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by Mercer Boy » Wed Apr 28, 2004 3:46 am First off, forgive me if this is in the wrong place, but since it's past NFL history, I figured this would be the best place to post this.
Due to me creating the descriptions of our Cafe Football team, I wanted to gain some knowledge of what teams look for in players at every position. I came across a helpful report from CNNSI from 1998. I then took a look at that draft class to see who the teams took in the first round. It just so happens that this is the year of the last Manning being drafted, so I thought it was fitting to take a look and reflect at what has happened to the players in that draft: Feel free to add to my assumptions/statements!
1 Indianapolis Colts - Peyton Manning QB Tennessee - Indy was looking for a QB, and there were two good prospects available - Peyton and Ryan Leaf. It turns out that they took the right man for the job. Peyton is now an NFL superstar.
2 San Diego Chargers (from Arizona) - Ryan Leaf QB Washington State - The Chargers, left with the other "can't miss" QB in this draft took Leaf, who ended up being the man who is arguably the biggest draft bust ever.
3 Arizona Cardinals (from San Diego) - Andre Wadsworth DE Florida State - The value board from CNNSI had Wadsworth as the #1 man. From what I can find, Andre only lasted 2 1/2 seasons in the NFL...
4 Oakland Raiders - Charles Woodson DB Michigan - Oakland picks another great Michigan product. Great DB who when healthy is one of the best in the game. He might be most remembered for the infamous "Tuck Rule" play in a 2002 AFC Divisional Playoff game with New England.
5 Chicago Bears - Curtis Enis RB Penn State - While Michigan cranks out great products, PSU seems to crank out dud RB's. This guy was no exception...
6 St. Louis Rams - Grant Wistrom DE Nebraska - One of the more athletic ends still playing today. Had some good years with the Super Bowl Champion Rams, but now is doing his thing for the Seahawks.
7 New Orleans Saints - Kyle Turley OT San Diego St. - Helmet throwing aside, this guy has some skill...and was a pretty good pickup for Saints at #7. Turley migrated to St. Louis last year.
8 Dallas Cowboys - Greg Ellis DE North Carolina - Steady player that is averaging about 6 sacks a year. Plays every game. Nice pick by Dallas.
9 Jacksonville Jaguars (from Buffalo) Fred Taylor - RB Florida - I don't know what the Jags gave up to Buffalo for this one, but I'd say in the long run it worked out well! When healthy, this guy is one of the best RB's in the game today.
10 Baltimore Ravens - Duane Starks DB Miami (Fla.) - Started with Baltimore, but is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals. He didn't play due to injury last year (maybe Baltimore knew something they didn't?). Arizona will surely want to see him return to form.
11 Philadelphia Eagles - Tra Thomas OT Florida State - A mainstay on the Eagles line and a pretty good pick at #11.
12 Atlanta Falcons - Keith Brooking LB Georgia Tech - 100+ tackles/year and starts every game. Brooking is putting together a nice career.
13 Cincinnati Bengals - Takeo Spikes LB Auburn - This guy has tons of talent but played on a bad team. So, he got traded to Buffalo, which is also not a very good team. Still, a very reliable LB to have!
14 Carolina Panthers - Jason Peter DT Nebraska - The name doesn't ring a bell, and seeing as though his stats end in 2001, I'll say this guy never panned out... Good thing they got Julius Peppers!
15 Seattle Seahawks - Anthony Simmons LB Clemson - Looks like a solid LB due to his present career numbers.
16 Tennessee Oilers - Kevin Dyson WR Utah - Can anyone say "Home Run Throwback" or "The Man Who Made Mike Jones Famous?" I'm referring first to the catch of Frank Wycheck's lateral for a TD in a playoff game against the Bills in 2000. The second deals with the slant pattern he ran against the Rams with no time remaining in that year's Super Bowl which left the Titans one yard from glory (sorry to resurrect that one Titans fans). These are probably the things we'll remember Dyson for, because he's now mired in the muck that is San Diego. He could be Phillip Rivers' #1 target this year!
17 Cincinnati Bengals (from Washington) - Brian Simmons LB North Carolina - The Bengals got a decent player out of this deal from Washington.
18 New England Patriots (from NY Jets) - Robert Edwards RB Georgia - A budding superstar (1446 total yards, 12 TD's in his rookie year) with what is now a tragic story. At the Pro-Bowl, he completely destroyed his knee playing beach football. Now, he is nothing more than a hobbled backup. I do remember he scored an inspiring TD with Miami in 2002 in his attempted comeback.
19 Green Bay Packers (from Miami) - Vonnie Holliday DT North Carolina - Now with KC, Vonnie can still get to the QB and stir up trouble for an opposing offense.
20 Detroit Lions - Terry Fair DB Tennessee - Not a great player, but got the job done for the Lions. Must have gotten hurt in 2003 because he had no stats. Presently listed as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
21 Minnesota Vikings - Randy Moss WR Marshall - Do I really need to do any recap on this guy? The only things I'll mention are that he was probably the steal of the 1998 first round and that off-field issues caused his drop. The CNNSI mock had him as the #5 pick. A lot of teams missed out on this hall-of-fame bound star.
22 New England Patriots - Tebucky Jones DB Syracuse - Got traded to New Orleans last year, but still puts up good numbers.
23 Oakland Raiders (from Tampa Bay) - Mo Collins OT Florida - Big Mo looks like he's had some injury issues, but still plays a decent number of games for the Raiders.
24 New York Giants - Shaun Williams DB UCLA - Good player for the Giants, but as with many of the G-Men last year, his season was cut short by injury.
25 Jacksonville Jaguars - Donovin Darius DB Syracuse - A very servicable player for Jacksonville, but this two-time "franchise tagged" player wants even more money to play next year. He might be headed out of the area very soon...
26 Pittsburgh Steelers - Alan Faneca OG LSU - Alan has spent his whole career with Pittsburgh and thus far has helped anchor their offensive line. Every time I watch a Steelers game, the announcers give this guy his props. Good late first round pick by the Steelers.
27 Kansas City Chiefs - Victor Riley OT Auburn - This guy has done some good things for New Orleans since he was traded from KC. He only allowed two sacks all of last year...
28 San Francisco 49ers - R.W. McQuarters DB Oklahoma State - As a Niner fan, I was not happy with this guy's development. Then again, the 49ers haven't had a decent secondary since the days of Sanders, McDonald, and Hanks...Where was I? Oh, McQuarters moved on to Chicago where he has become a decent player. Another one slips through our fingers!
29 Miami Dolphins (from Green Bay) - John Avery RB Mississippi - Got a shot early in his career, but was quickly relegated to the CFL and even the XFL! Reading information collected from the Fantasy Football Cafe, I've found that Avery has just signed with the Toronto Argonauts (this place rules - thanks to Argos for the knowledge!).
30 Denver Broncos - Marcus Nash WR Tennessee - Somehow this guy ended up with Ravens and quickly disappeared from sight. Late-round bust for the Broncos.
31 Oakland Raiders (supplemental pick) - Leon Bender DT Washington State - Wow, what a dismal way to end the analysis of this draft...A month after Bender was drafted, he was found dead in the bathroom of his agent's home. Bender was an epileptic, and apparently he had a fatal seizure while preparing for a workout.
Whew! That was a lot of research and thought collecting on my part! That covers what I know/found out about all the first round picks of the 1998 draft...Comments?
Gotta love Enis from my Nittany Lions going at #5
