Day 2 of the NFL Draft – Building Blocks for a Winning Franchise
Some call the NFL Draft the great equalizer --underperforming teams like Cincinnati used to have early draft positions until they placed the weight of their franchise on Carson Palmer. Others, such as Tennessee, who draft Adam “Pacman” Jones as the 6th overall pick, may not see the draft in such a light. Teams that draft masterfully continue to improve their scouting and player development while teams with a quick-fix mentality overpay for free agents or draft players with lots of potential and no discipline (they call it “upside” in the NBA). This trend has a polarizing effect in terms of long-term success.
In a previous post, I mentioned that Day 2 of the NFL Draft is the second-most important day on the NFL calendar [to the Super Bowl]. We all know about Spurgeon Wynn was taken ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 Draft. Thirty-one NFL teams saw a guy who couldn’t move. The Patriots saw a guy who could manage games and play with his head. They stumbled upon their savior on Day 2 in the 6th round.
To determine the impact of Day 2 draft picks [excluding undrafted free agents], I looked at three of the most successful franchises throughout the past five seasons (2001-2005) – New England, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. While each of these have been nearly flawless on Day 1 in filling holes and anticipating future free agents fleeing for greener pastures, the listing below shows key ingredients on the offensive and defensive lines being filled on Day 2. This is not to say that gems at the skill positions can’t be found on Day 2 and among free agents -- just think of TJ Houshmandzadeh (7th rounder), Willie Parker (undrafted), and Marques Colston (7th rounder) – but we’re learning in Arizona that being loaded at the offensive skill positions means diddly squat when you have no protection.
New England
2002: Jarvis Green (4th, 126), David Givens (7th, 253) – now plays for Tennessee
2003: Dan Klecko (4th, 117), Asante Samuel (4th, 120), Dan Koppen (5th, 164), Tully Banta-Cain (7th, 239)
Indianapolis
2001: Ryan Diem (4th, 118)
2002: David Thornton (4th, 106)
2003: Robert Mathis (5th, 138), Cato June (6th, 198)
2004: Jason David (4th, 125), Jake Scott (5th, 141), Von Hutchins (6th, 173)
Philadelphia
2001: Correll Buckhalter (4th, 121), AJ Feeley (5th, 155)
2002: Raheem Brock (7th, 238) – now plays for Indianapolis
2004: Thomas Tapeh (5th, 162)
2005: Todd Herremans (4th, 126), Trent Cole (5th, 146)
Source: NFL.com
The good teams get it. Define your system. Do your research. Determine which players fit your system and gauge where other teams may take certain players. Load up on the lines because you’re bound to lose someone throughout the season to injury and in the offseason to free agency.
Great players are found on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, but winning franchises are built and sustained on Day 2.
Some call the NFL Draft the great equalizer --underperforming teams like Cincinnati used to have early draft positions until they placed the weight of their franchise on Carson Palmer. Others, such as Tennessee, who draft Adam “Pacman” Jones as the 6th overall pick, may not see the draft in such a light. Teams that draft masterfully continue to improve their scouting and player development while teams with a quick-fix mentality overpay for free agents or draft players with lots of potential and no discipline (they call it “upside” in the NBA). This trend has a polarizing effect in terms of long-term success.
In a previous post, I mentioned that Day 2 of the NFL Draft is the second-most important day on the NFL calendar [to the Super Bowl]. We all know about Spurgeon Wynn was taken ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 Draft. Thirty-one NFL teams saw a guy who couldn’t move. The Patriots saw a guy who could manage games and play with his head. They stumbled upon their savior on Day 2 in the 6th round.
To determine the impact of Day 2 draft picks [excluding undrafted free agents], I looked at three of the most successful franchises throughout the past five seasons (2001-2005) – New England, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. While each of these have been nearly flawless on Day 1 in filling holes and anticipating future free agents fleeing for greener pastures, the listing below shows key ingredients on the offensive and defensive lines being filled on Day 2. This is not to say that gems at the skill positions can’t be found on Day 2 and among free agents -- just think of TJ Houshmandzadeh (7th rounder), Willie Parker (undrafted), and Marques Colston (7th rounder) – but we’re learning in Arizona that being loaded at the offensive skill positions means diddly squat when you have no protection.
New England
2002: Jarvis Green (4th, 126), David Givens (7th, 253) – now plays for Tennessee
2003: Dan Klecko (4th, 117), Asante Samuel (4th, 120), Dan Koppen (5th, 164), Tully Banta-Cain (7th, 239)
Indianapolis
2001: Ryan Diem (4th, 118)
2002: David Thornton (4th, 106)
2003: Robert Mathis (5th, 138), Cato June (6th, 198)
2004: Jason David (4th, 125), Jake Scott (5th, 141), Von Hutchins (6th, 173)
Philadelphia
2001: Correll Buckhalter (4th, 121), AJ Feeley (5th, 155)
2002: Raheem Brock (7th, 238) – now plays for Indianapolis
2004: Thomas Tapeh (5th, 162)
2005: Todd Herremans (4th, 126), Trent Cole (5th, 146)
Source: NFL.com
The good teams get it. Define your system. Do your research. Determine which players fit your system and gauge where other teams may take certain players. Load up on the lines because you’re bound to lose someone throughout the season to injury and in the offseason to free agency.
Great players are found on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, but winning franchises are built and sustained on Day 2.
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