If you draft wisely, you do not have to shell out the Big Bucks. Time to roll out the BB Draft List of Shame again, sigh:
2013: Josh Boyce 4'th
2010: Taylor Price 3'd (instead of Mike Williams, ouch, Rielly Cooper, Antonio Brown, etc.)
2009: Brandon Tate 3'd (instead of Wallace, ouch)
2006: Chad Jackon 2'd (trade up, ouch, instead of Greg Jennings, double ouch, what the hell was BB thinking?)
2004: P.K. Sam
2003 Bethel Johnson 2'd (instead of
Anquan Boldin, ouch)
If
That being said, 2002 was an excellent year with Branch and Givens (the most under-appreciated WR in Patriots history).
This is a pretty good example of the difference between information and knowledge.
What you point out is a fact, it is true. But without context, meaning, and understanding, it means nothing. You're basically the kid from Jerry Maguire repeating over and over that the human head weighs 8 pounds no matter what anyone else is talking about.
Yes, we missed on Brandon Tate, and Pittsburgh drafted Mike Wallace, but what does that mean exactly? When over 70% of picks don't meet their round's average, it's no surprise that a team missed on a WR pick. That's actually the highest expected thing to happen. When the obvious thing happens, I'm not sure why you're shocked.
And Pittsburgh hit on the pick, so...what exactly? What are you saying? They did better than us? Or did they do worse because they spent a 1st on Ziggy Hood and a 3rd on Kraig Urbik before drafting Wallace? Pittsburgh could have drafted Jairus Byrd or LeSean McCoy too but didn't.
And if they really knew what Wallace would become, do you think they would have traded out of the 2nd round and taken Urbik earlier, then let two teams draft WRs ahead of them and potentially take him? The Lions would draft Derrick Williams two spots ahead as well, which started a run at the position (6 WRs in 9 picks). Pittsburgh easily could have missed this pick.
Josh Boyce hasn't worked out in the 4th. Just like 70% of picks in that round. He was the 13th WR taken that year, and the expected average is between Bethel Johnson and Brandon Tate. So what exactly were you expecting here?
Missing on 9 of 12 picks could be amazing. It could be terrible. You don't know because you can't comprehend information, you can't piece it together. You can repeat little tidbits of information over and over, you just don't know what they all add up to.
Pick any GM in the league and I can point out lots of mistakes. Why? Because nobody is perfect, and pointing out only one person's mistakes while ignoring everyone else's gives you a really terrible understanding of the way things work.
The world champion Seattle Seahawks once put together a ridiculous trade package for Charlie Whitehurst. The Colts, one of the best teams in terms of drafting WRs, also wasted a 1st on Anthony Gonzalez.
And again, it's about the wins. The Jets have done a better job of drafting WRs than the Patriots. So ****ing what? Do you wish we hired the Jets GMs over BB since they've done better at drafting WRs?
If you draft wisely, you don't have to shell out big bucks. On that, we agree, although I still don't think it means what you think it means. While it's always good to hit on a draft pick, you don't need to spend a ton of draft capital to win a championship. In fact, In fact, most recent championship teams have won without being led by a 1st-round WR. Sometimes, their leading receiver doesn't even have a great season.
The Seahawks leading receiver in 2013 was a 2nd rounder, Golden Tate, who didn't even finish in the top 30 in receiving yards.
The Ravens leading receiver in 2013 was former 2nd rounder Anquan Boldin who was acquired for some mid-round draft picks and finished 27th in receiving yards.
The 2011 Giants did have a top receiving threat in terms of production in Victor Cruz, who would finish 3rd in the league in receiving yards. He was also an UDFA.
The 2010 Packers were led by former 2nd-round pick Greg Jennings who finished 4th in receiving yards.
The 2009 Saints were led by 7th-rounder Marques Colston. The 2008 Steelers were led by 3rd-rounder Hines Ward.
The 2007 Giants were led by a former 1st-rounder Plaxico Burress, who did have a 1,000-yard season. That was good for 21st in the league, so maybe you could argue that a top draft pick WR led his team to a championship. So long as you overlook the fact they beat another former 1st-rounder, Randy Moss, who set a TD record and finished 2nd in receiving yards for a record-setting offensive team. And I don't want to talk about this game anymore.
Finally, 2006, you have a 1st-round WR in Marvin Harrison who was extremely productive (2nd in receiving yards) winning a championship with the Colts.
So it is possible. It just isn't necessary. And you certainly can't assume hitting on a 1st round WR is going to mean anything in terms of winning a championship.
Or maybe it's the most important thing in the world. So you can take the Colts seasons of great WR drafts and only 1 championship over BB's run. Go for it. Take the Jets and Cardinals over the past 14 years too. They were 2 of the top 3 teams in terms of WR drafting success. I'll take our 3 Super Bowl trophies and 5 AFC Championships over all of them any day.
