2006's First Round

[BillsVet]

The 2006 NFL Draft was a heralded class comprising several college stars. A few surprises took place, though the first pick was not as simple as some made it.

 

 

1. Mario Williams DE HOU Williams' play was not at the level most fans thought he should have been at in 06. In 2007, he erased their doubts and collected 14.5 sacks but received a snub to the Pro Bowl. Appears to be another cornerstone for a Houston defense which is improving with Ryans and Okoye currently on-board.

 

2. Reggie Bush RB NO Bush received more acclaim than any other college player in recent memory. His transition to the NFL hasn't been as smooth and despite his 88 receptions and long TD in the NFC Title game last year, his ability to run between the tackles leaves many wondering whether he can be an every down back. Has 161 catches for 1159 yards and 4 TD's while rushing for 1146 yards on 312 carries with 10 TD's.

 

3. Vince Young QB TEN While many Houston fans were upset with not selecting Young, his play has been up and down. Though Tennessee went to the post-season this year, Young's passing abilities appear limited. A career 57% passer with 21 TD tosses against 30 picks. Interesting to see how he develops without Norm Chow as OC.

 

4. D'Brickashaw Ferguson OLT NYJ Athletic tackle who began 06 as the starting LT. Showed potential, but has issues keeping on weight. Regressed slightly in 2007, and must improve his play on fortified Jests line.

 

5. A.J. Hawk LB GB Led Packers in tackles his rookie season by recording 122. Followed it with another 105 stops in 2007 and has started all 32 games he's played in. Will remain a big part of their defense for a long time with sideline to sideline abilities.

 

6. Vernon Davis TE SF Athletic and fast player who was thought to be the perfect complement to QB Alex Smith. Was injured for much of 2006, and has yet to live up to his draft position. 72 receptions for 774 yards and 7 TD's.

 

7. Michael Huff S OAK Texas product has underachieved in first two seasons. Has made 138 tackles and one pick in 32 career starts. Reportedly was on the trade block by Oakland, but at this point will team with Gibril Wilson in Raiders secondary.

 

8. Donte Whitner S BUF Did not begin season as starter, but entered early and made 14 starts with 15 appearances total. Has 2 career interceptions and will most likely be used differently this season with Bills' free agent pickups. 195 career tackles and played every defensive snap of 2007 season until missing the finale at Philadelphia with an illness.

 

9. Ernie Sims LB DET Small but very quick and instinctive defender immediately improved Lions backers. Has started all 32 games he's appeared in, collecting 259 tackles and 1 INT. Also forced 3 fumbles in 2007 and will team with Cory Redding and Leigh Bodden to potentially turn around the Detroit defense under HC Rod Marinelli.

 

10. Matt Leinart QB AZ Struggled, like most rookie signal callers do, in rookie season. Has a career 56% completion percentage and only thrown for 3194 yards with 13 TD's and 16 INT's. Injured in 2007, and will need to fight off Kurt Warner for starting nod. Recently surfaced pictures have forced many to question his dedication, including HC Ken Whisenhunt.

 

11. Jay Cutler QB DEN Replaced Jake Plummer late in 2006 to mixed reviews. Big arm has completed 62.6% of his passes with 29 TD's against 19 interceptions. Criticized teammate Brandon Marshall for becoming injured and will be vocal when necessary. Broncos will live and die with Cutler under center. Broncos aging OL may become an issue real soon for his development.

 

12. Haloti Ngata DT BAL 340 pound athletic DT has played exceptionally well for aging Ravens defense. Started each game since rookie season, and commands double teams on nearly every down. Has 94 career tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 interception.

 

13. Kamerion Wimbley LB CLE Rush linebacker had 11 sacks in 06, but declined to 5 in 2007. Will receive help with Browns' addition of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Started 31 of 32 career games.

 

14. Brodrick Bunkley DT PHI Very disappointing rookie campaign followed with much better 2007 season. Started 15 games and collected 3 sacks. Eagles purged other DT's to allow Bunkley to start and is showing improvement, particularly after a lackluster effort in 2006.

 

15. Tye Hill CB STL Speedster has started 17 of career 24 games with 4 total interceptions in those contests. Missed 8 games in 2007, and durability is an issue.

 

16. Jason Allen S MIA Has started only 9 of 32 games. Played at SS in 07, and made 3 picks along with one forced fumble. Has been disappointing, considering his first round status and may need to make leaps and bounds with new regime entrenched.

 

17. Chad Greenaway LB MIN Missed entire 06 season with injury. Returned in 2007 to start all 16 games and make 105 stops. Also took an INT back for a TD and recoverd 4 fumbles. Will most likely be Vikings starter at WLB in 2008.

 

18. Bobby Carpenter LB DAL Reportedly picked by then coach Bill Parcells as a favor to a friend. Has had significant issues moving from outside to the inside in Cowboys 3-4 scheme. Has only 1 start in 29 career games and was shopped by Cowboys this offseason. Moving quickly toward bust status.

 

19. Antonio Cromartie CB SD Big corner played outstanding football in 2007 with 10 picks and a TD. Made Pro Bowl and started only 8 of 16 games. Took over for the injured Quentin Jammer and showed no sign of a knee injury that caused him to drop in the draft. 1st team All Pro last year as well.

 

20. Tamba Hali DE KC Started 32 consecutive games for Chiefs. Has 15.5 sacks and teams with Jared Allen to make for a very good pass rushing combination. Needs interior help with KC so weak at DT, but is becoming a good DE.

 

21. Laurence Maroney RB NE Shared time with Corey Dillon in 2006, but became starter in 07. Oft-injured back has excellent power, but started only 6 of 13 games last year. Carried the ball 185 times for 835 yards and 6 TD's, but gave way to NE's pass happy attack for much of the season. Ran for 745 yards in 06.

 

22. Manny Lawson LB SF Edge rusher with 49ers, after playing DE at NC State. Started all 16 games in rookie season, though only 2 in 07. Tore his ACL in practice after showing good improvement early in the season. Good coverage skills, and athleticism will help make SF defense better in 08.

 

23. Davin Joseph G TB Starter in 28 of 29 career games, who figures to be a long term player at RG for Buccaneers OL. Along with 07 second rounder Arron Sears, should help TB be better offensively.

 

24. Jonathan Joseph CB CIN 23 starts in 31 career games. Recorded 4 picks in 07 with 1 returned for a TD. Teams with 07 first round pick Leon Hall to give Cincy good help on the fringe of the field. May not have it so easy in 08 with safety Madieu Williams gone in FA.

 

25. Santonio Holmes WR PIT Only wideout taken in first round of 06. Got onto then-HC Bill Cowher's doghouse with bad plays. Caught 52 passes for 942 yards and 8 TD's in 07. Has fumbled 7 times in two seasons, but also contributes as a PR, having returned one punt for a TD.

 

26. John McCargo DT BUF Bills traded back into 1st to grab 3 technique DT. Played in only five games in 06, and went on IR with broken bone in his foot. Came back in 07 to play in all 16 games and had 2.5 sacks, including big play against Giants. Should become starter in his third season with the departure of Larry Tripplett. New Acquisiton Marcus Stroud will make life much easier for McCargo and Bills expect big things in 08.

 

27. Deangelo Williams RB CAR In 29 career games, has started only twice with Deshaun Foster getting more PT. Has not established himself as every down back, but has the ability. Averaged 5.0 ypc with 717 yards on 144 carries despite sharing time with Foster. KR as well, but may not be in team's plans as a starter now that Foster is gone.

 

28. Marcedes Lewis TE JAC Started all 16 games in 07 after doing so three times in 06. Caught 37 balls for 391 yards in Jags run first offense. Sizable target who isn't quite the same caliber blocker as he is a receiver.

 

29. Nick Mangold C NYJ Jets went OL for second time in Round 1 with Ohio State product. Drew praise and more than held his own in rookie season. Played extemely well in 06, allowing only 0.5 sacks. Will be Jets C for many years.

 

30. Joseph Addai RB IND After splitting time with Dominic Rhodes in the Colts backfield, became the starter in 2007. Started 15 games last year and ran for 1072 yards with 12 TD's. More than replaced Edgerrin James, who left in FA two years ago. Has 81 catches in those two seasons, with perhaps the biggest against NE last November.

 

31. Kelly Jennings CB SEA Started 15 of 16 games in 2007 aftter only 2 starts the previous year. Had no interceptions this past season, with one in 2006. Behind Marcus Trufant and others on the depth chart. Played key role in 2006 playoff game versus Dallas when he held Terry Glenn to 4 catches for 41 yards

 

32. Mathias Kiwanuka DE/OLB NYG Has 18 career starts, though was injured in November 07. 8.5 career sacks. Gives Giants flexibility should Michael Strahan retire, and can play DE and LB effectively. 2 INT's in 2006.

 

 

Several up and coming players went in 2006's first round. Some (Cromartie, Mario Williams, Mangold) are already excellent players. Still need another season to properly evaluate these picks, but many are sure to improve in 2008.

[Oneonta Buffalo Fan]

This is pretty good. Did you get this from a link or did you write all of this. Nevertheless, impressive information here.

[The Rev.Mattb74 ESQ.]

Very nice post.

[bananathumb]

Your summary of Ngata's achievemens so far sort of shows that we "know-nothing" draftniks who were pounding the drum for the Bills to select him maybe knew what we were doing. Sometimes, it's obvious.

 

Not this year though.

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

Your summary of Ngata's achievemens so far sort of shows that we "know-nothing" draftniks who were pounding the drum for the Bills to select him maybe knew what we were doing. Sometimes, it's obvious.

 

Not this year though.

I wanted Ngata in the worst way, I thought that pick was a no-brainer. I was shocked that we went with a safety at #8.

[BillsVet]

Despite my personal feelings about the Whitner pick, I wanted to be neutral in assessing the 06 draft for this post.

 

Sometimes it's lost just who is selected on draft day, and how they pan out. Ngata is a fine player, certainly the type of DT many teams want. Whitner was the Bills guy in 06, and it's not going to change.

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

Despite my personal feelings about the Whitner pick, I wanted to be neutral in assessing the 06 draft for this post.

 

Sometimes it's lost just who is selected on draft day, and how they pan out. Ngata is a fine player, certainly the type of DT many teams want. Whitner was the Bills guy in 06, and it's not going to change.

Hind sight is 20/20. But I felt then that a run stuffing DT was an urgent need for us. In all honesty though, at the time I wanted either Ngata OR Bunkley. So far it looks like Ngata was a FAR better pick. I think Jauron favored a safety because that's his background and I pray that he doesn't go with a DB again with the first round pick.

[lets_go_bills]

I was for Ngata too. Whitner was a surprise. Some had us taking Bunkley too. We ended up with a DT in McCargo who flashed some brilliance last year. With Stroud next to him there's no reason to think he won't emerge.

[BillsVet]

Looking back at the 2006 draft, I had issues with the Bills' strategy. This has been discussed ad infinitum, but for the sake of this post, I decided to avoid any Whitner versus Ngata debate in my recap.

 

Fact is, the Bills wanted a safety, and only Whitner's play has been close or at respectable. Jason Allen and Michael Huff have disappointed thus far, though both played on very poor defenses as well.