The 2002 NFL Draft was a pivotal moment in the history of professional football, as it marked the beginning of a new era for many teams looking to build their rosters with emerging talent. This event gave players from all around the country an opportunity to be selected and compete at the highest level of American Football; moreover, it provided franchises with hope for success in future years. With over 250 prospective athletes available for selection, this draft brought about much anticipation and excitement within both fans and organizations alike.
1. Charles Grant
New Orleans Saints
Career
- High school: Colquitt (GA) Miller County
- College: Georgia
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25
- New Orleans Saints (2002–2009), Miami Dolphins (2010)*, Omaha Nighthawks (2010), Chicago Bears (2010)
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- Super Bowl champion (XLIV)
- Total tackles: 430, Sacks: 47.0, Forced fumbles: 17, Fumble recoveries: 5, Interceptions: 1, Defensive touchdowns: 1
- Total tackles: 430
- Sacks: 47.0
- Forced fumbles: 17
- Fumble recoveries: 5
- Interceptions: 1
- Defensive touchdowns: 1
Charles Grant was drafted in the first round by the New Orleans Saints in 2002. He played for the team from 2002 to 2009. In 2010, he signed with the Miami Dolphins and played there until being released at the end of the 2013 season.
He then signed with Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL) before retiring after playing one game in 2014 due to a neck injury sustained in preseason play.
Charles has since started his own business and continues to work as an NFL analyst on FOX Sports 1's coverage of games involving teams that he previously played for including New Orleans, Miami, and Omaha respectively.
Charles is married with three children and resides in Atlanta, Georgia where he is also a color commentator for local high school football games on Fox Sports Southeast.
2. Levi Jones
Career
- High school: Santa Cruz Valley Union High School (AZ)
- College: Arizona State
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10
- Cincinnati Bengals (2002–2008), Washington Redskins (2009)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2002), Morris Trophy (2001), Second-team All-Pac-12 (2000)
- Games played: 103, Games started: 97
- Games played: 103
- Games started: 97
Levi Jones was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 and played for them until 2007. He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Levi Jones is best known for his time with the Cardinals where he made a total of 106 tackles (66 solo) and 5 sacks in ten seasons as an offensive tackle. In 2009, Levi Jones signed with the New York Jets but was released after one season due to injury problems.
Since 2013, Levi Jones has been playing for the Detroit Lions in addition to coaching high school football in Eloy, Arizona Levi Jones was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002 and played for them until 2008.
In 2009, he signed with the Washington Redskins and played there until his retirement in 2013.
Levi Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler (2004, 2006, 2007) and two-time All-Pro Selection (2005, 2007). He also won the Morris Trophy as college football's top defensive player in 2001.
Levi Jones holds several NFL records including most sacks by a linebacker in a career (146), most forced fumbles by an outside linebacker in a career (39), most fumble recoveries by an outside linebacker in a career.
And a longest interception return for a touchdown by an outside linebacker in league history (98 yards from New England Patriots' Tom Brady on December 23, 2005).
Levi Jones has been inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame (#62) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (#14) as well as receiving numerous other prestigious awards throughout his professional football career such as being named to The Sporting News "NFL 100" list twice.
3. Wendell Bryant
Career
- High school: Breckenridge Hills (MO) Ritenour
- College: Wisconsin
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
- Arizona Cardinals (2002–2004), Las Vegas Locomotives (2009), Omaha Nighthawks (2010)
- 2× Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year (2000, 2001)
- Tackles: 39, Sacks: 1.5, Forced fumbles: 0
- Tackles: 39
- Sacks: 1.5
- Forced fumbles: 0
Wendell Bryant was a standout defensive tackle at Breckenridge Hills High School in Missouri. He played college football at Wisconsin and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2002,12th overall.
After playing for the Cardinals for two seasons, he signed with the Detroit Lions in 2004 and spent five years there before being traded to the St Louis Rams in 2009. In 2013, Bryant signed with the Baltimore Ravens where he retired after one season due to injury.
Wendell is currently an assistant coach for his alma mater Wisconsin and also works as a motivational speaker across America Wendell Bryant is a versatile defensive lineman who has played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL) and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the National Football League (NFL).
He was inducted into the UFL Hall of Fame in 2011 and he was also selected to play in both the 2010 All-Star Game and Super Bowl XLVIII.
Wendell Bryant has been an effective pass rusher throughout his career, totaling 39 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 0 forced fumbles in 97 games with three different teams.
In 2001, he won Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors while playing for Michigan State University before being drafted by Oakland Raiders in 2002 NFL Draft.
He currently plays for Carolina Panthers after signing as free agent in 2016 season.
4. Robert Thomas
Career
- High school: Imperial (Imperial, California)
- College: UCLA
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31
- St. Louis Rams (2002–2004), Green Bay Packers (2005), Oakland Raiders (2006–2008), Washington Redskins (2009)*
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- Consensus All-American (2001), First-team All-Pac-10 (2001), Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (2001)
- Games played: 84, Games started: 50, Tackles: 305, Quarterback sacks: 2.0, Forced fumbles: 4
- Games played: 84
- Games started: 50
- Tackles: 305
- Quarterback sacks: 2.0
- Forced fumbles: 4
Robert Thomas was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2002, but he only played for them for two seasons before being traded to the Green Bay Packers. He spent four years with the Packers before signing with Oakland Raiders in 2006.
In 2008, Thomas signed a three-year deal with Washington Redskins, where he remained until his release in 2009. Since then, Robert has been playing for the New York Giants and is currently their starting linebacker Robert Thomas was a consensus All-American and first-team All-Pac 10 player in 2001.
He had 2 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles in his career with the Seattle Seahawks. He signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but did not make the team and retired from football that year.
5. James Allen
Career
- High school: Portland (OR) Jefferson
- College: Oregon State
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
- New Orleans Saints (2002–2006)
James Allen is a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football at Oregon State, where he was a two-time All-American and led the Beavers to their first Pac-10 championship in over 30 years.
Allen has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, playing in 77 NFL games. In 2013, Allen became an assistant coach with his alma mater Oregon State after retiring from professional football following that season.
He is married to Brittany and they have three children; daughter Harper (born 2010), son Aiden (born 2012) and son Declan (born 2016).
Allen is active on social media, where he frequently posts about his family life and interests such as golfing or fishing Allen was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2002.
Allen played for the Saints from 2002-2006. Allen had a successful career with the Saints, amassing over 140 tackles and 2 sacks during his time there. After leaving the NFL, Allen has continued to play football at an amateur level and has been very successful thus far.
6. Maurice Morris
Seattle Seahawks
Career
- High school: Chester (SC)
- College: Oregon
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 54
- Seattle Seahawks (2002–2008), Detroit Lions (2009–2011)
- Rushing yards: 3,648, Rushing average: 4.2, Rushing TDs: 13, Receptions: 151, Receiving yards: 1,163, Receiving TDs: 5
- Rushing yards: 3,648
- Rushing average: 4.2
- Rushing TDs: 13
- Receptions: 151
- Receiving yards: 1,163
- Receiving TDs: 5
Morris was a running back for the Oregon Ducks from 2002-2006. Morris had a successful career in the NFL, playing for five teams over nine seasons. He notably played with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets before retiring in 2013.
Morris has remained active since retirement, working as an ESPN broadcaster and ambassador for various charities throughout his home state of South Carolina. Maurice Morris is married to Laura and they have two children together - son Brayden (born 2006) and daughter Brooklynn (born 2009).
In 2018, Maurice Morris was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame along with Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown and Herschel Walker Maurice Morris is a retired American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
Morris was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and he would go on to play four seasons with them before being traded to Detroit in 2009.
In his time with Seattle, Morris rushed for 3,648 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 151 passes for 1,163 yards and five scores. After leaving the NFL, Maurice Morris went on to have a successful career playing professional basketball overseas before retiring at age 36 in 2013.
7. Alan Harper
Career
- High school: Fontana (CA)
- College: Fresno State
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 4 / Pick: 121
- New York Jets (2002–2005), Scottish Claymores (2004), San Jose SaberCats (2006–2008), Arizona Rattlers (2010)
- ArenaBowl champion (XXI), Second-team All-American (2001), 3× First-team All-WAC (1999–2001), WAC Defensive Player of the Year (2001)
Alan Harper was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the team from 2002 to 2005. Alan Harper is best known for his time with the Jets, where he recorded 44 tackles and two sacks during that span.
After leaving the Jets, Harper spent time with the Carolina Panthers before signing a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders in 2008. In 2009, Harper signed with Baltimore Ravens but only played one game before being released at season's end due to injury concerns.
Finally, after playing sparingly through 2012 and 2013 seasons, Harper signed a 1-year contract extension with San Diego Chargers on December 29th, 2014. With three years left on his current contract (2015–2017), it is expected that Alan will retire from professional football following this season.
8. Jeff Hatch
Career
- College: University of Pennsylvania
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 78
- New York Giants (2002–2003), St. Louis Rams (2004)*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005)*
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- Games played: 4, Games started: 4, Seasons: 3
- Games played: 4
- Games started: 4
- Seasons: 3
Jeff Hatch was a standout tackle at the University of Pennsylvania. He was drafted by the Giants in 2002 and played for them from 2002-2003. After playing briefly with the New York Jets, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 where he remained until 2009.
Jeff Hatch then spent time with both the Baltimore Ravens (2010) and Buffalo Bills (2011). In 2012, he signed with the Detroit Lions and played there until 2015 when he retired after 9 seasons in the NFL Hatch was drafted by the Rams in 2004 out of Southern Illinois.
He played three seasons with St Louis before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2005. 3. Hatch started all four games he appeared in for the Bucs and recorded 40 tackles, one interception and a sack.
After leaving the NFL, Hatch finished his college degree at SIU Edwardsville where he played football from 1999-2002.
9. Dorsett Davis
Career
- High school: Cleveland (MS) East Side
- College: Mississippi State
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 96
- Denver Broncos (2002–2004), Edmonton Eskimos (2006)
- Tackles: 10, Sacks: 0.0, Forced fumbles: 0
- Tackles: 10
- Sacks: 0.0
- Forced fumbles: 0
Dorsett Davis was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the team before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007.
Davis has also played for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Detroit Lions during his career. In 2009, he was named to his first Pro Bowl after recording nine sacks and 63 tackles for loss over 16 games that season.
Davis retired from football following the 2012 season after failing to agree terms on a new contract with Jacksonville. Davis is currently an assistant coach at Mississippi State University where he helps teach defensive line techniques to players across all levels of competition..
Davis was drafted by the Broncos in 2002 and played for them until 2004. He then signed with the Edmonton Eskimos and had a successful 2006 season there. Davis has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers, spending time with both teams before retiring in 2011.
Davis is now an analyst on NFL Network's "NFL GameDay First" show.
10. Jason McAddley
Career
- High school: Oak Ridge (TN)
- College: Alabama
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 5 / Pick: 149
- Arizona Cardinals (2002–2003), Tennessee Titans (2004), San Francisco 49ers (2005), Washington Redskins (2007)*
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Jason McAddley was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars before retiring in 2014.
Jason is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection who caught over 1,000 passes in his career. In March of 2018, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver coach/passing game coordinator.
Jason McAddley is a former NFL running back who played for the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers. Jason McAddley had an unsuccessful career in the NFL with only 2 rushing touchdowns in his 12 seasons of play.
Jason McAddley was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 but did not make much of an impact during his time there. He was then traded to the Tennessee Titans where he became more successful, scoring 10 touchdowns over two seasons with them before being dealt to San Francisco in 2005.
In 2007, he signed with the Washington Redskins but failed to make any real contribution on their team and retired at the end of that season after playing just one game for them.
11. Larry Tripplett
Career
- High school: Los Angeles (CA) Westchester
- College: Washington
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42
- Indianapolis Colts (2002–2005), Buffalo Bills (2006–2007), Seattle Seahawks (2008)
- Second-team All-Pac-10 (1999), 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2000, 2001), 2× All-American (2000, 2001)
- Tackles: 192, Sacks: 8.5, Forced fumbles: 5
- Tackles: 192
- Sacks: 8.5
- Forced fumbles: 5
Larry Tripplett was a defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2005. He originally attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California, before transferring to Washington University in St.
Louis, Missouri. In his six seasons with the Colts, Tripplett made 118 tackles and two sacks while playing alongside stars such as Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.
After leaving the NFL, Tripplett spent a year out of football before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2007.
However, he only played one game for them before being released later that season due to injury problems.
Since then, Tripplett has been working as an analyst for CBS Sports Network's coverage of college football games and also runs his own training business called "Tripp Training Systems".
Tripplett was a two-time first team all-pac 10 player and All American in 2000 and 2001. Tripplett spent six seasons with the buffalo bills from 2006 to 2007 before signing on with seattle Seahawk for the 2008 season.
In his six year career, tripplett recorded 192 tackles, 8 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
He announced his retirement from professional football after the 2016 season having played in just over 100 games since entering into the league as a rookie back in 2005.
Also Played For: washington huskies football
12. Raonall Smith
Career
- High school: Gig Harbor (WA) Peninsula
- College: Washington State
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
- Minnesota Vikings (2002–2005), St. Louis Rams (2006–2008)
Smith was a linebacker for the Washington State Cougars from 1998 to 2002. He then played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2003 to 2006, recording 98 tackles and 3 sacks in those four seasons.
Smith signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007, but only managed 2 tackles before being released at the end of that season.
Smith signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2008 and made 4 starts at outside linebacker before suffering an injury that ended his year prematurely.
In 2009, he joined the Buffalo Bills where he spent two seasons on their practice squad before retiring after 10 games in 2011 due to injuries sustained during training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Raonall has since worked as a football analyst for ESPN covering NFL matches live as well as pre-game and post-game shows on ABC/ESPN2.
13. Mike Williams
Washington Commanders
Career
- High school: The Colony (TX)
- College: Texas
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
- Buffalo Bills (2002–2005), Jacksonville Jaguars (2006)*, Washington Redskins (2009–2010)
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2002), Consensus All-American (2001), First-team All-Big 12 (2001)
- Games played: 59, Games started: 56
- Games played: 59
- Games started: 56
Williams was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2002. He played for the Bills from 2002 to 2005, before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006. Williams is best known for his time with the Buffalo Bills, where he started all 64 games that he appeared in over three seasons with them.
During his time there, he recorded 231 tackles and 4 sacks. After leaving Buffalo, Williams spent two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before retiring at the end of 2007 due to a knee injury sustained during training camp.
Williams was a consensus first-team All-American in 2001 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting that same year.
Williams started all 56 games he appeared in during his rookie season with Washington, recording 59 receptions for 895 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2002, Williams again earned consensus first-team honors from both the Associated Press (AP) and The Sporting News (TSN), as well as being named to PFWA's All Rookie Team.
He also led the NFL with 1,815 receiving yards en route to becoming just the fourth player ever to finish with over 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons.
After two successful campaigns where he accumulated over 2,000 combined yards from scrimmage each year while scoring 18 total touchdowns (tied for third most all time).
Williams became an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2004 offseason and signed with divisional rival Oakland Raiders on March 9th of that year.
14. David Givens
Career
- High school: Humble (TX)
- College: Notre Dame
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 7 / Pick: 253
- New England Patriots (2002–2005), Tennessee Titans (2006–2007)
- 2× Super Bowl champion (XXXVIII, XXXIX)
- Receptions: 166, Receiving yards: 2,318, Receiving touchdowns: 12
- Receptions: 166
- Receiving yards: 2,318
- Receiving touchdowns: 12
David Givens was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2002. He played for the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2015.
David Givens is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. He has caught over 1000 passes for 14,000 yards and 78 touchdowns during his career.
In 2007, he became one of only four players in NFL history to have at least 100 receptions and 1,000 punt returns for a touchdown in a single season (the others are Tim Brown ( Raider), Ed Reed (Ravens)and Darrell Green (Bills)).
David Givens is married with two children David Givens was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2002 and played for them from 2002 to 2005. He then moved on to play for the Tennessee Titans from 2006-2007.
David Givens is a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning XXXVIII with the New England Patriots and XXXIX with the Tennessee Titans. David Givens has 166 receptions for 2,318 yards and 12 touchdowns during his career NFL playing time.
David Givens retired after playing one more season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 before moving onto other ventures outside of professional football.
15. Bryan Fletcher
Career
- High school: Hazelwood East, (St. Louis, Missouri)
- College: UCLA
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 6 / Pick: 210
- Chicago Bears (2002–2004)*, Indianapolis Colts (2004–2007)
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- Super Bowl champion (XLI)
Fletcher was a tight end for the UCLA Bruins from 2002-2004. He had a very successful career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played from 2005-2009.
Fletcher signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2010 and has been there ever since. In 2015, Bryan Fletcher was elected to his first of four terms as president of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA).
Fletcher is currently an analyst on ESPN's "Monday Night Football". Fletcher was drafted in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Fletcher played college football at Vanderbilt, where he won several awards including First-Team All-SEC and SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
In 2004, Fletcher was traded to Indianapolis Colts where he would win two more Super Bowls with them (XLI and XLIII). After his playing career ended, Fletcher became a coach for various teams in the NFL before joining the Tennessee Titans as their defensive backs coach in 2017.
16. Chris Massey
Los Angeles Rams
Career
- High school: East Bank, (East Bank, West Virginia)
- College: Marshall
- NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 7 / Pick: 243
- St. Louis Rams (2002–2010), Carolina Panthers (2011)*, Chicago Bears (2011)
- * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
- Games played: 141, Tackles: 31, Fumble recoveries: 2
- Games played: 141
- Tackles: 31
- Fumble recoveries: 2
Massey was a standout long snapper at East Bank High School in West Virginia and went on to play for Marshall. Massey was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002 and spent five seasons with the team, making one Pro Bowl appearance.
In 2007, Massey signed with the Baltimore Ravens and has been there ever since, playing sporadically due to injury but never losing his spot on the roster. Massey is widely considered one of the best long snappers in NFL history and he retired after the 2016 season having played 256 games over 14 years.
Massey was a standout player at North Carolina State before being drafted by the Rams in 2002. Massey spent his entire 10-year career with the Rams, playing 141 games and recording 31 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception.
After leaving St Louis following the 2010 season, Massey signed with the Panthers where he played until 2011 when he was released by Carolina and signed with Chicago to play out the remainder of his NFL career.
Massey is currently an assistant football coach at Davidson College in Davidson, NC where he helped lead them to a Division II National Championship game this past season as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach under head coach Brent Stockstill.
Chris Massey is one of only six players in NFL history to have 100+ tackles for loss (138) and 50+ interceptions (58).
Final Words
. . 2002 NFL Draft was a pivotal moment in the history of professional football, as it marked the beginning of the “New Age” era. The draft produced some of the best players in league history, including Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
