Your teams' best recent draft year?

[killxswitch]

This can be a counterpoint to the "worst busts" thread.

To keep things relevant let's keep it in the last 10 years or so.

For the Colts it would almost have to be '98. The Colts avoided Ryan Leaf and instead drafted one of the best QBs of all time in Peyton Manning. The rest of the draft wasn't great but Manning on his own is enough.

The runner up would be '03 when they drafted Dallas Clark, Robert Mathis (as a 5th rounder!), Cato June, and Mike Doss. All were on the roster in '06 when they won the SB, and two are still with the team playing at or near a pro bowl level.

[BlueBandit24]

It's close for the Vikings. They haven't had any real banner drafts but some high-end players have come in. I'd say it's between three drafts:

1998-Randy Moss (1st), Kailee Wong (2nd), Matt Birk (6th)
-Moss really carried this draft but Birk was also an excellent find in the 6th. Wong was productive in his time here and this draft really helped bring the team to elite status in 1998.

2003-Kevin Williams (1st), E.J. Henderson (2nd), Nate Burleson (3rd), Onterrio Smith (4th)
-Two Pro Bowl defensive players who are still on the team along with Burleson who proved to be an effective player. Smith showed spurts but was derailed by his 10 cent head.

2007-Adrian Peterson (1st), Sidney Rice (2nd), Brian Robison (4th)
-Jury is still out on this one, but the presence of Peterson as an all-world offensive weapon really helps this draft. Rice has been frustrating but still has promise, and Robison is an effective rotational man at DE.

My vote would probably go to 2003.

[eaglesalltheway]

Recently the Eagles had very good years in 02, 05, 06, 07 and last year, so far.

Notables in '02...
Ltio Sheppard-1
Michael Lewis-2
Sheldon Brown-2
Brian Westbrook-3

Notables in '05
Mike Patterson-1
Todd Herremans-4
Trent Cole-5

Notables in '06
Broderick Bunkley-1
Chris Gocong-3
Max Jean-Gilles-4
Jason Avant-4
Omar Gaither-5

Notables in '07
Victor Abiamiri-2
Stewart Bradley-3
Brent Celek-5

Not going to do '08, too soon...

Out of those I'd have to say it's between '02 and '06, but since many of the guys from '02 are no longer on the team, I'd give the edge to '06, despite the miss on Winston Justice, a second round choice...

[Splat]

I know its early still and and could go either way on paper I would say 2008 was the Chiefs best draft in the last ten years at least.

1.Glenn Dorsey (http://www.nfl.com/players/glenndorsey/profile?id=DOR587585) (Starter)

1.Branden Albert (http://www.nfl.com/players/brandenalbert/profile?id=ALB334450) (Starter)

2.Brandon Flowers (http://www.nfl.com/players/brandonflowers/profile?id=FLO296357) (Starter)

3.Jamaal Charles (http://www.nfl.com/players/jamaalcharles/profile?id=CHA561428)

3.Brad Cottam (http://www.nfl.com/players/bradcottam/profile?id=COT199521)

3.DaJuan Morgan (http://www.nfl.com/players/dajuanmorgan/profile?id=MOR151490)

4.Will Franklin (http://www.nfl.com/players/willfranklin/profile?id=FRA548035)

5.Brandon Carr (http://www.nfl.com/players/brandoncarr/profile?id=CAR347675) (Starter)

6.Barry Richardson (http://www.nfl.com/players/barryrichardson/profile?id=RIC389622)

6.Kevin Robinson (http://www.nfl.com/players/kevinrobinson/profile?id=ROB593216) (KR/PR)

7.Brian Johnston (http://www.nfl.com/players/brianjohnston/profile?id=JOH794524)

7.Mike Merritt (http://www.nfl.com/players/mikemerritt/profile?id=MER588438)

[hagy34]

Vikings '03 with KWill and EJ. IF you remember this was the draft where we missed our pick and it seemed like a disaster at the time. Looking back we made out pretty well. :)

[cdub11]

2005
Demarcus Ware
Marcus Spears
Marion Barber
Chris Canty
Jay Ratliff

2003
Terence Newman
Jason Witten
Bradie James

[stephenson86]

i think it has to be the year just gone

[Michigan]

2001 by default since all of our draft classes since then have been utter crap. Even then, the 2001 class was not that great...

2001:
1 Jeff Backus, OT (Has fluctuated between competent and horrible all throughout his career, but at least he still starts for us)
2 Dominic Raiola, C (See Jeff Backus, except replace "competent" with "slightly above-average")
2 Shaun Rogers, DT (Probably our best player this millennium. Him or Calvin.)
5 Scotty Anderson, WR (Played okay for a couple years as a 4th or 5th WR)
5 Mike McMahon, QB (Eh, whatever. Started a bit out of necessity)
6 Jason Glenn, LB/ST (Didn't make team, but ended up being a solid ST player for other teams)

So 2 long-term (shaky) starters and 1 pro-bowler. The late picks all did something in the league, but not much. Meh.

[TitanHope]

Yup, this last draft looks very promising with Chris Johnson and Jason Jones's performances last year.

Right now, I'll say the best draft the Titans have had in the 2000s is 2005.

PacMan Jones should ruin this draft, but aside from him, we landed some studs.

1 6 Pacman Jones CB West Virginia - Busted with a bang, but while here, #1 CB and elite PR.

2 41 Michael Roos T Eastern Washington - Pro Bowl and All-Pro LT.

3 68 Courtney Roby WR Indiana - Miss, and eventually cut.

3 96 Brandon Jones WR Oklahoma - Good 3rd string receiver, and recently signed with the 49ers.

4 108 Vincent Fuller DB Virginia Tech - Starting NB who just received an extension.

4 113 David Stewart T Mississippi State - 2nd Team All-Pro at RT

4 136 Roydell Williams WR Tulane - Miss, and eventually cut.

5 142 Damien Nash RB Missouri - Tragically passed away when on the Broncos.

5 150 Daniel Loper T Texas Tech - Prominent reserve who was just signed by Jim Schwartz in Detroit.

6 179 Bo Scaife TE Texas - Starting TE who received the Franchise Tag this offseason.

7 218 Reynaldo Hill CB Florida - Started as a rookie, but couldn't hold onto the starting role. Contract wasn't renewed this offseason.

[OneToughGame]

In recent years I'll have to say 05 for Seattle.

Round 1 - Pick 26: A stater but just doesn't seem to get the C position in the NFL, might be moved to guard so I'm saying to soon to say bust.

Round 2 - Pick 42: Lofa Tatupu - All pro / great leader <3

Round 3 - Pick 98: Leroy Hill. Very good OLB (Hopefully we sign him to a big contract)

Round 4 - Pick 105: Ray Willis - Promising young versatile OT/OG played very well last season.


Rest aren't worth talking about lol.

[coordinator0]

Well, for Baltimore the '96 draft was 12 years ago so that doesn't count lol. So i guess I would say that the 2007 draft was pretty good, although most have been solid lately.

2007 Round Pick Player Position College
1 29 Ben Grubbs G Auburn
3 74 Yamon Figurs WR Kansas State
3 86 Marshal Yanda T Iowa
4 134 Antwan Barnes LB Florida International
4 137 Le'Ron McClain FB Alabama
5 174 Troy Smith QB Ohio State
6 207 Prescott Burgess LB Michigan
Jared Gaither, Supplemental Draft T Maryland

4 starters isn't too shabby if you ask me(Grubbs, Gaither, Yanda, McClain), and 2 others that make decent contributions to the team (Smith, Barnes).

Wow, i just realized that 3 of our starting (and best) OL came from that draft lol.

[Yatta!]

For the Packers its probably 2006, after that you have to go back to about 2000.

1 A.J. Hawk Ohio State
2 Daryn Colledge Boise State
2 Greg Jennings Western Michigan
3 Abdul Hodge Iowa
3 Jason Spitz Louisville
4 Cory Rodgers Texas Christian
4 Will Blackmon Boston College
5 Ingle Martin Furman
5 Tony Moll Nevada
6 Johnny Jolly Texas A&M
6 Tyrone Culver Fresno State
7 Dave Tollefson Northwest Missouri State

[Flyboy]

I'd have to say 2006 and 2008 for the Saints. ZING!

[FrankGore]

2007 for the 49ers I think

1 - Patrick Willis - Absolute stud, heart of the defense, potential HOFer, etc.
1 - Joe Staley - Starting LT, improving with each year.
3 - Jason Hill - Emerging WR. Looked very good last year when given the opportunity. Could play a big role this year.
3 - Ray McDonald - Decent pass rushing 3-4 DE, seems to catch fire at times and disappears at others. Also some injury issues.
4 - Jay Moore - Constantly hurt, hasn't shown much at OLB. Probably a cut this offseason.
4 - Dashon Goldson - Starting FS this season. Shows flashes but hasn't really been given the opportunity and has been hurt too. Pretty excited about seeing him.
4 - Joe Cohen - Huge reach and a bust. Really bad pick.
5 - Tarell Brown - Has looked good since he's gotten here. Could be a starter soon opposite Nate Clements.
6 - Thomas Clayton - Always looks good in the preseason, never given a chance during the regular season, but should be playing somewhere.

[kalbears13]

2007 Browns

1- Joe Thomas- 2-time Pro Bowler
1- Brady Quinn- Soon to be starter
2- Eric Wright- #1 CB
5- Brandon McDonald- #2 CB
6- Mel Purcell- Practice Squad
7- Chase Pittman- Gone
7- Syndric Steptoe- 3rd WR as of now. (Not because he's good but because the Browns don't have any WR's)

[kiranadwaney]

last year for the falcons.

Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, Curtis Lofton all starters. Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud might start this year, and Harry Douglas had a nice year last year.

[triggernome]

Easily 2006 for the Texans:

Mario Williams
Demeco Ryans
Charles Spencer
Eric Winston
Owen Daniels
Wali Lundy
David Anderson

3 Pro Bowlers, a starter, and a decent role player.

[Monomach]

Probably 2000 for the Bears. Urlacher + Mike Brown.

2005 wasn't bad, either. 4 guys from that draft are starters in the league...Jerry Angelo threw tham all away, though, so other teams get the benefit of that.

[abaddon41_80]

2007 for the 49ers I think

1 - Patrick Willis - Absolute stud, heart of the defense, potential HOFer, etc.
1 - Joe Staley - Starting LT, improving with each year.
3 - Jason Hill - Emerging WR. Looked very good last year when given the opportunity. Could play a big role this year.
3 - Ray McDonald - Decent pass rushing 3-4 DE, seems to catch fire at times and disappears at others. Also some injury issues.
4 - Jay Moore - Constantly hurt, hasn't shown much at OLB. Probably a cut this offseason.
4 - Dashon Goldson - Starting FS this season. Shows flashes but hasn't really been given the opportunity and has been hurt too. Pretty excited about seeing him.
4 - Joe Cohen - Huge reach and a bust. Really bad pick.
5 - Tarell Brown - Has looked good since he's gotten here. Could be a starter soon opposite Nate Clements.
6 - Thomas Clayton - Always looks good in the preseason, never given a chance during the regular season, but should be playing somewhere.

I agree with this.

[P-L]

The Lions haven't had one good draft since Millen took over the team. The best was probably 2007, just because it netted us our best player.

[Mr. Hero]

2005.

Round 2. Corey Webster - top ten corner in the NFL last season
Round 3. Justin Tuck - top ten DE in the NFL last season
Round 4. Brandon Jacobs - Starting running back and engine of the league's most dangerous rushing attack
Round 6. Has been cut but was a backup for a couple of years and I think he's still in the league.

Edit: 2004.
Round 1. Philip Rivers - traded for Eli, our superbowl winning QB.
Round 2. Chris Snee - Best player on our dominant oline.
Round 4. Reggie Torbor - Started for a while and got a big contract from miami.
Round 5. Gibril Wilson - Started for a couple years and then got that monster contract from Oakland.
Round 6. Jamaar Taylor - Showed a lot of potential but just never could get healthy.
Round 7. Drew Strojny - Don't think he made the team
Round 7. Isaac Hilton - See Strojny

2007.
Round 1. Aaron Ross - starting corner.
Round 2. Steve Smith - Eli's third down guy, clutch receiver who's a perfect fit in the slot.
Round 3. Jay Alford - Good interior pass rusher in our DL rotation
Round 4. Zak DeOssie - At least he can snap.
Round 5. Kevin Boss - Starting TE
Round 6. Adam Koets - Backup OG/OT
Round 7. Michael Johnson - Starting S
Round 7. Ahmad Bradshaw - Our COP back, number two in our RB rotation.

Last year wasn't bad either with a starting S (Kenny Phillips), third corner/safety and likely future replacement to Aaron Ross (Terrell Thomas), Antonio Pierce's replacement (Jonathon Goff), our second most impressive LB from last season (Bryan Kehl) and Mario Manningham who could one day be a productive receiver.

[jth1331]

Broncos:
2008:
1st - Ryan Clady, Pro Bowl OT
2nd - Eddie Royal, can become an exceptional #2 WR
4th - Kory Licthensteiger, OL, jury still out on him
4th - Jack Williams, CB, Broncos were high on him, didn't show a lot last year really though
5th - Ryan Torain, RB, injured practically all year, the coaches were VERY high on him, but needs to be healthy to see what he can do
5th - Carlton Powell, DT, unknown since injured all of last year
6th - Spencer Larsen, LB, played decently at both FB and LB, excelled on special teams though
7th - Josh Barrett, S, Bronco fans are very high on him even though he played average and hasn't showed much to be better
7th - Peyton Hillis, RB, this guy looks like he could become an exceptional part of the offense, he can run and he can catch, and I like him used a lot in the offense. It if little known to people, but some of the Broncos best games were when Hillis was the starting RB

A solid draft, Pro Bowl stud LT along with solid contributors throughout, and some unknowns that could become solid as well.

2006:
1st - Jay Cutler, QB, Pro Bowl QB
2nd - Tony Scheffler, TE, a great pass catching TE who needs to stay healthy and become a better blocker
4th - Brandon Marshall, WR, a great up and coming WR who just needs to stay out of the off the field drama
4th - Elvis Dumervil, DE, best suited for situational pass rushing, and I have no idea what the Broncos plan to do with him in the 3-4
4th - Domenik Hixon, WR, did crap with the Broncos but looks decent with the Giants
5th - Chris Kuper, OG, played exceptionally well last year for first time starting
6th - Greg Eslinger, C/G, no idea what happened with him

2 Pro Bowlers, 3 more starters/role players. Not too shabby, especially with picking up good talent in the later rounds.

[marshallb]

It's close for the Vikings. They haven't had any real banner drafts but some high-end players have come in. I'd say it's between three drafts:

1998-Randy Moss (1st), Kailee Wong (2nd), Matt Birk (6th)
-Moss really carried this draft but Birk was also an excellent find in the 6th. Wong was productive in his time here and this draft really helped bring the team to elite status in 1998.

2003-Kevin Williams (1st), E.J. Henderson (2nd), Nate Burleson (3rd), Onterrio Smith (4th)
-Two Pro Bowl defensive players who are still on the team along with Burleson who proved to be an effective player. Smith showed spurts but was derailed by his 10 cent head.

2007-Adrian Peterson (1st), Sidney Rice (2nd), Brian Robison (4th)
-Jury is still out on this one, but the presence of Peterson as an all-world offensive weapon really helps this draft. Rice has been frustrating but still has promise, and Robison is an effective rotational man at DE.

My vote would probably go to 2003.

I would have to agree with this and I would also have to lean toward 2003, but if Peterson keeps it up and Rice can stay healthy and finally break out, 2007 could be great.

[the decider13]

As jth posted...it's a tough call between 06 and 08. I'm gonna go with 08 because I am a huge Clady fan. I also like Royal and Hillis a great deal.

[Mr. Hero]

That 2006 draft as great for the broncos, a franchise QB, WR, starting TE, exceptional pass rush specialist, a great special teamer and developing WR (albeit for a different team) and a good starting Offensive Lineman. That's just remarkable, you can rebuild an offense in a year with a draft like that.

[d34ng3l021]

2008 for the Falcons.

1. Matt Ryan: Most likely franchise QB. ORotY who is almost one of the best QBs in the league. The sky is the limit for him.

1. Sam Baker: Let up 1 sack throughout the season (he didn't do well in the playoff game though) when he played. Problem is, he only played for 5-6 games. If he can stay healthy, he can be a dominant force on a well balanced offense.

2. Curtis Lofton: Good rookie year in which he got better as the season went on. Will be a force to reckon with against the run, but his play against the pass leaves things to be desired.

3. Chevis Jackson: Solid rookie year as the team's nickleback. Long arm and good instincts could make him a starter soon.

3. Harry Douglas: He has the makings of becoming an elite PR and terrific slot reciever. In a huge rivalry game against the Panthers, Douglas had a 7 yard TD run, a 45 yard PR that set up a TD, a 60 yard PR TD, and a 69 yard reception that set up another TD. He will become one of the better slot receivers in the league with Ryan throwing to him.

5. Kroy Biermann: Played DE sparingly and got some pressures. Shrug.

The rest don't really matter. This class will be epic if Ryan, Baker, and Lofton all pan out while Jackson and Douglas play important roles.

[MichaelJordanEberle (sabf)]

Up until last week, 06 by a mile. Franchise QB+WR+ solid TE+ excellent pass rush specialist=epic win. With Cutler gone, 08 will probly be better.