Take a look at the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. If you were to take those 32 players, put all their names in a hat, and draw them randomly, you'd probably come up with a better ordering of how good they are than the NFL's general managers came up with.
At the top of the 2005 first round is 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, who's looking more and more like a bust with each passing game (and who is clearly not as good a quarterback as Jason Campbell, picked 25th by the Redskins). At the bottom of the first round is Patriots guard Logan Mankins, who's maybe the best guard in the NFL.
As Mark Craig writes in the Star-Tribune, the top 10 of that draft features exactly one player, Cleveland Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who is having a good season in 2007. Whether it's off-field problems (Pacman Jones), injuries (Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams) or just general suckiness (Cedric Benson and Mike Williams), the 2005 Top 10 is a mess.
How bad is that Top 10 this year? So bad that, Craig writes, Williamson, with his 159 receiving yards this year, wouldn't trade places with any of those guys, other than Edwards. At least Williamson's career, and knees, are still intact.
Getty Images photo caption: (L-R) Alex Smith (Utah), Antrel Rolle (Miami), Aaron Rodgers (California), Braylon Edwards (Michigan),Ronnie Brown (Auburn) and Cedric Benson (Texas) pose during the 70th NFL Draft on April 23, 2005 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-16-2007 @ 1:34PM
harrisj said...
Problem is, there weren't alternatives. If you remember heading into the early stages Cedric Benson was the consensus number one pick. the first couple of teams realized he wasn't all that he was cracked up to be but the alternatives weren't that great either. Ronnie Brown wasn't even a starter, Alex Smith played for Utah. It was just a weak draft more so than GMs getting it wrong. (And you know guards are NEVER taken in the top 10.)
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11-16-2007 @ 2:50PM
nickstoli said...
It's a little too early to write off Smith. Not saying he's going to be great, but look at Terry Bradshaws first 5 years. They were mediocre at best.
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11-16-2007 @ 4:29PM
Tobiathan said...
I'm not sure if this contradicts or supports your point, but Heath Miller is doing a great job at TE for Pittsburgh and has been instrumental in both their SBXL run and their success to date this season. He even played well last year despite the other problems the team had.
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11-16-2007 @ 4:45PM
Desides said...
GMs didn't get it wrong so much as the talent wasn't there at the positions the top ten teams needed, with a couple of exceptions: Ronnie Brown was clearly worth that #2 pick, Braylon Edwards has proven the "bust" detractors wrong, and Shawne Merriman is a good player even without the steroids.
And, Logan Mankins, the best guard in the NFL? No, he's not. He's good, but not THAT good. I can name five guards ahead of him off the top of my head.
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11-16-2007 @ 9:38PM
joe wallace said...
it's really hard to say who is the best offesnive or defensive linemen, because their success often depends on the people around them. One can't say any one person is the BEST lineman. However, whether mankins is the best, or ONE of the best, is moot. If you ever watch this guy block, he is a beast. I have not seen a lineman as good since the great John Hannah, who most people agree is one of the greatest ever.
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11-17-2007 @ 1:08PM
Bill said...
I don't know if Mankins is the best Guard as Joe Wallace astutely stated line play is often team oriented, however, everyone says the way to beat the Patriots is to put pass rush pressure on Brady up the middle. Can anyone remember when the last time anyone sacked Brady coming up the middle or when he was unable to step up in the pocket?
I didn't think so.
Bill
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11-17-2007 @ 10:30PM
morse.shaun said...
The Patriots first 4 picks of this draft are all starters today. Looks like they are going to be around for awhile.
#32 - Logan Mankins
#84 Ellis Hobbs
#100 - Nick Kaczur
#133 James Sanders
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