2007 NFL Draft Recap - Cal Players Taken

We wrap up the look back at the past five drafts to look at the careers of the Cal players taken in the NFL draft, and how things have been working out for them. We've seen our shares of highs, lows, and a lot of players who discovered just how hard it is to play, let alone stay healthy, in the NFL.

2007 was another strong year in the draft for the Bears, headlined by the Beast himself, Marshawn Lynch.

1^st Round

12. Buffalo Bills - Marshawn Lynch, RB

Who doesn’t love Marshawn? Seriously. Who has ever watched this baller carry multiple defenders, break tackles, ghost ride trainer carts, flash his golden grills and said, “What a douche.” No one. Because from the day Marshawn "BEAST" exploded onto the scene, Lynch wowed the crowds with his running style, and gained the admiration and respect from his teammates and coaches.

Grounded in family values, as evidenced by his public self-proclamation of being a Mama's boy (complete with having it tatooed on his back), and flashing the "family first symbol" after every score, Lynch was destined for great things.

Lynch compiled 3,230 yards and 29 TDs rushing, along with 600 yards and 6 TDs receiving. On top of that, Lynch also threw for 2 TDs in his career as well. To absolutely no one's surprise, Lynch declared for the draft after his junior year. Despite a few concerns about Marshawn's character issues, stemming from a sexual assault allegation that was eventually dropped, Marshawn did nothing to shake his position as the #2 RB available in the draft behind Adrian Peterson. Marshawn followed up a solid career at Cal with 4.4 40 time in the draft and solid workouts.

(Editor's Note: In my research, I stumbled upon a Wikipedia entry that said that Lynch scored a 42/50 on the NFL draft IQ Wonderlic exam. Excuse me for sounding surprised, but a 42!? A score of 32 is considered well above average for the average NFL draftee, so a 42? His favorite book is Cat in the Hat for crying out loud. I digress.)

It was a no-brainer when the the Buffalo Bills selected Lynch with the Number 12 overall pick. With the Willis McGahee's exit, a franchise running back was their top choice, and with Adrian Peterson taken by the Vikings, Lynch was the obvious choice. Marshawn Lynch became the Bears' highest draft pick since Andre Carter was taken by the 49ers in 2001.

To say that Lynch had a successful rookie year is huge understatement. Despite missing 3 games with an ankle injury, Lynch finished 11th in the league in rushing yards at 1115, 8th in YPG (85.8), and scored 7 rushing TDs. He also threw for a memorable passing TD to tight end Robert Royal. He also answered questions about whether Lynch could be an everydown back, by getting the 9th most number of carries in the league.

However, more importantly, just as Cal fans fell in love with Lynch and his work ethic, abilities, and commitment to his team, the entire city of Buffalo has done the same. Moving his entire family there, Lynch was a "fresh of breath air" (Royal reference) compared to the moody and tempermental former RB McGahee who had become unhappy with his tenure with the Bills. You can see what I mean below.

Lynch is bound to have a bright future ahead of him, assuming he can stay healthy. His running style has always made him susceptible to ankle injuries, so only time will tell how his entire career will pan out. But if his time at Cal, and successful rookie campaign is any indication, we'll be seeing a lot more "Beast Mode" for time to come.

3^rd Round

85. Seattle Seahawks - Brandon Mebane, DT

Brandon Mebane embodied the pass rush that Cal needed, and has needed during the Jeff Tedford regime. Although teams began double and triple teaming Mebane during his junior and senior seasons, in which Mebane would go on to earning All 1st team Pac-10 honors, Mebane was still one of the most productive tacklers and sack leaders on the team. In his senior season, Mebane led the team with 52 tackles, 10 tackles for losses and 4 sacks.

Mebane was taken in the 3rd round by the Seattle Seahawks, ahead of Daymeion Hughes (more on that later) and was expected to develop slowly and become a star defensive lineman later in his career. That developed was quickly accelerated however, after he was pushed into a starting role when starters Chartric Darby and Marcus Tubbs went down with a season ending injury.

Mebane would fill in solidly his rookie years and has Seahawks fans excited about his young talent and potential moving forward. He will most likely remain in his starting role next season, and we can expect more from now that he has a lot of game time under his belt.

3^rd Round

95. Indianapolis Colts - Daymeion Hughes, CB

Daymeion Hughes, has who has changed his name to “Dante” (which I will be referring him to as because it’s easier to type) entered into his senior season as one of the premier defensive backs in the country, and didn’t disappoint. Hughes would go on to become and All-American and win the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award as well as the Ronnie Lott Trophy. His statistics backed up his award as well: Hughes put up monstrous numbers, breaking up 19 passes, nearly led the team with 72 tackles, and recorded 8 interceptions on the year, one of which he returned for TD, stomping on Rudy Carpenter in the process. By the season's end, Hughes had established himself as the top cover corner in the nation, and possibly the first CB taken.

Ironically enough however, it was as soon as Hughes stopped playing football, that his draft stock started slipping. Despite his spectacular performances in the Senior Bowl, scouts paid more attention to Hughes' slow 40 yard dash time. Some scouts had him clocked in the 4.5s, while some even had him in the 4.7s. Hughes attributed his slow times to a lingering hamstring pull, but in the NFL, those times simply wouldn't do. It became increasingly evident that Hughes would most likely only flourish in the league in a cover 2 scheme, where help over the top would come in case he got burned by a speedy receiver.

And what better cover 2 scheme to play for than with the coach who pretty much perfected it. Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts snagged Hughes up in the 3rd round. While Hughes hasn't served a backup and special teams role in his times with the Colts before going down with an injury in November of 2007.

While talk of Hughes and his potential have been quieted, I'm still under the belief that the Colts may have had the steal of the draft in 2007. He may not have the wheels, but in the Colt's cover 2 scheme, Hughes has the athleticism and more importantly, the skills and instincts to become a monster corner in the NFL. And I mean MONSTER. Just you wait.

Sixth Round

192. Green Bay Packers - Desmond Bishop, LB

In his short career at Cal (JUCO transfer student), Desmond Bishop or "the Bishop" as teammates would call him, would end up doing a lot of this (see left image). The Bishop was everywhere on defense. EVERYWHERE.

We're talking interceptions, sacks, tackles for losses, goal line stops; it was not uncommon to watch a game and hear his name called out by the announcers every defensive series or find that he was involved in nearly ever play. By the end of his senior season, he led the entire conference in tackles.

Scouts recognized Bishop's strength and non stop motor, but were concerned about his overall lack of speed. He was more quick than fast, and while he showed good instincts and nose for the ball, were wondering how that would translate to the NFL in chasing after running backs and receivers with world class vertical and lateral speed.

The Packers took a chance with the Bishop in the 6th round of the draft, and he would contribute mainly on special teams and in reserve roles. It is reported that Bishop could contend for a starting position as early as this year which would be pretty significant considering his youth and lack of experience in the NFL. Stay tuned as to whether or not the Bishop will get to do this on a regular basis:
Okay, that wraps it up. Whew. I know it's overhyped, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's draft, and hope we can get at least 6 Cal Bears in the NFL before the weekend is over. Keep checking back to see my thoughts on this weekend's draft. Till then. Cheers!