GRETZ: Draft Class 2005: Part II

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http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2005/09..._2005_part_ii/
GRETZ: Draft Class 2005: Part II
Sep 13, 2005, 8:39:09 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

GRETZ: The Class of 2005 - Part One


Now that the first weekend of action has come and gone in the NFL, it’s time to update the status of the 2005 Draft class.



We will track this class for the next several years in an effort to find out just what kind of contributions come from the draft, how quickly they pay dividends and are there any patterns visible in the success and failure of the players and teams.

There were 255 players drafted in the April selection meeting. Of that group, 195 were on the opening week rosters around the NFL. That’s 76 percent of the draft class that at least made the grade to start the season.

Of the players who did not make a roster, 41 were released while 19 were given various injury designations (injured reserve, physically unable to perform, non-football injury.)

The highest draft picks not on an active roster are second round picks: No. 53 DE Dan Cody of Baltimore and No. 54 RB Eric Shelton in Seattle. Both players are on the injured reserve list for the season. The other 62 first and second-round picks all found jobs.

The highest draft choice released was former Missouri defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison, a third-round pick who was released by Carolina after being the No. 89 selection. Also released was running back Maurice Clarett, the 101st player drafted with the last choice of the third round.

The third highest player given his walking papers was Chiefs fourth-round pick Craphonso Thorpe. He was the 116th selection.

While 195 draft choices were on the opening week rosters, there were 243 total rookies in the league. That’s 48 undrafted players who made the rosters of 26 of the league’s 32 teams.

In total with 1,696 roster spots available, rookies made up 14 percent of the opening rosters.

It really calls into question the value of the sixth and seventh round picks in the draft. Of the 81 players taken in those rounds, only 47 made the opening day rosters, while there were 48 undrafted players who found jobs. Here’s the round-by-round look:



The spot where this draft class seems to have broken was at 153 picks. Only six of those first selections did not make a roster. The remaining cuts began piling up starting at in the fifth-round, at No. 154 with LB Robert McCune, who was released by Washington.

The St. Louis Rams selected WR Dante Ridgeway in the sixth round with pick No. 192, but released him in the pre-season. He was claimed on waivers by the New York Jets and made that team’s final roster.

The lowest draft choice to make an opening day roster was pick No. 253, wide receiver J.R. Russell in Tampa Bay.

Tennessee had the most rookies on its opening week roster with 12, while Washington and New Orleans had the fewest with four each. Here’s a team-by-team look at draft choices, the number that made the team, and the total number of rookies:


*Dolphins used fifth-round pick in 2006 draft on DT Manuel Wright.

Coming on Thursday, it’s not just making the roster, but who got on the field in the opening week.

Related Link:
GRETZ: The Class of 2005 - Part One

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Charts from article;

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Eric Sheltons on Carolina not Seattle...........