Best and Worst of the NFL Draft: 40-30

40.  Justin Tuck                     DE                  New York Giants                  74 overall (3rd round) 2005
Tuck wasn’t even on the radar for this list until February 3rd, but after turning Tom Brady’s fourth Super Bowl an utter nightmare, he deserved to be mentioned.  Of course, putting Tuck here is partially based on potential, because it looks inevitable that the he’ll turn into a perennial all-pro.

39.  Grady Jackson               DT      Tampa Bay Buccaneers        193 overall (6th round) 1997
There’s a fine line between being fat and being good.  Jackson is straddling that line— and it’s not pretty.

38.  DeMeco Ryans   LB       Houston Texans                     33 overall (2nd round) 2006
The 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year followed up a season in which he led the NFL in tackles by being named All-Pro in 2007.  Not bad for a 236-lb middle linebacker who was thought to be too small to play in the pros. 

37.  Shaun Phillips     LB       San Diego Chargers              98 overall (4th round) 2004
Phillips may not be the most famous Shaun in the San Diego linebacking corps, but he has been a huge part of the Chargers defense since joining the team four years ago.  He is yet to make a Pro Bowl, but aided pass rushing extraordinaire Shawne Merrimane with 8.5 sacks of his own this past season. 

36.  Devin Hester       KR                  Chicago Bears           57 overall (2nd round) 2006
Hester was drafted to be a cornerback.   He turned out to the most dominant kick returner in NFL history.  In his first two seasons, Hester has run back 11 kicks (both punts and kickoffs) to the house.  Eventually teams will start to realize that Hester is the only chance the Bears have at scoring and just kick the ball out of bounds, but until then, he remains one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. 

35.  Mario Williams   DE                  Houston Texans                     1 overall (1st round) 200
On Draft Day 2006, all we heard was how Williams will forever follow in the shadows of future game-changers Reggie Bush and Vince Young.

But what a difference a two years makes.  After racking up 11 ½ sacks in 2007, Williams was named AP Defensive Lineman of the Year (I didn’t know that was an award either) and even got votes for Defensive Player of the Year.  Bush, whose longest run of his NFL career is just 22 yards— 16 yards fewer than Williams’ fumble recovery touchdown dash— proved that he may never be anything more than an explosive third-down back.  Young passed for 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and was limited to 395 rushing yards while operating one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses.

 All of the sudden, it appears that Bush and Young are now chasing the legacy of Williams.  Hats off to Charlie Casserly for making that pick.  And by the way, hats back on to Casserly for resigning immediately after the draft.

34.    Logan Mankins            G                     New England Patriots                       32 overall (1st round) 2005
New England has had success drafting offensive lineman in all rounds of the draft.  Matt Light was a second-round pick in 2001 and Dan Koppen was a fifth-rounder in 2003, so why is Mankins a more impressive pick than those two? 

Because the Pats invested first-round money in him.  If a fifth-round guard doesn’t pan out, it’s not a big deal.  But if a first-round choice fails, then you’ve wasted a lot of money and the opportunity to draft another very talented player.  When Mankins was drafted with the last pick of the first round in ’05, everyone had the same reaction…”Who?”  With well-known players like USC’s Shaun Cody, Oklahoma’s Dan Cody, and Tennessee’s Kevin Burnett available, it took some Mel Kiper analysis to calm everyone down and convince the world that Mankins was indeed a wise choice.  After being named to the Pro Bowl, however, Mankins no longer needs Kiper’s backing to prove that he is one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL.

33.   Jared Allen        DE                  Kansas City Chiefs               126 overall (4th round) 2004
Allen, who struggled with DUI’s early in his career, has cleaned up his life and now gets drunk off sacking the quarterback.  He led the league with 15.5 sacks this season and was named to his first Pro Bowl. 

32.  Rudi Johnson                 RB      Cincinnati Bengals                100 overall (4th round)
Cincinnati didn’t miss a beat when Johnson stepped in for Corey Dillon several seasons ago.  Rudi’s bruising running style seems to have taken its toll, however, as his career appears to have peaked in 2005 when he totaled a franchise-record 1,458 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

31.  Brandon Marshall          WR     Denver Broncos                     119 overall (4th round) 2006
Elvis Dumervil           DE      Denver Broncos                     126 overall (4th round) 2006
It’s rare for a team to find two impact players seven picks apart in the fourth round.  The 6-foot-4 230 lb Marshall was low on the draft radar because he went to a small school (UCF), but in 2007 he emerged as one of the top gamebreakers in the NFL, hauling in 102 passes for 1,365 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Dumervil, a NCAA-record setter at Louisville, fell on draft boards because of his 5-foot-11 frame.  However, he has a 6-foot-7 wingspan and a non-stop motor that has led to 21 sacks in his first two seasons. 

30.  Frank Gore                     RB      San Francisco 49ers              65 overall (3rd round) 2005
A big-time recruit at Miami (Fl.), the 5-foot-10 workhorse suffered two gory (see what I did there) knee injuries that shortened his college career and hurt his draft stock.  People knew Gore could play—he was Big East Freshman of the Year after averaging a whopping 11.3 yards per carry and had beaten out Willis McGahee for the starting job before suffering a torn ACL in his sophomore campaign—but his history of injuries and a 4.68 40-yard dash time scared away potential suitors.  The Niners took a small gamble in the third round and it paid off big, as Gore rushed for an NFC-high 1,695 yards in 2006. 

 Worst Picks

40.  Byron Hanspard            RB      Atlanta Falcons         41 overall (2nd round) 1997
Hanspard won the Doak Walker award as a senior at Texas Tech back in the days when the Red Raiders recognized the position of running back.  A pure speed back, Hanspard was drafted ahead of Corey Dillon and Duce Staley, which in retrospect proved to be huge mistakes.  Atlanta lucked out because former seventh-round pick Jamal Anderson turned into a superstar, so Hanspard’s disappointing transition to the NFL didn’t affect his team much. 

39.  Rod Gardner      WR     Washington Redskins 15 overall (1st round) 2001
The Skins have been looking to add size to their receiving corps ever since Gardner flopped.  A big, physical target out of Clemson, Gardner’s lack of speed ultimately doomed a once-promising career.  He had a career-high 1,006 yards receiving in his second season, but quickly faded and has since been a member of the Packers, Panthers, and Chiefs. 

38.  Rae Carruth       WR     Carolina Panthers     27 overall (1st round) 1997
To an extent, the Panthers got unlucky with this pick, but Carruth is an example of why teams need to do extensive character checks before drafting a player.  Carruth flashed potential in his first few seasons—he made first team all-rookie—but his career came to a crashing halt in 1999 when he was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.  Carruth hired a hitman to murder his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time.  She was shot four times in a drive-by shooting and eventually fell into a coma and died a month later.  Carruth was found guilty and his football career was rightfully cut short. 

37.  Maurice Clarett RB       Denver Broncos         101 overall (3rd round) 2005
Mike Shanahan is usually pretty good at pegging running backs, but he made a huge mistake with the last pick of the third round.  All off-the-field issues aside, Clarett ran a disgustingly slow 40 time and didn’t seem to be a fit in Denver’s one-cut system.  Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs, who came off the board at 109 and 110 respectively, would have each been scary in the Broncos offense. 

36.  Dimitrius Underwood DE Minnesota Vikings            29 overall (1st round) 1999
No one denied Underwood’s physical abilities, but there were serious concerns about his character.  His college coaches at Michigan State said he wasn’t mentally prepared for the NFL, and they were right.  Underwood quit the Vikings on his first day of training camp and signed with the Dolphins, who released him after he attempted suicide.  Shortly thereafter, Underwood was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and for whatever reason, the Cowboys decided it would be a good idea to sign him.  After he ran into traffic in a second attempt to kill himself, Jerry Jones cut him and ended the experiment.  Underwood was drafted one pick ahead of perennial Pro Bowl (and mentally stable) defensive end Patrick Kerney.

35.  William Green    RB      Cleveland Browns     16 overall (1st round) 2002
Green’s was a tremendous talent with burning speed, but there’s a reason why he fell to No. 16 overall.  Off-the-field issues plagued Green before the draft, and they continued to haunt him throughout his three-year career.  Between drunk driving charges, problems with marijuana, and domestic violence issues, Green quickly wore out his welcome in Cleveland. 

34.  Kenyatta Walker OT     Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 overall (1st round) 2001
The Bucs expected Walker to be their cornerstone left tackle for years to come when they used the No. 14 pick on him.  Walker never was capable of handling the left tackle responsibilities, and though he started on the right side for several years, he was ultimately released in 2005.  New England’s Matt Light, Detroit’s Jeff Backus, and Jacksonville’s Maurice Williams all were drafted shortly after Walker. 

33.  Kevin Dyson       WR     Tennessee Titans       16 overall (1st round) 1998
Dyson certainly made his mark on the franchise in his seven-year career.  Along with Frank Wycheck, he was responsible for the “Music City Miracle” and was famously stopped one-yard short of scoring a game-tying touchdown in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXXIV.  With that being said, Dyson’s career year consisted of 825 yards and 7 touchdowns, which doesn’t quite match the numbers of the receiver drafted five picks after Dyson—Randy Moss. 

32.  Rashard Anderson CB  Carolina Panthers     23 overall (1st round) 2000
The Panthers took a gamble on this small-school prospect, and it didn’t pay off.  Anderson, a 6-
foot-2 205 pound corner out of Jackson State, recorded just one interception in two seasons before a year-long suspension for violating the substance abuse policy.  He was released and never was able to sign on with another team. 

31.  Robert Gallery   OT      Oakland Raiders       2 overall (1st round) 2004
The scouting reports out of college were golden.  Everyone pegged him as a “can’t miss” prospect, and even though players at his position don’t normally go this high, no one questioned Oakland’s selection.  But in a few short years, we all quickly learned that the Raiders had essentially wasted a very high pick on this bearded, 300-pound drunken mess of a football player.  Oh wait, I thought we were talking about Sebastian Janikowski. 

30.  Michael Haynes  DE     Chicago Bears                       13 overall (1st round) 2003
The city of Chicago is very fond of a certain Michael and his Haines, but unfortunately it isn’t this one.  The defensive end out of Penn State totaled just 5.5 sacks in three years with the Bears, but did manage to score a touchdown on a 45-yard interception return in 2004. 

See the full list (and pictures) at DuffySports.com