Looking Back at 2001: The Best NFL Draft Of the Decade

The 2008 NFL Draft is proving to be a good, deep draft that has given many teams in the league an instant impact. Running backs Chris Johnson in Tennessee and Matt Forte in Chicago, as well as quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta have been bigger contributors than many would have predicted.

While there are certainly busts and unknowns already from this draft, a seventh round pick is providing quality in a starting role at running back in Denver (Peyton Hillis), the overall depth of the draft is pretty good.

But looking back to the turn of the millenium, one draft class stands above the rest for depth and quality: 2001. I won't get into a discussion about the N.1 pick's demise (Michael Vick), but there are plenty of other great players from which to choose. Let's look at some of the stars that came out that year.

Quarterbacks:

Pick 32: Drew Brees, Purdue - San Diego

This was the second pick of the day for the Chargers, who may have had one of the best couple picks in the history of the draft, between Brees and N.5 pick LaDanian Tomlinson.

Pick 155: AJ Feeley, Oregon - Philadelphia Eagles

Feeley has certainly not had the career Brees has, but he has been the only consistent backup to Donovan McNabb. He also received a nice contract at one point to be the starter in Miami, a role he didn't take to very well.

Running backs:

Pick 5: LaDanian Tomlinson, TCU - San Diego

In case you haven't been involved in fantasy football in the past decade, Tomlinson might be one of the most productive backs in NFL history. He owns the single season record for touchdowns and is on pace to be among the top five ever in rushing yards.

Pick 23: Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss - New Orleans

Injuries, and the pick of Reggie Bush, have started to take away from what started as a strong career for McAllister. In four of his next five seasons, McAllister topped 1,000 yards, including a monstrous 1,641 yards in 2003.

Pick 100: Rudi Johnson, Auburn - Cincinnati

Perhaps I'm giving him some house credit because he was playing in Cincy, but Johnson enjoyed a solid career with the Bungals before moving on this past offseason. Johnson had three consecutive seasons of more than 1,300 yards.

Pick 121: Correll Buckhalter, Nebraska - Philadelphia

The numbers aren't in the same class as the previous three backs, but Buckhalter has been a lifesaver for the Eagles every time the injury-prone Brian Westbrook has been down. Whether in special teams or being a third down back, Buckhalter has been invaluable to the Eagles.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: (this was the draft class of teammates)

Pick 16: Santana Moss, Miami (FL) - NY Jets

Moss found early success before falling on rough times with the Jets. He has experienced a renaissance in Washington with the Redskins. Many had Moss pegged as being too small to succeed in the NFL, however his longevity and production have proved them wrong.

Pick 30: Reggie Wayne, Miami (FL) - Indianapolis

Would you have loved to be the quarterback throwing to Moss and Wayne at The U? Wayne wasn't an immediate success, but had the luxury of growing into the position while watching the Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison Show. Wayne is now one of the top three or four receivers in the NFL, and has eclipsed Harrison as Manning's favorite target.

Pick 25: Alge Crumpler, TE, North Carolina - Atlanta

Crumpler and Vick were the second best combination in this draft after Brees-Tomlinson in San Diego. Crumpler earned more than one free trip to Hawaii in February as Vick's favorite (and many times only) target.

Pick 36: Chad Johnson, Oregon St - Cincinnati

Ocho-Cinco had one color to his hair and teeth when he arrived in Cincy. He also had great playmaking ability that has served him well enough to get him paid, despite his antics.

Pick 52: Chris Chambers, Wisconsin - Miami

Chambers is a big body receiver who put up good numbers despite the revolving door at quarterback in Miami. Now in San Diego, Chambers has started to get lost in the wake of Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.

Pick 74: Steve Smith, Utah - Carolina

The same size issue that may have discounted Moss' stock in this draft effected Smith. Anyone who has watched him play knows he has outperformed his selection in the middle of the third round by leaps and bounds.

Pick 204: TJ Houshmandzadeh, Oregon St - Cincinnati

Like the Moss-Wayne combination at Miami, Johnson-Houshmandzadeh is a pair of college teammates that makes any quarterback salivate. These two remained teammates as professionals, even though only one of the two has carried himself like one. Houshmanzadeh fell to the seventh round and may be one of the great steals in the history of the NFL draft.

Offensive Linemen:

Pick 17: Steve Hutchinson, T, Michigan - Seattle

Hutchinson, along with another pick the Seahawks made later in this draft, led Shaun Alexander to his MVP award and led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl and numerous playoff runs. He signed the richest contract for any lineman in history to take his talents to Minnesota.

Pick 48: Matt Light, T, Purdue - New England

Light has been a starter protecting Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady and now Matt Cassell since coming to the Patriots. He is an anchor on one of the best lines in football.

Pick 118: Ryan Diem, G, Northern Illinois - Indianapolis

Like Light, Diem has been a consistent player on a line in front of Manning.

Pick 128: Floyd "Porkchop" Womack, G, Mississippi St - Seattle

The aforementioned guard that played next to Hutchinson, the Seahawks picked up two annual Pro Bowl players in one draft.

Defensive Line:

Pick 6: Richard Seymour, DT, Georgia - New England

Seymour has been an anchor on how many championship teams? His presence is even more noticeable when he isn't on the field; the Patriots pass rush and run defense fall off considerably when he isn't on the field.

Pick 19: Casey Hampton, NT, Texas - Pittsburgh

Hampton continues to be a force in the middle for Pittsburgh, and, like Seymour, has a ring to show for it.

Pick 44: Kris Jenkins, DT, Maryland - Carolina

Jenkins, while playing next to Julius Peppers, made up half of arguably the best pass rushing defensive line tandems in football.

Pick 61: Shaun Rogers, NT, Texas - Detroit

The Biz Marquee look-alike has blocked 13 kicks in his career and was, on most occasions, the only bright spot on the defensive side of the ball in Detroit before he was dealt to Cleveland before 2008. Like with the receivers, the fact that Rogers and Hampton played next to each other at Texas makes one wonder how anyone ran the ball against Texas at the beginning of this decade.

Linebackers: probably the only good professional linebacker in this draft was Florida State's Tommy Polley, who went to St Louis with the 42nd pick.

Secondary:

Pick 21: Nate Clements, CB, Ohio State - Buffalo

Clements continues to be one of the best cover corners in the NFL, while racking up huge tackle numbers as well. He is a rare combination of both excellent coverage ability and All Pro run support from a corner.

Pick 64: Adrian Wilson, S, NC State - Arizona

Wilson is one of the bigger hitters in the league still. He's quietly been an All Pro in what has generally been a swiss cheese defense in the desert.

Overall, 2001 was one of the deepest drafts, producing Pro Bowl players well into the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. Another point to be considered is the teams that are listed next to many of these players; the Colts, Seahawks, Panthers, and Patriots all found key building blocks to long-running playoff teams in this draft.