In recent weeks, Bleacher Report has been doing re-drafts of some of the NFL drafts of previous years. While these are fun to read, the players begin to become somewhat nondescript once you get towards the end.

After doing drafts of everyone who was eligible to be drafted in the 1980s and 1990s, let’s now do one for the 2000s. It is a two-round draft, and since there are 32 teams, 32 players are selected in each round.

Obviously, this was a very challenging thing to put together, and everyone’s draft of the 2000s would look different. Many players who were omitted were widely considered including Matt Forte, Roddy White, Derrick Johnson, Alex Smith, Shaun Alexander, Aqib Talib, Kris Diekman, Julian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Cameron Wake, Tamba Hali, Thomas Davis, Jamaal Charles, Arian Foster, Max Unger, Roy Williams, Jordan Gross, Clinton Portis, Adrian Wilson, Andre Gurode, Asante Samuel, Chris Johnson, Ryan Clady, Julian Edelman, Joe Flacco, Mario Williams, Chris Snee, Leonard Davis, Chris Samuels, Elvis Dumervil, Brian Westbrook, Jamal Lewis, Donald Penn, Ryan Kalil, Vincent Jackson, and Darnell Dockett.

Due to a character limit, blurbs on second round picks were not included. All stats were found at Pro Reference Football.

First round

  • 1. Tom Brady, QB (2000 - 199th overall)

Getting ready to enter his 21st season, Brady is the only player to have won six Super Bowls and has an extraordinary 219-64 record as a starter in the regular season. He’s been named the league’s MVP three times and has thrown 541 touchdown passes.

  • 2. Drew Brees, QB (2001 - 32nd overall)

Brees is atop the NFL’s all-time leaderboard in completions (6,867), passing yards (77,416), and passing touchdowns (547). He also has the three-highest completion percentages in a single-season including a record 74.4 percent in 2018.

  • 3. Aaron Rodgers, QB (2005 - 24th overall)

Named the MVP in both 2011 and 2014, Rodgers is the career leader in passer rating at 102.4.

He has a career 4.3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and also holds the record for most pass attempts without an interception at 402.

  • 4. Ben Roethlisberger, QB (2004 - 11th overall)

Owning a career 144-71-1 record as a starter, Roethlisberger has helped guide the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories. He currently ranks eighth all-time in passing yards (56,545) and ninth in passing touchdowns (363).

  • 5. Ed Reed, S (2002 - 24th overall)

Named to nine Pro Bowls and five First Team All-Pro teams in his 12 seasons, Reed was a huge part of some dominant Baltimore defenses. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year intercepted 64 passes, good for seventh-most in league history.

  • 6. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB (2001 - 5th overall)

Tomlinson had one of the best seasons ever by a running back in 2006 when he won MVP, rushed for 1,815 yards, and scored 28 touchdowns on the ground (NFL record).

His 145 rushing scores for his career are second-most only to Emmitt Smith.

  • 7. Joe Thomas, OT (2007 - 3rd overall)

Thomas played in an incredible 10,363 consecutive snaps and is one of just five players (along with Mel Renfro, Merlin Olsen, Barry Sanders, and Lawrence Taylor) to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of their first 10 seasons. Known as the premier left tackle throughout his career, he was a First Team All-Pro six times.

  • 8. Julius Peppers, DE (2002 - 2nd overall)

In league history, Peppers places second overall with his 52 forced fumbles and fourth with his 159.5 sacks. The nine-time Pro Bowler reaches double figure sack totals in 10 different seasons.

  • 9. Brian Urlacher, LB (2000 - 9th overall)

The 2005 Defensive Player of the Year, Urlacher was a menace all over the field and had nine seasons of 100+ tackles.

The four-time First Team All-Pro also recorded 41.5 sacks and 22 interceptions over 13 seasons.

  • 10. Adrian Peterson, RB (2007 - 7th overall)

It was a historic 2012 MVP season for Peterson as his 2,097 rushing yards landed him just shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105. He is fifth on the all-time list with 14,216 rushing yards and fourth with 111 rushing touchdowns.

  • 11. Larry Fitzgerald, WR (2004 - 3rd overall)

Two times the season leader in receptions and receiving touchdowns, Fitzgerald has earned Pro Bowl honors 11 times. He sits only behind Jerry Rice in career receptions (1,378) and receiving yards (17,083).

  • 12. Troy Polamalu, S (2003 - 16th overall)

A four-time First Team All-Pro, Polamalu was an elite secondary member of two Super Bowl-winning Steelers teams.

In 2010, he was named Defensive Player of the Year in a season where he intercepted seven passes.

  • 13. Eli Manning, QB (2004 - 1st overall)

Known for his postseason heroics, Manning is one of just five players to have won multiple Super Bowl MVPs. He is seventh on the all-time list in both passing yards (57,023) and passing touchdowns (366).

  • 14. Calvin Johnson, WR (2007 - 2nd overall)

Johnson would likely be higher had he not abruptly retired after nine seasons. The three-time First Team All-Pro set a new NFL record in 2012 when he finished the season with 1,964 receiving yards.

  • 15. Darrelle Revis, CB (2007 - 14th overall)

Known as ‘Revis Island’ in his prime for his ability to stick to opposing receivers, Revis was named a First Team All-Pro four times.

His 31 passes defended in 2009 are the most since the stat has been recorded.

  • 16. DeMarcus Ware, LB (2005 - 11th overall)

Ware reached double-digit sack totals seven straight years from 2006-12, leading the league twice in that span. His 138.5 sacks are ninth-most in NFL history, and he added another 7.5 in eight postseason games.

  • 17. Matt Ryan, QB (2008 - 3rd overall)

The 2016 season saw Ryan receive the MVP in a year which he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl and lead the league with a 117.1 passer rating. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards in each of the last nine seasons.

  • 18. Patrick Willis, LB (2007 - 11th overall)

Much like Calvin Johnson, Willis would likely be higher if he didn’t retire so soon (played just eight seasons).

During that time though, he made seven Pro Bowls, was a First Team All-Pro five times, and led the league in tackles twice.

  • 19. Steve Hutchinson, G (2001 - 17th overall)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, Hutchinson started every game spanning from 2003-09. During that seven-year stretch, he made the Pro Bowl every year and was named a First Team All-Pro five times.

  • 20. Philip Rivers, QB (2004 - 4th overall)

Since becoming a starting quarterback in 2006, Rivers has yet to miss a game (his 224 straight starts are the second-most ever by a quarterback). His 59,271 passing yards and 397 passing touchdowns are both sixth on the all-time leaderboard.

  • 21. Reggie Wayne, WR (2001 - 30th overall)

From 2004-10, Wayne finished with over 1,000 receiving yards including leading the league with 1,510 in 2007.

In 14 seasons, he caught 1,070 passes for 14,345 yards (both 10th all-time).

  • 22. Terrell Suggs, LB (2003 - 10th overall)

A two-time Super Bowl winner (once with the Ravens and last season with the Chiefs), Suggs was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. The seven-time Pro Bowler has 139 sacks, eighth-most in league history.

  • 23. Frank Gore, RB (2005 - 65th overall)

Signing with the Jets for 2021, Gore will still be playing at the age of 37 which is rare for the running back position. His 15,347 career rushing yards place him only behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton on the all-time list.

  • 24. Marshal Yanda, G (2007 - 86th overall)

Arguably the second-best offensive lineman in Ravens history (behind Jonathan Ogden), Yanda was named to the Pro Bowl in eight of his last nine seasons.

He was a First Team All-Pro in back-to-back years (2014-15).

  • 25. Steve Smith, WR (2001 - 74th overall)

In 2005, Smith was a First Team All-Pro when he led the NFL in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,563), and receiving touchdowns (12). He is 12th all-time with 1,031 receptions and eighth with 14,731 receiving yards.

  • 26. Jason Peters, OT (2004 - undrafted)

It has been quite the career for Peters despite not hearing his name be called on draft night in 2004. Not counting the 2012 season which he missed, he received Pro Bowl honors every year from 2007-16.

  • 27. Antonio Gates, TE (2003 - undrafted)

The second straight undrafted player, Gates defied all odds to become the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns by a tight end (116).

He was named First Team All-Pro for three straight years from 2004-06.

  • 28. Jason Witten, TE (2003 - 69th overall)

Witten is fourth all-time with the 1,215 receptions that he has compiled over 16 seasons. The 11-time Pro Bowler has caught at least 63 passes in every year of his career since his rookie season.

  • 29. Jahri Evans, G (2006 - 108th overall)

For a long stretch, Evans was considered the top right guard in football as he was a First Team All-Pro every year from 2009-12. He started in all 183 of his games and won a Super Bowl with the Saints.

  • 30. Andre Johnson, WR (2003 - 3rd overall)

In 14 seasons, Johnson went over 100 receptions five times (led the league twice) and over 1,000 receiving yards seven times (led the league twice).

He is 11th all-time both with his 1,062 career receptions and 14,185 receiving yards.

  • 31. Jared Allen, DE (2004 - 126th overall)

A four-time First Team All-Pro, Allen’s 22 sacks in 2011 are tied for the second-most in a single season. He had eight seasons of double-digit sack totals and finished with 136 in his career.

  • 32. Logan Mankins, G (2005 - 32nd overall)

One of Tom Brady’s most reliable protectors, Mankins was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010s All-Decade Team. He was named to seven Pro Bowls in his 11-year career.

Second

  • 33. Richard Seymour, DT (2001 - 6th overall)
  • 34. Lance Briggs, LB (2003 - 68th overall)
  • 35. Andrew Whitworth, OT (2006 - 55th overall)
  • 36. LeSean McCoy, RB (2009 - 53rd overall)
  • 37. Calais Campbell, DE (2008 - 50th overall)
  • 38. Kevin Williams, DT (2003 - 9th overall)
  • 39. Haloti Ngata, DT (2006 - 12th overall)
  • 40. Wes Welker, WR (2003 - undrafted)
  • 41. Dwight Freeney, DE (2002 - 11th overall)
  • 42. Carson Palmer, QB (2003 - 1st overall)
  • 43. Chad Johnson, WR (2001 - 36th overall)
  • 44. Justin Smith, DE (2001 - 4th overall)
  • 45. Anquan Boldin, WR (2003 - 54th overall)
  • 46. Tony Romo, QB (2003 - undrafted)
  • 47. James Harrison, LB (2002 - undrafted)
  • 48. Robert Mathis, DE (2003 - 138th overall)
  • 49. Marshawn Lynch, RB (2007 - 12th overall)
  • 50. John Abraham, DE (2000 - 13th overall)
  • 51. Vince Wilfork, DT (2004 - 21st overall)
  • 52. Brandon Marshall, WR (2006 - 119th overall)
  • 53. Michael Vick, QB (2001 - 1st overall)
  • 54. Matt Light, OT (2001 - 48th overall)
  • 55. Clay Matthews, LB (2009 - 26th overall)
  • 56. Kyle Williams, DT (2006 - 134th overall)
  • 57. Joe Staley, OT (2007 - 28th overall)
  • 58. Eric Weddle, S (2007 - 37th overall)
  • 59. Duane Brown, OT (2008 - 26th overall)
  • 60. Matthew Stafford, QB (2009 - 1st overall)
  • 61. Nick Mangold, C (2006 - 29th overall)
  • 62. Casey Hampton, DT (2001 - 19th overall)
  • 63. Steven Jackson, RB (2004 - 24th overall)
  • 64. Alex Mack, C (2009 - 21st overall)