Five-year draft rankings: Teams 25-32
25. Carolina Panthers
Current roster: 21 of 40 (9 starters). The Panthers haven't drafted a Pro Bowl player since defensive end Julius Peppers in 2002, but linebacker Jon Beason (2007/first) showed that kind of potential as a rookie.
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: Whether at left or right tackle, Jordan Gross (2003/first) hasn't missed a game in five NFL seasons.
Biggest mistake: Running back Eric Shelton (2005/second) couldn't garner playing time on a team lacking a big-bodied rusher. He had just eight carries in two years before being released. Shelton spent 2007 out of football but is now with Washington.
Front office: Panthers general manager Marty Hurney has missed on too many second- to fourth-round selections. Four of them taken in 2005 and 2006 (Shelton, defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison, quarterback Stefan LeFors and tackle Rashad Butler) are no longer with the Panthers. Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett (2007/second) could be headed for that same fate.
Comment: Hurney has done an excellent job identifying defensive players like Beason, linebacker Thomas Davis, and cornerbacks Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble. The Panthers must find more offensive help in this draft, including a power running back and quarterback to groom behind Jake Delhomme.
26. Atlanta Falcons
Current roster: 21 of 37 (8 starters). All 11 members of last year's class are still with the Falcons. That group tallied 54 starts and 71 backup appearances in 2007.
Best pick: DeAngelo Hall (2004/first) started 55 games while becoming one of the NFL's top young cornerbacks. But issues with Falcons management led to Hall being traded last month to Oakland.
Biggest mistake: Jimmy Williams (2006/second) was drafted as a cornerback but didn't have the skills to play the position on the NFL level. He is now fighting for playing time as a backup safety.
Front office: Rich McKay's final five draft classes in Tampa Bay (1999 to 2003) produced just one Pro Bowl player, but even that was a better yield than his four Falcons drafts. In January, Falcons owner Arthur Blank moved McKay to team president and hired Thomas Dimitroff as general manager.
Comment: The Falcons have seven of the first 103 picks Saturday, including the No. 3 overall selection. That gives Dimitroff, New England's former college scouting director, a golden chance to re-stock Atlanta's roster.
27. Oakland Raiders
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| With the first pick in the 2007 Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected JaMarcus Russell and took another big step down these rankings. (Nick Laham / Getty Images) |
Current roster: 23 of 44 (10 starters). The Raiders have taken seven offensive linemen in the past four drafts but only two — guard Robert Gallery and right tackle Paul McQuistan — are likely starters.
Best pick: None of Oakland's last 62 picks have reached a Pro Bowl, but cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (2003/first) consistently plays at that level.
Biggest mistake: Not having a contractual agreement with JaMarcus Russell before making him the No. 1 pick in last year's draft. Russell missed all of the preseason in a holdout, which greatly retarded the quarterback's development.
Front office: There is no doubt who is running the show in Oakland. Head coach Lane Kiffin calls Al Davis the general manager even though the Raiders owner holds no official designation.
Comment: The lack of impact players despite having three top seven picks in the past four seasons has contributed to Oakland's 15-49 record during that span.
28. St. Louis Rams
Current roster: 21 of 47 (nine starters). The failure to draft impact players is nothing new in St. Louis, where all but one of 24 picks between 2000 and 2002 are gone.
Best pick: Running back Steven Jackson (2004/first) is the only Pro Bowl player St. Louis has drafted this decade.
Biggest mistake: Penn State defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy never became the interior force St. Louis envisioned when selecting him 12th overall in 2003. The Kennedy flop led the Rams to select defensive tackle Adam Carriker in the first round of last year's draft.
Front office: Billy Devaney was hired away from Atlanta's front office this off-season to try and salvage what has become one of the NFL's worst drafting teams. The Rams had five first-round picks between 2000 and 2002 — none of which are still with the franchise.
Comment: The Rams could have taken major strides toward rebuilding in 2006 but whiffed on three third-round picks (tight end Dominique Byrd, defensive tackle Claude Wroten and already departed linebacker Jon Alston).
29. Detroit Lions
Current roster: 18 of 38 (8 starters). Wide receiver Roy Williams, defensive tackle Cory Redding, linebacker Ernie Sims and safety Gerald Alexander have combined for 163 starts. The other 12 players remaining from those draft classes have produced only 39.
Best pick: Williams is Detroit's lone Pro Bowl pick this decade but Sims (2006/first) could be the second coming of Derrick Brooks.
Biggest mistake: Keeping Matt Millen as general manager. Millen has drafted four wide receivers in the top 10 since 2003, including top 10 mega-busts Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. Placing that much emphasis on one position weakened the Lions elsewhere.
Front office: The Lions are 31-81 since Millen was hired. Part of the problem is instability at head coach (four different ones since 2001) and both coordinator spots. Divergent systems have forced significant personnel changes and left the Lions carrying a reported $15 million in dead money on their 2008 salary cap. Detroit will be undergoing another shift this season as the franchise switches to a run-heavy attack after two years in departed offensive coordinator Mike Martz's pass-happy scheme.
Comment: Millen may finally have run out of time if Detroit doesn't reach the playoffs this season.
30. San Francisco 49ers
Must-read:
- Whitlock: Jennings' Europe-a-dope
- Perry: What CC, Harden deals mean
- Vote for your favorite Yankee moment
Must-see:
Top headlines:
- CC reply: Cubs deal for A's P Harden
- Report: Brand headed to Philly
- Report: Stewart set to leave JGR
Worth a thousand words:
Current roster: 28 of 46 (10 starters, one specialist). Twenty-one of the 28 players San Francisco drafted between 2003 and 2005 are still in the NFL but only 11 remain with the 49ers.
Best pick: Running back Frank Gore (2005/third) has rushed for almost 2,800 yards combined the past two seasons.
Biggest mistake: It didn't take long for wide receiver Rashaun Woods (2004/first) to show he wasn't going to become the next Jerry Rice. Woods lasted only two seasons with San Francisco before being traded to San Diego and is now out of the league.
Front office: Mike Nolan inherited a 2-14 team from former general manager Terry Donahue when hired as head coach in 2005. Nolan failed to make it much better. He was stripped of personnel power this off-season with Scot McCloughan promoted to general manager.
Comment: The 49ers found gems last year in linebacker Patrick Willis and rookie tackle Joe Staley but haven't received comparable production from two other highly touted first-round picks. Quarterback Alex Smith — the No. 1 overall pick in 2005 — must best journeyman Shaun Hill in training camp to regain his starting spot. Tight end Vernon Davis (No. 6 in 2006) also has yet to become a difference-maker.
31. Denver Broncos
Current roster: 12 of 37 (8 starters). The drafts between 2003 and 2005 were especially dismal, with only three of 26 players still on the team.
Best pick: The Broncos remain hopeful that Jay Cutler (2006/first) is the answer at quarterback that Denver has sought since John Elway's 1999 retirement.
Biggest mistake: Among many, the worst was selecting Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett (2005/third). Clarett went unclaimed after being waived during the preseason and is now currently serving prison time on multiple convictions.
Front office: While the buck has always stopped with head coach Mike Shanahan, that became more apparent than ever in February when Ted Sundquist left his post as the team's general manager. The Broncos haven't named a replacement.
Comment: Like many of the others who have tried to handle dual coach/GM roles, Shanahan's brilliance with Xs and Os hasn't translated to college talent assessment. This must be corrected, as team owner Pat Bowlen no longer seems willing to fund Shanahan's free-agent spending sprees.
32. Miami Dolphins
Current roster: 19 of 38 picks (seven starters, one specialist). This number is skewed by the 2007 draft, as all 10 selections were kept as part of a youth movement. Tackle Vernon Carey and safety Yeremiah Bell are the only two remaining members from the 15 players chosen in 2003 and 2004.
Best pick: Rex Hadnot (2004/sixth round) started 55 games at guard and center between 2004 and 2007 but wasn't re-signed this off-season. Hadnot, who had several off-field incidents during his time in Miami, left via free agency to Cleveland.
Biggest mistake: The secondary is Nick Saban's area of expertise, but the former Dolphins coach whiffed on Jason Allen with the No. 16 overall pick in 2006. Allen has struggled at cornerback and safety and could be hard pressed to keep the starting job he inherited midway through last season because of injuries.
Front office: Ireland is the fifth different person in the past six years to hold general manager responsibilities. There also were five different head coaches since 2004. Such instability is a major reason why Miami finished with the NFL's worst record (1-15) in 2007.
Comment: The Dolphins hope Ireland and Parcells can re-tool the roster with draft picks like Jimmy Johnson did following his arrival in 1996.
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