Early 2007 Preview
 

Says 07 draft will be good offensively. Very poor defensively?
Does BB factor this into injecting some youth on our defense?
I think defense is our primary need anyway. Provided we sign
D.Givens or a comparable replacement. Here link to GBN.

http://www.gbnreport.com/scoutsnotebook.htm

I like the fact that they don't have Jeff Samardzija going in the top 10. I want to see him catching passes from another Brady in fall 2007. :)

All going according to the master plan
 

The patriots are set up to make a killing in this defensive bonanza draft. Trading out of last years weak draft and stockpilingpicks for this year was brilliant. A mid 1st round for us is like Christmas in April. I would expect BB/SP to trade this pick up for Bobby Carpenter or down a couple for a Manny Lawson.
From there its trading up and down each round for targeted picks on the defensive side of the ball. DE/LB/SS and a CB. I expect these the day one picks.

To do this effectively we need to address WR/RB thru FA. The Patriots are in absolutely prime position to make this a banner defensive draft with 9, possibly 10 picks. Yeah! :rocker:

That is my opinion too. To hell with taking inferior skill offensive players merely because they are so sparse, this year. BB/SP have shown that building a team is a multi-year process. This year, for the first time in a long time, there are the defensive ballpalyers at the size, speed and character that Bill covets. He will go and get them, IMO. Next year he'll harvest a couple of skill offensive guys, when they're plentiful in the 2007 draft.

GBN also has the top prospects (hundreds of them) list for next year. The WR class looks loaded and the RB's look good too. One name they didn't include for the DE's was Gaines Adams from Clemson. I e-mailed them & they put him on the list but not on the write-up for the DL in the link above.

I think you have it backwards. We would have to trade up for Lawson and down for Carpenter.

AZ, i was impressed a short time ago ... when you convinced me that the Pats would use their surfeit of picks to trade up ... and take fewer, but higher quality, guys.

Is that what you still envision, when you join Feep's glee over having 9 or 10 picks? You mean 4 or 5 guys who'll make the team, don't you? ... not 9 or 10 guys, most of whom will migrate to Houston, Tennessee, and San Fran after the cuts?

FeepFLA, which of these strategies are you applauding ... quality or quantity?

[/QUOTE]FeepFLA, which of these strategies are you applauding ... quality or quantity?[/QUOTE]

I feel the Patriots generally passed on the 2005 draft as being weak. Thus trading picks and picking up Baltimore's and Detroits mid-rounds this year specificly to amass picks to move up and down to players they are targeting. They will use quantity to draft 5 quality defensive players that will be starters next year. Even more specificly I expect these positions to be CB, SS, ILB, OLB and a backup NT. WR has to be addressed in FA IMO to take advantage of this strategy effectively. I expect them to sign a quality RB backup thru FA also. If they do that you'll know I was right otherwise this opinion is meaningless. If we add 3 or starting quality defensive players by 2007 and the 2007 is offense-rich as predicted we will be in the hunt for SB's in the foreseeable future. :rocker:

Thanks for making me clarify my thinking Flutie2Phelan..... :rocker:

Did I say all 9 or 10 had to be draftees? I expect we will sign vet FAs at RB and WR and in the DBs. tehn add the premiunm trade up picks as well....