There has been much talk about this draft lacking in blue chippers at the top. Last year's class was considered one of the decade's strongest. Is that true? Rank these 21 players from both years in a big board and see.

Eli Manning QB Mississippi
Robert Gallery T Iowa
Larry Fitzgerald WR Pittsburgh
Philip Rivers QB North Carolina State
Sean Taylor FS Miami
Kellen Winslow TE Miami
Roy Williams WR Texas
DeAngelo Hall CB Virginia Tech
Reggie Williams WR Washington
Dunta Robinson
Aaron Rodgers (jr.), QB, California
Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn
Alex Smith (jr.), QB, Utah
Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan
Carnell Williams, RB, Auburn
Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami
Mike Williams (jr.), WR, USC
Cedric Benson, RB, Texas
Adam "Pac-Man" Jones (jr.), CB, West Virginia
Derrick Johnson, OLB, Texas
Shawne Merriman (jr.), DE/OLB, Maryland

Oooh I get to prove how much I think this draft sucks.

QB's
1. Eli Manning
2. Ben Roethlisberger
3. Philip Rivers
4. Aaron Rodgers
5. Alex Smith

WR's
1. Roy Williams
2. Larry Fitzgerald
3. Mike Williams
4. Braylon Edwards
5. Reggie Williams

RB's (tough one, trying to do this without knowing the outcome of KJ's success)
1. Cedric Benson
2. Kevin Jones
3. Cadillac Williams
4. Steven Jackson
5. Ronnie Brown

TE's
1. Kellen Winslow Jr
2. Heath Miller (not even close)

DE's
1. Kenechi Udeze
2. Will Smith
3. Erasmus James
4. Shawne Merriman
5. Marcus Spears
6. David Pollack

DT's - hahaha I'm not even gonna go there

LB's
1. Derrick Johnson
2. Karlos Dansby
3. DJ Williams
4. Jonathan Vilma
5. Teddy Lehman

CB's - both have had pretty good corners
1. DeAngelo Hall
2. Antrel Rolle
3. Dunta Robinson
4. Carlos Rodgers
5. Pacman

S - haha. nobody from this year belongs in the same sentence as Taylor
1. Sean Taylor

OT
1. Robert Gallery
2. Shawn Andrews
3. Alex Barron


And finally the big board!

1. Roy Williams WR
2. Robert Gallery OT
3. Derrick Johnson LB
4. Larry Fitzgerald WR
5. Sean Taylor S
6. Kellen Winslow Jr TE
7. Eli Manning QB
8. Mike Williams WR
9. Ben Roethlisberger QB
10. DeAngelo Hall CB
11. Cedric Benson RB
12. Shawn Andrews OT
13. Kevin Jones RB
14. Kenechi Udeze DE
15. Braylon Edwards WR
16. Antrel Rolle CB
17. Cadillac Williams RB
18. Phillip Rivers QB
19. Reggie Williams WR
20. Dunta Robinson CB
21. Steven Jackson RB
22. Carlos Rodgers CB
23. Ronnie Brown RB
24. Aaron Rodgers QB
25. Pacman Jones CB
26. Alex Smith QB

of course it probably needs a little work... but that felt good.

Elite Players
1. Roy Williams WR
2. Robert Gallery OT
3. Kellen Winslow Jr TE
4. Derrick Johnson LB*
5. Dunta Robinson CB
6. Alex Smith QB*
7. Larry Fitzgerald WR
8. Sean Taylor S
9. Pollack DE*
10. Ronnie Brown RB*
11. Cadillac Williams RB*


12. Eli Manning QB
13. Mike Williams WR*
14. Braylon Edwards WR*
15. Ben Roethlisberger QB
16. DeAngelo Hall CB
17. Phillip Rivers QB
18. Cedric Benson RB*
19. Antrel Rolle CB*
20. Steven Jackson RB
21. Reggie Williams WR
22. Aaron Rodgers QB*
23. Pacman Jones CB*


From a casual glance last year's class looks stronger. Gallery and RW were surefire players last year. This year only DJ would qualify according to my surefire (great athlete, college big performer, no character risk). Last year's class dominates my top 11 and the comined top 20.

By Position:

QB: Roethlisberger, Manning, Rivers, Smith, Rodgers
RB: Jackson, Brown, Benson, Williams, Jones
WR: Fitzgerald, Ro. Williams, Edwards, M. Williams, Re. Williams
TE: Winslow, Troupe, Watson, Miller, Smith
OL: Gallery, Andrews, Barron, Carey, Brown
DL: Harris, Smith, Udeze, Wilfork, Merriman
LB: Johnson, Williams, Vilma, Lehman, Burnett
DB: Taylor, Hall, Robinson, Rolle, Gamble

Overall:
1) Gallery
2) Fitzgerald
3) Roethlisberger
4) Manning
5) Taylor
6) Winslow
7) Ro. Williams
Hall
9) Jackson
10) Harris
11) Rivers
12) R. Brown
13) Andrews
14) Edwards
15) M. Williams
16) W. Smith
17) D. Johnson
18) Rolle
19) Udeze
20) Robinson
21) Benson
22) Re. Williams
23) D.J. Williams
24) Vilma
25) C. Williams
26) K. Jones
27) Barron
28) Wilfork
29) A. Smith
30) Rodgers
31) Gamble
32) Carey

I guess the only guys from this draft I think that could squish their way in last years top 10 are:

Derrick Johnson, Mike Williams and maybe Braylon Edwards.

I'm pretty sure guys like Heath Miller, Thomas Davis, Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Barron, Jamaal Brown and 1 or 2 of the running backs would have fell to the 2nd round in last years draft.

The conjunction is a bit artificial since we know much better now where the 2004 class should have been rated. Where they to enter the draft again RW might have been #1 and D. Robinson #2 as one journalist I believe suggested.

It would be interesting to dig up the blesto grades and see how those players ranked, but I think the 2004 class would still have come out quite ahead.

I am not sure, however, HB, that using the blesto system that this years RBs would have fallen to the second round. I think their draft grades would have ranked them high, but KJ might still make for a better pro than all of them.

I dont buy into the idea that this draft is weak though- stud RBs, WRs, loads of DEs, big time WR prospects, filled with CBs, tough safeties and loads of interior offensive lineman. The difference is consensus on who the top guy is at each position making it harder to judge value but the talent is there...

Hon Blue I take exception with your QB ratings, bc its too early to tell. They could easily become any of the folowing. This is mostly a joke but I do think Manning has a little bit of Leaf in him...

1. Eli Manning - Ryan Leaf (both whiny b'tch's, on crap teams, high pressure) or Peyton Manning
2. Ben Roethlisberger - Shaun King (young QB on great team w/ little responsibility) or Steve McNair (big stong mobile QB who just win)
3. Phillip Rivers - Cade McNown (unorthodox guy who could never crack a lineup) or
4. Aaron Rodgers - Troy Aikman (california kid w/ accurate arm and smarts) or
5. Alex Smith - Rich Gannon (smart competitive athlete playing QB)
Stefon LeFors- Steve Young, Mark Brunell, Jeff Garcia...

I don't think the implication was that the entire draft was weak, just the top portion of the draft. Part of this stems from the fact that their is no consensus #1 pick - is it Rogers, Edwards, Williams, Brown, etc. Last year, Manning was clearly the top choice.

If you look at RBs, I think this years top 3 (Brown, Williams and Benson) rate much higher than last years (Jackson, Jones and Perry). That doesn't necessarily mean they will be better pros. While Brown and Williams work out numbers helped them, last year Jones would have ranked much higher had he not had a poor Pro Day workout. This worked out just fine for Lions fans!

I don't think this is an especially poor draft. I simply think there isn't much seperation between the players. The difference between the 15th player in this years draft isn't much different from the 15th player in round two. How much better will Erasumus James or Pollack be than Castillo or Roth?

It does make this years draft rather intriguing IMO.