By Jonathan Frankel
The NFL draft is over, but not without its fair share of surprises. The biggest shocker happened early, with the Houston Texans passing on USC running back Reggie Bush and drafting N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick. That being said, here are the winners and losers of the 2006 NFL Draft:
Winners
Denver Broncos
The Broncos used their draft picks to their full potential. They traded up in the first round to select QB Jay Cutler out of Vanderbilt. Cutler reminds people of a young Brett Favre, possessesing good arm strength and a fearless attitude on the field. The Broncos also addressed their need for WR depth by trading away a second round pick to the Green Bay Packers for disgruntled wideout Javon Walker, a bargain for a player of his caliber.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers had the sixth pick and selected TE Vernon Davis out of Maryland. It is very rare to take a TE this high, but Davis is an exception. He put on a show at the combine by running a sub 4.4 40-yard dash (he weighs 254 lbs). Davis had 871 yards receiving as a senior and should provide second year QB Alex Smith with a powerful offensive weapon.
Arizona Cardinals
Coach Dennis Green claimed that getting to draft former Heisman QB Matt Leinart out of USC was “a gift from heaven.” Leinart’s college credentials speak for themselves (two National Championships, 37-2 career record as a starter), and he is the quarterback that is most prepared to play in the NFL in this draft class. That being said, Leinart has the luxury to sit for a year behind incumbent QB Kurt Warner and to learn from the veteran and former league and Super Bowl MVP.
Philadelphia Eagles
With their first pick, the Eagles selected DT Brodrick Bunkley out of Florida State. At the combine, Buckley did 44 reps of 225 on the bench press and has hardly any body fat on him, and he can fill the gap left by the departure of Corey Simon. The Eagles also drafted the second best OT available in the draft in USC’s Winston Justice. Despite some off-the-field issues, Justice is a tremendous talent and an asset to any team.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers could have drafted LenDale White with the 32nd overall pick, but opted to trade picks with the New York Giants and draft WR Santonio Holmes from Ohio State. Holmes possesses explosive speed and put up consistent numbers (11 TDs his senior year). The Steelers needed to rebuild their WR corps after losing Antwaan Randle-El to free agency, so drafting Holmes was a smart pick.
Losers
Buffalo Bills
No one was really sure what the Bills were doing in the draft. They had the 8th overall pick and had many trade opportunities. But they instead decided to draft safety Donte Whitner out of Ohio State. Although Whitner is a great player, the Bills could have drafted him at a lower spot. Their first seven picks were all defensive positions and three of the first four picks were DBs.
Green Bay Packers
Although they did draft OLB A.J. Hawk from Ohio State, wasn’t Brett Favre waiting to see how the Packers could help him and the offense? It is Favre’s last season, and the Packers did not address enough of their offensive needs (they traded away WR Javon Walker for less than he is worth). Hawk will make an immediate defensive impact, but the Packers needed to help their offense and didn’t do so.