Mocks always having the Pats reach

[R_T26]

Anyone else sick of mock drafts having reaches for the Pats picks. Its always some guy who is projected to be a 3rd round pick being picked in the first by the Pats, followed by some comment like "this may be a little high for (insert name), but he has the versatility and leadership that the Patriots love". Between anthony Gonzales, brian leonard, and Eric Weddle, these mocks make it out as if the patriots have a history of reaching in the first, which aside from mankins (even though Mike Nolan said he would of taken him with the next pick), has never really been the case.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

They are all sick of being wrong about the Pats year in and year out. They figure the best way to look like they know what they are talking about is to throw something, anything, that looks like a Patriot need at the wall and see if it sticks.

 

[NE39]

The Pats are hard to mock because generally they are going to move around a lot. There was really only one draft where Belichick/Pioli didn't do a lot of trading. With extra picks this year, it seems almost certain they will move around in this draft. The only hard part is knowing where they move.

 

[PatsFan37]

Definition of a reach:
When a sports commentator rates a football player lower than a professional scout who works out the player and analyzes game film.

 

[Mogamedogz]

For as annoying as it is to see the mocks with the reaches... it is equally annoying to see the homer mocks (by our fans) which have us landing Willis/Nelson/Revis.

 

[letekro]

The consensus: The Pats will take the Best White Player Available.

 

[Fixit]

If I ever did a mock, I'd just put question marks in the Pats' slots, or maybe just leave them blank.

 

[Boston Tim]

Logan Mankins was a reach.
Ben Watson was a reach.
Heck, Dan Graham was a reach.

So what's your problem with a mock draft having the Pats reach on a first round pick?

 

[VJCPatriot]

The consensus: The Pats will take the Best White Player Available.

Right

Someone needs to remind Seymour, Warren, Wilfork, Watson, Graham, and Maroney that they are white. What do these guys have in common? All Patriots 1st round draft picks.

That's the dumbest statement I've seen in a while. BB is far from racist and his draft picks speak for themselves.

 

[notex]

im in the "i don't even try" mock making category.....i have a list of 5 or 6 guys that i think one or two will drop to us that id like to take. If we got any two of these guys

Willis/Nelson/Revis/Ross/Merriweather/Lynch/Harris/Beason/Ginn

Id be happy

 

[R_T26]

Right

Someone needs to remind Seymour, Warren, Wilfork, Watson, Graham, and Maroney that they are white. What do these guys have in common? All Patriots 1st round draft picks.

That's the dumbest statement I've seen in a while. BB is far from racist and his draft picks speak for themselves.

He didnt mean it like that, I think he meant that these mocks have us taking a white WR,DB, and RB in the 1st. 3 positions that are usually not occupied by white players. In my opinion neither is worth a 1st round pick. graham was a projected 1st round pick, and Watson was considered a late 1st/early second rounder after his combine. The shcoking thing about the watson pick was not that he was taken in the first but that the pats already had Graham on the roster.

 

[TealSox]

I think the people doing these mocks are just being realistic rather than having the Pats pick the next most obvious pick. The Pats are pretty unpredictable when it comes to the draft. See examples....

Taking Seymour over David Terrell (thank God!)

Moving up to take Damien Woody

Moving up and taking Daniel Graham

Trading a first rounder to Baltimore so they can draft Boller

Picking Mankins (less than obvious pick)

Taking Ben Watson while already having Daniel Graham

The entire 2006 draft (what was with all the offensive picks?)

Landing Chad Jackson?

Anything else?

 

[TeamPats]

I think the people doing these mocks are just being realistic rather than having the Pats pick the next most obvious pick. The Pats are pretty unpredictable when it comes to the draft. See examples....

Taking Seymour over David Terrell (thank God!)

Moving up to take Damien Woody

Moving up and taking Daniel Graham

Trading a first rounder to Baltimore so they can draft Boller

Picking Mankins (less than obvious pick)

Taking Ben Watson while already having Daniel Graham

The entire 2006 draft (what was with all the offensive picks?)

Landing Chad Jackson?

Anything else?

We moved up to take Warren, now obviously that is great in hindsight but at the time everyone thought we picked him too soon and that there was no need to move up. I heard at the time he might slip out of the 1st round. I really think Wilfork was pretty much the only straight forward draft we have had in the 1st round that drew no critisism in the Belioli era.

 

[TealSox]

"Belioli" ---- This is a new term to me. I like it. I will use that with permission. What do we refer to the Pete Carroll days as? (Outside of a waste of good talent)

 

[letekro]

Right

Someone needs to remind Seymour, Warren, Wilfork, Watson, Graham, and Maroney that they are white. What do these guys have in common? All Patriots 1st round draft picks.

That's the dumbest statement I've seen in a while. BB is far from racist and his draft picks speak for themselves.

Now that you've insulted me and had me insinuate that BB is a racist...

My point was not intended to be serious, it was merely to point out that a lot of mocks have us a taking a white guy that plays a position traditionally held by black players.

However, I think its possible that draftniks are taking the idea that the patriots value intelligence and work ethic and translating that to "they like white players." It is the sports media that I'm calling (subconsciously) racist, not BB. If that's not the explanation for having us take the likes of Brian Leonard in the first round, I don't know what is.

 

[PromisedLand]

"Belioli" ---- This is a new term to me. I like it. I will use that with permission. What do we refer to the Pete Carroll days as? (Outside of a waste of good talent)

Feel free, everyone else here uses it. Personally, I don't care for it, nor for the alternative Piolichick, but suit yourself.

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

I saw Leonard and I wanted to email a death threat to the guy.

 

[aluminum seats]

Mock drafts are such a waste of time. Beyond the first couple of picks, surprising selections, trades, etc. totally invalidate any mock draft, so why bother?

 

[patsox23]

Logan Mankins was a reach.
Ben Watson was a reach.
Heck, Dan Graham was a reach.

So what's your problem with a mock draft having the Pats reach on a first round pick?

Mankins was, I suppose, a reach - 'though it turned out he was of solid first round value.

Watson was a SURPRISE, but he wasn't really a "reach." The conventional wisdom had him as a round one value.

Daniel Graham was not a reach. He was expected to go mid-first round, he was a STUD TE. The fact that we used him a bit less like a fantasy-stud TE who gets you lots of points in your little fantasy league does not make him a reach retroactively or otherwise.

 

[captain stone]

1) Mankins was, I suppose, a reach - 'though it turned out he was of solid first round value.

2) Watson was a SURPRISE, but he wasn't really a "reach." The conventional wisdom had him as a round one value.

3) Daniel Graham was not a reach. He was expected to go mid-first round, he was a STUD TE. The fact that we used him a bit less like a fantasy-stud TE who gets you lots of points in your little fantasy league does not make him a reach retroactively or otherwise.

1) Mankins was indeed a reach. I really like him, but I would still take Khalif Barnes instead, and watch him play LT for us for the next 5+ years.

2) The conventional wisdom had Watson as an early/mid 2nd-round value, in the 40s, behind Ben Troupe. Evaluators were understandably concerned about his lack of production at UGA. I would have taken LB Karlos Dansby.

3) Graham was taken about where he was rated, in the 20s. I still would have re-signed Jermaine Wiggins; this would have given us Graham - Fauria - Wiggins for the next 3 years. Pity.

Another way of saying that the pats reach for players, esp. in the first round, is that they take the safer players, who are less likely to bust. Seymour, Warren and Maroney are examples of this philosophy. Wilfork was the only player who "fell" to us, and we are pleased as punch that he did. Let's hope that someone else falls to us this year. Damn those Seabags; we would be picking #11, had they lost to GB and at STL.