The 2000 NFL Draft produced a memorable selection. It didn’t come in the first five rounds. Rather, it was the New England Patriots using a compensatory pick at 199 to select Michigan QB Tom Brady. How did teams do in the 2000 first round?
31. Rams: Trung Canidate
Trung Canidate played four seasons, rushing for 1,095 yards. His best season was his final one with Washington. He rushed for 600 yards in 10 games in 2003. In three seasons with Arizona, he ran for 495 yards. Grade: D-minus
30. Titans: Keith Bulluck
Keith Bulluck played 10 of his 11 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He made one Pro Bowl and was a three-time All-Pro. Bulluck had 21 interceptions and 18 picks. Grade: B
29. Jaguars: R. Jay Soward
R. Jay Soward was a wide receiver from USC. He played one season, had 14 catches and was suspended in his second season for a violation of the NFL substance abuse policy. Grade: F
28. Colts: Rob Morris
Rob Morris played eight seasons, all with Indy. He made 67 starts and had seven sacks as a middle linebacker. He was a member of the Super Bowl XLI champions. Grade: C
27. Jets: Anthony Becht
Anthony Becht played five seasons with the Jets and had 133 receptions. He went on to play for four other teams, finishing with 188 catches, 21 for touchdowns. No honors despite playing a long career. Grade: C
26. Bills: Erik Flowers
Erik Flowers proved to be a dud of a pick for the Bills. He was gone by 2002 and out of the league after 2004. He made six starts, all in his second season and had five sacks in his short career. Grade: F
25. Vikings: Chris Hovan
Chris Hovan split a 10-year career between the Vikings and the Bucs. He had 22 sacks and 408 total tackles. The former Boston College star never earned any honors on the NFL level. Grade: C
24. 49ers: Ahmad Plummer
Ahmad Plummer spent his entire six-year career as a 49er. He had 12 interceptions and was in on more than 300 tackles. After only playing in nine of the last 32 games due to injuries and missing significant parts of both 2004 and 2005 seasons, he announced his retirement on June 16, 2006. Grade: C
23. Panthers: Rashard Anderson
Rashard Anderson made one start in two seasons with Carolina. Anderson was suspended for a year on May 23, 2002, for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The suspension was extended for the 2003 season after Anderson failed to meet the requirements for reinstatement. Anderson was finally reinstated by the NFL following the 2003 season, and the Panthers immediately released him. Grade: F
22. Seahawks: Chris McIntosh
Chris McIntosh started 10 games for the Seahawks as a rookie, but was limited to three starts in 2001 because of a recurring neck injury he suffered during training camp. McIntosh retired from the NFL after the 2002 season. Grade: D
21. Chiefs: Sylvester Morris
Sylvester Morris appeared in 15 games and had 48 receptions for 678 yards (14.1 yards per reception) and three touchdowns for the Chiefs. Morris later signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though he sustained a season-ending injury during the offseason. His career was cut short by repeated knee injuries causing him to only actually play in one season despite being on the Chiefs roster for four seasons. Grade: F
20. Lions: Stockar McDougle
Stockar McDougle spent five seasons with the Lions, one with the Dolphins and one with the Jaguars. Grade: C-minus
19. Seahawks: Shaun Alexander
Shaun Alexander was one of the brighter spots in this draft. The Alabama running back was the league MVP in 2005 and a three-time Pro Bowler. He rushed for 100 touchdowns and nearly 9.500 yards in his career. Grade: A
18. Jets: Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington came to the Jets from Marshall. He played for 11 years, eight with the Jets and three with the Dolphins. Pennington threw for more than 17,800 yards. Grade: C-minus
17. Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski
A rare first-round kicker, Sebastian Janikowski came to the Raiders from Florida State with a big leg and personality. He made one Pro Bowl in a long career. The lefty finished with 1,913 points. Grade: B
16. 49ers: Julian Peterson
Julian Peterson was a five-time Pro Bowler and had 51.5 sacks in an 11-year career. He spent six years with the Niners, three with the Seahawks and two with the Lions. Grade: B
15. Broncos: Deltha O’Neal
Delta O’Neal played nine seasons, four with Denver and Cincinnati and one with the Patriots. He had 34 career interceptions and six touchdowns. O’Neal led the NFL in picks in 2005 with 10.
14. Packers: Bubba Franks
Bubba Franks came to Green Bay from Miami. He played all but one season with the Packers and had 256 of his 262 catches with them. Grade: C-plus
13. Jets: John Abraham
John Abraham played through 15 seasons with three teams. He started with the Jets, went to the Falcons and finished with Arizona. Abraham wound up with 133.5 sacks. He had eight seasons with double-digit sacks. Grade: A
12. Jets: Shaun Ellis
Shaun Ellis played 11 seasons with Gang Green and one with New England. He had 73.5 sacks in his career and was a two-time Pro Bowler. Grade: B
11. Giants: Ron Dayne
The Giants drafted the Heisman winner out of Wisconsin, Ron Dayne. They were hoping for a feature back. He rushed for 2,079 yards in four seasons before going to Denver and Houston. Grade: C-minus
10. Ravens: Travis Taylor
Travis Taylor never had more than 61 catches in his NFL career. He played for four teams and caught a total of 312 passes in a career that went through 2007. Grade: D
9. Bears: Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher was an eight-time Pro Bowler and was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. He added to the legend of Bears middle linebackers.
8. Steelers: Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Burress had 1,104 catches for 8,499 yards and 64 touchdowns in a career that went from 2000-12. He missed two seasons because of a violation of the league personal service conduct policy.
7. Cardinals: Thomas Jones
Thomas Jones was a Pro Bowler in 2008. He rushed for 10,591 yards and 68 touchdowns. He also had 308 catches. Grade: B
6. Eagles: Corey Simon
Corey Simon played five seasons with Philly and one with Indianapolis. He spent some time with Tennessee before his career ended. His best sack season was as a rookie when he had 9.5. He was a Super Bowl champ (XLI) and was a Pro Bowler in 2003. Grade: C-plus
5. Ravens: Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis had seven seasons of more than 1,000 yards rushing, including one of better than 2,000 in 2003. Overall, he finished with more than 10,000 yards on the ground in his career. He was a Super Bowl champ and a Pro Bowler in 2003. Grade: A-minus
4. Bengals: Peter Warrick
Peter Warrick came to the Bengals from Florida State. He played for Cincy for every season but one, his final one, which was with Seattle. Warrick caught 275 passes for almost 3,000 yards. Grade: C-minus
3. Redskins: Chris Samuels
Chris Samuels played his entire career with Washington. He played from 2000-09, but saw sporadic duty in his final two years. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and an anchor for the offensive line. Grade: A
2. Redskins: LaVar Arrington
LaVar Arrington was a prized linebacker coming out of Penn State. He made three Pro Bowls, and had 11 of his 23.5 sacks in 2002. Arrington’s career was cut short by injury in 2006. He had all three of his career interceptions in 2001 with 120 return yards, including 67 on one that was a Pick-Six for Washington. Grade: B
1. Browns: Courtney Brown
Courtney Brown played for the Browns and Broncos and is considered one of the bigger busts for No. 1 overall picks. He totaled 19 sacks over six seasons and never fulfilled the hopes of Cleveland.
