Pats backroom let down Brady AGAIN

Snake Eyes · May 12, 2014

PatsFanSince74 said:
It's a red herring to suggest that saying luck can play a disproportionate role in the outcome of a game is tantamount to discrediting the efforts of the winner and absolving the failings of the loser.

For example, when I look back on the Tyree catch, I hold two competing sets of thoughts in my mind: one, a guy who never played another down in the NFL made an improbable catch that he would not have been able to reproduce in a hundred tries and put the Giants in a position to win a game that they almost certainly would not have otherwise won; two, the Giants played well that day and the Patriots have themselves to blame for the game coming down to that one play.

You should read my previous post, it didn't come down to that one play, there were plenty of other plays that were critical before that, people just have difficulty seeing the thing that doesn't happen. With a little better depth at O-line Brady might have had a .5 second more to throw and get a 1st down, which might have led to a score. If that happened everything else changes.

All plays are critical.

goheels22002 · May 12, 2014

RayClay said:
You'll get to see how someone else runs a team soon enough.

Ultimately, that's what most of this thread is about - the future. Belichick's quote in the press conference after the Garoppolo pick was interesting when he said, "...it's better to be early than to be late..." in reference to using the #2 pick on a back-up for Tom Brady. He also commented on how the Patriots do things differently from other teams (i.e., the Colts). The Patriots build to be competitive year-end and year-out, not be a one- or two-year wonder (like the St. Louis Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers who fell on very bad times after winning it all.)

Staying with the thread title, this draft was not about building around Brady. It was about the future, some of that including Brady, but much without. I like the QB selection a lot, and the three offensive line selections, especially Stork and Fleming, whose time with the Patriots may very well outlast Tom Brady, and probably Belichick.

That's just where we are in the arc of their careers. There's no reason why this period of transition will be any less interesting or can't be as successful as the events from 1995 through 2002 when the Patriots moved from Parcells to Carroll to Belichick without posting a losing record. The reason for my optimism is the role that Jonathan Kraft has played in this era as a full participant with his Dad in the creation of the brand, the methodology and the willingness to select a CEO and give him the tools to get the job done.

The next coach and QB should take over a team that is deep, talented and the mix of youth and veteran leaders that is the signature of the 2000s Patriots.

DW Toys · May 12, 2014

Brady6 said:
Personally, I did not see the need for a wide receiver anyway to be completely honest. Right now the Patriots have 2 of the top 5 slot receivers in the NFL, Dobson who showed very well as a rookie when health, and LaFell who has had three good seasons in a row on a run first team in Carolina. I am not concerned with the wide receiver position. I am concerned with the tight end position and would have liked them to pick a tight end I do not think you can just lose a player that you valued at $40M, and not make any type of effort to replace him.

Like I said several times, I love the Easley pick, and I am also high on Fleming and Moore, the rest of the picks left a lot to be desired for me any way. I think Halapio was a terrible pick, and Stork was about 100 picks to early, and although I like JG as a player I disliked the pick for this team.

I am with you though we will see how it plays out, at the end of the day it really does not matter, if we are healthy with the addition of Revis, Browner, LaFell, and Smith we are SB contenders even if not one of these players does a thing.

Here is my confusion with the Draft this year Cousin.I agree with you in some parts. But at the end of the day only 17% of these picks will make a difference in the roster ( as every Draft for every Team upon average). So I take this as a grain of salt. Only two of who we drafted will work out. By the way, that is why I prefer FA signings. You know they have NFL tape and you know they will play.

What bothers me is the BB moniker of "We do what is best for the Team?" Nope. I still see BB as a mediocre Draft participant. He out thinks himself. Might be a touch of ego but he can do that because of who he is. He is not a real good "grocery guy". He has had perhaps two good Drafts in the last dozen years and some in the forum think he is a genius in that venue. Cousins, he is a better FA evaluator and trader.

Now we will get the posters who say "What do you know DW Toys!". O.K. fair point, but with the media available to all of us here today on every player we know as much as some front offices. Many athletes are not even contacted before they are Drafted by said Team. They are selected by and because of gathered media information.17% success rate is not great, but we (they) are dealing with human beings who react differently than what we are expected to act or perform.

That being said, BB did a crap shoot to the nth degree this year on a supposed superior Draft class. Many have annalysed this propensity he has for where he drafts someone. He loses value because his grading system stinks. He overdrafts too many players (Wilson, Butler, Jackson and many this year as example)

Like most of you, I like JG. I think this process was a year early for a future QB. He might know who is in college but some develop differently. He gets Revis and Browner for "now", then has a change of heart and goes "future" in Draft with kids that can't help us now.

None of these picks were outstanding nor done with a sense of urgency to "Do the best for the Team", so that is crap. O.K. Easley might be a sleeper as well as the kid from Concordia. JG was too early and a waste of a valuable roster slot. The rest are more than likely out of the league in three years although one or two might hold on.

This was the best Draft in years for a WR. We got a special teams guy. I hope I am wrong but Lafell seems like a #4 wideout. In retrospect, would you trade a one in 2014 and one in 2015 plus a forth for a Watkins? I think Buffalo took a very good path and we need a WR moreso with that talent for Brady. How many here have begged for a WR of a Fitzgerald caliber? Looking at the pieces we drafted, would you not have exchanged half of them for Watkins? Yes off course you would.

We could not get off the field in Denver with our Defense and we Draft six Offensive mediocre players who will not make a difference for us in 2014. Do you all care about 2014 or you want 2017? O.K. I think the wounded coming back makes the difference.

But lets be fair here. So if we took Easley and Watkins and called it a day, how many would have been happy?

I still contend BB is not in the same area code as Ozzie or some G.M.s when i comes to the Draft. Love BB. Best coach ever, very weak Drafter.

I think if it was true, we got the TE Duncan from Dixie State, he could be the most valuable piece we picked up and please understand this....for help for 2014 other than Easley if he is healthy.
DW Toys

Danger Zone · May 12, 2014

Improving the OL is the very definition of helping Brady.

How many teams do we see a quarterback handicapped by his GM not providing him enough protection?

Keeping Brady upright and safe in the pocket is the best way Belichick can help him.

That said. I understand the allure of getting Brady another Moss.

PatsFanSince74 · May 12, 2014

Snake Eyes said:
Nothing could be further from the truth, people just have a hard time seeing the thing that doesn’t happen. Suppose you have a drive that stalls and you punt, people don’t see that as a critical play that decides a game but suppose the QB made a better read which allowed a completion, and then on 3rd down the blocker did a little better of a job and didn’t let the defender get those 6 inches which allowed them to slow the runner, allowing the safety to make the tackle short of the first down, were those critical plays?

Suppose the GM does a better job when selecting a player, so you have a solid contributor who can be part of a rotation, giving them experience and allowing your starter some snaps off, what effect does that have over the course of the season? You starter has less wear and tear on him going into the playoffs and you have a much better developed rookie as opposed to your competition.

All these things are critical.

Clearly. They are all critical. A season in football or any sport is an accumulation of tens of thousands of in-game events, big and small, many of which are perceptible only to someone who know the intricacies of the game very well. The law of large numbers suggests that the better teams are the ones that are successful in making more of those events come out to their advantage than their competitors over the course of a season.

But, as Belichick has said time and time again, most games, especially most "big games," between competitive teams come down to one or two plays. As much as I'd like to think that those plays are always the result of skill and preparation, the truth is that from time to time they are the result of luck or what an official thinks he saw.

Success in the NFL is a function of doing enough things "right" that you can be in a position to absorb the bad luck or bad calls that come your way.

But, that truth doesn't obviate the fact that there are going to be times when all the hard preparation and all the excellent execution can still leave a very good team in a position where luck or an official's call will determine the outcome of a game.

You articulate your point of view very well; I just disagree with your emphasis.

AzPatsFan · May 12, 2014

Brady6 said:
We did not need to draft JG with the #62 pick, there were players deeper in the draft that could have filled the void. I have said this many times I have no issue with the player it is the pick I dislike.

The mistake in your thinking is a common mistake amongst this board, it is the belief that running the same route makes the player the same type of weapon. Hernandez was 260lbs and one of the strongest players lb for lb in the NFL. He was physical and could out muscle just about any LB or DB that is what made him special. LaFell might be able to run the routes and do some of the things that Hernandez did in terms of speed but he will not be able to present the same threat. Hernandez benched 225lbs 36 times at his pro day, LaFell did it 11 times. The difference in strength is enormous.

The only time Hernandez saw 260 #s it was because he was in enforced idleness in confinement. Typically he played at about 240-245#s and Lafell is actually taller than Ahern who was really 6' 1+.

La Fell is NOT Ahern. Few are, but as a separating pass catcher he is much better than Hoomanwanui who they used when Gronk was unavailable last season. Between Ahern and Hoomanawanui as an in-line Y position run blocker, Hooman wins hands down.

Please don't make up facts that magnify Ahern's talent. He doesn't need it, and its irrelevant anyways.

Even using Hooman for half a season they still went 12-4.

Don Kipines · May 12, 2014

"He has had perhaps two good Drafts in the last dozen years..."

Um... you might want to check the drafts of some other teams. BB had a few duds in there, especially in the Maroney/Jackson period, but on the whole he's built championship contenders over and over again, largely through the draft. He certainly makes some curious picks, but you'd have to be crazy to say that the Patriots haven't been at least above average overall in his tenure.

First of all, he almost never misses in the first round, which is what really hurts other teams (and hurt especially before the new CBA). Maroney and/or Brandon Meriweather were probably the worst picks and even they made significant contributions on contending teams before flaming out. Moreover, and crucially, he hasn't missed on very high picks -- Seymour, Warren and Mayo were all building-block players. Dan Graham underwhelmed, but he was good enough to win with. Solder was a surprising but excellent pick. Mankins, Wilfork... You go down the line and with his top picks, he at worst gets a starting contributor for the duration of a rookie contract. You have to be a fan of another team, where the front office misses on guys like Justin Blackmon or Dion Jordan and sets the team back years, to understand how important this is.

Secondly, he consistently finds key contributors far down in the draft. Cannon, Dennard, Edelman, Slater, Cassel, David Givens, even guys like Ryan O'Callaghan -- these guys logged heavy snaps on contending teams.

Thirdly, he does more than just hit singles. He hits on guys with Pro Bowl/All-Pro talent fairly regularly. Gronkowski, Mankins, Seymour, Wilfork, Warren, Vollmer, Solder, Mayo, McCourty, Gostkowski even, Chandler Jones -- these are all cornerstone-type players. A bunch of them (Brady, Seymour, Mankins, Wilfork, Gronkowski) might be Hall of Fame candidates. You don't think your standards are a tad high?

I don't know how you can watch what he did last year, for instance -- taking an injury-devastated team and making a legit run with guys like Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Ryan Allen, Sealver Siliga and even Duron (who?) Harmon playing key roles down the stretch -- and say that this guy doesn't know what he's doing on the player acquisition side. They went into last year's draft with what, a first, a third, and two sevenths? And they ended up getting eight or nine rookies to make major contributions toward a deep playoff run.

Seriously, try being a fan of, say, the Cleveland Browns. Most GMs miss on most picks. It's just the way things are. Belichick makes some questionable decisions, but man, compared to the way things used to be around here? Are you kidding? I go into every season expecting someone like Brandon Bolden or Kenbrell Thompkins to help them win games. Is anyone going to be surprised if Stephen Houston or Roy Finch ends up getting 100 carries this year en route to another division title? If James Morris ends up having a ten-tackle game at some point? We used to spend our Septembers watching first-rounders like Tebucky Jones (trying to play Bobby Grier's famed "massive press corner" role) and Andy Katzenmoyer fall on their faces, remember?

yukon cornelius · May 12, 2014

Don Kipines said:
"He has had perhaps two good Drafts in the last dozen years..."

Um... you might want to check the drafts of some other teams. BB had a few duds in there, especially in the Maroney/Jackson period, but on the whole he's built championship contenders over and over again, largely through the draft. He certainly makes some curious picks, but you'd have to be crazy to say that the Patriots haven't been at least above average overall in his tenure.

First of all, he almost never misses in the first round, which is what really hurts other teams (and hurt especially before the new CBA). Maroney and/or Brandon Meriweather were probably the worst picks and even they made significant contributions on contending teams before flaming out. Moreover, and crucially, he hasn't missed on very high picks -- Seymour, Warren and Mayo were all building-block players. Dan Graham underwhelmed, but he was good enough to win with. Solder was a surprising but excellent pick. Mankins, Wilfork... You go down the line and with his top picks, he at worst gets a starting contributor for the duration of a rookie contract. You have to be a fan of another team, where the front office misses on guys like Justin Blackmon or Dion Jordan and sets the team back years, to understand how important this is.

Secondly, he consistently finds key contributors far down in the draft. Cannon, Dennard, Edelman, Slater, Cassel, David Givens, even guys like Ryan O'Callaghan -- these guys logged heavy snaps on contending teams.

Thirdly, he does more than just hit singles. He hits on guys with Pro Bowl/All-Pro talent fairly regularly. Gronkowski, Mankins, Seymour, Wilfork, Warren, Vollmer, Solder, Mayo, McCourty, Gostkowski even, Chandler Jones -- these are all cornerstone-type players. A bunch of them (Brady, Seymour, Mankins, Wilfork, Gronkowski) might be Hall of Fame candidates. You don't think your standards are a tad high?

I don't know how you can watch what he did last year, for instance -- taking an injury-devastated team and making a legit run with guys like Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Ryan Allen, Sealver Siliga and even Duron (who?) Harmon playing key roles down the stretch -- and say that this guy doesn't know what he's doing on the player acquisition side. They went into last year's draft with what, a first, a third, and two sevenths? And they ended up getting eight or nine rookies to make major contributions toward a deep playoff run.

Seriously, try being a fan of, say, the Cleveland Browns. Most GMs miss on most picks. It's just the way things are. Belichick makes some questionable decisions, but man, compared to the way things used to be around here? Are you kidding? I go into every season expecting someone like Brandon Bolden or Kenbrell Thompkins to help them win games. Is anyone going to be surprised if Stephen Houston or Roy Finch ends up getting 100 carries this year en route to another division title? If James Morris ends up having a ten-tackle game at some point? We used to spend our Septembers watching first-rounders like Tebucky Jones (trying to play Bobby Grier's famed "massive press corner" role) and Andy Katzenmoyer fall on their faces, remember?

well said

i'd add that having a talented team has also played into BB taking some chances imho

many years there's only a chance of 2-3 of these picks having a shot of even making the roster....taking some flyers, even early, makes sense in that situation

AzPatsFan · May 12, 2014

Brady6 said:
He didn't draft Ninkovich. Also all you did here is further prove my point that Belichick makes good decisions but also makes bad decisions.

If every decision made by Belichick was a grand and well thought out as some in here like to suggest we would have won at least 9 Super Bowls in the last 10 years.

But he found Ninko on the scrap heap just like his Purdue predecessor, Mike Vrabel. Or Rodney Harrison, or numerous others. Or doesn't he and they count as well? Belichick is merely human after all. He is merely the very best at what he does currently, and gives a great imitation of Paul Brown, and Don Shula.

sb1 · May 12, 2014

Snake Eyes said:
First off, that was a correctly called play according to the rules at the time, perhaps luck helped the refs actually make a good call.

Brady himself said he thought he fumbled. Nuff said. A technicality from a poorly written rule was the reason why it was not ruled that way. My point is there's no way a team would be able to prepare for something like that, so that has to be luck.

Hey knowing Brady fumbled on that play makes me happy. I wouldn't have written the script any differently than it played out. It was karma. After the Ben Dreith screwjob, the Raiders got what was coming to them and we Pats fans shouldn't apologize for that at all.

Obviously the Pats rolling over the Raiders after that and AV's kicks weren't luck. The best team won.

Next, I never said “luck” didn’t matter, I just don’t think it should be given more credit than it deserves. When winning is written off to luck you take credit away from the men who produce that victory, and you similarly remove blame from those who produce the failure, I think that’s what we have going on here.

Ask yourself this, if the Jets had our draft would we have the same opinion of it or would we talk about how their receiving corp is weak and their efforts to build the O-line as inadequate?

Agree that luck is never the only reason why a team wins, but it's not like it doesn't exist once in a while.

As for the Jets, hard to answer that question since they had very different needs than we do.

Big-T · May 12, 2014

Since Pioli left at the end of the 2008 season, the Patriots have added the following players via the draft:
Vollmer
Edelman
McCourty
Gronkowski
Solder
Vereen
Ridley
Cannon
Jones
Hightower
Dennard
Collins
Dobson
Ryan
Harmon

That's 11-12 starters and 3-4 important backups. Spikes, Hernandez & Mesko were all drafted in this period and are no longer with the team but contributed in the time they spent on the roster.

To say Belichick can't draft is just wrong. Does he make the perfect choice every time? No and find me a GM who does, but he's constantly added talent to the team via the draft, as evidenced by the list of players above.

DW Toys · May 12, 2014

Big-T said:
Since Pioli left at the end of the 2008 season, the Patriots have added the following players via the draft:
Vollmer
Edelman
McCourty
Gronkowski
Solder
Vereen
Ridley
Cannon
Jones
Hightower
Dennard
Collins
Dobson
Ryan
Harmon

That's 11-12 starters and 3-4 important backups. Spikes, Hernandez & Mesko were all drafted in this period and are no longer with the team but contributed in the time they spent on the roster.

To say Belichick can't draft is just wrong. Does he make the perfect choice every time? No and find me a GM who does, but he's constantly added talent to the team via the draft, as evidenced by the list of players above.

Brady6 · May 12, 2014

AzPatsFan said:
But he found Ninko on the scrap heap just like his Purdue predecessor, Mike Vrabel. Or Rodney Harrison, or numerous others. Or doesn't he and they count as well? Belichick is merely human after all. He is merely the very best at what he does currently, and gives a great imitation of Paul Brown, and Don Shula.

I am not knocking Belichick, he is a great coach and a great GM, he is the to ever do it, but he is not without flaw and I can see that and if I disagree with a decision I am going to voice that. Maybe I will be proven wrong, maybe I will be proven right, but that is the point of this board to discuss the positives and negatives, it cannot all be one sided and positive all the time nothing in life is like that.

AzPatsFan · May 12, 2014

Brady6 said:
Realistically what percent of the draft picks made end up lasting long term? 35-40% (all teams not just the Patriots), so when a poster says they do not like every pick is that really a negative or just there prediction on who the player that does not work out is going to be?

When I look at this draft, I rank the picks as follow (best to worst) –

Easley
Moore
Fleming
Thomas
White
Garoppolo
Stork
Gallon
Halapio

The bottom three players I do not think will work out. That is not putting Belichick down, that is acknowledging that every draft has players that do not work out, and those are the players whom I view as most likely to fail.

As far as Garoppolo goes I think he will be a solid NFL player, I just am not sure he will be a starter ever, and I do not think that he is the heir apparent to Tom Brady.

I agree completely . I also find the the tone and reasonableness, highly refreshing.

We don't really disagree about too much, you see. ( I would have preferred BB to draft redshirt Brandon Thomas from Clemson with his 3, as SF did; and position with a 6, to take Stork in the early 4th. Jamea and Gallon are poor prospects, IMHO. But that would waste Cannon without finding a sub for Volmer to release Canon from standby RT duty. A replacement for Mankins is not necessary now, but a Connoly upgrade is.

As regards JG, BB is taking a measured approach to the succession, which is looming, while providing good depth, to the most key position on the team now and into 2015 and beyond.

On a pure talent basis I don't know if we will have a replay of the big and big armed passer, versus the smaller, smart, dump off, mechanic with a merely respectable arm. IOW, JG may just be exactly what will be needed a good Backup QB, who can compete for playing time with a potentially starting Mallett, post Brady.

DW Toys · May 12, 2014

Stand by what I said. He is a mediocre drafter at best. Drafting in the first round might be easier to make a difference because the picks have more supposed talent.

Let's face it. It is luck.

He is a better talent evaluator in Trades and FA. In the Draft, look at what Ozzie has done in that same time frame. How about the Seahawks? You have three or four nice hits there that he has gotten. The others are serviceable and that is as far as I go. Here is the biggest fault. It's not that his picks are unreasonable. He overdrafts. This year I think he could have dropped early in the second and got Easley (Seahawks smokescreen?).
Love JG but not a need this year.
The lineman were all over the board. Some were rated higher and some lower.

Look I know he drafts by the "Board" .... don't think so. But if that is the case, Easley was not the best available at #29. That was a "need" pick. So the board stuff is crap. You can't tell me the following picks in the fourth, sixth and seventh were done in the order of anyone's board.

So apparently Cousin, you are thrilled by this Draft. You feel that the Pats F.O. did the best job possible getting the best talent to help us in 2014? Do you believe that?

My point is this; if we are a better Team in 2014 it will not be because of this Draft. It will be trades and FA that make the difference. I like the Easley pick if he is truly healthy but why push it. Come back to me in 2017 and tell me how the rest worked out or not. They will not help this year unless injuries hit.

Why are we always so stoked for the Draft(yes, including me) when a sampling shows only perhaps two from each Teams Draft will have a profound impact. Some Teams more....some Teams less.

DW Toys

BradyFTW! · May 12, 2014

DW Toys said:
Stand by what I said. He is a mediocre drafter at best. Drafting in the first round might be easier to make a difference because the picks have more supposed talent.

He is a better talent evaluator in Trades and FA. In the Draftr, look at what Ozzie has done in that same time frame. How about the Seahawks? You have three or four nice hits there that he has gotten. The others are serviceable and that is as far as I go. Here is the biggest fault. It's not that his picks are unreasonable. He overdrafts. This year I think he could have dropped early in the second and got Easley (Seahawks smokescreen?).
Love JG but not a need this year.
The lineman were all over the board. Some were rated higher and some lower.

Look I know he drafts by the "Board" .... don't think so. But if that is the case, Easley was not the best available at #29. That was a "need" pick. So the board stuff is crap. You can't tell me the following picks in the fourth, sixth and seventh were done in the order of anyone's board.

So apparently Cousin, you are thrilled by this Draft. You feel that the Pats F.O. did the best job possible getting the best talent to help us in 2014? Do you believe that?

My point is this; if we are a better Team in 2014 it will not be because of this Draft. It will be trades and FA that make the difference. I like the Easley pick if he is truly healthy but why push it. Come back to me in 2017 and tell me how the rest worked out or not. They will not help this year unless injuries hit.

Why are we always so stoked for the Draft(yes, including me) when a sampling shows only perhaps two from each Teams Draft will have a profound impact. Some Teams more....some Teams less.

DW Toys

Let's do exactly that, and look at Belichick's draft record vs. Ozzie's over the past several years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Ravens_draft_history

I think you have selective memory re: the Ravens' draft picks from 2010-2013, because they've had just as many misses as we have. For every Ras-I Dowling that the Pats have picked, the Ravens have taken a Sergio Kindle.

As for the Seahawks, they're without a doubt the best-drafting team in the NFL over the past 5 years. The Pats can't measure up, sure, but neither can anyone else. That's one of the benefits of having a coach who was at the top of the college ranks for years, to where he's now drafting the same guys that he recruited in high school and coached against in college. He had a ton of stored knowledge that he used expertly in assembling a very, very good football team.

patsfanincleveland · May 12, 2014

Not really.

The question over the past few years is health not drafting ability.

SalemPats · May 12, 2014

I think we have to judge BBs draft by where he picks. We can say Seattle and San Fran have drafted the best, but we're consistently picking between 25 - 32, and consistently we're taking impact players

2001: Seymour (1) -pro bowler and Light (2) - all pro
2002: Graham (1) - 10 years and Branch (2) - SB MVP
2003: Warren (1) - 9 year pro, Euguene Wilson (2) and Bethel Johnson (2) - 7 year pro, Samuel (4), Koppen (5), Banta Cain (7)
2004: Wilfork (1) - all pro and B Watson (2) - still in the NFL
2005: Mankins (1) - all pro, Hobbs (3), Sanders(3), Kazcur (3) - 5 + yrs, Cassell (7) - 11-5 as Pats starter
2006: Maroney (1) and C Jackson (2), Gostowski (4)
2007: Merrieweather (1)
2008: Meyo (1) - pro bowler, Wheatley (2), Slater (5)
2009: Chung (1), Brace (2), Butler (3), Vollmer (4), Edelman (7)
2010: McCourty (1) - probowler, Gronk (2) - all pro, Spikes (2), Cunningham (2), Hernandex (4) - probowler
2011: Solder (1), Dowling (2), Vereen (2), Ridlet (3), Mallett (3)
2012: Jones (1), hightower (2)
2013: Collins (2), Dobson (2), Ryan (3)

Top 20 picks: Seymour at 6, Warren at 13, Meyo at 10, Solder at 17
worst years :2006, 2007
best years: 2001, 2004, 2010

We've had 4 picks in the top 20 and all have been hits.
1st rounders: the only busts, if you could call that would be Daniel Graham, Maroney and Chung. D Graham is still in the league and Chung is back with us.
-just look at the amount of all-pro's.

I would say we are one of the better drafting teams, especially considering that we are not able to draft 'blue chip' prospects

JMC00 · May 12, 2014

"Backroom" went out and got Revis and Browner. Not sure how adding arguably the best corner and a 6'4" physical corner is letting Tom down. In fact it's moves that are made with the intention of making it so Tom doesn't have to put the team on his back.

Ring 6 · May 12, 2014

SalemPats said:
I think we have to judge BBs draft by where he picks. We can say Seattle and San Fran have drafted the best, but we're consistently picking between 25 - 32, and consistently we're taking impact players

2001: Seymour (1) -pro bowler and Light (2) - all pro
2002: Graham (1) - 10 years and Branch (2) - SB MVP
2003: Warren (1) - 9 year pro, Euguene Wilson (2) and Bethel Johnson (2) - 7 year pro, Samuel (4), Koppen (5), Banta Cain (7)
2004: Wilfork (1) - all pro and B Watson (2) - still in the NFL
2005: Mankins (1) - all pro, Hobbs (3), Sanders(3), Kazcur (3) - 5 + yrs, Cassell (7) - 11-5 as Pats starter
2006: Maroney (1) and C Jackson (2), Gostowski (4)
2007: Merrieweather (1)
2008: Meyo (1) - pro bowler, Wheatley (2), Slater (5)
2009: Chung (1), Brace (2), Butler (3), Vollmer (4), Edelman (7)
2010: McCourty (1) - probowler, Gronk (2) - all pro, Spikes (2), Cunningham (2), Hernandex (4) - probowler
2011: Solder (1), Dowling (2), Vereen (2), Ridlet (3), Mallett (3)
2012: Jones (1), hightower (2)
2013: Collins (2), Dobson (2), Ryan (3)

Top 20 picks: Seymour at 6, Warren at 13, Meyo at 10, Solder at 17
worst years :2006, 2007
best years: 2001, 2004, 2010

We've had 4 picks in the top 20 and all have been hits.
1st rounders: the only busts, if you could call that would be Daniel Graham, Maroney and Chung. D Graham is still in the league and Chung is back with us.
-just look at the amount of all-pro's.

I would say we are one of the better drafting teams, especially considering that we are not able to draft 'blue chip' prospects

Chung was a 2nd

Pats backroom let down Brady AGAIN

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