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Yep. And even with Mankins -- we know the Pats wanted Tim Wright. If they hadn't been willing to part with Mankins, maybe they would have given a draft pick instead. And maybe giving up that pick meant they didn't trade for Akeem Ayers. And maybe....
This is something I think about fairly frequently. What if the Pats had taken Muhammad Wilkerson at #28 in 2011, instead of trading the pick to New Orleans? Would they have missed out on Chandler Jones in 2012? Dont'a Hightower? Maybe they would have traded up for Jones and taken Lavonte David instead, or maybe they would have gone in a totally different direction. Maybe they would have traded the #33 pick instead of using it on Ras-I Dowling.
It's easy to get caught up in "what if" scenarios. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the team has evolved. And one corollary of the "BB the GM" criticism that people forget: had we hit on more of our draft picks, we would be in more of a bind on who to pay and keep, something that is already a difficult process.