With the 2011 NFL draft about 2 months away I figured it would be a good time to take a look back at the 2001 Dallas draft.  Ten years is a good amount of time to properly grade a draft since most of the players have either retired or are at the end of their careers.

Dallas traded their 1st round pick in both 2000 and 2001 to Seattle for Joey Galloway.  Galloway had a decent career in Dallas but didn't come close to measuring up to 2 first round picks.  By the way the 2001 pick was 7th overall.

Dallas did have the 37th pick which they sent to Indianapolis for their 2nd (52) and 3rd (81).

Dallas then trade their 2nd (52) to Miami for their 2nd (56) and 4th (122).

Dallas then trade two of their three 3rd round selections (70 and 81) to the Saints for the 53rd pick.

2nd round (53rd) Quincy Carter, QB, Georgia

Carter had a short but decent stay in Dallas.  He started 15 games in 2001 and 2002 before starting all 16 in 2003.  In 2003 Dallas qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1999.  However Carter was released before the start of the 2004 season and only lasted one more year in the league (2004 with the Jets).

Stats with Dallas: 2001-2003, 31 starts, 5,839 yards. 29 TD's. 36 INT's, 56.2% completion.

2nd round (56th) Tony Dixon, S, Alabama

Dixon was supposed to be the player that took the reins from Woodson.  Instead he never made it above special teams player and was let go after the 2004 season.

Stats with Dallas 2001-2004, 56 games, 14 starts, 64 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT

3rd round (93rd) Willie Blade, DT, Mississippi St.

Blade missed all of 2001 and 2002 while injured but did start in 2003.  Was a classic example of a player who started simply because there was no one better on the roster.  Was let go after the 2003 season and played 2004 in Jacksonville, out of football after that.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2003, 15 games, 14 starts, 11 tackles, 1 sack

4th round (122nd) Markus Steele, OLB, USC

Steele's career actually started off pretty well as he made 10 starts as a rookie, but he would make only 2 starts after that and would be let go after the 2003 season and would not join another teams roster.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2003, 42 games, 12 starts, 46 tackles

5th round (137th) Matt Lehr, C, Virginia Tech

Sadly Lehr was one of the better players that Dallas selected in 2001.  He would make all 16 starts in 2003.  Although his career in Dallas ended after the 2004 season he went on to make 29 starts between the Falcons and Saints.  He has been out of football since 2008.

Stats with Dallas 2001-2004, 43 games, 22 starts

6th round (171st) Daleroy Stewart, DT, Southern Miss.

Stewart didn't play at all in 2001 or 2002 and was mostly a rotational guy in 2003.  He played 1 game in 2004 for Dallas before being released and playing in 10 games between the Jets and 49ers.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2004, 16 games, 0 starts, 17 tackles, 1.5 sacks

7th round (207th) Colston Weatherington, DT, Central Missouri St.

Weatherington barely played for Dallas.  Missing all of 2001 and getting into 3 games in 2002.  Out of the NFL since.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2002, 3 games, 0 starts, 1 tackle

7th round (240th) John Nix, DT, Southern Mississippi

For a 7th round pick Nix wasn't bad.  He would be let go after the 2002 season spending 2003 in Cleveland and 2004 in Arizona.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2002, 30 games, 0 starts, 18 tackles, 0 sacks

7th round (242nd) Char-ron Dorsey, OT, Florida St.

Dorsey showed some promise as a rookie making 2 starts but it didn't last long.  Released after the 2002 season he spent 2003 in Houston and hasn't played since.

Stats with Dallas, 2001-2002, 10 games, 2 starts

The 2001 draft was clearly hampered by the Joey Galloway trade.Galloway would be trade for Keyshawn Johnson after the 2003 season.  He never caught more than 61 passes in a year.

The players that Dallas did select failed to have any lasing impact on the team.  Lehr was the last one in the league spending 2009 on the Colts practice squad.  Carter and Dixon hurt the most because they we highly drafted players who failed to be good pros.  Carter failed because of drug issues and Dixon simply wasn't a good player.

Drafts like 2001 and 2000 have lasting effects that hurt your team for many years.  While 2001 wasn't a great draft overall it did produce some players who Dallas could have taken at 7th if they had that pick.  Players like: Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Nate Clements, and Reggie Wayne all went in the 1st round after 7.

This draft played a part in Dallas picking 8th in the 2002 draft.