Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty.

So here we go, a look back at 2005, with stats, and grades on how their performances were last year. For those players that did not play they received a grade stating as such.

1. San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith*, QB Utah

For a #1 pick, Alex's numbers were downright awful. Ok, he was a rookie on a horrible team, so we can't fault him 100% for all this. For those of you that actually saw him play, however, you really had to be wondering why he was selected #1. He looked lost, overmatched, and frustrated. His second year will be huge, to see if he learned from his "trial by fire", or if what we saw in '05 was just how he is. (Side game, see if you can count the number of sports/NFL clichés in this article. Lots of them, you can bet on it.)

Grade: F

2. Miami Dolphins - Ronnie Brown, RB Auburn

Can you say "immediate impact"? (Ding - Sports cliche). Ronnie came in and gave the Dolphins a running game that they sorely missed with Ricky Williams gone. What a great rookie season he had. His TD numbers were not that high, but when you look back and watch film of his games, he did not look like a rookie at all. Watch his 65 yard run and then try to call him a rookie. Excellent pick by the Dolphins, who are hoping he can improve upon '05 in '06.

Grade: A

3. Cleveland Browns - Braylon Edwards, WR Michigan

Braylon Edwards had, for the most part, a very productive rookie season. Mid-season injuries really hurt his totals, but when you compare the games he played to other rookie receivers, he stands up just fine. Cleveland isn't exactly an aerial spectacle, and with Kellen Winslow Jr. out (again, don't get me started on him) Braylon was a marked man on the field. Despite being a rookie and having not a lot of weapons around him, Braylon showed promise and gave Browns fans hope that he might be a good receiver for them for the long haul. Of the three rookie WRs in the top ten, Braylon did have the best numbers. I prefer not to think about the 80 yard td he had against my beloved Packers, but that was a great play on his part.

Grade: B

4. Chicago Bears - Cedric Benson, RB Texas

Poor Cedric. Picked a fine year to be drafted by Chicago, only to have Thomas Jones finally remember that he can still play. Thanks to TJ's resurrection, Cedric saw very little playing time, as his number indicate. In fact, Cedric was #3 on the Bear's list for yards, behind TJ and Adrian Peterson. The one bright spot for Cedric was his 4.1 yds/average, and that is encouraging. What does this mean? Well, for 2005 it earns him a bad grade overall, especially considering how hyped he was going into the draft. I think, however, in the long run not playing too much in '05 can benefit him. RBs wear out very quickly, and if he took '05 to learn the position and keep himself fresh, he could have a very productive '06. Ronnie Brown, as great as '05 was, might have shaved time off his NFL career by being a workhorse too soon. Time will tell, and unfortunately for Cedric the grade is for '05, not for potential.

Grade: D

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, RB Auburn

Wow. Can you say, "wow?" I remember very clearly, going into the '05 draft, how many pundits were quibbling over who to take, Cadillac, Ronnie Brown, or Cedric. 2 out of the 3 chosen proved to have great rookie seasons. Cadillac gave Tampa Bay a much needed running attack, and his numbers were impressive for any RB, never mind him being a rookie. Ronnie Brown's and Cadillac's rookie years were very similar in a few ways. They both contributed big, they both surpassed high expectations, and they both look to be the futures of their franchises for years to come. Cadillac, if there was a knock on his '05 season, was injured and missed a few games. He still had 290 carries, and that's just mind boggling. Tampa Bay made the right pick here, and they were rewarded as such.

Grade: A+

6. Tennessee Titans - Adam "Pac Man" Jones, CB West Virginia

Non-offensive players (no pun intended) are tough to gauge in terms of pure stats. Lineman, defense, and special teams are tough to really track in terms of quality vs. statistics. If we look at the stats for Pac Man, one number truly stands out.

To me, the big number is that he played in 15 games last season. 15 games, as a rookie, is a very good stat. What is missing from the stats (ok, I will be honest, I am way too lazy to dig really that deep for them) are the stats about how many times he was not throw at, or how his influence affected a game. He had 0 sacks, and 0 ints. The sacks, as a DB, we can forgive. To have 0 Ints, however, is not a good thing. Even a rookie should be able to get one or two, especially if you are a #1 pick. He did score a defensive touchdown, so there were some bright spots. Overall though, I am sure the Titans coaches would tell you that they were very pleased with his play, and I cannot argue with that.

Grade: B

7. Minnesota Vikings (from Oakland) - Troy Williamson, WR South Carolina

Overall, not horrible numbers. He was #4 on the yards list for the Vikings, and they do have some very good WRs on that team. However, factor in Dante having a poor year, to being a rookie on a team loaded with WRs, that equals not having great stats. From the games I saw, Troy definitely had some promise, and if he stays healthy can do very well in the years to come. However, I felt that he was not used as much as he should have been. His fault, or the Viking's fault, not really sure. What I do know that he had a good rookie season, all things considered, and that he should only get better.

Grade: B-

8. Arizona Cardinals - Antrel Rolle, CB Miami (Fla)

If we were to compare Antrel to Pac Man, we would say that Antrel played in about 1/3 less games than Pac Man. That's a strike against him right there. He did have 1 int (hence my point about how come Pac Man doesn't have any) so that helps him right there. It seemed that Antrel played in very limited situations, and was still in the "rookie learning curve" for most of the season. By no means is he a bust, and these numbers are pretty much average for a rookie. However, as I have stated before, Antrel was a top 10 pick, and thus expectations for higher numbers come with such a pick.

Grade: C-

9. Washington Redskins - Carlos Rogers, CB Auburn

Carlos, being our third CB of the top ten (I sense a trend here) gives us a very good measuring stick in which to gauge the other two. He did not play in as many games as Pac Man did (15), but he played in 12, and for a rookie that is significant. He had twice as many tackles, assists, and Int's than Artrel, and 2 times as many Int's as Pac Man. So where does that put him? Having a very good rookie season, in my book. The Redskin's D has improved quite a bit over the past couple of years. While statistically it was down last year compared to the prior year, they still were pretty darn good. Carlos was a good addition to that D, and earns a good grade for it.

Grade: B+

10. Detroit Lions - Mike Williams, WR USC

Ok, I will be honest. I totally expected Mike Williams' numbers to be dreadful, and I was ready to rip into him good here. However, I must have been thinking of one of the other Detroit Ne'er do well WRs, because Mike actually had a pretty good year for a rookie. I was shocked that he played in 14 games, and as a rookie WR that is a good thing. His 350 yds and 1 TD is respectable, and I know he started to have some better games towards the end of the season. Make all the Joey Harrington jokes you like, the truth is that Detroit had to pass in '05. A lot. I mean, a lot. So that meant that someone, somewhere, was eventually going to catch the ball. If you compare Mike Williams to Troy Williams, their numbers are very similar. I think that Mike had a higher impact for his team, and thus gets a slightly higher rating.

Grade: B-

So there you have it, the top 10 picks of '05, broken down. I would have done all 30, just so I could make fun of Aaron Rodgers (who just can't seem to get a break) but that would involve a lot more work, and since I am not on espn's payroll, my free time for this is just about up. I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and please remember to take the draft of '06 with a grain of salt. Or beer, either one, that's fine too.