|
Who
Went |
How the Draft
Should've Gone |
1.
Houston Texans
Mario
Williams, DE NC State |
DE Mario Williams (1st), NC State
Houston Texans |
|
Yup, they got it right. The Texans took a ton of heat for
taking Williams, but he has turned out to become a
devastating pass rusher and one of the NFL's elite
playmakers. |
2.
New Orleans Saints
Reggie Bush, RB USC |
CB Antonio Cromartie (1st), Florida State
San Diego Chargers |
|
For a team that had
so many problems in the secondary, and no problem cranking
out offensive numbers, Cromartie would've turned out to be a
lock-down corner that could've put the team over the top. |
3.
Tennessee Titans
Vince Young, QB Texas |
DT Haloti Ngata (1st), Oregon
Baltimore
Ravens |
|
Stick Ngata in the middle of
the Tennessee line next to Albert Haynesworth and no one
would be able to run up the middle. |
4.
New York Jets
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT Virginia |
QB Jay Cutler (1st), Vanderbilt
Denver Broncos |
|
Cutler might have turned out to be one
of the best quarterbacks in a draft known for its high-profile
signal callers, but he wouldn't be a lock to star in New
York. Known as a bit of a partier, he might have had
problems keeping focused with the New York nightlife around
him. |
5.
Green Bay Packers
A.J. Hawk,
LB Ohio State |
LB DeMeco Ryans (2nd), Alabama
Houston
Texans |
|
Hawk wasn't a bad pick, but
Ryans would've been better. |
6.
San Francisco 49ers
Vernon Davis, TE Maryland |
QB Matt Leinart (1st), USC
Arizona
Cardinals |
|
A punching bag because of his supposed lack of work ethic,
the jury is still out on Leinart. Remember, he got hurt and
Kurt Warner became a Hall of Famer. San Francisco needed a
quarterback to develop. |
7.
Oakland Raiders
Michael Huff, S Texas |
KR Devin Hester (2nd), Miami
Chicago Bears |
|
Al Davis would've ordered Hester to run fly pattern after
fly pattern after fly pattern. |
8.
Buffalo Bills
Donte Whitner, S Ohio State |
OT Marcus McNeill (2nd), Auburn
San Diego Chargers |
|
McNeill would be a steady,
solid rock on an emerging Buffalo line. Whitner wasn't an
awful pick, but he was a reach at eight. |
9.
Detroit Lions
Ernie Sims, LB Florida State |
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (2nd), UCLA
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
Detroit might take Sims in the redraft, but MJD would've
been a much-needed playmaking pinball to help take the
pressure off the struggling passing game. |
10.
Arizona Cardinals
Matt Leinart, QB USC |
RB Reggie Bush (1st), USC
New Orleans
Saints |
|
No, Mr. Kardashian wasn't
worth the No. 2 overall pick, but with his hands and his
return ability, he would've been a phenomenal piece to a
burgeoning juggernaut of an offense. |
11.
Denver Broncos
Jay Cutler, QB Vanderbilt |
WR Greg Jennings (2nd), Western Michigan
Green Bay
Packers |
|
The Broncos could use a game-breaking receiver and would've
flipped a coin between Jennings and Brandon Marshall.
Jennings might not be as talented as Marshall, but there
wouldn't be the off-the-field issues. |
12.
Baltimore Ravens
Haloti Ngota, DT Oregon |
WR Brandon Marshall (4th), UCF
Denver
Broncos |
|
On the right team, Marshall might not
have had the off-the-field problems. Baltimore would've
been the right team. |
13.
Cleveland Browns
Kamerion
Wimbley, LB Florida State |
LB Ernie Sims (1st), Florida State
Detroit
Lions |
|
A gift at this spot, Sims, who was
considered undersized going into the draft, would've been
the leader and the rock of the Cleveland D. |
14.
Philadelphia Eagles
Brodrick
Bunkley, DT Florida State |
RB Joseph Addai (1st), LSU
Indianapolis
Colts |
|
Combine Addai with Brian
Westbrook and the rotation would be deadly both as receivers
and runners. |
15.
St. Louis Rams
Tye Hill, CB
Clemson |
WR Marques Colston (7th), Hofstra
New
Orleans Saints
|
|
The Rams were aging in a big
hurry and needed new playmakers like Colston to take over. |
16.
Miami Dolphins
Jason Allen, S Tennessee |
RB DeAngelo Williams (1st), Memphis
Carolina Panthers |
|
The Dolphins would invest heavily in
running backs, and Williams would be a great part of a
rotation and a tremendous fill-in when injuries would hit
the backfield. |
17.
Minnesota Vikings
Chad
Greenway, LB Iowa |
WR Santonio Holmes (1st), Ohio State
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
The eternal Minnesota search for a solid receiver, after
Randy Moss left, would end with Holmes being a No. 1 target
right away. |
18.
Dallas Cowboys
Bobby
Carpenter, LB Ohio State |
LB Rocky McIntosh (2nd), Miami
Washington
Redskins |
|
McIntosh might not be a superstar, but he would've been far
better for the Cowboy linebacking corps than Carpenter. |
19.
San Diego Chargers
Antonio Cromartie, CB Florida State |
LB A.J. Hawk (1st), Ohio State
Green Bay
Packers |
|
This might be too low for Hawk who has been good, but not
the top five pick everyone thought he deserved to be. |
20.
Kansas City Chiefs
Tamba Hali, DE Penn State |
DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka (1st), Boston College
New York Giants |
|
Hali wasn't a bad pick, but
a versatile
tweeer like Kiwanuka would've done more for the inconsistent
defensive front. |
21.
New England Patriots
Laurence
Maroney, RB Minnesota |
LB Thomas Howard (2nd), UTEP
Oakland
Raiders |
|
The Patriots had to get younger and more athletic in the
linebacking corps in a big hurry. Howard would've been a
monster playmaker in the rotation. |
22.
San Francisco 49ers
Manny Lawson, LB NC State |
LB D'Qwell Jackson (2nd), Maryland
Cleveland Browns |
|
A tackling machine for the Browns, he would've been a rock
and a major stat producer for a 49er defense in desperate
need of producers. |
23.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Davin Joseph, OG Oklahoma |
OG
Davin Joseph (1st), Oklahoma
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|
The pick worked. No need to mess with
it. |
24.
Cincinnati Bengals
Johnathan Joseph, CB South Carolina |
OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (1st), Virginia
New York Jets |
|
This is way too low for Ferguson who has been good, but not
a superstar. He probably could've gone in the top 15. |
25.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Santonio Holmes, WR Ohio State |
RB LenDale White (2nd), USC
Tennessee
Titans |
|
The torch of the Bus would be passed on to another big
thumper with a nose for the goal line. |
26.
Buffalo Bills
John McCargo, DT NC State |
C Nick Mangold (1st), Ohio State
New York Jets |
|
It might be
boring to take a center in the first round, but Mangold
would sit inside and be a steady quarterback for an
improving offense. |
27.
Carolina Panthers
DeAngelo
Williams, RB Memphis |
S Donte Whitner (1st), Ohio State
Buffalo Bills |
|
Whitner might have declined after a 104-stop rookie year,
but he was still decent. |
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
Marcedes Lewis, TE UCLA |
TE Owen Daniels (4th), Wisconsin
Houston
Texans |
|
Lewis was a stunning disappointment with his lack of speed
becoming a major problem. Daniels would've been a smooth,
steady option for a passing game that needed something to
count on. |
29.
NY Jets
Nick Mangold, C Ohio State |
S Daniel Bullocks (2nd), Nebraska
Detroit Lions |
|
Injury issues aside, Bullocks was a strong producer and a
solid tackler stuck on a lousy team. |
30.
Indianapolis Colts
Joseph
Addai, RB LSU |
RB Laurence Maroney (1st), Minnesota
New
England Patriots |
|
The speed of Maroney would've been a nice complement for the
Colt passing game, but he wouldn't have been the receiver
out of the backfield the team might have needed to get over
the hump. |
31.
Seattle Seahawks
Kelly
Jennings, CB Miami |
LB Chad Greenway (1st), Iowa
Minnesota Vikings |
|
Greenway overcame a horrible knee
injury to become a major tacklers and a nice cog for the
Viking linebacking corps. |
32.
NY Giants
Mathias Kiwanuka, DE Boston College |
TE Vernon Davis (1st), Maryland
San
Francisco 49ers |
|
A mega disappointment for San
Francisco, Davis might have become a far different player if
paired up with Eli Manning on an offense that would love to
feature him. |