- Joined
- Mar 3, 2007
- Messages
- 454
- Reaction score
- 117
It wouldn't be a BB draft without WTF picks. To review:
STEVAN RIDLEY: Not a true Belichickian WTF pick, in the sense that most fans had actually heard of Ridley, were readily able to find information about him after the pick, and could in fact picture a place on the roster for the player. The WTF elements were really three: one, BB had just drafted a running back with the last pick, two, Ridley seemingly was rated much lower, and three, we seem to have exactly the same player on the roster in Green-Ellis. Also, he wasn't a pass-rusher. WTF score (on a scale of 1-10): 5. NOTE: The higher the round, the higher the WTF score, so Ridley's relatively rich selection adds to his score.
RYAN MALLETT: Debatable whether this is a WTF pick or not. The only thing that makes it a candidate is the fact of our already having a pretty good quarterback signed for four more years and a good backup on the roster as well. Plus, again, he can't rush the passer (from hereon in I'm going to shorthand this point simply by adding an asterisk). I'm old enough to remember a WTF? reaction to the Tom Brady pick -- where was he going to play, with Michael Bishop on the roster? But I don't think the Mallet pick really qualifies; this value grab made sense almost immediately. WTF score: 2.
LEE SMITH: This is an interesting one. Before the draft I was certain the only positions the Pats would not spend high picks on were QB and TE. They picked both, although not in the first round or anything. Belichick has a history of spending draft choices on positions that seem completely filled on the roster: the Brady pick was actually one, as were Owen Pochman and maybe also Garrett Mills (who also recalls the Ridley pick -- the second tight end taken in a row that draft). Also, *. The WTF elements this year had a lot more to do with who we didn't take with the respective choices than we did. Score: 4.
MARKELL CARTER: More of a true WTF pick in the sense that he hailed from the Central Liechtenstein School of Nursing and was unknown to virtually all fans. But upon further examination, he was actually a prospect with some buzz, and * thankfully didn't apply. Given the round taken, I think that makes him less of a WTF pick than Smith. Score: 2.
MALCOLM WILLIAMS: Now we're talking! Ranks up there with Matt Slater and Matt Cassel on the all-time WTF list, and may be the greatest ever. This player:
1) Did not even start on his own college team;
2) Was genuinely surprised to have been drafted (I even got the sense he disagreed with Belichick's decision to take him!);
3) Was not even really a position player in college;
4) Was unknown even to many fans of TCU;
5) Barely exists on the internet;
6) Could not possibly have been on any other team's radar for a 7th-round choice.
7) *
It's picks like this that make you wonder what Belichick is up to. Now with the Cassel pick we later found out that Norm Chow was sniffing around him. And Slater at least was a legacy pick -- he was surely known to NFL executives. But Williams? How reasonable is it to think that Belichick was actually afraid someone else might draft this player? It's possible, but it doesn't seem terribly likely. This has the feel of the 193-194 Andy Reid trade, where BB is seemingly just screwing with the media and the fans for some reason. If that's the case, it's actually sort of funny. It will be even funnier if Williams ends up being a player. He looks like he's got at least as much athleticism as guys like Willie Andrews, so who knows?
STEVAN RIDLEY: Not a true Belichickian WTF pick, in the sense that most fans had actually heard of Ridley, were readily able to find information about him after the pick, and could in fact picture a place on the roster for the player. The WTF elements were really three: one, BB had just drafted a running back with the last pick, two, Ridley seemingly was rated much lower, and three, we seem to have exactly the same player on the roster in Green-Ellis. Also, he wasn't a pass-rusher. WTF score (on a scale of 1-10): 5. NOTE: The higher the round, the higher the WTF score, so Ridley's relatively rich selection adds to his score.
RYAN MALLETT: Debatable whether this is a WTF pick or not. The only thing that makes it a candidate is the fact of our already having a pretty good quarterback signed for four more years and a good backup on the roster as well. Plus, again, he can't rush the passer (from hereon in I'm going to shorthand this point simply by adding an asterisk). I'm old enough to remember a WTF? reaction to the Tom Brady pick -- where was he going to play, with Michael Bishop on the roster? But I don't think the Mallet pick really qualifies; this value grab made sense almost immediately. WTF score: 2.
LEE SMITH: This is an interesting one. Before the draft I was certain the only positions the Pats would not spend high picks on were QB and TE. They picked both, although not in the first round or anything. Belichick has a history of spending draft choices on positions that seem completely filled on the roster: the Brady pick was actually one, as were Owen Pochman and maybe also Garrett Mills (who also recalls the Ridley pick -- the second tight end taken in a row that draft). Also, *. The WTF elements this year had a lot more to do with who we didn't take with the respective choices than we did. Score: 4.
MARKELL CARTER: More of a true WTF pick in the sense that he hailed from the Central Liechtenstein School of Nursing and was unknown to virtually all fans. But upon further examination, he was actually a prospect with some buzz, and * thankfully didn't apply. Given the round taken, I think that makes him less of a WTF pick than Smith. Score: 2.
MALCOLM WILLIAMS: Now we're talking! Ranks up there with Matt Slater and Matt Cassel on the all-time WTF list, and may be the greatest ever. This player:
1) Did not even start on his own college team;
2) Was genuinely surprised to have been drafted (I even got the sense he disagreed with Belichick's decision to take him!);
3) Was not even really a position player in college;
4) Was unknown even to many fans of TCU;
5) Barely exists on the internet;
6) Could not possibly have been on any other team's radar for a 7th-round choice.
7) *
It's picks like this that make you wonder what Belichick is up to. Now with the Cassel pick we later found out that Norm Chow was sniffing around him. And Slater at least was a legacy pick -- he was surely known to NFL executives. But Williams? How reasonable is it to think that Belichick was actually afraid someone else might draft this player? It's possible, but it doesn't seem terribly likely. This has the feel of the 193-194 Andy Reid trade, where BB is seemingly just screwing with the media and the fans for some reason. If that's the case, it's actually sort of funny. It will be even funnier if Williams ends up being a player. He looks like he's got at least as much athleticism as guys like Willie Andrews, so who knows?
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