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Who
Went
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How the Draft
Should've Gone
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1. St. Louis
Rams
Orlando Pace, OT Ohio State
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OT Orlando Pace
(1st), Ohio State
St. Louis Rams
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Is it possible
Pace is having one of the quietest Hall-of-Fame careers in
recent NFL history? He turned into a largely unnoticed cog
for one
of the league's greatest offensive machines.
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2. Oakland
Raiders
Darrell Russell, DT USC
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RB Corey Dillon
(2nd), Washington
Cincinnati Bengals
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With Napoleon
Kaufman and Harvey Williams leading the Raider backfield,
Oakland could've used an every down back like Dillon. The
Rams would've given strong consideration to making Dillon the number one
pick. Priest Holmes is a consideration, but Dillon was a
superstar right away.
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3. Seattle
Seahawks
Shawn Springs, CB Ohio State
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TE Tony
Gonzalez, (1st) California
Kansas City Chiefs
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Gonzalez became the NFL's premier tight end and would've been exactly
what the Seahawks needed. Springs became a good player,
but still was an disappointment at the third
pick considering how great he was in college.
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4. Baltimore
Ravens
Peter Boulware, DE Florida State
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DE Peter
Boulware, (1st) Florida State
Baltimore Ravens
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Becoming a star
sackmaster isn't
bad for a player the Ravens could never figure out where to
play. Is he a defensive end or a linebacker? It doesn't
matter as Boulware, at the time, was worth the fourth pick
even with Walter Jones still on the board.
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5. Detroit Lions
Bryant Westbrook, CB Texas
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OT Walter Jones
(1st), Florida State
Seattle Seahawks
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He'd never show
up to training camp and he'd whine about his contract, but
Walter Jones would be a Pro Bowl rock for a decade.
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6. Seattle
Seahawks
Walter Jones, OT Florida State
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RB Priest Holmes
(undrafted), Texas
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Jones has carved
out a quietly productive Pro Bowl career as a
year-in-and-year-out starter while growing into one of the league's premier pass
blockers. Would Holmes be the Holmes is was for Kansas City?
It's worth taking the chance over Tiki Barber.
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7. New York
Giants
Ike Hilliard, WR Florida
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QB Jake Plummer
(2nd), Arizona State
Arizona Cardinals
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The Giants
desperately needed a receiver and Hilliard sort of
worked out becoming a decent player when healthy. Plummer
would take his lumps,
but with Danny Kanell and Danger Dave Brown under center for
the 1996 Giants, he would've been a necessity.
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8. New York Jets
James Farrior, LB Virginia
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DT Trevor Pryce
(1st), Clemson
Denver Broncos
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The 1-15 Jets
had one of the leagues worst run defenses, so even with Tiki
Barber still on the board, Pryce would be the better
immediate fit.
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9. Arizona
Cardinals
Tom Knight, CB Iowa
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RB Tiki Barber
(2nd), Virginia
New York Giants
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Critics were
concerned about Knight's injured knee coming out of college.
As it turned out, he just wasn't the player the Cards
thought he'd be. With such dignitaries as LeShon Johnson and
Leeland McElroy in the backfield, Barber would've been the
every down back Arizona could've used.
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10. New Orleans
Saints
Chris Naeole, OG Colorado
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OG Chris Naeole
(1st), Colorado
New Orleans Saints
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Mike Ditka took
a lot of heat for taking Naeole, but he turned out to be
right. The Colorado star had a injury-plagued rookie year,
then turned into a rock-solid starter.
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11. Atlanta
Falcons
Michael Booker, DB Nebraska
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RB Warrick Dunn
(1st), Florida State
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Jamal Anderson,
Craig Heyward and Richard Huntley gave the Falcons a large
and powerful backfield. Dunn hasn't been the great back many
have said he is, but he'd have been a fabulous change of pace out of
this backfield getting to the Falcons a few years early.
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12. Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
Warrick Dunn, RB Florida State
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CB Sam Madison
(2nd), Louisville
Miami Dolphins
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Madison was one
of the NFL's premier ball-hawking corners and would've
worked well for a Tampa pass defense that was on the verge
of become one of the league's elite.
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13. Kansas City
Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez, TE California
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OT Tarik Glenn
(1st), California
Indianapolis Colts
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With a premium
on longevity, Glenn's consistent starting ability makes him an
attractive pick. The Chiefs didn't exactly need an offensive
tackle, but Marty Schottenheimer was never afraid of
stockpiling at a position. He probably should've gone
higher.
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14. Cincinnati
Bengals
Reinard Wilson, DE Florida State
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LB Jamie Sharper
(2nd), Virginia
Baltimore Ravens
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Wilson just
never worked out while Sharper became a strong player in the
Raven defense.
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15. Miami
Dolphins
Yatil Green, WR Miami
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DB Ronde Barber
(3rd), Virginia
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Green's
situation was one of the cruelest draft fates ever to hit a
player and team. Wanting to give Dan Marino a speedy weapon
for one last shot at a Super Bowl, the Hurricane star seemed
to be a perfect fit before a training camp knee injury
knocked him out before another ended his career. Barber
would become a good defensive back and would've worked out
well for the Dolphins.
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16. Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
Reidel Anthony, WR Florida
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DB Darren
Sharper (2nd), William & Mary
Green Bay Packers
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Anthony was
considered the best Gator pro receiver prospect by just about
everyone and it was widely thought to be a shock when the
Giants chose Ike Hilliard instead. The tally after the 2002
season? Hilliard made 259 catches for 3,585 yards and 21
touchdowns while Anthony grabbed 144 passes for 1,846 yards
and 15 scores. It's safe to say that neither lived up to
expectations, and Sharper would've been the better pick for
the rising Tampa D.
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17. Washington
Redskins
Kenard Lang, DE Miami
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DE Marcellus
Wiley (2nd), Columbia
Buffalo Bills
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Wiley was one of
the more interesting projects coming out of the 1997 draft
and turned into a top sacker. He probably should've gone
higher than this. The Skins were
30th in the league against the run in 1996 and needed a
player to stuff the inside.
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18. Houston
Oilers
Kenny Holmes, DE Miami
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DE Kenny Holmes
(1st), Miami
Houston Oilers
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Holmes never exactly set the world on fire and probably wasn't worth the
18th pick in the draft, but he was just good enough to
not to take a chance on someone else. Houston likely
wouldn't have wanted to wait for Bertrand Berry to come
around.
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19. Indianapolis
Colts
Tarik Glenn, OT California
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LB Dexter
Coakley (3rd), Appalachian State
Dallas Cowboys
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Few players were
more fun to watch than Coakley who made play after
play after play. The Colt defense was starting to turn soft
and could've used a playmaker like him.
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20. Minnesota
Vikings
Dwayne Rudd, LB Alabama
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CB Shawn Springs
(1st), Ohio State
Seattle Seahawks
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Was Rudd not
good enough or could Dennis Green and his staff not handle
talent on defense? Shawn Springs might have been a huge
disappointment considering he was taken at the three, but he
would've given the struggling Viking D a few good years.
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21. Jacksonville
Jaguars
Renaldo Wynn, DE Notre Dame
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CB Bryant
Westbrook (1st), Texas
Detroit Lions
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It's possible to
consider taking Wynn again, but the Jaguar secondary needed
help and Westbrook would've been a more productive pick, at
least for a little while, if
he had actually lasted this long in the redraft.
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22. Dallas
Cowboys
David LaFleur, TE LSU
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RB Duce Staley
(3rd), South Carolina
Philadelphia Eagles
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Troy Aikman hand
picked LaFleur. Aikman may be a heck of an announcer, but he
stunk as a player personnel man. The Cowboys were using
Sherman Williams and a way over-the-hill Herschel Walker to
backup Emmitt Smith and while Staley might not be able to
stay healthy as a number one back, he'd sure have been a
great help to keep the superstar fresh.
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23. Buffalo
Bills
Antowain Smith, RB Houston
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DT Darrell
Russell (1st), USC
Oakland Raiders
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Russell had more than his share of problems on and off
the field, but he would've been a huge upgrade, at least for a
little while, to the old Buffalo line.
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24. Pittsburgh
Steelers
Chad Scott, CB Maryland
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DB Chad Scott
(1st), Maryland
Pittsburgh Steelers
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It would take a
while for Scott to be productive on a consistent basis and
he was a bit too burnable, but he was a decent defender in
his eight year Steeler career..
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25. Philadelphia
Eagles
Jon Harris, DE Virginia
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DE Renaldo Wynn
(1st), Notre Dame
Jacksonville Jaguars
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Harris was a
major bust keeping with a recent trend of bad Eagle picks.
Wynn wouldn't be a star, but he would've been a better
immediate answer to Philadelphia's defensive end problem.
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26. San
Francisco 49ers
Jim Druckenmiller, QB Virginia Tech
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RB Antowain
Smith (1st), Houston
Buffalo Bills
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Druckenmiller
was supposed to be the next great 49er quarterback learning
from Steve Young until the lefty was ready to retire. While
Druckenmiller had a cannon of an arm, he wasn't close to
fitting the profile of the mobile quarterback that San
Francisco loves so much and it should say something about
how bad he was that he didn't catch on somewhere else. The
Niner running game could've used a bit of a boost.
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27. Carolina
Panthers
Rae Carruth, WR Colorado
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WR Ike Hilliard
(1st), Florida
Florida Gators
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In the major
understatement category, let's just say the Rae Carruth pick
didn't work out. The Panthers needed a receiver and
Hilliard, as average as turned out to be, would be the right
pick.
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28. Denver
Broncos
Trevor Pryce, DE Clemson
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WR Marcus
Robinson (4th), South Carolina
Chicago Bears
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Robinson couldn't
stay healthy for more than ten minutes, but he was one of the league's
better
receivers when he was right. For those few games
he'd play in, he'd have been a sensational weapon for the
Broncos.
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29. New England
Patriots
Chris Canty, CB Kansas State
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OG Ross Verba
(1st), Iowa
Green Bay Packers
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Verba's nothing
sensational, but he turned into a consistent enough player for a New England O line in need of some spare parts.
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30. Green Bay
Packers
Ross Verba, OG Iowa
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DE Kenard Lang
(1st), Miami
Washington Redskins
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The Packers needed
help for a line that would get old very quickly. Lang would
be the best option.
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