Imagine a draft-day do-over.
A 2006 draft-day do-over, if you want to get specific.
The Texans had the first pick that year and were roundly criticized for selecting North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams instead of hometown hero Vince Young.
If not Young, the Texans could have chosen Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who went second to the Saints, just ahead of Young, who went No. 3 to Tennessee.
So how would the order go if there were a do-over? Which of the three would be No. 1? That would be none of the above.
Jay Cutler would be the first pick. The same Jay Cutler who went No. 11 to the Broncos, just after the Cardinals used the 10th pick on another Heisman winner, Matt Leinart.
Is there any question at this point that Cutler was the best player in that draft? There were some others, most notably Antonio Cromartie, who went No. 19 and led the league in interceptions in his second season. But Cutler gets the call here.
D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the No. 4 pick, and A.J. Hawk, No. 5, have been solid players, but neither has made the impact Cutler has. Donte Whitner, a player the Bills were criticized for taking at No. 8, appears to have several Pro Bowls in his future, just as Cutler does. But Whitner is a safety, not a quarterback.
You wonder how the scouts could have been so wrong. You wonder how so many of them could have had Cutler ranked below Young and Leinart.
The Broncos didn’t. They had him atop their draft board, but didn’t think they could trade up to get him. But when the Raiders passed on him at No. 7, Mike Shanahan and his staff began working the phones. And when the Cardinals pulled the trigger on Leinart at No. 10, the Broncos swung a deal with St. Louis to grab the 11th pick.
The Rams got the 15th pick, Clemson cornerback Tye Hill, and the Broncos’ third-rounder, which turned into LSU defensive tackle Claude Wroten. That’s the twist of fate that, more than any other, will shape the Broncos’ future.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
