Three teams made big mistakes Saturday during the 2006 NFL Draft.

1) Houston Texans – General consensus is that GM Charley Casserly made a huge mistake passing on a RB some scouts have compared to ####le Sayers. Reggie Bush is the best RB to come out of the college ranks since Barry Sanders in 1989, and he could become as electric of a player in the pros. Having Bush in the backfield would give QB David Carr another weapon to utilize on offense and it would keep even a good pass rushing defense honest. Bush was certainly more of a “sure thing” than DE Mario Williams, who might have slipped to number 5 to the Packers had Houston taken Bush instead.

2) New Orleans Saints – It might seem contradicting to knock the Texans for passing on Bush, then the Saints for taking him, but let me explain. Assume that the New York Jets could have acquired the 29th pick in the first round prior to trading up with the Saints to select Bush #2. The Saints could have had the 4th, 29th, and say, the 71st (third round) picks. They could have taken OT D'brickashaw Ferguson or LB A.J. Hawk #4, and would have had their pick of LBs at #29, including DeMeco Ryans, D'Qwell Jackson, and Roger McIntosh, or could have taken CB Jimmy Williams. In the 3rd round, the Saints would have been wise to take a backup RB like Brian Calhoun or Jerious Norwood with their 71st pick. Are we forgetting that New Orleans already has the best RB in the NFC—Deuce McAllister—under contract for several more years? I don’t see how Bush will provide enough of an upgrade over McAllister to offset not improving their defense and offensive line.

3) Chicago Bears – The Bears went into the draft really needing a solid WR who could provide depth behind Muhsin Muhammad and Mark Bradley and a TE who could start immediately. I have no problem with the Bears trading out of the first round, because there was not a player at that position who could really provide one of those two things. It is the players who the Bears drafted with the two picks they got in return that really make it bad draft. In the second round at pick #42, they drafted CB Danieal Manning, who will amount to nothing more than a dime back behind Nathan Vasher, Charles Tillman, and newly acquired Rickey Manning Jr. With pick #73 from the Bills, Chicago nabbed a DE. I feel the player they needed to pick was TE Leonard Pope, weather they reached and took him in the second round or traded up for him in the third, it was necessary either way as Pope would have become an instant starter. Taking defensive players really baffles me. Chicago had the #1 ranked defense in the NFL last season, and they ran into a hot team (Carolina Panthers) with a hot WR (Steve Smith) in the playoffs and got burned—badly. They panicked, however. After signing Manning the Bears were set in the defensive backfield and passed up an opportunity to make huge improvements to their passing game.