Rounds 4 - 7
Mel Kiper whiffed. This is what he had for his "top needs": TE, DL, S, RB. The Pats O-line was a train wreck. Brady took a beating in 2013. The culprits were Wendell, Connolly, and Mankins. Yes, Mankins. 2012 looks like a flash in the pan for Wendell. in 2013, he was the worst center in the NFL. I fail to see why the Pats were so enamored with Connolly to give him a multi-million dollar contract. They could save $3mil in cap space if they cut him now, I predict they will. The sad reality was that the team was loathe to run on the right side sans Gronk. Mankins was a reminder to never spend big money on guards. Speaking of overrated guards, I've never liked John Hannah. He was an overrated POS who played for the Pats when they were starving for recognition. He helped sabotage the 1977 season and publicly insulted Tony Eason after SB20 in what was a cowardly cheap shot. The current overrated guard, Mankins, was getting ready to holdout when the Pats caved and made him one of the highest paid guards in the NFL. This is a guy who SUCKED in both SBs vs the Giants. He's entering 2014 with consecutive mediocre seasons. The Pats could save $7mil in cap space if they cut him in 2015, another prediction.
It should be no surprise that they took Stork, Flemming and Halapio in the last day of the draft. I'll be disappointed if Stork doesn't start as a rookie at center. He can't be anywhere near as bad as Wendell. Flemming was a steal. He's a RT who can play RT, but is built like a guard. I'm hoping he starts at RG. Halapio only played RG at Florida. IMO, he's a longshot.
White is considered a reach by many. Hey, BB was moron for letting Woodhead go. Vereen is a bust. He makes highlight catches deep on the sideline, but drops passes over the middle. White isn't big or fast, but was productive at Wisconsin, a team player, and can catch (39 recs).
Moore, on paper, has all the physical tools to be a great 4-3 DE. OTOH, that's probably all he has. As a 6th rounder, that's good enough.
Thomas only problem is that he's small. He was safety in Tech. If that's the only reason he dropped, then he could be a surprise. Most likely a gunner on Teams.
Gallon could be a steal. He dropped because he's small. In his career, he's had single game receiving yards of 369, 184, 175, 145, 133, 115. You don't have games like that unless you have talent. Plus, he's an experienced punt returner. Good Punt Rets are hard to find. This is another steal.
Additional kudos to Belichick for passing on the TEs in this draft. I watched them at the combine and was underwhelmed. Good idea to sign 3 UDRFA TEs after the draft. Based on what's behind Gronk it wouldn't be a shock to see 2 of them on the 53. Hooman can't run block, is a mediocre pass blocker, and every pass thrown to him is an adventure. Other than that, his game is just fine.
Like I said, I love this draft. Could be Belichick's best.
