2004: The draft we should be grading

Handing out grades the day after the draft has always seemed a little silly, it's just a way for all the so called experts to show how much smarter they are than all the NFL GMs and scouts that poured their into lives into the entire draft process for the last 3-4 months.

Let's take a look at the 2004 draft, since we can actually grade that one more fairly now that those players have 2 full seasons under their belts. (I was going to go back to 2003 but since that is pre-Gibbs 2.0 I figured there's not much use in going there.)

Here's the 2004 draft class:

Sean Taylor - 1st round, 5th overall
Chris Cooley - 3rd round pick
Mark Wilson - 5th round pick
Jim Molinaro - 6th round pick

I would give Taylor a solid B or B+, the only thing holding back an A is the off the field crap and the spitting incident.

Cooley I would give an A. He's the best tight end/h-back, whatever you want to call him that we've had in a long time.

Wilson gets an F, did he ever catch on anywhere else?

Molinaro I would give an incomplete, he's still on the roster so that's a plus, but we really don't know what he's capable of since he hasn't seen much action.

So all in all, we came away from this draft with two starter with Pro Bowl potential.

molinaro gets an f in my book just for the seattle game.a guard by trade the skins opted to put raymer in at guard and the rest is history(bad history at that)

I think the 2004 draft was most notable because we didnt draft Kellen Winslow in the first round. We waited until the 3rd round to pick up Cooley. And used the "best player available" tactic with Sean. And I would give Sean an A- because of the extracurricular activities.

Looking at the top 2 picks of the draft, I would say that we got a Safety that added much needed bite to our bark. And we picked up an offensive red zone/1st down threat in Chris.

With fewer high draft picks this year, our chances of hitting gold are much, much less.

This thread proves my thinking, that once you get past the 3rd round, it is really difficult for any of these drafted guys to play or make the team. You have thousands of guys who play college ball and only the best become starters or reserves in the NFL. Mcintosh will make our team this year and the rest of Sunday's picks are just real long shots that the regular guys just use to practice against.

Sean Taylor's off the field incidents had no bearing on last season. There's no evidence to say that it inhibited his growth. The spitting thing was bad because it got him ejected. But the legal case doesn't enter the equation in my eyes. He's already a great player and he's only two years in. A

Cooley gets an A as well. Even considering what we had to trade to get him, it was worth it.

Wilson gets an F. But he was picked so low that it's like getting an F on a little pop quiz that's not even worth 2% of your final grade.

Molinaro gets a C. I think if you're a late round pick like he was, and you manage to stick around for a few years, even if you've gotten no playing time, it still says something about you. Can't give him higher than a C though, he hasn't played yet.

All in all, it's an A- draft if you ask me.

Molinaro gets a C. I think if you're a late round pick like he was, and you manage to stick around for a few years, even if you've gotten no playing time, it still says something about you. Can't give him higher than a C though, he hasn't played yet.

I agree with this. Everyone always talks about how you have to find the Tom Bradys in the 6th round. Well good freakin luck. The fact that hes still on the roster means he is at least decent enough to keep around. Thats about the best you can expect from a 6th rounter. For every Tom Brady and Antonio Pierce there are a looooooot of guys who are selling tires and coaching pop warner on the weekends now.

Gibbs said that Molinaro will have a larger roll in 06. I hope so. The OL in in need even if he thinks not. I bet he will look at the wire to find a back up or two before the season opener!

Gibbs said that Molinaro will have a larger roll in 06. I hope so. The OL in in need even if he thinks not. I bet he will look at the wire to find a back up or two before the season opener!

They must have some confidence in Molinaro since he has stuck for 2 years and is said to be moving up the depth charts. You don't keep around OLs who simply can't play. Too much risk. I am thinking he can be a adequate reserve for us.

Molinaro will compete with Lefotu.