4 draft picks in the first 2 Rounds - ammunition to grab an RFA?

[JoeSixPat]

Forgive me if this has already been talked about.....

Obviously there are a ton of RFAs this year who could be available for the right package of draft picks....

I can definitely see the Pats using a pick on an RFA or straight out trade

Seems like there's a good number of intriguing names out there

The 2010 restricted free agents | ProFootballTalk.com

Any of these guys on anyone's wish list?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Forgive me if this has already been talked about.....

Obviously there are a ton of RFAs this year who could be available for the right package of draft picks....

I can definitely see the Pats using a pick on an RFA or straight out trade

Seems like there's a good number of intriguing names out there

The 2010 restricted free agents | ProFootballTalk.com

Any of these guys on anyone's wish list?

I won't know until I see where they're tendered.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

derrick johnson of the chiefs and ahmad brooks of the 9ers would be worth looking into

 

[TealSox]

derrick johnson of the chiefs and ahmad brooks of the 9ers would be worth looking into

I would add Kirk Morrison and Barrett Rudd to that list too, as far as linebackers go, as well as Raider DE Thomas Howard.

Others I've always been a fan of...

Jason Avant
Dawan Landry
Carlos Rodgers
Richard Marshall
Marcus Spears
Fabian Washington

Yeah... I live in the Bay area of CA. I see a lot of the Raiders hence Morrison, Howard and Washington making my list.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

Forgive me if this has already been talked about.....

Obviously there are a ton of RFAs this year who could be available for the right package of draft picks....

I can definitely see the Pats using a pick on an RFA or straight out trade

Seems like there's a good number of intriguing names out there

The 2010 restricted free agents | ProFootballTalk.com

Any of these guys on anyone's wish list?

I've been thinking about this for a while as well. I would gladly give up a 2nd round pick for a proven talent that is still young.

Some guys I would really love to add at the right price:

Shawne Merriman, Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Steve Breaston, Demeco Ryans, Richard Marshall, Carlos Rogers, Darren Sproles, Jerious Norwood, Jared Gaither, Marcus Spears, Ray Edwards.

I really think this is the most opportune time to acquire Merriman. There had been whispers about English being drafted to be his replacement and he is coming off a down year. I think most of that was due to his recovery from ACL surgery and the supposed torn plantar fascia he played with. I think he's due for a big year in 2010 and would bring much added help to the pass rush. He's also an on field leader and plays with a ton of emotion and passion, something this defense seemed to lack all year.

The only way I could see us going after Marshall or VJ is if we parted ways with Moss. I think Floyd and Breaston would make nice #2 WR but I wouldn't give up a 2nd rounder for either.

Sproles and Norwood would be great 3rd down backs and explosive playmakers to add in the backfield. I'd take either one but I like Norwood a little more.

Richard Marshall and Rogers, from the limited times I've seen them, would be pretty solid adds at CB, although I haven't seen enough to say I would give up a 2nd. I probably wouldn't. As I've said, I'd rather look into the Maroney for Cromartie possibilities.

I'd love to see Demeco Ryans paired with Jerod Mayo, but I don't see any possible way Houston would want to part ways with him. I really like Jared Gaither as a tackle and him and Vollmer would be a great duo for years to come. Again, I don't see any reason Baltimore would part ways with him. Spears would be a nice 3-4 DE to add, but he's nothing spectacular.

Ray Edwards is very intriguing, especially if we are considering playing some more 4-3. He's been said to be a little upset in Minny lately. I love him as a 4-3 DE, and I wonder if he could play 3-4 OLB as well. I think he might be athletic enough to do it. At 6'5 270, he certainly has the size you'd like in an OLB, and according to Football's Future, the stats showed he was tougher to run at than Jared Allen, so he's pretty solid against the run.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I think I'd rather wait to see how the market develops. There are some really interesting names out there, but in a few weeks, we'll see how serious teams were about slashing payroll. A lot of similar talents may be cut just to reduce payroll, and will be available without having to give up compensation.

If that happens and we don't get all that we feel we should, then I'd be open to trading a pick for the right player. But this is a pretty decent draft class from what I've read, and I feel like we're going to have to overpay for the worthwhile talents.

 

[bucky]

I don't think anybody is worth a 1st round pick AND a big contract. So most of those guys will probably be tendered at the 1st round level and be out of reach.

Anybody from the 2nd round on are definitely worth considering, especially this year with such a poor list of UFAs.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Those 4 picks will turn into 2 picks this year, and 17 picks in 2014,2015 & 2016. We never use the picks.

 

[emoney_33]

Those 4 picks will turn into 2 picks this year, and 17 picks in 2014,2015 & 2016. We never use the picks.

Did you sleep through the 2009 draft?

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don't think anybody is worth a 1st round pick AND a big contract. So most of those guys will probably be tendered at the 1st round level and be out of reach.

Anybody from the 2nd round on are definitely worth considering, especially this year with such a poor list of UFAs.

Huh? It's the same thing as signing a top 5 draft pick. Are you saying you wouldn't do that either?

 

[JoeSixPat]

Huh? It's the same thing as signing a top 5 draft pick. Are you saying you wouldn't do that either?

Right - except rather than spend the money and the pick on a player with no NFL track record, you've used it on a proven player who is still young enough to have his best years ahead of him.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Right - except rather than spend the money and the pick on a player with no NFL track record, you've used it on a proven player who is still young enough to have his best years ahead of him.

Would happily trade a top 5 pick and $40m guaranteed for Demarcus Ware.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

It worked out pretty damn well in 07 with Welker. I wouldn't mind seeing it done again, and I trust BB's judgment just like I did with Welker.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

It worked out pretty damn well in 07 with Welker. I wouldn't mind seeing it done again, and I trust BB's judgment just like I did with Welker.

it worked with welker because BB was partly pretty fed up with him burning the pats all the time.......now lets think of what RFA fits that description..........

 

[Spiral]

If this draft is as good as a lot of people are saying it is, I don't see the point in trading any 2nd round picks. We could come out of this draft with 2-3 players with first-round abilities and second-round contracts. I just read on PFT today that Pioli tried to trade the 3rd pick in 2009 for the Lions' picks at 20 and 33. By the widely-accepted draft chart, this deal was upside-down by over 700 points, but the Lions still turned him down. I bet there are at least 26 or 27 teams in the league that would trade their inventory of draft picks for the Patriots' right now.

 

[DW Toys]

Right - except rather than spend the money and the pick on a player with no NFL track record, you've used it on a proven player who is still young enough to have his best years ahead of him.

Great post. Nobody gets this. A NFL Draft has about an 18% success rate. You gamble on 21 year old kids. Get someone who you already know can work in the NFL. The key is age, skill set, contract and compensation.
DW Toys

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

it worked with welker because BB was partly pretty fed up with him burning the pats all the time.......now lets think of what RFA fits that description..........

Leon Washington

 

[mcmurtry86]

If this draft is as good as a lot of people are saying it is, I don't see the point in trading any 2nd round picks. We could come out of this draft with 2-3 players with first-round abilities and second-round contracts. I just read on PFT today that Pioli tried to trade the 3rd pick in 2009 for the Lions' picks at 20 and 33. By the widely-accepted draft chart, this deal was upside-down by over 700 points, but the Lions still turned him down. I bet there are at least 26 or 27 teams in the league that would trade their inventory of draft picks for the Patriots' right now.

Even in a good draft, there are tons and tons of players taken in the top rounds who fail. If you have the chance to get a good proven commodity who is still fairly young (28 or younger), it's a no brainer.

I'd love the Pats to keep those picks, but with 3 2nd rounders - and let's face it, BB will probably trade one for a 3rd + a future pick or something - you could move one for a guy like Malcolm Floyd. The trick is to trade the pick for guy playing a position where it is tough to project a college player into your system. For the Pats, that would be LB or WR. I'd much rather have a guy like Floyd than draft someone like LaFell or whomever, simply because rookies at WR often struggle and the Pats schemes are difficult for young players to pick up. Obviously, you'd need to feel confident that whatever veteran you're trading for/signing as a RFA would be able to grasp the system as well. Sometimes that happens (Moss, Welker, Gaffney, Caldwell), sometimes it doesn't (Hayes, Galloway).

 

[JoeSixPat]

Even in a good draft, there are tons and tons of players taken in the top rounds who fail. If you have the chance to get a good proven commodity who is still fairly young (28 or younger), it's a no brainer.

Yup - and Belichick knows better than anyone his track record in the 2nd round.

Now you look at guys he's traded for with a 2nd round pick - Corey Dillon, Wes Welker etc... and his moves in the 2nd round begin to look a bit more impressive.

I'm not knocking Belichick's ability to draft. He's hit on more than his fair share of guys beyond the 2nd round. But it does illustrate that even for a great football mind, college talent and NFL talent are two very different things and is very difficult to judge.

 

[mcmurtry86]

Leon Washington

I really can't see the Pats giving Washington a big contract (big enough that the Jets wouldn't match) coming off of a fairly severe leg injury. Also can't see the Jets trading him to the Pats for anything less than New England's 1st 2nd rounder + another lower pick. For a part time guy, whose biggest asset is his agility and speed (also the qualities most affected by a leg injury) and will be 28 on opening day.....not worth it IMO. He's a good player, and the type of play maker the Pats need, but his injury, his age and his playing for the Pats biggest divisional rival make him fairly unappealing.

If they're going to invest a large chunk of money into a part time RB who can return kicks and such, I'd much prefer Sproles or Jerious Norwood. Chester Taylor may be a better option as well, despite being older, because he would come without draft pick compensation.