniel Grahm
WR Deion Branch
QB Rohan Davey
DE Jarvis Green
RB Antoine Womack
WR David Givens

not bad at all, imo

[bulletsponge]

Detroit Lions
Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
1 3 Harrington, Joey QB Oregon
2 35 Edwards, Kalimba DE S. Carolina
3 68 Goodman, Andre' CB S. Carolina
4(c) 134 Taylor, Jonathan DE Montana State
5 138 Owens, John TE Notre Dame
6 175 Cash, Chris CB USC
7a 214 Staley, Luke RB Brigham Young
7b(c) 253 Murphy, Matt TE Maryland
7c(c) 259 Rogers, Victor T Colorado

A typically solid draft for Matt Millen.

The break-down:
Harrington was a bust.

The Lions re-signed underachieving defensive end Kalimba Edwards to an inexplicable 3-4 contract last year.

Andre Goodman is with the Dolphins and appeared to be playing as well as he did for the Lions.

Jonathan Taylor never took a NFL snap.

John Owens is still kicking around somewhere in the league as a back-up tight end.

Chris Cash signed with the Falcons and got hurt. He was servicable, but not great.

Luke Staley was a risky pick given his injuries. He never played a down in the NFL.

Matt Murphy played some back-up tight end. I have no idea if he's till around.

Victor Rogers lingered for years as a back-up lineman and on the IR, but never paned out. He may still be in the league, but I don't think so.

The summary.
Out of the 10 picks the Lions had in that draft, only one is still playing (and still playing like crap) for the Lions (Kalimba Edwards) and the rest mediocare back-ups scattered throughout the league or out of it entirely.

Way to "restore the roar", Millen.


look at the bright side. you have the 2nd pick in this years draft, surely he can draft someone good! right?

[johnnyshaka]

The Eagles' first four picks that year...Lito Sheppard...Michael Lewis...Sheldon Brown...and Brian Westbrook. Not too shabby at all.

[digamma]

If you re-drafted today, who goes first from that draft?

Peppers? Ed Reed? One of the tackles?

[RedKingGold]

San Francisco 49er's

1.27 - Mike Rumph FS Miami
3.04 - Saleem Rasheed ILB Alabama
4.04 - Jeff Chandler, K Florida
4.24 - Kevin Curtis, DB Texas Tech
5.24 - Brandon Doman, QB BYU
5.32 - Josh Shaw, DT Michigan State
6.24 - Mark Anelli, TE Wisconsin
7.09 -Eric Heitman, G Stanford
7.19 - Kyle Kosier, T Arizona State
7.27 - Teddy Gaines, DB Tennessee

When I saw this thread, I struggled to remember who we even took in that draft. Now I see why. Rumph was a huge bust and was traded before the beginning of 2006 (I believe). I'm pretty sure that every other player in that draft is no longer even on the roster with the exception of OG Eric Heitman.

OT Kyle Kosier was a nice pick in the 7th round. He had some potential, but was signed by Dallas last off-season where he has since faded into obscurity. Another one of the "great" Terry Donoughe drafts.

[miami_fan]

The Eagles' first four picks that year...Lito Sheppard...Michael Lewis...Sheldon Brown...and Brian Westbrook. Not too shabby at all.

As I am looking at all the teams' draft that year, you could argue that the Eagles had the best draft overall.

[kingfc22]

San Francisco 49er's

1.27 - Mike Rumph FS Miami
3.04 - Saleem Rasheed ILB Alabama
4.04 - Jeff Chandler, K Florida
4.24 - Kevin Curtis, DB Texas Tech
5.24 - Brandon Doman, QB BYU
5.32 - Josh Shaw, DT Michigan State
6.24 - Mark Anelli, TE Wisconsin
7.09 -Eric Heitman, G Stanford
7.19 - Kyle Kosier, T Arizona State
7.27 - Teddy Gaines, DB Tennessee

When I saw this thread, I struggled to remember who we even took in that draft. Now I see why. Rumph was a huge bust and was traded before the beginning of 2006 (I believe). I'm pretty sure that every other player in that draft is no longer even on the roster with the exception of OG Eric Heitman.

OT Kyle Kosier was a nice pick in the 7th round. He had some potential, but was signed by Dallas last off-season where he has since faded into obscurity. Another one of the "great" Terry Donoughe drafts.

Thanks for reminding me of this tragic draft.:rolleyes::(

[Marathoner]

Colts - overall I say A-

1 11 Dwight Freeney DE Syracuse
Great player, all-pro, fantastic pick

2 42 Larry Tripplett DT Washington
Very good player, was a solid DT for 4 years

3 74 Joseph Jefferson SS Western Kentucky
Average

4 106 David Thornton OLB North Carolina
Steal in the 4th round, maybe the best value pick in this draft. Too bad they let him go this year.

6 182 David Pugh DT Virginia Tech
Didn't pan out

6 183 James Lewis DB Miami
Didn't pan out

6 204 Brian Allen RB Stanford
Good practice team player

7 220 Josh Mallard DE Georgia
Actually played a couple of games, average backup

Overall a very good defensive draft, laid the ground work for this year's championship.

[Pyser]

6 204 Brian Allen RB Stanford
Good practice team player

this cracked me up.

[JPhillips]

In looking back through it's shocking how little talent was in the second round.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

New England

TE Daniel Grahm
WR Deion Branch
QB Rohan Davey
DE Jarvis Green
RB Antoine Womack
WR David Givens

not bad at all, imo

Better than that. 2 starting WRs who just cashed big money checks. A solid TE that will also cash a big check with another team. Jarvis Green probably starts on a D-line if he was on another team. 4 solid starters there.

Hey, wait, 3 of those 4 won't be on the Patriots as of March 2.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

150 New Orleans Mel Mitchell SS Western Kentucky
Another "starter" in the making, was able to start a little- had a few injuries and I couldn't tell you where he is now.


He's supposedly a very good special teams player. The Pats signed him last offseason but he want on injured reserve before the regular season even started. He's still under contract I think.

[Swaggs]

1 30 Kendall Simmons Auburn OL
2 30 Antwaan Randle El Indiana WR/QB
3 29 Chris Hope Florida State S
4 30 Larry Foote Michigan LB
5 31 Verron Haynes Georgia RB
6 30 Lee Mays UTEP WR
7 1 Lavar Glover Cincinnati CB
7 31 Bret Keisel BYU DE

Pretty excellent draft, considering how late we picked. Simmons, Randle El, Hope, and Foote all started for the Super Bowl team. Simmons, Foote, and Keisel are all current starters and Haynes is an effective 3rd down back. Randle El and Hope left to pretty big FA deals, so they will potentially continue to contribute in the form of compensatory picks. Mays sucks badly, but still spent time in the NFL last season. Glover is the only player player, out of 8 chosen, to not have played a down in the NFL last season, so although no superstars, a pretty impressive draft.

[SteelerFan448]

1 30 Kendall Simmons Auburn OL - His play in his second preseason gave some indications that Simmons was going to be a great guard. However, he hurt his knee and then had further health problems with diabetes. He never seemed to recover. Average starter, but now should have his hands full with Chris Kemoeatu. However, he was a good pick, just no luck with his health.

2 30 Antwaan Randle El Indiana WR/QB - Great choice. Was a solid slot WR and provided some great trick plays and established himself as one of the best punt returners in the league. However, he was not worth what Washington paid him.

3 29 Chris Hope Florida State S - Solid, but not spectacular. Didn't make the big play, but did not often give one up. He did come up with some big hits, but also got steamrolled by some RBs. Good pick overall, but like El, go overpaid on the FA market.

4 30 Larry Foote Michigan LB - Got better every year and was probably the best LB on the team this season. He exceeded expectations.

5 31 Verron Haynes Georgia RB - Nice backup/3rd down back, but has battled injury problems (IR 2 of the past 4 years).

6 30 Lee Mays UTEP WR - Never panned out to anything, yet he stuck around. With a new coach, I don't think we'll be seeing him on the roster ever again (thank goodness).

7 1 Lavar Glover Cincinnati CB - Didn't make the team.

7 31 Bret Keisel BYU DE - Decent starter, but was probably better in his special teams and situational player role. Still, he is a 7th rounder that developed into a starter, so that makes him a very good pick.

Overall, very good draft with 5 eventual starters and one key backup who contibuted to a Super Bowl win.

[miami_fan]

If you re-drafted today, who goes first from that draft?

Peppers? Ed Reed? One of the tackles?

I am not sure I would change all the much unless I knew that Tony Boselli would not play a down for the Texans. I still think I would take Carr first but would probably have gone after a O-lineman with their first second round pick as opposed to Jabar Gaffney. Remember Carr was the All American boy coming out of college. They placed as much emphasis on picking the new "face of the franchise" as they did picking a solid football player.

[General Mike]

giants

1- jeremy shockey - pro bowler. good.
2- tim carter - wr - often injured, expected to be released today
3- jeff hatch - t - i dont think hes still around
5- nick greisen - lb - i liked him, think hes on tenn or something now
6- wesly mallard - lb - no idea
7- daryl jones - wr - think hes gone too

not too good

Just like every other Giants draft under Accorsi. One good player and a bunch of crap.

[RedKingGold]

Do we have enough people rating the Pittsburgh draft?

[digamma]

I am not sure I would change all the much unless I knew that Tony Boselli would not play a down for the Texans. I still think I would take Carr first but would probably have gone after a O-lineman with their first second round pick as opposed to Jabar Gaffney. Remember Carr was the All American boy coming out of college. They placed as much emphasis on picking the new "face of the franchise" as they did picking a solid football player.

I guess I'm asking a different question. If you re-drafted today, with everyone having five years of NFL experience (a mock allocation draft), who goes first?

[Swaggs]

Do we have enough people rating the Pittsburgh draft?

The Steelers are popular and different fans have different opinions.

[Wolfpack]

1 2 Julius Peppers DE North Carolina
All-pro DE and one of the best at any position

2 34 DeShaun Foster RB UCLA
Could have been good if he didn't get hurt so much

3 73 Will Witherspoon OLB Georgia
Turned into a good one and then we let him walk in favor of "Concussion" Dan Morgan

4 100 Dante Wesley CB Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Apparently was a backup in Carolina, is now a backup in Chicago

5 137 Randy Fasani QB Stanford
Never cracked the depth chart and isn't in the league

5 145 Kyle Johnson FB Syracuse
Never played a down for Carolina as he went to Denver by the start of the 2002 season. Has gained a whopping 39 yards rushing in five years.

6 174 Keith Heinrich TE Sam Houston State
Played in four games in his rookie year, then apparently moved on to Cleveland for three years and is now in Tampa Bay where he apparently failed to scratch the stat sheet.

7 213 Pete Campion G North Dakota State
Not in the league anymore.

7 258 Brad Franklin CB Louisiana-Lafayette
Not in the league anymore, either.

Peppers by himself gives a lot of heft to the class. DeShaun Foster has been okay at times, but clearly hasn't been what was hoped for. Witherspoon has probably turned out to be a very good linebacker, but we let him walk in free agency. Otherwise, no diamonds in the rough to be had. A pretty average draft class.

[Swaggs]

I guess I'm asking a different question. If you re-drafted today, with everyone having five years of NFL experience (a mock allocation draft), who goes first?

I think there are four guys that are on track for Hall of Fame consideration:

DE Juliius Peppers (1-2)
DE Dwight Freeney (1-11)
S Ed Reed (1-24)
RB Clinton Portis (2-51)

I know you usually don't take a safety in the top five, I'd probably go like this:

1. Peppers
2. Reed
3. Portis
4. Freeney
5. Lito Sheppard (1-26)

[Marathoner]

Raheem Brock, round 7 pick 238 turned into a heck of a player for the Colts. Probably has benefited playing a bookend to Freeney, but probably the most productive pick of the 7th round (although Givens has been pretty effective)

[Marathoner]

I think there are four guys that are on track for Hall of Fame consideration:

DE Juliius Peppers (1-2)
DE Dwight Freeney (1-11)
S Ed Reed (1-24)
RB Clinton Portis (2-51)


Agreed, but I would say Brian Westbrook has an outside shot. He needs to stay healthy however. I think if he has an effective running back partner who can shoulder some of the load he'll have a distant chance at it.

[Lathum]

I guess I'm asking a different question. If you re-drafted today, with everyone having five years of NFL experience (a mock allocation draft), who goes first?

I would take Peppers hands down.

I never understood Hourton taking Carr from a football point of view, they had to know he was gonna get killed

[Noble_Platypus]

Another in a long line of miserable drafts in the late 90's / early 00's for the Bears.

6.38 TE Bryan Fletcher UCLA
- Who?

Check the Super Bowl Champions roster. He has been a good TE with the Colts

[bhlloy]

San Diego:

1 (5) Quentin Jammer, CB - Texas
2 (39) Toniu Fonoti, OG - Nebraska
2 (48) Reche Caldwell, WR - Florida
3 (71) Ben Leber, LB - Kansas State
4 (103) Justin Peele, TE - Oregon
5 (142) - Terry Charles, WR - Portland State
6 (178) - Matt Anderle, T - Minnesota
7 (216) - Seth Burford, QB - Cal Poly SLO

Not a great draft. At least Jammer wasn't a complete bust, but 5th overall is pretty bad value. Fonoti, Caldwell and Leber are still in the league, but not with the Chargers. Peele is a third string TE. Total shite in the later rounds, I have never even heard of Charles or Anderle. Two horrible rolls of the dice on D1-AA players.

Overall: C- for at least getting a starter with the first pick and 4 guys still in the league.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Check the Super Bowl Champions roster. He has been a good TE with the Colts

He also caught the critical 30-yard pass over LB Eric Alexander to start up the Colts game-winning drive against the Pats in the AFC Championship game.:(

[RedKingGold]

The Steelers are popular and different fans have different opinions.

Please turn on your sarcasm detector.

[Swaggs]

Please turn on your sarcasm detector.

How about we compromise and I just skip over the pointless posts that you make in interesting threads?

[gkb]

Denver Broncos
Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
1 19 Ashley Lelie (http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/302206) WR Hawaii
2 51 Clinton Portis (http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/302215) RB Miami
3 96 Dorsett Davis DT Mississippi State
4 131 Sam Brandon (http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/301988) SS Nevada-Las Vegas
5 144 Herb Haygood WR Michigan State
6 191 Jeb Putzier (http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/302110) TE Boise State
7 228 Chris Young SS Georgia Tech
7 231 Monsanto Pope DT Virginia

Lelie had a good year with the Broncos in 2004, but after his holdout last season because the Broncos discussed getting T.O. and did get Javon Walker, I'm glad that he's gone. He went to Atlanta and I believe he'll be a free agent in March.

Clinton Portis was an excellent running back for the Broncos, but they got Champ Bailey in trade for him plus a second round draft pick. My opinion is that the Broncos received the better end of that deal...either way he was a good pick.

Sam Brandon has been a solid safety, but not great. Jeb Putzier went to Houston last year. Both of these guys were decent picks where they were taken I think.

All of the rest are out of the league as far as I can tell. I'd probably rate this draft a B-.

[RedKingGold]

How about we compromise and I just skip over the pointless posts that you make in interesting threads?

You mean like this?

[joyosects]

I think people are underrating these so called "mediocre" drafts. The average career span is 3.5 years. For a guy to even be on a roster 5 years down the road is at a bare minimum an average pick for anyone who's not a first rounder.

Any 5th-7th rounder who is even a serviceable backup 5 years down the road is an Excellent pick. Any 3rd or 4th rounder who starts for more than a season is a very good pick.


To call that Broncos draft any less than a low A, with a future HoF (Portis), and 2-3 starting caliber players (Lelie, Puzier, Brandon) is ridiculous.

[TroyF]

1 2 Julius Peppers DE North Carolina
All-pro DE and one of the best at any position

2 34 DeShaun Foster RB UCLA
Could have been good if he didn't get hurt so much

3 73 Will Witherspoon OLB Georgia
Turned into a good one and then we let him walk in favor of "Concussion" Dan Morgan

4 100 Dante Wesley CB Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Apparently was a backup in Carolina, is now a backup in Chicago

5 137 Randy Fasani QB Stanford
Never cracked the depth chart and isn't in the league

5 145 Kyle Johnson FB Syracuse
Never played a down for Carolina as he went to Denver by the start of the 2002 season. Has gained a whopping 39 yards rushing in five years.

6 174 Keith Heinrich TE Sam Houston State
Played in four games in his rookie year, then apparently moved on to Cleveland for three years and is now in Tampa Bay where he apparently failed to scratch the stat sheet.

7 213 Pete Campion G North Dakota State
Not in the league anymore.

7 258 Brad Franklin CB Louisiana-Lafayette
Not in the league anymore, either.

Peppers by himself gives a lot of heft to the class. DeShaun Foster has been okay at times, but clearly hasn't been what was hoped for. Witherspoon has probably turned out to be a very good linebacker, but we let him walk in free agency. Otherwise, no diamonds in the rough to be had. A pretty average draft class.


Kyle Johnson is actually a pretty darned good player. He's had some issues with not always blocking with enough power, but he was the full time starter on a team that went to the AFC title game and made some huge plays during that time. Not bad at all for a 5th round pick.

[RendeR]

The Levi Jones draft. The Bengals got killed for taking him, but now he's a top ten LT. He got a huge extension and will hold the left tackle spot hopefully until he retires.

The rest of the draft was a nightmare.

1 Levi Jones LT
2 Lamont Thompson S
3 Matt Schobel TE
4 Travis Dorsch K
6 Marquand Manuel S
7 Joey Evans DE


How is this a nightmare? We got a career LT and all of the other picks played for us for at least 2 season before moving on to other teams. Sure they're not still bengals, but with the exeption of Evans (not sure where he is) all those others were still playing in the NFL last year(might have to correct me on Dorsch, I didn't find him as I looked around)

Thats not a nightmare draft, thats a solid draft for us, we simply upgraded beyond those players later on.

[JPhillips]

Remember that I said, "The rest of the draft was a nightmare." Jones was a great pick.

Lamont Thompson was a major disappointment that Lewis canned almost immediately. He's had some success in Tennessee, but you need more than a one year player from round two.

Schobel was never more than a mediocre pass catcher who couldn't block. He'll be a serviceable backup for a few more years, but when you trade a fifth to move up and get a guy you should get more than 20 catches and 220 yds. a year.

Dorsch was supposed to be a K/P and couldn't do either. It appears that he has been on the practice squad for the Packers. You can't waste a fourth round pick on a kicker that plays in one game.

Manual didn't play much for us and now the Packer fans are hoping he'll be replaced, but for a sixth rounder he's probably a good pick.

Evans never materialized, but it's a seventh round pick.

Thompson, Dorsch, and Evans didn't play for us the next year. In one year the Bengals had only a first, third and sixth still with the team. Manual was gone after two years. Three years after the draft and Jones and Schobel were all that was left. It's the lack of depth in the drafts that killed the Bengals for a decade and this draft was par for the course.

[miami_fan]

I think people are underrating these so called "mediocre" drafts. The average career span is 3.5 years. For a guy to even be on a roster 5 years down the road is at a bare minimum an average pick for anyone who's not a first rounder.

Any 5th-7th rounder who is even a serviceable backup 5 years down the road is an Excellent pick. Any 3rd or 4th rounder who starts for more than a season is a very good pick.


To call that Broncos draft any less than a low A, with a future HoF (Portis), and 2-3 starting caliber players (Lelie, Puzier, Brandon) is ridiculous.

Maybe that is my problem with the Dolphins' draft. I have always broke it down in this fashion. Of course it will vary by position and none are set in stone.

1st rounder- Starter by 2nd year, on my team for more than one contract.

2nd rounder-Starter by 3rd year, on my team for more than one contract.

3rd rounder-Solid backup with potential to be a starter. I would like to see him on my team for more than one contract but if he plays his way into a starter somewhere else that is

4th-7th rounders- I think if I am looking for at least one starter and one serviceable backup amongst these picks.

Like I said, none of these are set in stone. I also am only concerned with the players performance with my team.