Grades and Explanations

Scale

1 is a complete waste of a pick; this prospect gave the team nothing.

5-6 is a decent pick; maybe not what you want from a first-rounder but he gave the team OK production and value.

10 is a fantastic player and a long-term asset to the team. This is the Aaron Rodgers to 1’s Tony Manderich.

Categories:

-Games started/active over total games possible

-Big plays (TDs, sacks, interceptions, etc. where applicable)

-Consistency

-Playoff performance (heavily weighted)

-Team records and rankings: do the best team years correlate with the player’s best years? Was there a noticeable jump after he arrived, or a dip after he left or in injured years?

Ahmad Plummer, CB, San Francisco (24^th, 2000)

Andy’s Grade: 5. Had three good seasons, but was injured for the last two years of his SF career.

Sidney’s Grade: 4. Good value when healthy, but those times amounted to approximately 3 seasons.

Nate Clements, CB, Buffalo (21^st, 2000)

AG: 8. Never missed a game. Consistent performer and top corner. Best seasons corresponded to top pass defenses.

SG: 6. Important contribution to a rebuilding Bills team, and a consistent secondary force.

Ryan Pickett, DT/NT, St. Louis (29^th, 2001)

AG: 4. OK run-stuffer; as his numbers went up over the years, the run D got worse. No pass-rush presence or big plays. Consistently available and starting.

SG: 7. Mild contributor on a stellar run defense, highlight on a middling one. The great enigma.

Will Smith, DE, New Orleans (18^th, 2004)

AG: 7. Consistent performer with two 10+ sack seasons; by far his best year was the ’09 Super Bowl season. Little playoff presence.

SG: 8. A power in the backfield, and a frequent playmaker on a defense not well known for that. Recent dropoff not enough to cover former contributions.

Chris Gamble, CB, Carolina (28^th, 2004)

AG: 7. Doesn’t show up much on the stat sheet. Eight-year career with Carolina. Had 13 picks in first two years, 14 since. Not much of a playoff presence. Helped the pass defense rank 4^th in ’06 and ’09.

SG: 7. Consistent threat in the secondary, enough to seemingly scare away opposing QBs.

Michael Jenkins, WR, Atlanta (29^th, 2004)

AG: 3. A decent No. 2 receiver whose career high was 777 yards in a season. Consistently active but failed to make much of an impact. Never had a 100-yard game with Atlanta.

SG: 3. Showed little resilience or usefulness as a Falcon, and relegated to sitting in Roddy White’s shadow. Falcons moved on with Julio Jones.

A.J. Hawk, LB, Green Bay (5^th, 2006)

Andy’s Grade: 4. Tackling machine that doesn’t make many big plays; eight picks and two forced fumbles in six years. Had seven tackles and one sack in the ’07 NFC Championship; mediocre to invisible in six other playoff games. Almost never injured.

SG: 7. As an inside linebacker, he provides significant run defense, but his pass coverage is middling.

Donte’ Whitner, S, Buffalo (8^th, 2006)

AG: 4. Huge number of tackles but played on bad defenses. His best season in ’10 featured 140 tackles, but the run defense ranked 32^nd. Three FFs, five picks in five years.

SG: Tackling wonder, but numbers augmented by a weak front seven run defense. Still a valuable safety.

Bobby Carpenter, LB, Dallas (18^th, 2006)

AG: 2. Was a reserve linebacker for four years. Started three of a possible 64 games despite being active for 58. Generated his first turnover play in ’11, three years after leaving Dallas.

SG: 1. Who? 3 starts in 4 seasons. Nothing else need be said.

Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh (25^th, 2006)

AG: 8. Played just four years in Pittsburgh due to lousy character. Had only one great year (79 catches, 1,248 yards in ’09), but rates an 8 based on his playoffs. Exploded in SB 43, catching 9 for 131 and the game-winning TD in the final minute. Super Bowl MVP.

SG: 8. Hey! A real highlight. Super Bowl MVP, and still a high value receiver, despite his drama problems. Still nothing to compare with his ‘09 season.

Ted Ginn Jr., WR/KR, Miami (9^th, 2007)

AG: 3. Never had a 1,000 yard season; managed 790 in 2008, his best year. Two career 100-yard games. Only five receiving TDs in three years, but rushed for two and got three on special teams. Was held under 50 yards in 36 of his 49 games.

SG: 6. Special teams wunderkind. Offensively, of medium usefulness. A good option at third receiver, but that’s about it.

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Indianapolis (32^nd, 2007)

AG: 3. Had two decent years as a backup. Big-game performer; tore up the Chargers in two playoff losses (’07, ’08). Given the starting job in ’09, suffered a knee injury in Week 1 and was never the same. Totaled 5 catches for 67 yards in last three years of his career.

SG: 4. Two solid seasons, but has been a shadow for the past three years.

Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, N.Y. Jets (6^th, 2008)

AG: 1. Utter failure of a pick never recorded a sack, a pick, a pass defensed or a fumble forced. Was active for 39 of a possible 42 games, starting only five. Had four or more tackles in a game just once.

SG: 3. Five starts, with plenty of appearances on a strong defensive team. Still, underwhelming performances.

Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S, New Orleans (14^th, 2009)

AG: 6. Solid in most areas of the game; creates few big plays but is rarely injured. Good performance in ’11 playoff loss to San Fran and in the ’09 Super Bowl. Best all-around season was in 2010 when the Saints’ defense ranked 4^th.

SG: 6. Excellent tackler, but his ability as a cover DB is less than stellar.

Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB, Arizona (31^st, 2009)

AG: 6. A backup for two years, he started for the first time in ’11 and had a 1,047 yard season with ten TDs. Had two phenomenal performances that year (137 yards, three TDs against the Giants; 228 yards, one TD vs. Rams).

SG: 7. Surprisingly good numbers as a runner in the middle of a pass centered (read: Larry Fitzgerald) offense.