A recap of the SG 50’s first three rounds:

1. Tom Brady, QB Patriots
2. Peyton Manning, QB Colts
3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB Steelers
4. Tony Romo, QB Cowboys
5. Carson Palmer, QB Bengals
6. Joe Thomas, OT Browns
7. Osi Umenyiora, DE Giants
8. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB Chargers
9. Kevin Williams, DT Vikings

And with the 10th pick in the SG 50, Bryan Alsworth selects…

Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee Titans

This might be a little bit of a gamble for health reasons, but Haynesworth is still young, and he’s just too good to pass up. Everyone knows that the Titans were very stout on the defensive side of the ball last season. How big of a role did Haynesworth play in that? Consider the Titans’ performance in the three-game stretch that he missed due to injuries. It started with a 28-13 loss to the Jaguars, which in itself is nothing to be ashamed of because the Jaguars were a very good team. However, things quickly unraveled in the next two games as the Titans fell to the mediocre Broncos and the dysfunctional Bengals by scores of 34-20 and 35-6, respectively. Do you know how many times opponents scored more than 23 points against the Titans when Haynesworth was in the game? I’ll tell you. It happened one time. That includes two games against the explosive Colts. And no, not even they managed more than 22 points against Tennessee. Albert Haynesworth is not just a defensive tackle — he’s an absolute force. Despite starting only 12 games, he was a first team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl starter.

I’m not particularly worried about injury issues — Haynesworth hasn’t played a full 16 games since his rookie season, yet he’s still feared league-wide because of his abilities. He’s a ferocious pass rusher, something that is a bit of a rarity in interior defensive linemen, and a beast at stopping the run. I’d put him right up there with Kevin Williams as the league’s two elite defensive tackles who can do it all and excel at it every step of the way. As Justin correctly pointed out, pretty much every NFL game is decided in the trenches, and if you’ve got Albert Haynesworth on your side in the trenches, you give yourself a very good chance of winning the battle.