2000-2009: Pats 5 best/worst draft picks

[shatch62]

Everyone will have their own opinions but here is my 2 cents:

Best
1)Tom Brady QB Michigan (2000 draft - 199 overall)
No explaination needed on this one.
2) Richard Seymour DT Georgia (2001 draft - 6 overall)
Seymour played in five Pro Bowls, has been named to four All-Pro teams, and has been a member of four Super Bowl Patriots teams (3 time winner).
3) Matt Light T Purdue (2001 draft - 48 overall)
Light is a 3× Super Bowl champion, 2× Pro Bowl selection and one time All-Pro selection.
4) Asante Samuel DB Central Florida (2003 draft - 120 overall)
2× Super Bowl champion, 2× Pro Bowl selection and one All-Pro selection. Started career in NE slow (6 picks in first 3 yrs) but exploded in 2006 (10 ints) and 2007 (6 ints). Would be 3 on my list if he was still a Pat.
5) Vince Wilfork DT Miami (FL) (2004 draft - 21 overall)
Immovable rock in the center of the Pats D-line. He has 1 Super Bowl champion, 1 Pro Bowl selection and 1 Second-team All-Pro selection

Honarbale mention:
David Givens WR Notre Dame (2002 draft - 244 overall)
Deion Branch WR Louisville (2002 draft - 65 overall)
Ty Warren DT Texas A&M (2003 draft - 13 overall)
Dan Koppen C Boston College (2003 draft - 164 overall)
Logan Mankins G Fresno State (2005 draft - 32 overall)
Matt Cassel QB USC (2005 draft - 230 overall)

Worst
1) Chad Jackson WR Florida (2006 draft - 34 overall)
Pats moved up to draft Jackson early in the second round. Proved to be too injury prone and immature for the NFL. Pats cut him before the start of the 2008 season. Patriot career totals: 13 rec -152 yards - 3 Tds
2) Bethel Johnson WR Texas A&M (2003 draft - 45 overall)
Like Jackson this speedy WR never developed for a 2nd round pick. While he had some nice Kick Off Returns he was awful as a WR. In his 3 years in NE he averaged 10 rec - 150 yards - 1.33 TDs. This with TB throwing him the ball. To add insult to injury. the next WR taken in the draft was Anquan Boldin.
3) Marquise Hill DE Louisiana State (2004 draft - 63 overall)
Hill tragically died in May of 2007 so it was possible he was going to develop but during his 3 years with the Pats he played in 13 out of a possible 48 games and totaled 3 tackles. 1 tackle a year for a second round pick? Brutal! Very next pick - Pro Bowl DL Darnell Dockett
4) Kevin O'Connell QB San Diego State (2008 draft - 94 overall)
3rd round pick lasted 1 season in NE before being cut. Total waste of a pick. When you consider how bad the Pats need a 3rd WR right now it has to hurt knowing WR Mario Manningham was draft by the NYG with the next pick in the draft
5) Dave Thomas TE Texas (2006 draft - 86 overall)
BB loves to draft TEs (Graham, Watson, Mills etc) but none of them have ever been great. Thomas only lasted 3 years in NE totaling 21 rec - 261 yards - 1 TD)

Dishonorable mention
Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota (2006 draft - 21 overall)
Adrian Klemm T Hawaii (2000 draft - 46 overall)
Guss Scott DB Florida (2004 draft - 95 overall)
Garrett Mills TE Tulsa (2006 draft - 106 overall)

 

[Jangles]

Dishonorable mention
Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota (2006 draft - 21 overall)

this is where you lost all credibility

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

this is where you lost all credibility

lol .. (filler)

 

[ALP]

this is where you lost all credibility

+1


10 chars

 

[pats1]

(as a function of their draft position)

1. Tom Brady
2. Dan Koppen
3. David Givens
4. Asante Samuel
5. Matt Cassel

1. Chad Jackson
2. Bethel Johnson
3. Marquise Hill
4. Guss Scott
5. Kevin O'Connell

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Nice list, but I agree that there's no way Maroney should be mentioned here. A true first round bust wouldn't still be producing like him. I'll admit, he frustrates me. His first game in the NFL, still a vivid memory to me, he was Barry Sanders reincarnated. Still he's a decent running back; I'd rate him closer to the middle than to the worst of starting RBs. The biggest knock on Maroney is that we passed over DeAngelo Williams, but then again, it's so hard to predict these things. Bill Polian wanted to draft Maroney as well... and who is a better talent evaluator than Dr. Evil?

I'd have to put Ben Watson on the list of honorable mentions for worst picks, which may seem like a contradiction because like Maroney, he is another first rounder who is decent but not great. But Watson is one of the few players who doesn't seem to benefit from having Tom Brady at quarterback. He has all the physical tools. Brady has tapped into the potential of guys like Graham, Gaffney, Givens, and Caldwell. Watson is immensely talented but clearly is not a very good pass catcher. He's been in the system a long time, and the Patriots have had lots of ultra talented players on the field which should exploit matchups. The guy is just never going to get to the next level.

I know it's too early, and knock on wood, but I anticipate Sebastian Vollmer eventually making his way to #2 on this list.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Its a good list and ye sMaroney does deserve to be there. Hes done well recently but look at his overall career in New England. He hasnt produced the way a first round draft pick should have all these years. He's been outplayed by RBs drafted after him.

It was a bad pick no matter how much you want to homer yourself into thinking it wasnt.



A few years from now I think we'll have Vollmer, Butler, and possibly Chung on the Best recent picks lists.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Nice lists. Thanks for all the work.

I guess the Maroney argument comes down to whether he belongs because he didn't turn out to be what people hoped he would be or whether he doesn't belong because he's turned out "only" to be a productive (even very good at times) back. I tend to agree with those who believe he doesn't belong anywhere near the "worst" list. Otherwise, we'd have to put every first rounder who didn't make the Pro Bowl in his first five years on it.

 

[WelshPat]

Mario Manningham sucks btw.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

you have koppen and light reversed

if you have oconnell in there, then you need to have crable right there next to him

you missed adrian klemm

you can already add ron brace to the list

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Best Draft Picks

Tom Brady
Assante Samual
Richard Seymour
David Givens
Vince Wilfork
Wes Welker- He cost us a second round pick..
Randy Moss- He cost us a fourth round pick..


Worst Draft Picks
Chad Jackson
Shaun Crable
Kevin O Connell
Other too much to name..

 

[Simkin]

Worst: All 2008 draft beside MAyo

 

[oldskool138]

this is where you lost all credibility

That's where he gained credibility in my book.

He loses credibility for not mentioning Stephen Gostkowski

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Best

1. Tom Brady
2. Vince Wilfork
3. Asante Samuel
4. Richard Seymour
5. Dan Koppen

Worst

1. Chad Jackson
2. Marquise Hill
3. Betehel Jackson
4. All the stiffs they took before Brady in 2000
5. Cedric Cobbs (Michael Turner went a round later, Cobbs was flat out a terrible player)

Very tempted to put Terrance Wheatley on the worst list but it is still too early. Ron Brace may also be working his way onto this list in a year or two.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Kevin O'connell should be on my worst list, forgot about him.

 

[mgteich]

It seems the key ingredient in players on top of the "worst" list is that they were injured more than once or were in an accident.

I agree with your best list although I might still include Seymour. A perennial all-pro is
great no matter where you draft him, certainly after the first 5. The five you chose were spectacular picks.

For me, O'Connell was the worst pick of the decade.
======================================

With regard to injuries, the question in my mind is how foreeable the injuries were. If a player has an injury history (like Tate), then the pick is extremely risky when made. In the end this is a boom or bust pick, so again it the upside is great.
=================================

If injuries don't matter, then Crable should certainly be among the worst.
=================================

Finally, IMHO, considering Maroney one of the worst picks of the decade simply shows an extreme lack of knowledge of football and the draft. Sure there was a player taken later that EVERYONE would have drafted if they could have, but that was not the choice the patriots had. They were in a position of having a serious need for a running back with two reasonable choices available: Maroney and Addai.

(as a function of their draft position)

1. Tom Brady
2. Dan Koppen
3. David Givens
4. Asante Samuel
5. Matt Cassel

1. Chad Jackson
2. Bethel Johnson
3. Marquise Hill
4. Guss Scott
5. Kevin O'Connell

 

[tanked_as_usual]

It seems the key ingredient in players on top of the "worst" list is that they were injured more than once or were in an accident.

I agree with your best list although I might still include Seymour. A perennial all-pro is
great no matter where you draft him, certainly after the first 5. The five you chose were spectacular picks.

For me, O'Connell was the worst pick of the decade.
======================================

With regard to injuries, the question in my mind is how foreeable the injuries were. If a player has an injury history (like Tate), then the pick is extremely risky when made. In the end this is a boom or bust pick, so again it the upside is great.
=================================

If injuries don't matter, then Crable should certainly be among the worst.
=================================

Finally, IMHO, considering Maroney one of the worst picks of the decade simply shows an extreme lack of knowledge of football and the draft. Sure there was a player taken later that EVERYONE would have drafted if they could have, but that was not the choice the patriots had. They were in a position of having a serious need for a running back with two reasonable choices available: Maroney and Addai.

I don't know.....I think chad jackson was worse than oconnell.....I believe o'connell is a better QB than rohan davey ever was...crable was taken 17 picks ahead of oconnell and he was someone who the pats could have used

you kind of need to analyze this by round because if you don''t it just puts too many variables into trying to figure out value.

 

[condon84]

Cool thread idea.

I'll take into account where they were picked and the expectations we had for them.

Best

1. Brady - really no brainer

2. Asante - 4th round pick and is now one of the best CBs. Made a ton of plays for us.

3. Wilfork - Our anchor and one of the best NT in the league.

4. Seymour - our best DL in this current run. His impact is only surpassed by Brady, but since he was the #6 overall pick, we expected him to be a major player.

5. Light - has protected Brady's blind side for over 8 years. Has consistently performed against the best pass rushers of the game.

Worst:

I considered players who got injured and as a result never developed.

1. Kevin O'Connell - A third rounder that couldn't make it out of his second pre-season. Considering that he was never injured but was never given a chance to develop by Bill, this guy must have been horrible.

2. Marquise Hill - A second rounder that never made it on the field. I don't recall him being injured. He was just not used. (Kinda like Ron Brace now).

3. Bethel - A lot more was expected. He didn't get injured but just didn't develop.

4. Chad Jackson - He got hurt but still seemed like he didn't help himself improve other aspects about his game.

5. Gus Scott - Even before his injuries, I knew this guy was gonna suck.

 

[shatch62]

Just found Prov Journal articels on the same topic listing the best 10 and worst 10 of the BB era.

Best
The 10 best draft picks of the Bill Belichick era | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Worst
The 10 worst draft picks of the Bill Belichick era | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

To me, the best picks can be 1st rounders or last rounders. For every Richard Seymour (great) a team drafts a Charles Rogers or Ryan Leaf (god awful). So if you get a great 1st rounder - perfect. I have a hard time calling a day two pick a bust unless they are really terrible AND a better player was there for the taking. The worst article has Jeremy Mincey at #10. While it's true he never played a down with the Pats he was a 6th round pick. It would be great if he gave us something but to call him the 10th worst pick in the BB era is tough.

Going back to my list. Maroney has shown signs of life but everytime he runs into Neal or Mankins @ss it drives me nuts. For me, a first round pick should be a border line pro bowl player. Seymour was. Warren had BB hits on the vast majority of his first rounds and Maroney might become one of them but to me he has been more of a disappointment than a great player.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Just found Prov Journal articels on the same topic listing the best 10 and worst 10 of the BB era.

Best
The 10 best draft picks of the Bill Belichick era | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Worst
The 10 worst draft picks of the Bill Belichick era | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

To me, the best picks can be 1st rounders or last rounders. For every Richard Seymour (great) a team drafts a Charles Rogers or Ryan Leaf (god awful). So if you get a great 1st rounder - perfect. I have a hard time calling a day two pick a bust unless they are really terrible AND a better player was there for the taking. The worst article has Jeremy Mincey at #10. While it's true he never played a down with the Pats he was a 6th round pick. It would be great if he gave us something but to call him the 10th worst pick in the BB era is tough.

Going back to my list. Maroney has shown signs of life but everytime he runs into Neal or Mankins @ss it drives me nuts. For me, a first round pick should be a border line pro bowl player. Seymour was. Warren had BB hits on the vast majority of his first rounds and Maroney might become one of them but to me he has been more of a disappointment than a great player.

Not to be a homer, but wtf? Am I missing something? When did we ever hype up Dexter Reid? 4 out of his 10 selections are fouirth rounders or later. How many teams actually expect those picks that low to pan out on a year to year basis? IMO, it makes me feels good a lot of his misses are in the later rounds, not so much the first.

At least Watson is still a member, an active receiver when used. Maroney is having a solid season. I mean, I know he didn't point out Maroney but even Watson isnt' as much of a bust as other first rounders are.