People forget that on entering the draft the Pats had an OK Offensive line that was good enough to go to three consecutive AFCCGs. But it had sprung leaks in pass blocking, and the tackle situation was much better than the interior situation, plus the depth was almost exclusively PS types.
They wanted to improve C and RG, while adding depth. They traded down, to position to draft two OLs to develop. Stork at C, and Fleming at G/RT were the targets. Fleming was meant to either be an eventual RG, or add depth to tackle so as to release Cannon to be the RG.
Halapio was a pure afterthought, who fell to them and was deemed too good to ignore. He has demonstrated no unexpected greatness, and is purely a power G prospect for eventual future use.
One or two of Scar's PS projects, Josh Kline and maybe Devey seems to have matured enough to compete.
Stork and Flemming were targetted and drafted in the mid-rounds. I think the brain trust planned on grooming them for 2015, but perhaps as depth in 2014. Don't forget Connoly is in his early 30s and may not age well. However, Connoly is winning the C job back from Wendell, while tough guy Wendell competes with him, meanwhile Stork learns.
Kline is pushing to start at RG, and Fleming is providing the swing tackle depth to free Cannon, to move elsewhere, or be the "supersub" everywhere.
The Pats have an unexpected surplus of competent or merely good players to accompany the very good trio of Stars in Mankins, Vollmer and still developing Solder.
I still see no reason to alter that approach
