How can the team overcome the loss of next year's 1st round draft pick?

Pats could pull a Colts " Suck for Luck" season and get their 2nd round pick close to where they normally pick in the first round.

I still not have given up hope that we will get it back.. even though Kraft acquiesced, if there is an expose on the corruption at 345 Madison Ave. things might change.

We have seen bits and pieces of it on the internet, someday someone will put it all together.. many people might talk for a price..

So, win the SB again, then trade up to grab the #1 pick of the NFC champion, so Goodell has to come out to say, "The (NFC Champion) has traded their pick to the New England Patriots. The Patriots forfeit that pick as penalty for illegally deflating footballs. Therefore we move to the next pick. The New England Patriots are on the clock."

betterthanthealternative said:

So, win the SB again, then trade up to grab the #1 pick of the NFC champion, so Goodell has to come out to say, "The (NFC Champion) has traded their pick to the New England Patriots. The Patriots forfeit that pick as penalty for illegally deflating footballs. Therefore we move to the next pick. The New England Patriots are on the clock."

Click to expand...

That would be great to see. Unfortunately, it's really no different than any other year in terms of having the option to spend picks in other rounds to try and move up to the first round.

If this were to happen, Goodell and the NFL would still get us for say...a 2nd and a 3rd, instead of a first. Not too much difference there outside of losing the ability to use the 5th year option with a first round pick. I suppose that Belichick will consider every option available.

Honestly, the team should be pushing back; getting their pick back. The team should be saying: NO!

It seems that the more this situation is investigated, the more insane the claims are. In fact, here's a new take from author, Malcolm Gladwell:

“Every time we learned something new, it got more ridiculous,” Gladwell said, about 53 minutes into the podcast. “It was one of those rare occasions where, you sometimes think that, as new revelations come out, it will resolve the controversy. You’ll have a deeper understanding. This was the opposite. Every time I read something new, it’s like, wait, it’s just stupider and dumber.

“The Wells Report, such as it was, was a piece of astonishing garbage. I mean, just because a report is produced at great cost by a fancy-sounding law firm and a lawyer with a long reputation does not mean it clarifies the issues or represents an intelligent and thoughtful analysis of the issues. That report was just (expletive). It’s just, like, ordered up by the NFL’s office to cover their disastrous decisions.”

Malcolm Gladwell Calls Wells Report 'Astonishing Garbage' on 'The Bill Simmons Podcast'

Consider this: Goodell & the NFL should be punished!

The New England Patriots should not only get their pick and money back, but should also get compensated for this outrageous display of collective insanity.

Wait a minute.....I was told by very, very reliable sources here that the Pats are terrible at drafting, particularly in the 1st round.

Has someone been lying to me?

The Pats lost a first round draft pick in 2000 to get Belichick here in the first place as retribution for the Pats demanding a similar recompense for the Tuna. They went to three Super Bowls in short order and won them all.

The Pats lost a first round draft pick in 2007 for a technical disagreement on the placement of cameras. They went onto a 16-0 season and three Super Bowls (and two AFC Championships), winning one of the Super Bowls.

So now that they've been docked another first round pick, I guess we should pencil in three more Super Bowls.

When the draft happens next spring, just pretend that the safety they draft in the 6th round is actually their first round pick and it won't seem any different than any other Belichick draft. History says it'll be fine on the field.

you could argue the pats have gotten more out of UDFA's the past 2 years than their first rounders

butler, andrews vs easley, brown

you can find bodies

just round up all the guys who started in the SEC and didn't get drafted.....I'd bet there's more than a few gems

Because Goodell is an asshat, the picks are gone.

For what little silver lining it's worth, the money that would have gone to that first-round pick can instead go to the signing bonus for one of Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, or Jamie Collins.

ctpatsfan77 said:

For what little silver lining it's worth, the money that would have gone to that first-round pick can instead go to the signing bonus for one of Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, or Jamie Collins.

Click to expand...

But seriously, how much $$$ are we talking about?

Bruins29 said:

Wait a minute.....I was told by very, very reliable sources here that the Pats are terrible at drafting, particularly in the 1st round.

Has someone been lying to me?

Click to expand...

By the Pro Football Ref "AV" metric of general career production, who do you think is Belichick's worst first round pick with the Patriots? Excluding the last two drafts which has players who have yet to accumulate stats. Hint: Started 49 games with the Pats and 66 games afterward for other teams.

Answer: Daniel Graham. 19 Career AV. Perfectly acceptable blocking TE. Started 100 games in this league. That's not bad. Other guys we cringe about like Maroney and Meriweather produced and started for a while.

In comparison, the Jets in that time period have drafted Vernon Gholston (8), Anthony Becht (12), and Kyle Wilson (13) in the first round. Dee Milliner (6) looks to join the bust list unless he gets healthy at some point. I think we can argue that Belichick has never drafted a first round bust with the Pats.

Chiuba E. Obele said:

But seriously, how much $$$ are we talking about?

Click to expand...

Malcom Brown's deal was about $7M + the fifth-year tender. So, depending on position, somewhere on the order of $15–17M in salary cap hits over the 2016 to 2020 seasons.

NE has gone without a first rounder a several times, namely 2000, 2009 and 2013. They've also had a few times where they moved or lost a first while having another to go along with it, including 2003, 2008 and 2011.

This year will obviously be different, but considering the bevy of comp picks just think of it as if NE traded back from #32 for a bunch of mid rounders. The long and short of it is that they'll be fine.

Chiuba E. Obele said:

But seriously, how much $$$ are we talking about?

Click to expand...

Not a whole lot next year but in years 3 and 4 of that draft pick, quite a bit. I would guess next year it saves us 1.2 to 1.5 million? Everything helps I guess.

slam said:

By the Pro Football Ref "AV" metric of general career production, who do you think is Belichick's worst first round pick with the Patriots? .

Click to expand...

I would have said Graham for sure....yeah. Then Merriweather and then Lomo. Everyone else he pretty much hit paydirt on.

Without knowing what Easly and Brown become the next worse after that I might go with - ready for this? Nate Friggen Soldier. And I love Soldier. Great LT and underated by some here.

Nate may be the only 1st rounder that has not been a Pro bowler for the Pats (I think)

#1's go bust. It isn't outlandish for that to happen.
With that in mind -- Karma has saved the day just like it is doing to Indy and Ravens! It just so happens this upcoming draft was going to be our turn for our #1 to be a bust. So, ironically, Chancellor Goodell did us a favor and saved BB the money and the effort, as well as BB/us watching sub par play, just to find out this #1 is a bust. And it saves a valuable roster spot for a lower round pick/UFDA who can actually contribute to the team.

I can see that reality as clear as day. Oh Mr. Goodell, you've done it again!

TheBostonStraggler said:

#1's go bust. It isn't outlandish for that to happen.
With that in mind -- Karma has saved the day just like it is doing to Indy and Ravens! It just so happens this upcoming draft was going to be our turn for our #1 to be a bust. So, ironically, Chancellor Goodell did us a favor and saved BB the money and the effort, as well as BB/us watching sub par play, just to find out this #1 is a bust. And it saves a valuable roster spot for a lower round pick/UFDA who can actually contribute to the team.

I can see that reality as clear as day. Oh Mr. Goodell, you've done it again!

Click to expand...

Someone in another thread mentioned how Dion Lewis is, in effect, our first round pick. His production and numbers are comparable to some of the best running backs coming out of this year's draft. So I guess you're right about Karma

Losing a first rounder is always tough but the Patriots don't really have a ton of needs.

Bruins29 said:

I would have said Graham for sure....yeah. Then Merriweather and then Lomo. Everyone else he pretty much hit paydirt on.

Without knowing what Easly and Brown become the next worse after that I might go with - ready for this? Nate Friggen Soldier. And I love Soldier. Great LT and underated by some here.

Nate may be the only 1st rounder that has not been a Pro bowler for the Pats (I think)

Click to expand...

Here's a list of non-Pro Bowl Patriots 1st rounders during the BB era, excluding Easley and Brown:

- Daniel Graham
- Ty Warren (was an All-Pro once)
- Benjamin Watson
- Laurence Maroney
- Nate Solder
- Chandler Jones
- Donta Hightower

Pro Bowls isn't the best way to determine the success of a draft pick. Case and point:

- Brandon Meriweather made the pro bowl twice. This was due to how Ed Reed was the only good Safety in the AFC for 3 or 4 years.

- Devin McCourty was a reserve at his lone Pro Bowl appearance his rookie year. Since then he's been the #1 or #2 FS in the AFC/NFL and hasn't made any Pro Bowls.