Final Grades: 2001 draft

Angel

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Final grades
A true evaluation of 2001 draft five years later
Peter King, SI.com
Readers of this space know how much I hate grading drafts a day or two after the draft. It's like going to law school, passing the bar, and the next day someone says: You're going to be an "A'' lawyer. How in the world does anyone know who the "A'' lawyer is going to be until he or she has been out in the real world for a while?

And so I'm going to continue with my irregular series of grading drafts five years after the fact. Now we know how they've turned out and now's the time we can figure who did a great job and who stunk up the joint. The 2001 draft is the famous Vick vs. Tomlinson and Brees draft. Now you'll get to find out who won the thing, San Diego or Atlanta. The answer is: neither. They both grade out well, but they did not win it all.

(Because I'm not feeling like Jack the Ripper as I write my last column before a month break, I won't tell you who gave the Bears an "A'' for their 2001 draft. Suffice it to say I will not be so charitable to a team that hasn't retained one of its six 2001 picks ... and which made David "I Like to Drop Footballs" Terrell the eighth pick in the draft.)

Anyway, on with the show. And if you're like me, you're going to be very, very surprised at a few things -- like the pre-MarvinLewis Bengals outdrafting the in-their-prime Belichick-and-Pioli Pats. I graded teams based on three criteria, and in this order: how many of their 2001 draftees are still contributing players on the team; how many of the draftees are contributing players elsewhere; and how many second-day hits the team had.

You know what's so interesting about this list? Two things. One, some of the teams you think don't have any idea how to walk and chew gum at the same as far as personnel goes did the best job. I don't know what that says, except maybe this: Don't believe the hype. Look at the reality. Two, lots of bums got picked in this draft. I'd say the vast majority are non-contributors. Seattle had 12 picks, only one of whom will start for the team this year. I can smell the last eight New England picks from here.

I'll start with the A's and move down.

A
1. Cincinnati. Now this is really saying something. The impression league-wide is that Marvin Lewis rode in on his white horse four years ago and saved this team from eternal damnation. Judging by the way Jim Lippincott and MikeBrown and then-coach Dick LeBeau ran this draft, I'd say that's only about 70 percent right. The Bengals are the only team, by my calculation, that got four of its current top 10 players from this draft. Starting defensive end Justin Smith was the first pick, fourth overall, and he's been a steady starter since he held out as a rookie. Smith has contributed a good but not Freeney-like 34 sacks in five years. I can still hear the screaming for how they reached for Chad Johnson at number 36 overall; he's averaged 94 catches a year, loudly, the last three years. And they got two direct hits on Day 2: Running back Rudi Johnson (Round 4), who has rushed for 3,869 yards the last three years, and in Round 7 one of the best No. 2 receivers in football, T.J. Houshmandzadeh. How many second receivers have averaged 75.5 catches over the last two years? A great, great job by the Bengals.

2. Carolina. Then-director of football operations Marty Hurney (now the GM) should have gone straight to Vegas after the first day. Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins, Steve Smith. Wow. And even though Chris Weinke has flamed out since a rookie year when he earned the starting job, he has started 16 games and remains a decent backup for Jake Delhomme.

That's it. Two A's.






B
3. Atlanta. The Vick pick is still being debated, and I don't think he's going to go down as an all-time great, but the fact is, he's an electric presence every time he plays and helped change the culture from mediocre to threatening in Atlanta. In Round 2, Alge Crumpler has turned into a top-three NFL tight end and has started all but 13 of his Falcons games in five years. Seventh-round pick Kynan Forney has started 68 games and is a fixture at right guard. Two other decent players from Round 4 -- offensive lineman Roberto Garza and linebacker MattStewart -- started for the Falcons before leaving as free agents. Not a bad haul.

4. Baltimore. Picking last because of its Super Bowl win only adds to the shine of this draft. It's a shame the cap-ravaged Ravens couldn't have kept these guys when they got good. The top four picks -- Todd Heap, Gary Baxter, Casey Rabach and Ed Hartwell -- are all average or better NFL starters. And when you get four of those out of one draft, you've drafted very well.

5. San Diego. I struggle giving a "B'' for a two-person draft, but what put me over is the impact of the two. LaDainian Tomlinson is on his way to being one of the best 10 backs ever. And for the last two years Drew Brees has been one of football's top-five quarterbacks. Getting him with the 32nd pick was a steal. Brees' injury and his departure doesn't diminish the impact he had in the last two years in San Diego. I also give late GM John Butler credit for hooking tackle Brandon Gorin in Round 7. He's an average player, but he has started 18 games for the Patriots in recent seasons.

B-
6. Arizona. Picking second, it's pretty hard to screw up. Leonard Davis has been a good piece of the puzzle, though not the dominant player everyone predicted he'd be, in his 75 starts in the desert. Fitting that the Cards gave up on maybe the best player in this crop, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, who they let walk (to Tennessee) after two knee injuries. Vanden Bosch turned into one of the league's best pass-rushers last year and signed a lucrative deal with the Titans to stay. Third-round Adrian Wilson has turned into a strong up-the-middle presence at strong safety in his 61 starts, and second-day picks Marcus Bell and Renaldo Hill have had decent backup careers elsewhere.

7. Indianapolis. Picking 30th after dealing down eight spots with the Giants, the Colts got Reggie Wayne, who has proved durable, consistent and slightly explosive, making 304 catches in five years. Idrees Bashir was an OK starter, but no one cried when he left as a free agent before the 2005 season. Two second-day guys made BillPolian's draft a good one -- offensive linemen Ryan Diem (fourth round) and Rick DeMulling (seventh). Both turned into above-average NFL starters on the line.

8. Buffalo. Surprise, surprise. All you western New Yorkers who kicked Tom Donahoe on his way out the door should remember the weekend of April 21-22, 2001: Nate Clements (80 games, 80 starts at corner), AaronSchobel (75 starts as a DE), Travis Henry (3,749 rushing yards with the Bills) and JonasJennings (52 starts at tackle before leaving as a free agent for the Niners). Not bad.

9. Tampa Bay. One pick in the top 80 and the Bucs still came out with six usable players. Tackle Kenyatta Walker was the one, in a trade-up, but what followed was good enough to help the Bucs win the Super Bowl the next season. Safety Dwight Smith, who returned two picks for TDs in the Super Bowl win over Oakland, came in Round 3, back DB John Howell in Round 4 and fullback Jameel Cook and serviceable defensive end Ellis Wyms in Round 6. And fifth-rounder Russ Hochstein has become a decent fill-in guard for the Patriots.






C+
10. New York Jets. Poor Jets. A nice little draft and nothing to show for it. Look at the top four picks. Santana Moss is beating the Cowboys for Washington. LaMont Jordan, when he can hang on to the ball, is running reasonably well for Oakland. Kareem McKenzie is an anchor on the line for the team across the Hudson River. Jamie Henderson is out of football after a motorcycle accident. Seventh-rounder James Reed was a good defensive lineman, but he's gone after five years to Kansas City.

11. Detroit.Jeff Backus, Dominic Raiola and Shaun Rogers came in the first three picks and have all been regular starters. So you say: Hmm. Three picks, three starters. Nice start to the Matt Millen era. "Nice'' is the word. How good have these guys been if the Lions have stunk so badly? I do know Rogers is a heck of a player. Not sure about the other two. Millen gets a little credit, but not much, for finding Mike McMahon at that powerful football factory, Rutgers, in Round 6.

12. San Francisco. A slew of pretty good players -- pass-rusher Andre Carter, linebacker Jamie Winborn, running back Kevan Barlow, wideout CedrickWilson and, in Round 7, tight end Eric Johnson from Yale. All BillWalsh's prize last pick did was catch 82 balls in 2004 before getting hurt last year.

Continued....
 
C
13. Denver.Willie Middlebrooks was a poor first-round pick, followed by second-round DE Paul Toviessi. That's a lousy one-two punch for you. Good thing Denver recovered by taking DE Reggie Hayward, who became a two-year starter before leaving as a free agent, and guard Ben Hamilton, who has made 64 starts for them. Punter Nick Harris, the fifth-rounder, is now with Detroit.

14. Miami. Four first-day picks and the worst was the first -- cornerback Jamar Fletcher. Chris Chambers is a top-line wideout, and Travis Minor and MorlonGreenwood are serviceable pros. The Fins got nothing from Day 2.

15. Kansas City. On the surface, this draft is horrendous, with first-day picks Eric Downing and Snoop Minnis total flops. But the Chiefs sent their first-round pick, 12th overall, to St. Louis for Trent Green and a pick that netted backup back Derrick Blaylock. And without Green, this team would have been floundering at quarterback. Fourth-round linebacker Monty Beisel was an excellent special-teamer.

16. Jacksonville. Now we're starting to give credit for two good picks. That's all the Jags made on this weekend, but they've been very good. Especially the 13th overall pick, defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, who should be a defensive centerpiece for the next five years with the Jags. Another four-year starter, tackle Maurice Williams, came in Round 2. The Jags went 0 for 8 the rest of the draft in terms of long-term impact.

17. Philadelphia. Strange but interesting crop. Top pick Freddie Mitchell was a flop. He could have had a long career with the Eagles as a third or fourth receiver, but he gave that up to seek his fortune last year and now he's out of football. Give him credit, though -- he did catch the all-time-clutch fourth-and-26 ball against Green Bay to keep Philly's season alive in 2003. The Eagles never flop on their top two picks, but they did in this draft, picking linebacker Quinton Caver in Round 2. They guessed wrong on third-round pick Derrick Burgess before the 2005 season, allowing him to leave in free agency because they felt he was too injury-prone. Burgess had a great season with the Raiders last year. Correll Buckhalter, the Birds' fourth-round pick, is a good back who can't stay healthy. And the last pick of the day, A.J. Feeley, had one great month with the Eagles in 2002, helping them get into the playoffs with a 4-1 December when Donovan McNabb was out. As I said, strange draft, and helpful to the franchise in spurts.

C-
18. St. Louis. Remember when the Rams were so good on offense and the front office was determined to fix the defense so they'd have a long run at greatness? Here were their first five picks in 2001: DT Damione Lewis, S Adam Archuleta, DT Ryan Pickett, LB Tommy Polley, LB Brian Allen. Not one of them left on the team! The only reason I gave them a C-minus is because Archuleta, Pickett and Polley are still decent NFL players elsewhere, and the Rams did hit on contributors Brandon Manumaleuna and Jerametrius Butler on Day 2.

19. Seattle. Weird, weird draft. Immature misfit Koren Robinson with the ninth overall pick. Steve Hutchinson, the best guard in football, was the 17th. Good corner (albeit overpaid now with Carolina) Ken Lucas in Round 2, and Hutchinson's heir, Pork Chop Womack, in Round 4. Heath Evans and Orlando Huff have been serviceable NFL players, decent mid-round picks. But there are too many swings and misses when only one of your 12 picks is a starter today.

20. New England.Richard Seymour, the sixth overall pick, has become one of the league's best defensive players, and the Pats have him locked up with a long-term deal. They outsmarted the Jets, moving up ahead of them to pick long-term starting tackle Matt Light in Round 2. After that, soak in these names: Brock Williams, Kenyatta Jones, Jabari Holloway, Hakim Akbar, Arther Love, Leonard Myers, Owen Pochman, T.J. Turner. About all I can say of this sordid crew is that Myers did make a little money as a Pats special-teamer -- and he was able to get $32,600 on eBay for his Super Bowl ring.

21. Pittsburgh. First-round pick Casey Hampton has been an above-average anchor to the defensive line, and Kendrell Bell was a good linebacker until he kept getting hurt. Fifth-round center Chukky Okobi has been a serviceable backup, while sixth-round defensive end Rodney Bailey, now beginning his second tour with the Steelers after three years away at New England and Seattle, has a little promise.

22. Green Bay. This was the Jamal Reynolds debacle at No. 10. A useless pass-rusher now out of football. Robert Ferguson has been an OK part-time starter, a decent second-round pick. Bhawoh Jue was mostly a nickel safety in his four years in Green Bay before leaving for San Diego as a free agent last year. Seventh-rounder David Martin has been a good No. 2 tight end. Martin, in fact, saved this draft from being a D.

23. Tennessee. Not a bad draft, just a totally non-impactful one for today's Titans, and one of the reasons they're struggling again. With no first-round pick, Tennessee took Andre Dyson, Shad Meier and Justin McCareins in Rounds 2, 3 and 4. All were decent players for Tennessee but left via free agency or trade, with Meier still looking for a home. Seventh-round linebacker Keith Adams never made it with Tennessee, but he's been a decent filler player for Dallas and Philadelphia.

24. Oakland. Give the Raiders credit, just a little, for getting some value for picking so late -- 28th in the first round -- and getting a usable safety, Derrick Gibson, in the first round. After that, some blah roster-fillers. MarquesTuiasosopo, DeLawrence Grant, Chris "I Got Bad Advice from Romo'' Cooper.

25. Washington. First-rounder Rod Gardner was a stiff from Day 1. FredSmoot, of Love Boat fame, was a risk-taker and at times a very good corner for three-plus years. Sage Rosenfels, now in Houston, might have a future somewhere -- Phil Simms raves about him -- but he never did a thing for the Skins.

D
26. New York Giants. In terms of 2006 impact, the Giants are 0 for 7 with this draft. Not a soul from that draft is still on the team. The Will Era is over now, with Will Allen (gone via free agency) and William Peterson (back injury), drafted with the first two picks to be the long-term answers at corner, both gone. They combined for 13 interceptions in five so-so years. Roster fillers Jonathan Carter and Ross Kolodziej came late.

27. New Orleans. Talk about a one-man draft. Deuce McAllister came with the 23rd pick and ushered Ricky Williams out of town. After that, a bunch of schmoes named Ojo. Onome Ojo, that is. The UC Davis wideout came in Round 5 and left just about as quickly.

28. Dallas. They had no first-round pick because of the remnants of the ill-fated JoeyGalloway trade. Then the QuincyCarter mistake at No. 2. Not a totally useless pick, because he did start 31 games for them, but what the pick did was derail the Cowboys' search for a long-term solution at quarterback. The rest of the draft had some borderline effective (for a time) players -- Tony Dixon, Markus Steele, Matt Lehr, Daleroy Stewart -- on some mediocre teams. But no player of 2006 impact remains.

F
29. Minnesota. The only player of any value from this draft was Michael Bennett, who rushed for 3,174 yards in 49 starts. That is one mediocre running back. The last seven picks in this crop? Valueless.

30. Cleveland. One decent pick: fourth-round corner Anthony Henry, now playing for Dallas. Among the horrible picks here -- Gerard Warren over Richard Seymour, Quincy Morgan over Chris Chambers -- is one grand champion. Club officials, bolstered by former Secret Service czar Lew Merletti, stressed character till the cows came home with the New and Improved Browns, and then they went and picked a linebacker from Washington, Jeremiah Pharms, missing the fact that he'd been involved in a drug-related shooting in Seattle in 2000. Pharms served 41 months for the crime. Want to know why Cleveland is still struggling to poke its head above water in the AFC North? Look at its first three drafts. Nightmares.

31. Chicago. I'll give you Anthony Thomas, a role-playing running back who's not great at anything. Decent second-round pick. But none of the six choices are still in Chicago, and David Terrell, eighth overall, dropped more big passes than he caught. A total washout for a team that hired Jerry Angelo two months later.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/06/19/mmqb/index.html
 
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