Howdy WhoDat!
- What are some of the Patriot's tendencies when drafting players? Are they a Best Player available type of team, do they draft for needs, are they aggressive as far as trading up for a player they want, do they usually go defense in the 1st round?
Bill Belichick has a number of goals when drafting:
-- Make the "team" better. He wants bigger, faster, stronger, quicker, more explosive, smarter, disciplined, harder working, high football IQ players at each position. Mobile, agile, hostile, quick twitch Field Generals at each position, team captain a plus.
-- Position the Patriots for future drafts with extra picks while generating extra picks for .
-- Manage the Salary Cap by locking in youth, talent, and production at rookie prices for as long as possible.
-- Address weak areas with a boost in quality talent.
To succeed with these various goals NE does not aggressively trade up in the early rounds, they will trade up for a player they want, but rarely more than a short jump, and more often than not they trade back and accumulate extra picks in this draft and for future drafts. They will trade up more aggressively in the later rounds.
NE players eat, drink, and sleep football. They want gym AND film rats who don't just work on what they do well, but aggressively work on their weaknesses. They have to "play well with others" too.
For rounds one and two, they are after the Best "Patriots" Player Available. Not the guy with the most talent, but the most talented kid who fits the Pats' football culture. Belichick will gamble more with the second pick in the draft, take a shot at talent over Pats culture, but that first pick is for a guy who - for the most part - is going to get it done in a NE uniform. Belichick rarely goes with the trendy choice in draftnik circles, offense, defense, it doesn't matter; count on it, NE surprises the draftniks regularly.
- What are some of the needs the Patriots have? Some people have you guys getting an RB, but I just dont see it. Is Green-Ellis not performing up to par?
Depth, always start with depth as the key "need." WR Wes Welker gets hurt early in the 2009 season, 7th round QB to WR conversion Julian Edelman steps in as a rookie and keeps the chains moving. Tom Brady goes down in the first quarter of the first game in 2008, "I haven't started a game since high school" Matt Cassel puts down the clipboard and scrapes out an 11-5 season. Starting LG Logan Mankins sits out in a contract dispute, former starting RT Nick Kaczur slides inside to replace him and is injured, third man up Dan Connolly steps in to help with a 14-2 season. Depth - NE's number one "need."
Current depth needs" T, G/C, RB, WR, QB, TE on offense, and not necessarily in that order; DL, OLB, ILB, CB, S on defense. Special Teams coverage personnel are always in demand for depth, and it's nice if they can help position depth too, for example: the ILB depth chart is currently four deep for two positions with a fifth Special Teams only LB, if that fifth wheel can be turned into a Nickel/Dime Linebacker for the pass happy NFL, it's a bonus pick.
Taking the above list, it's hard for us to get into the head of Belichick when we can't get into the heads of the kids he's interviewing and working out, so we make our best guess at character/football IQ and look at the talent available. 3-4 DE has some depth in this draft, 3-4 OLB not so much (and Belichick tends to avoid major conversions early), CB is deep, S is weak, RB early is weak, QB early is weak and a lower priority as is TE, etc. You look at a player like J.J. Watt, we know he plays with a high motor and is passionate about football, he has some 3-4 experience, and he's learning a new position and gets better every time you see him. On paper Watt looks like a NE target. Is he too inexperienced? Maybe. The thing Belichick asks of his scouts isn't to catalog weaknesses, but to describe how a player can be used in the NE system.
- Would Belichick ever take a WR in the 1st round?
Yes, but how would he be used? The receiving corps runs through Welker and the Tight Ends, is there a first round WR who can take reps away from the current corps in a 30 points/game offense? Will he play STs? Is there another position who needs depth more (the starting RG just retired and the starting LG is taking his franchise tag to court for the NFLPA's power play)?
Last year everybody swore up and down that NE needed a rush OLB, Belichick drafted a CB who went to the Pro-Bowl as a rookie; he started every game at LCB, barely missed a snap, and he played on STs in coverage and as a reserve KR. He even got a couple Defensive Rookie of the Year votes away from Suh. The moral is, draft the player all the experts pick only if you think there is no better player available. Good Hunting!