A look back at the 2006 Draft

[WVUFootball29]

2006 NFL Draft review

 

1. Mario Williams – Houston: 4.5 sacks in his rookie year, 26 sacks between 07 and 08. Maybe the Texans were justified in taking him over Bush.

 

2. Reggie Bush – Saints: Has shown some flashes on the field, but injuries have kept him from living up to his Heisman-Hype. Bush is working hard to turn things around in 2009

 

3. Vince Young – Tennessee: Helped the Titans to the playoffs in his rookie campaign. Now is the posterchild for Zoloft in the NFL. I bet he agreed with Dick Jauron that it is “hard to win in the NFL”

 

4. D’Brickashaw Ferguson – NY Jets: Started every game since being draft. A true force on the offensive line.

 

5. AJ Hawk – Green Bay: Also started every game since being drafted. 228 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 3 INTs, and 2 FFs so far in his young career.

 

6. Vernon Davis – San Francisco: Workout Warrior that hasn’t lived up to the hype in San Francisco. Instability in offensive coaches and lack of true QB could partially be to blame in this instance.

 

7. Michael Huff – Oakland: The speedy DB out of Texas hasn’t really panned out in Oakland, losing his starting job and is now on the verge of being released.

 

8. Donte Whitner – Buffalo: Viewed as a reach by many draft experts, Whitner has been good, but not great on a Buffalo defense that has been good, but not great over the past few years. A breakout season is needed to silence his critics and to shake the reach moniker.

 

9. Ernie Sims – Detroit: A tackling machine with 372 tackles to his credit, but when you are on the field most of the day, its pretty easy to rack up those kind of numbers.

 

10. Matt Leinart – Arizona: The only hype he has lived up to so far in Phoenix is his party boy lifestyle. Unseated by Kurt Warner, Leinart will have a lot of work to do to get back in the driver’s seat

 

11. Jay Cutler – Denver: Denver finally found a suitable successor to John Elway and then traded him to Chicago after irreconcilable differences with new coach Josh ‘Wunderkind’ McDaniels. On his way to being a top 10 QB in the NFL.

 

12. Haloti Ngata – Baltimore: Has emerged as one of the best defensive tackles in the league today. With the departure of Rex Ryan, will he still perform at such an elite level?

 

13. Kamerion Wimbley – Cleveland: Had a breakout season with 11 sacks in 2006, he since has only managed 9 sacks in 2 seasons. Perhaps Mangini can find the player that he was in 2006.

 

14. Brodrick Bunkley – Philadelphia: Viewed as a workout warrior at the draft, Bunkley has been quieting his critics and is becoming one of the better DTs in the league.

 

15. Tye Hill – St.Louis: Injuries have kept him from becoming a superstar, or even a reliable starter. Hill had 3 interceptions in his rookie campaign and also started 10 games.

 

16. Jason Allen – Miami: 103 tackles and 5 INTs for this utility defensive back so far. Has seen an increased role in the defense since Parcells has come to town.

 

17. Chad Greenway – Minnesota: Tore his ACL and missed his entire rookie season, Greenway has since rebounded and has become a very reliable starter in MN with over 130 tackles in each of the past 2 seasons.

 

18. Bobby Carpenter – Dallas: 50 tackles and 1.5 sacks over 3 seasons gives Carpenter the bust label. How much longer will he keep a roster spot in Dallas?

 

19. Antonio Cromartie – San Diego: Led the NFL with 10 INTs in 2007, played nearly all of 2008 with a broken hip. Cromartie is emerging as one of the top young DBs in the NFL. Look for a big year from him if that hip is fully recovered.

 

20. Tamba Hali – Kansas City: Hali has only missed one game in his NFL career and recorded 18 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. How he will fit into the 3-4 system in 2009 remains to be seen.

 

21. Laurence Maroney – New England*: Productive when healthy, injuries have hampered Maroney’s career so much that Fred Taylor was brought in for stability.

 

22. Manny Lawson – San Francisco: 5.5 sacks and a torn ACL so far for Lawson. Without Mario Williams to draw protection, Lawson has looked very pedestrian in the NFL.

 

23. Davin Joseph – Tampa Bay: Pro Bowl alternate in 2008, Joseph has become part of the foundation of the TB line.

 

24. Jonathan Joseph – Cincinnati: Another Bengal with off the field troubles and injury issues. Joseph has shown potential and not much else.

 

25. Santonio Holmes – Pittsburgh: Antwan Randle-El who? Holmes was the 2009 Super Bowl MVP and is one of the premier speed WRs in the NFL.

 

26. John McCargo – Buffalo: Injuries galore and inconsistent play when healthy, McCargo has yet to do anything productive in the NFL. New DL coach Bob Sanders seems to have relit the spark in John, but we’ll wait to see what he does on the field.

 

27. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina: Panther’s single season rushing record holder with 1,515 yards and 18 TDs in 2008 while splitting time with Jonathan Stewart, Williams is one of the most reliable backs in the NFL.

 

28. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville: Due to injuries on the offensive line, Lewis has been called upon to be an extra blocker on the field taking away from his pass catching abilities for which he was highly touted for coming out of UCLA.

 

29. Nick Mangold – NY Jets: Like Ferguson, Mangold has started every game since 2006. One of the best in the game and should be for a long time to come.

 

30. Joseph Addai – Indianapolis: Fast starter earning a Pro Bowl nomination in 2007. He has seen been slowed by injuries leading the Colts to select Donald Brown in this year’s draft

 

31. Kelly Jennings – Seattle: A consistent player for the Seahawks, but his overall production has been a bit lacking.

 

32. Mathias Kiwanuka – NY Giants: Has steadily improved his numbers every year. 16.5 sacks and 150 tackles so far, but will Kiwanuka see less playing time with the amount of talent the Giants have added on defense?

[Peter Griffin]

Oh My God!!!!

 

We could have had Ngata and Mangold instead of Whiff-ner and McCargo. Why wasn't I informed of this!!!

[Glass To The Arson]

wow we suck at scouting

 

I want Ngata

[buffaloaggie]

Jauron was around, so of course we took a DB. I'm waiting for the Bills to line up 11 DB's one day.

[VJ91]

2006 NFL Draft review

 

...8. Donte Whitner – Buffalo: Viewed as a reach by many draft experts, Whitner has been good, but not great on a Buffalo defense that has been good, but not great over the past few years. A breakout season is needed to silence his critics and to shake the reach moniker....

 

And the following players would have been way better still on the board instead of Whitner at number 8......

 

9. Ernie Sims – Detroit: A tackling machine with 372 tackles to his credit, but when you are on the field most of the day, its pretty easy to rack up those kind of numbers.

 

11. Jay Cutler – Denver: Denver finally found a suitable successor to John Elway and then traded him to Chicago after irreconcilable differences with new coach Josh ‘Wunderkind’ McDaniels. On his way to being a top 10 QB in the NFL.

 

12. Haloti Ngata – Baltimore: Has emerged as one of the best defensive tackles in the league today. With the departure of Rex Ryan, will he still perform at such an elite level?

 

14. Brodrick Bunkley – Philadelphia: Viewed as a workout warrior at the draft, Bunkley has been quieting his critics and is becoming one of the better DTs in the league.

 

19. Antonio Cromartie – San Diego: Led the NFL with 10 INTs in 2007, played nearly all of 2008 with a broken hip. Cromartie is emerging as one of the top young DBs in the NFL. Look for a big year from him if that hip is fully recovered.

 

20. Tamba Hali – Kansas City: Hali has only missed one game in his NFL career and recorded 18 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. How he will fit into the 3-4 system in 2009 remains to be seen.

 

23. Davin Joseph – Tampa Bay: Pro Bowl alternate in 2008, Joseph has become part of the foundation of the TB line.

 

25. Santonio Holmes – Pittsburgh: Antwan Randle-El who? Holmes was the 2009 Super Bowl MVP and is one of the premier speed WRs in the NFL.

 

27. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina: Panther’s single season rushing record holder with 1,515 yards and 18 TDs in 2008 while splitting time with Jonathan Stewart, Williams is one of the most reliable backs in the NFL.

 

29. Nick Mangold – NY Jets: Like Ferguson, Mangold has started every game since 2006. One of the best in the game and should be for a long time to come.

 

Of course hindsight is always 20-20, and every fan of every team can do this every 3 years. But what really pisses me off is to see how good Mangold and Davin Joseph have become, as late first round draft picks - thank God the Bills finally drafted OL in the first few rounds this past spring!!

[ans4e64]

I never understood how people were saying before the draft that the Texans should not take Reggie Bush because they already Dominic Davis, but then nobody ragged on New Orleans for taking Bush when they had Deuce McAllister.

 

It wasn't ok for the Texans to take Bush, but it was for the Saints? They had a better RB, and their defense sucked just as bad.

[WVUFootball29]

I never understood how people were saying before the draft that the Texans should not take Reggie Bush because they already Dominic Davis, but then nobody ragged on New Orleans for taking Bush when they had Deuce McAllister.

 

It wasn't ok for the Texans to take Bush, but it was for the Saints? They had a better RB, and their defense sucked just as bad.

 

I think for the most part, the NFL and the majority of fans wanted Bush in N'Orleans because of Katrina and the fact that Benson was about to move them. The Saints needed a draw and Bush was the back du jour with his name in lights everywhere. Bush was supposed to be some sort of game revolutionizing savior. Couple that with the fact that no one cared about the Texans at the time.

[R. Rich]

1. Mario Williams – Houston: 4.5 sacks in his rookie year, 26 sacks between 07 and 08. Maybe the Texans were justified in taking him over Bush.

 

And, he got those 4.5 sacks on one good leg, as he was struggling w/ the foot injury his rookie season. You see what the guy can do when healthy. And yet, all the experts just knew he was going to be a bust.

 

2. Reggie Bush – Saints: Has shown some flashes on the field, but injuries have kept him from living up to his Heisman-Hype. Bush is working hard to turn things around in 2009

 

Bush isn't a bad player @ all. He's just not going to be what everyone thought he'd be. I've said numerous times that he's best suited to be a flanker type back, much like Raghib Ismail was for that school back in the day. And like Ismail, Bush is just as explosive. But, he's just not suited to be an every down, 20-25 carries per game RB. That doesn't mean he's a bust. If he can stay healthy and they get solid production from an every down back (if they can find one to stay healthy), he'll continue to cause matchup problems and give the team game breaking ability.

[WVUFootball29]

Bush isn't a bad player @ all. He's just not going to be what everyone thought he'd be. I've said numerous times that he's best suited to be a flanker type back, much like Raghib Ismail was for that school back in the day. And like Ismail, Bush is just as explosive. But, he's just not suited to be an every down, 20-25 carries per game RB. That doesn't mean he's a bust. If he can stay healthy and they get solid production from an every down back (if they can find one to stay healthy), he'll continue to cause matchup problems and give the team game breaking ability.

 

Agree completely. He's a good player if used correctly. He'll never been a feature back because he can't take the pounding, and that has been evident over the past 2 seasons. However, move him around the field and make defenses account for him on every play and now you've got something to work with.

[ans4e64]

And, he got those 4.5 sacks on one good leg, as he was struggling w/ the foot injury his rookie season. You see what the guy can do when healthy. And yet, all the experts just knew he was going to be a bust.

 

 

 

Bush isn't a bad player @ all. He's just not going to be what everyone thought he'd be. I've said numerous times that he's best suited to be a flanker type back, much like Raghib Ismail was for that school back in the day. And like Ismail, Bush is just as explosive. But, he's just not suited to be an every down, 20-25 carries per game RB. That doesn't mean he's a bust. If he can stay healthy and they get solid production from an every down back (if they can find one to stay healthy), he'll continue to cause matchup problems and give the team game breaking ability.

 

I agree, he's not a bad player, but remember that he was picked #2 overall in the entire draft.

 

I'm sorry, but having the #2 draft pick overall and selecting a guy who turned out to be a flanker back that can't carry the ball 20 times a game, and will have to be the #3 RB on your depth chart, is a bust to me. #2 overall should be a lot more of a player on your offense than a 3rd string, change of pace back.

[MikeSpeed]

Based solely on your comments (which I think are pretty accurate) it appears that this draft's first round wasn't very good. You indicate that only 14 of the 32 first rounder’s have played up to the draft position. 12 have played well below their draft station, and 6 have played at an average starter's level. I would think first round picks would have a better than 44% success rate?

[oddoublee]

Based solely on your comments (which I think are pretty accurate) it appears that this draft's first round wasn't very good. You indicate that only 14 of the 32 first rounder’s have played up to the draft position. 12 have played well below their draft station, and 6 have played at an average starter's level. I would think first round picks would have a better than 44% success rate?

 

no...that actually was a pretty good draft year.

 

everyone-for all of those who are expecting big production out of maybin....remember it takes a while for young DE's to figure it out....mario williams of all DE's is a great case study for that

[oddoublee]

http://www.drafthistory.com/

[WVUFootball29]

Double hit it right on the head. The draft is really a crapshoot in a number of ways, who's talent transfers over to the pro game, who fits right in which scheme, who's going to get hurt. You just never know whats going to happen. I bet if we took the time to break it down the % of successful and unsuccessful players by round, the percentage would only drop slightly, my guess is from about 45% in the 1st round down to about 30% in the 7th

[billsfan89]

One dissagreement with the draft analysis is of pick 4 Fergueson. I live in NJ and see a lot of Jets games and he has played every game but he is no where near the player they thought he was when he was drafted. He is an average LT in the game. He is a guy who can hold his own against average pass rushers but he needs a tightend or full back to help him handle the better pass rushers in the game.

 

Fergueson isn't a bad player but he isn't a top ten guy at his position I would say that there are at least 12-14 LT's better than him. Hardly the anchor they envisioned when they drafted him at number 4. Not that it matters but when I looked at his description I said thats giving him too much credit.

 

As for the Bills I would have went with Ngata and Mangold. We were in bad need of help up front and those guys were exactly what we were looking for. Ngata steps in and takes over for Pat Williams and Sam Adams and Ngata anchors the D-line. Mangold would have addressed a need we have had for so long. Mangold was once again exactly what we needed,

 

I can forgive the Whitner pick because they picked up Stroud and Whitner is at least a solid player at his position. But to not get Mangold was a horrible decision. Even if Hangartner develops into a solid center he will never be as good as Mangold.

[Fan in San Diego]

Ya the scouting department blew that draft. We should have taken Ngata and Cromartie

[Cynical]

Jauron was around, so of course we took a DB. I'm waiting for the Bills to line up 11 DB's one day.

 

Jauron is going to call it the "Wild Bill". It will be used in defense of the Wild Cat.

[WVUFootball29]

One dissagreement with the draft analysis is of pick 4 Fergueson. I live in NJ and see a lot of Jets games and he has played every game but he is no where near the player they thought he was when he was drafted. He is an average LT in the game. He is a guy who can hold his own against average pass rushers but he needs a tightend or full back to help him handle the better pass rushers in the game.

 

Fergueson isn't a bad player but he isn't a top ten guy at his position I would say that there are at least 12-14 LT's better than him. Hardly the anchor they envisioned when they drafted him at number 4. Not that it matters but when I looked at his description I said thats giving him too much credit.

 

As for the Bills I would have went with Ngata and Mangold. We were in bad need of help up front and those guys were exactly what we were looking for. Ngata steps in and takes over for Pat Williams and Sam Adams and Ngata anchors the D-line. Mangold would have addressed a need we have had for so long. Mangold was once again exactly what we needed,

 

I can forgive the Whitner pick because they picked up Stroud and Whitner is at least a solid player at his position. But to not get Mangold was a horrible decision. Even if Hangartner develops into a solid center he will never be as good as Mangold.

 

Cmon man, the guy has started every game in 3 seasons in the league. If that's not the epitome of first round talent, I don't know what is

[Steely Dan]

2006 NFL Draft review

 

1. Mario Williams – Houston: 4.5 sacks in his rookie year, 26 sacks between 07 and 08. Maybe the Texans were justified in taking him over Bush.

 

2. Reggie Bush – Saints: Has shown some flashes on the field, but injuries have kept him from living up to his Heisman-Hype. Bush is working hard to turn things around in 2009

 

3. Vince Young – Tennessee: Helped the Titans to the playoffs in his rookie campaign. Now is the posterchild for Zoloft in the NFL. I bet he agreed with Dick Jauron that it is “hard to win in the NFL”

 

4. D’Brickashaw Ferguson – NY Jets: Started every game since being draft. A true force on the offensive line.

 

5. AJ Hawk – Green Bay: Also started every game since being drafted. 228 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 3 INTs, and 2 FFs so far in his young career.

 

6. Vernon Davis – San Francisco: Workout Warrior that hasn’t lived up to the hype in San Francisco. Instability in offensive coaches and lack of true QB could partially be to blame in this instance.

 

7. Michael Huff – Oakland: The speedy DB out of Texas hasn’t really panned out in Oakland, losing his starting job and is now on the verge of being released.

 

8. Donte Whitner – Buffalo: Viewed as a reach by many draft experts, Whitner has been good, but not great on a Buffalo defense that has been good, but not great over the past few years. A breakout season is needed to silence his critics and to shake the reach moniker.

 

9. Ernie Sims – Detroit: A tackling machine with 372 tackles to his credit, but when you are on the field most of the day, its pretty easy to rack up those kind of numbers.

 

10. Matt Leinart – Arizona: The only hype he has lived up to so far in Phoenix is his party boy lifestyle. Unseated by Kurt Warner, Leinart will have a lot of work to do to get back in the driver’s seat

 

11. Jay Cutler – Denver: Denver finally found a suitable successor to John Elway and then traded him to Chicago after irreconcilable differences with new coach Josh ‘Wunderkind’ McDaniels. On his way to being a top 10 QB in the NFL.

 

12. Haloti Ngata – Baltimore: Has emerged as one of the best defensive tackles in the league today. With the departure of Rex Ryan, will he still perform at such an elite level?

 

13. Kamerion Wimbley – Cleveland: Had a breakout season with 11 sacks in 2006, he since has only managed 9 sacks in 2 seasons. Perhaps Mangini can find the player that he was in 2006.

 

14. Brodrick Bunkley – Philadelphia: Viewed as a workout warrior at the draft, Bunkley has been quieting his critics and is becoming one of the better DTs in the league.

 

15. Tye Hill – St.Louis: Injuries have kept him from becoming a superstar, or even a reliable starter. Hill had 3 interceptions in his rookie campaign and also started 10 games.

 

16. Jason Allen – Miami: 103 tackles and 5 INTs for this utility defensive back so far. Has seen an increased role in the defense since Parcells has come to town.

 

17. Chad Greenway – Minnesota: Tore his ACL and missed his entire rookie season, Greenway has since rebounded and has become a very reliable starter in MN with over 130 tackles in each of the past 2 seasons.

 

18. Bobby Carpenter – Dallas: 50 tackles and 1.5 sacks over 3 seasons gives Carpenter the bust label. How much longer will he keep a roster spot in Dallas?

 

19. Antonio Cromartie – San Diego: Led the NFL with 10 INTs in 2007, played nearly all of 2008 with a broken hip. Cromartie is emerging as one of the top young DBs in the NFL. Look for a big year from him if that hip is fully recovered.

 

20. Tamba Hali – Kansas City: Hali has only missed one game in his NFL career and recorded 18 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. How he will fit into the 3-4 system in 2009 remains to be seen.

 

21. Laurence Maroney – New England*: Productive when healthy, injuries have hampered Maroney’s career so much that Fred Taylor was brought in for stability.

 

22. Manny Lawson – San Francisco: 5.5 sacks and a torn ACL so far for Lawson. Without Mario Williams to draw protection, Lawson has looked very pedestrian in the NFL.

 

23. Davin Joseph – Tampa Bay: Pro Bowl alternate in 2008, Joseph has become part of the foundation of the TB line.

 

24. Jonathan Joseph – Cincinnati: Another Bengal with off the field troubles and injury issues. Joseph has shown potential and not much else.

 

25. Santonio Holmes – Pittsburgh: Antwan Randle-El who? Holmes was the 2009 Super Bowl MVP and is one of the premier speed WRs in the NFL.

 

26. John McCargo – Buffalo: Injuries galore and inconsistent play when healthy, McCargo has yet to do anything productive in the NFL. New DL coach Bob Sanders seems to have relit the spark in John, but we’ll wait to see what he does on the field.

 

27. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina: Panther’s single season rushing record holder with 1,515 yards and 18 TDs in 2008 while splitting time with Jonathan Stewart, Williams is one of the most reliable backs in the NFL.

 

28. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville: Due to injuries on the offensive line, Lewis has been called upon to be an extra blocker on the field taking away from his pass catching abilities for which he was highly touted for coming out of UCLA.

 

29. Nick Mangold – NY Jets: Like Ferguson, Mangold has started every game since 2006. One of the best in the game and should be for a long time to come.

 

30. Joseph Addai – Indianapolis: Fast starter earning a Pro Bowl nomination in 2007. He has seen been slowed by injuries leading the Colts to select Donald Brown in this year’s draft

 

31. Kelly Jennings – Seattle: A consistent player for the Seahawks, but his overall production has been a bit lacking.

 

32. Mathias Kiwanuka – NY Giants: Has steadily improved his numbers every year. 16.5 sacks and 150 tackles so far, but will Kiwanuka see less playing time with the amount of talent the Giants have added on defense?

 

Nice writeup, thanks!

 

 

I never understood how people were saying before the draft that the Texans should not take Reggie Bush because they already Dominic Davis, but then nobody ragged on New Orleans for taking Bush when they had Deuce McAllister.

 

It wasn't ok for the Texans to take Bush, but it was for the Saints? They had a better RB, and their defense sucked just as bad.

 

It was definitely the right decision for the Texans and time has justified the decision.

 

 

I agree, he's not a bad player, but remember that he was picked #2 overall in the entire draft.

 

I'm sorry, but having the #2 draft pick overall and selecting a guy who turned out to be a flanker back that can't carry the ball 20 times a game, and will have to be the #3 RB on your depth chart, is a bust to me. #2 overall should be a lot more of a player on your offense than a 3rd string, change of pace back.

 

I wouldn't say #3 but #2. Bush has not played every game in a season yet so comparison is hard to do but here are Bush's stats.

 

Here are Fred Jackson's stats.

 

Jackson has a .6 advantage in average rushing per attempt average and a .1 advantage in avg. reception.

 

When strength of QB that each player has been playing with the advantage has to go to Jackson, IMO, and I don't think that's a homer opinion.

 

One a #2 overall pick the other a UFA.

[ans4e64]

It was definitely the right decision for the Texans and time has justified the decision.

 

I'm not saying the Texans were wrong in their pick, I'm wondering why the Saints weren't questioned for picking Bush as a luxury like the Texans were.

 

 

I wouldn't say #3 but #2. Bush has not played every game in a season yet so comparison is hard to do but here are Bush's stats.

 

Here are Fred Jackson's stats.

 

Jackson has a .6 advantage in average rushing per attempt average and a .1 advantage in avg. reception.

 

When strength of QB that each player has been playing with the advantage has to go to Jackson, IMO, and I don't think that's a homer opinion.

 

One a #2 overall pick the other a UFA.

 

Bush was their #3 RB.

 

Deuce McAllister was their starter. He got hurt. Who was the starter next? Pierre Thomas. Bush was after Thomas, a.k.a #3 RB.