2007 Draft

[mgteich]

Much has been made about how poorly we did in the 2007 draft, getting only Meriweather and Richardson. We of course did very well that year. Let's trace what happened, ignoring the sevenths that went back and forth. I'd say we did pretty well!

Other than picks that were injured, I'd say that we've done very well in the past few years.

FIRST ROUND (two picks)
1) MERIWEATHER
2) traded for 4th which became MOSS and a SF 2008 first which was traded for two picks which became MAYO and CRABLE.

SECOND ROUND
traded for WELKER

THIRD ROUND
traded for Oakland 2008 3rd which in 2008 was traded for 2008 5th which became SLATER and our first SECOND in the 2009 draft.

FOURTH ROUND
BROWN was a backup NT who was a bust.

LATER PICKS
We still have RICHARDSON. There are couple of players we picked that play for other teams.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Much has been made about how poorly we did in the 2007 draft, getting only Meriweather and Richardson. We of course did very well that year. Let's trace what happened, ignoring the sevenths that went back and forth. I'd say we did pretty well!

Other than picks that were injured, I'd say that we've done very well in the past few years.

FIRST ROUND (two picks)
1) MERIWEATHER
2) traded for 4th which became MOSS and a SF 2008 first which was traded for two picks which became MAYO and CRABLE.

SECOND ROUND
traded for WELKER

THIRD ROUND
traded for Oakland 2008 3rd which in 2008 was traded for 2008 5th which became SLATER and our first SECOND in the 2009 draft.

FOURTH ROUND
BROWN was a backup NT who was a bust.

LATER PICKS
We still have RICHARDSON. There are couple of players we picked that play for other teams.

That is why i dont get to wrapped around the axel when we are in the middle of FA or draft time. I really have to wait until everything shakes out to see what we really got via all the trades and manuvering. As you pointed out with your post, we did pretty well that year.

 

[WhiZa]

I still think it was a poor draft because of the amount of misses. The trades were phenomenal.

 

[dryheat44]

I still think it was a poor draft because of the amount of misses. The trades were phenomenal.

We've had this discussion elsewhere, I know, but a Championship team got a starter. To me, that's a good draft.

The fact that 5th-7th rounders couldn't make the team and got pilfered from the practice squad isn't surprising.

 

[mayoclinic]

Don't forget, our 2007 draft is not over. We traded our 3rd rounder to Oakland for what turned out to be #69 last year, which we then traded to SD for what turned out to be #47 this year. So perhaps we should include whoever we draft at #47 as part of our 2007 crop.

Meriweather was fine at 24. Trading #28 and getting Mayo (and Moss for the extra 4th round) was phenomenal. Lamarr Woodley and David Harris would have been solid picks at #28, but you can't really argue that we would have done better. We got better value from our 2nd pick trading for Welker than we could possibly have gotten from the draft. So not a bad haul.

 

[Metaphors]

I still think it was a poor draft because of the amount of misses. The trades were phenomenal.

Check out the picks in that draft. So far I think Belichick's assessment (he couldn't trade out of the draft fast enough) was right on. There are some later picks you can tell are solid already (McClain, Breaston, Boss) and we haven't hit the 3-year mark yet. Still, it doesn't look like it will turn out to be a stellar class.

 

[mgteich]

1) I did include this year's pick in the analysis.

2) I'm not terribly concerned when a team that goes 16-0 "misses" on 5th-7th round picks. I would note this was indeed not a good year for Belichick in the late rounds. He has been almost 50% in finding NFL players in the 5th-7th, although some do end up injured, and others end up playing for other teams. But, in the end, it was a 16-0 team, with not a lot of room for late round picks to make the team.

3) Belichick did miss on Kareem Brown, our 4th rounder. So, to me, we did extraordinarily well in first four rounds of the 2007 draft, getting Meriweather, Welker, Moss, Mayo, Crable, Slater and our #49 this year (perhaps Delmas).

 

[cstjohn17]

Much has been made about how poorly we did in the 2007 draft, getting only Meriweather and Richardson. We of course did very well that year. Let's trace what happened, ignoring the sevenths that went back and forth. I'd say we did pretty well!

Other than picks that were injured, I'd say that we've done very well in the past few years.

FIRST ROUND (two picks)
1) MERIWEATHER
2) traded for 4th which became MOSS and a SF 2008 first which was traded for two picks which became MAYO and CRABLE.

SECOND ROUND
traded for WELKER

THIRD ROUND
traded for Oakland 2008 3rd which in 2008 was traded for 2008 5th which became SLATER and our first SECOND in the 2009 draft.

FOURTH ROUND
BROWN was a backup NT who was a bust.

LATER PICKS
We still have RICHARDSON. There are couple of players we picked that play for other teams.

As far as roster building the 2007 offseason was a success, the college talent evaluations were not very good. Most of these guys are not even in the league. They are going to have to do a hell of a lot better job this year, Patriots drafting has been over-rated for 3-4 years. They have the ammo this year and I expect big things.

2007
1 24 Brandon Meriweather DB Miami (Fla.)
4 127 Kareem Brown DT Miami (Fla.)
5 171 Clint Oldenburg T Colorado State
6 180 Justin Rogers LB Southern Methodist
6 202 Mike Richardson DB Notre Dame
6 208 Justise Hairston RB Central Connecticut State
6 209 Corey Hilliard OT Oklahoma State
7 211 Oscar Lua LB USC
7 247 Mike Elgin G Iowa

2006 - even worse
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 21 Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota
2 36 Chad Jackson WR Florida
3 86 David Thomas TE Texas
4 106 Garrett Mills RB Tulsa
4 118 Stephen Gostkowski K Memphis
5 136 Ryan O'Callaghan T California
6 191 Jeremy Mincey LB Florida
6 205 Dan Stevenson G Notre Dame
6 206 Le Kevin Smith DT Nebraska
7 229 Willie Andrews CB Baylor

 

[dryheat44]

As far as roster building the 2007 offseason was a success, the college talent evaluations were not very good. Most of these guys are not even in the league. They are going to have to do a hell of a lot better job this year, Patriots drafting has been over-rated for 3-4 years. They have the ammo this year and I expect big things.

2007
1 24 Brandon Meriweather DB Miami (Fla.)
4 127 Kareem Brown DT Miami (Fla.)
5 171 Clint Oldenburg T Colorado State
6 180 Justin Rogers LB Southern Methodist
6 202 Mike Richardson DB Notre Dame
6 208 Justise Hairston RB Central Connecticut State
6 209 Corey Hilliard OT Oklahoma State
7 211 Oscar Lua LB USC
7 247 Mike Elgin G Iowa

My answer would be to find somebody drafted at Oldenburg's spot or later who would have made that team.....let alone seven players.

 

[cstjohn17]

My answer would be to find somebody drafted at Oldenburg's spot or later who would have made that team.....let alone seven players.

The 2008 team was one of the deepest in history, no chance a late round draft pick could make it. But at least they should be able to catch on some where. Go back to 2006 it is pretty ugly.

I would put them at average drafters for the last 3-4 years, not stellar.

 

[mgteich]

You are whining about securing 5th rounders and later to make a perennial playoff team, and also how player who are injured are therefore terrible picks.

2007 PLAYER EVALUATION
We busted on Karrem Brown in the 4th and secured one prospect in the 6th who contributed some in 2008.

2006
Even worse? Apparently a player getting injured makes his pick a poor evaluation of talent (Maroney and Jackson). GOST is an all-pro. Maroney, Thomas, Callaghan and Smith are still depth players on this team. Andrews contributed for a couple of years as a top special teamer.

As far as roster building the 2007 offseason was a success, the college talent evaluations were not very good. Most of these guys are not even in the league. They are going to have to do a hell of a lot better job this year, Patriots drafting has been over-rated for 3-4 years. They have the ammo this year and I expect big things. Some would also think that we made a decent pick in Justin Rogers.

2007
1 24 Brandon Meriweather DB Miami (Fla.)
4 127 Kareem Brown DT Miami (Fla.)
5 171 Clint Oldenburg T Colorado State
6 180 Justin Rogers LB Southern Methodist
6 202 Mike Richardson DB Notre Dame
6 208 Justise Hairston RB Central Connecticut State
6 209 Corey Hilliard OT Oklahoma State
7 211 Oscar Lua LB USC
7 247 Mike Elgin G Iowa


2006 - even worse
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 21 Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota
2 36 Chad Jackson WR Florida
3 86 David Thomas TE Texas
4 106 Garrett Mills RB Tulsa
4 118 Stephen Gostkowski K Memphis
5 136 Ryan O'Callaghan T California
6 191 Jeremy Mincey LB Florida
6 205 Dan Stevenson G Notre Dame
6 206 Le Kevin Smith DT Nebraska
7 229 Willie Andrews CB Baylor

 

[dryheat44]

Go back to 2006 it is pretty ugly.

2 starters, 3 backups, and two guys (Jackson and Andrews) who had the talent to contribute but had off-field/attitude issues. One guy Belichick loved and got signed off the practice squad.

I don't know. If you're trying to make the point that Belichick is human and makes personnel mistakes, OK. Good point. But I think you may be going into drafts with expectations unreasonably high.

In the Meriweather draft, every player the Patriots drafted ended up that season on a 53-man roster or on IR. Every. One. Oldenburg, Elgin, Rogers. And all the rest.

I don't know if they were in the league a year later (I suspect Lua wasn't) , but to me, that's a pretty phenomenal indicator of drafting acumen.

 

[cstjohn17]

2 starters, 3 backups, and two guys (Jackson and Andrews) who had the talent to contribute but had off-field/attitude issues. One guy Belichick loved and got signed off the practice squad.

I don't know. If you're trying to make the point that Belichick is human and makes personnel mistakes, OK. Good point. But I think you may be going into drafts with expectations unreasonably high.

In the Meriweather draft, every player the Patriots drafted ended up that season on a 53-man roster or on IR. Every. One. Oldenburg, Elgin, Rogers. And all the rest.

I don't know if they were in the league a year later (I suspect Lua wasn't) , but to me, that's a pretty phenomenal indicator of drafting acumen.

Who are the starters from 2006? A kicker that replaced a Hall of Famer and who is the other one?

It is likely related to expectations. This year I am hoping for another hail, circa 2003 style.

 

[mayoclinic]

Who are the starters from 2006? A kicker that replaced a Hall of Famer and who is the other one?

It is likely related to expectations. This year I am hoping for another hail, circa 2003 style.

I personally agree with you that we got much more productivity out of the 2007 draft than out of the supposedly much stronger 2006 draft. 2006 has been disappointing overall - a lot of the star-studded prospects have not turned out to be nearly as good pros as projected (Reggie Bush, Vince Young, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, AJ Hawk, Vernon Davis, Michael Huff, Matt Leinhart, etc.).

 

[ayjackson]

Who are the starters from 2006? A kicker that replaced a Hall of Famer and who is the other one?

Well if you're going to exclude Maroney because he's injured, go ahead, but he has started a number of games when healthy. And not by default either.