NO OPEN DOORS

I posted pick #1-#10..If you want to peep the rest of Draft..Peep

Scouts Inc.'s philosophy is that it takes three years to judge a player. Based upon that thinking, we went back to look at how the 2005 draft should have gone. Redoing the 2005 draft was no easy task, mainly because it was not a very good draft class. In fact, three years later, some players are just now starting to develop.

We have the Chargers taking the inconsistent wide receiver Vincent Jackson a round earlier than they took him back in 2005. Atlanta WR Roddy White is just now showing signs of being a No. 1, and he moves up in this draft. Derek Anderson, who was a sixth-round pick in Baltimore, is currently the starter in Cleveland and thus is taken ahead of Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell in this draft.

This poor draft class may also mean that the 2009 free agency class is going to leave a lot to be desired. Regardless, here is the new-look 2005 first round. (Blame the players --not us-- for the lackluster quality overall.)


1. San Francisco 49ers -- LB Shawne Merriman, Maryland
'05 team needs: QB, FS, WR, DE, CB, OLB, RB, C
Actual selection: QB Alex Smith, Utah
It's still too early to tell if Smith is a bust. But if he can't produce for new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who knows how to develop quarterbacks, the bust label fits. Even if Smith improves, he will never be as good as Merriman, who would be a great fit in the 49ers' 3-4 scheme and has future Hall of Famer written all over him.

2. Miami Dolphins -- LB DeMarcus Ware, Troy
'05 team needs: RB, QB, OLB, WR, DE, DT, OT, S
Actual selection: RB Ronnie Brown, Auburn
It's fitting for the Dolphins to draft Ware. Bill Parcells obviously likes Ware, having drafted him in Dallas in 2005. The Cowboys have played a hybrid 3-4 defense, and Ware was the second-best player in this draft behind Merriman. Brown has been solid, but he hasn't been able to carry a dismal offense over the past few years.

3. Cleveland Browns -- OT Jammal Brown, Oklahoma
'05 team needs: QB, OT, NT, ILB, S, CB, DE, WR
Actual selection: WR Braylon Edwards, Michigan
It would be hard to argue against selecting Edwards, who was one of the top players in this class. However, we are looking back to 2005 and at that time the Browns had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL without current LT Joe Thomas. Based on the state of the offensive line back then, the Browns should not have passed on Brown, who is now an excellent starting left tackle.

4. Chicago Bears -- WR Braylon Edwards, Michigan
'05 Team needs: RB, TE, WR, G, OLB, QB, DT, CB
Actual selection: RB Cedric Benson, Texas
Benson has underachieved to this point. Had the Bears drafted Edwards, they would have kept RB Thomas Jones, who should still be the Bears' starter since Benson never actually beat him out. Jones was traded for one reason: to justify the drafting of Benson, who did nothing to quiet the skeptics in 2007, his first season as the starter.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- RB Frank Gore, Miami
'05 team needs: RB, WR, OLB, SS, G, DT, QB, OT, DE, CB
Actual selection: RB Carnell Williams, Auburn
Ironically, the knock against Gore -- that he was injury-prone -- has actually been the case for Williams. In retrospect, Gore, who has missed only three games in three years compared to Williams' 16, should have been the selection.

6. Tennessee Titans -- RB Ronnie Brown, Auburn
'05 team needs: CB, ROT, WR, RB, K, C, ILB, QB, TE
Actual selection: CB Adam Jones, West Virginia
The Titans would have rather taken anyone instead of Jones, whose off-the-field issues resulted in his being suspended for the entire 2007 season. The Titans' running game has been inconsistent without a featured back. Brown fits here, considering what he did running behind a bad Dolphins offensive line. We think he could have put up big-time numbers in Tennessee.

7. Minnesota Vikings -- OG Logan Mankins, Fresno State
'05 team needs: RG, WR, DE, K, DT, C, QB
Actual selection: WR Troy Williamson, South Carolina
Even though offensive guard is not an issue right now, in 2005 the Vikings' No. 1 need was a right guard; Mankins has been the most productive guard from the 2005 class. With an interior O-line of Steve Hutchinson at left guard, Matt Birk at center and Mankins at right guard, the Vikings would boast the NFL's best inside trio.

8. Arizona Cardinals -- OT Michael Roos, Eastern Washington
'05 team needs: RB, CB, TE, DT, G, OT, OLB, QB
Actual selection: CB Antrel Rolle, Miami
Roos was selected in the second round by the Titans and has been one of the best offensive tackles from this class. Since 2005, the Cardinals have been trying to resolve their offensive line issues, and Roos could have helped them tremendously. The Cardinals line is better today than it was then, but Roos would have turned the position from a question mark into an exclamation point.

9. Washington Redskins -- MLB Lofa Tatupu, USC
'05 team needs: ILB, DE, CB, DT, SS, G, TE
Actual selection: CB Carlos Rogers, Auburn
The No. 1 need for the Redskins in 2005 was inside linebacker. Tatupu went in the second round to Seattle and is now one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL. While Rogers can't stay healthy, Tatupu would have been the leader Washington has been lacking on defense.

10. Detroit Lions -- QB Derek Anderson, Oregon State
'05 team needs: ROT, DE, S, ILB, DT, QB, TE, WR
Actual selection: WR Mike Williams, USC
Anderson is the best quarterback in this class and was taken in the sixth round by Baltimore. Anderson moved on to Cleveland and will enter the season as the Browns' No. 1. He still has a lot to prove, but he is further along than first-rounders Smith, Rodgers and Campbell.