2004: Worst First Round Ever?

[HoosierCat]

I saw a note this afternoon on PFT about RB Kevin Jones -- who went to Detroit 4 picks after RB Chris Perry was selected by the Bengals -- getting booted by the Lions. I was going to do up a post asking who everyone thought was the bigger bust, just to kill time, but in glancing over the first round of the 2004 draft, it occurred to me that, wow, this was, generally speaking, an awful first round. Let's review:

1 QB Eli Manning, Giants. OK, obviously a great pick for the Giants. Except that, of course, this pick was by the Chargers! The Giants would eventually draft Phillip Rivers at 4, then swap QBs with San Diego. Great deal for NY...for SD, not so much.

2 OT Robert Gallery, Raiders. Bust.

3 WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals. OK, that worked out pretty well.

4 QB Phillip Rivers, Chargers. See first entry above.

5 DB Sean Taylor, Redskins. Rest in peace, Sean.

6 ThE F**king Soldier, Browns. Wrecks his career on a crotch rocket.

7 WR Roy Williams, Lions. Bust.

8 DB DeAngelo Hall, Falcons. Average player. Currently on trade block.

9 WR Reggie Williams, Jaguars. Borderline bust. Showed some flashes last season finally with 10 TD grabs, but still just 629 yards on 38 catches ("career highs").

10 DB Dunta Robinson, Texans. Bust. Tore hammy & ACL last season. Expected to start 2008 on PUP.

11 QB Ben Toothlessburger, Steelers. Sucks but wins.

12 LB Jonathan Vilma, Jets. Bust.

13 WR Lee Evans, Bills. Decent pickup. Only 1 1,000+ yard season in 4 tries but averages better than 7 TDs/year. Still, 13th overall is high for a guy who puts up No. 2 wideout numbers.

14 DT Tommie Harris, Bears. Pro Bowl player...when healthy. Has struggled some over the last two seasons, missing 4 games and 8 starts after going 32 for 32 his first two years. Still, less work seems to translate to more sacks, with Harris recording 6.5 in his first two years, versus 13 for the last two.

15 WR Michael Clayton, Buccaneers. Bust. (Tho that's arguably due to the Bucs' hopeless QB mess.)

16 OT Shawn Andrews, Eagles. Currently listed at guard. Good player but we have his brother at guard and we took him in the 4th...

17 LB DJ Williams, Broncos. ...and we took Landon Johnson in the 3rd...

18 DE Will Smith, Saints. ...unfortunately we also took Justin Smith fourth overall. The Saints at least waited until 18.

19 OG Vernon Carey, Dolphins. Shifted to OT, solid starter the past two years.

20 DE Kenechi Udeze, Vikings. 11 sacks in 4 years. Currently undergoing chemo for leukemia, not expected to play in 2008, get well soon.

21 DT Vince Wilfork, Patriots. L'il Bill finds a rose in the crap pile, as usual.

22 QB JP Losman, Bills. Bust.

23 DT Marcus Tubbs, Seahawks. Bust.

24 RB Steven Jackson, Rams. Only good RB selection of the first round.

25 CB Ahmad Carroll, Packers. Bust(ed). Now an Orlando Predator.

26 RB Chris Perry, Bengals. Bust.

27 DE Jason Babin, Texans. Bust. Now in Seattle.

28 CB Chris Gamble, Panthers. Going downhill. After posting 13 picks in his first two years, has just 4 in the last two. Has missed a little time each year, too.

29 WR Michael Jenkins, Falcons. Another guy taken in the 1st who puts up No. 2/3 wideout numbers. Of course under Vick the Falcons weren't exactly a pass-first team.

30 RB Kevin Jones, Lions. Bust. Reportedly cut loose today.

31 WR Rashaun Woods, 49ers. Bust. Cut by Niners, Chargers, not sure if he's even still in football.

32 TE Ben Watson, Patriots. Solid contributor...when healthy. Has missed 23 games in 4 years.

[NJ29]

Jonathan Vilma a bust? He was great player before they converted to the 3-4, where he didn't fit, like half of the Jets' defense. I wouldn't call Roy Williams a bust either.

[HoosierCat]

Jonathan Vilma a bust? He was great player before they converted to the 3-4, where he didn't fit, like half of the Jets' defense. I wouldn't call Roy Williams a bust either.

Vilma might benefit from the change in scenery but the bottom line is he had a decent rookie campaign and since then has gone downhill, bottoming out in a nasty injury in 2007. In any event, as far as the Jets are concerned, that has to go down as a blown pick.

As for Williams, he's gotten over 1,000 yards once (2006). Also the only season he's actually played all 16 games. His TD totals have been falling since his sophomore year. And he's currently at odds with the Lions FO: they refuse to deal him and he says he won't sign any contract with Detroit after his rookie deal is up (after this season). I think you want more than that out of the No. 7 overall.

[BengalszoneBilly]

As much as I abhor the Steelers, I just can't say that Roethlisberger "sucks". Well outside of Super Bowl games that is. His putrid 22.6 QB rating against the Seahawks will stand for a long, long time.

[HoosierCat]

As much as I abhor the Steelers, I just can't say that Roethlisberger "sucks". Well outside of Super Bowl games that is. His putrid 22.6 QB rating against the Seahawks will stand for a long, long time.

It is a classic, and that's exactly what I was thinking of. But yes, Big Ben was definitely a good pick for Pitt, and has certainly lived up to his first-round billing. That said, I have to wonder what his career might have looked like had he not been drafted by a team that already had a good defense, running game and offensive line -- say, Detroit. Someplace where he would have had to throw a lot.

That actually seems to be a bit of a theme to '04's first round. As RoverD suggested, Vilma might be a pro bowler today if he'd been drafted by a team -- say, the Bengals -- which stuck with a 4-3 the last four seasons. Just about every first-round wide receiver went to a team that struggled at QB in the ensuing years (Lions, Jags, Bills, Bucs, Falcons & Niners). What would Lee Evans have looked like in Indy, or Roy Williams catching balls from Palmer?

[BengalszoneBilly]

As much as I abhor the Steelers, I just can't say that Roethlisberger "sucks". Well outside of Super Bowl games that is. His putrid 22.6 QB rating against the Seahawks will stand for a long, long time.

It is a classic, and that's exactly what I was thinking of. But yes, Big Ben was definitely a good pick for Pitt, and has certainly lived up to his first-round billing. That said, I have to wonder what his career might have looked like had he not been drafted by a team that already had a good defense, running game and offensive line -- say, Detroit. Someplace where he would have had to throw a lot.

That actually seems to be a bit of a theme to '04's first round. As RoverD suggested, Vilma might be a pro bowler today if he'd been drafted by a team -- say, the Bengals -- which stuck with a 4-3 the last four seasons. Just about every first-round wide receiver went to a team that struggled at QB in the ensuing years (Lions, Jags, Bills, Bucs, Falcons & Niners). What would Lee Evans have looked like in Indy, or Roy Williams catching balls from Palmer?

Good points indeed. Especially the one made about him playing with a team that already had a good defense. You can never go wrong there.

[chrishcovga]

The draft of '04 has turned out to be a complete bust for us except Robert Geathers and Stacy Andrews !!

I just want someone for the life of me to explain to me how WE PASSED UP ON THE TOP RATED RUNNING BACK IN THE

DRAFT TO DRAFT CHRIS PERRY THE 3RD RATED RUNNING BACK BEHIND KEVIN JONES EVEN !!

- THIS IS KARMA ....

- STEPHEN JACKSON FALLS INTO YOUR LAP AT #24 EVEN AFTER WE MADE THE TRADE DOWN WITH THE BRONCOS, AND WE STILL LET HIM GO ?????

...WTF MAN.... WTF .....