Hard to believe, but since 2000, when the Washington Redskins selected Chris Samuels with the third-overall pick in the draft and then the Pittsburgh Steelers tabbed Marvel Smith in the second round, NFL teams have drafted only three other Pro Bowl offensive tackles.
There have been 19 different Pro Bowl tackles since 2000, but the only members of that elite fraternity who entered the league this millennium are Samuels, Smith, Matt Light of New England, New Orleans' Jammal Brown and Marcus McNeill of San Diego.
Of that group, only McNeill, the Chargers' second-round steal (more like a heist) in the '06 draft, earned an all expenses paid trip to Honolulu in his rookie season. And just Samuels, who is a very solid player but has never quite lived up to all of the predraft hype that surrounded him in 2000, has been to more than one Pro Bowl.
Between 2001-06, teams invested 127 draft picks in tackles, including 15 in the first round and six highly regarded prospects in the top 10. But such an emphasis on tackles in that six-draft stretch -- in particular on the left tackle position, certainly the highest profile blocking spot, given the inherent pass-protection responsibilities -- produced just three Pro Bowl performers.
That startling success rate won't stop teams from considering the offensive tackle spot a premium position.
