Ranking Titans' Best Draft Classes: No. 3 The 2005 Group Anchored By Adam Jones
NASHVILLE - It's time to reveal our No.3 class in the top-ten draft classes of the Titans history countdown.
When we went through and ranked these classes, there was a lot of debate as to who and which classes should be in what positions. It was a challenging discussion, but in the end, the Titans 2005 class grabbed this position despite some of the antics of their first-round pick, Adam "Pacman" Jones.
Here's a look at the 2005 draft class and its impact on the team.
Adam "Pacman" Jones, defensive back
- Round: 1
- Pick: No. 6 overall
- College: West Virginia
- The skinny: There's no denying the electric ability of Pacman when he had the ball in his hands. There's also no denying the headaches he caused off the field, but that's not part of the equation. It's about what he did on the field: making spectacular plays. As a rookie, after a contract holdout because of his offfield activities and a missed training camp, Jones finally made it to the field, where he started ten games that season, gathering 44 tackles and ten pass deflections. However, he was electric as a returner, totaling 1,399 return yards and one touchdown. In year two, Jones had three punt return touchdowns, tying the franchise record held by Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL. That same season, his best game came in week 15 against Jacksonville, where he had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to save the game. In short, he was electric as a player and as devastating off it on the Metro Nashville Police blotter. His three seasons in Nashville were event filled, to say the least, as he was involved in multiple off-field events that led to a one-year suspension from the league and the eventual end of his Titans career.
Michael Roos, offensive tackle
- Round: 2
- Pick: No. 41 overall
- College: Eastern Washington
- The skinny: Roos was the exact opposite of his flamboyant classmate Jones. Quiet, unassuming, and just plain big, Roos took over the left tackle spot and was a rock-solid stalwart throughout his career. He spent ten seasons with the Titans, earning first-team All-Pro honor twice, one Pro Bowl, and stated all 148 games he played with the Titans. Roos will be a no-brainer if there is ever an all-time Titans offensive line. He played more like a first-rounder than a second-rounder and lifted this class in our ranking discussions.
Courtney Roby, wide receiver
- Round: 3
- Pick: No. 68 overall
- College: Indiana
- The skinny: This is one the Titans missed on big time. Granted, Jones was their returner, but so too was Roby, but no one knew it until after he left Nashville. Roby was released after the 2006 seasons, having done little in a Titans uniform. However, when he joined the Saints in 2008, he became one of the best return men in football. He finished the '08 season ranked third in the NFL for kick return yardage. He was the primary kick returner and top special teams contributor during their run to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, leading to being voted the Saints' Special Teams MVP. If only Floyd Reese and Jeff Fisher had known, Roby would have been a slightly less dangerous returner on the field but not a headache off the field.
Brandon Jones, wide receiver
- Round: 3
- Pick: No. 96 overall
- College: Oklahoma
- The skinny: Jones spent four seasons with the Titans and collected 112 receptions for 1,380 yards and nine scores. He started 27 games in Nashville but was mainly a solid fourth receiver that never grew above his draft position.
Vincent Fuller, defensive back
- Round: 4
- Pick: No. 108 overall
- College: Virginia Tech
- The skinny: Fuller spent six seasons on the Titans roster playing various secondary positions and being a core special teams contributor. He collected 163 tackles, six interceptions, and four touchdowns for his 76-game career. While Fuller never became a star, he was a solid contributor who outplayed his draft position.
David Stewart, offensive tackle
- Round: 4
- Pick: No. 113 overall
- College: Mississippi State
- The skinny: "Big Stew," as he was nicknamed, was a monstrous individual (6'7", 320 lbs) who, like Roos, was quiet and unassuming. Stewart spent his nine-year career with the Titans, and after being inactive his rookie season, he started 116 games as a bookend at right tackle to his fellow 2005 draft mate, Roos, beginning in the 2006 season. Stewart was part of an offensive line in '06 that led the way for the fifth-ranked rushing offense in the NFL. In 2009, Stewart had made 45 consecutive starts at right tackle for the Titans, including all 16 games over the past two seasons, and was a member of an offensive line that allowed an NFL-low 12 sacks in 2008. He was named to the 2008 All-Pro Second-team for his play that season. It would be the only all-pro honor of his career.
Roydell Williams, wide receiver
- Round: 5
- Pick: No. 136 overall
- College: Tulane
- The skinny: Williams spent four seasons with the Titans, where he amassed 84 receptions, with 55 coming in his third season. He totaled 1,139 yards and six scores. Following his 55 reception season in 2007, it appeared the light had come on, and Williams was turning the corner; however, injuries cut short his career.
Damien Nash, runningback
- Round: 5
- Pick: No. 142 overall
- College: Missouri
- The skinny: Nash spent one season with the Titans, playing in just three games, gaining 32 yards on six attempts. He was released after that season and spent the 2006 campaign with Denver. Tragically, Nash passed away suddenly following a charity basketball game on February 24, 2007, at the age of 24.
Daniel Loper, offensive tackle
- Round: 5
- Pick: No. 150 overall
- College: Texas Tech
- The skinny: Loper spent four seasons with the Titans as a backup tackle. He played 40 games but never started once during his tenure with the franchise. However, he was a solid, dependable backup that could fill in at guard or tackle, which brought his value compared to his draft position to a higher level.
Bo Scaife, tight end
- Round: 6
- Pick: No. 179 overall
- College: Texas
- Scaife spent six years in Nashville, becoming a starter for five games in his rookie season. Injuries prevented him from playing an entire season in his career, with his best year being 2007, when he played in all sixteen games, starting fifteen. Scaife amassed 251 receptions, 2,383 yards, and 12 touchdowns for his career, all with the Titans. He would play in parts of two seasons with Cincinnati and New England.
Reynaldo Hill, defensive back
- Round: 7
- Pick: No. 218 overall
- College: Florida
- The skinny: Hill, who was not invited to the NFL Draft combine, flashed his abilities at The University of Florida's ProDay, where his 4.32 forty time and 37.5 vertical caught the team's attention. He spent all four NFL seasons with the Titans, where he became a starter early in his rookie season, starting the final ten games at safety. He led the team with three interceptions and tied for most interceptions among NFL rookie defensive backs. In 2006, Hill started 14 of the 15 games he played and the season with a career-high fifty-six total tackles and two interceptions. It looked as if the Titans had struck gold, but unfortunately for Hill and the Titans, it was not to be, as he lost his job as a starter as his play began to drop off before his release.
Titans Hits In 2005
Some might argue how much of a hit Jones really was, but he produced on the field, and if he had spent his off-field time as efficiently, who knows where he might rank with the all-time greats of the game. Roos and Stewart were bookend tackles throughout their career, and it's not often a team finds a pair of starting offensive tackles in the same draft. Add Roydell Williams for the time he was here, Scaife, and the first two seasons, of Hill, and this draft provided five starters and two dependable backups in Fuller and Loper from its eleven members.
Titans Misses In 2005
Roby was a miss for the Titans, but he was ultimately the only member of his class to play a prominent role on a team and win a Super Bowl. Brandon Jones, who physically looked the part, and Damien Nash were the only two real misses in this class.
Conclusion
None of the members of this class will ever hear their names called in Canton, but as a group, and what they provided for the Titans, even though small in some cases, was a solid class top to bottom that played some excellent football and were part of some good, but not great Titans teams.
See our No.4 ranked class here
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