NFL Draft 2003 Trivia Quiz

Answer: No

Carson Palmer was very notably traded to the then-Oakland Raiders for multiple first round draft picks, a very bold and exclamatory move in a league where trading is quite scarce, let alone trading for a franchise quarterback. He unfortunately did not enjoy much success in a Raiders uniform, but experienced a career renaissance with the Arizona Cardinals before calling it a career.

Palmer truly was the franchise quarterback the Bengals thought they had, at least on the field. After sitting behind Jon Kitna during his rookie year and experiencing some growing pains in 2004, Palmer finally broke through in 2005 and led the Bengals to their first winning record in just over fifteen years at the time. After a few more relatively mediocre years, the Bengals again had a successful year in 2009 in going 10-6. Unfortunately, it was at this time Palmer was due for a new contract. Both sides were far apart on a new deal and, as a result, Cincinnati would ultimately trade him to Oakland after the 2010 season.

In Oakland, Palmer played two very mediocre seasons before the team let him go and he signed on with the Arizona Cardinals. The team went 10-6 in his first year, then he had a breakout campaign in 2015 where he set a personal best for yards thrown in a season, leading Arizona to a 13-3 season. After retiring, Palmer would go on to be inducted into the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor as the franchise's eighteenth inductee.

Answer: Tennessee Titans

In this game, Johnson found Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan was tasked with covering him. Johnson actually turned in a solid performance, which possibly angered Finnegan at some point. On one drive, Finnegan took multiple "cheap" shots at Johnson, hitting him well after the whistle had blown and doing so out of bounds on a couple of occasions. Finally, Finnegan's antics got to Johnson, prompting him to get in Finnegan's face. Finnegan, in a probable attempt to defend himself, removed Johnson's helmet from his head, but was then thrown to the ground by Johnson and struck multiple times before the pair could be separated and promptly ejected from the game by NFL officials.

Officially, this would go in the NFL books as an "altercation", but anybody who actually saw or watched the fight would know that Johnson really just beat Finnegan up for a few moments, then was ejected to rousing fan applause.

Answer: Yes

Troy Polamalu, in tandem with rival Baltimore Raven Ed Reed, is largely thought of as one of the hardest hitting players of all time. He was an explosive member of Pittsburgh's defense until his retirement in 2014, winning two Super Bowls, a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2010, and being named to the NFL 2000s All Decade Team.

In 2020, the very first year Polamalu was eligible, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Along with former wide receiver Reggie Wayne, Polamalu was unique for being a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2020.

Answer: New York Jets

With this traded pick, the Jets selected Defensive Tackle Dewayne Robertson. Robertson sadly did not pan out, failing to earn a second contract from the team, being traded to Denver in 2008. Even in Denver things did not work out, and the team released him after just one season.

Interestingly, Robertson was very nearly traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008, but after the team and Robertson could not come to an agreement on a contract, the trade fell through.

Answer: Time expired for them to make their pick twice

In the draft, teams have fifteen minutes to make their draft choices. In every instance except for this one in 2003, there were no issues and teams made their picks on time. The Vikings, however, were held up in trying to make a last minute trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They spent a whole 25 minutes on draft night trying to orchestrate this trade, but no trade ever materialized. As such, the Vikings effectively were demoted two spaces in the draft with nothing to show for it.

Answer: 22nd

While Grossman did start at quarterback when Chicago went to the big game in 2006, it was largely the strength of the team's amazing defense and special teams that got them there. For his part, Grossman was inoffensive, with a very average 23:20 TD:INT ratio and averaging just under 200 yards passing a game.

He didn't get off to a good start in 2007, the year after Chicago went to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for him, Chicago's patience had worn thin and he was benched. He would go around the league as a journeyman until 2011, when he retired from the league.

Answer: Oakland Raiders

Asomugha played in Oakland from 2003 up to 2009, earning a second contract from the team. In his last year, he saved his best play, with a career high nine sacks and starting all sixteen games for the second time in his career. He left Oakland for Philadelphia later that offseason, generating a lot of hype he never came close to living up to as part of the Eagles' "Dream Team".

He spent two seasons in Philadelphia, his last year as a San Francisco 49er, then hung it up for good after 2013.

Answer: 2

With the 54th overall pick, Arizona chose Boldin after trading to acquire the 54th pick from the New Orleans Saints. Boldin spent six years in Arizona, going to but failing to win a Super Bowl. He would sign on with the Baltimore Ravens in 2010, finally picking up that Super Bowl victory in 2012 before moving on to San Francisco for three more years and ending his career after a brief 2016 stay with the Detroit Lions.

Answer: Yes

Samuel's last play in a New England uniform was dropping this interception in Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 2008), as he moved on to Philadelphia later that offseason, playing for the Eagles from 2008-2011 before signing on with the Atlanta Falcons. He played two seasons in Atlanta before calling it a career in 2013.

It was as an Eagle where Samuel became a Pro Bowler, going to the exhibition game in 2010.

Answer: Ryan Hoag

Sadly, Hoag never enjoyed any sustained success in the NFL, and was out of the league entirely in 2008. He had spent flashes of practice squad time over the years with the Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars.

He never actually saw the field in live action, with his only play time at all coming in the preseason while he was with Jacksonville.