Draft Strategy

[Coach42]

Excellent comeback.

The Jesters traded up in 2007 for both Revis & David Harris, and surrendered many picks - and potential depth - in the process. Meanwhile, the Patriots - with 9 picks - drafted Stomper Meriweather & ... garbage. The winner, in this particular case, is: Quality over Quantity.

That is a pretty simplified view especially considering Moss and Welker essentially came out of that draft. There is so much more involved than just saying trade up or down. Its far to complicated to say that one is better than the other. For instance, yeah great for the Jets to trade up and get Revis, but you need the ammo to go up and a willing trade partner. To just say, for example, lets trade up and grab McClain is unrealistic. First you need the picks to trade up, then a trade partner willing to give up the pick, and the player needs to be available at a spot where its feasible for you to trade up to. That is a lot of dominos that need to fall in place before a wise team can pull the trigger. I hear everybody chirping about the Jets, but how about the Jags and Harvey or us and Chad Jackson?

 

[mayoclinic]

That is a pretty simplified view especially considering Moss and Welker essentially came out of that draft. There is so much more involved than just saying trade up or down. Its far to complicated to say that one is better than the other. For instance, yeah great for the Jets to trade up and get Revis, but you need the ammo to go up and a willing trade partner. To just say, for example, lets trade up and grab McClain is unrealistic. First you need the picks to trade up, then a trade partner willing to give up the pick, and the player needs to be available at a spot where its feasible for you to trade up to. That is a lot of dominos that need to fall in place before a wise team can pull the trigger. I hear everybody chirping about the Jets, but how about the Jags and Harvey or us and Chad Jackson?

The Jets traded 2 first round picks for Dwayne Robertson in 2003. That didn't work out so well for them.

As I've said earlier in this post, either approach works great when you hit on your picks. Both approaches suck when you miss.

Best example is the 49ers in the 1980's. Traded up (with the Pats) to #16 in 1985 to get Jerry Rice, GOAT WR. Traded out of the 1st round and back repeatedly in 1986 and got 6 future starters, 5 of whom made the pro bowl at some point in their career. Both drafts worked out great, and they got 3 superbowls out of the personnel obtained in those 2 drafts.

 

[VJCPatriot]

The Jets traded 2 first round picks for Dwayne Robertson in 2003. That didn't work out so well for them.

As I've said earlier in this post, either approach works great when you hit on your picks. Both approaches suck when you miss.

Best example is the 49ers in the 1980's. Traded up (with the Pats) to #16 in 1985 to get Jerry Rice, GOAT WR. Traded out of the 1st round and back repeatedly in 1986 and got 6 future starters, 5 of whom made the pro bowl at some point in their career. Both drafts worked out great, and they got 3 superbowls out of the personnel obtained in those 2 drafts.

So you gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em? Know when to cash those chips in, or move all in?

 

[mayoclinic]

So you gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em? Know when to cash those chips in, or move all in?

And when to pick Charles Haley (5 SB rings, 5 pro bowls, 100.5 career sacks) in the 4th round.

 

[Kpatte08]

My thoughts are you need to re-sign Wilfork, Mankins, Bodden and Faulk. The 2010 draft fills a couple defencive holes like 22 OLB (Kindle), 44 ILB (Spikes) and a little help for the offence in 47 TE (Hernandez), 53 OL (Asomoah) and 117 RB Tate from Auburn.
In 2011 you keep that Oakland pick and pray for WR (Julio Jones)......

 

[SunnyDenmark]

My thoughts are you need to re-sign Wilfork, Mankins, Bodden and Faulk. The 2010 draft fills a couple defencive holes like 22 OLB (Kindle), 44 ILB (Spikes) and a little help for the offence in 47 TE (Hernandez), 53 OL (Asomoah) and 117 RB Tate from Auburn.
In 2011 you keep that Oakland pick and pray for WR (Julio Jones)......

I'm fine with the first part - but let me get this straight. You want to use (Oaklands) potential top 10 pick (maybe top5) in 2011 for a WR?? He would have to be the next coming of Jerry Rice for me to be interested in that scenario. How many offensive plays are a WR actually an intimate part of? How often is an individual receiver (not named Welker) targeted in a game? And even if it is a pass play - what if the ball is thrown instead to another WR, TE or RB? That would be a very expensive decoy.

Think about it- Brady has shown us time and again he can get the ball to ANY WR no matter how mediocre they are IF HE HAS THE TIME. Get a franchaise LT and with Vohlmer at the RT and re-signing Mankins - that would be an awesome line cabible of running blocking OR pass blocking.

Better yet, get a DE - the next young rookie Seymore , Peppers, etc. Defensive lineman (high draft pick) would also be critically involved in most every defensive play - just like an O-lineman. WR would be a waste of a top 5-10 draft pick for the Pats. We saw this year with Welker - if you are targeting the same person over and over - the offense becomes too predictable and easier to defend. Use Oaklands top half 1st round pick on the best LT or 3-4 DE you can get.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm fine with the first part - but let me get this straight. You want to use (Oaklands) potential top 10 pick (maybe top5) in 2011 for a WR?? He would have to be the next coming of Jerry Rice for me to be interested in that scenario. How many offensive plays are a WR actually an intimate part of? How often is an individual receiver (not named Welker) targeted in a game? And even if it is a pass play - what if the ball is thrown instead to another WR, TE or RB? That would be a very expensive decoy.

Think about it- Brady has shown us time and again he can get the ball to ANY WR no matter how mediocre they are IF HE HAS THE TIME. Get a franchaise LT and with Vohlmer at the RT and re-signing Mankins - that would be an awesome line cabible of running blocking OR pass blocking.

Better yet, get a DE - the next young rookie Seymore , Peppers, etc. Defensive lineman (high draft pick) would also be critically involved in most every defensive play - just like an O-lineman. WR would be a waste of a top 5-10 draft pick for the Pats. We saw this year with Welker - if you are targeting the same person over and over - the offense becomes too predictable and easier to defend. Use Oaklands top half 1st round pick on the best LT or 3-4 DE you can get.

Possible targets with Oakland's 2011 1st round pick right now include:

- CB Patrick Peterson
- DE/OLB Robert Quinn or Greg Romeus
- DE Cameron Heyward
- WRs AJ Green, Julio Jones, Michael Floyd or Jonathan Baldwin

Other possibilities might include RBs Mark Ingram or Ryan Williams (though I don't favor a RB that early in the draft) or an OT,

Given the number of top WRs likely to come out and our other needs, I would hope that unless BB really thinks someone is the next Rice that we go in other directions. I'm rate my preferences right now (1) Peterson (2) Quinn (3) Heyward and (4) Romeus, depending on what our needs are.

I could see using our own 1st rounder, and possibly even our 2nd or 3rd round pick to trade up, on a WR.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

Possible targets with Oakland's 2011 1st round pick right now include:

- CB Patrick Peterson
- DE/OLB Robert Quinn or Greg Romeus
- DE Cameron Heyward
- WRs AJ Green, Julio Jones, Michael Floyd or Jonathan Baldwin

Other possibilities might include RBs Mark Ingram or Ryan Williams (though I don't favor a RB that early in the draft) or an OT,

Given the number of top WRs likely to come out and our other needs, I would hope that unless BB really thinks someone is the next Rice that we go in other directions. I'm rate my preferences right now (1) Peterson (2) Quinn (3) Heyward and (4) Romeus, depending on what our needs are.

I could see using our own 1st rounder, and possibly even our 2nd or 3rd round pick to trade up, on a WR.

Mayo -thanks for the names (draft targets: top 10 in 2011). Even though (unfortunately) I don't get to see collegiate games in Denmark, I can though instead follow their stats - game highlights and such. And it is better to get these names from someone like you (instead of some national sportswriter) as you know what kinds of players Bill targets and which players fit Pats system. Thanks.

 

[patsfan55]

The Patriots did not have a lot of big name players when they won
the three Superbowls but they had a lot of good football players. \.

At the time they weren't big name, but in the long run let's look at all the truly big names they did have:

Tom Brady
Willie McGinest
Mike Vrabel
Tedy Bruschi
Ted Johnson
Ted Washington
Vince Wilfork
Richard Seymour
Ty Warren
Ty Law
Lawyer Milloy
Rodney Harrison
Adam Vinatieri
Matt Light
Corey Dillon

Maybe not a lot of big name players on offense, but a ton on defense