Terence Newman (5th pick - DAL) - Some observers like rookie corners Marcus Trufant and Asante Samuel (NE) better, but Newman has drawn comparisons to a young Ronnie Lott, which is very heady company. His one-on-one corner skills allowed his teammates to become more aggressive on blitzes. You haven't heard Parcells bitch about him, and that should always be taken as a good endorsement.

Jordan Gross (8th pick - CAR) � Already a leader in helping the Panthers go deep into the NFL playoffs. Has been a starter and a soldier from Day one, and has played a huge role in one of the better rushing offenses in the league. Already has a reputation of being very accessible (signing autographs, etc) to fans and opponents also hold him in high regard.

Terrell Suggs (10th pick - BAL) � Slid from his projected #6 spot amidst concerns over a somewhat slow 40-time, and the Ravens got a steal. The fact that he did not start until late in the year should not matter, Suggs was the Defensive Rookie of the Year with 12 sacks, being everything that the team hoped for.

Dallas Clark (24th pick - IND) � A broken leg ended his year early, but not before catching 29 passes for 340 yards backing up veteran Marcus Pollard. Don't be surprised if the likable Clark becomes a future Pro-Bowler.

Andre Johnson (3rd pick - HOU) - Among rookie receivers second-round pick Anquan Boldin stole some of AJ's thunder over in Arizona - but Johnson has had a fine rookie season himself (66 catches, 976 yards). #'s are even better considering there were injury problems with the QB's for part of the year. Johnson, along with fourth-round RB Domanick Davis, has given Houston a solid skill position nucleus to build on.

Byron Leftwich (7th pick - JAX) - Did not take long to become the starter. 57 percent completion percentage with 13 TD's v. 16 INT's through Week 16. QB Rating is among the bottom 25 percent of all starters. Still, Leftwich has had his good moments and should grow into the position more in his second year. Has performed as advertised.

Marcus Trufant (11th pick - SEA) - WAS beaten on occasion, but has learned on the job and appears well on his way to being one of the league's top cover men. Coach Mike Holmgren plugged him for Rookie of the Year consideration.

Ty Warren (13th pick - NE) - The Patriots simply cleaned up on draft day this year. Warren filled in admirably when injuries struck the D-line and leads an assembled rookie bounty including second-rounders Eugene Wilson (S) and Bethel Johnson (WR/KR) along with late-rounders Asante Samuel (CB) and Dan Klecko (DT).

Kevin Williams (9th pick - MN) - Some good and bad here. Williams as seen time at both end and tackle, and was second among rookies recording 11 sacks. But many would like to see Williams take more pressure off of DT Chris Hovan. A mid-season DWI also raises some character issues.

Michael Haynes (14th pick - CHI) - Bears started to look at him more in the latter parts of the season. Looks like he will be a nice contributor at DE but shows some of the same speed limitations that scouts were talking about on draft day.

Troy Polamalu (16th pick - PIT) - Some feel the Steelers reached here. Polamalu started playing sparingly, but has been used more later on in the season. Concussion concerns from college have not materialized, and Troy is a speedy hitting machine who should contribute in future years.

Kyle Boller (19th pick - BAL) - As was the case with Terrell Suggs, the Ravens personnel department did a great job nabbing a player who was projected higher (Boller was top-ten on many mock drafts). Started from Week 1, a rarity for a QB. Boller was not asked to throw much but steadily improved before being injured at mid-season.

Rex Grossman (22nd pick - CHI) - Finally got his shot late in the season, and Grossman looked solid and should head into 2004 as the Bears starting QB. He appears as good as advertised.

Kwame Harris (26th pick - SF) - Perception had the soft-spoken violin playing Stanford product with the Jamacian accent as potentially being soft. Kwame dispelled that in camp with a nasty mean streak that spelled trouble for those going against him in practice. Kwame got thrown in at left tackle early in the year and found him a little overwhelmed, but improved in a lesser role later on. Many feel that Kwame will prove to be a late first-round steal.

Andre Woolfork (28th pick - TN) - Oklahoma product saw time as a nickel back before injury knocked him out at mid-season. Heads a strong Tennessee draft that included RB Chris Brown and WR Tyrone Calico. Woolfork is a great athlete who should be fine with some further development.

Sammy Davis (30th pick - SD) - This year was a trial by fire, as he was an immediate starter at cornerback. Has been burned often, but to his defense doesn't have a whole lot of help around him. Still, Davis is a physical player who will improve.

Carson Palmer (1st pick - CIN) - We won't know how Palmer will fare until he actually appears in games, what we do know is that in hindsight Cincy would had been much better served trading down and addressing other needs. Jon Kitna was a top-ten QB with a nice receiving corps at his disposal. Also, Matt Leinhart's success this year at USC supports the theory that Palmer was one who benefited from the system as much as his own talent.

Charles Rogers (2nd pick - DET) - There was a theory that the Lions should had passed up on the local product and selected Andre Johnson instead. Johnson outperformed Rogers (22 catches, 243 yards) before his season ended prematurely with a broken collarbone after just five games.

Dewayne Robertson (4th pick - NYJ) � Flashed occasional glimpses of his immense potential, showing why he was the most coveted interior defensive linemen in this draft. Was been way too inconsistent however, and has been overwhelmed often as a starter. As a playmaking three-technique tackle, he should be making more plays. Robertson himself only gives himself a C- for the season. The off-season as well as next season is going to be cruicial for him.

Jimmy Kennedy (12th pick - STL) - Once thought to be the top-five overall defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson turned out to be, Kennedy was slowed by injuries in camp and couldn�t work his way into the Rams defensive line rotation.

Jonathan Sullivan (6th pick - NO) - The Saints clearly grasped trading up to draft Sullivan. New Orleans was still near the bottom of the league against the run.

Bryant Johnson (17th pick - AZ) - Had the organization known the Pro Bowl numbers they were going to get from second round pick Anquan Boldin, they would not had selected Johnson, the #3 receiver chosen overall. 33 catches for 416 yards is not a complete disaster however, for now he looks like Boldin's complimentary #2 receiver.

Calvin Pace (18th pick - AZ) - Outside of one big game in Week 8, Pace was otherwise a non-factor. Was a starter, but did not appear to have a wide array of moves and had just one sack.

George Foster (20th pick - DEN) - Broncos selected the tackle knowing his physical history, and wound up inactive until the regular season finale. Most of Denver's draft picks have wound up on IR this year, with fourth round RB Quentin Griffin the only real find.

Willis McGahee (23rd pick - BUF) - The Bills fell for the Monorail sales pitch from McGahee's agent on draft day. Don't ask me why. Incumbent starter Travis Henry wound up rushing for over 1,300 yards and McGahee's presence is just going to hasten Henry's desire to go via free agency. Unless McGahee is truly recovered from his agency and walks on water in future years, this is going to go down as a bad pick.

William Joseph (25th pick - NYG) - Yet another example on how a protracted training camp holdout can hurt. Joseph started with a bang with a sack and forced fumble in the season opener - but production dropped to near zero after that, and the staff was so unimpressed with his work during the week that Joseph soon found himself on the list of inactives.

Larry Johnson (27th pick - KC) - His selection on draft day sent red flags about the health of Priest Holmes. Priest wound up being as good as ever while LJ did not see the light of day. Johnson did not help his cause by making the police blotter during the season. In retrospect KC would had been much better served addressing their gaping defensive needs.