Kiper: High Praise for Patriots 2010 Draft

Mel Kiper: A midseason 2010 NFL draft progress report - ESPN

Link.

crowell33 said:

Mel Kiper: A midseason 2010 NFL draft progress report - ESPN

Link.

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well at least one analyst has something positive to say about the pats this week.

Don't let Jets fans see this since they were declaring the Pats' 2010 draft a bust even since about three weeks before the draft.

TommyBrady12 said:

well at least one analyst has something positive to say about the pats this week.

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"Zoltan Mesko . . . a solid pick."

Yeah, that's putting it mildly. . . .

ctpatsfan77 said:

"Zoltan Mesko . . . a solid pick."

Yeah, that's putting it mildly. . . .

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Ingram sure didn't make it easy on him.

do people really pay to read his insider crap??

I didn't get the article, but depending on how you count Deaderick and the TEs, it's reasonable to say the Pats got 6 rookie starters out of this draft -- one of whom (Hernandez) has been stellar right out of the gate -- plus a pretty good punter.

I'd call it 5-6 starters (the TEs are both clear starters but Deaderick isn't), plus the punter.

captain insano said:

do people really pay to read his insider crap??

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No. No they don't. Oh, and 5th reply thread **** is not good enough. Next time I want to see at least a 2nd reply thread ****.

crowell33 said:

Mel Kiper: A midseason 2010 NFL draft progress report - ESPN

Link.

Click to expand...

Hot starts

New England Patriots
The Pats deserve special props because they've implemented guys early, and they've done it while winning football games. That's not easy. But look at this draft. They hit needs and got value everywhere. Devin McCourty is starting, TE tandem Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez haven't just helped Tom Brady they've helped shift the entire offensive philosophy it seems -- just ask Randy Moss. On defense, the picks of Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes are solid, as both have contributed positively. Even Zoltan Mesko in Round 5 has proven to be a solid pick, and considering what the Patriots have done to set themselves up for the next draft, it's a pretty remarkable stretch.

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Nothing here we don't know or haven't discussed multiple times but nice to see elsewhere.

chiefs, Raiders, Browns and Lions the other top 5 according to Mel.

Not so well so far are the:

Vikings, Bills, Falcons, Ravens, Broncos and Seahawks.

I'm not an insider but the Jets had an awful draft. Wilson is their dimeback now, Conner is a backup fullback, Ducasse/McKnight don't even dress. Comically bad.

miDeuce said:

I'm not an insider but the Jets had an awful draft. Wilson is their dimeback now, Conner is a backup fullback, Ducasse/McKnight don't even dress. Comically bad.

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Yeah maybe so....time will tell...... Would not be throwing stones here cuz were draft picks over the last 4 years have been not been good compared to the JETS picks

Rob0729 said:

Don't let Jets fans see this since they were declaring the Pats' 2010 draft a bust even since about three weeks before the draft.

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There were many posters on this board who thought it was an awful draft too

I was questioning some of the picks, but obviously BB has forgotten more than I'll ever know. Going into this draft, we talked about how this was absolutely critical for the future of the franchise given the misses between 2006 and 2008, and BB absolutely nailed it.

Can't think of Kiper without thinking of the dumbfounded look he had when the Pats picked Mankins. He couldn't think of anything to say at first and finally basically said, "well, it's the Patriots."

cjets1 said:

Yeah maybe so....time will tell...... Would not be throwing stones here cuz were draft picks over the last 4 years have been not been good compared to the JETS picks

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Word: GHOLSTON

You don't make that bad a choice at #6 ......

Pats have 22 2nd year guys and rookies,UDFA's on their roster...set up for another monster draft with 2 picks in each of first 3 rounds....

Looks like they'll be in top echelon of NFL for years.....

So Kiper thinks McCourty is working out on special teams?

cjets1 said:

Yeah maybe so....time will tell...... Would not be throwing stones here cuz were draft picks over the last 4 years have been not been good compared to the JETS picks

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The Jets have picked some very solid players. However, you have to be careful about comparing them straight up. For one thing, the Patriots go for quantity of picks while the Jets have opted to try for quality.

For another, the Jets routinely have a higher draft slot because they've had some inconsistent years. As an example, since 2006, the Pats have only had one top-16 pick, and that was only thanks to a great trade. The Jets have had 4, including 3 in the top-6. They hit on 2 of those picks (Brick, Revis), whiffed on Gholston, and the jury is out on Sanchez. With higher-quality picks, the Jets SHOULD hit on those guys.

I think the Pats did an awful job between 2006 and 2007, but it's difficult to argue that the Jets have done a better job from 2008 onwards, especially the last two drafts where the Jets drafted 7 players while the Pats drafted 8 starters, plus another 8 solid contributors and 3 developmental guys still with the team.

Rob0729 said:

Don't let Jets fans see this since they were declaring the Pats' 2010 draft a bust even since about three weeks before the draft.

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Funny thing is that their 2010 draft kinda sucks - McKnight, Wilson and Ducasse.

captain insano said:

do people really pay to read his insider crap??

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agreed. especially putting extra money into the coffers of HSPN. Could someone post a few sentences about the Pats (without violating the Board's copyright policies...I think the guidelines say two or three sentences is OK)?

Beware of the copywrite cops....

Triumph said:

Funny thing is that their 2010 draft kinda sucks - McKnight, Wilson and Ducasse.

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What's worse is that the Jets essentially cut Woodhead to keep McKnight, even though Woodhead outplayed him in the pre-season....