Yesterday I took a look at Andy Reid’s first draft as Eagles head coach. Looking back on it, it looks like he did a pretty good job in that draft. But, remember as we go through the years, the job gets tougher.
It’s one thing to add players to a 3-13 team, it’s not so easy to add good players to good teams. In the year 2000, he was still looking to add players to essentially a bad 5-11 team. So let’s take a look at how they fared:
-1st Round, pick #6: Corey Simon, defensive tackle Florida State: Great pick. Simon was a starter from day 1 and even had a sack on first play against Dallas in the pickle juice game. While he was never as good as his rookie year, he was still a solid performer up through the Super Bowl in 2004.
-2nd Round, pick #36: Todd Pinkston, wide receiver Southern Miss: I’ll probably take flack for sticking up for this guy, but he’s not nearly as bad as people think. Yes, he had alligator arms. Yes, he was toothpick thin. But he provided a nice deep threat for five years and was the starter on opening day 2001. No, he wasn’t Jerry Rice in 1990, but he was productive and started on a Super Bowl team.
-2nd Round, pick #61: Bobby Williams, offensive line Arkansa: Dreadful. When we talk about all the second-round busts in the Andy Reid era, this one stands out. Williams never even threatened get on the field. Just awful.
-4th Round, pick #99: Gari Scott, wide receiver Michigan State: Scott’s teammate in college, Plaxico Burress, was selected in the top 10 of this draft. Scott isn’t/wasn’t Burress. Or anything close. He finally got on the field for a few games in 2001 and caught a scorching two balls for an amazing 26 yards. Do I have to continue with my analysis?
-6th Round, pick #171: Thomas Hamner, running back Minnesota: I wonder if they interviewed Hamner at the Combine. I wonder if they asked him if he had a propensity to beat dogs. If you’ll remember, Hamner was Michael Vick before Michael Vick. Not only did he stink at football, he also was witnessed laying the smack down on his canine pet in public. Dufus.
-6th Round, pick #178: John Frank, defensive end Utah: At least this sixth-round pick didn’t beat up animals. Other than that…
-6th Round, pick #192: John Romero, center California: My eyes never caught this guy on the field. Bubba Miller was the center in 2000 and then Hank Fraley took us all the way up to the current Jamal Jackson era. I know it’s the sixth round, but they missed badly on all three of these guys.
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
