I'd have to disagree. That's 8 drafts with 4 rounds plus multiple picks. All things being equal, he managed to find players at every other position, multiple times.
If by "value" you mean he doesn't want to spend a high or mid pick on a tweener and doesn't feel most college linebackers fit our system, then we agree.
I do feel he might change his pattern next year, partly out of need, but i'm assuming there are some prospects he likes based on the trade ups into 2008.
During those 8 drafts, how many of them had LB as a NEED?
During those 8 drafts, how many of them had good LB depth?
During those 8 drafts, how many of them had good LB depth and LB was a PRIORITY for the Patriots?
Reviewing the past drafts, there haven't been many quality linebackers coming out of college. Many have been RAW and needed the time to get better. There havent' been that many quality "TWEENERS" coming out of college either. Again, many of them are raw and need the time to get better. At some point, you have to bite the bullet and get some quality because, as others have pointed out, more teams are using the 3-4 and that means that there are less players available to chose from. If you don't draft some of that raw talent, then you are relying on people to be able to adjust to the system after the fact.
The problem that I have with BB not picking LB talent early is that, at some point, not developing our own talent WILL put the Pats in a bind, much as it did in 2005 and to a lesser extent in 2006. In 2005, the unexpected loss of Bruschi and Johnson as well as the Phifer's trouble's recovering from his injury, left the Pats without any real sort of ILBs for half the season. The problem with relying on vets to fill the spaces is that you have to find vets who have the talent to be able to adjust to the Pats system. So far, only Seau and Colvin have shown the ability to do so since 2002. Chad Brown was a bust inside and yes, I can admit I was wrong about Beisel and he was a bust also. The Pats have tried out NUMEROUS others including Holdman and Foreman, but without success. Adalius Thomas should be successful because he's already shown the level of versatility that is needed.
By developing your own 3-4 LBs (both ILB and OLB), you have players who you know will fit YOUR system and who can accel and have the versatility you need. .
If we don't draft them, that is the only other way that I'm aware of.
I don't want to get to silly here, but all the linebackers we have were drafted by someone, so they were available to be drafted by us. (3,4,5th).
You lost me. They have greater value than picks because they're proven.
Thomas was a 6th and Colvin was a 4th. Where does a first rounder come into the equation? Mcginest was the only one.
Of the vet LBs on the Pats, Thomas was the ONLY one who could have been drafted by this regime. Thomas was a 6th round pick. He was drafted in 2000. He was the 20th pick in the 6th round. I am sure that in retrospect, the Pats would have loved to take Thomas with the 32nd pick of the 5th round. However, you have to remember that BB was going by BOOBY Grier's draft list and not his own.
Are you saying the Bears, Ravens and Steelers can identify linebackers in the draft that we can't? Better scouting?
Well, don't rule out need. The Patriots VALUE formula is based on 3 things. A player's tangibles, a player's intagibles and team need. That value formula gets applied to UFAs, RFA, draft picks and players currently on the roster. BB has also addressed this issue by acknowledging that there are a LOT of requirements for a LB. And has said that many college LBs don't meet a LOT of the requirements. But he's also said that if they have the talent, they could be developed. So, if the players available don't rate highly enough, the Patriots aren't going to draft them. This is where I think they may be tripping up. They may not be rating the TANGLIBLES for LBs as well as the Steelers, Bears, and Ravens. Or they may be too strict on the intangibles.
One of the things that Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi should be prime examples if is that versatility can be taught. Both were down-linemen in college. And now both are playing entirely different positions. As long as the player has the WILL to learn the new position and the other tangibles (such as tackling ability) then the Patriots should rule that player out. And, while it may take 2 years to fully comprehend the new position, proper incentives will help that player WANT to stay with the Pats.