Re-Drafting the 2005 NFL Draft Using Advanced Analytics
What Happened
Here's the top 10 picks of the 2005 draft, along with their position and career approximate value.
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | CarAV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | Alex Smith | QB | 72 |
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | Ronnie Brown | RB | 41 |
| 3 | Cleveland Browns | Braylon Edwards | WR | 41 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | Cedric Benson | RB | 34 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cadillac Williams | RB | 26 |
| 6 | Tennessee Titans | Adam Jones | DB | 46 |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings | Troy Williamson | WR | 8 |
| 8 | Arizona Cardinals | Antrel Rolle | DB | 53 |
| 9 | Washington Redskins | Carlos Rogers | DB | 49 |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | Mike Williams | WR | 12 |
As mentioned before, the San Francisco 49ers picked Alex Smith with the first overall pick. The organization was absent an adequate quarterback and saw his success at Utah under Urban Meyer, so they made an attempt to land what they thought would be a franchise quarterback.
The 49ers' thought process wasn't far out there, but what happened after that could certainly be described as odd, especially from the position the NFL is on today. Three running backs were then taken in the next four picks, making it three in the top five. All three were elite college running backs, but for perspective, Frank Gore was taken 60 picks later at the beginning of the third round.
What makes a little more sense is that three wide receivers and three defensive backs were also selected in the first 10 picks. With the trend toward pass-happy offenses, that makes sense.
That was it, though. Unlike recent NFL drafts, no defensive ends nor any offensive linemen were taken in the top 10. It's interesting, to say the least.
