Super Mario reigns supreme over wacky 2006 draft

So the Texans have made it clear this offseason that they are intent on re-signing pass-rush specialist Mario Williams. Of course, whether or not he stays, it’s safe to say the Texans can officially be crowned the winners of the great draft debate of 2006.

You remember, that’s when so many people thought they were crazy for making Williams the first pick in the draft instead of taking Reggie Bush or hometown hero Vince Young. Sure, Bush did get a Super Bowl ring before his days in New Orleans came to an end, but it’s hard to imagine the Saints wouldn’t have won that title without the former Heisman Trophy winner. Bush did have his best season as a pro with the Dolphins in 2011, but let’s see him do that again before we decide he was ever worthy of the second overall pick, let a lone the first.

As for Young, well, there’s no question he wasn’t worthy. After a nice enough start to his career, he will now go down in NFL history best known for having dubbed the 2011 Eagles the “Dream Team.” And we all know how that turned out.

But when you take a closer look at the 2006 draft, it’s a perfect reminder that this whole process is little more than a crapshoot.

Foundation for the future? After five NFL seasons, barely half of the first-round picks from 2006 were still with the teams that drafted them. Some were good picks who simply left via free agency or trade – like Johnathan Joseph and Jay Cutler. Others were just busts – Laurence Maroney, Bobby Carpenter and some guy named Matt Leinart.

But even more to the point is a quick look at some other players drafted that year. While the Saints got Bush with the second overall pick, they also got WR Marques Colston… with the fourth-to-last pick. That would be pick number 252. Earlier in that seventh round, New Orleans drafted Zach Strief, who would become a starting offensive lineman. So they got two guys in the seventh round who turned out to be more valuable than the second overall pick.

The Titans, after settling for Young with that third overall pick, got feisty CB Cortland Finnegan in the seventh round.

Denver got Brandon Marshall in the fourth round. While he’s been in Miami with Bush, Denver still has Elvis Dumervil, who they got later that round.

While the Jaguars did something I consider the worst draft strategy ever – taking a tight end (in this case, Marcedes Lewis) in the first round, they did get Maurice Jones-Drew in the second.

There is no rhyme or reason here, folks. Doesn’t mean teams shouldn’t do their homework. This is not about teams making bad decisions (except for those dumb enough to take a tight end in the first). It’s about those of us in the media who think we can pass judgment the minute a pick is announced.

Sure, it’s fun. And the fans practically demand it. But guess what? We’re hardly ever right. The 2006 draft proved that from the first pick to the (fourth from) the last.