Grading Falcons’ draft picks, from Roddy (A) to Jimmy (ugh)

Falcons owner Arthur Blank had no idea at this point the money he was about to waste on Jimmy Williams (center in suit and tie).

So in my last post, I explained why grading teams for their draft was a stupid exercise. It takes at least three years, sometimes longer, to get an accurate read 0n how selections panned out.  And then alert reader “David C” suggested: “A good idea going forward would be to note the grades of so-called experts and writers from 5 years back and then we’d all know who is the expert and who is the hack.”

That would be a good idea. But honestly, I don’t want to take the time to find what ESPN, SI, Fox or Bob’s Second-Guessing Blog Out Of My Mom’s Basement wrote five years ago. I figure we can do this ourselves. So following are the Falcons’ drafts from 2003 to 2007. (Technically, we’ve only had two seasons to grade the 2007 draft, the last one under former general manager Rich McKay, but former first-round pick Jamaal Anderson certainly has given us some early indication of what he is and isn’t.)

Now, before you launch into the McKay bashing, please note that the 2005 draft turned out to be as solid as they come. The 2003-07 drafts follow. I’ve listed all the players, comments and my final grade. Please weigh in with your own grades.

(Note that players still on the Falcons’ roster are in red.)

2003 (F)
2 – Bryan Scott, DB, Penn State
4 – Justin Griffith, RB, Mississippi State
5 – Jon Olinger, WR, Cincinnati
6 – LaTarence Dunbar, WR, Texas Christian
6 – Waine Bacon, DB, Alabama
7 – Demetrin Veal, DE, Tennessee

I guess this was kind of like when two of the Axis powers briefly joined forces. (Curtis Compton/AJC)

(Posting a correction here: McKay was not hired until late in the 2003 season. This draft was conducted by the team of Dan Reeves and Ron Hill.) Scott was a good kid, just not a great player. The Falcons gave him every opportunity but he couldn’t stick as a starter or even a backup. Now he’s in Buffalo, which usually means it’s the end of the line. Griffith managed to [play seven years in the league without really doing much (he's unsigned now after being releases by his last two teams, Oakland and Seattle). Veal has been a survivor: five seasons with four teams in the NFL and last season with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL.

♦

2004 (B) (2 pro bowls)
1 - DeAngelo Hall, DB, Virginia Tech
1 - Michael Jenkins, WR, Ohio State
3 - Matt Schaub, QB, Virginia
4 - Demorrio Williams, LB, Nebraska
5 - Chad Lavalais, DT, Louisiana State
6 - Etric Pruitt, DB, Southern Mississippi
7 - Quincy Wilson, RB, West Virginia

Hall was a royal pain and isn't nearly as good as he thinks he is, but he did make two Pro Bowls early in his career (2005-06). A little more dedication and discipline and he could've been one of the league's best. Jenkins is serviceable as a No. 3 receiver. He hasn't proven to be a consistent No. 2, although the Falcons are going to give him another chance. In any case, he certainly wasn't worthy of being picked in the first round. Schaub developed into a starting quarterback for Houston. Williams has had a solid NFL career: four with the Falcons, two in Kansas City, where he has mostly started. Lavalais was a huge disappointment, largely because he was a fat schlub. Wilson didn't quite have the career of his father, former Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Otis Wilson,

♦

2005 (A)
1 - Roddy White, WR, Alabama-Birmingham
2 - Jonathan Babineaux, DT, Iowa
3 - Jordan Beck, LB, Cal Poly
4 - Chauncey Davis, DE, Florida State
5 - Michael Boley, LB, Southern Mississippi
5 - Frank Omiyale, T, Tennessee Tech (starts for bears)
6 - Deandra Cobb, RB, Michigan State
7 - Darrell Shropshire, DT South Carolina

Roddy White (84) is an example of why you shouldn't judge drafts right away. Michael Jenkins (12) still has a lot to prove. (Curtis Compton/AJC)

This was one of McKay’s best drafts. White, after a slow career start, turned into a Pro Bowl wide receiver. Babineaux has proven to be a strong inside force, but he has had off-field issues. He was accused of killing his girlfriend’s pitbull (charges were dropped) and he was arrested on marijuana possession charges last December (a suspension could be forthcoming). Beck didn’t stick and is out of football. Davis has contributed for five seasons. Boley turned out to be a strong player but personal issues and a decline in performance in 2008 led the Falcons to not re-sign him in 2009. He signed with the New York Giants but was suspended for the first game of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy (charged with battery on his wife). Omiyale spent only two seasons with the Falcons but he started most of last season with Chicago.

♦

2006 (D-minus)
2 – Jimmy Williams, DB, Virginia Tech
3 – Jerious Norwood, RB, Mississippi State
5 – Quinn Ojinnaka, T, Syracuse (serviceable)
6 – Adam Jennings, WR, Fresno State
7 – D.J. Shockley, QB, Georgia

Williams defined the word “bust” in three ways. He was a bust as a cornerback: He couldn’t cover. He was a bust as a professional athlete: He lacked dedication and discipline. And he was “busted” by commissioner Roger Goodell. Williams was suspended for the first five games of 2008 after being arrested for marijuana possession and spent the entire season out of football. He was signed by San Francisco in January of 2009 but cut five months later, then was suspended for the entire season for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Norwood has speed and big-play capability, but he lacks consistency and hasn’t stayed healthy. Ojinnaka is a serviceable player in the offensive line rotation. Jennings played three seasons here, primarily as a returner. Shockley couldn’t win the No. 2 quarterback job last season when it was wide open.

♦

2007 (D)
1 – Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
2 – Justin Blalock, T, Texas
2 – Chris Houston, DB, Arkansa
3 – Laurent Robinson, WR, Illinois State
4 – Stephen Nicholas, LB, South Florida
4 – Martrez Milner, TE, Georgia
6 – Trey Lewis, DT, Washburn
6 – David Irons, DB, Auburn
6 – Doug Datish, C, Ohio State
6 – Daren Stone, DB, Maine

Anderson was serviceable when he was moved inside last season because his height allowed him to get into a quarterback’s vision and possibly bat down passes. But he was a first-round pick – serviceable won’t cut it. He’s not an impact player. Blalock starts at left guard. Houston was burnt often last season and traded. Robinson flashed some talent early but ultimately washed out. Stephen Nicholas started most of last season, but that may change this year. Lewis is barely hanging on.

♦

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