Who's gotten the most from their rookies this year? (1 Viewer)

[Mungo Burrows]

I continue to be amazed at how many Ravens rookies have been consistently productive this year. I find the fact they have been so successful with this many rookies making regular contributions to be amazing. Gotta love Ozzie Newsome! (Round selected in parens)

(1) Haloti Ngata - full time starter at DT

(5) Dawan Landry - full-time starter at S

(6) Sam Koch - Punter

(4) Demetrius Williams - #3 WR

(2) Chris Chester - started several games at RG

(UFA) Ronnie Prude - frequent contributor at CB in nickel/dime packages

(UFA) Cory Ross - taking over as PR/KR with Sams injury

(5) Quinn Sypneiwski - frequently plays at TE (mostly blocking), especially with Wilcox injured.

I may have missed someone as well.

I haven't really looked at other teams to see if there are any other teams with similar contributions. Off the top of my head, the Saints come to mind with Colston, Bush and Jahri Evans, but I don't know how many other rookies they've got in regular rotation.

I'd be interested to hear how other teams' rookie classes compare.

 

[menobrown]

To answer the question the Saints have got the most. They might not have the numbers but Bush and Colston are enough.

I'd put the Texas over the Ravens as well. Yes, they blew it not picking Bush or even VY but Williams, Ryans, Lundy and Winston all start.

 

[NYRAGE]

Jets

1 - Brick Ferguson - starting LT

1 - Mangold - starting C

2. - Clemens - #2 QB

3- Schlegal - special teams - not playing LB yet

3 - Eric Smith - contributor on nickel/dime packages

4 - Brad Smith - plays as 4th WR and has special sitution plays. e.g direct snaps -standout on special teams

4 - Leon Washington - part of RB rotation and special teams

5 - Jason Posiack - pre-season injury, on IR

6. Drew Coleman - has started at CB, part of cornerback packages

7. Titus Adams - plucked off practice squad by the Giants

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

The Bills could easily make the list, too. They played opening day with 5 starters, all on D, and most have been starting ever since.

 

[bshipper]

Let me throw out the Bengals as another option. They have had several injuries and other issues, and the rookies have filled in well, especially Joseph, Whitworth and Peko.

1st - Jonathan Joseph - now starting, future stud

2nd - Andrew Whitworth - HUGE task of replacing Levi Jones at LT and has only given up 1 sack I believe

3rd - Frostee Rucker - IR

4th - Domata Peko - in the starting rotation at DT

5th - AJ Nicholson - injured

6th - Reggie McNeal - well, not much

7th - Ethan Kilmer - great special teams and spot duty as DB

7th - Bennie Brazell - IR

Supp. - Ahmad Brooks - filled in well for depleted LB corps, still learning

CFL - Rashad Jeanty - excellent job at OLB

FA - Glenn Holt - returning kicks in replace of injured Tab Perry

 

[Chaos Commish]

Jets

1 - Brick Ferguson - starting LT

1 - Mangold - starting C

2. - Clemens - #2 QB

3- Schlegal - special teams - not playing LB yet

3 - Eric Smith - contributor on nickel/dime packages

4 - Brad Smith - plays as 4th WR and has special sitution plays. e.g direct snaps -standout on special teams

4 - Leon Washington - part of RB rotation and special teams

5 - Jason Posiack - pre-season injury, on IR

6. Drew Coleman - has started at CB, part of cornerback packages

7. Titus Adams - plucked off practice squad by the Giants

Draft TrackerI'd like to see every team broken down like the Jets above.

Here's Dallas:

1. Carpenter, Bobby - Ugh. Couldn't handle OLB, learing ILB, may be huge bust, may come around next year.

2. Fasano, Anthony - Working out nicely.

3. Hatcher, Jason - In the rotation and a real beast for the 3-4 DE slot. A great pick I criticized at the time.

4. Green, Skyler - Bad pick. They drop him and resign him every other week. Won't stick.

5. Watkins, Pat - Earned starting job, lost it, still getting snaps. A good pick with future, imo.

6. Stanley, Montavious - Bust.

7. McQuistan, Pat - Looks like a value pick who will develop very nicely.

7. Whitley, E.J. - Probably won't stick but got hurt in preseason and was IRed.

 

[Jene Bramel]

While the selections of Frostee Rucker and AJ Nicholson still leave very much to be desired, the Bengals have gotten some important contributions from first year players.

Johnathan Joseph CB (Rd 1 2006) -- Emerging as the best corner on the team down the stretch. Big contributor to the team's improvement in getting off the field on third downs over the past three weeks.

Andrew Whitworth OT (Rd 2 2006) -- Huge lift at LT with Levi Jones out. Has held some serious pass rushers, including Terrell Suggs, quiet. Team stats have him giving up only one sack in nine games. Bengals were fussy that the Cowboys leapfrogged them to get Anthony Fasano; it may turn out to be very, very fortuitous. Whitworth may make the likely loss of Eric Steinbach in UFA this offseason much easier to take.

Domato Peko DT (Rd 4 2006) -- Important part of the rotation at DT. Will start next year.

Ethan Kilmer DB (Rd 7 2006) -- Laughed at during the draft, Kilmer has been a vital part of kick coverage and added a key INT return for a TD against the Saints.

Rashad Jeanty SLB (Canadian league FA signed last summer) -- Very underrated player and another key part in the Bengals defensive improvement against the run over the past five weeks. Since his return the Bengals have held opposing rushers (save LT) pretty much in check with a big decrease in big plays allowed.

Ahmad Brooks MLB (supplemental 3rd 2006) -- Jury is still out here but Brooks should become a big contributor in 2007 and showed flashes of serious potential during a three game stretch midseason when the Bengal LB were dropping like flies (Simmons, Jeanty, Pollack).

Ben Wilkerson C (FA signee 2004 on IR last two seasons) -- Stepped in cold against the Ravens after the Bengals 2nd string center Eric Ghaiciuc sprained a knee and didn't miss a beat. Helped a patchwork line with three youngsters (Whitworth, Stacy Andrews) turn the vaunted Raven blitz packages into a prevent system for much of the last three quarters of a vital division game.

No way to make an argument that the Bengals have gotten more from their rookies than others, but this is still a very good contribution.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Let me throw out the Bengals as another option. They have had several injuries and other issues, and the rookies have filled in well, especially Joseph, Whitworth and Peko.1st - Jonathan Joseph - now starting, future stud2nd - Andrew Whitworth - HUGE task of replacing Levi Jones at LT and has only given up 1 sack I believe3rd - Frostee Rucker - IR4th - Domata Peko - in the starting rotation at DT5th - AJ Nicholson - injured6th - Reggie McNeal - well, not much7th - Ethan Kilmer - great special teams and spot duty as DB7th - Bennie Brazell - IRSupp. - Ahmad Brooks - filled in well for depleted LB corps, still learningCFL - Rashad Jeanty - excellent job at OLBFA - Glenn Holt - returning kicks in replace of injured Tab Perry

 

[Sidewinder]

...I haven't really looked at other teams to see if there are any other teams with similar contributions. Off the top of my head, the Saints come to mind with Colston, Bush and Jahri Evans, but I don't know how many other rookies they've got in regular rotation. I'd be interested to hear how other teams' rookie classes compare.

2nd round pick was Roman Harper - he took over the starting strong safety spot in training camp (opposite Josh Bullocks), and was playing extremely well until tearing his ACL in week 6 vs Philadelphia. Evans (4th round) has started at right guard all season. Rob Ninkovich (5th round) was getting a bit of playing time in pass rush situations and contributing on special teams before tearing his ACL. Both 6th round picks were cut. The other 7th round pick was Zach Strief - he wasn't active the first 8 weeks, but started and played very well against Simeon Rice at Tampa in week 9 when Jamaal Brown was out. Steve Weatherford has punted well (signed as an undrafted free agent).Note: not rookies, but 2 key draft day trades have been huge: Jeff Faine and Hollis Thomas (in both instances didn't give up any players, just dropped back a few spots in swapping picks with Cleveland and Philadelphia)

 

[diesel7982]

1 5 Hawk, A.J. OLB 6-1 247 Ohio State 2 47 Colledge, Daryn OT 6-4 298 Boise State 2 52 Jennings, Greg WR 5-11 196 Western Michigan 3 67 Hodge, Abdul ILB 6-0 235 Iowa 3 75 Spitz, Jason C 6-3 304 Louisville 4 104 Rodgers, Cory WR 6-0 187 Texas Christian 4 115 Blackmon, Will WR 6-0 199 Boston College 5 148 Martin, Ingle QB 6-2 219 Furman 5 165 Moll, Tony OT 6-5 308 Nevada 6 183 Jolly, Johnny DT 6-3 318 Texas A&M 6 185 Culver, Tyrone FS 6-0 196 Fresno State 7 253 Tollefson, Dave DE 6-4 255 Northwest Missouri State
Not a Green Bay fan, so Im not sure what contribution all of these guys have made, but I see quite a few starters there. Hawk, Colledge, Jennings, Hodge, and Moll I think are starting, think Spitz is also but less sure about him. Feel like Culver is playing, but really not sure.

 

[diesel7982]

1 11 Cutler, Jay QB 6-3 225 Vanderbilt 2 61 Scheffler, Tony TE 6-5 255 Western Michigan 4 119 Marshall, Brandon WR 6-4 230 Central Florida 4 126 Dumervil, Elvis DE 5-11 258 Louisville 4 130 Hixon, Domenik WR 6-2 210 Akron 5 161 Kuper, Chris G 6-4 302 North Dakota 6 198 Eslinger, Greg C 6-3 291 Minnesota
Last 3 picks are nothing worthwhile, but the top 4 are going to be impact starters for a long time to come.

 

[diesel7982]

2 42 Manning, Danieal SS 5-11 201 Abilene Christian 2 57 Hester, Devin WR 5-11 189 Miami (Fla.) 3 73 Dvoracek, Dusty DT 6-3 305 Oklahoma 4 120 Williams, Jamar ILB 6-0 250 Arizona State 5 159 Anderson, Mark DE 6-4 258 Alabama 6 195 Runnels, J.D. FB 5-11 235 Oklahoma 6 200 Reed, Tyler G 6-4 315 Penn State
Manning, Hester and Anderson will ensure the Bears D and ST are going to be performing at a high level for a long time.

 

[diesel7982]

1 8 Whitner, Donte SS 5-10 203 Ohio State 1 26 McCargo, John DT 6-2 301 North Carolina State 3 70 Youboty, Ashton CB 6-0 188 Ohio State 4 105 Simpson, Ko FS 6-1 208 South Carolina 5 134 Williams, Kyle DT 6-1 298 Louisiana State 5 143 Butler, Brad OT 6-7 309 Virginia 6 178 Ellison, Keith OLB 6-1 229 Oregon State 7 216 Pennington, Terrance OT 6-7 326 New Mexico 7 248 Merz, Aaron G 6-3 326 California
Whitner, McCargo, Youboty, Simpson, Williams and Pennington have all started or contributed heavily when healthy.

 

[The_Man]

Here's the Ravens:

1 Haloti Ngata - Great pick. Huge interior DL is just what this team needed. Only knock on him was effort, but low effort doesn't cut it when Ray Lewis is lined up 2 yards behind you on every play. Just ask Sam Adams - the best ball he ever played was when Ray was kicking his tail all season long.

2 Chris Chester - Better pick for the future than for now at OG, but played well in 2 starts when Keydrick Vincent was out and will be starting interior OL in Baltimore from 2007 until a long time from now.

3 David Pittman - Small School (Northwestern State) CB has been a total bust so far. Don't think he's been on the active list yet. Poor performance has been mitigated by the outstanding nickel CB play of undrafted rookie free agent Ronnie Prude out of LSU. Prude is now the dime back, but played great when nickel CB Corey Ivy was out.

4 Demetrius Williams - Great pick, potential mega-steal at WR from Oregon. Made 6-foot-6 Clarence Moore disappear as William grabbed the third WR spot and held it tight. Will emerge when Mason leaves/retires, if not sooner. Had a game-securing 33-yard gain on third and long from deep within KC territory last week.

4 P.J. Daniels, RB - eh. Usually doesn't dress on Sunday.

5 Dawan Landry S - another great pick. Already better than the guy he replaced, Will Demps. Giants fans will realize that's not saying much. Demps was nother undrafted free agent back in the day (as was Priest Holmes and Bart Scott). Ravens do a good job of picking those guys.

5 Quinn Sypniewksi TE - servicable blocking TE. Not much more you can ask for in the fifth round.

6 Punter Sam Koch - great pick for a team that lost its punter to free agency. Probably the best punter the Ravens have had in their 11 years, and should only get better.

6 Derrick Martin CB - another special teams/last DB guy, who is seeing the snaps that Pittman isn't. Had two horrible 15-yard penalties special teams vs. KC. Might not see him much the rest of the season.

All in all, a very good draft and as noted above, a lot of rookie contributions to a 10-3 team. This draft was very big for the Ravens, as it injected some youth into an aging roster, and is allowing young guys to prepare for future success by playing small roles now.

 

[Chaos Commish]

1 11 Cutler, Jay QB 6-3 225 Vanderbilt 2 61 Scheffler, Tony TE 6-5 255 Western Michigan 4 119 Marshall, Brandon WR 6-4 230 Central Florida 4 126 Dumervil, Elvis DE 5-11 258 Louisville 4 130 Hixon, Domenik WR 6-2 210 Akron 5 161 Kuper, Chris G 6-4 302 North Dakota 6 198 Eslinger, Greg C 6-3 291 Minnesota

Last 3 picks are nothing worthwhile, but the top 4 are going to be impact starters for a long time to come.

Eslinger and Hixon both hit IR before the season started. I think both could be good players down the road. Kuper has had a few starts, iirc. If Cutler turns into a franchise QB this was a great draft and especially when you rightly include the other second rounder-- Javon Walker.

 

[Chaos Commish]

2 42 Manning, Danieal SS 5-11 201 Abilene Christian 2 57 Hester, Devin WR 5-11 189 Miami (Fla.) 3 73 Dvoracek, Dusty DT 6-3 305 Oklahoma 4 120 Williams, Jamar ILB 6-0 250 Arizona State 5 159 Anderson, Mark DE 6-4 258 Alabama 6 195 Runnels, J.D. FB 5-11 235 Oklahoma 6 200 Reed, Tyler G 6-4 315 Penn State

Manning, Hester and Anderson will ensure the Bears D and ST are going to be performing at a high level for a long time.

Runnels is a very good find at fullback too.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Just about everyone, including myself, was down on the Vikings for their 2nd rounders last year. Those picks are turing out to be a whole plate of crow for the detractors to munch on.

ROUND 1, No. 17: CHAD GREENWAY - Linebacker, Iowa (17th pick, 17th overall)

Tore his ACL on special teams during first preseason game.

ROUND 2, No. 48: CEDRIC GRIFFIN - Defensive Back, Texas (16th pick, 48th overall)

Has taken over the #2 CB spot from Fred Smoot. Turning out to be a great pick for the Vikings.

ROUND 2, No. 51: RYAN COOK - Offensive Lineman, New Mexico (19th pick, 51st overall from Miami)

A pick that made nearly everyone say "WTF", Cook has been rotating at RT with Mike Rosenthal and may be the answer at the position. Has been playing well.

ROUND 2, No. 64: TARVARIS JACKSON - Quarterback, Alabama State (32nd pick, 64th overall)

Has exceptional physical skills. Not enough on-field time to evaluate.

ROUND 4, No. 127: RAY EDWARDS - Defensive End, Purdue (30th pick, 127th overall)

May end up being a steal. Has only seen spot duty but has played well when asked to.

ROUND 5, No. 149: GREG BLUE - Safety, Georgia (17th pick, 149th overall)

When Dwight Smith was out, Blue stepped in and quickly gained a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league. A great 5th round pick that could take over for Smith next year.

 

[T Man]

The Saints draft is looking pretty good. Two candidates for rookie of the year. A starting OG and a starting FS (although he tore a knee several weeks ago). Two draft day trades for starters who are playing a big role in their success. And two players currently on the roster as backups.

Heck one of their late round misses is on the practice squad for the Bears. Apparently he couldn't beat out Horn, Colston, Henderson or Copper for a spot on the roster (of course the way they are playing I can see why).

1 2 Reggie Bush RB 5-11 200 Southern California

-- An offensive ROY candidate

2 43 Roman Harper FS 6-0 197 Alabama

-- starting Free Safety until he injured his knee.

-- Saints traded original 2nd rounder to Cleveland in exchange for Jeff Faine, starting C, and the draft pick used to select Harper. The Browns chose D'Qwell Jackson, LB, with the pick.

4 108 Jahri Evans OT 6-4 317 Bloomsburg

-- starting Right Guard

-- Saints traded original 4th rounder to Eagles and received DT Hollis Thomas (who until his recent suspension was the starting DT) and this pick used to select Evans. The Eagles chose Max Jean-Giles, OG.

5 135 Rob Ninkovich DE 6-3 260 Purdue

-- has played in 3 games for Saints

-- still on roster

6 171 Mike Hass WR 6-0 208 Oregon State

-- waived on September 2, during the last cut down

-- Won Biletnikoff award in college

-- pciked up by Chicago on Sept. 4, and now on practive squad

6 174 Josh 'Bernard' Lay CB 6-0 196 Pittsburgh

-- waived during last cut down

7 210 Zach Strief G 6-7 349 Northwestern

-- backup at left tackle behind last year's #1 pick, Jamaal Brown

7 252 Marques Colston TE 6-4 223 Hofstra

 

[DoubleG]

2 42 Manning, Danieal SS 5-11 201 Abilene Christian 2 57 Hester, Devin WR 5-11 189 Miami (Fla.) 3 73 Dvoracek, Dusty DT 6-3 305 Oklahoma 4 120 Williams, Jamar ILB 6-0 250 Arizona State 5 159 Anderson, Mark DE 6-4 258 Alabama 6 195 Runnels, J.D. FB 5-11 235 Oklahoma 6 200 Reed, Tyler G 6-4 315 Penn State

Manning, Hester and Anderson will ensure the Bears D and ST are going to be performing at a high level for a long time.

Dvoracek was looking decent until he got hurt tooHester...ROY? If he would have held onto that pick last night...

 

[roadkill1292]

Mungo, I'm really not sure that this crop is one of Ozzie's best but it's still pretty doggone good and I'd still rather have him heading up the draft than anyone else. Interesting to note that the Ravens are one of about eight teams that don't subscribe to the scouting combine, too. They comb the boonies themselves looking for under the radar guys who will fit into the system.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Mungo, I'm really not sure that this crop is one of Ozzie's best but it's still pretty doggone good and I'd still rather have him heading up the draft than anyone else. Interesting to note that the Ravens are one of about eight teams that don't subscribe to the scouting combine, too. They comb the boonies themselves looking for under the radar guys who will fit into the system.

I guess my point was that there are drafts where a team can get a couple guys who are bigger stars, and many times there are drafts where players eventually round out into solid contributors or more, but it seemed very unusual to have this many guys who were making significant contributions in their rookie year and yet the team is still clicking on all cylinders and not suffering from rookie mistakes.

 

[lord_helmet]

Bush or not even the Texans deserve concideration

 

[Utter Chaos]

1 11 Cutler, Jay QB 6-3 225 Vanderbilt 2 61 Scheffler, Tony TE 6-5 255 Western Michigan 4 119 Marshall, Brandon WR 6-4 230 Central Florida 4 126 Dumervil, Elvis DE 5-11 258 Louisville 4 130 Hixon, Domenik WR 6-2 210 Akron 5 161 Kuper, Chris G 6-4 302 North Dakota 6 198 Eslinger, Greg C 6-3 291 Minnesota

Last 3 picks are nothing worthwhile, but the top 4 are going to be impact starters for a long time to come.

Don't forget FA Mike Bell too.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

1 11 Cutler, Jay QB 6-3 225 Vanderbilt 2 61 Scheffler, Tony TE 6-5 255 Western Michigan 4 119 Marshall, Brandon WR 6-4 230 Central Florida 4 126 Dumervil, Elvis DE 5-11 258 Louisville 4 130 Hixon, Domenik WR 6-2 210 Akron 5 161 Kuper, Chris G 6-4 302 North Dakota 6 198 Eslinger, Greg C 6-3 291 Minnesota

Last 3 picks are nothing worthwhile, but the top 4 are going to be impact starters for a long time to come.

Don't forget FA Mike Bell too.

I'm not talking about potential, I'm talking about relying week-in and week-out on rookies at key positions, including multiple starters and fill-in starters and key role players this year. Some of the other ones mentioned have been good, but I don't see how denver even comes close to what we're talking about, even with Bell in the first half and cutler in the 2nd half of the year.

 

[LHUCKS]

Saints

 

[diesel7982]

1 11 Cutler, Jay QB 6-3 225 Vanderbilt 2 61 Scheffler, Tony TE 6-5 255 Western Michigan 4 119 Marshall, Brandon WR 6-4 230 Central Florida 4 126 Dumervil, Elvis DE 5-11 258 Louisville 4 130 Hixon, Domenik WR 6-2 210 Akron 5 161 Kuper, Chris G 6-4 302 North Dakota 6 198 Eslinger, Greg C 6-3 291 Minnesota

Last 3 picks are nothing worthwhile, but the top 4 are going to be impact starters for a long time to come.

Don't forget FA Mike Bell too.

I'm not talking about potential, I'm talking about relying week-in and week-out on rookies at key positions, including multiple starters and fill-in starters and key role players this year. Some of the other ones mentioned have been good, but I don't see how denver even comes close to what we're talking about, even with Bell in the first half and cutler in the 2nd half of the year.

I dont disagree, I just compiled the best drafts I saw based on the criteria. As far as overall rookie contributions, Id say its the Saints or Ravens.

 

[Chaos Commish]

1 10 Leinart, Matt QB 6-5 224 Southern California2 41 Lutui, Taitusi 'Deuce' G 6-4 333 Southern California3 72 Pope, Leonard TE 6-8 257 Georgia4 107 Watson, Gabriel DT 6-3 340 Michigan5 142 Johnson, Brandon OLB 6-5 227 Louisville6 177 Lewis, Jon DT 6-1 310 Virginia Tech7 218 Watkins, Todd WR 6-2 201 Brigham Young
This draft was considered one of if not the best draft in 06. It is a very solid draft. Leinart is a long term answer at QB (or so it seems) and that's always huge for a franchise. Deuce took the starting job and has started playing at a very high level recently. Pope is starting at TE and it's just a matter of time before he is putting up numbers. Watson has started the last three games, and while overweight and having stamina issues, when fresh he is a beast. Lewis has pushed for time when Watson tires and he too has played well. Brandon Johnson hasn't done anything but make the injury report. Watkins didn't stick.

 

[Marc Levin]

Jets1 - Brick Ferguson - starting LT1 - Mangold - starting C2. - Clemens - #2 QB3- Schlegal - special teams - not playing LB yet 3 - Eric Smith - contributor on nickel/dime packages4 - Brad Smith - plays as 4th WR and has special sitution plays. e.g direct snaps -standout on special teams4 - Leon Washington - part of RB rotation and special teams5 - Jason Posiack - pre-season injury, on IR6. Drew Coleman - has started at CB, part of cornerback packages7. Titus Adams - plucked off practice squad by the Giants

I had the Jets in mind, too. :chase:

 

[Wadsworth]

Jacksonville Jaguars:

1. Marcedes Lewis- Was injured early in the season and has had trouble getting playing time behind Kyle Brady who I think is the top blocking tight end in the NFL and George Wrightster who has come on strong both as a blocker and pass receiver. Marcedes looks NFL ready as a receiver but need to improve his blocking.

2. Maurice Drew- I think everyone around here knows how this pick turned out.

3. Clint Ingram- Starting at LB and looks like a longterm player. Has all the tools; runs, hits, tackles and can cover.

5. Brent Hawkins- Was looking great as a DPR but sport hernia sent him to IR.

7. James Wyche- Nothing to speak of so far.

7. Dee Webb- Started one game and didn't look good. But has been improving and shows flashes.

Undrafted-

Tony McDaniels- Looked excellent filling in when Stroud was down.

Richard Collier- He's still a project, but has the tool to be a star.

Montell Owens- Special teamer, got a some work at FB with the injuries to both Greg Jones and Wimbush.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Mungo, I'm really not sure that this crop is one of Ozzie's best but it's still pretty doggone good and I'd still rather have him heading up the draft than anyone else. Interesting to note that the Ravens are one of about eight teams that don't subscribe to the scouting combine, too. They comb the boonies themselves looking for under the radar guys who will fit into the system.

I guess my point was that there are drafts where a team can get a couple guys who are bigger stars, and many times there are drafts where players eventually round out into solid contributors or more, but it seemed very unusual to have this many guys who were making significant contributions in their rookie year and yet the team is still clicking on all cylinders and not suffering from rookie mistakes.

Another draft like this for the Birds will go a long way toward easing the pain that's going to come in the next year or two with the departure of some of the old-timers. I'd like to see some more young depth at O-line, and QB, RB, & CB are going to become issues soon. But I'm extremely happy with the way the '06 class has turned out.

 

[Please See Mine]

Here is the Eagles' draft which has to be in the running for getting the least of a draft class so far:

1 14 Brodrick Bunkley DT Florida State

-Guy has given them 0 this year. I believe he was the last rookie to sign and supposedly he has not been able to catch up. His most notable achievement was missing the team flight 2 weeks ago, because he was picking up chicken for the veterans (according to him). Just can't get on the field.

2 39 Winston Justice T USC

-Mostly MIA but that was mostly by design. No real need for him to play yet. Most rumors are that he is developing fine.

3 71 Chris Gocong DE Cal Poly

-The Division I-AA DE who is supposed to be the linebacker of the future has been on IR all year due to some sort of neck problem.

4 99 Max Jean-Gilles G Georgia

-See Winston Justice.

4 109 Jason Avant WR Michigan

-Has had a couple catches and looked ok but had a terrible fumble in the open field vs. Tampa Bay in week 7 and hasn't been seen since.

5 147 Jeremy Bloom WR Colorado

-The skiing sensation has been on IR all year with a hamstring injury. At this point there are serious questions about whether he will ever play, considering the total time he's been out of football between college and the pros.

5 168 Omar Gaither LB Tennessee

-The most productive player out of this draft. He was a solid special teams contributor and has started the last 2 games. Had a nice interception vs. Washington this week.

6 204 LaJuan Ramsey DT USC

-Played a little bit in the defensive line rotation and contributed, but has done very little lately.