| Who
Went |
How the Draft
Should've Gone |
1.
San Diego Chargers
Eli Manning, QB Ole Miss |
WR Larry Fitzgerald (1st), Pitt
Arizona Cardinals |
|
If the Chargers had kept Drew Brees and taken
Fitzgerald with the first pick, they would've had an offense
with Brees, LT, Fitzgerald, and Antonio Gates. Yeesh. |
2.
Oakland Raiders
Robert Gallery, OT Iowa |
RB Steven Jackson (1st), Oregon
State
St. Louis Rams |
|
Gallery has been a strange bust
considering he was supposed to be the next big thing at
tackle, but at least he starts at guard. While one of the
quarterbacks here might make the most sense, getting a
dependable franchise back to build around would be step one.
Step two would be to get a QB. |
3.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald, WR Pitt |
QB Ben Roethlisberger (1st),
Miami Univ.
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
It's a tough call considering
the needle is pointing up on Eli Manning, but Roethlisberger
has just as much long term potential and would be even
steadier for a franchise in need of quarterback stability. |
4.
New York Giants
Phil Rivers, QB NC State |
QB Eli Manning (1st), Ole Miss
San Diego Chargers (trade to New York Giants) |
|
It was the pass rush, not
Manning, who led the way to the Super Bow. Even so, Manning
still had a lot to do with it and now could grow into a true
superstar. |
5.
Washington Redskins
Sean Taylor, S Miami |
S Bob Sanders (2nd), Iowa
Indianapolis Colts |
|
Taylor would still be the pick
if not for the horrific tragedy. The Redskins would have to
wait a while through some injuries, but Sanders would grow
into an MVP defensive playmaker. |
6.
Cleveland Browns
Kellen Winslow Jr., TE Miami |
DE Jared Allen (4th), Idaho
State
Kansas City Chiefs |
|
Eventually, Winslow would be the
right pick, but his motorcycle injury set
him back while Allen, a sack machine would be desperately
needed help for the Brown D. |
7.
Detroit Lions
Roy Williams, WR Texas |
WR Roy Williams (1st), Texas
Detroit Lions |
|
The Lions finally actually got
it right with one of their first round receiver picks.
Considering the later mistakes, Williams needs to be the
pick again. |
8.
Atlanta Falcons
DeAngelo Hall, CB Virginia Tech |
DE Will Smith (1st), Ohio State
New Orleans Saints |
|
Hall turned into one of the
NFL's premier cover-corners and the type of defender to
build a secondary around, but the Falcons didn't win much
with him and would eventually have to deal with him leaving
the sinking ship. |
9.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Reggie Williams, WR Washington |
CB DeAngelo Hall (1st), Virginia
Tech
Atlanta Falcons |
|
Williams is a mega-bust for the
No. 9 pick. The pick would be Hall with the hope that he'd
keep the knucklehead factor to a minimum. |
10.
Houston Texans
Dunta Robinson, CB South Carolina |
QB Phil Rivers (1st), NC State
New York Giants (trade to San Diego Chargers) |
|
Take Rivers now and there's no
need to break the bank on Matt Schaub later. |
11.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger, QB Miami Univ. |
RB Willie Parker (undrafted),
North Carolina
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
Pittsburgh would still have to
address the quarterback situation, but it can't go wrong
taking the speedy back who'd eventually be the team's
running game. |
12.
New York Jets
Jonathan Vilma, LB Miami |
LB D.J. Williams (1st), Miami
Denver Broncos |
|
Yeah, it didn't really work out,
but for a brief time he was a major force for the Jet
defense. Williams might be a better long-term answer. |
13.
Buffalo Bills
Lee Evans, WR Wisconsin |
DT Vince Wilfork (1st), Miami
New England Patriots |
|
Pro Bowl defensive tackles are
next to impossible to find. This might be too low for the
Patriot star. |
14.
Chicago Bears
Tommie Harris, DT Oklahoma |
DT Tommie Harris (1st), Oklahoma
Chicago Bears |
|
There's a major long-term
question mark about his health, but when he's right, he's
one of the top tackles in the game. |
15.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Clayton, WR LSU |
RB Kevin Jones (1st), Virginia
Tech
Detroit Lions |
|
Taking Jones might mean the Bucs wouldn't have to spend a high pick on Cadillac Williams
a year later. |
16.
Philadelphia Eagles
Shawn Andrews, OT Arkansas |
OT Shawn Andrews (1st), Arkansas
Philadelphia Eagles |
|
It might take a little while,
and he became a guard instead of a tackle, but there's no
reason to mess with the pick. |
17.
Denver Broncos
D.J. Williams, LB Miami |
LB Jonathan Vilma (1st), Miami
New York Jets |
|
Vilma hit a wall, but he put up
a ton of tackles in his first few years and could grow into
a role. Linebacker was a need. |
18.
New Orleans Saints
Will Smith, DE Ohio State |
DE Shaun Phillips (4th), Purdue
San Diego Chargers |
|
Smith was a home run pick.
Phillips wouldn't be a bad consolation prize, but it would take a
few years. |
19.
Miami Dolphins
Vernon Carey, G Miami |
OG Vernon Carey (1st), Miami
Miami Dolphins |
|
This is hardly a thrilling pick,
and it's not like the Dolphins have been winning Super Bowls
because of it, but Carey became a regular starter. |
20.
Minnesota Vikings
Kenechi Udeze, DE USC |
S Sean Jones, (2nd) Georgia
Cleveland Browns |
|
A major health scare and
stunningly lousy production kept Udeze from being the star
he was projected to be. Sean Jones would've added a ton of
help for a Viking D in constant lookout for secondary help. |
21.
New England Patriots
Vince Wilfork, DT Miami |
RB Julius Jones (2nd), Notre
Dame
Dallas Cowboys |
|
The Patriots would pick up Corey
Dillon before the year, and while Jones wouldn't be a need
pick, he'd provide a good option for the ground game. |
22.
Buffalo Bills
J.P. Losman, QB Tulane |
QB Matt Schaub (3rd), Virginia
Atlanta Falcons |
|
Losman would never win over the
team or the starting job. Schaub would've done both. |
23.
Seattle Seahawks
Marcus Tubbs, DT Texas |
TE Kellen Winslow Jr. (1st),
Miami
Cleveland Browns |
|
Winslow can't slide any further.
Seattle didn't need a tight end, but you can never have too
many weapons. |
24.
St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson, RB Oregon State |
RB Michael Turner (5th),
Northern Illinois
San Diego Chargers |
|
Is Turner the back everyone
thinks he is? With Marshall Faulk winding down, Turner
wouldn't be behind anyone. |
25.
Green Bay Packers
Ahmad Carroll, CB Arkansas |
CB Nathan Vasher (4th), Texas
Chicago Bears |
|
Vasher would've been the
playmaking corner
the Packers hoped they were getting in Carroll. |
26.
Cincinnati Bengals
Chris Perry, RB Michigan |
LB Karlos Dansby (2nd), Auburn
Arizona Cardinals |
|
A good all-around outside
linebacker and a solid pass rusher, Dansby would be a
necessary fit for the Bengal D. |
27.
Houston Texans
Jason Babin, DE Western Michigan |
C Nick Hardwick (3rd), Purdue
San Diego Chargers |
|
Houston could use all the help
it could get on the line. A Pro Bowl caliber center like
Hardwick
would've been a major plus, even though the position was
relatively set. |
28. Carolina Panthers
Chris Gamble, CB Ohio State |
S Sean Taylor (1st), Miami
Washington Redskins |
|
Take the few years of Pro Bowl
production. Taylor might have been the difference to make
the Panthers a Super Bowl team. |
29.
Atlanta Falcons
Michael Jenkins, WR Ohio State |
CB Dunta Robinson (1st), South
Carolina
Houston Texans |
|
A solid producer over his first
three seasons before getting hurt, he would've been
fantastic paired with DeAngelo Hall. |
30.
Detroit Lions
Kevin Jones, RB Virginia Tech |
OG Chris Snee (2nd), Boston
College
New York Giants |
|
Beefing up the line with a Pro
Bowl guard wouldn't be a bad thing. |
31.
San Francisco 49ers
Rashaun Woods, WR Oklahoma State |
WR Lee Evans (1st), Wisconsin
Buffalo Bills |
|
Woods was an all-timer bust
pick. Evans would've changed the offense. |
32.
New England Patriots
Ben Watson, TE Georgia |
TE Ben Watson (1st), Georgia
New England Patriots |
|
Watson is a vital offensive cog
in the New England machine, even if his stats aren't
eye-popping. |
