My good friend Len Pasquarelli points out the problems with drafting in the top 10. Used to be it was a good place to be, but the money involved in those picks changes everything.
Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore believes you just can't miss on a pick that high, because you commit so much money to the guy you tend to give him more time to prove himself and if he doesn't the mistake becomes larger because it lingers longer.
Pasquarelli crunched some numbers:
"Of the 2,400 potential starts for the 50 prospects selected in the top 10 since 2004, players have totaled 1,698 starts, or 70 percent. Twelve players have combined for 18 Pro Bowl appearances. Four players have been to multiple all-star games. At the same time, eight of the former top-10 picks since '04 have been released or traded at least once, and three of them are playing for their third NFL franchise. Five are out of the league entirely, and one, former Washington Redskins free safety Sean Taylor, died after being shot in his home during an alleged robbery in November 2007."
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