This Is The Year To Maximize Patriots Draft Picks

[PatsFans.com Article]

This Is The Year To Maximize Patriots Draft Picks
By: Russ Goldman

The upcoming draft could be could be crucial for the future of the New England Patriots. See why I feel this is the year the Patriots need to cash in their chips....

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[Rob0729]

I stilll think this is going to be the year the Pats buck the recent trend and trade up to get an impact player.

 

[PatRiot]

This Is The Year To Maximize Patriots Draft Picks
By: Russ Goldman

The upcoming draft could be could be crucial for the future of the New England Patriots. See why I feel this is the year the Patriots need to cash in their chips....

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY​

Sorry, but i dont think this year is a strong draft. So i would not "cash in the chips" like Golgman says. Take 4 Players (OLB,DE,WR,RB) in the first 3 rounds and trade 2 picks for higher ones in 2012. Get some OL in the later rounds and the team will be better than 2010.

Go Pats :rocker::rocker:

 

[Rob0729]

Sorry, but i dont think this year is a strong draft. So i would not "cash in the chips" like Golgman says. Take 4 Players (OLB,DE,WR,RB) in the first 3 rounds and trade 2 picks for higher ones in 2012. Get some OL in the later rounds and the team will be better than 2010.

Go Pats :rocker::rocker:

It is a strong draft where the Pats need the most help - d-line, potentially OLB, and o-line. Not a great draft for QBs, RBs, CB, saftey, and WR which aren't the Pats' biggest needs. To be perfectly honest, based on the Pats' needs and what this draft's strengths are; this might be one of the best drafts in years. Now the draft overall might not be great.

 

[RayClay]

I stilll think this is going to be the year the Pats buck the recent trend and trade up to get an impact player.

Which player? Seems to me, the players they would (DL) like could fall right to them at 17, maybe a last minute position tradeup like they did with Warren.

Can't say I know what they want, who they'd prefer or where those guys will fall, but lower mid 1st to upper 2nd seems the sweet spot.

 

[jmt57]

I do agree with Russ's basic premise - that this is the time to maximize the available draft picks. This along with last year's draft could lay the foundation for another long stretch of very competitive and successful teams - and at the same time give Tom Brady a productive supporting cast over the next few years before his skills start to diminish.

However, I do expect the Pats to trade at least one, if not picks into the 2012 draft. Right now the team has only five picks next year. Granted the ones traded away are late (a 6th to Philadelphia for Tracy White, a 7th to the Chiefs for Jarrad Page, and another 7th to Minnesota in the Randy Moss trade) but I would still expect Bill Belichick to look to go into the 2012 draft with more than just five picks.

The question would then be which pick(s) is he likely to trade away. The earlier picks are far more valuable and coveted by other GMs looking to turn things around right away in order to insure their own job security. Someone will make an offer to move up that Belichick can't pass up - hopefully something similar to what Carolina did last year. Bottom line is that I'll be very surprised if the Pats don't trade away one of those top picks for an earlier pick next year.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I think I'll just let Bill Belichick and not this guy determine the relative strength of this draft.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

One has to remember one thing before thinking that NE is going to utilize all or most of their picks this draft......that thing is that NE currently only has 5 draft picks in 2012...

There is absolutely no chance that Belichick leaves his team with so little movement into next season of 2012.

There WILL definitely be some draft trades this week that will piss some of us off by using them into next season as Brady gets older, but if you are to remain a Patriots fan,then you have no choice but to accept it.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

One has to remember one thing before thinking that NE is going to utilize all or most of their picks this draft......that thing is that NE currently only has 5 draft picks in 2012...

There is absolutely no chance that Belichick leaves his team with so little movement into next season of 2012.
.

Unless he has a strong belief that there won't be a draft in 2012 as the NFLPA hopes will happen as a result of any new CBA...

 

[Rob0729]

One has to remember one thing before thinking that NE is going to utilize all or most of their picks this draft......that thing is that NE currently only has 5 draft picks in 2012...

There is absolutely no chance that Belichick leaves his team with so little movement into next season of 2012.

There WILL definitely be some draft trades this week that will piss some of us off by using them into next season as Brady gets older, but if you are to remain a Patriots fan,then you have no choice but to accept it.

The thing is that he can do a lot of things with six picks in the first three rounds. I don't know if he will trade away a pick this year for a future pick until the third or fourth round though. This draft seems to be too top heavy in areas of need. I think he may want to fill a few holes this year especially since there could be a rookie cap and they aren't that far away from starting Belichick/Brady Dynasty Part II.

 

[Rob0729]

Which player? Seems to me, the players they would (DL) like could fall right to them at 17, maybe a last minute position tradeup like they did with Warren.

Can't say I know what they want, who they'd prefer or where those guys will fall, but lower mid 1st to upper 2nd seems the sweet spot.

Who knows who Belichick loves or doesn't love. There are guys who likely will be gone before 17 that Belichick might covet. If he thinks say Aldon Smith or JJ Watt or say Von Miller drops because of the QBs and is available around 6 or 7 or a little later. Who knows?

Belichick may see a guy that he thinks could be his next Richard Seymour or Lawrence Taylor and may think it worth the risk. But since it is near impossible to really know who he really ranks high or doesn't, I can't answer who. It is conceivable a top defensive player could drop to a tradeable position if there is a run of QB which many think will happen at some point early in the first round.

 

[Peachhead]

From your keyboard to Belichick's ears...I hope.

 

[signbabybrady]

I don't see why he couldn't cash in and add to next years draft. With the 6 high picks we could trade up in the first and roll a third into next year for a two. I think two things we can assume is that we are short on picks next year and there is talent in areas of need we could fill now. Will make for a few interesting days this week.

 

[DW Toys]

I don't see why he couldn't cash in and add to next years draft. With the 6 high picks we could trade up in the first and roll a third into next year for a two. I think two things we can assume is that we are short on picks next year and there is talent in areas of need we could fill now. Will make for a few interesting days this week.

What 2012 Draft?
If the NFL players win, there might be a Draft but not as we ever knew it. He would be a fool to count a top pick this year with the hope of 2012 Draft.
DW Toys

 

[Wolfpack]

I just don't see this "we need to maximize our picks" approach as the way Belichick and Company do business. They don't go in with a strategy to use every pick, nor do I feel they go in with the strategy to trade their picks. They just see what's available at what positions in the draft, and decide the best strategy from there.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I just don't see this "we need to maximize our picks" approach as the way Belichick and Company do business. They don't go in with a strategy to use every pick, nor do I feel they go in with the strategy to trade their picks. They just see what's available at what positions in the draft, and decide the best strategy from there.

Agreed. And it has the advantage of what Belichick has pretty well described as his approach.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Maximize picks is code for let's trade up and get our own Vernon Gholston and Aaron Maybin.

Half the snaps in 2010 were taken by rookies/ second year players. Just the learning process by young players will have more impact than a Vernon Gholston/Aaron Maybin.

Getting Ty Warren and Mike Wright back will go a long way toward solving the pressure problem. BB's mode is not "pass rusher" but "pass rush". That demands smart flexible players.

Elite offenses will only be solved with a superior/elite secondary. If we do trade up, the CB from Nebraska seems the candidate. Clay Matthews ia a product of the green Bay secondary.

Just ask the Steelers how it goes against elite offenses without a great secondary.

 

[goheels22002]

The Pats should draft linemen, linemen and more linemen this year. The OL is a wheezing old train except for Sebastian Vollmer. One retired (Neal), one who wants out (Mankins), One who is Methuselah (Light) and one guy with a bad back. This is a decent draft for OL in rounds 1 through 3, so a couple of those early picks would be good.

The defensive line/linebacking corps in the 3-4 needs at least three rookies to get two who can make the team and play a little in 2011-12. There are a bunch of college guys who played DL as pass rushers who could be groomed to be outside LBs with the kind of size and speed BB likes to shift around from stand-up to hand-on-the-ground guys in certain situations.

Those guys from Carolina who cheated come to mind and they had a year off from contact and should be real fresh to slam into those monsters on the Jets O-Line on the way to mashing Snatchez.

Also Trader Bill should stock up a little for next year. I think the Pats only have their own picks in 2012 when a rookie scale should be in place so moving around to grow the stockpile makes sense. Besides, I think having lots of draft picks to count all year makes Bill happy. If he's got a gazillion picks, he most likely will come back. If he shoots his wad and drafts everybody he can this year, look out - he's planning on retirement.

 

[part-timer]

If in agreement with the concencus that there is a draft next year it would be safe to also assume that there may be free agency next year and possibly this year. Technickly with the recent court ruleing free agency should curently be in effect now. In these cases the Pats have an abundance of tradeable players that may become redundant after this weeks draft. If a quality CB is taken Bodden may yield a 3rd 0r 4th, with a needed OLB taken TBC may yield a 4th or fifth, with a quality OT Kaczur may yield a 4th or 5th, If a quality safety is taken Meriwether may yield a 2nd and a servicible safety taken puts sanders out for a possible 4th, there is also the possibility Edelman may make Welker expendable this year gaining a 3rd, and lastly Mankins may get a 1st or top 2nd in a tag and trade this or next year. So depending on how this weeks draft plays out we may be able to use all our value picks and still be able to start stockpileing picks for next years draft from this years and next years free agency. Just throwing out an alternative to moveing picks from 2011 to 2012. We can use all our picks and still stockpile more picks in 2012.

 

[tasmlab]

Frankly, how many picks are going to make this 14-2 roster? It would seem prudent to trade some for 2012 picks instead of bringing a dozen rookies who won't be able to make the practice squad.