Draft Rewind: Correcting the mistakes at the top of a wild event in 1999
Draft Rewind: Correcting the mistakes at the top of a wild event in 1999
The first five selections of the 1999 NFL Draft involved some of the wildest activities in the history of the event. For 90 minutes, viewers watched the drama unfolding with each pick, and while the end result was entertaining, in hindsight, the best selections were not made at each spot. This redraft might not involve as much drama, but hopefully, each team got what they needed.
No. 1 (Browns) Actual pick – Tim Couch, QB Redraft – Donovan McNabb, QB
The original Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996, but another franchise was granted three years later. The goal here was to find a cornerstone signal-caller, and the team thought it had one in Couch, who had just set several SEC passing records at Kentucky. In fact, the team was so committed to Couch, they got him to sign a contract in the middle of the night before the Draft. Couch’s NFL career was not so successful. He played 62 games in Cleveland, threw more interceptions than touchdowns and posted a 22-37 record. Since their rebirth, the Browns have used 30 quarterbacks in 20 years. Hopefully, McNabb would have prevented that ineptitude at the position. Despite being booed by Eagles fans after his selection, McNabb played in six Pro Bowls, threw for 37,276 yards and 234 touchdowns, and led the Eagles to four straight NFC Championship Game appearances (five overall), as well as Super Bowl XXXIX.
No. 2 (Eagles) Actual pick – Donovan McNabb, QB Redraft – Daunte Culpepper, QB
Philadelphia fans weren’t very kind to the Syracuse product who eventually turned their franchise around, and maybe they wouldn’t have reacted any differently to the pick in the redraft. Culpepper went to three Pro Bowls in his 11-year career. He led the NFL with 33 touchdowns in 2000, when he helped the Vikings reach the NFC Championship Game (a 41-0 loss to the Giants). Four years later, he topped the league with 4,717 yards, but again Minnesota fell in the NFC title game, this time to McNabb’s Eagles.
No. 3 (Bengals) Actual pick – Akili Smith, QB Redraft – Torry Holt, WR
Smith was the third highly rated quarterback in this draft, and the Bengals turned down a potential nine-pick trade with the Saints to select him. However, the Oregon product lasted just 27 games in the NFL, amassing a 3-14 record over four seasons. Instead, Cincinnati should have taken Holt, a seven-time Pro Bowler who was a key piece for the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV. “Big Game” had eight straight 1,000-yard seasons and 13,382 overall to go with 74 touchdowns. He led the league in yards twice, including 1,696 in his lone All-Pro season in 2003.
No. 4 (Colts) Actual pick – Edgerrin James, RB Redraft – James
The Colts had their franchise quarterback in Peyton Manning. Now, they just needed a premier running back to pair with him. Enter James, a four-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in rushing his first two seasons. He ran for 1,553 yards to earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, as well as his only All-Pro nod, and followed that with a career-high 1,709 yards in 2000. “Edge” ran for 12,246 yards overall (with 1,000 or more seven times) and 80 touchdowns. He helped lead the Colts to the AFC Championship Game in 2003 and played in Super Bowl XLIII with the Cardinals five years later.
No. 5 (Saints) Actual pick – Ricky Williams, RB Redraft – Williams
This pick was originally the property of the Panthers, who traded first-rounders in 1999 and 2000 to the Redskins after signing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sean Gilbert.
The 90-minute drama ended with Saints coach Mike Ditka (and general manager Bill Kuharich) trading all six of the Saints’ 1999 picks, plus first- and third-rounders in 2000, to Washington to move up seven spots and grab Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner from Texas. Ditka soon appeared in a photo wearing a dreadlock wig while Williams was putting on his Saints jersey. An ESPN the Magazine cover followed, with Williams in a wedding dress and his new coach in a tuxedo.
Williams had two 1,000-yard seasons in New Orleans, but was held to 14 yards in a Division round loss to Culpepper in the Vikings in 2000. He soon fell out of favor and the Saints traded him to Miami, where he led the league with a career-high 1,853 yards and added 16 touchdowns in 2002, which turned out to be his lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro season. Drug problems cost him two seasons, but Williams finished with 10,009 yards and 66 touchdowns in 11 years.
No. 6 (Rams) Actual pick – Torry Holt, WR Redraft- Donald Driver, WR
The redraft takes Holt away from his ideal landing spot in St. Louis, so the Rams improvise and take Driver, who was originally selected by the Packers early in Round 7 (pick 213). Driver ranked second to Holt in receptions (743), yards (10,137) and touchdowns (61). He was a three-time Pro Bowler who had seven 1,000-yard seasons and was a member of the Green Bay squad that beat Pittsburgh to win Super Bowl XLV.
No. 7 (Redskins) Actual pick – Champ Bailey, CB Redraft – Bailey
After collecting six new picks from New Orleans, the Redskins sent five to the Bears to move up to this spot and pick what would turn out to be the lone Hall of Famer (so far) from this class. Bailey has the most interceptions (52) and third-most solo tackles (812) of any player selected. He was a 12-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro in 15 seasons with Washington and Denver. Bailey led the league with 10 picks and 162 yards in 2006. He made four tackles in Super Bowl XLVIII, a 43-8 loss to the Seahawks, which was his final game.
No. 8 (Cardinals) Actual pick – David Boston, WR Redraft – Boston
This pick was tied to possibly the biggest draft bust in NFL history. San Diego traded this selection to Arizona as part of the deal that brought Ryan Leaf to the Chargers with the second pick in 1998. Boston had two 1,000-yard seasons, including 2001, when he earned his lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after leading the NFL with a career-high 1,598 yards. Boston’s attitude caused a trade to the Dolphins, and steroids and a knee injury led to his downfall. He tried to play with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, but a stress fracture in his foot required surgery and he never played again.
No. 9 (Lions) Actual pick – Chris Claiborne, LB Redraft – Joey Porter, LB
Claiborne was a member of the All-Rookie Team and had 100-plus tackles three times in four seasons with the Lions, but he bounced around until retiring in 2007. Porter was a four-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro 2002, and he led all picks with 98 sacks. He went to three AFC Championship Games in seven seasons with Pittsburgh and had three tackles in a Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks. Porter moved on to the Dolphins and posted a career-high 17½ sacks in 2008.
No. 10 (Ravens) Actual pick – Chris McAlister, CB Redraft – McAlister
McAlister had nine interceptions in his first two seasons on the way to 26 in his 11-year career, with five returned for scores. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro in 2003 and a two-time champion (once with the vaunted 2000 Ravens defense and once in his final season in 2009 with the Saints).
No. 11 (Vikings) Actual pick – Daunte Culpepper, QB Redraft – Aaron Brooks, QB
The Redskins originally held this pick but traded it to Minnesota for Brad Johnson. With Culpepper off the board, the Vikings grab a smaller version of the mobile quarterback in Brooks, who the Packers selected with a fourth-round compensatory selection before trading him to the Saints after one season. Brooks had four seasons with 3,000 or more passing yards and 20,261 overall in seven seasons. He added 123 passing and 13 rushing scores, but his lone foray into the playoffs in 2000 was stopped, ironically enough, by Culpepper and the Vikings.
No. 12 (Bears) Actual pick – Cade McNown, QB Redraft – Patrick Kerney, DE
This pick went from the Saints to the Redskins and finally to the Bears, who used it to draft McNown, who still holds passing records at UCLA. McNown came highly touted but stumbled to a 3-12 record in two seasons before falling behind Jim Miller and Shane Matthews on Chicago’s depth chart. He was traded to the Dolphins and then the 49ers before a shoulder injury in 2002 required surgery that effectively ended his career. With all the good quarterbacks off the board, the Bears turn to their usual staple…defense. Kerney finished second behind Porter among players in this draft with 82½ sacks, with four seasons with 10 or more. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2007, when he posted a career-high 14½ sacks.
No. 13 (Steelers) Actual pick – Troy Edwards, WR Redraft – Marty Booker, WR
Edwards posted 714 receiving yards in his first season with the Steelers, but didn’t come close to matching that total in his other six seasons. Booker was arguably the third-best wide receiver taken in the draft. He totaled 6,703 yards and 37 touchdowns. The Bears drafted him in the middle of the third round, and he rewarded them with his only two 1,000-yards seasons, including 1,189 in 2002, when he made the Pro Bowl.
No. 14 (Chiefs) Actual pick – John Tait, T Redraft – Tait
After a year on the bench, Tait started the next four seasons at both tackle spots in Kansas City and then five more in Chicago. Overall, he started 139 of 148 games over 10 years.
No. 15 (Buccaneers) Actual pick – Anthony McFarland, DT Redraft – Jevon Kearse, DE
Before becoming an analyst on Monday Night Football, “Booger” won two titles in eight seasons with the Buccaneers and Colts. He had 22½ sacks in 109 career games, but he did not have near the impact of Kearse. “The Freak” was Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting 14½ sacks and leading the league with eight forced fumbles. Kearse had at least 10 sacks and went to Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons before settling down a bit to finish with 74 sacks in 11 years. He lost both Super Bowls he played in: a Titans loss to the Rams in XXXIV and an Eagles loss to the Patriots in XXXIX.
No. 16 (Titans) Actual pick – Jevon Kearse, DE Redraft – Mike Rucker, DE
With Kearse off the board, the Titans turn to Rucker, who the Panthers originally took early in the second round. Rucker played 139 games in nine seasons with Carolina. He had 416 tackles and 55½ sacks, including 12 in 2003, his lone Pro Bowl season. Rucker had two tackles in Super Bowl XXXVIII, which the Panthers lost to the Patriots on a last-second Adam Vinatieri field goal. In 2005, he played in Carolina’s loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game.
No. 17 (Patriots) Actual pick – Damien Woody, C Redraft – Woody
New England traded three picks to Seattle for this selection. Woody started 76 games and won two titles in five seasons with the Patriots (although a knee injury kept him out of the win over the Panthers). The 2002 Pro Bowler later played with the Lions and Jets, and he appeared for New York in the 2009 AFC Championship Game.
No. 18 (Raiders) Actual pick – Matt Stinchcomb, T Redraft – Mike Peterson, LB
Stinchcomb played 65 games over five seasons in Oakland and Tampa Bay before injuries, blood clots stemming from surgery, and a heart condition forced him to retire. Instead of K. D. Williams, the Raiders could have had Peterson (originally drafted 36th by Indianapolis) as a starter at linebacker. While Peterson did not make the Pro Bowl in 14 seasons with the Colts, Jaguars, and Falcons, he finished with 1,201 tackles, including six seasons with 100 or more and a league-leading 158 in 2000.
No. 19 (Giants) Actual pick – Luke Petitgout, T Redraft – Antoine Winfield, CB
Petitgout started 106 games in eight seasons and appeared in Super Bowl XXXV with the Giants, but he was one of the more penalized linemen during his career. Winfield totaled 1,057 tackles and picked off 27 passes over 14 seasons. The three-time Pro Bowler played 191 games, and he would have given New York a great trio of cornerbacks along with Phillippi Sparks and Jason Sehorn.
No. 20 (Cowboys) Actual pick – Ebenezer Ekuban, DE Redraft – Roderick Coleman, DE
After trading with the Patriots earlier, the Seahawks dropped again, sending this selection to Dallas and picking up an extra fifth-rounder. Ekuban registered 36½ sacks in nine years, but his best season was 2004, when he had eight sacks with the Browns. Coleman was taken by the Raiders in the middle of the fifth round (pick 153). He amassed 58½ sacks in nine years, including 10½ in 2005 when he made his only Pro Bowl. Coleman had one tackle in a Raiders loss to the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
No. 21 (Cardinals) Actual pick – L. J. Shelton, T Redraft – Shelton
Shelton’s 146 games played were the second-most among tackles behind Tait’s 148. Shelton started 77 games in six years with the Cardinals, and he appeared in two playoff games with the Chargers during his final season in 2008.
No. 22 (Seahawks) Actual pick – Lamar King, DE Redraft – Chike Okeafor, DE
More than most players, injuries derailed King’s career. He never played all 16 games in a season, and his problems include a torn labrum, a dislocated left shoulder, and two calf tears. Okeafor totaled 424 tackles and 53 sacks in 10 seasons with San Francisco, Seattle, and Arizona. He had six tackles in the Cardinals’ Super Bowl XLIII loss to the Steelers.
No. 23 (Bills) Actual pick – Antoine Winfield, CB Redraft – Dre’ Bly, CB
With Winfield off the board, the Bills select Bly, whose 43 interceptions rank second behind Bailey for most among selected players. The two-time Pro Bowler picked off at least five passes four times and also recovered 12 fumbles in his 11-year career. Bly knocked down two passes as a rookie in the Rams’ win in Super Bowl XXXIV.
No. 24 (49ers) Actual pick – Reggie McGrew, DT Redraft – Al Wilson, LB
Miami moved down and acquired an extra fifth-rounder for this pick. McGrew didn’t play at all as a rookie, and only appeared in 24 games overall. With Bryant Young and Junior Bryant already at defensive tackle, the 49ers pick Wilson to join the already-dangerous linebacking corps of Lee Woodall, Ken Norton Jr., and Winfred Tubbs. Wilson appeared in 125 games and five Pro Bowls in eight seasons in Denver. He had 100 or more tackles three times, but his best year was 2005, when he had 72 tackles, nine passes defended, three sacks and two forced fumbles en route to his lone All-Pro selection.
No. 25 (Packers) Actual pick – Antuan Edwards, S Redraft – Aaron Smith, DE
Edwards played in 71 games and had seven interceptions in eight NFL seasons. Despite the fact that Smith would be joining a crowded defensive end group in Green Bay that includes Vonnie Holliday, Vaughn Booker and Keith McKenzie, both Booker and McKenzie left after the season. Smith (who was drafted in the fourth round) was a two-time champion with the Steelers. He finished his 13-year career with 452 tackles and 44 sacks, including eight in his lone Pro Bowl season in 2004.
No. 26 (Jaguars) Actual pick – Fernando Bryant, CB Redraft – Mike McKenzie, CB
Bryant made the All-Rookie Team after making a career-high 106 tackles with the Jaguars. He finished with 509 tackles, but only seven interceptions. He played two games in his final season in 2008 but got a ring with the Steelers. McKenzie never made the Pro Bowl, but he finished his 11-year career with 482 tackles and 28 interceptions, including six as a rookie.
No. 27 (Lions) Actual pick – Aaron Gibson, T Redraft – Todd McClure, C
After trading with the 49ers, the Dolphins acquired picks in rounds 2, 3 and 5 from the Lions. Gibson suffered through injuries to both shoulders and a knee, and ballooned to 400 pounds before leaving the NFL for good in 2004. After a failed training camp with the Bills in 2006, he went to the Arena League, where he stayed until 2010. McClure was taken by the Falcons near the end of the seventh round, and he would back up Mike Compton, who would last two more years as Detroit’s starter. McClure was rock solid in Atlanta, starting 195 games in 13 seasons.
No. 28 (Patriots) Actual pick – Andy Katzenmoyer, LB Redraft - Eric Barton, LB
This pick (along with a second-rounder and two selections from 1997) came from the Jets as compensation for New York hiring Bill Parcells as head coach. A former high school and college All-American, Katzenmoyer played three seasons before the lingering effects of neck surgery as a rookie caused him to retire. Barton registered 868 tackles in 12 seasons, including five with 100 or more. He had eight tackles and a forced fumble in Oakland’s loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII.
No. 29 (Vikings) Actual pick – Dimitrius Underwood, DE Redraft – Roosevelt Colvin, LB
Underwood’s strange NFL career included walking out of training camp with the Vikings, dealing with bipolar disorder, being arrested for aggravated robbery, assault and failing to pay child support, escaping from a psychiatric facility and trying to kill himself twice. Colvin was a two-time champion with the Patriots. He totaled 52½ sacks in 10 years, including 10½ in both 2001 and ’02 with the Bears.
No. 30 (Falcons) Actual pick – Patrick Kerney, DE Redraft – David Bowens, DE
With Kerney off the board, the Falcons select Bowens, who was taken by the Broncos late in the fifth round of the original Draft. Bowens played 167 games over 12 seasons (mostly off the bench), and he totaled 38½ sacks.
No. 31 (Broncos) Actual pick – Al Wilson, LB Redraft – Brandon Stokley, WR
Wilson is no longer available, so the Broncos turn to offense and take Stokley, who played four seasons in Denver later in his career. He had 5,339 yards and 39 touchdowns in 13 seasons, including 1,077 yards and 10 scores with the Colts in 2004. Stokley was also a three-time champion (Super Bowl XXXV with the Ravens, XLI with the Colts and XLVI with the Giants).
Other draft picks to make Pro Bowl that weren’t in the redraft: Gary Stills, LB and Special Teams (75th by Chiefs), Martin Gramatica, K (80th by Buccaneers), Josh Bidwell, P (133rd by Packers), Jerry Azumah, CB and Special Teams (147th by Bears), Desmond Clark, TE (179th by Broncos), Sean Morey, WR and Special Teams (241st by Patriots), Brendon Ayanbadejo, LB and Special Teams (undrafted, signed by Falcons), Chris Hanson, P (undrafted, signed by Browns), Brian Waters, TE and Special Teams (undrafted, signed by Cowboys), Mike Schneck, LS (undrafted, signed by Steelers) and Brian Moorman, P (undrafted, signed by Seahawks).
Next: A look back at the 2004 Draft, which also had a crazy beginning.
-By: Kevin Rakas