One of the most frustrating things about the NFL draft season coverage is that everyone is quick to make predictions about the future, but very few people are willing to look back after three years (or five years) to see how they did with their prognostications. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. isn't really making an effort to go back in grade his own performance, but he is emphasizing the values that came from the 2006 draft in his first round re-draft piece.
Apparently the purpose of the look back is not to project hindsight onto draft day, but to re-slot players according to what they have done and what they are expected to do in the future. It's a fairly meaningless exercise that doesn't really add much to the draft conversation or offer any insights on how to pick a better players in the future, but in case you wanted to know what the St. Louis Rams did, here's your update.
In the actual 2006 NFL draft, the Rams traded their No. 11 overall pick to the Denver Broncos -- who selected Jay Cutler -- for the No. 15 pick (who became bust DT Claude Wroten) and some mid-round picks. Kiper stays true to the trade structure, but has the Broncos take WR Brandon Marshall this time around with Cutler already off the board. As for the Rams, they select WR Marques Colston with the No. 15 overall pick. The Hofstra product is a remnant of a now defunct football program, and he makes a huge jump from his spot as the second-to-last pick in the real draft.
Again, this doesn't really have much of anything to do with anything, but it is interesting to note that only 14 of the 32 re-drafted picks still have actual first-rounders involved.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more on the Rams, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation's St. Louis Rams blog. For more details on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft, be sure to drop by Mocking the Draft.