Top 11 Players from the 2000 Draft.

11. Plaxico Burress


In spite of recently being sentenced to two years in prison and never making a Pro Bowl, Plaxico has consistently been a threat in the passing game that couldn’t be ignored. Every year where he has played the majority of games (defined by 14 or more starts) in a season, he has had no less than 60 catches, 850 yards and (with the exception of one year) 6 touchdowns. His size, strength, speed combination changes coverages in a similar way to Randy Moss. All of this places him at # 11.



10. Thomas Jones

Jones, like Burress, has also had some rough patches in his career. In his case he started his career very slowly, bouncing from the Cardinals and Buccaneers to the Bears. After joining the Bears the light seemed to really click for him and he’s rushed for an average of 4.1 yards per carry and 7.2 touchdowns a season since that time. While his age may lead to his career ending prematurely, his consistency in the past five years has put him on this list.



9. John Abraham

Abraham’s ability as a pass rusher is second to none. He has quick first step and the speed to get around any tackle before they even get out of their stances. He also has enough strength to push tackles back into the quarterback without too much difficulty. He’s had more than nine sacks 6 times in his career and even when he doesn’t get to the quarterback, the pressure he causes forces the QB to throw before he’s ready, effectively, forcing an incompletion or turnover. Given all this praise I’m providing, why then is he so low on the list? He’s more fragile than that Leg Lamp in “A Christmas Story.” For as much as he’s been a premier pass rusher, he’s also had a hard time starting all 16 games in any given season. There’s been talk recently of making him a pass-rush specialist this season and essentially cutting his snaps in half to prevent injury. While this will mostly likely allow him to be more effective as a player, it also shows that he simply can’t be counted on to be a complete D-End at this point in his career. That being said, his impact on any team is far too great to be ignored.



8. Keith Bulluck

While never making a Pro Bowl, Keith Bulluck has been the best linebacker that is never talked about outside of insiders. He’s consistently at the top of team in tackles and has also provided a fair amount of sacks, passes defended and interceptions. His leadership cannot be denied either, without him the Titans defense may never have been as good as it has been. His consistency is another striong point but to be fair, he doesn’t make as many impact plays as a linebacker of his talent should. That’s the main reason he’s so low on this list. However, he is still a top notch defender.



7. Julian Peterson

This is more of what Keith Bulluck could’ve been. While Peterson is less consistent than Bulluck in most phases of the game, he’s still incredibly good when it comes to rushing the quarterback and causing fumbles. This is made particularly impressive when one considers the fact that he is a 4-3 outside linebacker who doesn’t necessarily get blitzed a whole lot. This can partially account for the years where the sack total was low, but the pressure he caused allowed others to rush the passer more effectively. He also has been great at causing fumbles when he gets to the quarterback.



6. Shane Lechler

This is where there will probably be some criticism of my pick, however since the Raiders selected Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski (1st Round) the Raiders haven’t needed to address those respective positions. Even highly picked specialists usually get shuffled from team to team cause its cheaper to find a rookie specialist rather than working on a large contract with the proven veterans. This hasn’t been the case with Lechler. He’s up here instead of Janikowski because Lechler hasn’t had the kind of lows that Janikowski has had. He averages 40 yards to a punt for his entire career and has only had 2 punts returned for touchdowns in his entire career. This kind of consistency is what most teams only hope that they can find in any punter found in any round.



5. Shaun Alexander

While his career took an abrupt downhill turn following his MVP season in 2005, his overall numbers and impressive consistency over a five year period. From 2001 to 2005, he averaged 1500 yards and 17 touchdowns a season. This kind of offensive production was something that had never been seen before when it came to a runningback being so important to the success of his team. Although following that 2005 season where he lead the league in rushing and was named MVP of the league, injuries shortened his effective career and he currently is without a team. In spite of that, his 100 rushing touchdowns and 12 receiving touchdowns puts him at this point on the list. He will get considerable Hall of Fame consideration.



4. Jamal Lewis

While not considered one of the best runningbacks to play in the past ten years, the numbers show quite clearly that he has been one of the best, most consistent runningbacks to come into the league in the past ten years. While he didn’t sustain the height of his career as long or as highly as Shaun Alexander, his highest high was higher (2066 yards in 2003) and his lowest total was higher (906 yards in 2005) than Alexander’s. In fact, other than that 2005 season, he has never had less than a thousand yards rushing. He has also been one of the toughest runners in the league in the past ten years. For all the arguments about his average of yards per carry, he has averaged 4.2 yards per carry for his career. His hard running style and consistent production puts him in as one of the best backs of this decade and he should be put in the Hall of Fame.



3. Chris Samuels

A six-time pro bowler including four times consecutively since 2005, Chris Samuels has been the anchor on Redskins offensive line. His quick fit and means streak have allowed him to be a solid pass defender and a mauling lead blocker in one of the most efficient running games in the past six years. Though he wasn’t recognized for his work during the 2004 season, his work has allowed Clinton Portis to be one of the consistent runningbacks in the league. Though Redskins quarterbacks aren’t considered among the best in the league, it isn’t for lack of protection from the left tackle. He has been very consistent in how he handles the fierce pass rush of guys like Michael Strahan, Trent Cole, DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora. He has the credentials to make a run at the Hall of Fame and enough years left in his career to improve those credentials to an undeniable level.



2. Brian Urlacher

Urlacher’s career is the perfect combination of Julian Peterson’s play-making ability and Keith Bulluck’s consistency in every facet of the game. He has been the emotional and vocal leader of the Bear’s defense since he came into the league. A six-time pro bowler, four-time all-pro, defensive rookie of the year and the 2005 defensive player of the year, Urlacher’s credentials rank him right up there with legendary Bear’s linebackers Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary. He regularly averages over 100 tackles a season and will normally add in a good number of sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions. His leadership cannot be questioned and he has never had any kind of legal trouble. He will undoubtedly join Singletary and Butkus in the Hall of Fame after his career is over.



1. Tom Brady

Well duh. I doubt there is anyone would have argued with this selection for #1. It’s well documented what Brady has done in his career. 2007 league MVP, 50 touchdown passes in 2007 (an NFL record) and of course, 3 Super Bowl wins. It’s actually kinda odd, really. If Brady hadn’t of lost that fourth super bowl against the Giants, I might have shocked a lot of people and put Brady third. Honestly I never bought into the hype of Brady before that Super Bowl, but during that Super Bowl against the Giants, I found myself never doubting the fact that Tom Brady could lead the Pats back to win that game. In that loss, I gained more respect for him and his accomplishments than I ever had when he was winning Super Bowls. His career touchdown to interception ratio of 197 to 86 is undeniable and his ability in the clutch is legendary. Although he does get overrated a bit in his clutch performances, that only because he’s called the greatest clutch quarterback of all-time (Sorry, Joe Montana still reign’s supreme). This still doesn’t detract from his place as a future Hall of Famer and the best player from the draft of 2000.





Other Big Names from this Draft:

Marc Bulger

Adalius Thomas

Laveranues Coles

Fred Robbins

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila

Sebastian Janikowski