Grading Matt Ryan and the other 30 first-round picks in 2008
Matt Ryan and the 2008 first-rounders
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The Falcons took Matt Ryan with the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft. He was traded to the Colts on March 21 after doing quite well by Atlanta. How did all the others picked in the first round that year do in their NFL careers? There were 31 first-rounders because the New England Patriots had to forfeit their original position.
31. New York Giants: DB Kenny Phillips
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Kenny Phillips came to the Giants from the Miami Hurricanes. He earned a Super Bowl ring in XLVI, but was never the star the Giants hoped he would become. Grade: C+
30. New York Jets: TE Dustin Keller
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Tight end Dustin Keller came to the Jets from Purdue. He made 241 catches over five seasons, with 17 touchdowns. He signed with the Dolphins in 2013 but suffered a career-ending injury in preseason, tearing an ACL, MCL, and PCL. Grade: C
29. San Francisco 49ers: Kentwan Balmer
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Kentwan Balmer did not start a single game for the 49ers, who drafted the defensive lineman out of North Carolina. No sacks. No production. Grade: F
28. Seattle Seahawks: Lawrence Jackson
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Lawrence Jackson played two seasons in Seattle, making 24 starts. His most impressive season was 2010 in Detroit with six sacks. Nothing memorable here. Grade: C-
27. San Diego Chargers: Antoine Cason
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Antoine Cason stuck around San Diego long enough to make 12 picks over five years. He spent the next two seasons roaming between Arizona, Baltimore, and Carolina. Out of 80 games with the Bolts, he made 49 starts. A first-rounder should see far more time. Grade: C
26. Houston Texans: Duane Brown
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Like Matt Ryan, Duane Brown is still ticking in the NFL. He is a free agent but does have suitors. How about 10 years in Houston and five in Seattle and playing in 203 games and starting every one of them? Grade: A
25. Dallas Cowboys: Mike Jenkins
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Mike Jenkins came to the Cowboys from South Florida. He made the Pro Bowl in 2009. Overall, the DB played for three teams and out of Dallas after 2012. Grade: C
24. Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson
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A 2,000-yard rusher in one of his seasons with the Titans, East Carolina’s Chris Johnson was a bolt of lightning on offense. He came up 49 yards short of 10,0000 for his career and scored 55 TDs on the ground. Grade: A+
23. Pittsburgh Steelers: Rashard Mendenhall
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Rashard Mendenhall had a short career with the Steelers, lasting five years but only playing 16 games in one. As a rookie, he saw action in four games and in 2012, six contests. He retired young after a season in Arizona. Three stellar years from 2009-11. But a first-round selection is expected to be around longer. Grade: C+
22. Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones
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You draft a running back in the first round and you expect at least one 1,000-yard season out of him. Arkansas’ Felix Jones didn’t deliver that for Dallas. He had a career-high of 800 yards in 2010 and scored 11 TDs rushing in his whole career. A disappointment. Grade: D
21. Atlanta Falcons: Sam Baker
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Another first-rounder from USC, Sam Baker played his entire career with the Falcons. He only was able to make it through 16 games twice. Grade: C
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Aqib Talib
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Aqib Talib was a stellar player on the field, hard-hitting and fierce. Talib would find his way into trouble at times and that could explain why he wound up playing for four teams in a career that ran through 2019. He was a Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowler. Grade: B+
19. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Otah
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Knee injuries after a college career at Pitt wrecked the hopes the Panthers had for offensive tackle Jeff Otah. Grade: F
18. Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco
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While the youth of today look at Joe Flacco as a journeyman backup. the football vets know the Ravens earned a Super Bowl ring with him at quarterback. And that boosts anyone’s grade, especially a QB. Grade: B+
17. Detroit Lions: Gosder Cherilus
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The tackle from Boston College played well enough to get a huge deal from the Colts in 2013. That would probably be the most memorable factoid from his career. Grade: C-
16. Arizona Cardinals: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
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An HBCU star at Tennessee State, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie spent three years with Arizona before bouncing around to five other teams. He lasted through 2019, playing sparingly with Oakland and Washington in his final two seasons. DRC had six picks in a long career. Grade: C
15. Kansas City Chiefs: Branden Albert
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An offensive tackle from Virginia, Branden Albert played for the Chiefs and Dolphins over nine seasons. He was durable, starting 118 of 120 games he played. Grade: C
14. Chicago Bears: Chris Williams
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Chris Williams played for three teams in the NFL after the Bears drafted him from Vanderbilt. Injuries hampered him throughout his career. Grade: D
13 Carolina Panthers: Jonathan Stewart
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Jonathan Stewart went from the Oregon Ducks to the Carolina Panthers. The running back gained 7,335 yards on the ground in 10 seasons in the NFC South before a cameo with the New York Giants in 2018. He also had 162 receptions for 1,295 yards. Another player who was beset by injuries. He played in 131 games with the Panthers and only started 64. Stewart played in 16 games in three of his first four seasons but after that it was on-again, off-again for the talented RB. Grade: B-
12. Denver Broncos: Ryan Clady
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The Broncos grabbed offensive tackle Ryan Clady out of Boise State with the 12th pick. Clady was a four-time Pro Bowler and player with the Super Bowl 50 champions. Clady missed the game having torn his ACL earlier in the season. He was dealt from Denver to the New York Jets in 2016 and missed that season and was no longer the force he had been in Denver. Grade: B+
11. Buffalo Bills: Leodis McKelvin
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Leodis McKelvin came to the Bills from Troy. He was expected to be an impact player when taken at this lofty position and it didn’t quite turn out that way. McKelvin played eight years with the Bills and one with the Eagles. He had 15 picks and 9 fumble recoveries. Good, but far from a great pick by Buffalo. Grade: C
10. New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo
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Jerod Mayo was the Defensive Rookie of the Year after being drafted out of Tennessee. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion. Mayo delivered plenty for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in a career that went through 2015. Grade: B
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Keith Rivers
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The Bengals drafted Rivers out of USC. He’s probably more famous for getting his jaw broken by Hines Ward on a block in 2008 than anything else in his NFL career. The LB played for three teams and was gone during 2014. Grade: D
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Harvey
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Derrick Harvey played college ball at Florida and stayed in the Sunshine State when picked by the Jags. He lasted three seasons in the AFC South, then a slice of one in the AFC West with the Broncos. Harvey held out 38 days as a rookie and things went downhill from there. Grade: F
7. New Orleans Saints: Sedrick Ellis
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Sedrick Ellis came to the Saints out of USC. He played through 2012 and had 12.5 sacks. One would expect more production and time out of the seventh overall pick. He was a Super Bowl champ with New Orleans but decided to retire after signing with the Bears in 2013. Grade: C-
6. New York Jets: Vernon Gholston
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Drafted out of Ohio State, the defensive end was a bust— to put it kindly. Grade: F
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Glenn Dorsey
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Glenn Dorsey came out of LSU and people believed he was going to redefine the definition of defensive lineman. It didn’t quite happen. Seven sacks over his entire career that saw him play for K.C. and San Francisco. Grade: C-
4. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden
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The Raiders got seven years and more than 5,400 rushing yards out of Darren McFadden. The RB from Arkansas was speedy and great when healthy. That’s the rub here with McFadden. He did not play a full season until 2014 and then he didn’t start all 16 games. Solid but oft-injured. Grade: C+
3. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan
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Matt Ryan gave the Atlanta Falcons everything but a Super Bowl ring. You draft a quarterback third overall and you hope to get this kind of play and years out of him, and the former Boston College star delivered. Grade: A+
2. St. Louis Rams: Chris Long
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Chris Long was a two-time Super Bowl champion in a career that spanned through 2018. He won championships with New England one year, then the Philadelphia Eagles the next. His work off the field was as important as his play on it. The Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2018 donated his entire 2017 salary to charity. Grade: B+
1. Miami Dolphins: Jake Long
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The offensive tackle from Michigan was a four-time Pro Bowler and was stellar through 2013. However, injuries got the best of him after that and he only played 15 games over his final three seasons. Long played in 74 games for Miami and started every one of them. Grade: B+
