Draft report: Top eight teams of last 5 years
1. San Diego Chargers
Current roster: 25 of 41 (13 starters, 2 specialists). The Chargers also landed Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates and currently suspended linebacker Stephen Cooper as college free agents.
2008 NFL Draft
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Draft tool kit
News
Analysis
- Czar: AFC draft grades | NFC
- Marvez: Another bumper crop for N.Y.?
- Kriegel: Why bad can be good in NFL
- Marvez: Best, worst drafts since '03
- Whitlock: 10 NFL Draft truths
- Hench: We don't have to love draft
Sights and sounds
Best pick: Eli Manning. Trading Manning to the New York Giants in 2004 netted fellow quarterback Philip Rivers and draft choices used for Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding. Rivers reached the AFC Championship game in just his second season as a starter.
Biggest mistake: Chargers general manager Alex Smith hasn't made many. All 16 of San Diego's picks chosen between rounds one and four the past four years remain on the roster.
Front office: Like his predecessor, the late John Butler, Smith was tutored under Indianapolis general manager Bill Polian. Smith isn't afraid to trade for what he wants even if pricy. For example, Smith traded three mid-round picks last year for safety Eric Weddle. The compensation was justified when Weddle — a projected starter in 2008 — intercepted a pass during San Diego's AFC playoff victory at Indianapolis.
Comment: The Chargers not only do a stellar job drafting but identifying young talent for contract extensions long before their rookie deals expire.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Current roster: 25 of 43 (10 starters). The Colts also signed two starters — defensive tackle Ed Johnson (2007) and middle linebacker Gary Brackett (2003) — as college free agents.
Best pick: Safety Bob Sanders (2004/second round) was voted the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.
Biggest mistake: It was a relatively small one in the big picture. Defensive end Vincent Burns (2005/third) is the only one of 12 picks between rounds one and three in the past four draft classes who has never started. Burns is currently out of football.
Front office: Polian earned the contract extension he recently received from team owner Jim Irsay. Polian has done an exceptionally good job surrounding quarterback Peyton Manning with talent and identifying players who can shine in Tony Dungy's cover-two defensive system.
Comment: A+. Polian excels at recognizing which picks may ultimately leave in free agency. He then drafts replacements that can be groomed for several seasons beforehand.
3. New England Patriots
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| Vince Wilfork wasn't just a dynamite draft pick for New England, he's a symbol of their overall strategy. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) |
Current roster: 19 of 44 picks (nine starters, one specialist). Two key members of the Class of 2003 — safety Eugene Wilson (second round) and cornerback Asante Samuel (fourth) — left in free agency this off-season.
Best pick: Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is not only a standout player but an example of the bonanza New England sometimes receives by moving down via draft-day trades. New England acquired first- and second-round picks from Baltimore after the Patriots traded their 2003 first-round pick to the Ravens, who selected quarterback Kyle Boller. Those choices netted Wilson — a 55-game starter the past five seasons — and Wilfork (2004), who is coming off his first Pro Bowl season.
Biggest mistake: The blazing speed of wide receiver Bethel Johnson (2003/second round) never translated to consistent play. Johnson was traded after three seasons and is out of football.
Front office: Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli concentrate heavily on linemen (offensive and defensive) with early picks and love moving down, especially if such maneuvering secures choices for the following year. New England acquired what became the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft after moving out of the 2007 first round in a trade with San Francisco. That helps compensate for the 2008 first-round pick stripped by the NFL following the Spygate scandal.
Comment: The franchise that had the ultimate draft steal — 2000 sixth-round pick Tom Brady — continues to find gems. Fewer draftees are going to stick on a deep roster augmented by veteran players acquired via trades and free agency. The Patriots also can afford to be more selective. New England had at least eight picks in four of the past five drafts despite dealing some away for such talent as Corey Dillon, Wes Welker and Randy Moss.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Current roster: 24 of 39 (seven starters, one specialist). The number would be even more impressive if Seattle hadn't lost safety Ken Hamlin, wide receiver D.J. Hackett and kicker Josh Brown in free agency.
Best pick: In 2005, the Seahawks swapped second-round picks with Carolina and surrendered two fourth-round selections to select linebacker Lofa Tatupu. That was a small price to pay for one of the NFL's top young linebackers.
Biggest mistake: Trading a 2007 first-round draft choice to New England for wide receiver Deion Branch, who hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiving campaign in two seasons.
Front office: General manager Tim Ruskell has headed the past three drafts after coach Mike Holmgren was stripped of personnel power. With the exception of oft-injured defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs (2004), the Seahawks have gotten excellent yield out of players chosen in the first three rounds.
Comment: Quality drafts are a major reason Seattle has won four consecutive NFC West titles. More than half of Seattle's roster (27 players) is comprised of players chosen since 1997.
5. New York Giants
Current roster: 20 of 37 (9 starters). Don't be fooled by the low number of projected starters. Replacements for defensive end Michael Strahan (Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka), tight end Jeremy Shockey (Kevin Boss) and wide receiver Amani Toomer (Steve Smith) are waiting in the wings should those players leave the Giants over the next two seasons.
Best pick: The argument can be made that Eli Manning is the best choice even though he was originally selected by San Diego and acquired in a 2004 draft-day trade. The more productive player is defensive end Osi Umenyiora (2003/second). He has two Pro Bowl appearances and 33.5 sacks in the past three seasons.
Biggest mistake: Defensive tackle William Joseph (2003/first) was considered a reach when drafted and did nothing to dispel that notion. He signed last month with Oakland.
Front office: Jerry Reese did a splendid job in his first season as New York Giants general manager replacing Ernie Accorsi, who held the spot for the previous nine drafts. Seven of last year's picks contributed during New York's Super Bowl run.
Comment: Excluding Manning, 10 of New York's 13 picks between rounds one and three the past five years are still with the franchise.
6. Green Bay Packers
Must-read:
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Must-see:
Top headlines:
- CC reply: Cubs deal for A's P Harden
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Worth a thousand words:
Current roster: 25 of 49 (12 starters). Twenty-three of those remaining players were chosen after former head coach Mike Sherman was stripped of personnel power and Ted Thompson hired as general manager in 2005.
Best pick: The Packers haven't had a Pro Bowl selection in any of their past five draft choices. But with 78 career starts, middle linebacker Nick Barnett (2003/first) has given the team excellent production.
Biggest mistake: Cornerback Ahmad Carroll (2004/first) started 28 games before the Packers grew so tired of his penalties and coverage busts that he was released. Green Bay also whiffed on two third-round picks — defensive tackle Donnell Washington and punter B.J. Sander — in the same draft.
Front office: Call him "Trader Ted." Since hired in 2005, Thompson has parlayed 11 picks into a total of 17 selections by trading down on every transaction. Five of those players could be starting this season, including budding wide receiver Greg Jennings.
Comment: Unlike in 2007, Thompson shouldn't get booed at this year's Packers draft-day party. Thompson was voted the Sporting News' Executive of the Year after Green Bay reached last year's NFC Championship game.
7. Chicago Bears
Current roster: 24 of 42 (12 starters). Thirteen of the 16 players taken in the first three rounds over the past five years are still with the Bears.
Best pick: Tommie Harris has proven worthy of being the top defensive tackle chosen in the 2004 draft. Harris, who was selected No. 14 overall, has reached three Pro Bowls.
Biggest mistake: The Bears erred the previous season by using their first-round pick on defensive end Michael Haynes, who is now out of the league after just four career starts.
Front office: Chicago made the right decision when promoting Jerry Angelo to general manager in 2003. He has selected four Pro Bowl players in Harris, linebacker Lance Briggs, wide receiver/returner Devin Hester and cornerback Nathan Vasher. Plus, Angelo kept two Class of 2000 standouts — linebacker Brian Urlacher and safety Mike Brown — in the fold with contract extensions.
Comment: The biggest knock on Angelo is that he's sticking too long with two inconsistent first-round picks at key positions — quarterback Rex Grossman (2003) and running back Cedric Benson (2005). But Angelo should be cut some slack, as Chicago was in the Super Bowl just 14 months ago.
8. Dallas Cowboys
Current roster: 22 of 39 (12 starters, one specialist). The Cowboys struck gold in 2005, snaring six starters that include linebacker DeMarcus Ware (first round) and running back Marion Barber (fourth).
Best pick: The Cowboys have gotten top 10 production out of a 2003 third-round pick in tight end Jason Witten. He has reached four consecutive Pro Bowls.
Biggest mistake: Tackle Jacob Rogers (2004/second round) appeared in only two games before bouncing out of the league. None of the eight offensive linemen selected by Dallas in the past five drafts are projected to start in 2008.
Front office: Bill Parcells heavily influenced the drafts while head coach from 2003 and 2006, but Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones always had final say. Jones has loved to wheel and deal on draft day ever since Jimmy Johnson was head coach.
Comment: With Parcells and scouting director Jeff Ireland now running the Dolphins, it will be interesting to see whether Jones can continue having the same success as in recent seasons. Pre-Parcells drafts in 2000 and 2001 were disastrous.
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