The
stands, once packed tightly with screaming
fans from all 32 teams, are only
half-occupied. Most occupants are half
asleep. Chris Berman and the crew have been
replaced with Suzy Kolber and three guys
you've never seen in your life, but
understand to be failed ex-players
auditioning for a job at ESPN. Your legs
are soar from pacing across your room the
previous day, and your voice hoarse from
yelling at the television. Mel Kiper
remains seated, furiously sifting through
notes on players from Division III schools.
His hair is, as always, perfect.
If you
recognize the above scene, then you, my
friend, have watched the second day of the
NFL Draft.
While
it may not be the most exciting 8 hours of
the year, one could argue that it is the
most important. Don't believe me? Let's
take a look at this year's best NFL teams,
and how they've built themselves through the
second day of the draft. We'll limit the
discussion to players who are currently
playing for the teams that drafted them.
Undrafted free agents are also included, as
they are players who lasted all the way
through day two, and therefore could have
been had by any team.
Before
suffering their first loss in week 15, the
Colts looked invincible. Though their
"core" consists of first round picks Peyton
Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin
Harrison, the team would not be where they
are without their many lesser-known
players. Indy's offensive line, widely
regarded as the best in the league, is
anchored by tackle Tarik Glenn. However,
the other four starters (Ryan Diem, Jake
Scott, Jeff Saturday, and Ryan Lilja) were
all second day picks or undrafted free
agents. On the other side of the ball,
while Dwight Freeney gets the spotlight, the
defense's base is built with non-first day
picks. In fact, Cato June, David Thornton,
Gary Brackett, Nick Harper, and Jason Davis
were all either second day picks or
undrafted. That's all three starting
linebackers and both starting corners, if
you're scoring at home.
Moving
on to another title contender, let's talk
about the Bengals. 2005 has been a breakout
year for the once-laughing stock of the
league; and like the Colts, the rise has
been made possible by the team's second day
drafting. Stud running back Rudi Johnson
was originally a fourth round selection out
of Auburn. His great play has limited
former first round pick Chris Perry to
strictly a backup role late in the season.
Regardless of who's carrying the ball,
fourth round pick Jeremi Johnson leads the
way from the fullback position. The
ball-hocking defense also has many solid
second day picks, including starting
safeties Ifeanyi Ohalete and Kevin
Kaesviharn, as well as defensive end Robert
Geathers. Throw in solid long-snapper
Brad St. Louis, and you've got an excellent
group of non-first day picks.
Finally, let's look at the resurgent Chicago
Bears. As with all things related to the
Bears, the discussion begins and ends on the
defensive side of the ball. The defensive
end tandem of Adewole Ogunleye and Alex
Brown is known as the most fearsome in the
league, but what may not be so known is that
the latter was just a fourth round draft
pick of the Bears. For his part, Ogunleye
went undrafted entirely (but was originally
signed by the Dolphins). Nathan Vasher is
running away with the league's interception
title, but teams apparently ran away from
him on draft day, allowing the Bears to take
him in the fourth round. Fellow defensive
back Mike Green was not just a second day
pick, but the dead-last player selected in
the 2000 draft. Starters Ian Scott and
Hunter Hillenmeyer weren't selected as late
as Green, but neither went off the board on
the first day of their respective drafts.
As you
can see, key aspects of the NFL's best teams
have been built outside of the first day of
the draft or free agency. These might not
be the players you hear about every night on
Sportscenter, but they're the ones that
allow the Peyton Mannings and Brian
Urlachers of the world to achieve the level
of success they've become accustomed to.
Keep in mind that no attention has been paid
to the string of Pro Bowl-caliber Denver
running backs selected in the late rounds,
or to the most famous second day pick of
all, Tom Brady. So, when you're considering
skipping day two of the draft next year, I
advise that you stay, and watch the players
that could very well form the core of your
team for the next decade-even if it means
enduring the shoddy television coverage.
