Len Pasquarelli views 2005 1st round draft results
Being drafted in the 1st round does not guarentee instant success.
Len gives his view on the class of 2005. As a group, the 32 first-round selections averaged 13.1 appearances but just 7.8 starts. Only 11 of the first-round picks played in all 16 games, and just three -- linebackers Derrick Johnson of Kansas City and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas, along with New England guard Logan Mankins -- started in every game. Less than half the first-round class, 14 players, logged double-digit starts. Nine players started three or fewer games. Three of them recorded no starts, and Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, the latter of the team's two selections in the opening stanza, never left the sideline for a single snap.
The first round included a Merriman (Shawne, San Diego linebacker and defensive rookie of the year), but not much merriment. There was a Cadillac (Tampa Bay tailback and offensive rookie of the year Carnell Williams), but few smooth rides for the first-round rookies. In a league that expects immediate gratification, the 2005 first-rounders now are being counted on to produce a delayed reaction of sorts, and to make a favorable second impression, at least.
There were some rookies who had immediate breakout seasons -- Merriman, Williams, Miami tailback Ronnie Brown, Mankins, New Orleans tackle Jammal Brown, Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller and San Diego defensive end Luis Castillo, among them -- but for the most part, the first round went bust. Another top pick who flashed great potential was Cleveland wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but his season was truncated by a knee injury that might keep him off the field until October.
"A lot of us have a lot of making up to do," allowed Thomas Davis of Carolina, who will move from safety to linebacker for 2006 after starting the 2005 opener at the former position, then being benched.
Len gives his view on the class of 2005. As a group, the 32 first-round selections averaged 13.1 appearances but just 7.8 starts. Only 11 of the first-round picks played in all 16 games, and just three -- linebackers Derrick Johnson of Kansas City and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas, along with New England guard Logan Mankins -- started in every game. Less than half the first-round class, 14 players, logged double-digit starts. Nine players started three or fewer games. Three of them recorded no starts, and Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, the latter of the team's two selections in the opening stanza, never left the sideline for a single snap.
The first round included a Merriman (Shawne, San Diego linebacker and defensive rookie of the year), but not much merriment. There was a Cadillac (Tampa Bay tailback and offensive rookie of the year Carnell Williams), but few smooth rides for the first-round rookies. In a league that expects immediate gratification, the 2005 first-rounders now are being counted on to produce a delayed reaction of sorts, and to make a favorable second impression, at least.
There were some rookies who had immediate breakout seasons -- Merriman, Williams, Miami tailback Ronnie Brown, Mankins, New Orleans tackle Jammal Brown, Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller and San Diego defensive end Luis Castillo, among them -- but for the most part, the first round went bust. Another top pick who flashed great potential was Cleveland wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but his season was truncated by a knee injury that might keep him off the field until October.
"A lot of us have a lot of making up to do," allowed Thomas Davis of Carolina, who will move from safety to linebacker for 2006 after starting the 2005 opener at the former position, then being benched.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:35 PM
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