2005 NFL Draft Recap - Cal Players Taken

2005 was a banner year for Cal in terms of the talent they had drafted that year. Highlighted by NCAA season rushing leader J.J. Arrington, and Heisman candidate and potential #1 overall pick Aaron Rodgers, there appeared to sure fire hits with most of the Bears drafted. Oh, but the drama that would ensue...

1^st Round

24. (24) Green Bay Packers - Aaron Rodgers QB

Aa-ron Rod-gers Aa-ron Rod-gers . The chant emanated from the student section, growing quickly until it reverberated through Memorial Stadium. Aaron Rodgers, the Junior Cal Quarterback, had just thrown for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns in his performance against the UCLA Bruins, and after his performance against USC the prior week (tying an NCAA record for 23 consecutive completions in a game) had emerged as a legitimate Heisman candidate. Unable to ignore the chants any further, Rodgers eventually turned slightly to the crowd and thrust his fist into the air, and smiled quietly as the crowd erupted in applause.

The “Aaron Rodgers” chants would eventually turn into “ONE MORE YEAR!” chants as it became increasingly evident as the 2004 season progressed that Rodgers was one of the top QBs in the draft, and likely #1 Overall pick.

Alas, it was not to be, as the possibility of being the top pick in the draft and the opportunity to play for his childhood home team the San Francisco 49ers, was too much to pass up, and Rodgers declared for the draft at the season’s end. Rodgers talked openly about his hopes to lead the same team as his childhood idol Joe Montana, and knew that even if the Niners were to decide with Alex Smith, the quarterback out of Utah, Rodgers would most likely end up with the Browns at the number 3 spot in the draft. Not bad for a kid from Chico who had been playing at Butte Junior College a few years prior.

Draft day came, and Rodgers saw his dreams of being the #1 overall pick and playing for his hometown team pass before his eyes as the Niners announced that Alex Smith would be their guy. Rodgers smiled and applauded politely as he witnessed Smith walk to the podium and proudly hold the 49ers jersey for the world to see the new franchises QB.

Crushed, but not destroyed, Rodgers sat patiently as he waited for his agent to call him to let him know he’d go to the Browns at Number 3. The call never came. The Browns went with Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards, so Rodgers just waited.

And waited.

The first ten picks went by and no call. Then the next ten. It became painful to see Rodgers waiting in the Green Room, and at that point, no one really knew how far Rodgers would fall.

Finally, the call came, and the pick was announced: Rodgers was going to the Packers at the 24^th Overall pick, and the second quarterback taken (not counting Arkansas QB Matt Jones who was drafted as a WR).

Rodgers’ draft slide became embedded in recent NFL draft lore, and would be the immediate comparison anytime a top prospect fell further than expected (see Brady Quinn). His draft slide however, was just the beginning of Rodgers’ quiet yet dramatic start in the NFL.

Much has been written about Rodgers’ time in Green Bay as the cocky first round pick who would sit in the shadow behind NFL great and hall of famer Brett Favre for the next three years while he witnessed Alex Smith get immediate playing time with the Niners. I won’t go into too much detail here, as it has been covered extensively in the past, and will expectedly be covered much more in the future, but Rodgers again had to learn the virtues of patience of backing up an ironman quarterback who not only never missed a start, but nearly played every single snap. Rodgers would have to learn by watching.

With Favre’s recent and surprising retirement, Rodgers will finally get his chance. He will undoubtedly see his share of struggles, and will have to play under the most extreme expectations of his franchise and fans. Already questioned for his durability for having suffered thigh injuries and a broken foot, he will have to show that he can fill in, and fill in quickly and perform consistently as the heir to the Green Bay QB throne.

Only time will tell how ready Rodgers is to be the franchise quarterback. The few glimpses we have seen, particularly Rodgers’ performance against Dallas last season in which he threw for 201 yards and a touchdown and nearly rallied the Packers for a win, have been promising. Again though, the question will be whether he can do that consistently, not only for a season, but for the next eight to ten years. I believe that Rodgers has all the tools, and new maturity to succeed in the NFL. It’s just a matter of putting it all together. But as one of the fans in attendance who joined in on the “Aaron Rodgers” chant years ago in Memorial Stadium, I’m optimistic that in a few years time, Packers fans will be chanting the same.

2^nd Round

44. Arizona Cardinals - J.J. Arrington RB

J.J. Arrington benefited from one of the greatest rushing seasons in not only Cal football history, but in NCAA History. In his senior season, Arrington exploded onto the scene and destroyed records along the way. In 2004, Arrington rushed for over 100 yards in every single game, compiling a ridiculous 2,018 yards and 15 TDs for the season. He became a consensus All-American, and earned the Pop Warner Award (given to the best West Coast senior player). Inexplicably though, Arrington wasn’t mentioned in the Heisman finalists conversation, despite having better numbers than both Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson.

The Cardinals drafted Arrington in the second round, in the hopes that he would split carries with Marcel Shipp. Arrington struggled however in his first game, rushing for only 5 yards on 8 carries (0.6 ypc) and would proceed to struggle for the remainder of his rookie season with 370 yards on 112 carries (3.3 ypc) and 2 TDs. This prompted the Cardinals to sign Edgerrin James the following year, and Arrington has served in a backup role and on special teams since.

In 2006, Arrington’s carries were incredibly limited, where he rushed only 14 times for a mere 19 yards, but did return a kickoff for a 99 yard touchdown.

In 2007, Arrington improved a bit, gaining 78 yards on 26 attempts, but more significantly, 241 yards on 29 catches and a score. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt appears to like Arrington’s pass catching abilities, so they hope to use him more in that role.

Most signs point to Arrington not turning out to be the explosive little RB like Brian Westbrook or even Maurice Jones-Drew that some teams would have hoped for, but Arrington may continue to contribute as a 3^rd down back and on special teams for years to come.

4^th Round

118. New Orleans Saints – Chase Lyman WR

If there were ever any player who characterized the “What if” mold for a Cal player drafted in recent years, it would certainly be Chase Lyman. A solid receiver with great speed for his size (6’4, 310 lbs), he would be seemingly cursed with the injury bug in his time at Cal and eventually the pros, suffering through various ankle, groin, hamstring, hip injuries, and an appendicitis.

Lyman won a starting spot at the receiver position in 2002, only to tear his hamstring on the first day of Fall camp—an injury that would keep him out for the majority of the next two years.

With limited playing time and only 100 receiving yards during his 2003 campaign, Lyman finally got his chance in the 2003 Insight Bowl, as he filled in for an injured Geoff MacArthur and contributed 149 receiving yards and a score.

He would go on to play much more during the 2004 season, highlighted by a 176 yard, 3 TD performance against Oregon State. He would eventually go down again with injury during the USC game, and would miss the remainder of the season.

The Saints still saw his incredible potential, and took a shot at him in the fourth round. Things were looking great…until Chase Lyman tore his ACL in fall camp.

He was signed the following year to the Saints' practice squad, but would get eventually get waived, and just like that, Lyman's NFL career was over without getting him getting to play a single NFL snap.

And that pretty much ended it for Chase…for his NFL career that is. Last time I heard, Chase was doing commercial real estate with his dad in Palo Alto, and appeared to be pretty happy about it as an alternative to football. “I realized it’s (football) not what I want to do with my life. There is a lot more to life than football. The way my body has been, and the pounding it had taken, it wasn’t worth it to me anymore to fight my way through each practice.” (Daily Cal)

Good for him. I wish him the best. But the real estate market isn’t looking too hot right now though…

135. Indianapolis Colts – Matt Giordano DB/FS

Matt Giordano finished a solid career at Cal with All Pac-10 1^st Team Honors and an All-American Honorable mention his senior year. Needing depth in the secondary, the Colts drafted him in the fourth round, and it’s safe to say that they probably haven’t regretted it.

Giordano has performed solidly as a backup strong safety behind Pro Bowler and 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders. He’s put up solid numbers in the backup role, as well as contributing on special teams, and hey, he's already got his Super Bowl Ring from the Colts' 2006 season. Take that Marino.

He has three interceptions in 39 career games, including one he returned 83 yards for a touchdown in a season-opening win over New Orleans last year, and recently resigned with the Colts earlier in the month as a restricted free agent.

Not much else to Giordano’s story. Unlike many other recently drafted Cal players who have had to battle injuries and fight to get spots on practice squads, Giordano has found a comfortable and solid backup role with the Colts.

6^th Round

38 (212 Overall) Oakland Raiders – Ryan Riddle LB

Ryan Riddle was drafted in the 6^th round after coming off a monster senior season with 49 tackles and single season record of 14.5 sacks (Man we could use that now…)

After being drafted though, Riddle was cut by the Raiders the following year (anyone else noticing a trend of Cal players being cut by the Raiders in recent years?) and later signed with the New York Jets. The Jets though released Riddle in December where he signed on with the Falcons. However, in August 2007, Riddle signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens, but was waved prior to the beginning of the 2007 Regular Season. Whew…let's see if we can create flow chart for that shall we?

Whew. That's a lot of teams. It didn't help that Riddle only registered 7 tackles in his entire year with Oakland and 5 with the Jets. Riddle hopes to start his career fresh in the AFL where he signed on in January as a defensive end. It's been hard to find any real stats on he's been doing since the AFL doesn't appear to really post any stats about anything other than their ridiculous offense (the Avengers' most recent loss was a 83-69 affair).

Interesting note though, Riddle's teammate, Avenger's QB, is the same guy who lit us up for 520 yards and 3 Touchdowns in the 2004 Holiday Bowl Debacle. Yep…that's right…you guessed it—Sonny Cumbie.