This season has taught me that drafting BPA is the way to go

[RobertWeathers]

IMO this is the way BB Drafts,

first and 2th round it's the best player on the board,
3rd it's the player with the most upside,
4th Draft for dept,
5th 6th and 7th it's all about player that can do more then one thing ST players WR's that can play safety DE's that can play FB and so on,

I'd suggest that in the first two rounds BB drafts based on need but with the players assigned value NEVER exceeding the value of the particular pick.

at the end of the day BB has been rebuilding a team the last 3 years we have not seen any drop off on offense because of Tom Brady as for the defense they missed on a few picks yes but for me it's Trades and FA moves that have set the defense back the last few years,

The retirement and departure of HoF & ProBowl caliber players such as Bruschi, Harrison, Law, Vrabel, Seymour and Samuel has been the #1 factor.

for me the worst move has been keeping Moss over Samuel at the time it looked good keeping the record seting offense in one piece but looking back on it they signed a ageing WR and let a young star CB go, Moss was gone after a year and a half and samuel would still be the best CB on this team....

Not really. Samuel and Moss were on the same team in 2007 and we saw what happened. Samuel leaves in 2008, Moss stays, Brady goes down and the team finishes 11-5 so that year is a wash. 2009 Moss stays and has a 1200 yd 13 TD season in Brady's 1st year back and Asante has 9 picks. Push. 2010 the Pats go 14-2 and Asante has a horrible year for PHI. This year Asante could have helped for sure- heck anyone could.

BB did not give Asante the money because he is not a complete corner. Bad in run support and did not follow the team's defensive philosophy as he tended to freelance too much (see the AFCCG vs Indy in SB 42.) I guarantee that he will not be the Iggles next year as they have been looking to dump him and his measly 3 INTs this year.

BOTTOM LINE i can sit here and talk untill i turn blue in the face about what the pats should and should not do but come monday morning the pats will have the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs and that's why im just a fan and dont have a front office job in the NFL

Me too!

 

[jbb9s]

"you listen to the fans, you'll be sitting with the fans." Bill Polian (paraphrased )

So true

 

[RodThePat]

I'd go BPA on the first two rounds, as long as said player isn't a quarterback, running back, tight end or an offensive linemen. We could use an upgrade on every other position.

 

[ay-yo]

Even though it may not be the popular consensus here, I truly believe that in many ways it's kind of hard for a rookie to get on the field on this team--at least in many positions (obviously excluding the shift to the TE last yr). I feel as though this team is consistantly set up for the future every yr, and is pretty much 'set' at a lot of positions, at least depth-wise barring major injury (as per McCourty last yr); therefore there are only a handful of true 'needs' every yr--and that is obviously a good thing. On the flip side though, the simple BPA solution does not always bode as the best way to go for this specific team.

In other words, let's look at the BPA position by position:

QB--never
OT--not likely, seeing as how we have Light, Vollmer, and now Solder all under contract next yr
OG--with the re-upping of Mankins, the seemingly successful pick of Cannon last yr, and the potential for a 1 yr extension of Waters, I don't see this either
C--of course we can all agree on this one, but it's not a "BPA" pick...it's a pick of need. We 'need' a center (depending on BB's analysis of course) for the upcoming future
TE--never, not with Hernandez and Gronk here, at least not the "BPA" consideration
WR--of course this is another pick that we can all agree on, but that's because it's a pick of 'need...' NOT BPA
RB--just don't see it, especially with 6 RB's on the current roster and 2 rookies picked in the first 3 rounds last yr

DE--this could be like WR, S, OLB, or C---it is more of a pick of 'need,' not BPA--however this could somehow count as both in some weird way, I suppose
DT--this could also be a pick of 'need' determined by Belichick, and I also suppose that it could be BPA, but we'd never pick this unless there was also a need for it
ILB--I just don't see it with Mayo re-upped, Fletcher showing a future here, and Spikes picked just 2 yrs ago
OLB--again, one of the 3 or 4 positions where immediate 'need' could come into play of course
CB--with many recent high picks at CB, and the wildcard of Dowling returning, we should be fine here with the supposed addition coming through the form of a mid-level cut, free agent acquisition, or lower level draft pick. I don't see BPA coming into play next yr. We already have McCourty, Arrington, and Dowling on the roster; but then again Belichick could surprise us I suppose
S--another pick of 'need,' not BPA

Analysis:

It seems as though the only several positions (C, WR, DE/OLB, and S) are all positions of immediate and future 'need.' These are the 4 positions that one could argue BPA, but it's obviously a position of low-depth and immediate need on a team where it is not exactly easy to make the average position as a rookie on a yr by yr basis

OG - Cannon looked good but we've seen a very limited amount of PT from him. I'm not ready to pencil him in as the future of RG just yet. Waters will likely return but he's no long term solution. It would be more of a future pick than a pick of immediate need but the same could be said of the Solder pick last year.

DT - If there is DT with a first round grade who is sitting around 20-23 I'd be foaming at the mouth and praying we trade up. Interior pressure is the single hardest thing for an offense to deal with. Vince is in his prime but I'd have no problem drafting his back-up / eventual replacement, somebody to play next to him on the 4-3 or a 3-4 DE. I'll add that the LE in our 4-3 is more of a DT than a DE which would make it easier for a rook to make an impact.

Nickle LB - I think the play next to Mayo in the nickle has been terrible. Guyton is fast but doesn't read the play that well. Spikes / Ninko can read the play but are too slow. This is a huge need IMO.

CB - Dowling is an unknown. McCourty has taken a step backwards. Considering how much nickle we play and how often CB's are injured I certainly hope we add another CB this off season.

Analysis:

I know have have the positions on the field as an area that could justify a high pick.

 

[Naugy Nugget]

I'd say it's Best Pick Available. The guy with the most points with a slight nod to team need.

From what I know, BPA = best player available, without regard to need.

"Need" and "BPA" are opposite ends of the spectrum.

And I doubt we'll see pure BPA.

For instance, if at the time our Raiders pick is on the board, if the BPA is a hot QB, I bet BB trades down to some other team who totally needs a QB and is willing to give up value to get that slot.

 

[Observer]

Mediocrity is not a term that I associate with the Patiots..

There are about 25 teams in the NFL right now who would love our "Mediocrity".. talk to any number of fans across the country and see how they feel about our success.

Most of those teams don't have top-tier quarterback. The best QBs in the league are: 1. Brady 2. Rodgers 3. Brees 4. Manning. 3 out of 4 have made the Superbowl in the past two years, we made it 4 years ago. In this set, our performance is pretty mediocre- we haven't done anything lately that the others haven't managed.

 

[plk]

That's a pretty good idea but i've got my own. Now hear me out on this...instead of taking this best talent available guy how about we trade down for an extra pick?

Your post is an excellent example of the old adage that even a blind pig will occasionally find an acorn.

 

[Texxx]

BPA is the last direction this team needs to go.


This team has some serious "needs" on defense at WR and at RB and they need to be addressed with or without a SB victory if people are expecting the pats to stay at the top of the heap next season. It's hard to imagine a SB victory with the way the defense is playing this season, but it's certainly possible if the Pats get those two home games in the post season.

Bottom line the Pats need to go all out in free agency and in this draft to get some players who can rush the passer and cover in the secondary.


For goodness sakes though, stop making Brady have to carry this team so much.

 

[RodThePat]

BPA is the last direction this team needs to go.


This team has some serious "needs" on defense at WR and at RB and they need to be addressed with or without a SB victory if people are expecting the pats to stay at the top of the heap next season. It's hard to imagine a SB victory with the way the defense is playing this season, but it's certainly possible if the Pats get those two home games in the post season.

Bottom line the Pats need to go all out in free agency and in this draft to get some players who can rush the passer and cover in the secondary.


For goodness sakes though, stop making Brady have to carry this team so much.

Well, if they 'need' WRs, RBs, players who can rush the passer and help in the secondary, then drafting for need pretty much becomes picking the BPA, unless said player is a quarterback, tight-end or offensive lineman.

 

[plk]

BPA is the last direction this team needs to go.

Bill Belichick has addressed this issue over and over again in almost exactly the same words each time.

This is very close to what he has repeatedly said: "If I draft a [pass rusher], because I need a [pass rusher], and he does not work out, then I still need a [pass rusher], and I've wasted a draft pick."

Belichick drafts the players that he has the most confidence in rather than the players that he has less confidence in even if it means not addressing a need.

He has consistently produced the winning teams doing that.

 

[Deus Irae]

Drafting BPA is a great way to keep drafting in the top 5.

 

[pciamp24]

This team needs to draft for " talent", especially on defense.

The injuries and bad drafting, has left little talent on defense. Just look at the players suiting up on gameday.

 

[Don Kipines]

OG - Cannon looked good but we've seen a very limited amount of PT from him. I'm not ready to pencil him in as the future of RG just yet. Waters will likely return but he's no long term solution. It would be more of a future pick than a pick of immediate need but the same could be said of the Solder pick.

Analysis:

I know have have the positions on the field as an area that could justify a high pick.

Waters signed a two year deal -- he IS coming back.

 

[JMarr]

Drafting BPA is a great way to keep drafting in the top 5.

Lol, this is probably true. Was Solder the BPA? How about Butler, McCourtey, Brace or Chung? LMAO at the notion that BB doesn't draft for need.

 

[Deus Irae]

Lol, this is probably true. Was Solder the BPA? How about Butler, McCourtey, Brace or Chung? LMAO at the notion that BB doesn't draft for need.

What BB professes to do, and what is the most sensible method of drafting at a spot that I've ever heard, is to look at need, talent and every other weighable item, and to plug them into a 'formula' in order to come up with a value. In other words, if you need a CB, you weight that in your formula, but you don't make it a requirement. If there's an AdP on the board, you grab him and look for a CB at another time.

Where I think BB has gone off the rails in recent years is in the talent evaluation aspect of defensive players once you get below the first 20 picks or so.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Waters signed a two year deal -- he IS coming back.

Players are frequently signed to 2-year deals and if they under-perform, they are cut and not bought back.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Where I think BB has gone off the rails in recent years is in the talent evaluation aspect of defensive players once you get below the first 20 picks or so.

That I can agree with; some of the picks he's made have just been real head-scratchers (e.g., Crable), although some of them have also been just bad luck (e.g., McKenzie).

 

[Don Kipines]

Players are frequently signed to 2-year deals and if they under-perform, they are cut and not bought back.

Well, Waters just made the Pro Bowl. He doesn't have a big cap number. Unless he retires, he's coming back. I'm just pointing this out because people seem to think he had a one-year deal like Anderson or Carter.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Well, Waters just made the Pro Bowl. He doesn't have a big cap number. Unless he retires, he's coming back. I'm just pointing this out because people seem to think he had a one-year deal like Anderson or Carter.

Ah. Understood.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

ONE solid pass rusher, and one more than decent corner would change the defense dramatically IMO

I really hoped BB would have pulled the trigger to get Osi Umenyionra. He was available for what, a second round pick?

Our LBs are not great on coverage either.