The Death of Reason: Bill Polian hands reins over to Chris Polian

The day I have always dreaded has arrived.  Bill Polian has officially handed control of the Colts to Chris Polian.


As I detailed in the article "Should Peyton Manning re-sign with the Colts?", I feel that the Colts lack of production in recent drafts may be due to Chris Polian's increasing role in the decision making process.


Chris Polian was elevated to Assistant General Manager in 2004, and in the drafts from 2005 - 2010 I count only two solid players picked in the first three rounds (Kelvin Hayden 2005 & Jerraud Powers 2009).  These two are not stars - just solid players.  The first three rounds is where you draft your stars.


Thats three out of eighteen picks that the Colts have hit on in a five year period.


The breakdown:


2005
1 (29)             Marlin Jackson (CB)          -INJURY BUST
2 (60)             Kelvin Hayden (CB)          -SOLID PLAYER
3 (92)             Vincent Burns (DE)           -BUST
Marlin was solid before he blew up his knee - you could argue that this was an additional successful pick.


2006
1 (30)             Joseph Addai (RB)          -BUST
2 (62)             Tim Jennings (CB)          -BUST
3 (94)             Freddie Keiaho (OLB)    -BUST
Addai is a total bust.  Fans like to point out his blocking and such - but you don't need to burn a 1st rounder on a RB whose best quality is pass blocking.  Jennings was simply not a fit for a cover-two defense because of his size.


2007
1 (32)             Anthony Gonzalez (WR)     -BUST
2 (42)             Tony Ugoh (LT)                 -BUST
3 (95)             Daymeion Hughes (CB)      -BUST
3 (98)             Quinn Pitcock (DT)            -BUST
Gonzalez has not shown the ability to stay healthy, and he has also not shown a real connection to Manning.  They will cut him if he cannot produce this year.  The Ugoh trade was reportedly something that Chris Polian fought for - complete bust on lack of heart.


2008
2 (59)             Mike Pollak (C)                 -BUST
3 (93)             Phillip Wheeler (OLB)        
Pollak lacks the basic talent to compete at this level.  Simply not strong enough.  Wheeler showed something last year and may end up a solid player.


2009
1 (27)             Donald Brown (RB)          
2 (56)             Fili Moala (DT)
3 (92)             Jerraud Powers (CB)
To me, the jury is still out on Donald Brown.  He has been hurt a bit, but has shown some flashes when blocked for.  Moala started to show something last year and may yet end up as a solid player.  This could actually become a good draft - it is a little early to tell.


2010
1 (31)             Jerry Hughes (DE)
2 (63)             Pat Angerer (MLB)
3 (94)             Kevin Thomas (CB)
Angerer looked OK at times last year, the other two got very little playing time.


What about the prior years?  Here are our first picks of each draft from 1998-2004.  See if you notice a different trend:


1998              Peyton Manning
1999              Edgerrin James
2000              Rob Morris
2001              Reggie Wayne
2002              Dwight Freeney
2003              Dallas Clark
2004              Bob Sanders


I sense a trend - don't you?  With the exception of Rob Morris, every one of these players is a star and one of the top ten at their position in the NFL.


Since 2005 we have not drafted a single player who could be called a "star" with a straight face.  Even if you don't agree with me calling Addai or Gonzalez a bust - you would not say they were a star - right?


So where is all this headed?  The Colts will get weaker and weaker over the next few years.  Manning will cover up a lot of issues, but one year he will be either injured or just overcome with the lack of talent and we will fall hard.


The kind of trend I am seeing is Matt Millen-ish and it makes me very worried about the future.


Here is a follow-up article:  

Yes, Chris Polian is *that* Bad

Why Everyone is Full of Crap About the Gene Huey Firing

I've been reading all of the hysterical hand-wringing and conspiracy theories about the firing of Colts Running Back Coach Gene Huey on The Star website as well as several Colts Blogs and I must say they are all full of crap.  A real swing and miss for them.  I exclude in my criticism 18to88.com who had a good and balanced article about this.

The theories so far:

• Polian needed a "scapegoat" for the poor running game.  This is utter BS.  To even let something like this come out of your mouth is offensive and demeaning to Bill Polian and the entire Colts organization.  You *really* think that the classiest organization in sports works like this?  Really?  If you think this is what is was, then you have to believe that Bill Polian, Jim Caldwell, AND Jim Irsay are the types of people who would do something like that.  Anyone seriously advancing this version of events is no Colts fan.  
• Money (because of the lockout).  No!  If you believe something like that, what does it say about what you think of Jim Irsay?  This is the same guy who paid Ryan Lilja a 1.8 MILLION DOLLAR bonus after he was cut.  They were in no way required to do that.
• Upcoming strategy changes.  No.  Gene Huey has been around through multiple different regimes, I'm sure he would have had no problem coaching any style of running out there.

You want to know what happened?  Here goes:

Jim Caldwell was the "coach in waiting" for a couple of years under Tony Dungy and I am sure he had his own ideas about each of the other assistant coaches currently there.  Dungy was a VERY loyal guy and to my knowledge never once fired a coach during his time in Indianapolis.

Once Caldwell took over, he decided to fire both defensive coordinator Ron Meeks and Special Teams Coach Russ Purnell.  I'm guessing that he also wanted to fire Gene Huey at that time, but was talked out of it.  

Gene is a long time favorite of Jim Irsay and I believe that each incoming Head Coach was asked to keep Huey on his staff if he had no serious objections.  It may have been put to Caldwell that firing Huey would be too much turnover.  Whatever.

So Caldwell gave it a year, and it didn't work for him.

So why did it come out the way it did?  Because of how classy the Colts are.

You see, the Colts care so much about their people that they are in the habit of not announcing that assistant coaches are fired as a matter of course.  They tell them that they are not to be retained and so the coach in question is free to look for work elsewhere without the stigma of being fired.  If he finds a job then it is simply announced that he changed jobs.  This is what they tried to do with both Ron Meeks and Gene Huey.

I guess that there is so little class out there nowadays that people cannot recognize it when they see it.

So some reporter gets a "tip" and starts nosing into it - and messes up the whole process.  Nice.

The only thing unusual about Huey being fired is that it did not happen last year.  Period.

So was Huey a bad coach?  Certainly not.  Owner's favorite or not, he would not have survived through multiple coaching changes if he was not good at his job.  But it would take a pretty superior person to not become stale in a job that long, especially if he never felt the pressure to perform his best due to a seemingly lifetime guarantee of employment.

We will never know the full story, because this is the Indianapolis Colts.  The Classiest Organization in Sports.

Breakdown of Colts drafts 1984-2009

A breakdown of Colts drafts 1984-2009 by ColtsTroll

Players in Red are busts - Black is Neutral - Green means great pick.  To be a great pick in the first round, the player had to either become a star or play at a higher level than where they were drafted.

Please keep in mind that for a player to be considered a "Bust" means that a player did not live up to where he was drafted.  Sometimes this is because the player was forced to play in a system in which he did not fit (Rob Morris, Bashir), sometime it is due to injury.  Note that I don't consider it a blot of the record of the GM if a player busted out for injuries if that player had no prior history of injuries.

During the years the draft went 12 rounds, I have marked the later draft picks as mostly neutral since there was little expectation these players would make the team.


A note on the grading system.  Some of these scores may seem low if you are basing it on how people in the media rate drafts.  I am grading based on the quality of the decision and the value of the pick.  If a draft has a lot of failed picks at the top but a few gems in the lower rounds - it is still going to get a bad grade.  This is because of the lost value of those top picks is huge.

1984 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 8 8 Leonard Coleman Defensive Back Vanderbilt
1 19 19 Ron Solt Guard Maryland
2 7 35 Blaise Winter Defensive Tackle Syracuse
3 10 66 Chris Scott Defensive End Purdue
4 9 93 Craig Curry Defensive Back Texas
4 19 103 George Wonsley Running Back Mississippi State
5 8 120 Golden Tate Wide Receiver Tennessee State
5 18 130 Kevin Call Offensive Tackle Colorado State
6 7 147 Dwight Beverly Running Back Illinois
8 9 205 Eugene Daniel Cornerback LSU
11 10 290 Bob Stowe Offensive Tackle Illinois
12 9 317 Steve Hathaway Defensive End West Virginia

Grade: D+

Coleman was too tall and stiff for a CB and was a complete and utter bust.  This draft had some gems in the lower rounds and helped this team to be just bad as opposed to horrible over the next few years.  Daniel and Call were long time starters.

1985 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 5 5 Duane Bickett Linebacker USC
2 4 32 Don Anderson Defensive Back Purdue
3 5 61 Anthony Young Defensive Back Temple
4 4 88 Willie Broughton Defensive Tackle Miami (FL)
5 5 117 Roger Caron Offensive Tackle Harvard
7 5 173 James Harbour Wide Receiver Mississippi
8 4 200 Ricky Nichols Wide Receiver East Carolina
9 5 229 Mark Boyer Tight End USC
10 4 256 Andre Pinesett Defensive Tackle Cal State-Fullerton
12 4 312 Dave Burnette Offensive Tackle Arkansas

Grade: D-

Bickett was a good player for quite a few years and even made one Pro-Bowl, but he was never an effective pass-rusher during an era where that was a primary skill needed from a ROLB in a 3-4.  Anthony Young looked like an upcoming star before a neck injury ended his career.  Boyer was a scrub, but he hung around for a few years - not bad for a 9th round pick.

1986 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 4 4 Jon Hand Defensive End Alabama
2 20 47 Jack Trudeau Quarterback Illinois
4 4 86 Billy Brooks Wide Receiver Boston University
5 7 117 Scott Kellar Defensive Tackle Northern Illinois
5 14 124 Gary Walker Center Boston University
7 5 171 Steve O'Malley Defensive Tackle Northern Illinois
7 6 172 Chris White Placekicker Illinois
7 24 190 Tommy Sims Defensive Back Tennessee
8 4 198 Trell Hooper Defensive Back Memphis
9 7 228 Bob Brotzki Offensive Tackle Syracuse
10 17 266 Pete Anderson Center Georgia
12 4 309 Steve Wade Defensive Tackle Vanderbilt
12 21 326 Isaac Williams Defensive Tackle Florida State

Grade: D-

Although Hand was a starter for several years, he was miscast as a 3-4 RDE.  Despite his large size, he was better suited to be a 4-3 rush end.  He had one good season when the Colts switched to a more aggressive defense.  Trudeau was serviceable for a few years on a bad team.  Billy Brooks did very well for himself despite not being very fast.

1987 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 2 2 Cornelius Bennett Linebacker Alabama
3 2 58 Chris Gambol Offensive Tackle Iowa
4 2 85 Randy Dixon Offensive Tackle Pittsburgh
5 2 114 Roy Banks Wide Receiver Eastern Illinois
6 2 142 Freddie Robinson Defensive Back Alabama
7 2 170 Mark Bellini Wide Receiver BYU
8 5 200 Chuckie Miller Defensive Back UCLA
9 24 247 Bob Ontko Linebacker Penn State
10 2 253 Chris Goode Defensive Back Alabama
11 2 281 Jim Reynosa Defensive End Arizona State
12 2 309 David Adams Running Back Arizona

Grade: D-

Bennett went on to play very well for the Bills.  Dixon was OK for a while.  Gambol was a complete stiff.

1988 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
3 21 76 Chris Chandler Quarterback Washington
4 22 104 Michael Ball Cornerback Southern
5 20 129 John Baylor Defensive Back Southern Mississippi
9 22 243 Jeff Herrod Linebacker Mississippi
10 21 270 O'Brien Alston Linebacker Maryland
11 20 297 Donnie Dee Tight End Tulsa
12 3 308 Aatron Kenney Wide Receiver Wisconsin-Stevens Point
12 22 327 Tim Vesling Placekicker Syracuse

Grade: D

The Colts traded their first two picks in this draft but still came up with Chris Chandler.  Chandler went on to have a long and mostly successful career with MANY teams.  Made a SB appearance with Atlanta.  Herrod was the starting MLB for years.  Alston showed flashes before Freeman McNeil of the Jets wrecked his knee on a cut block.

1989 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 22 22 Andre Rison Wide Receiver Michigan State
3 16 72 Mitchell Benson Defensive Tackle TCU
4 15 99 Pat Tomberlin Guard Florida State
6 16 155 Quintus McDonald Linebacker Penn State
7 15 182 Ivy Joe Hunter Running Back Kentucky
7 18 185 Charles Washington Defensive Back Cameron
8 17 212 Kurt Larson Linebacker Michigan State
9 16 239 William Mackall Wide Receiver Tennessee-Martin
10 15 266 Jim Thompson Offensive Tackle Auburn
11 17 296 Wayne Johnson Quarterback Georgia
12 7 314 William DuBose Running Back South Carolina State
12 16 323 Steve Taylor Quarterback Nebraska

Grade: F

This draft was a complete mess - Rison had good production and talent, but a bad attitude.  He got shipped out the next year.

1990 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 1 1 Jeff George Quarterback Illinois
2 11 36 Anthony Johnson Running Back Notre Dame
4 2 83 Stacey Simmons Wide Receiver Florida
4 13 94 Bill Schultz Guard USC
4 22 103 Alan Grant Defensive Back Stanford
4 25 106 Rick Cunningham Offensive Tackle Texas A&M
6 11 148 Tony Walker Linebacker Southeast Missouri State
7 14 179 James Singletary Linebacker East Carolina
8 13 206 Ken Clark Running Back Nebraska
8 20 213 Harvey Wilson Defensive Back Southern
9 11 232 Darvell Huffman Wide Receiver Boston University
11 14 290 Carnel Smith Defensive End Pittsburgh
12 7 311 Gene Benhart Quarterback Western Illinois
12 12 316 Dean Brown Guard Notre Dame

Grade: F

George was obviously not a good pick for the Colts (Although had he came into a better situation it might have been different).  Johnson had a number of good years as a undersized FB - but as a HIGH 2nd pick, he was a complete bust.

1991 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
2 13 40 Shane Curry Defensive End Miami (FL)
3 14 69 Dave McCloughan Defensive Back Colorado
4 13 96 Mark Vander Poel Offensive Tackle Colorado
5 14 125 Kerry Cash Tight End Texas
6 13 152 Mel Agee Defensive Tackle Illinois
7 14 181 James Bradley Wide Receiver Michigan State
8 13 208 Tim Bruton Tight End Missouri
9 13 236 Howard Griffith Fullback Illinois
10 13 263 Frank Giannetti Defensive End Penn State
11 14 292 Jerry Crafts Offensive Tackle Louisville
12 13 319 Rob Luedeke Center Penn State

Grade: F

Cash was a decent receiving TE for a few years, but had a bad attitude.

1992 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 1 1 Steve Emtman Defensive End Washington
1 2 2 Quentin Coryatt Linebacker Texas A&M
2 1 29 Ashley Ambrose Cornerback Mississippi Valley State
4 1 85 Rodney Culver Running Back Notre Dame
4 21 105 Tony McCoy Defensive Tackle Florida
5 1 113 Maury Toy Running Back UCLA
6 1 141 Shoun Habersham Wide Receiver Tennessee-Chattanooga
7 1 169 Derek Steele Defensive End Maryland
8 1 197 Jason Belser Defensive Back Oklahoma
8 16 212 Ronald Humphrey Running Back Mississippi Valley State
9 1 225 Eddie Miller Wide Receiver South Carolina
10 1 253 Steve Grant Linebacker West Virginia
12 1 309 Michael Brandon Defensive End Florida

Grade: D+

Emtman looked like a bust BEFORE he blew out both knees.  He was a stiff athlete with little to no lateral movement.  Coyatt had a few serviceable years, but underperformed for a very high 1st round pick.  McCoy hung around for a few years and Belser was very good for quite a few years.  Grant hung around longer than a 10th round pick usually does.  This was really a pathetic class when you consider we had the first two picks in the draft and three in the first 29!

1993 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 16 16 Sean Dawkins Wide Receiver California
2 20 49 Roosevelt Potts Running Back Louisiana-Monroe
3 9 65 Ray Buchanan Defensive Back Louisville
4 8 92 Derwin Gray Defensive Back Brigham Young
4 23 107 Devon McDonald Linebacker Notre Dame
6 17 157 Carlos Etheredge Tight End Miami
7 16 184 Lance Lewis Running Back Nebraska
8 15 211 Marquise Thomas Linebacker Mississippi

Grade: F

Dawkins started for a few years, but never showed consistent hands or separation.  Buchanan looked great after the team moved him to CB from S. I really liked Potts, but he had attitude problems.

1994 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 2 2 Marshall Faulk Running Back San Diego State
1 5 5 Trev Alberts Linebacker Nebraska
2 3 32 Eric Mahlum Guard California
3 2 67 Jason Mathews Offensive Tackle Texas A&M
4 3 106 Bradford Banta Tight End USC
5 2 133 John Covington Defensive Back Notre Dame
6 3 164 Lamont Warren Running Back Colorado
7 2 196 Lance Teichelman Defensive Tackle Texas A&M

Grade: C

Bill Tobin's first draft.  Faulk will be a HoFer.  Alberts had injury flags on him in college - and was continually injured in the pros.  Warren was a very good backup at RB for years.

1995 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 15 15 Ellis Johnson Defensive Tackle Florida
2 16 48 Ken Dilger Tight End Illinois
3 15 79 Zack Crockett Fullback Florida State
4 16 114 Ray McElroy Defensive Back Eastern Illinois
5 15 149 Derek West Offensive Tackle Colorado
6 16 187 Brian Gelzheiser Linebacker Penn State
7 15 223 Jessie Cox Linebacker Texas Southern

Grade: D

Johnson was a adequate starter for a few years, wanted out when Dungy got here.  Dilger was a very good player.  Crockett was serviceable.

1996 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 19 19 Marvin Harrison Wide Receiver Syracuse
2 21 51 Dedric Mathis Cornerback Houston
3 21 82 Scott Slutzker Tight End Iowa
4 20 115 Brian Milne Fullback Penn State
5 19 151 Steve Martin Defensive Tackle Missouri
6 24 191 Keith Conlin Offensive Tackle Penn State
6 38 205 Mike Cawley Quarterback James Madison
7 23 232 Adrian Robinson Safety Baylor

Grade: D

Harrison will be in the HoF.  Everyone else in this draft was quickly out of the league.  This is probably the draft that really got Bill Tobin fired.

1997 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 19 19 Tarik Glenn Offensive Tackle California
2 18 48 Adam Meadows Offensive Tackle Georgia
3 26 86 Bertrand Berry Linebacker Notre Dame
4 21 117 Monty Montgomery Defensive Back Houston
5 20 150 Nathaniel Jacquet Wide Receiver San Diego State
5 26 156 Carl Powell Defensive End Louisville
6 19 182 Scott von der Ahe Linebacker Arizona State
7 18 219 Clarence Thompson Defensive Back Knoxville College

Grade: D

Glenn performed exactly like a player picked where he was; solid starter for 10 years.  Meadows was OK for a while.  Berry is still in the league, but was a wash out for us.  I think he got "enhanced" while he was in Denver.

1998 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 1 1 Peyton Manning Quarterback Tennessee
2 2 32 Jerome Pathon Wide Receiver Washington
3 10 71 E. G. Green Wide Receiver Florida State
4 1 93 Steve McKinney Guard Texas A&M
5 12 135 Antony Jordan Linebacker Vanderbilt
7 1 190 Aaron Taylor Guard Nebraska
7 42 231 Corey Gaines Defensive Back Tennessee

Grade: B

Bill Polian's first draft.  Manning is obvious.  Pathon was a bust, never "got it" or showed consistent hands.  Green looked to be a Marvin-lite, but was always injured.  McKinney started for a while, left as a high priced free agent.

1999 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 4 4 Edgerrin James Running Back Miami (FL)
2 5 36 Mike Peterson Linebacker Florida
3 2 63 Brandon Burlsworth Guard Arkansas
4 1 96 Paul Miranda Cornerback Central Florida
5 5 138 Brad Scioli Defensive End Penn State
7 4 210 Hunter Smith Punter Notre Dame
7 44 250 Corey Terry Linebacker Tennessee

Grade: A

A lot of significant things happened with this draft.  James is a borderline HoF player.  Peterson played well here for a while then chased the money in Jacksonville.  Burlsworth died in a tragic accident.  Miranda was a complete bust.  Scioli has been a valuable backup.  Smith has been a very good punter.

2000 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 28 28 Rob Morris Linebacker Brigham Young
2 28 59 Marcus Washington Linebacker Auburn
3 29 91 David Macklin Cornerback Penn State
4 28 122 Josh Williams Defensive Tackle Michigan
5 9 138 Matt Johnson Center Brigham Young
7 29 235 Rob Renes Defensive Tackle Michigan
7 32 238 Rodregis Brooks Cornerback Alabama-Birmingham

Grade: C

Morris could be considered a bust.  He had an injury flag on him for his shoulder, but never had shoulder problems in the NFL.  Blew out both knees.  Was miscast in a very complex defense early on; then was miscast in a speed defense later.  Eventually played excellent at outside LB for our Super Bowl run.  Washington left for big bucks.  Macklin was merely serviceable, and then did not fit Dungy's defense.  Williams has been a valuable reserve.

2001 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 30 30 Reggie Wayne Wide Receiver Miami
2 6 37 Idrees Bashir Safety Memphis
3 29 91 Cory Bird Safety Virginia Tech
4 23 118 Ryan Diem Offensive Tackle Northern Illinois
5 21 152 Raymond Walls Cornerback Southern Mississippi
6 30 193 Jason Doering Safety Wisconsin
7 20 220 Rick DeMulling Guard Idaho State

Grade: C

Wayne could end up being in the HoF.  Bashir and Bird were both busts.  Diem and DeMulling outplayed their draft position by quite a bit.

2002 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 11 11 Dwight Freeney Defensive End Syracuse
2 10 42 Larry Tripplett Defensive Tackle Washington
3 9 74 Joseph Jefferson Safety Western Kentucky
4 8 106 David Thornton Linebacker North Carolina
6 10 182 David Pugh Defensive Tackle Virginia Tech
6 11 183 James Lewis Defensive Back Miami
6 32 204 Brian Allen Running Back Stanford
7 9 220 Josh Mallard Defensive End Georgia

Grade: D+

First Dungy draft.  For Freeney, Dungy and Polian get extra credit since all the "experts" said we reached and that he was too small.  Tripplett was a disappointment, but he did start for a few years.  Jefferson was continually injured, but looked good the rare times he did play.  Thorton was a good starter for a while.  I really liked Mallard at DT and he bounced around the league for a few years.

2003 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 24 24 Dallas Clark Tight End Iowa
2 26 58 Mike Doss Safety Ohio State
3 26 90 Donald Strickland Cornerback Colorado
4 25 122 Steve Sciullo Guard Marshall
5 3 138 Robert Mathis Defensive End Alabama A&M
5 27 162 Kenyon Whiteside Linebacker Tennessee
5 28 163 Brian St. Pierre Quarterback Boston College
6 25 198 Cato June Linebacker Michigan
6 35 208 Makoa Freitas Offensive Tackle Arizona

Grade: C

Dallas Clark is another feather in Polian's cap.  Doss was a starter for a couple of years but never was good in coverage at all.  Strickland was continually injured.  Sciullo surprised by starting most of the year - then he was mysteriously benched and never played for the Colts again.  Mathis is another surprise star.  June was a serviceable starter who left as a FA.  Freitas filled in nicely a few times at LT; pretty good for a 7th rounder.

2004 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
2 12 44 Bob Sanders Safety Iowa
3 5 68 Ben Hartsock Tight End Ohio State
3 6 69 Gilbert Gardner Linebacker Purdue
4 11 107 Kendyll Pope Linebacker Florida State
4 29 125 Jason David Cornerback Washington State
5 9 141 Jake Scott Guard Idaho
6 8 173 Von Hutchins Cornerback Mississippi
6 28 193 Jim Sorgi Quarterback Wisconsin
7 28 229 David Kimball Placekicker Penn State

Grade: D+

Sanders is a star when not injured.  Hartsock, Gardner, and Pope were all busts.  David started on a SB team before he went to New Orleans.  Scott has been a starter, nice for a 5th rounder.  Sorgi has been our 2nd QB since he was drafted.

2005 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 29 29 Marlin Jackson Cornerback Michigan
2 28 60 Kelvin Hayden Cornerback Illinois
3 28 92 Vincent Burns Defensive End Kentucky
4 28 129 Dylan Gandy Guard Texas Tech
4 34 135 Matt Giordano Safety California
5 12 148 Jonathan Welsh Defensive End Wisconsin
5 29 165 Robert Hunt Center North Dakota State
5 37 173 Tyjuan Hagler Linebacker Cincinnati
6 28 202 Dave Rayner Placekicker Michigan State
7 29 243 Anthony Davis Running Back Wisconsin

Grade: D+

Jackson and Hayden were both thought to be overrated and too slow for the NFL - that turned out to be completely wrong.  Burns and Gandy both didn't last.  Giordano is a good special teams guy but is poor in coverage.  After the first two guys, the rest of this class offered no help.  A lot of reaches here.

2006 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 30 30 Joseph Addai Running Back LSU
2 30 62 Tim Jennings Cornerback Georgia
3 30 94 Freddie Keiaho Linebacker San Diego State
5 29 162 Michael Toudouze Guard TCU
6 30 199 Charlie Johnson Offensive Tackle Oklahoma State
6 38 207 Antoine Bethea Safety Howard
7 30 238 T.J. Rushing Cornerback Stanford

Grade: F

Addai was a desperation pick during a poor year for running backs, he has been tentative and injury prone.  Does not play to his timed speed.  Jennings was close to being a bust, he did not produced like a 2nd round pick should.  Keiaho looked like he might be something for a while; but really did not produce his last year and was released.  Getting a starting LT in the 6th round is beyond good.  Bethea was played well above his draft position; he is one of the best safeties in the league.

2007 Draft

Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
1 32 32 Anthony Gonzalez Wide Receiver Ohio State
2 10 42 Tony Ugoh Offensive Tackle Arkansas
3 31 95 Daymeion Hughes Cornerback California
3 34 98 Quinn Pitcock Defensive Tackle Ohio State
4 32 131 Brannon Condren Safety Troy
4 37 136 Clint Session Linebacker Pittsburgh
5 32 169 Roy Hall Wide Receiver Ohio State
5 36 173 Michael Coe Cornerback Alabama State
7 32 232 Keyunta Dawson Linebacker Texas Tech

Grade: D

I can't give Gonzalez a green grade, since he was a 1st rounder and has so far only looked good in flashes.  This year will tell with him.  I pegged Ugoh early (in pre-season of his rookie year) as someone that did not have the talent to be a LT.  Hughes, Pitcock, and Condren did not help.  Session is starting now and looks like he may be a keeper.

The 2008 and 2009 draft grades are speculative since these players have not had a full chance to succeed or fail.

2008 Draft
Round   Pick #   Overall   Name   Position   College  
2 28 59 Mike Pollak Center Arizona State
3 30 93 Philip Wheeler Linebacker Georgia Tech
4 28 127 Jacob Tamme Tight End Kentucky
5 26 161 Marcus Howard Linebacker Georgia
6 30 196 Tom Santi Tight End Virginia
6 35 201 Steve Justice Center Wake Forest
6 36 202 Mike Hart Running Back Michigan
6 39 205 Pierre Garcon Wide Receiver Mount Union
7 29 236 Jamey Richard Center Buffalo

Grade: D

This is really not fair at this point, but Pollak looked physically overmatched every time he was on the field.  He needs to seriously increase his strength.  The re-signing of Saturday is a damming indictment of Justice, Pollak, and Richard.  Tamme showed some flashes, may be a great pick down the road.  Hart looked good for a quarter and then blew up his knee.  It seems we had a lot of reaches in this draft.

2009 Draft

Round

1 27 27 Donald Brown Running Back Connecticut

2 24 56 Fili Moala Defensive Tackle USC

3 28 92 Jerraud Powers Cornerback Auburn

4 27 127 Austin Collie Wide Receiver Brigham Young

4 36 136 Terrance Taylor Defensive Tackle Michigan

6 28 201 Curtis Painter Quarterback Purdue

7 13 222 Pat McAfee Kicker West Virginia

7 27 236 Jaimie Thomas Guard Maryland

Grade: B

Again, it is hard to be fair to a player when he has only played one season.  The book is still out on Brown and Moala - this year should tell.  Powers is thought by some to be a future pro-bowler.  Collie looks to be the reincarnation of Brandon Stokley.  Taylor was gone quick.  Getting a viable backup QB in the 6th, a long-term solution at Punter and a regular contributor at gaurd in the 7th qualifies as a win.  This draft class could turn into a A+ if Brown and Moala turn into quality players.

Some things surprised my while I was looking through these drafts.  I really don't think that we had done a great job of drafting after the 1st pick since Polian got here.  In order to get a "A" grade, I basically wanted to see solid value with the top picks.  That really only happened in 1999.  Of all of our 2nd picks since 1998, only 5 are still with the team.  Of those two, only Hayden and Sanders are solid producers.

Of the third round picks in the last ten years, only the two most recent are still with the team (Wheeler and Powers). 

So, if we have not drafted as well as perceived; why have we had this long run of success?  Here's why:

1) Polian has "hit" on every one of his 1st picks; drafting either a star or a very solid player.  The closest to a bust was Rob Morris; and that is not bad at all.  This is why I value the top picks like I do - hitting on those is what makes a good team.

2) Polian has been superb at knowing who to re-sign.  He has no problem cutting his losses if a player is not meeting expectations. 

3) Polian has consistently drafted good character types at the expense of talent.  We play at a higher level than our talent says we should. 

There is a lot that goes into being a GM other than drafting.  I still give Polian a "B+" for his ten years here; for every "miss" he has had, he avoided three landmines.