Season is over, how would you rate our 2016 Rookie Class?

[willard]

We had 9 rookies make and stick with the team for the whole season. The conventional wisdom is you wait two years to evaluate a class, but the season has ended and we have the bye. I have included rookie FA we brought in to camp, but not rookies who joined after the season started.

I am weighing the grades based on their draft position (expect a lot more from a 2nd round pick than a 6th round pick) their playing position (a 3rd string Qb is not expected to play the same number of snaps as a cb/st ace) and actual production.

Cyrus Jones (60)D

Joe Thuney (78) A

Jacoby Brissett (91) A-

Vincent Valentine (96) A

Malcom Mitchell (113) A-

Elandon Roberts (214) A+

Ted Karras (221) Inc.

DJ Foster (RFA) Inc.

Jonathon Jones (RFA) A


Combine our low draft position, the number one performing team in the regular season and our relative health not allowing much room for rookies to get in unless they forced their way in and I think we had an extremely successful draft.

Overall grade A

 

[patsinthesnow]

Thuney: Longterm starter at LG

Mitchell: Would you trade him straight up for any of the first round WRs? (Coleman, Treadwell, Fuller, Doctson) He looks like a steal.

Valentine: Rotational DT with upside

Brissett: Love his intangibles and has some tools. I like him longterm.

Roberts: Spikes 2.0. Good late round contributor.

I hope one of Cyrus Jones or Jonathan Jones develop for us. Jonathan Jones looks promising as an all around nickel CB (coverage, tackling, ST gunner)


Great draft class without a first round pick.

 

[ALP]

seems like we had a hell of a draft w/ only downside being our first pick, we may see him evolve a lot for next season though, his D is much better than his ST play

 

[BKapatsfan]

First round pick? We don't need no stinking first round pick.

I'd say a B maybe gotta love the special team madman and good receiver. Thuney awww yeah he's been great. Draft turns into an A plus plus plus if Brissett turns into a starter.

 

[Gronkowski123]

great draft overall!!

never doubt the hoodie

 

[TBR]

B+ based on the first year of play.

A- based on value.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Very happy with this draft class. B+ and could easily be an A or A + if Jones shows some improvement. I think we picked up important players, and I love Brissett's attitude and potential. I think it's also worth pointing out that KGH has carved out a special teams role for Philly. Overall, we came away with good players who show excellent character and are part of building what we hope is a championship team. Great work by the Patriots to identify the players, bring them in, and coach them up.

(The following is purely me venting. I am not saying I'm a better evaluator than the team; this is just about my personal feelings, not my overall grade.)

What makes the Jones pick hurt is that I had a feeling he would end up here, but I wanted to go in a different direction. Before the draft I was obsessed with drafting Sean Davis. I thought he would be a perfect hybrid CB/S for us, and could mitigate against losing Harmon and/or Ryan in FA next year. I was hoping we would trade up a few slots in the 2nd, because I was worried about one of our competitors in the AFC drafting him. Well, he wound up going to Pittsburgh two picks before us, and they just declared him their rookie of the year. He looks very promising.

 

[RobertWeathers]

You really need 2-3 years to judge how good a draft really is.

Based on one year they had a ton of contribution from this class.

Mitchell, Thuney, Valentine, JJ, Roberts, Brissett all contributed and pulled their weight.

Karras and Foster have done nothing to make us think they were bad picks.

Its fair to say the expectation for Cyrus Jones was high and he certainly had problems. Just gotta see how he pans out in 2017.

 

[long distance]

After draft most people saw only one part-time contributor (Cy Jones) and one versatile back-up (Thuney) for 2016 season.

As usual it turned quite differently.

Cyrus Jones -- very disappointing he couldn't grab the PR duty and relieve Danny and Julian (esp. with very thin WR position) or enter in serious CB rotation .. but showed sparks of talent in both .. and feisty disposition .. keeping him an interesting future prospect in my view

Thuney -- was not only immediate and permanent starter playing basically all of the season snaps but a key to building up a great OL out of last seasons ruins. The build up actually started with him being the most solid part of the preseason, a rookie enabling others to ease back in (Solder rusty in preseason, Andrews uncertain in competition with Stork, RG a revolving door of 2nd stringers, Cannon rebuilding his technique and confidence). Voted as top rookie OL. A steal (or the stolen 1st rounder).

Brissett -- seen as possible future backup and a waste of 2016 roster spot .. played in 3 games (2 wins) .. saved Pats from signing expensive QB off the street .. prepared Floyd .. showed traces of leadership .. gained trust of BB as possible next Pats QB

Valentine -- seen as a pure waste of pick (lazy, untalented, injury prone etc) became immediate part-time starter/rotational player showing consistency before and after injury .. enabling seamless DT rotation .. his strength and quikness showing intriguing upside for the future .. already a threat fro Brown's job security

Mitchell -- seen as a good pick for the future with injury concerns .. became a key contributor in WR rotation making great plays as receiver and blocker .. gradually seeing most of WR snaps .. making all the “plethora of riches“ preseason WR corps obsolete (saving, not wasting a roster spot in the process) .. great fighter and accomplished young man .. a feast for BBs sore eyes I suppose

Kamu Grugier Hill -- still not forgotten .. core ST player in Philly .. maybe finds his way back in the future

Elandon Roberts -- seen as undersized longshot to make the team .. became a rotational LB .. excelling against run still liability in coverage .. making lots of great plays .. a warrior and a great weapon when used accordingly (somewhat forced into every down LB role after Collins trade and following impact games vs CLE and CIN .. rebounded nicely after hamstring injury with better usage last couple of games)

Ted Karras -- saved one roster spot by obviously being seen as competent backup at G and C

Devin Lucien -- binkie of many .. spent the year on PS .. not good enough for 53 even after Amendola's injury .. probably coming back on future contract

-------

UDFAs

Jonathan Jones -- core STer .. key to this year's ST success .. seeing some D snaps .. showing sparks of future CB/ST playmaker

DJ Foster -- #1 binkie .. showed enough they kept him on 53 and away from waivers .. despite 4 RBs in front of him and occasional need of roster spot .. only RB signed through 2018

Woodrow Hamilton -- started as presidential joke and not even a long shot .. making it on PS (making Knighton and Kuhn obsolete in the process) and all the way to competent rotational DT when VV was injured .. then back to PS with future here

-------

PS

All this without #1 pick of course and let's not forget - with acquiring back the stolen 2017 4th!

 

[Flash]

Can't ask for more from literally everyone else other than Cyrus Jones. Forget PR, I hope he improves enough at CB to be actually used much more next season. If he never amounts to anything at PR, fine, whatever, he can make it up by being a decent CB. Right now he isn't good at either, and I don't want him to be yet another 2nd round DB bust pick by Belichick.

 

[fightingirish595]

Looks good so far, I kind of saw this coming with jones, never saw him becoming more than a nickel corner that plays in the slot. If he becomes more than that then that would be great, But If he can become reliable in the slot, Then Ill consider that a good pick

 

[BobDigital]

They did really well with the draft considering they had no first round pick.

Thuney Mitchell and Valentine are all going to be starters in this league and see the field a lot for years to come.

Karras looks like a top back up who you can have back up multiple spots.

Jonathan Jones looks like he will join Ebner/Slater are a core STer. You would hope he will develop as a CB. I think he has a shot. Foster would be seeing snaps if not for White/Lewis being so good.

Those things alone make this draft a big win based on the value of what you got. You hope Brisset and C. Jones develop but we will see. They both have talent but a lot of work to do in different areas. Clear Cyrus Jones was particularly disappointing.

Overall the draft gets an A- as it was above and beyond expectations but it is hard for me to give an A or A+ to a draft that doesn't have that future game changing force which i don't think this one has.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

When you consider the production we got from this rookie class without a first round pick and a second round pick that played terribly, it is beyond amazing!

Thuney Valentine and karras exceeded any and all expectations.

Wow! Great job by bb and the staff!

 

[Schmo]

We couldn't have asked Thuney and JJones for more at their respective positions.

 

[Brit patriot]

Someone should resurrect the draft day thread.....The communal meltdown was amusing!

 

[VJCPatriot]

Really good overall haul when you consider that the commish robbed us of a 1st and 4th round pick, and our 2nd round pick hasn't done much. BB and the scouts continue to find players in later rounds, players that produce and contribute to a winning product on the field. Love it!

Can't wait for next year's draft. BB's picks will frustrate forum posters yet again, hearts will be shattered as binkies go ignored, but we'll still end up with a solid to very good draft class. No organization does it better overall than the Pats. And people 'fear' to deal with trader Bill even when it's the trade that they want. We always seem to come out ahead.

 

[Minitron]

That was a really good draft. Found two starters in Thuney and Mitchell and some good rotational players that can have an impact. Now imagine if we had that firts rounder... Deion Jones would be a Patroit and we would have our linebacker-duo for the next 5 years...

 

[long distance]

Overall the draft gets an A- as it was above and beyond expectations but it is hard for me to give an A or A+ to a draft that doesn't have that future game changing force which i don't think this one has.

So if this draft somehow produced a “future game changing force“ .. “revealing“ itself in the 1st yr .. shall we say someone like Collins - I trust you considered him that not long ago .. you'd give it your top grade? And when BB would cut his “game changing“ ass the next minute - how would you grade it then? Or would you downgrade BB?

And who would you consider a bigger “game changing force“ for 2016 Pats - Collins or Cannon?
(if the answer is Cannon - did anyone considered him a “future game changing force“ upon draft or by the end of his first season or even by the start of this season?)

But if you consider key criteria for what BB wants in his players - dependability, accountability, productivity - you can safely say this draft class was nothing short of a miracle considering the top pick was at #60.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Cyrus Jones (60)D

Joe Thuney (78) A

Jacoby Brissett (91) B+

Vincent Valentine (96) B

Malcom Mitchell (113) A

Elandon Roberts (214) B+

Ted Karras (221) Inc.

DJ Foster (RFA) Inc.

Jonathon Jones (RFA) B-

 

[BobDigital]

So if this draft somehow produced a “future game changing force“ .. “revealing“ itself in the 1st yr .. shall we say someone like Collins - I trust you considered him that not long ago .. you'd give it your top grade? And when BB would cut his “game changing“ ass the next minute - how would you grade it then? Or would you downgrade BB?

And who would you consider a bigger “game changing force“ for 2016 Pats - Collins or Cannon?
(if the answer is Cannon - did anyone considered him a “future game changing force“ upon draft or by the end of his first season or even by the start of this season?)

But if you consider key criteria for what BB wants in his players - dependability, accountability, productivity - you can safely say this draft class was nothing short of a miracle considering the top pick was at #60.

Well that is something that needs to be revisited later. Obviously draft grades change as time comes and goes. I never called Collins a game changer or suggested he was at that level. I hoped for it and projected it but i always said about Collins you see it in short streaks and then it disappears and that his issue is something mental. I was quick every year to bring the Collins talk down to earth. When he played well I said he did and when he did not i said that as well. I thought he was really really good at the end of his 2nd year and for a stretch in his 3rd but then it fizzled and it was inconsistent again.

Since you don't like my terminology let me use this. Instead of "game changing force" I will say if you don't draft a potential future HOFer i can't give you an A or A+. We won't know that till later but i think you get a feel pretty soon if that might have happened for most positions besides QB.

I don't think we did this draft. That is why i gave an A-. Also just a side note. You generally should not presume to speculate what someone thinks or doesn't think about said player and use it as an argument. I didn't care for you putting words in my mouth that i never said. No biggie but just something i wanted to throw out.