Amobi Okoye has the odds in his favor
Jun 14, 2007 1997-2006 Drafts, Amobi Okoye is 20, Big dudes doing the little things, Preview, Teams that aren't the Texans
Oh. Yeah. I forgot to finish the Amobi hype post. Dang that beer and sun for warping my already-muddled brain.
ANYWAY…here’s the list of defensive tackles taken with a Top-16 pick in the last 10 years.
- Darrell Russell, 1997. Taken by Oakland Raiders with 2d pick.
- Anthony McFarland, 1999. Taken by Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 15th pick.
- Corey Simon, 2000. Taken by Philadelphia Eagles with 6th pick.
- Gerard Warren, 2001. Taken by Cleveland Browns with 3d pick.
- Damione Lewis, 2001. Taken by St. Louis Rams with 12th pick.
- Marcus Stroud, 2001. Taken by Jacksonville Jaguars with 13th pick.
- Ryan Sims, 2002. Taken by Kansas City Chiefs with 6th pick.
- John Henderson, 2002. Taken by Jacksonville Jaguars with 9th pick.
- Wendell Bryant, 2002. Taken by Arizona Cardinals with 12th pick.
- Albert Haynesworth, 2002. Taken by Tennessee Titans with 15th pick.
- Dewayne Robertson, 2003. Taken by New York Jets with 4th pick.
- Kevin Williams, 2003. Taken by Minnesota Vikings with 9th pick.
- Tommie Harris, 2004. Taken by Chicago Bears with 14th pick.
- Travis Johnson, 2005. Taken by Houston Texans with 16th pick.
- Haloti Ngata, 2006. Taken by Baltimore Ravens with 12th pick.
- Brodrick Bunkley, 2006. Taken by Philadelphia Eagles with 14th pick.
So, what do we have? The Good: The late Russell was a two-time Pro Bowler and, his drug problems notwithstanding, was a very good NFL player. Booger was an integral part of a Super Bowl defense and has been a solid contributor throughout his career. Corey Simon was a Pro Bowler and racked up 32 sacks in 5 years in Philly before injuries curtailed his production and playing time. Stroud is a 3-time Pro Bowler and has paired with fellow list member John Henderson (2 Pro Bowls) to form one of the most dominant tackle duos in recent memory. Noted headstomper Haynesworth has become one of the better run stuffing DTs in the game over the past few season. Robertson has not been all-world, but has played well, notching 200 total tackles in 5 years. Williams has also racked up 199 in the same timeframe, but has added 23 sacks, 2 INTs, and 23 passes defended. Tommie Harris has made two Pro Bowls and was second in DROY voting, a he also played a dominant role in the Bears’ Super Bowl defense. Finally, while it’s probably a little premature to call him a success, Ngata has shown the ability to be a big-time run stuffer and has also flashed athleticism that belies his size. That’s 10 in the “success” column.
The Bad: Gerard Warren was drafted ahead of Shaun Rogers and LaDanian Tomlinson. Whoops. Damione Lewis was part of a string of really bad draft picks by the Rams. Ryan Sims has had injury issues and has had only one season that could be called above average. Wendell Bryant is working at a car wash somewhere. Travis Johnson… well… you know. Finally–and again it might be premature–Bunkley was less-than-good last season in Philly. That’s 6 in the “poop” column.
What does it all mean? Well, on pure numbers alone, it looks like Okoye has a better than 50-50 shot at panning out. That’s comforting. Other than that, what is most noteworthy is the disparity between good and bad careers on this list. I mean, there’s not a lot of middle ground (Robertson would probably be the closest to the middle); these guys for the most part either become dominant interior player or they just flat fail. Which, I suppose, speaks to the importance of the position–mediocre just won’t cut it in the middle of an NFL line.
Obviously, nothing here is a guarantee or curse that Manchild will or will not fail. However, when you consider (a) that DTs drafted in the top half of the draft have more often than not become solid NFL players, and (b) that Okoye is highly intelligent as well as gifted athletically, it stands to reason that he has a good chance to live up to his advanced billing.
At least, that’s what I tell myself when trying to sleep at night.
