I was looking at a bunch of mocks the other day and it seems to me that New England is going to be in a unique spot in this draft. There are going to be a lot of highly-rated players who slide because of the way the draft order runs this year -- leaving the Patriots with a really interesting need-vs.-value dilemma.
For one thing, it seems very likely that the best running back in the draft, Moreno, is going to be there. He's not going to go higher than 10, and between 10 and 23 there are only four teams with even a semi-obvious hole at running back -- Philadelphia (because Westbrook isn't durable), New Orleans (need a between-the-tackles back to go with Bush), Denver, and Tampa Bay (Cadillac is hurt again). Denver is probably going to take a quarterback with its first pick, though, and the second pick is almost sure to be on defense. The Saints pretty much have to take a DB up high. Philly, if it doesn't trade for or sign a veteran wideout, really has a bigger need for a receiver, and there will be some there. That leaves Tampa, but Tampa also has a pretty desperate need for a DT, and guys like Jerry and Hood and Tyson Jackson, all of whom fit their defense, might be there for them to take.
So Moreno might be there. So might the best tight end (Pettigrew, and I know we already had a thread about this), the best center (Mack), the best guard (Duke Robinson maybe?) and -- and I know this sounds crazy -- the best defensive back, Michael Jenkins. If you look at the draft closely you can see a scenario where Jenkins falls. If New Orleans either doesn't pick a DB for whatever insane reason (one of those reasons being that they decide they can't pass on Moreno) or goes for a different corner like Davis or Butler instead of Jenkins, Jenkins could fall to NE pretty quickly. Detroit desperately needs DB help, but hey, they need everything -- and if they pick Stafford #1, they'll be likely to pick a tackle if a good one like Oher is there at #20.
The question is, which if any of these players would NE grab if they fell? The Pats don't have a desperate need for a running back, but Moreno looks like he might be a great player -- so how do you pass on him if he's there? Then there are all the other guys who might fall for character concerns discussed in the other thread, guys like Raji, Harvin, Maualuga, Crabtree, etc. If any/all of these guys fell, which would the Pats take? And in general, is a good strategy for them to sit at 23 and snatch up whoever slides, just taking the best player there? Or do they go up and get a guy that they target who fits the need, someone like Matthews? It's an interesting question. Have to say, this is one of the more interesting drafts ever.
For one thing, it seems very likely that the best running back in the draft, Moreno, is going to be there. He's not going to go higher than 10, and between 10 and 23 there are only four teams with even a semi-obvious hole at running back -- Philadelphia (because Westbrook isn't durable), New Orleans (need a between-the-tackles back to go with Bush), Denver, and Tampa Bay (Cadillac is hurt again). Denver is probably going to take a quarterback with its first pick, though, and the second pick is almost sure to be on defense. The Saints pretty much have to take a DB up high. Philly, if it doesn't trade for or sign a veteran wideout, really has a bigger need for a receiver, and there will be some there. That leaves Tampa, but Tampa also has a pretty desperate need for a DT, and guys like Jerry and Hood and Tyson Jackson, all of whom fit their defense, might be there for them to take.
So Moreno might be there. So might the best tight end (Pettigrew, and I know we already had a thread about this), the best center (Mack), the best guard (Duke Robinson maybe?) and -- and I know this sounds crazy -- the best defensive back, Michael Jenkins. If you look at the draft closely you can see a scenario where Jenkins falls. If New Orleans either doesn't pick a DB for whatever insane reason (one of those reasons being that they decide they can't pass on Moreno) or goes for a different corner like Davis or Butler instead of Jenkins, Jenkins could fall to NE pretty quickly. Detroit desperately needs DB help, but hey, they need everything -- and if they pick Stafford #1, they'll be likely to pick a tackle if a good one like Oher is there at #20.
The question is, which if any of these players would NE grab if they fell? The Pats don't have a desperate need for a running back, but Moreno looks like he might be a great player -- so how do you pass on him if he's there? Then there are all the other guys who might fall for character concerns discussed in the other thread, guys like Raji, Harvin, Maualuga, Crabtree, etc. If any/all of these guys fell, which would the Pats take? And in general, is a good strategy for them to sit at 23 and snatch up whoever slides, just taking the best player there? Or do they go up and get a guy that they target who fits the need, someone like Matthews? It's an interesting question. Have to say, this is one of the more interesting drafts ever.
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