Re-Drafting the 2005 NFL Draft Using Advanced Analytics
5 Risers
In case you thought the '05 draft was nothing but a failure, you're wrong. Thankfully, there are some positives to take away from it.
| Player | Position | CarAV | Actual Pick | Re-Draft Pick | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | 61 | 250 | 12 | 238 |
| Jay Ratliff | DE | 56 | 224 | 16 | 208 |
| Matt Cassel | QB | 46 | 230 | 32 | 198 |
| Chris Myers | G | 59 | 200 | 14 | 186 |
| Trent Cole | DE | 69 | 146 | 9 | 137 |
Ryan Fitzpatrick was recently benched and quite possibly run out of New York by Jets fans. However, through it all, he's been a rather productive and valuable quarterback in his 12 years removed from Harvard. Fitzpatrick has a quarterback rating of 79.7 and has 166 touchdowns for six different teams.
Jay Ratliff's career has spiraled out of control over the last few years. But, before his days with the Chicago Bears, Ratliff started at least 14 games in five of his eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. His best year was 2009, when the nose tackle posted six sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Much like Fitzpatrick, Matt Cassel has never been much of a star quarterback for any one team, amounting to a very good backup. He's played for six teams and has a quarterback rating of 79.2 in his career.
Chris Myers was a very solid late-round pick for the Broncos. From third year to his last in 2014, the center started all 16 games for the Broncos and Texans. He was voted to the Pro Bowl twice in his NFL tenure.
Once again, Cole is part of a group of well-known pass-rushers to come out of this draft. But, he was the steal of them all, with a difference of 137 selections.
And why not? In 12 seasons -- 10 with the Philadelphia Eagles and 2 with the Indianapolis Colts -- Cole has amassed 90.5 sacks in 154 career starts. All that from a fifth-round pick.
