Weak round 4/5 draft picks. Who would you pick?

[AllabouttheVinces]

Since we’re in the “dead periodâ€, let’s take a look back. Belichick/Pioli seem to have a checkered draft history in Rounds 4/5. Of course, the entire draft is a crap shoot, but the Pats have not done well in assessing the draft at the end of day 1 and waking up on day 2 to grab talent in rounds 4/5 that will stick on the roster.

Here’s a look:
2000 Rd 4 Greg Robinson-Randall
Rd 5 Dave Stachelski & Jeff Marriott
2001 Rd 4 Kenyatta Jones & Jabari Holloway
Rd 5 Hakim Akbar
2002 Rd 4 Rohan Davey & Jarvis Green
Rd 5 none
2003 Rd 4 Dan Klecko & Asante Samuel
Rd 5 Dan Koppen
2004 Rd 4 Dexter Reid & Cedric Cobbs
Rd 5 P.K. Sam
2005 Rd 4 James Sanders
Rd 5 Ryan Claridge
2006 Rd 4 Garrett Mills & Steven Gostkowski
Rd 5 Ryan O’Callaghan

Other than Green, Samuel and Koppen, the 16 picks prior to this year have done little. OK, Sanders and Claridge were hurt last year, so we’ll give them more time before we lump them together with the likes of Stachelski and Holloway. But the track record is not stellar, and the draft “experts†have all questioned the 4/5 picks for 2006. Mills and Gostkowski were reaches. O’Callaghan seems like a quality pick, but with Gorin and Kaczur already on the roster, he’s probably ticketed to the PS at best.

So I’ll throw the question out there. Take a look at who was on the board at the end of day 1. Who would you have picked in the 3 Rd 4/5 picks the Pats had to work with?

Here are some of the guys on the board:
NT Gabe Watson
NT Barry Cofield
NT Orien Harris
LB Mark Anderson
LB Parys Haralson
LB AJ Nicholson
LB Tim Dobbins
CB Demario Minter
CB Alan Zemaitis
S Nate Salley
S Pat Watkins
S Greg Blue
WR Jason Avant
WR Will Blackmon
WR Demetrius Williams

Given the above list, would you pick Mills? Me neither. With the 1st 4, I would have addressed the hole at LB. As BB likes to say, there was “quality†at this spot. My choice would be Haralson of Tennessee. With the second 4, I would have just missed Blackmon, so I’d take Minter. (Minter was snagged in Rd 5 by Romeo with the pick we gave up last year for Andre Davis). I really like Gostkowski, so I wouldn’t have argued if he was picked in Rd 5, though I thought he’d still be there in 6. My pick in this spot would have been Nicholson.

While I like the UDFA pickups of Roach and Woods, the lack of depth at LB is a major concern, and I think the Pats missed an opportunity early on Day 2 to address it. Who would you have taken?

 

[PonyExpress]

I like Cofield, Haralson, Blue and Avant. But I am giving Mills and Gostkowski two years worth of benefit of doubt.

 

[flutie2phelan]

Two things about linebacking with the Pats jump to mind.

1. NO ONE will start in his first year (absent devastating injuries ahead.)

2. College LBs are not big enough to play linebacker for the Patriots. Only DE converts need apply.

Snagging Mincey and Roach - even if Freddie only makes the p/s - does it for me.

 

[PonyExpress]

I was of this opinion until reading that BB coveted Vilma. So you are not necessarily correct, despite your capitalizations.

 

[rookBoston]

I would absolutely pick Mills. In fact, I was taking Mills in the 4th round in a lot of my pre-draft mocks, in the range around #100 overall. Only difference is that I wasn't drafting a TE in the first three rounds.

Of the rest, the guy I would have taken (instead of Gostkowski) would be Mark Anderson. I think the guy could be great in our system. Of course, I'm starting to drink the Kool Aid on Gostkowski, and I'm absolutely certain he'll beat Grammatica out for the spot. Better reaching for Gostkowski than missing out on him and being forced to entrust the job to an also-ran rookie K prospect. If he turns out to be a legitimate pro, he's a steal in the 4th.

 

[AllabouttheVinces]

2. College LBs are not big enough to play linebacker for the Patriots. Only DE converts need apply.

Snagging Mincey and Roach - even if Freddie only makes the p/s - does it for me.

I agree about the DE converts. That's why I like Haralson. DE for UTennessee, probably an LB in the pros. He got picked by SF, so he'll probably start for that dreadful team.

 

[Remix 6]

Mark Anderson or Parys Harlson

 

[patsox23]

Take a look at who was on the board at the end of day 1. Who would you have picked in the 3 Rd 4/5 picks the Pats had to work with?

Here are some of the guys on the board:
NT Gabe Watson
NT Barry Cofield
NT Orien Harris
LB Mark Anderson
LB Parys Haralson
LB AJ Nicholson
LB Tim Dobbins
CB Demario Minter
CB Alan Zemaitis
S Nate Salley
S Pat Watkins
S Greg Blue
WR Jason Avant
WR Will Blackmon
WR Demetrius Williams

Given the above list, would you pick Mills? Me neither.

I just feel like we have so much less information - especially in terms of what the Patriots' scouts thought of that list of players. Every year we're surprised because the players you've listed are prospects based on a scouting system that ISN'T ours. So, yes, those are names of players we may have seen a bit on Saturdays, and yes, they are names we've read on lists and on internet mock drafts, but what do they REALLY mean, given that the Patriots don't use the scouting services on which they're based?