Albert George Haynesworth III is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. Haynesworth was with the Titans for seven seasons, where he was one of the league's top defensive tackles between 2007 and 2008. He received Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors during both seasons.
Haynesworth in 2009
The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. The draft began with the Houston Texans selecting David Carr, and it ended with the Texans selecting Mr. Irrelevant, Ahmad Miller. There were thirty-two compensatory selections distributed among eighteen teams, with the Buffalo Bills receiving the most selections with four. The University of Miami was the college most represented in the draft, having five of its players selected in the first round. Although the Carolina Panthers finished with a 1–15 record which would normally have given them the first pick in each round, the Houston Texans were given the first pick because they were an expansion team. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers was drafted 2nd overall by the Carolina Panthers.
Hall of Fame defensive end Dwight Freeney was drafted 11th overall by the Indianapolis Colts.
2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl XLVII Champion, Ed Reed was drafted 24th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.