A trip down memory lane

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

WalterFootball.com: 2008 Offseason Page - New England Patriots - Team Needs, Season Preview, Free Agents, Salary Cap

Bad Moves: Jerod Mayo? Really? Guess Bill Belichick knows something I don't. First of all, Mayo was a reach at No. 10. Second, Mayo's a great fit for a cover-2 defense; not a 3-4. But like I said, I guess Belichick knows something I don't ... Kevin O'Connell? Ugh. I know about the need for a backup quarterback, but not in the third round. How about a right guard to replace Stephen Neal? What about a solid backup for the oft-injured Laurence Maroney? The way quarterbacks were slipping, Belichick could have obtained O'Connell in the fifth round ... Speaking of reaches, how about Matt Slater? The Patriots could have drafted him in the seventh.

10. Jerod Mayo, ILB, Tennessee
Bill Belichick shocked me by taking an inside linebacker earlier than the fifth round. I don't get it... first of all, Jerod Mayo doesn't seem like a great fit for the 3-4. Second, Mayo was a reach at 10. At least the Patriots traded down a bit. (Pick Grade: C)

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

A mediot who wrote a reactionary piece immediately following the draft was wrong?

 

[Deus Irae]

Hmmm......

Good Moves: Whoops - so much for not taking linebackers and corners early. Bill Belichick bucked his own trend, which is something I didn't expect ... Good to see Belichick found some cornerback depth with Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite. Mr. Hoodie has an eye for talent for corners. He's the one who drafted Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs ... Shawn Crable was solid value and a good fit at No. 78.

 

[Jackson 2]

WalterFootball.com: 2008 Offseason Page - New England Patriots - Team Needs, Season Preview, Free Agents, Salary Cap

A great find. Also, a perfect example of why putting any stock in immediate post-draft analyses and/or evaluations is a fool's errand and a waste of time.

 

[Deus Irae]

A great find. Also, a perfect example of why putting any stock in immediate post-draft analyses and/or evaluations is a fool's errand and a waste of time.

Any and all draft analysis, be it pre-draft or post-draft, is little more than fun bathroom reading. The men getting paid millions to make the calls are wrong most of the time, so what makes people think that someone like Mel Kiper is going to do any better? I don't say this to knock those analysts, because they bust their humps to get the best information they can. It's just a matter of common sense. Watch and read the analysis for gems like Kiper going off on the Jets, but don't be looking for anything approaching 100% accuracy from any of them.

Ryan Leaf
Tony Mandarich
Kenneth Sims

Those 3 really say it all, I think.

 

[Gwedd]

Yes indeed. Analysis always starts with Anal. The verdict of history is always written by historians, and, like a good wine, increases in value and taste with age. As a historian, I often cringe when I read the post-draft commentaries. No one knows. It's like everyone commenting at the wedding reception. Most hope for the best, some ask WTF, and others just weep and drink heavily. No one will know how the marriage turns out until one or the other party dies, or the divorce is finalized.

Can anyone imagine how history would be viewed if it were done the same as post-draft reports? Can anyone imagine what the report on the 2nd day of the Normandy Invasion might look like? Or a history of the Civil War that was published the day before Lincoln was shot? It's all a crap shoot and best settled when the folks involved retire. Or at least, some years down the pike.

Having said that, I am also all about the post-draft discussions, but with the caveat that no one will ever really know for quite some time.

Respects,