Ten years later, and we see which teams looked liked geniuses and which teams didn't know what they were doing:
1. Cleveland Browns- Tim Couch/QB Kentucky-You can't blame the Browns for making this pick in their first ever NFL Draft since their franchise was revitalized. And you can't really put all the blame on Couch for his epic failure. The Browns never supplied Couch with the necessary offensive line to succeed. Yet being a number one pick, the least one can say is that Couch failed miserably. Overall Grade: F
2. Philadelphia Eagles-Donovan McNabb/QB Syracuse-McNabb may have been booed when he was selected by the Eagles 2nd overall instead of Ricky Williams, but the Eagles made the right choice. McNabb has taken the team to five NFC Championship games to go along with a Super Bowl appearance. McNabb may have had his ups and downs with the Philly media and fans, but there is no denying the amount of success he has had. The only thing preventing this grade from an A+ is the fact that McNabb has never won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Overall Grade: A
3. Cincinnati Bengals-Akili Smith/QB Oregon- Smith looked like a dual threat quarterback, but to be honest, I don't know what scouts saw in him. He had an arm, but the accuracy needed a lot of work. Smith only started 17 games in 4 seasons with the Bengals and his numbers were attrocious. In the 2000 season alone, Smith started 11 games and had only three touchdown passes versus nine interceptions and fourteen fumbles! He amassed only 5 touchdown passes and thirteen interceptions throughout his whole career. Overall Grade: F
4. Indianapolis Colts-Edgerrin James/RB Miami- James may currently be looking for a team, but as a young running back for the Indianapolis Colts, he was a great complement to Peyton Manning's air game. James had some injury plagued seasons with the Colts, but he left the team as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Overall Grade: A-
5. New Orleans- Ricky Williams/ RB Texas- The Saints moved up and traded their entire draft in order to draft the 1998 Heisman Trophy Award winner. However, although Williams was solid in his years with the Saints, he was less than what head coach Mike Ditka and the Saints management envisioned. After just three seasons, Williams was traded to the Dolphins, where he broke out as one of the top backs in the NFL with 1853 yards and 16 touchdowns. Williams decided it was best to retire following the 2003 season after a failed drugged test. He has since been reinstated and continues to play for the Dolphins. Without the off-field controversy, who knows what kind of player Williams could have been. Overall Grade: C+
6. St. Louis- Torry Holt/ WR NC State- This was as close to a hit as a team can get and in my mind, the best pick in the draft. The top wide receiver in the 1999 draft, Holt did not disappoint lining up on the other side of Issac Bruce. Forming with Bruce, running back Marshall Faulk, and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, the potent Rams offense became known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." Holt went to 7 Pro Bowls in his ten seasons and became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards. His career for the Rams may be over, but there was no denying the success that could eventually carry him to the Hall of Fame. Overall Grade: A+
7. Washington Redskins-Champ Bailey/ DB Georgia- Another great pick right here. Bailey has been considered the top corner in this decade and is still going strong with the Denver Broncos. Going back to his Reskin days, Bailey has been selected for eight consecutive Pro Bowls and been named to four All-Pro teams. The Redskins got their man when they traded Bailey for Clinton Portis in 2004, but it is easier to find a running back in this league than a shutdown corner. Besides Holt, Bailey is the only other player from this draft class that has a realistic possibility at the Hall of Fame. Overall Grade: A+
8. Arizona Cardinals- David Boston/ WR Ohio State- Boston is one of those guys who emerges at a young age, looks to be a bonified superstar looking for a big free agent deal, and then flops with his new team and is never the same player after that. Boston had four great season with the Cardinals, his best coming in 2001 when he had 98 receptions for 1598 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to being a Pro Bowl Starter. The Ohio State star signed a huge free agent deal with the San Diego Chargers and never really seemed to fit into the offense. Boston bounced around a couple of times before finding himself out of the league. Overall Grade: D+
9. Detroit Lions-Chris Claiborn/LB USC- Not much to say about Claiborn. He didn't do a lot for the Lions in his four seasons there. After a change of scenery, he went to division rival the Minnesota Vikings and became an above average pro in his two seasons there. Claiborn has been bounced from other teams since then; his last two years have been free agent years. Claiborn was obviously a miss, but it may be a stretch to call him a total bust. Overall Grade: D+
10. Baltimore Ravens-Chris McAlister/DB Arizona- The Ravens made a great call in selecting McAlister with the tenth pick int he draft. Ravens fans knew McAlister was going to special after intercepting five passes his rookie season. The next year, McAlister took another step forward, which included a key interception to help the Ravens caputre Super Bowl XXXV. McAlister helped solidify that stingy Ravens defense this last decade, on his way to three Pro Bowl births and 26 career interceptions. Overall Grade: A
11. Minnesota Vikings-Daunte Culpepper/QB Central Florida- So the last few seasons haven't been rather glorious for Culpepper, but we must not forget how good he actually was when he was throwing touchdowns as a Viking. Ok, so maybe having Randy Moss on your team helps, but there is no denying what Culpepper did in that historic 2004 season where he passed for 4,717, 39 touchdowns, and only eleven intercpetions. Ever since that season, Culpepper's career has gone downhill due to a knee injury the next year. However, he had a lot of success that made him one of the better players in the NFL at the time. Overall Grade: A-
12. Chicago Bears-Cade McNown/QB UCLA- Another Bears quarterback that failed. McNown was plagued by injuries, but the fact that he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn didn't help either. McNown only started 15 games in his two seasons with the Bears before being shipped off to Miami for two late round picks. McNown failed to resurrect his career in Miami, and is now out of the league. Overall Grade: F
13. Pittsburgh Steelers- Troy Edwards/WR Louisiana Tech- Edwards was far from the stud he was in college as a professional. Edwards' best season came his rookie year when he caught 61 passes for 714 yards and five touchdowns. However, Edwards was never able to take that next step forward, and his numbers kept declining year after year as he kept getting buried on the depth chart. Edwards became an NFL cast-off who never again came relatively close to his rookie numbers. Overall Grade: F
14. Kansas City- John Tait/T BYU- The Chiefs took the first lineman in the draft and were rewarded for their doing. Tait became a cornerstone on that dominating Chiefs offensive line that made up of Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Brian Waters, and Casey Wiegmann. He helped pave the way for Priest Holmes in his record setting year for most touchdowns in a season. Tait later had five productive years in Chicago before finally retiring this offseason. Overall Grade: B+
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Anthony McFarland/DT LSU- McFarland played big in the middle alongside Warren Sapp to make up the most devastating interior defensive line in all of football. McFarland was never really a star (never selected to the Pro Bowl), but he was a very productive pro player who helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl XXXVII, and the Colts with their own in XLI. Overall Grade: B
16. Tennessee Titans- Jevon Kearse/DE Florida- Kearse, arguably the top defensive end in the draft, was obviously a steal to be grabbed this late, and showed for it after winning 1999 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. It was one of the best rookie seasons ever put on as Kearse recorded 14.5 sacks to become the AFC leader. "The Freak" had two sesons cut short due to injury, but when healthy, he was up there near the top with the other elite pass rushers. After four years with the Eagles, Kearse is back with the Titans and looking to end his career with the team that drafted him. Overall Grade: A-
17. New England Patriots- Damien Woody/C Boston College- Woody was probably the top young center in the league back in his glory days with the New England Patriots franchise. The anchor of that offensive line, Woody had three stellar seasons in New England following his rookie season. In 2001, he helped the Pats upset the Rams in a Super Bowl victory; in 2002 he was named to his only Pro Bowl; and in 2003, although he did not play due to injury, Woody helped lead the team back to the Super Bowl that they would eventually win against the Panthers. Going to Detroit for the money may have been a mistake, but there is no mistake in seeing how dominant of a player Woody was when he was younger. Overall Grade: B-
18. Oakland Raiders- Matt Stinchcomb/T Georgia- Since I'm only 17, I don't know much about Stinchcomb. He was a starter for the Raiders offensive line in the early years of the decade when the Raiders were actually pretty good. However, he was only an avarage lineman who never stood out. After five years with the Raiders, Stinchcomb went to Tampa and played three seasons before retiring. His younger brother Jon is currently a starting tackle for New Orleans Saints. Overall Grade: D
19. New York Giants- Luke Petitgout/T Notre Dame-Petitgout was a solid starter for the Giants at left tackle, but never really emerged as one of the elites in the game. That is becasue injuries dogged Petitgout, his back in the 2003 and 2004 season, and his leg in 2006. Hoping to get a fresh start, Petitgout moved to Tampa Bay but tore his ACL early in the season and was lost for the year. Overall Grade: C
20. Dallas Cowboys- Ebenezer Ekuban/DE North Carolina- Ekuban was another average starter that played effectively in the NFL. Ekuban's best year came in 2006 as a member of the Denver Broncos, where he recorded seven sacks and accounted for 48 tackles. Ekuban was good, but was never great. His years in Dallas were close to terrible, and it was obvious a change of scenery was needed for him at the time. Overall Grade: C-
21. Arizona Cardinals- L.J. Shelton/T Eastern Michigan- Not much to say about this one. Shelton has been an average starter at the tackle position in his career, which is never bad. However, being picked as high as this will probably label him as a bust. Overall Grade: D+
22. Seattle Seahawks- Lamar King/DE Saginaw Valley State- Who? King also had the injury bug as a professional and never was able to play a full slate of games. His only productive year came in his second season, when he started fourteen games and recorded six sacks and 48 tackles. King tried to catch on with Tampa Bay (it seems like everyone in this draft class tries to with the Bucs), but he never played a single snap with the team and has been out of the league since 2003. Overall Grade: F
23. Buffalo Bills- Antoine Winfield/CB Ohio State- Winfield finally deserved his first trip to the Pro Bowl last year. He has been the most underrated cornerback of this decade and is probably the best tackling corner in the NFL. His career high for interceptions in a season has been four, but that may be in partly because no one likes to throw his way. He was a solid starter for the Bills, but is playing at an All-Pro level with the Vikings. Overall Grade: A-
24. San Francisco 49ers- Reggie McGrew/DT Florida- McGrew may have been the worst pick in the first round who didn't play the quarterback position. He played only three seasons in the league without starting a single game. And his career stats? 9 career tackles and one sack. Ouch! Overall Grade: F
25. Green Bay Packers- Antuan Edwards/ DB Clemson- As a Packers fan, it is saying a lot if the only thing I remember from Edwards' days at safety was that he wore the number 24. Edwards had a solid rookie season, starting all games in the Packers secondary. However, he was greatly inconsistent and lost playing time as the years passed. In 2002, he was replaced by rookie Marques Anderson, and had a hard time getting off the bench. Edwards tried catching on with a few other teams but never remained in a single locker room for more than one season. Overall Grade: F
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Fernando Bryant/DB Alabama- As a Jaguar, Bryant was a servicable starter, but the knock on him was that he didn't make many plays. His career high in interceptions came in his rookie year, and that was only 2. (He also had two in 2007 as a member of the Detroit Lions). Truth be told, Bryant will always better be known for his tackling skills rather than his coverage. Overall Grade: D+
27. Detroit Lions- Aaron Gibson/T Wisconsin- Well, we know they groom them big in the Big Ten. We just didn't know that they groomed them THAT big. Gibson holds the record for the heaviest player to ever play in the NFL at 410 pounds. Gibson's great weight was never on par with his performance however. He struggled to do much in Detroit, lasting only three seasons there before being cut. Only once in his career was he able to play in all 16 games and that was in the latter-half of his career with the Chicago Bears. Overall Grade: D-
28. New England Patriots- Andy Katzenmoyer/LB Ohio State- Katzenmoyer is a pretty sad story because anyone who saw him in college as the Butkus Award Winner easily saw his game as translating to the next level. However, Katzenmoyer suffered a neck injury that kept him out of for his rookie year, and half of his second season. In 2001, just when he thought he was healthy, Katzenmoyer felt the same pain and was shut down for the season again. In 2002, the Patriots cut Katezenmoyer and the Ohio State alum never returned to football. Overall Grade: Incomplete
29. Minnesota Vikings- Dimitrius Underwood/DE Michigan State- Apologies to Reggie McGrew. This was the worst pick in the first round, and that is including the quarterbacks drafted. I mean, at least the quarterbacks played for their respective teams that drafted them. Underwood walked out of training camp before the season started after he signed with the Vikings and said he would rather serve his Christian faith. Underwood was later released by the Vikings but changed his mind about playing football, deciding to play for the Miami Dolphins. That didn't go too well either after he tried committing suicide. After being diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, Underwood stayed in rehab for a few years and attempted to make a comeback with the Dallas Cowboys. However, another suicide attempt caused the release of Underwood and the end of his NFL career.
Overall Grade: F
30. Atlanta Falcons- Patrick Kerney/DE Virginia- Kerney has had double digit sack totals in four of his ten seasons in the league, and his 14.5 sack effort in his 9th season as a member of the Seattle Seahawks earned him 2007 NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Kereny was also effective as a Falcon too, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in the 2004 season. His efforts have arguably made him the most effective pass rusher coming out of this draft class- Kerney has 77.5 career sacks opposed to Jevon Kearse's 73 career sacks. Overall Grade: A-
31. Denver Broncos- Al Wilson/LB Tennessee- A 5 time Pro Bowler in only eight seasons, Wilson becme a very effective linebacker in the middle. Known mostly for his speed and going sideline to sideline, Wilson recorded 100 plus tackles in each of his last five seasons. His career ws cut short after eight seasons beacuse of injury, but making the Pro Bowl in more than half of those is impressive in itself. Overall Grade: A-
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