|
Who
Went |
How the Draft
Should've Gone |
1.
Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer, QB USC |
QB Carson Palmer (1st), USC
Cincinnati Bengals |
|
Palmer turned out to be a franchise
quarterback everyone was hoping he'd be. He'd be worth the
selection, knee injury and all. |
2.
Detroit Lions
Charles Rogers, WR Michigan State |
WR Andre Johnson (1st), Miami
Houston Texans |
|
Rogers was an all-time stunner
of a bust while Andre Johnson would grow into an elite
target and a star to build an offense around. |
3.
Houston Texans
Andre Johnson, WR Miami |
DT Kevin Williams (1st),
Oklahoma State
Minnesota Vikings |
|
Williams turned into an
unstoppable Pro Bowl force for the Viking interior. He would've been
a much-needed rock in the middle of the Texan line, but
Johnson would've been hard to pass up. |
4.
New York Jets
Dewayne Robertson, DT Kentucky |
S
Troy Polomalu (1st), USC
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
Robertson has turned out to be
solid, but Polomalu became an immediate Pro Bowler and will
end up in Canton. |
5.
Dallas Cowboys
Terence Newman, CB Kansas State |
WR Anquan Boldin (2nd), Florida
State
Arizona Cardinals |
|
Newman wasn't a horrible pick,
but Bolden would've been a need pick and a No. 1 target who
would've fit perfectly. |
6.
New Orleans Saints
Johnathan Sullivan, DT Georgia |
TE Antonio Gates (undrafted),
Kent State
San Diego Chargers |
|
It was three years and then done for the oft-injured Sullivan. After a little
work, Gates would become a tight end and a weapon the Saints
could've used in a big way for ten years. |
7.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Byron Leftwich, QB Marshall |
QB Tony Romo (undrafted),
Eastern Illinois
Dallas Cowboys |
|
Leftwich never lived
up to his potential due to injuries and no receiving help.
Romo likely would've had a lot of the same issues, but he'd
be a chance worth taking. |
8.
Carolina Panthers
Jordan Gross, OT Utah |
OT Jordan Gross (1st), Utah
Carolina Panthers
|
|
Gross might have been fine, but
he wasn't the next great NFL tackle. Eve so, he became a Pro
Bowl performer and worked out at the ten. |
9.
Minnesota Vikings
Kevin Williams, DT Oklahoma State |
LB Terrell Suggs (1st), Arizona
State
Baltimore Ravens |
|
It took the Vikings too long to
get the pick in, but it worked out well getting the Pro Bowl
tackle it wanted. Needing defense, Suggs, a Pro Bowler
himself, would also solve plenty of problems. |
10.
Baltimore Ravens
Terrell Suggs, DE/LB Arizona State |
CB Nnamdi Asomugha (1st),
California
Oakland Raiders |
|
Receiver, receiver, receiver.
The Ravens needed one in a big way, but a big, physcial
corner like Asomugha would have made just as much of an
impact. |
11.
Seattle Seahawks
Marcus Trufant, S Washington State |
CB Asante Samuel (4th), UCF
New England Patriots |
|
Trufant has been very good, but
until the contract issues kicked in, but Samuel would've
done more for the secondary. |
12.
St. Louis Rams
Jimmy Kennedy, DT Penn State |
DE Osi Umenyiora (2nd), Troy
New York Giants |
|
The Rams needed
tackle help, but Uminyiora would've done far more good for the front line
that Kennedy. |
13.
New England Patriots
Ty Warren, DT Texas A&M |
RB Willis McGahee (1st), Miami
Buffalo Bills |
|
Warren was fine, but a back like
McGahee, even with the time needed to let his injured knee
heal, would've meant Laurence Maroney wouldn't need to be
taken a few years later. |
14.
Chicago Bears
Michael Haynes, DE Penn State |
RB Larry Johnson (1st), Penn
State
Kansas City Chiefs |
|
Haynes was a tremendous bust.
Johnson might have been a prima donna for the Bears, but he
would've put up some big-time numbers. |
15.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jerome McDougle, DE Miami |
DE Robert Mathis (5th), Alabama
A&M
Indianapolis Colts |
|
Mathis would've been the pass rushing
superstar the Eagles were hoping to get when they whiffed on
McDougle. |
16.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Troy Polamalu, S USC |
LB Lance Briggs (3rd), Arizona
Chicago Bears
|
|
In the Steeler
system, Briggs would've been a Hall of Fame legend. He
would've been a superstar playmaker. |
17.
Arizona Cardinals
Bryant Johnson, WR Penn State |
TE Jason Witten
(3rd), Tennessee
Dallas Cowboys |
|
The Cardinals took the wrong
receiver in the first round, but made up for it later by
getting Anquan Boldin. Witten would be a centerpiece for the
passing game for a long, long time. |
18.
Arizona Cardinals
Calvin Pace, DE Wake Forest |
S Marcus Trufant (1st),
Washington State
Seattle Seahawks |
|
Pace turned out to be a terrible
pick. Trufant, if here in the redraft, would've been an
integral part of the Cardinal secondary for years. |
19.
Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Boller, QB California |
LB E.J. Henderson (2nd), Maryland
Minnesota Vikings |
|
Boller took way too long to be
average. Henderson would've been a big-time producer next to
Ray Lewis. |
20.
Denver Broncos
George Foster, OT Georgia |
LB/DB Cato June (6th), Michigan
Indianapolis Colts |
|
Foster took a while, but he
turned into a decent pick. June needs to fit into the right
system, and Denver's would've been it |
21.
Cleveland Browns
Jeff Faine, C Notre Dame |
TE Dallas Clark (1st), Iowa
Indianapolis Colts |
|
Taking Clark here means not
taking Kellen Winslow down the road. |
22.
Chicago Bears
Rex Grossman, QB Florida |
CB Rashean Mathis (2nd),
Bethune-Cookman
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
Grossman took Chicago to a Super
Bowl .... sort of. He was mostly along for the ride. Mathis
would've fit well in the Bear secondary rotation. |
23.
Buffalo Bills
Willis McGahee, RB Miami |
LB Nick Barnett (1st), Oregon
State
Green Bay Packers |
|
With Travis Henry still running well,
getting a decent linebacker like Barnett would've
solidified the struggling defensive front seven. |
24.
Indianapolis Colts
Dallas Clark, TE Iowa |
TE L.J. Smith (2nd), Rutgers
Philadelphia Eagles |
|
Clark was a good pick who'd turn
out to be a key target for Peyton Manning. Smith wouldn't be
Clark, but he'd have been a success with Manning throwing to
him. |
25.
New York Giants
William Joseph, DT Miami |
OG Eric Steinbach (2nd), Iowa
Cincinnati Bengals |
|
Joseph never panned out. Steinbach
would've been an instant starter and a strong producer for
an emerging Giant line. |
26.
San Francisco 49ers
Kwame Harris, OT Stanford |
C Dan Koppen (5th), Boston
College
New England Patriots |
|
Koppen might not be special, but
he'd have been a steady fixture and quarterback for the
Niner line. |
27.
Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Johnson, RB Penn State |
DT Dewayne Robertson (1st), Kentucky
New York Jets |
|
The Chiefs would spend a ton of
dough over the years on the defensive interior. Robertson
would be a serviceable starter. |
28. Tennessee Titans
Andre Woolfolk, DB Oklahoma |
CB Charles Tillman (2nd), UL
Lafayette
Chicago Bears |
|
Woolfolk turned into a big-time first round
bust. Tillman would've been a nicer fit and a far more
productive player for a few seasons. |
29.
Green Bay Packers
Nick Barnett, LB Oregon State |
LB Victor Hobson (2nd), Michigan
New York Jets
|
|
Barnett turned out to put up a
ton of numbers, but wasn't a special pick. Hobson did the
same thing. |
30.
San Diego Chargers
Sammy Davis, CB Texas A&M |
S Mike Doss (3rd), Ohio State
Indianapolis Colts |
|
Doss would've been a strong part of a secondary rotation
that would grow and improve over the next few seasons. |
31.
Oakland Raiders
Nnamdi Asomugha, CB California |
C Jeff Faine (1st), Notre Dame
Cleveland Browns |
|
Asomugha would turn out to be
an elite playmaker for a great secondary. Faine would be a
must for a line that would quickly go into the tank. |
32.
Oakland Raiders
Tyler Brayton, DE Colorado |
DE Ty Warren (1st), Texas A&M
New England Patriots |
|
This is probably way too far for
Warren to slide. Oakland would've gotten a steal in the
redraft. |