Could we have done better than Mills at 4?

[RayClay]

The Mills thread made me think. Since it's slow season, I think this is a questionable pick so why not bring it up?


I kind of wonder about this pick. I know it's the fourth round, but is this guy really an improvement in any way?

Is he a special teams maniac? That would make a difference.

I don't believe he's a runner or blocker and I didn't see anything outstanding about his receiving or running in the clip. And he's too small for TE.

It's slow, so I think it's worth batting around. 1. Could we have made better use of the pick? (defense, WR, KR, PR)

2. Does he give us anything that Pass doesn't already have covered?

(I realize a highight film doesn't really tell the tale.)

 

[rookBoston]

2. Does he give us anything that Pass doesn't already have covered?

Well, youth, for one.

 

[BelichickFan]

2. Does he give us anything that Pass doesn't already have covered?

Maybe be have film on him pulling his hamstring without dropping the damn ball

Seriously, ProFW said he'd be a #1 pick if he were a few inches taller. I know it didn't work out with Klecko but I think they just figured they'd get a good football player and hope the lack of inches doesn't hurt him.

Could we have done better ? Who knows. We'd probably all be fine with Mincey had we taken him in the 4th.

 

[RayClay]

Well, youth, for one.

That's true, but Pass can run and block and plays special teams.

Pass is under 30 and low mileage.

Doesn't address question 1, could we have better used the pick elsewhere?

 

[RayClay]

Maybe be have film on him pulling his hamstring without dropping the damn ball

Seriously, ProFW said he'd be a #1 pick if he were a few inches taller. I know it didn't work out with Klecko but I think they just figured they'd get a good football player and hope the lack of inches doesn't hurt him.

Could we have done better ? Who knows. We'd probably all be fine with Mincey had we taken him in the 4th.

Where do we play him? A fullback that only catches passes, aren't they always available cheap? Heath Evans?

 

[SaCaCh]

So we are talking about the fourth round and training camp hasn't even started yet, and we are talking about if we could of done better...I don't get it.




PS. If you had seen him play against Okl. like I did, you would not be asking this question.

 

[RayClay]

So we are talking about the fourth round and training camp hasn't even started yet, and we are talking about if we could of done better...I don't get it.




PS. If you had seen him play against Okl. like I did, you would not be asking this question.

Well please fill us in. That's why I thought it would be an interesting thread.

I believe this is a discussion board.

Should I start another Ty Law thread?

Seriously, where will he play and why will he be a better pick/player than the alternative?

 

[SaCaCh]

Seriously, where will he play and why will he be a better pick/player than the alternative?

1) Well It's BB HOPE that he will be able to line up anywhere in the offense.

2) this is unanswerable at this time.

 

[RayClay]

1) Well It's BB HOPE that he will be able to line up anywhere in the offense.

2) this is unanswerable at this time.

No offense if you've seen the guy and he's great.

Just seems a legitimate topic of discussion when most stuff has been talked to death.

Obviously, the proof will be on the field.

 

[BelichickFan]

Where do we play him? A fullback that only catches passes, aren't they always available cheap? Heath Evans?

2 options, or a combination thereof :

1) If he ends up being the next Keith Byars I doubt we'll be too upset.
2) He's not THAT small. 6'1", 241 is only 2 inches short and 10 pounds light from a real TE. It's wholly reasonable that he could play TE on passing downs and even be a decent chip blocker like we often use our TE. He's 3 inches shorter and 18 pounds lighter than Fasano but was more athletic. 4.34 Shuttle/6.94 Cone/4.86 40 for Fasano vs. 4.06 Shuttle/6.82 Cone/4.64 40 for Mills.

 

[patsox23]

GREAT thread - interesting topic, as long as everyone acknolwedges, as the thread's originator does, that OBVIOUSLY we can't really discuss this fairly quite yet. If we can stipulate that, it could be a good type of discussion on here. My take:

While I worry about it being another Klecko-ish 4th rounder, I think there are reasons to really get behind this pick, not the least of which is that BB/Pioli had ALL NIGHT to reshuffle the board, think about it and zero in on WHOEVER THEY WANTED. They had the ammo to trade up, they had other teams eager to trade up to THEIR spot, and they held on and took Garrett Mills. This, in addition to the fact that they don't necessarily have a hole at TE or FB on the roster, having just drafted Dave Thomas.

In other words, there was every reason NOT to take this guy, plenty of time to re-jigger things and go elsewhere, but they liked Mills SO much, they actually took him DESPITE myriad reasons NOT to. I can't wait to see what the kid can do. And I don't think it's just S/T's.

 

[patsox23]

Heath Evans, by the way, is not really a FB. He's a large HB who doesn't really block very well. He's also a lock to be cut, IMO.

 

[AllabouttheVinces]

Could we have done better than Mills at 4? Absolutely. Rd 4 seems like it's too high to draft a player who will contribute primarily on special teams. Mills has a rep for being a strong contributor on ST, but we could have done better.

Take a look at my previous thread: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=36350

Give me Parys Haralson, Jason Avant, Will Blackmon, Demario Minter, or a half dozen other guys on that list. As a fourth TE, I don't see the "value" that BB always talks about. On ST, I see value. But Rd 4 is too high to draft for ST only.

 

[Weishuhn]

Like the previous poster, I saw him play against Oklahoma. This was a game that Tulsa nearly won, and their only offense was throwing the ball to Garret Mills. Seriously, everybody knew the ball was going to Mills, and he repeatedly got open, made catches in traffic and underneath. He can be taught to block a little better and turn into a real asset.

 

[spacecrime]

That's true, but Pass can run and block and plays special teams.

Pass is under 30 and low mileage.

Doesn't address question 1, could we have better used the pick elsewhere?

If Pass had been any good over the past 5-6 years, he would have more mileage. And he can't block. That's why when run blocking is required, pass is not on the field.

A little early to tell how a draft pick will work out. Who do you wish we had taken?

 

[spacecrime]

Seriously, where will he play and why will he be a better pick/player than the alternative?

What alternative? Give us the player you thought we should have taken and it can be discussed. (If you can't think of a better player, then you have your anser

 

[spacecrime]

I agree with about everything you say, excpet that they did kind of have a hole at FB. haven't had one in a while, unless you count Pass (who really is a tailback, or Vrabel/Hochstein/Seymour who play FB in the red zone sometimes.

I think the key to understanding Mills is to think of him as a FB, not a TE.

GREAT thread - interesting topic, as long as everyone acknolwedges, as the thread's originator does, that OBVIOUSLY we can't really discuss this fairly quite yet. If we can stipulate that, it could be a good type of discussion on here. My take:

While I worry about it being another Klecko-ish 4th rounder, I think there are reasons to really get behind this pick, not the least of which is that BB/Pioli had ALL NIGHT to reshuffle the board, think about it and zero in on WHOEVER THEY WANTED. They had the ammo to trade up, they had other teams eager to trade up to THEIR spot, and they held on and took Garrett Mills. This, in addition to the fact that they don't necessarily have a hole at TE or FB on the roster, having just drafted Dave Thomas.

In other words, there was every reason NOT to take this guy, plenty of time to re-jigger things and go elsewhere, but they liked Mills SO much, they actually took him DESPITE myriad reasons NOT to. I can't wait to see what the kid can do. And I don't think it's just S/T's.

 

[miDeuce]

Can someone explain to me what an "H-back" is?

Interesting thread. I was amazed when I saw the name of another TE come up in the fourth round. But the more I read about this guy, the more I saw what distiguished him from David Thomas... that he long snapped after only a couple practices, even returned punts for a game, played a number of positions, knows the playbook backwards and forwards.... he embodies everything Belioli loves. That was where they saw value I think, more than anything this kid is a football player. I've heard Belichick say they just teach the players the system then figure out how they can contribute. It seems like he will surely be able to bring something to table - I just hope it's significant.

 

[patsox23]

Could we have done better than Mills at 4? Absolutely. Rd 4 seems like it's too high to draft a player who will contribute primarily on special teams. Mills has a rep for being a strong contributor on ST, but we could have done better.

Take a look at my previous thread: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=36350

Give me Parys Haralson, Jason Avant, Will Blackmon, Demario Minter, or a half dozen other guys on that list. As a fourth TE, I don't see the "value" that BB always talks about. On ST, I see value. But Rd 4 is too high to draft for ST only.

Maybe so, but where the hell do you get the "ST only" stuff from? The guy is a TREMENDOUS pass-catching weapon. In 2005 Garret Mills established an NCAA record for most receptions by a tight end with 87. He's going to play on more than just ST's, and my expectation, based on where they took him, is that they expect him to do so for a long time.

 

[AllabouttheVinces]

Maybe so, but where the hell do you get the "ST only" stuff from? The guy is a TREMENDOUS pass-catching weapon. In 2005 Garret Mills established an NCAA record for most receptions by a tight end with 87. He's going to play on more than just ST's, and my expectation, based on where they took him, is that they expect him to do so for a long time.

I hope you're right. I just don't see them taking Watson, Graham or possibly even Thomas off the field to put Mills in on a regular basis. With all the needs to be filled, a 4th TE is a questionable pick. He does have a track record of being a strong ST contributor, so he fits the BB mold of being versatile. He is also undersized for TE, hence the speculation by many that he'll play FB, which he's never played, to my knowledge. He looks like the Klecko of the offense. He knocks Heath Evans off the roster. I still say we could have done better.