Around the NFL: In honor of the Clippers

The NBA draft is upon us, and the Clippers have selected Blake Griffin as the top overall draft choice. This is a no-brainer and, while Griffin lacks the “sure-thing” character that guys like Derrick Rose and LeBron James had (and Greg Oden was supposed to have), he’s still poised to make a big impact quickly for the perennially struggling Clippers. The Clippers have been notoriously bad when it comes to the NBA Draft. It’s a legacy that goes back decades, but was highlighted most recently by the top overall draft choice of Michael Olowokandi in 1998. Everyone knew Olowokandi would be a bust, but the Clippers selected him anyway over the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and others. With this in mind, I decided to take a look at someone who is often considered the worst drafter in NFL history, Matt Millen, former GM of the Detroit Lions. Millen was in charge of the Lions draft room from 2001 until 2008. I decided to take a look at his drafts and see if there’s any hope for the Clippers. After all, if Millen can find any success, there may be hope for the Clippers as well.

The Matt Millen Legacy

Beginning in 2001, Millen started off okay. He managed to pluck three starters out of the draft and QB Mike McMahon was good value in the fifth round. Center Dominic Raiola has been one of the only solid parts of the Lions’ offensive line this decade and was recently re-signed to a new four-year deal. He was a good choice in the second round. Millen also grabbed one of the better DT’s in football in Shaun Rogers with his third round choice. While it’s unfortunate that Rogers’ effort has been inconsistent at best since he came into the league, and he’s no longer with the Lions, Millen can be commended for finding him in the third round. Millen’s first round pick that year was OT Jeff Backus, who’s been an average starter for the team ever since. He’s looking less and less like a starter recently, however, and the Lions should be looking to replace him soon. The other options over Backus that year include Drew Brees, Nate Clements, Deuce McAllister, Reggie Wayne, and Casey Hampton. Any of these players would’ve been considered value picks at that draft spot, except for Brees who might have been considered a reach.

The 2002 draft, however, began a four-year stretch of terrible draft choices. The only first round choice in that span who wasn’t a colossal bust was WR Roy Williams, who is currently underachieving in Dallas after a couple of productive Detroit years. Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, and Mike Williams (the third consecutive WR Millen picked in the top ten) were all legendary busts. Rogers and Williams are no longer in the league and Harrington is the third string QB on his fourth NFL team in as many years. Other disappointments in that span include LB Boss Bailey, recently cut by Denver (a team that needs LB’s); DE Kalimba Edwards, who never quite put it together on the field; RB Kevin Jones, who couldn’t stay healthy; LB Teddy Lehman, underachiever extraordinaire; DB Keith Smith, who played okay as a backup in 2007, but has only produced five starts since he was picked in the 3 rd round of the 2004 draft; and CB Stanley Wilson, who’s been underwhelming at best and may not be re-signed this year. Had the Lions passed on Joey Harrington and taken Bryant McKinnie, passed on Charles Rogers and taken Andre Johnson, and passed on Mike Williams and taken Shawne Merriman, there’d be a drastically different Lions team right now. Granted you can say that about any team, but just as everyone knew that Olowokandi would be a bust, everyone knew Charles Rogers and Mike Williams were risky choices. I remember finding it unbelievable when the Lions passed on Andre Johnson and Terence Newman for Rogers. Admittedly, Joey Harrington was a good prospect coming out of Oregon and many felt he’d be even better than David Carr. I’d say it’s a toss-up right now, and that’s not good. To be fair, the Lions did pluck Cory Redding and Terrence Holt out of the 2003 draft, as well as Shaun Cody and Dan Orlovsky in 2005. None of these players are still on the team, but they were solid choices given the round they were selected in. CB Andre Goodman was selected in the 3 rd round in 2002, but he never played well until last year with the Dolphins. All in all, the drafting from 2002 to 2005 was some of the worst in the league and it’s unbelievable that Millen retained his position at that time.

In 2006, Millen would finally hit big on a first round pick. LB Ernie Sims has been an outstanding player on a terrible team since he entered the league, and he’s now a building block for new head coach Jim Schwartz. Also in 2006, Millen drafted SS Daniel Bullocks in the 2 nd round, and he came back from missing all of 2007 to starting 15 games last year and notching 94 tackles. While an upgrade is necessary, Bullocks’ contributions are hardly anything to scoff at given the Millen’s track record. Unfortunately those two players were the only notable ones to come out of the 2006 draft. RB Brian Calhoun (drafted ahead of Freddie Keiaho, Ko Simpson, Jahri Evans, and Jerious Norwood among others) never panned out and the Lions would seek another running back just two years later.

The 2007 and 2008 drafts both continued to show improvement as Millen hit big on WR Calvin Johnson (1 st round 2007) and RB Kevin Smith and DE Cliff Avril (both 3 rd round 2008). These three players, along with Sims, will be cornerstones of the franchise for years to come. It remains to be seen if DE Ikaika Alama-Francis and DT Andre Fluellen will pan out, but both have the capability to become role players. Fluellen might even find himself starting soon following the departure of Cory Redding and Shaun Cody this off-season. S Gerald Alexander showed promise as a rookie, filling in for the injured Bullocks in 2007, but he was lost on the depth chart last season when Bullocks came back. Still, he’s a reliable depth guy who can play both safety positions. Millen did botch a second round pick in 2007 and 2008 however, in QB Drew Stanton and LB Jordon Dizon. Initially thought to be the QB of the future, Stanton has yet to show the leadership and mental toughness needed to play QB in the NFL. Dizon is simply too undersized to play middle linebacker in the NFL, and he was considered a reach even on the day he was drafted. 2008 first round pick, RT Gosder Cherilus struggled in his rookie season, but he has the potential to become a solid starter. Time will tell whether or not Millen hit on his final first round choice.

Overall, this bodes well for the Clippers. After all, it appears that Millen’s drafting improved more than he was given credit for during his last three drafts, getting four possible starters out of the 2008 draft. Maybe if Millen can start to do something right, the Clippers can too? I know that Blake Griffin hopes so.

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NFL News

Briefly, here’s what’s going on around the NFL:

Packers WR Greg Jennings signed a long-term contract extension to remain in Green Bay. Jennings is one of the top young WR’s in the league and the Packers were wise to lock him up… The Kansas City Chiefs signed former Bears FS Mike Brown. Brown is getting up there in age and he’s struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, but he’s tenacious when he’s on the field and the Chiefs were wise to bring him in. Kansas City is beginning to look like a haven for veteran defensive players as Brown joins Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas on the roster… Julius Peppers finally signed his franchise contract tender with the Panthers and is now negotiating a long-term deal. This is great for everyone involved, and hopefully the team and the player will both be able to put this nasty business behind them… Former Pro Bowl DT La’Roi Glover has retired. The Rams will miss him in the middle. Glover was one of the better interior defensive linemen throughout his career… Pittsburgh re-signed OT Max Starks, locking in a player who’s been disappointing and hampered by injuries. Steeler Nation will hope that Starks can stay healthy and become more consistent as he will be counted on more than ever to protect Ben Roethlisberger.

Until next week, good luck to Blake Griffin and the Clippers… and to the Lions for that matter!

By: Brandon Niles
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer