Tigers#1
02-19-2005, 02:52 AM
How the 2004 draft should have gone
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(Feb. 15, 2005) -- Before we get to any of this year's mock drafts -- and they should start blooming long before spring -- let's do one for last year. Rather than playing "Monday Morning Quarterback," it's more fun to play with a one-year veteran quarterback instead.
One year after the 2004 draft unfolded, we're re-slotting it to see how it should have fallen, not how it actually did.
1. With the No. 1 overall pick, as NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue likes to proclaim, the San Diego Chargers select … Texas wide receiver Roy Williams. Pair Williams with LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers would have the youngest and most dangerous running back/wide receiver combo in the game.
2. With the No. 2 overall pick, the Oakland Raiders select … Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose name is easy to pronounce compared to Marques Tuiasosopo's. Roethlisberger gives Al Davis the gunslinger he needs, and lacks.
3. At No. 3, the Arizona Cardinals select … Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning. Of course. There's no reason any team should pass on a franchise quarterback when it already has Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson. The Cardinals had their choice of two and came away with none.
4. At No. 4, the New York Giants select … Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery. Before landing a franchise quarterback, the Giants need an offensive tackle to protect him first. No offensive line was any shakier than New York's, and that shakiness revealed itself in Eli Manning's confidence level.
5. With the No. 5 overall pick, the Washington Redskins select … wide receiver Michael Clayton. Before the draft, one scout compared Clayton to Michael Irvin. Too bad 14 other teams picking before the Buccaneers didn't recognize it.
6. With the No. 6 overall pick, the Detroit Lions select … South Carolina cornerback Dunta Robinson. The Lions loaded up on offense, but they really could have used some help on defense. Especially from the player who played well enough to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Had Philip Rivers gone to Cleveland, he could have played more and carried a clipboard less.
7. At No. 7, the Cleveland Browns select … North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers. No need to trade up for a tight end when the franchise's greatest need was, and still is, a franchise quarterback.
8. At No. 8, the Atlanta Falcons select … Miami of Florida safety Sean Taylor. The Falcons now need to go after a safety this offseason, either in free agency or through the draft. Taylor would have spared them the trouble and created some for other teams.
9. With the No. 9 overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select … Virginia Tech cornerback DeAngelo Hall. The Jaguars always could use secondary help. And once he matures, Hall is going to be great.
10. With the No. 10 overall pick, the Houston Texans select … Miami of Florida tight end Kellen Winslow. Tight ends shouldn't go much higher than this, no matter how good they are.
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(Feb. 15, 2005) -- Before we get to any of this year's mock drafts -- and they should start blooming long before spring -- let's do one for last year. Rather than playing "Monday Morning Quarterback," it's more fun to play with a one-year veteran quarterback instead.
One year after the 2004 draft unfolded, we're re-slotting it to see how it should have fallen, not how it actually did.
1. With the No. 1 overall pick, as NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue likes to proclaim, the San Diego Chargers select … Texas wide receiver Roy Williams. Pair Williams with LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers would have the youngest and most dangerous running back/wide receiver combo in the game.
2. With the No. 2 overall pick, the Oakland Raiders select … Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose name is easy to pronounce compared to Marques Tuiasosopo's. Roethlisberger gives Al Davis the gunslinger he needs, and lacks.
3. At No. 3, the Arizona Cardinals select … Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning. Of course. There's no reason any team should pass on a franchise quarterback when it already has Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson. The Cardinals had their choice of two and came away with none.
4. At No. 4, the New York Giants select … Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery. Before landing a franchise quarterback, the Giants need an offensive tackle to protect him first. No offensive line was any shakier than New York's, and that shakiness revealed itself in Eli Manning's confidence level.
5. With the No. 5 overall pick, the Washington Redskins select … wide receiver Michael Clayton. Before the draft, one scout compared Clayton to Michael Irvin. Too bad 14 other teams picking before the Buccaneers didn't recognize it.
6. With the No. 6 overall pick, the Detroit Lions select … South Carolina cornerback Dunta Robinson. The Lions loaded up on offense, but they really could have used some help on defense. Especially from the player who played well enough to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Had Philip Rivers gone to Cleveland, he could have played more and carried a clipboard less.
7. At No. 7, the Cleveland Browns select … North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers. No need to trade up for a tight end when the franchise's greatest need was, and still is, a franchise quarterback.
8. At No. 8, the Atlanta Falcons select … Miami of Florida safety Sean Taylor. The Falcons now need to go after a safety this offseason, either in free agency or through the draft. Taylor would have spared them the trouble and created some for other teams.
9. With the No. 9 overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select … Virginia Tech cornerback DeAngelo Hall. The Jaguars always could use secondary help. And once he matures, Hall is going to be great.
10. With the No. 10 overall pick, the Houston Texans select … Miami of Florida tight end Kellen Winslow. Tight ends shouldn't go much higher than this, no matter how good they are.