This is the very first TUFF Draft Wrapup, as written in May 2004.

1.01 Houston Tethered Swimmers — RB Tatum Bell
Bell is the latest in a long line of running backs to be drafted by the Denver Broncos. Will he be the latest in that long line to succeed there? This selection makes good sense for TUFF’s newest GM, Jeff Rathburn, because he already has two of Denver’s other backs, Quentin Griffin and Ahmaad Galloway.
1.02 Dallas Junglehawgs — RB Julius Jones
The only solid starting RB the Junglehawgs had going into the draft was Ahman Green. Here’s the brother of Bears running back Thomas Jones. According to CBS SportsLine’s Pete Prisco, Julius is tougher than Thomas and runs better inside the tackles.
1.03 Dallas Junglehawgs — RB Steven Jackson
Dallas GM Mike Scott is well on his way to rebuilding this franchise. Jackson is the best back available this year, and why Dallas and Denver passed on him in the NFL Draft, I’ll never know. Marshall Faulk’s in front of him, but not for long. Jackson’s future is very bright in St. Louis.
1.04 Tampa Bay Meat Goats — RB Kevin Jones
Acquiring Tom Brady and this draft pick from Denver (mind you, it was originally Cleveland’s)—and not giving up much more than WR Laveranues Coles—was a shrewd move for Tampa Bay. With Kevin Jones falling into their laps, the Meat Goats decide that a replacement for Coles can wait.
1.05 Baltimore Brown Clowns — WR Larry Fitzgerald
When your 3rd-most productive WR is a kick returner (Dante Hall), that’s a very good sign that you could use one of the most electrifying WR prospects to come along in a while, Larry Fitzgerald. Teamed with Andre Johnson, he could transform Baltimore's passing game from a weakness to a strength. Kudos to GM Tim Ozga for being able to get the #5 and #11 picks from Dallas and still taking the player they likely would have had at #3.
1.06 Tennessee Taz Devils — RB Chris Perry
This team does have a serious need for a running back, as LaMont Jordan still isn’t starting (never mind that he’s good enough to start, and has been for years) and Larry Johnson is still backing up Priest Holmes. But with the top four backs already gone, the Taz should turn to their QB depth issue, right? Wrong! Tennessee should have taken Eli Manning.
1.07 Green Bay Ground Hogs — WR Roy Williams
OK, so they can’t pick Mike Williams here. So what? Roy Williams is perhaps the most polished receiver in the draft (that is to say, he will make the quickest adjustment from the college game to the NFL).
1.08 Minnesota Fats (traded to Denver) — QB Eli Manning
Minnesota GM Ken Mach, to his credit, tried to trade down. He didn’t need a QB, and hoped that some team would prefer Eli Manning so much that they would be willing to trade up. It didn’t happen, so Mach did the gutsy thing, taking Manning and hoping to make a trade later. Less than a week afterwards, the other shoe dropped, with it dropped with a resounding THUD. The Denver Devils dealt their first-round pick next year, their 2006 second-rounder, WR Keyshawn Johnson and WR Darius Watts to acquire Manning.
1.09 Dallas Junglehawgs — WR Reggie Williams
As Dallas went on the clock for the third time, I thought they just might nab Ben Roethlisberger. But Reggie Williams could help them more, and right away. He has a lot of what you want in a wideout—size, hand/eye coordination, body control for those tough catches. He isn’t quite as speedy as Roy Williams, but remember, the 40-yard dash is not a pattern that receivers often run in the NFL.
1.10 Chicago Blaze — QB Ben Roethlisberger
With Steve McNair getting older and Patrick Ramsey’s future on hold, Big Ben is the way to go here. I like him more than Philip Rivers—and even more than Eli Manning—because he has the best blend of size, speed and arm strength among the signal-callers available in this draft.
1.11 Baltimore Brown Clowns — QB Philip Rivers
Drew Bledsoe’s replacement arrives. His strengths are the intangibles—he’s a leader and he has the presence of a winner. He needs to make some mechanical adjustments as part of his transition to the NFL, and he showed signs of being able to make such adjustments at the Senior Bowl.
1.12 Houston Tethered Swimmers — TE Kellen Winslow II
The Tethered Swimmers realize that Winslow, who could be one of the top fantasy tight ends as soon as this year, is too good to pass up at #12. He shows many of the qualities that made his father a Hall of Famer, especially the ability to stretch opposing defenses.
1.13 Indianapolis Hoosier Daddy’s — RB Cedric Cobbs
At running back, Indy’s got Ricky Williams, but not much else. Mark Lothschutz and Joe Lutes will be more patient with Cobbs than they were with Domanick Davis, whom they cut last year (and, for some time now, have been wishing they didn’t).
1.14 Tampa Bay Meat Goats — WR Michael Clayton
Clayton is hereby dubbed The Man Who Would Replace Laveranues Coles. His prospect profile on NFL.com begins by calling him "a blue-chip athlete with a blue-collar attitude."
1.15 San Diego Slewage — RB Greg Jones
What can I say—the rich get richer here. Sports Illustrated NFL maven Paul Zimmerman says of Greg Jones, "In the Senior Bowl, he was a tackle-breaking madman." He should be fully recovered from his 2002 knee injury by now.
1.16 Tennessee Taz Devils — TE Ben Troupe
Tennessee gets a second chance to address the QB depth issue after all. J.P. Losman, easily, right? Nope. Don’t get me wrong, Lonnie Daniel got one of the better players on the board. But with Randy McMichael already on this roster, a backup TE isn’t a priority.
2.01 Dallas Junglehawgs — WR Rashaun Woods
Woods got 223 receiving yards and a TD in his last college game (the Cotton Bowl vs. Ole Miss). He may not put up such spectacular numbers in the NFL, but he compares himself to "Easy" Ed McCaffrey, the recently retired Broncos receiver (according to a recent issue of ESPN, The Magazine).
2.02 Carolina Convicts — QB J.P. Losman
The only QBs the Cons have now are aging Jeff Garcia and largely unproven Tim Rattay. Losman should be ready by the time Garcia’s run is over.
2.03 Dallas Junglehawgs — WR Lee Evans
Evans answered the questions about his knee in pre-draft workouts. Now can he be as successful in the NFL as fellow Badger alumni Al Toon and Chris Chambers? One thing is sure--the Junglehawg air attack should be much improved over last year, when it died of a fractured collarbone (Charles Rogers). Rogers, Reggie Williams, Rashaun Woods and now Evans... this group of receivers could become the best TUFF has ever seen.
2.04 Tennessee Taz Devils — WR Michael Jenkins
The Taz improve their depth at wideout, where Isaac Bruce is fading. And recently, Ohio State has been a good source for productive receivers (Joey Galloway, David Boston, Terry Glenn, and before them, Cris Carter).
2.05 Pittsburgh BIG PAPAS — WR Devery Henderson
Smart pick. Henderson may get some action if Donte Stallworth keeps getting hurt. Last year, Stallworth missed five games, and when he did play, he only caught 25 passes for 485 yards and 3 touchdowns. The year before, Stallworth missed three games with a hamstring injury.
2.06 New Orleans Peeping Toms — WR Derrick Hamilton
OK, Tommy Hartdegen threw me a curve here. RB Michael Turner would have made sense at this point in the draft (because Turner is now LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup).
2.07 Green Bay Ground Hogs — TE Ben Watson
This isn’t a bad spot to be in. In 2001, Chicago used 2.07 to take Chris Chambers. Last year, Indianapolis lucked out on Anquan Boldin at 2.07. Have the Ground Hogs struck gold with Watson? Will he take over from Daniel Graham and Christian Fauria as the Pats’ starting tight end? Stay tuned...
2.08 Denver Devils (traded to Minnesota) — WR Darius Watts
Rick Dailey is one more owner to thank for not drafting Keary Colbert. The Minnesota Fats acquired Watts in the Eli Manning trade (fine for them as they already have Ashley Lelie). I thought the Broncos reached on Watts in Round 2 of the NFL Draft because he needs to gain some strength and toughness before he can be an NFL receiver.
2.09 Minnesota Fats — QB Matt Schaub
A sensible pick here, as the Fats already have Michael Vick. But they had to cough up the rest of their draft picks for this year to get this pick. (They had also dealt a second-rounder and a third-rounder to the Denver Devils for another backup QB, Shaun King.)
2.10 Houston Tethered Swimmers — WR Keary Colbert
Having missed out on Rashaun Woods and Derrick Hamilton, Houston moves up to get a fine value. Colbert is a possession receiver in the Mark Carrier mold, and should be the Panthers’ #2 WR for a long time. This pick was originally mine, but I took advantage of Houston’s need for help at WR, getting picks 2.12 and 3.15 in return.
2.11 Denver Devils — WR Bernard Berrian
The Devils already have David Terrell and Justin Gage, so this pick makes sense on the depth basis alone. Add in the fact that Berrian’s drop-off in 2003 was attributed to having a far inferior QB at Fresno State to the one he had in 2001 (David Carr), and you have another very good value pick here.
2.12 Chicago Blaze — K Nate Kaeding
Why take a kicker this early? Basically, the same reasons as the Chargers did. Kaeding is the best kicker to come out of college in at least five years. In his career at Iowa, he hit 24 out of 29 field goals from 40 yards or more. He’s been consistent in bad weather, under pressure and from all distances. Besides, the only other kicker I’ve got is Todd Peterson. I might start Kaeding in most of this year’s games—in addition to eight games in sunny San Diego, he gets to kick indoors in three road games (against the Texans, Colts and Falcons).
2.13 Indianapolis Hoosier Daddy’s — WR Jerricho Cotchery
Cotchery will take the place of concussion-prone Wayne Chrebet and be the Jets’ #3 WR. I was hoping he’d drop to my next pick (only because I have Justin McCareins, acquired by the Jets during the off-season). Wishful thinking on my part.
2.14 Baltimore Brown Clowns — RB Michael Turner
This is the other guy I was considering at 2.10. The “Burner” should have gone to New Orleans at 2.06, as I said before. Great pick, both for talent and value.
2.15 Houston Tethered Swimmers — QB Jeff Smoker
What can I say, Jeff Rathburn likes the upside of Smoker in the Rams offense over the fact that Luke McCown—taken two rounds before Smoker—is being groomed as the Browns’ QB of the future. Smoker’s role, so far, is something like “clipboard holder.” Smoker will have a harder fight against the temptation of alcohol as well, especially when he’s far from home in the middle of a longer schedule with more widespread travel, and the closest thing to home is a hotel room.
2.16 New Orleans Peeping Toms — QB Luke McCown
Here’s a shrewd pick. McCown could be the Cleveland Browns’ starter by 2006, and where the Toms are concerned, it means McCown will eventually replace XFL refugee Tommy Maddox.
3.01 Houston Tethered Swimmers — WR Devard Darling
Another big (6’3”) receiver with speed, he emerged a big-play artist during his two years with Washington State. He only played two years there because he transferred from another school (Florida State) and lost a season of NCAA eligibility.
3.02 Tampa Bay Meat Goats — RB Quincy Wilson
Because the Meat Goats have T.J. Duckett, Quincy Wilson serves as a nice depth pick.
3.03 Dallas Junglehawgs — RB Brandon Miree
This one puzzles me. Miree is buried deep in a pile of Bronco RBs (Tatum Bell, Quentin Griffin, Ahmaad Galloway, Mike Anderson)... I had him going in Round 4. Not early in Round 3. And certainly not over Mewelde Moore! Thanks for your help in letting better choices fall to me, Mike.
3.04 Carolina Convicts — RB Mewelde Moore
I thought Jeff Hannan would take Ernest Wilford here (because he’s already got 35-year-old Jimmy Smith), but Moore is a fine pick, too. OK, so he’ll be the third-down back and kickoff return man in Minnesota. He went nine picks earlier in the NFL Draft than Cedric Cobbs (Indy's first-round pick). That's got to count for something, right?
3.05 Houston Tethered Swimmers — WR Johnnie Morant
After being one of the most recruited high school stars a few years ago, he was slow to develop in the college ranks until—you guessed it—his senior year at Syracuse. 6’4” with 4.46 speed, he could be yet another big and quick deep threat. What concerns me is that he didn’t fare as well last year against such Big East powers as Virginia Tech and Miami as he did against the likes of North Carolina, West Virginia and Notre Dame.
3.06 New Orleans Peeping Toms — K Josh Scobee
Scobee is competing with Jeff Chandler and Seth Marler for the Jaguars’ kicking job, and he’s easily got the strongest leg of the three. Tommy Hartdegen selected Scobee due to concerns about Aaron Elling’s accuracy (from 30 yards or more, Elling was just 11 of 18 last season with the Vikings).
3.07 Green Bay Ground Hogs — WR Ernest Wilford
At 6’4” and 216 pounds, son of a gun, he could be a good red zone target for Byron Leftwich and the Jaguars. Nicely done, Mr. Rush!
3.08 Cleveland Cosmos — WR Clarence Moore
The web site of Northern Arizona University, Moore's alma mater, says: “He is only the fourth player in Big Sky Conference history to gain over 3,000 yards receiving in a career, joining Jerry Hendren of Idaho (3,435, 1967-69), Kasey Dunn of Idaho (3,847, 1988-91) and Portland State's Orshawnte Bryant (3,449, 1997-2000).” Some “exclusive company,” huh? Factors in his favor: his 6’5” height (the tallest among this year's class of receivers), and he's on the receiver-starved Ravens. That’s about it.
3.09 Cleveland Cosmos — WR D.J. Hackett
Here's what Scouts, Inc. said about this 6’2” receiver: “Hackett has rare leaping ability. Good height, can catch balls at apex. Good athlete, can make spectacular catches. Solid hands. Continues to improve. Good size, uses frame to shield defenders from ball. Could develop into a good red-zone target. Steps up in pressure situations. Runs with great balance, works hard after the catch and can bounce off tacklers. Always knows where first-down marker is.” Isn’t that kind of praise usually earmarked for first- or second-round talent? I was very interested in Hackett, but was glad that at least the Cosmos didn’t take this other receiver I liked...
3.10 Chicago Blaze — WR P.K. Sam
On the one hand, he should have stayed at Florida State for one more year; he would have been gone much higher in the 2005 draft. On the other hand, he makes a great developmental prospect. Some mock drafts (including Mel Kiper’s) had Sam going in Round 3 this year. I’d like to thank Houston and especially Cleveland for not drafting him.
3.11 Carolina Convicts — QB Cody Pickett
Since this team already has Tim Rattay, taking Pickett makes perfect sense here. I had Pickett rated sixth among my QBs, so I was surprised to see him fall all the way to Round 7 in the NFL Draft.
3.12 Pittsburgh BIG PAPAS — RB Jarrett Payton
Pittsburgh took almost all of the allotted 12 hours (not in selecting Payton, but in an unsuccessful attempt trade the pick). For a while there, it was shades of the Vikings last year and the year before. “5... 4... 3... 2... 1...” Payton becomes the first undrafted rookie to go in this year’s TUFF Rookie Draft. In any case, when all 32 NFL teams pass on a back from the same school as Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis, there’s usually a reason why.
3.13 Indianapolis Hoosier Daddy’s — RB Derrick Ward
If ever there were a dictionary on NFL player development, Ward would be the illustration next to the word “project.” He was academically ineligible to play for Fresno State in 1998, 2001 and 2002, and transferred to Ottawa University, an NAIA school in Kansas, to finish his college career. Given his problems with college coursework, Ward may have considerable trouble digesting an NFL playbook. Oh, and The Sporting News says he’s got fumbling problems. Good luck!
3.14 Tampa Bay Meat Goats — QB Josh Harris
GM Paul Granholm has the Ravens’ other QBs. Who else would you have expected to go here? Harris offers a Roethlisberger-like blend of size and speed, but worked primarily out of the shotgun formation at Bowling Green, the school he put on the college football map.
3.15 Chicago Blaze — RB Adimchinobe Echemandu
The next Nigerian Nightmare? The Artist Formerly Known As Joe Echema may be the backup to Lee Suggs if the NFL continues its suspension of William Green. Never mind the knee injury he had in 2002—his performance in California’s 34-31 upset of Southern Cal last fall (147 yards on 34 carries) should have erased any doubts there.
3.16 Tennessee Taz Devils — TE Kris Wilson
No, I haven’t figured why the Kansas City Chiefs picked Wilson, either. But IF Tony Gonzalez leaves the Chiefs, whatever the reason, he’ll make Taz GM Lonnie Daniel look like a flaming genius.
4.01 Arizona Outlaws — WR Samie Parker
OK, I realize that the Chiefs don’t have the greatest receiver corps in the world. And people will be quick to remind me that Parker is about the same height and weight as Santana Moss. This is what remains of the Outlaws’ draft after trading away the rest of their picks for this year and stockpiling picks for next year.
4.02 Dallas Junglehawgs — WR Drew Carter
6’3”, with 4.36 speed and a 39˝-inch vertical leap. Too good to be true? Yes. He’s injury-prone (including a knee injury in 2003), resulting in having only 41 receptions for 632 yards and one touchdown for his entire career at Ohio State (31 games).
4.03 Baltimore Brown Clowns — QB John Navarre
OK, I’m hard-pressed for a comment here. I’ll just steal one from The Sporting News: “Great size but not athletic ability.”
4.04 Cleveland Cosmos — TE Chris Cooley
Going into Round 4, the only tight end the Cosmos had was Ken Dilger. Imagine the Cosmos getting an upgrade at tight end with a fourth-round pick! I, for one, believe that’s exactly what Joe Bramson has done, and I don’t know what surprises me more—his not picking Cooley with one of his third-round picks, or Cooley falling into his lap at this very spot. Cooley, the first TE taken by Joe Gibbs since his return to D.C., is in a fortunate position. After all, the tight end is an integral part of the Gibbs offense.
4.05 San Diego Slewage — TE Matt Kranchick
A good sleeper pick, as the Steelers haven’t had a fantasy-worthy tight end since Eric Green in the mid-1990s. Disappointing Jay Riemersma (3 catches for 37 yards in his last 12 games) and injury-prone Jerame Tuman are all Kranchick has in front of him right now.
4.06 Tennessee Taz Devils — RB Bruce Perry
It’ll be interesting to see how Perry fits in to the Eagles’ running game. At Maryland, he was productive when he was healthy. Size (5’9”, 190 pounds) and durability are the issues that knocked him down to Round 7 in the NFL Draft.
4.07 Green Bay Ground Hogs — RB Jason Wright
Another undrafted free agent. When’s the last time a Northwestern running back made an impact on fantasy football, anyway?
4.08 Cleveland Cosmos — TE Nate Lawrie
With Lawrie, the Cosmos improve their chance of getting the Bucs’ starting tight end. Perhaps the fact that he put up better stats at Yale than his predecessor, 49ers TE Eric Johnson, was a factor. But if I needed a tight end, I would have used this pick on TE Tim Euhus. The Bucs’ TE picture is crowded with Dilger, Lawrie, Rickey Dudley and another rookie, Casey Cramer. In Buffalo, Euhus only has Mark Campbell in front of him.
4.09 Dallas Junglehawgs — RB Troy Fleming
The coaches at the University of Tennessee convinced this tailback to move to fullback. Why? Not because they preferred Cedric Houston at tailback, but because they thought Fleming reminded them of Shawn Bryson, a former Volunteer fullback. Fleming considered transferring to another school where he could be an every-down back, but the Franklin, Tennessee native decided to stay close to home after discussing matters with his dad. Fleming could still be a running back, because he is about the same size as Steven Jackson, and is almost as fast. (Dallas bought this pick from Denver for 7 TUFFs.)
4.10 Chicago Blaze — WR Jamaar Taylor
Taylor missed the last five games of his senior season with a torn ACL. However, he recovered in time to perform for scouts just six months later. Mel Kiper says that the Giants got a second- or third-round pick in Round 6 of the NFL Draft when they selected Taylor. He’ll probably need another year to recover from the knee injury, but that’s fine with me. Players like Taylor are exactly what the two-man Practice Squad is for.
4.11 Carolina Convicts — RB Clarence Farmer
This kid has gone from a possible future star to a discipline problem in less than two years. He was suspended last spring for threatening to beat up his running backs coach, and was booted off the team after eight games last fall. “Once a punk, always a punk,” someone once said of Lawrence Phillips, another running back with similar issues. I believe it applies to Farmer as well, and Farmer has light years to go to prove me wrong. Fortunately for the Carolina Convicts, all they have wagered on Farmer is this lowly draft pick.
4.12 Houston Tethered Swimmers — WR Carlos Francis
Jeff Rathburn already picked the second of the two receivers the Raiders drafted (Johnnie Morant), so taking Francis makes sense in that regard. That said, I see him as a kick returner, and not much else. His least productive games last year came, curiously enough, against the best the Big XII could throw at him (Oklahoma and Texas).
4.13 Indianapolis Hoosier Daddy’s — PASS
Indy tried to sell this pick. No takers, though. Looks like most TUFF teams are trying to save those TUFFs for Maurice Clarett or Mike Williams.
4.14 Tampa Bay Meat Goats — K Nick Browne
Nick Browne has yet to sign with an NFL team (hence the TCU logo at right). What is up with that? Maybe he found a job he liked in the less dangerous world of finance, where he majored while at TCU. He was 28 of 33 on field goal attempts with TCU last year, including 7-of-9 from 40-49 yards. The Vikings and Chiefs would do well to try him out.
4.15 Houston Tethered Swimmers — PASS
Another pass. Shaun McDonald lets out a sigh of relief.
4.16 New Orleans Peeping Toms — QB Matt Mauck
Maybe it’s appropriate that Mauck becomes the “Mr. Irrelevant” of this draft. He should not have left LSU a year early, and he could have used his senior year to show the NFL that his 18-2 record as a starter with the Tigers was not the result of a strong supporting cast (WR Michael Clayton and WR Devery Henderson also left for the draft) or the system installed by LSU coach Nick Saban. At least Mauck has the intelligence to learn from Jake Plummer and Steve Beuerlein while he holds that clipboard.