Rick Gosselin's NFL draft analysis...

[Seneschal2]

Gosselin

All teams in the AFC east received a C grade -- here's the Pats brief analysis:

The Patriots have a different draft board than most, targeting specific skills rather than positions. Mayo can play all four linebacker spots, Crable is an edge rusher, and Slater is the best special teams player in the draft.

The grades:

A+ 1
A 3
B 7
C 21

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Gosselin

All teams in the AFC east received a C grade -- here's the Pats brief analysis:

The grades:

A+ 1
A 3
B 7
C 21

Looks like he was using a 1960's grading scale with only 2 AFC teams (KC and Tenn) getting above a C. Seems a little harsh especially on NE considering the review...
"
The Patriots have a different draft board than most, targeting specific skills rather than positions. Mayo can play all four linebacker spots, Crable is an edge rusher, and Slater is the best special teams player in the draft.
The Patriots have a different draft board than most, targeting specific skills rather than positions. Mayo can play all four linebacker spots, Crable is an edge rusher, and Slater is the best special teams player in the draft. "

 

[MoLewisrocks]

At least he acknowledges we have a different draft board than the football media and generic scouting gurus...

Getting the most players they liked gets you an A. The price of course is you needed them and were in a position to take them as a result.

 

[PonyExpress]

This love affair with the chiefs' draft is amusing to me. They traded away the best defensive player in the NFL, drafted a small DT with (IMO) big time bust potential, took an OT who has never played the position, and a slow cb. Hurrah. This reminds me of the Lions' draft from a few years ago every one went gaga for. Plus, the Herminator is the man being trusted to develop all this talent. And they think Brodie Croyle is the man of the hour. I predict disaster.

 

[mdhprime]

Yahoo Sports actually had they best draft review in my opinion. Concise with reasons for positives and negatives given for all teams. Refreshing after listening to Kiper for two days!

 

[Robdude]

I have to say that I think a "C" or "C+" is fair. Certainly we will have a better indication of how well they did a few years down the road. But, will that said:

- I like the pick of Mayo. I do not care so much that he was projected by many to go later in the draft.

- I like the trade with Atlanta to trade out of the 7th pick but it was by no means a great deal for the Pats. It was better then just picking at 7 but it is depatable as to who got the better of this trade. My guess is that it there were not too many teams trying to jump up so they had to take what they could get. This is not a criticism but not a pat on the back either.

- I really like the trade with SD. We still got who we wanted (Crable) later in the draft and a second round pick next year

- I did not care for the CBs selected. I realize that the Pats know a lot more about these players then I do but I would love someone to confince me that they are great picks. I am willing to listen and I WANT to be confinced. I did hope that they could move up in the draft and get a bigger body and a bigger name for a CB.

- The rest of the picks were again ok but no steals (QB, KR, LB). Like Mayo I do not care that they all seemed to go earlier than many predicted but I would not pat anyone on the back for getting them when they did. ATM those picks look like they could help the team but they do not look like steals

As much as I would like to say the grades out there are unfair I think they are about right

 

[hambone1818]

It's funny, I just posted this in another thread but Kiper did the same thing (and he's done it three years in a row now). He absolutely refuses to use a real grading scale, instead giving out nothing but B's and C's. Case in point: Kiper gave out (if I counted it right) 18 B's and 13 C's (and most of them were in the C+ to B range), with one A reserved for the Chiefs--who had three of the first 35 picks and 13 in the entire draft.

Grades mean nothing...I tend to read the columns because I like to get as much analysis as possible, but nobody knows how good a draft was for a few years. Logan Mankins was considered a huge reach at the time, and that one turned out pretty good.

 

[Robdude]

I undertsand what you are saying Hambone and i am sure everyone agrees it is impossible to really know if it is a good draft until years down the road. But, with that said, this was a draft where nothing sensational happened. No one seemed to really mess up and no one seemed to really excel here. I have to agree that ATM most teams were "OK" in there draft. No one sucked this year but no one was really great either

 

[deeds]

Hearing everyone gush over KC's draft reminds me of a few years back when Cincy had a similar draft... How did that work out?

I would love to see these experts grade drafts three years after the fact.

 

[RussFrancis]

He gave an A or A+ to 3 teams with 3 of the ugliest QB situations in the league. And if after an NFL draft, you still havent solved your hideous QB/situation, you just havent done much. The Bears, Chiefs and Lions are just awful, awful QB situations. Kitna is a complete bum, imo.

 

[Robdude]

It easiest to have a good draft when you have so many hole to fill. When your team sucks all picks look like an improvement

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I undertsand what you are saying Hambone and i am sure everyone agrees it is impossible to really know if it is a good draft until years down the road. But, with that said, this was a draft where nothing sensational happened. No one seemed to really mess up and no one seemed to really excel here. I have to agree that ATM most teams were "OK" in there draft. No one sucked this year but no one was really great either

This is a pretty nonsensical way to assess a draft. Maybe no one was really great because no one sucked. So everyone making sound selections is C+/B- unimpressive and boring. When will fans and media figure out what the draft is really for... It's not entertainment to the guys in those war rooms, it's one facet of building a winning team or potentially landing in the unemployment line or with a mediot job yourself...

 

[Robdude]

This is a pretty nonsensical way to assess a draft. Maybe no one was really great because no one sucked. So everyone making sound selections is C+/B- unimpressive and boring. When will fans and media figure out what the draft is really for... It's not entertainment to the guys in those war rooms, it's one facet of building a winning team or potentially landing in the unemployment line or with a mediot job yourself...

OK I cant argue with that. you have made a good point. But, the fun for me the fan is trying to figure out how they did right now. Without looking at other team's grade I would still say they did "OK" not bad but not great either. I will be happy if they prove me wrong and I hope they do

 

[hambone1818]

I undertsand what you are saying Hambone and i am sure everyone agrees it is impossible to really know if it is a good draft until years down the road. But, with that said, this was a draft where nothing sensational happened. No one seemed to really mess up and no one seemed to really excel here. I have to agree that ATM most teams were "OK" in there draft. No one sucked this year but no one was really great either

True, but we're looking at it from afar (in that none of us are paid to analyze these picks, these players, and the teams that are drafting them). A twelve year old could do the kind of analysis that these guys do: "Well, KC had a bunch of high picks, so they got more talent than anyone else...so we'll give them an A. Everyone else...well, I didn't see anyone take Ohio State's water boy so we'll give them all a decent grade." These guys are paid EXCLUSIVELY to know the draft, the players and teams' needs, I'd expect some better analysis than 'most people didn't have Wilhite that high, so we're docking them some points'.

 

[State]

We'll know if three years how we did. I'm interested in comparing the overall play of Mayo to Gholston. A lot of Jets fans sitting in their mother's kitchen are saying we "reached" for a stud linebacker who will make plays for us.

People forget we make deals for next year's draft. We do it almost every year, starting when we gave Baltimore our first that they used for QB Kyle Boller.

We certainly know what we're doing. I think the Patriots draft is the best for the organization since the Ty Law/Ted Johnson/Dave Wohlabaugh 1985 draft.

These drafts are total crap shoots. Where's J.J. Stokes now? http://www.sport-blog.com/2005/12/what-happened-1995-nfl-draft-top-10.html

What will wake up the NFL is how many of our guys that we drafted for specific needs will contribute as advertised. After we go 18-1 and win the SB, teams will have to adjust.

To what we've already done. In Pioli and in Belichick we trust.