I couldn't help but think, after we picked Buchanan, that it was deja vu all over again. Think about it.
Last season Patriot nation got their panties in a bunch when we picked Tavon Wilson in the 2nd round, and then very quietly selection Alphonso Dennard in the 7th. Had we picked Dennard in the 2nd and Wilson in the 7th, no one would have said a word, except that Dennard was a slight reach in the 2nd and Wilson was a tremendous value in the 7th.
Well you can say the same thing THIS year. If the Pats had selected Buchanan at the end of the 3rd round, no one would have been in a uproar, and consequently they all would have been thrilled to get such a good value in the 7th in Harmon.
The thing is that as fans we get so wrapped up in the "fine art of draft management" that we can sometimes forget the purpose of the draft, which is to improve the talent of the team. The SECOND the last pick was selected, WHERE people were selected ceased to have meaning. All that matters now is that 90 guys are going to camp and the best 53 of them will make the team....REGARDLESS of where you were drafted or if you were drafted at all. This is especially true in the era of the rookie salary cap
I just find it odd that we attach so much meaning and importance as to WHERE these guys were picked as opposed to simply how well they play. BB himself makes it clear that once practices start, it doesn't matter how you got there, but rather how you play. And our stellar record of playing with UDFAs should make that even more clear. IIRC didn't we have have something ;like 12 guys on our superbowl roster who started their NFL careers as UDFA's?