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1998 Draft: The Top 10 Players
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 01:00 PM
1. You must wait a mimimum of one year before passing said
judgment.
2. You must judge a solid starter picked in a later round higher than a very
good starter picked high in the first
round.
3. You must not take this too
seriously.
Dogma in place, here are the top 10 picks from the 1998
draft:
| Player, Team | Position | Round | Overall Pick |
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1. Randy Moss, Vikings | WR | 1 | 21 |
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You had to watch four or five quarters in 1998 to know this was one of the top
draft choices of all time. There's a right time to gamble on a guy with a
checkered resume, and the middle to low first round was a perfect time for such
a
risk. |
|
2. Charlie Batch, Lions | QB | 2 |
60
|
| Just watching this guy play last year, you kept thinking: Why wasn't he the
second pick? Or first? What poise. What a future. What a
player. |
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3. Peyton Manning, Colts | QB | 1 |
1
|
| The best rookie quarterback of all time will turn out to be one of the best
quarterbacks of all time. Granted, it was a gimme pick for the Colts, but they
still had to make
it. |
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4. Jason Fabini, Jets | OT | 4 |
111
|
| When you start as a rookie on the offensive line under Bill Parcells, you have
done something great. And Fabini, a selfless player who could end up at guard or
tackle long-term, was an ironman in the Jets' playoff run last
year. |
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5. Fred Taylor, Jaguars | RB | 1 |
9
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| Tom Coughlin resisted the urge to trade up for Curtis Enis, and it might have
been his smartest draft move since taking Tony Boselli three years earlier.
Taylor's a better, quicker and more explosive
player.
|
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6. Flozell Adams, Cowboys | OT | 2 |
38
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| The Cowboys liked the job he did so much last year at guard that they're
projecting him as a starting left tackle. Imagine putting him out there over
Larry Allen. Good
player.
|
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7. Tim Dwight, Falcons | WR/KR | 4 |
114
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| This is probably a pretty low rating for the Falcon who had the biggest impact
on his team in the Super Bowl. Dwight has the elusiveness you can't coach, and
he can only get better at receiver with the loss of Tony
Martin.
|
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8. Lorenzo Bromell, Dolphins | DE |
4
| 102
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| When Jimmy Johnson picked Bromell, he hoped to get a defensive end who could
become part of the Dolphins' rotation. He got at least that, and he may have
gotten a Charles Haley-type who could be an every-down
force.
|
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9. Pat Tillman, Cardinals | S | 7 |
226
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| Gutty guy who everyone said would have a chance only as a special-teamer. But
why was he in the starting lineup in September? Here's why: He was smart enough
to pick up the Cards' offense early, and tough enough to hang with the
competition in the NFC
East.
|
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10. Tra Thomas, Eagles | OT | 1 |
11
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| After years of draft failure on the offensive line, the Eagles got the genuine
item in Thomas, who not only can block out the sun but a few good defensive
ends,
too. |
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