This being of course the brink of the last weekend before Camp ~
Camp!! Woot, Woot!! ~ I thought that now would perhaps be a fine time to share a few thoughts about our OffSeason and our Season to come, over the next few days. I'll start with a Review of our Draft, today, and I hope to share overviews of our Offense, our Defense, and our Season to come, over the weekend.
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Draft Picks
#29 ~ WD Dominique Easley ~ Blue Chip Beast Bargain. I would warn my Fellow Patriots Fans about expecting all too much from Easley in 2014, mind you: Not only will he be a Rookie, but he'll be working through one of what I like to call Take It Through The Gears Years because of the ACL. But he is an exceptional Value at #29, as I see it.
#62 ~ QB Jimmy Garappolo ~ OverValued, I believe. I remain a big Fan of his, but believe that there is great reason for concern about his Pocket Presence, and consider him a Lottery Pick and 4th/5th Round Value.
#105 ~ OC Bryan Stork ~ OverValued, in my Perception, but they have a good chance of getting good Value out'f this Pick. I'm not a Fan either of Stork's Power or his Agility, and consider'm a Contender and 4th/5th Rounder, but in all Fairness to'm, I'm highly impressed both by'is Motor and his Field Vision. He's got a very real chance to Start.
#130 ~ XB James White ~ Perfect Par Value, in my Opinion. White doesn't strike me as especially Explosive or Powerful, but he is a smart kid with a strong Motor, brings considerable flexibility, and should become a reliable Reserve.
#140 ~ OT Cameron Fleming ~ Par Value. I'm not a big fan, and I'm amused that my 4th/5th Round Grade proved far more accurate than the General Consensus, but even that may've been pushing it. There is just not much about his Agility or Power that I like, and his Mechanics need a lot of work, too. Decent Value for a 5th Rounder, I suppose.
#179 ~ OG Jon Halapio ~ SemiSleeper. Halapio doesn't exhibit much Agility on Tape, and his Health is a concern, but his Power is outstanding, and I love his Motor. I gave'm a 4th/5th Round Grade. Definite Starter Potential.
#198 ~ DD Zach Moore ~ Sleeper!! I couldn't find enough Tape to justify a Scouting Report on this kid, so this is extremely speculative, but people I respect have good things to say about'm, and I get a very strong impression of an Agile and motivated Prospect who could, in time, make an Impact far in excess of your average 6th Rounder.
#206 ~ CF Jemea Thomas ~ Par Value. My impression ~ I only scouted'm lightly ~ is that of a mediocre Athlete but one with exceptional Field Vision. I'd call'm a Reserve CenterFielder and give'm a 6th/7th Round Ranking.
#244 ~ SB Jeremy Gallon ~ SuperSleeper!! A phenomenal Steal at #244. Philosophically, I am dead set against deploying SlotBacks on my Team, but there is, as they say, more'n one way to skin a cat, and if Mad Bill and Tom Brady must have them some SlotBacks, I believe that they just grabbed a 1st Round Talent at the end of the Draft!!
UFA ~ XW Roy Finch ~ SuperSleeper!! A tremendous Steal as a UFA, I believe, as I gave'm a 2nd/3rd Round Grade!!
Yank Rank: B+
Even though I was highly disappointed with what I thought were substantial Mistakes in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds, and even though I am philosophically opposed to developing an Offensive around Smurfs, I consider it my duty to set Philosophical concerns aside, so I believe that the late Picks of Moore & Gallon and the UFA Signing of Finch, coupled with the Easley Pick, transformed what I would have considered a weak Draft Class into an excellent one.
Always insightful, Brother Grid.
A few thoughts:
- I was probably the biggest Easley proponent on this board prior to the draft, and was absolutely thrilled with that pick. My metric for success in this draft was simple: get one of either Easley or Aaron Donald (very unlikely, even with a huge trade up) and the draft would e a wild success.
- I loved the emphasis on the interior OL, and I'm ok with all of the guys the Pats took, even though I had other guys in mind (Brandon Thomas, John Urschel).
- Like you, I liked the Zach Moore pick (though I had Terrance Fede rated slightly higher). I wasn't keen on the James White pick at the time, but I love the idea of White and Shane Vereen being used at the same time in a "dual flexback" offense.
- I don't mind the Jimmy Garoppolo pick, but it certainly wasn't on my list. I would have taken QB Garrett Gilbert day 3, and used #62 (with a trade back) to take CB Phillip Gaines, who was my top rated CB in the draft, and who I think will be a stud.
- I wanted a big DB with coverage skills, a mobile LB, and a wingback. I had Christian Jones high on my list for a while, but I expected him to fall because of drug test and other issues.
- The guys I was most disappointed on the Pats not getting: DB Antone Exum (the Pats could have had him with the Halapio pick), DB Lonnie Ballentine (Mr. Irrelevant), LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (the Pats could have had him with the White pick), LB Christian Jones (the Pats could have had him at #244 or even as a UDFA), wingback Trey Millard (the Pats could have had him a #244), wingback Gator Hoskins (UDFA), OG Brandon Thomas (the Pats could have had him at #93), OG/C John Urschel (the Pats could have had him at #140) and CB Phillip Gaines (the Pats could have had him at #62, or with a trade back into the early-mid 3rd round). I understand that you can't get everyone, and I'm not upset at who the Pats did get, but some of these guys would really have helped, IMO.