Re-Drafting the 2000 NFL Draft Using Advanced Analytics
5 Risers
There were quite a few risers, but here are five who would be drafted in the first round on a do-over of the 2000 draft.
| Player | Position | CarAV | Actual Pick | Re-Draft Pick | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Tauscher | T | 57 | 224 | 21 | 203 |
| Tom Brady | QB | 164 | 199 | 1 | 198 |
| Adalius Thomas | LB | 66 | 186 | 13 | 173 |
| Dhani Jones | LB | 55 | 177 | 25 | 152 |
| Marc Bulger | QB | 57 | 168 | 20 | 148 |
Mark Tauscher never provided us with much excitement from his right tackle position. In his 11 seasons with the Pack, however, Tauscher started all 16 games five times. He was pretty durable, but if he was able to complete more seasons you'd have to think he was worthy of a Pro Bowl selection or two.
Obviously, Brady is near the top of the list of risers. He's risen to the absolute peak of the class, after all.
Adalius Thomas proved to be the best defensive surprise of the draft. He went from a sixth-round pick to a first-round producer. In 135 career games, spread across two teams, Thomas tallied more than 400 tackles to go with 53 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 6 touchdowns.
Dhani Jones joins Thomas as a player picked in the sixth round only to jump back into the top 25 picks by career production. In 10 full seasons, Jones made 628 tackles in 131 career starts. Jones' durability was key, as he started at least 13 games in eight of his professional seasons.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise, but Marc Bulger joins Brady as the only other quarterback to rise at least 140 picks. He never played to a Brady-type level, but Bulger was solid early on in his career. He backed up Kurt Warner before quarterbacking the Rams for the rest of his career. Bulger ended his NFL tenure with 22,814 yards, 122 touchdowns, and two Pro Bowl selections.
