|
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 |
QB Ben Roethlisberger (1st),
Miami Univ.
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
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. Roethlisberger
became a legend at Pittsburgh, but with his motorcycle and
his toughness, he'd have been a perfect Raider. |
3.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald, WR Pitt |
QB Eli Manning (1st), Ole Miss
San Diego Chargers (trade to New York Giants) |
|
Would Manning do for Arizona what Kurt
Warner was able to? A proven winner, he'd be just fine for
the flaky franchise (at least before 2008).. |
4.
New York Giants
Phil Rivers, QB NC State |
QB Phil Rivers (1st), NC State
New York Giants (trade to San Diego Chargers) |
|
Would Rivers have been unflappable enough
to take the Giants to the Super Bowl? No, but he still might
have taken the team far. |
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 |
RB Steven Jackson (1st), Oregon
State
St. Louis Rams |
|
Jackson would've been the centerpiece of
the Cleveland offense for a decade. |
7.
Detroit Lions
Roy Williams, WR Texas |
DE Jared Allen (4th), Idaho
State
Kansas City Chiefs |
|
The Lions could've used a receiver, and
might have taken Michael Turner, but Allen is too good a
pass rusher to pass up. |
8.
Atlanta Falcons
DeAngelo Hall, CB Virginia Tech |
RB
Michael Turner (5th), Northern Illinois
San Diego
Chargers |
|
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. Atlanta could save time, and a few years,
and take Turner here. |
9.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Reggie Williams, WR Washington |
WR Lee Evans (1st), Wisconsin
Buffalo Bills |
|
Williams was a mega-bust for the
No. 9 pick. Evans would've finally been a receiver pick that
worked. |
10.
Houston Texans
Dunta Robinson, CB South Carolina |
OT Shawn Andrews (1st), Arkansas
Philadelphia Eagles |
|
The eternal problems on the Houston line
would've been temporarily solved with a tough tackle like
Andrews. |
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 |
DE Shaun Phillips (4th), Purdue
San Diego Chargers |
|
Yeah, it didn't really work out,
but for a brief time Vilma was a major force for the Jet
defense. Phillips would've done more as a pass rushing
machine. |
13.
Buffalo Bills
Lee Evans, WR Wisconsin |
WR Roy Williams (1st), Texas
Detroit Lions |
|
Williams might have been a
disappointment, but he would've been a decent fill-in who
would have a few good years for the Bill attack as a No. 1
target.. |
14.
Chicago Bears
Tommie Harris, DT Oklahoma |
DT Tommie Harris (1st), Oklahoma
Chicago Bears |
|
There's a major long-term
question mark about Harris's health, but when he's right, he'd
be
one of the top tackles in the game. |
15.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Clayton, WR LSU |
DT Vince Wilfork (1st), Miami
New England Patriots |
|
Taking Wilfolk would solve a few long
term answers in a middle of the line that would desperately
miss Warren Sapp. |
16.
Philadelphia Eagles
Shawn Andrews, OT Arkansas |
OT Stacy Andrews (4th), Ole Miss
Cincinnati
Bengals |
|
It might take a little while,
but Andrews would be fine in place of his brother. |
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 Will Smith (1st), Ohio State
New Orleans Saints |
|
Smith was a home run pick at the time and
would be a steady pass rusher who would've been a star on
the Saint line. |
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 |
LB
Karlos Dansby (2nd), Auburn
Arizona Cardinals |
|
A major health scare and
stunningly lousy production kept Udeze from being the star
he was projected to be. Dansby would've added a ton of
help for a Viking D in constant lookout for help in the back
seven. |
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. On talent, Winslow belongs in the top five,
but there are other issues after his injuries. |
24.
St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson, RB Oregon State |
WR
Bernard Berrian (3rd), Fresno State
Chicago Bears |
|
With the Ram receiving corps getting really old really
quickly, Berrian would've been a key addition.. |
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 D.J. Williams (1st), Miami
Denver Broncos |
|
A good all-around outside
linebacker and a solid pass rusher, Williams 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 |
CB Chris Gamble (1st), Ohio State
Carolina
Panthers |
|
While hardly special, Gamble was a good
enough starter to make the pick again. |
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, Robinson 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 |
CB DeAngelo Hall (1st), Virginia
Tech
Atlanta Falcons |
|
Woods was an all-timer bust pick. Hall
might have been a flake and a pain in the butt, but he could
play. He'd go lower but he'd be off the team and somewhere
else after a few short years. |
32.
New England Patriots
Ben Watson, TE Georgia |
TE
Chris Cooley (3rd), Utah State
Washington Redskins |
|
Watson is a vital offensive cog in the
New England machine. Cooley, a Pro Bowl performer, would've
been better. |