Who would you take in the draft out of these players.

[patsfan135]

Vernon Gohlston
Chris Long
Kenny Phillips
James Laranitas
Darren Mcfaden

 

[cstjohn17]

Lets watch the BCS game and then vote.

 

[CoachK]

The questioni is"WHo of those players will be there when we pick 7??

Certainly not McFadden or Long...probably Laurinitis, definitely Gohlston and Philips.
I want ....... from THE Ohio State University

 

[VJCPatriot]

The questioni is"WHo of those players will be there when we pick 7??

Certainly not McFadden or Long...probably Laurinitis, definitely Gohlston and Philips.
I want ....... from THE Ohio State University

Let's draft the next phenom from Hofstra... in the 7th round.
We need to pick up some late round gems too.
Lately the Pats haven't really gotten any good players on day 2.
The best recent late round pick I can think of is Koppen.
And well that guy Tom Brady, but that was way at the beginning of the dynasty, so it doesn't count as recent.

 

[danny88]

Vernon Gohlston
Chris Long
Kenny Phillips
James Laranitas
Darren Mcfaden

Gholston..... If we get a back I hope we go for james Stewart out of Oregon. Dillon type player who is fast enough to return kicks. Maroney Morris Faulk Stewart = awesome rb stable. If Morris goes down Stewart is that guy who bangs in the tackles for the tough yards. He is also fast enough to break one at any time.

 

[sebman2112]

Let's draft the next phenom from Hofstra... in the 7th round.
We need to pick up some late round gems too.
Lately the Pats haven't really gotten any good players on day 2.
The best recent late round pick I can think of is Koppen.
And well that guy Tom Brady, but that was way at the beginning of the dynasty, so it doesn't count as recent.

The Patriots haven't drafted any good players on day 2?

(leaving out the players you've already mentioned):

Asante Samuel
Jarvis Green
David Givens
Stephen Gostkowski
James Sanders

Honorable mention (not really great/good players, but guys who've made decent contributions considering their draft placement:

Tully Banta-Cain
Patrick Pass
Ryan O'Callaghan

The Patriots have also picked up some good undrafted FA's like Randall Gay, so I wouldn't say they've been unable to find players after the first 3 rounds of the draft.

 

[patchick]

The Patriots have also picked up some good undrafted FA's like Randall Gay, so I wouldn't say they've been unable to find players after the first 3 rounds of the draft.

This got me wondering about the Pats' record on UDFAs vs. late-round picks in recent years. Here are the current players from each category since 2004 (IR in parentheses):

Rounds 5-7
Matt Cassel
Ryan O'Callaghan
Le Kevin Smith
Willie Andrews
(Mike Richardson)
(Oscar Lua)

UDFA
(Mike Wright)
Randall Gay
Eric Alexander
Pierre Woods
Matt Gutierrez
Ray Ventrone

For reference, those six late-round players (including Richardson & Lua who might not have actually made the roster) were out of 17 total picks in rounds 5-7 from 2004-2007. Also, 9 current Patriots were signed as street (castoff) FAs during that same period:

SFA
Wesley Britt
Jabar Gaffney
Heath Evans
Chris Hanson
Kyle Eckel
Rashad Moore
Billy Yates
Antwain Spann
Stephen Spach

The upshot: not one true starter on the current roster has been found "on the cheap" via late-round draft picks, UDFAs or street FAs in the past four years. Draft rounds 1-4 have yielded 7 starters, including 2 pro-bowlers.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

This got me wondering about the Pats' record on UDFAs vs. late-round picks in recent years. Here are the current players from each category since 2004 (IR in parentheses):

Rounds 5-7
Matt Cassel
Ryan O'Callaghan
Le Kevin Smith
Willie Andrews
(Mike Richardson)
(Oscar Lua)

UDFA
(Mike Wright)
Randall Gay
Eric Alexander
Pierre Woods
Matt Gutierrez
Ray Ventrone

For reference, those six late-round players (including Richardson & Lua who might not have actually made the roster) were out of 17 total picks in rounds 5-7 from 2004-2007. Also, 9 current Patriots were signed as street (castoff) FAs during that same period:

SFA
Wesley Britt
Jabar Gaffney
Heath Evans
Chris Hanson
Kyle Eckel
Rashad Moore
Billy Yates
Antwain Spann
Stephen Spach

The upshot: not one true starter on the current roster has been found "on the cheap" via late-round draft picks, UDFAs or street FAs in the past four years. Draft rounds 1-4 have yielded 7 starters, including 2 pro-bowlers.

FWIW, Eckel--like Ventrone--was initially signed as a UDFA, then did a stint in the wilderness, so to speak (the 'lphins vs. the JEST for Bubba), and then came back to the Hub. So you have to move one of 'em.

 

[patchick]

FWIW, Eckel--like Ventrone--was initially signed as a UDFA, then did a stint in the wilderness, so to speak (the 'lphins vs. the JEST for Bubba), and then came back to the Hub. So you have to move one of 'em.

Right-o, file Ventrone under the street free agent column.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I think that over the course of the next several months, Miami is going to try and create as much cap space as possible and sign as many "Parcells" type Free Agents as possible.
I also expect them to move the number 1 if they get an offer even remotely close to their asking price. As long as they can get as many picks as possible in return.
If Parcells can't move the pick, I would not be surprised to see him take C Long @ #1 and then bleed someone (like us) for J Taylor.

All that being said however, if C Long is available at #7, BB has to jump on him.
In my opinion a pass rusher is our single biggest need.

 

[AzPatsFan]

The street FAs were indeed picked up that way but they were NOT originally UDFA. Gaffney was a second round Draft pick; Evans was a third rounder; Britt was a fifth rounder; as was Russ Hochstein. I think TE Sprach was drafted by somebody too.

Someone posted a reprise of the "poor" Patriots 2007 draft. He found out that every single pick has ended up ito be still in the League, even though many are on Practice Squads. That is extraordinary drafting, with all the sixes and sevens they had.

From this evidence I would attribute the "unsuccess" this year merely from having a truly loaded Team and that there was no room at the Patriots Inn. Justin Rodgers was lost to the Cowboys and I think he will turn out to be a starter at OLB after some grooming for a year or two. There was no place to hide him, but they tried, and failed.

 

[LiveShot]

All of them

 

[ctpatsfan77]

From this evidence I would attribute the "unsuccess" this year merely from having a truly loaded Team and that there was no room at the Patriots Inn. Justin Rodgers was lost to the Cowboys and I think he will turn out to be a starter at OLB after some grooming for a year or two. There was no place to hide him, but they tried, and failed.

Rogers lost his spot, I think, either to Chad Brown or David Thomas. It's one of the few times where I've really wondered WTF Belichick was thinking.

That said, it struck me as really odd that the Pats signed Rogers to only a three-year deal, rather than the four-year maximum--especially when doing so cost Rogers about $25K or so upfront (IIRC, he got more per year than Lua, but less overall). Think there's anything to the shorter deal? Like, maybe, Belichick is farming out his development or something?

 

[ayjackson]

Think there's anything to the shorter deal? Like, maybe, Belichick is farming out his development or something?

Interesting theory that must have at least occured to Belichick in passing. Maybe they're quite up front with the player to, telling them that they have no room on their 53 to develop a LB....and that they'll give them more money over a shorter term to develop on their PS or someone else's 53, after which time they'll see them again.

 

[patchick]

Someone posted a reprise of the "poor" Patriots 2007 draft. He found out that every single pick has ended up ito be still in the League, even though many are on Practice Squads. That is extraordinary drafting, with all the sixes and sevens they had.

From this evidence I would attribute the "unsuccess" this year merely from having a truly loaded Team and that there was no room at the Patriots Inn.

Perhaps the oddest fact about this draft class is that the many picks from rounds 4-7 are all gone, while a UDFA remains.

 

[sebman2112]

Perhaps the oddest fact about this draft class is that the many picks from rounds 4-7 are all gone, while a UDFA remains.

Lua and Richardson are both still with the team...

 

[patchick]

Lua and Richardson are both still with the team...

It could be argued, though, that they'd have taken the Elgin-Hilliard-Rogers express if they hadn't hit the IR in camp. (Granted, Richardson looked pretty good.)

 

[sebman2112]

It could be argued, though, that they'd have taken the Elgin-Hilliard-Rogers express if they hadn't hit the IR in camp. (Granted, Richardson looked pretty good.)

It could be argued, but there isn't any way of backing those claims, so it's a mute argument.

 

[mgteich]

The following players were on the roster for Game 1
Heron ILB
Mays ILB
Thomas DE
Brown DL

Justin Rogers was not kept on the roster. The was plenty of room. We can debate how well Belichick filled the end of the roster forever, and how well we drafted. However, the fact remains that the above four were chose for the roster. Rogers was not. Lua wouldn't have been either, but I can't prove that.

The street FAs were indeed picked up that way but they were NOT originally UDFA. Gaffney was a second round Draft pick; Evans was a third rounder; Britt was a fifth rounder; as was Russ Hochstein. I think TE Sprach was drafted by somebody too.

Someone posted a reprise of the "poor" Patriots 2007 draft. He found out that every single pick has ended up ito be still in the League, even though many are on Practice Squads. That is extraordinary drafting, with all the sixes and sevens they had.

From this evidence I would attribute the "unsuccess" this year merely from having a truly loaded Team and that there was no room at the Patriots Inn. Justin Rodgers was lost to the Cowboys and I think he will turn out to be a starter at OLB after some grooming for a year or two. There was no place to hide him, but they tried, and failed.