Reflection on the 2006 NFL Draft, part 2
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by user False Prophet
Part 2 of my reflections, which eventually will lead up to a Redone draft of last year, followed by my Weekly Mock Draft Column.
Today's Topic: Draft Day Decisions
So on draft day, there were a few decisions that were made that turned out to be Successes or Busts, here's how they turned out.
First, with the No. 1 Pick, the Houston Texans Drafted Mario Williams, who has 25 tackles including 8 sacks and 1 Fumble Rec. Through checking the league leaders list, I discover that he isn't in the top 5 on his team, doesn't have the most tackles for Texan Rookies, and isn't in the league top 30. I would think that DE is a pretty easy position to make the transition from. Granted, the Texans rookie leader is a LB, he still should be producing more. As I talked about last week, had they drafted hometown hero Vince Young, they would have a Good QB, or at least a better one than David Carr. If they drafted Reggie Bush, they wouldn't get quite as much production out of him due to their poor line quality. So what should have happened Draft Day? They should have traded down, and drafted D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who would have helped their line improve and make Carr a better QB. Grade: Bust, although he could get a lot better soon.
Second, the Titans Drafting Vince Young 3rd overall over Matt Leinart. I touched on this last week, and concluded that this was a very good move for them. Grade: Success
Next, the New York Jets had 2 First round picks, and drafted 2 offensive lineman, D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4th Overall) and Nick Mangold (29th overall). The Jets went from a bad team to a Playoff bound one, and these 2 players have had a lot to do with it. They keep Chad Pennington protected, and allow him to have more time to make decisions, and it has payed off huge for them. Grade: Success
The Oakland Raiders passed up on Drafting a QB. Well, not only did their QB's suffer injuries, but when Aaron Brooks was playing, they still stunk. They drafted Micheal Huff who has 49 Tackles, and 0 INT's. I don't know what Al Davis is thinking anymore, nor do I want to try to. They should have Drafted Matt Leinart with that pick, but then again, they shouldn't have hired Art Shell as their coach. Grade: Oakland Raider Style Failure
Some other picks of note:
- Vernon Davis has helped Alex Smith come along well, as he has a new target to throw to, and an faster lineman to give him more protection Success
- My Pats traded up to draft Chad Jackson in the Second round. He is not playing nearly as much as expected. TBD
- Finally, the "Big 3" Wr's in the draft, Chad Jackson, Sinorice Moss, and Santonio Holmes have all been nearly irrelivant this year, even for a Rookie WR.
See Also
Reflection on the 2006 NFL Draft, part 1
