VJCPatriot

The results speak for themselves but I'll recap. It's amazing what a difference one draft class can make on the makeup of a team. What Denver did right is not only did they get their 1st rounder but they hit on later round picks as well. Hitting on later round picks is something the Pats have not been good at doing.

NE selections:

Round 1 (21) - Laurence Maroney. Oft injured RB. Now resides on IR.

Round 2 (36) - Chad Jackson. Injured early in career, then a healthy cut from the team in 2008.

Round 3 (86) - Dave Thomas. Injury issues early in career, now healthy. Backup TE.

Round 4 (106) - Garret Mills. TE. Cut from the team.

Round 4 (118) - Stephen Gostkowski. Starting K.

Round 5 (136) - Ryan O'Callaghan. Backup OT.

Round 6 (191) - Jeremey Mincey. DE. Cut from the team.

Round 6 (205) - Dan Stevenson. G. Cut from the team.

Round 6 (206) - Le Kevin Smith. DT. Cut from the team.

Round 7 (229) - Will Andrews. S. Cut from the team.

Totals - 1 starter. 2 backups. 1 player who is injured so often it is hard to distinguish whether he is starter or backup (Maroney). Our best pick in this draft is a kicker.

Denver selections:

Round 1 (11) - Jay Cutler. Franchise QB. undisputed starter.

Round 2 (61) - Tony Scheffler. Starting TE.

Round 3 - Used in tradeup for Cutler

Round 4 (119) - Brandon Marshall. Stud #1 WR. Starter.

Round 4 (126) - Elvis Dumervil. Starting DE.

Round 4 (130) - Dominik Hixon. WR. Cut from team.

Round 5 (161) - Chris Kuper. Starting G.

Round 6 (198) - Greg Eslinger. C. Cut from the team.

Round 7 - Traded.

Totals - 5 starters. 1 franchise player and 1-2 top players at the position (WR and arguably DE). Their best pick in this draft is their new franchise QB.

Here's a recap article on Denver's draft class:
Denver Broncos - Schedule, players, NFL news, stats, team roster & More

If Denver hit a bounty, the Patriots had a famine in 2006. The results are now felt 2 years down the road.

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Box_O_Rocks

Oh dear...Out of that draft the Pats had 8 players stick with the team in one form or another. Now in their third season NE has;
- one starter (IR happens when you get pounded on a lot),
- a pretty darn good PK who not only hits his FG pretty well, but he is a major reason the Pats win field position battles so often (counts as a "starter"),
- a #2 TE who has been a little more clutch as a receiver then his #1 counterpart,
- a reserve OL,
- a reserve DL.

So Denver has 5 starters from the 2006 draft this season - in head-to-head competition, which "team" is more likely to go home with a "W" this season?

Yeh, Denver has their 5 starters, but their team building is nothing to brag about. BB may only have two "starters" out of that draft, but he fit the players he did retain into a team capable of winning the division behind their #2 QB, #5 RB, and a transitioning secondary and LB corps.

Team building, it's not just an exercise at branch manager workshops anymore.

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VJCPatriot

I messed up on the Le Kevin Smith pick. I was looking over the team roster and and just missed his name. He's strictly backup material though. So we got an extra backup out of that draft. Woohoo. It's still a pretty bad net result considering what other teams were able to do in that draft and what we could have done instead with the picks that we had. When your best pick in a draft is a Kicker. You know you're in trouble.

Just to play a little devils advocate - What if the Pats had picked Addai instead of Maroney, Greg Jennings or Brandon Marshall instead of Chad Jackson? etc. You will admit that would have made a huge difference, and that's just with our first two picks alone, no?

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Box_O_Rocks

Jennings and Marshall were on my draft board - Jackson wasn't - at this point Jennings would be huge for us and BB might never have gone after Moss. Marshall is a horse of another color, he was suspended for off-field issues and he's not the most consistent - I'm glad BB passed on him.

Addai was a better value where Indy took him, but I think Maroney might have been a better runner in Indy's system than he has been here. Addai as a receiver would have been an upgrade in NE's system, as a runner, I don't think he'd have been so much different in production than Maroney.

If you're counting "starters" for Denver, ask yourself another Devil's Advocate question - should they be the starters? Could Denver have gone in another direction and improved the team more? You have to admit BB's "role" players have contributed to the team:
- Yes Maroney has had injury issues, and his rookie season and early in his second season he was a bit of a dancer, but the end of last season and before he got hurt this season he was showing me he could lower his shoulder and drive for three yards when there was no hole. I like the kid.
- Dave Thomas lost one season out of three, "it" happens. He wasn't drafted to be the #1 TE, but to be a solid and productive reserve TE - I think he's earned his pay.
- Face it, Gostkowski had everyone holding their breath when BB drafted him so high to replace what's his name, you know, oh fudge - anyway, I think most people today would say he was an upgrade.
- O'Callaghan has been a decent reserve OL. No one expected him to start, he's done alright by the team as a reserve OT. I'd like to see him get work inside at RG and compete for the chance to back-up both Neal and Kaczur, he might be able to platoon with Neal next season.
- Le Kevin is a 6th round draft pick, did you expect him to replace one of the big 3? Jarvis? I'm truly pleased with his play the past two seasons and like that he is here to provide depth on the DL. He gives Sey and Ty a rest and has been good platooning with Wright while Green was dinged up. BB drafted a kid for "reserve" duty and got what he was looking for - if Le Kevin were starting today would you be happier about the draft or unhappy at the loss of one of the big three?

BB went into the 2006 draft looking to improve the team. He got two "starters," and three role players out of that draft who are still with the team in year three. Andrews self destructing prevented him from having another top role player. I can't call that a bad draft when BB was looking for players to plug into certain roles/situations and win - I'll take BB's decisions and results over Shanny's.

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FreeTedWilliams

The only Denver player that was "on the board" when the Pats picked was Marshall in the 4th round (picked the next pick after Gostkowski), they could have had him with either of thier two 4th round picks.

The jackson pick is what killed this draft for the Pats, the fact that he was a 2nd round pick, and that they traded other picks to move up to get him, really stinks.

The Pats took Maroney over Addai, and he is missing just as many games as Maroney.

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