Rate the whole draft

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I give it a B+ primarily because it has all evolved around and benefitted the franchise player in Tom Brady and I think there were some big attempts to target him and his health as a factor in this draft

This may be the year when we finally take the world off of Brady's shoulders and hand the ball off to our flurry of talented RBs

This will ease the burden on Brady having to win the game on his own and opposing teams defenses may no longer plan to just shut down the passing lanes and beat the Patriots.

Our young defense will no longer have to be on the field too long as Brady should be giving them plenty of rest with long drives consuming clock.

There will be a two headed monster in New England next year on offense.... In the air and finally damage on the ground.

I have a feeling that this years team will dominate the clock in TOP

Let's get back on the damn field soon and play,I can't wait!

 

[shirtsleeve]

Neal has already retired.

Yeah, I had gotten a bit carried away. I almost posted that in the losers thread too, then remembered. oops. Still, Connelly is a pine rider now.

 

[Patjew]

I gave it a "WTF" because I really don't ******* get it. But I presume that it will yield positive results... because they almost always do.

 

[WhiZa]

Except it was nothing like the 2007 draft.

Hard to argue with that

 

[DarrylS]

Solid A- this draft took place in the context of a labor dispute, none of our picks have to play on 9/12.. if they develop quickly, it is an added benefit.

There will be no rookie camp, no OTA's, no assimilation into the culture of the NFL and Patriots.. and probably a limited TC. Consider those teams that drafted players like Newton who are expected to contribute immediately, that will not work out well.

This team is being rebuilt on the fly, and is getting deeper and stronger every year.

 

[E Belichick Unum]

WTF???

We ended the draft in exactly the same situation we entered it, we do not have an outside pass rusher and will once again be unable to get off of the field on third down. I think that BB is the greatest coach in the nFL, but just a so so GM. This draft has proven that he is contrary to the injury of the team.

Who is going to rush the passer? TBC, Cunningham, Ninkovitch? TBC is overrated, Ninkovitch is a journeyman who by his standards just had a career year and Cunningham was invisable for most of his time on the field.

Next season will probably mirror last season, a good regular season record followed by a bad post season. No pass rush equals no post season wins.

 

[TriplecHamp]

I went with Meh but its more of a Meh/Win than a Meh/fail. Im starting to realize that some of the picks we made may be indicative of the offensive change that was alluded to at Gillette during day one. I think we are really going to be able to close people out with our running game (smash and dash). We grabbed a physical DB in Dowling whom I suspect will be replacing Merriweather at FS in the near future but will contribute in nickle and dime packages immediately. Like the Solder pick; with his upside we should be set at the tackle position for the future. The Mallett pick has a lot of positive outcomes in the future but the jury will be out until he really gets to play and matures. The two big holes in the draft for me were passrusher weather that be a DE or OLB and WR. These can both be addressed during free agency/trades though.

 

[BradyManny]

Potential stud left tackle; another big, physical corner; revamped backfield; great value at QB; grabbing a 2nd round talent in the 5th round in Cannon = WIN.

I'd call it Epic Win had we gotten Wilkerson or Heyward at 28, I just don't see the urgency to push that pick into next year, even if it means picking up a free 2nd rounder this year. Clearly, Belichick was not interested in those two 34 ends, and for obvious reasons, I trust him more than me, so I'll deal with it.

 

[townes]

Win, overall an A-. Like most i wanted front 7 to bolster the pass rush but when it comes down to having to draft the 7th or 8th best player to add to the front 7 or the top OT prospect it is a no brainer, and they followed that path in this draft. You cannot be better than the rest of the league if you are constantly taking weaker prospects out of need, and you remain on top by consistently taking the highest rated prospects as you end up with a more talented team filled with the players you really want. Allowing need to dictate draft strategy and philosophy ends up working against teams over the long run even if it helps them address a need in the short run.

 

[BradyManny]

I think people are forgetting a couple factors -

One, the draft is not the best place to fill short-term needs on a roster. The draft is for long-term roster building.

If Belichick thinks Jermaine Cunningham is going to be a quality OLB for this team and that either Ron Brace or Deaderick or whoever can be a quality 34 end in the base D - he's not going to reach for a player at those positions in the draft.

The other factor is how principled and disciplined Belichick is in the draft, and it's hard to argue with his success. He's not going to compromise what he believes is the right draft strategy.

If anything, there are two instances where Belichick over-relied on the draft to fill need and regretted it - when went into 2006 with an embarrassing and indefensible receiving group; and when we went into 2008 with O'Neal at corner. In both cases, Belichick did try and use the draft to solve the issue (Jackson, Wheatley/Wilhite, respectively), but injuries and poor performance got in the way.

 

[townes]

I think people are forgetting a couple factors -

One, the draft is not the best place to fill short-term needs on a roster. The draft is for long-term roster building.

If Belichick thinks Jermaine Cunningham is going to be a quality OLB for this team and that either Ron Brace or Deaderick or whoever can be a quality 34 end in the base D - he's not going to reach for a player at those positions in the draft.

The other factor is how principled and disciplined Belichick is in the draft, and it's hard to argue with his success. He's not going to compromise what he believes is the right draft strategy.

If anything, there are two instances where Belichick over-relied on the draft to fill need and regretted it - when went into 2006 with an embarrassing and indefensible receiving group; and when we went into 2008 with O'Neal at corner. In both cases, Belichick did try and use the draft to solve the issue (Jackson, Wheatley/Wilhite, respectively), but injuries and poor performance got in the way.

Pretty much how i see it. If you can address need and still take the best players in a draft you do so, but if forced to choose between taking better players or addressing need the only way a team can be successful long term is to take the better players. I think the players the patriots picked in the first 5 rounds, other than Mallett, all addressed needs, just not the lack of a pass rush, and stayed true to the philosophy of taking the highest rated talent. At some point draftniks, and that usually includes me, have to come to terms with the fact that the Patriots Draft Board is very different than the generic boards that draft magazines and analysts put out, and our higher rated players rarely coincide with theirs, so there is always going to be a serious disconnect.