Evaluating the Pats Draft Picks this year

We all had something to say in May on the draft. Lets see how BB and company did so far

The New England Patriots have the following picks in the 2014 NFL Draft:

1st Round – Dominique Easley (DL Florida) – 29th Pick
2nd Round – Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, Eastern Illinois) 62nd Pick
4th Round – Bryan Stork (OL, Florida State) – 105th Pick
4th Round – James White (RB, Wisconsin) – 130th Pick
4th Round – Cameron Fleming (OT, Stanford) – 140th Pick
6th Round – Jon Halapio (G, Florida) – 179th Pick
6th Round – Zach Moore (DE, Concoria) – 198th Pick
6th Round – Jemea Thomas (DB, Georgia Tech) – 206th Pick
7th Round – Jeremy Gallon (WR, Michigan) – 244th Pick

Looking at it it's a solid draft. I would give it a B. Easley is coming off a couple of bad injuries and has been solid and will get better. Jimmy G looked good in preseason and in relief. He's our backup QB which is a valuable position (i like it since at our pick guys like Matthews and Lee were gone). Stork has been our best player so far of this class.

Premature.

But Stork and Fleming look solid, so far.

For a premature edition, this draft looks to be very solid for a well stocked team going in.

1. Easley - Has contributed well. Not the "Donald-like" impact player we envisioned, the the 2 ACL's and the shoulder injury have contributed to that. I think that its encouraging that he's playing through the shoulder injury.

2. Garapolo - Looks to be the best rookie QB the Pats have drafted in preseason. Given how far he had to step up in quality it bodes well for his future.

3. Stork - He became a starter as soon as he was healthy, solidified the OL, and has been an impact rookie starter. Could be our starting C for the next 8 or so years.

4. White - I haven't liked this pick since TC. I haven't seen him run the ball once where the first contact didn't take him down. I don't know why he's still on the team. But that's me. Other's see a potential 3rd down back.

5 Flemming - Showing up to be more of a contributor than expected from TC. Looks to be at worst an adequate replacement for Cannon (who has disappointed) as a key OL back up/contributor.

6- Halipio Devey was better, so he got the developmental interior OLman job.

7. Moore - Getting more action than I expected due to the Jones and Buchannon injuries. Great physical talent, but has even further to come than Garapolo. Hopefully he and Buchannon can become regular contributors at DE/OLB next year.

8. Thomas and Galleon - No room at the very crowded WR and DB groups

Given that the Pats had very few openings for this incoming draft class, getting at least 2 starters to begin with already make this a passable draft result. Add that Moore and Flemming are already contributing and that's a good result. Personally, only White is truly a disappointment.....and that's just my opinion. I agree, a solid B at this point

nice meat and potatoes draft.

Added the flashy pieces we needed via FA(wright, LaFell, Revis)

chasa said:

nice meat and potatoes draft.

Added the flashy pieces we needed via FA(wright, LaFell, Revis)

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I tend to agree with you here, although in the end it may play out as a "fair/average" type of draft just the same. I highly doubt that it will be looked upon as a poor draft, but we'll have to wait and see. Fleming and Stork seem to be nice selections, and we may have improved upon the backup QB position as well.

It'd be really nice to see one of Easley/Moore pan out defensively.

Either way, the free agency signings were excellent.

It's a testament to the depth of the team that management went into it expecting little to no contribution in 2014 from rounds 1, 2 and 3. Not many franchises can do this.

BelizePats said:

It's a testament to the depth of the team that management went into it expecting little to no contribution in 2014 from rounds 1, 2 and 3. Not many franchises can do this.

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This is exactly what I mean when I speak of the word "luxury" every spring and only a small percentage seem to get it.

The team has the ability to take a more patient approach due to keeping the cupboard stocked on a yearly basis. There weren't many open spots to begin with, and that's a great thing.

supafly said:

we may have improved upon the backup QB position as well

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That is an absolute certainty. What is totally up in the air is whether JG will provide any value once his rookie contract ends.

BelizePats said:

It's a testament to the depth of the team that management went into it expecting little to no contribution in 2014 from rounds 1, 2 and 3. Not many franchises can do this.

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The Raiders do that every year..well they don't plan it, it just happens.....

mayoclinic said:

Premature.

But Stork and Fleming look solid, so far.

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Also 2 of the big strong linemen we're trying to trend towards.

Still early, but a decent draft, I think.

I like what Easley's starting to show, but the book remains out on a 1st-rounder until he becomes more of an impact.

Jimmy Grapes fills a need solidly, it seems, so I'm okay with it.

Stork is the WIN so far.

Not high on White.

Fleming and Moore? We'll see, but I like Fleming's ability to come in, add some thunder nad play disciplined football.

I'm glad I don't have to ever break down the draft too critically with the Pats. So, White seems like a whiff, but Grey isn't, nor is the return of Mt. Blount.

Yeah, they've missed on CBs and Safeties, so we added Revis, Browner and Chung in the off-season...and nobody sleep on Butler!

We needed a wide-out - LaFell looks like the real deal.

We needed another TE who could catch. Welcome, Tim Wright.

BB has built a helluva football team.

Hopefully Easley can fully heal up and be more of a factor in the playoffs

Looks solid, but way to early to tell.

More realistic would be to look at the 11 and 12 draft class.

The only thing I can about people saying White looks like a whiff is the same thing was being said about Vereen and it was worse because Vereen was a 2nd round pick and one of the picks Pats got when they traded their other 1st round pick to New Orleans.

Just like Vereen was in 2011 Danny Woodhead break glass incase of emergemcy insurance. White is the same for Vereen this year.

I had a more lengthy discussion about this draft in another thread. For this thread, I'll just say...

Cue the following responses:

• This has to go in the Draft Forum
• Evaluating draft picks within three years is foolish!!

I'm surprised people aren't more opptimistic about Jimmy Grapes (I like that nick name). He has looked 100 times better than Cassell and Mallet in preseason. and I tend to be pessimistic.

Stork is a good plug and play guy. Too many guys take several years to acclimate but I understand that varies by position.

As for Easley, I think we need to wait until next year to know anything.

JMC00 said:

The only thing I can about people saying White looks like a whiff is the same thing was being said about Vereen and it was worse because Vereen was a 2nd round pick and one of the picks Pats got when they traded their other 1st round pick to New Orleans.

Just like Vereen was in 2011 Danny Woodhead break glass incase of emergemcy insurance. White is the same for Vereen this year.

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Exactly. I don't think white has looked good either in his limited snaps but fans are too quick to write off players. Let's see what he does next season before calling him a bust.