Should Andrew Whitworth have been the number one pick?

Would Whitworth be the number one pick in a 2006 re-draft?

Was Andrew Whitworth actually the best prospect and player to come out of his draft class despite going 55th overall in 2006? He’s got a strong argument for that and PFF noted on Tuesday that for their system, Whitworth does have the highest grade of any player in the 2006 draft class.

Should the Houston Texans have drafted Whitworth instead of Mario Williams?

In a class highly publicized for its top three picks, which were Williams, Reggie Bush, and Vince Young, none could hold a candle to the longevity and career success of Whitworth.

Williams had a very good career, making four Pro Bowls and playing for 158 games. Bush played in 134 games and won a Super Bowl.

But nobody played as many games as Whitworth, 239 with the Bengals and Rams, plus he won a Super Bowl and made four Pro Bowls. Whitworth played 16 seasons and this is after he had already set a record for games played at LSU and possibly the most snaps for a tackle in football history.

There are a few good contenders next to Whitworth who were also not drafted in the top-3:

• Ravens DT Haloti Ngata made two All-Pro rosters, won a Super Bowl, and is tied with Whitworth for second in Pro Football Reference weighted AV for the 2006 draft class (100)
• Saints guard Jahri Evans, a fourth round pick, is first in weighted AV (114), made four All-Pro rosters, and won a Super Bowl in New Orleans
• Jets center Nick Mangold, a late first round pick, made the most Pro Bowls of the class with seven
• The best quarterback of the class ended up being Jay Cutler, the 11th overall pick

Including positional value, the 2006 draft class might come down to Andrew Whitworth, Jay Cutler, and Mario Williams. It’s not that Cutler is the best player, but a team might consider drafting him — even in a re-draft — because he is a quarterback.

Haloti Ngata may have impacted the game just enough from the inside, despite not getting as many sacks as Mario Williams (97.5 to 32.5), to warrant consideration.

But should Whitworth have been the number one pick? As a left tackle who almost never left the game for 16 years, yes.

Pop Quiz: Without looking it up, can you name the player and pick number for the Rams first pick in 2006?