Why can't we draft receivers?

[RIpats88]

Is it poor scouting? The offense being too tough to get? Not investing enough capital in it? Luck? All of the above?

I mean I seem to remember a time when pats couldn't draft cornerbacks. Now anyone they pick up off the street looks elite.

It just seems that teams draft elite talent every year in the late 1st and into the 2nd round etc. almost every team can find good receivers. And we consistently draft guys who don't even belong in the NFL

It's one thing if we draft a receiver and they just become okay. A parker, lafell type player. Not elite but they have a place as a #2 or #3

The problem is we draft guys who seemingly don't even belong in the NFL. Thornton doesn't even look like the belongs on the field. It's fair to question had we drafted anyone other than Harry or Pickens instead of Thornton that the trajectory of this team would be totally different.

Harry was the same. How we miss that bad has to be studied by the scouts.

 

[Pape]

Is it poor scouting? The offense being too tough to get? Not investing enough capital in it? Luck? All of the above?

I mean I seem to remember a time when pats couldn't draft cornerbacks. Now anyone they pick up off the street looks elite.

It just seems that teams draft elite talent every year in the late 1st and into the 2nd round etc. almost every team can find good receivers. And we consistently draft guys who don't even belong in the NFL

It's one thing if we draft a receiver and they just become okay. A parker, lafell type player. Not elite but they have a place as a #2 or #3

The problem is we draft guys who seemingly don't even belong in the NFL. Thornton doesn't even look like the belongs on the field. It's fair to question had we drafted anyone other than Harry or Pickens instead of Thornton that the trajectory of this team would be totally different.

Harry was the same. How we miss that bad has to be studied by the scouts.

Personally I think it's because the brain trust tries too hard to find a player with skills that matches up with what they perceive to be a team weakness...

Iirc, correct me if I'm wrong, one of the (but not the only) reasons for the Harry pick was he was supposed to be good at snagging the jump ball, potentially offering up a good red zone target... They missed on him because they overlooked all the other red flags because they were looking for that aspect of game play/situational football... They were myopic in their assessments, all the while overlooking the skill sets of available wrs who were better on a basic level...

And I will add, BB does not, or appears to not value the position to a high degree in general... Kinda treats it as a plug and play running back... To some extent it's true, but not so much when you want/need an elite pass catcher... Skill and drive matters at the wr position at an elite level much moreso than the RB position

 

[varjao]

They don't invest draft capital enough on that position

 

[upstater1]

We drafted ONE WR in the first 3 rounds between the Dobson and Tyquan pick.

That was over a decade.

ONE WR over a decade.

Here's a stat that will blow everyone's mind: if you count Mitchell as a good scout, then Belichick will be at the league average for drafting WRs if Demario Douglas develops.

Givens, Branch, Edelman, Mitchell, Douglas against busts like Jackson, Tate, Price, Dobson, Boyce, Johnson, Harry and Tyquan (not counting Berrios as a bust).

5/8 = 38%

 

[The Gr8est]

We drafted ONE WR in the first 3 rounds between the Dobson and Tyquan pick.

That was over a decade.

ONE WR over a decade.

Here's a stat that will blow everyone's mind: if you count Mitchell as a good scout, then Belichick will be at the league average for drafting WRs if Demario Douglas develops.

Givens, Branch, Edelman, Mitchell, Douglas against busts like Jackson, Tate, Price, Dobson, Boyce, Johnson, Harry and Tyquan (not counting Berrios as a bust).

5/8 = 38%

BB is great at finding late round gems.

 

[signbabybrady]

They don't invest draft capital enough on that position

This is definitely the reason.

But also they've found what they needed elsewhere too. They've used TEs and receiving running backs heavily. And Found quality WRs through other channels like Patten, Moss, Welker, Amendolla, Hogan, or already having Troy.

And this doesn't let them off the hook for their misses or lack of investment.

 

[palialka]

I think everyone who has commented so far has made valid points.

As Pape stated, the Pats have failed recently in drafting WRs high because they were attempting to address a specific need. Harry as an outside possession/jump ball WR and Thorton as a pure speed guy…the issue is they seemed to ignore everything else in their assessments.

It’s obvious the Pats’ preference is to bring in vet WRs who can adapt more quickly to the offensive system (mixed results) and draft WRs in the middle to later rounds/UDFAs and develop them (again, mixed results).

As previous posters have noted…Historically, the Pats just don’t seem to value the WR position enough to invest draft capital in rounds 1-3.

One thing I’d like to add is what I like to call the Brady Effect. The Pats were spoiled having the GOAT QB for years where he made everyone around him better. The feeling was that he would turn water into wine so there was no need to waste high picks on WRs.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

What's frustrating is that Belichick seems to know IN LATER ROUNDS that mental qualities like route running, faking DBs out, matter more than physical skills. He'll even SIGN AND TRADE FOR those kinds of guys! (IE: Welker, Amendola, et al.)

But in rounds 1 and 2, he becomes a typical 'draft expert'. "He big? He fast? Mmm, good receiver, make draft!" Chad Jackson, N'Keal Harry, Bethel Johnson, the list goes on and on. Almost the same with his defensive back picks, too. It's bizarre.

 

[archstanton543]

It's the lack of resources put into the position. We don't draft nearly enough WR's to cover the ones that will inevitably bust.

Also, the Pat's offense is (or was) too complicated for most WR's to pick up quickly.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

I want a WR that simply fits these attributes:

Easily beats press/Man with elite separation, reliable hands.

That’s the whole list.

Can’t grasp a calculus playbook?

Don’t care, adjust to him.

Isn’t 6’3 and can’t block?

Don’t care, run the other way.

Just draft a coverage beater who can actually catch.

 

[State]

Bill Notgoat has had plenty of years to draft a speedy X receiver that defenses have to account for, something missing from the Patriots since Randy Moss or Brandin Cooks.

So out of some sense of desperation—which has been stinking up Foxboro since at least 2015–he goes after a toothpick in the goddamn second round from Baylor who doesn’t know how to run routes. Yeah, his forty time was superb. But that’s all BoneyT is good for.

It really hurts that Washington drafted Terry McLaurin in 2019 the pick before us, which turned out to be Chase Winovich.

Bill Parcells would have handled this much better.

 

[State]

Just draft a coverage beater who can actually catch.

Most drafts one could just draft Ohio State WRs.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Bill Notgoat has had plenty of years to draft a speedy X receiver that defenses have to account for, something missing from the Patriots since Randy Moss or Brandin Cooks.

So out of some sense of desperation—which has been stinking up Foxboro since at least 2015–he goes after a toothpick in the goddamn second round from Baylor who doesn’t know how to run routes. Yeah, his forty time was superb. But that’s all BoneyT is good for.

It really hurts that Washington drafted Terry McLaurin in 2019 the pick before us, which turned out to be Chase Winovich.

Bill Parcells would have handled this much better.

Have to admit Parcells was a good talent evaluator…other than Terry Glenn who he didn’t want.

 

[upstater1]

I think everyone who has commented so far has made valid points.

As Pape stated, the Pats have failed recently in drafting WRs high because they were attempting to address a specific need. Harry as an outside possession/jump ball WR and Thorton as a pure speed guy…the issue is they seemed to ignore everything else in their assessments.

It’s obvious the Pats’ preference is to bring in vet WRs who can adapt more quickly to the offensive system (mixed results) and draft WRs in the middle to later rounds/UDFAs and develop them (again, mixed results).

As previous posters have noted…Historically, the Pats just don’t seem to value the WR position enough to invest draft capital in rounds 1-3.

One thing I’d like to add is what I like to call the Brady Effect. The Pats were spoiled having the GOAT QB for years where he made everyone around him better. The feeling was that he would turn water into wine so there was no need to waste high picks on WRs.

We feel as though we know everyone else's assessments, BUT if you look at the mock of mocks, the vast majority had Harry going in the first round. If anything, he was slated to go a couple picks earlier. Harry was highly regarded. If you read the post draft threads here, people were very happy with him and no one said he's a reach. He looks like a reach only in retrospect.

As for Tyquan, it's true most people thought of him as a 4th rounder. BUT he was whispered as a riser in the draft evaluation process and by multiple teams. It's clear they traded up to get him, but traded in front of Green Bay and Pittsburgh. They had intel that Pittsburgh was high on Tyquan or they wouldn't have traded up for him. Pittsburgh's WR coach was Tyquan's WR coach at Baylor the prior year.

 

[upstater1]

Have to admit Parcells was a good talent evaluator…other than Terry Glenn who he didn’t want.

Parcells left the room that day though. I remember reading he slammed the door. So he gets no credit for Glenn, Bruschi and Milloy either.

 

[palialka]

We feel as though we know everyone else's assessments, BUT if you look at the mock of mocks, the vast majority had Harry going in the first round. If anything, he was slated to go a couple picks earlier. Harry was highly regarded. If you read the post draft threads here, people were very happy with him and no one said he's a reach. He looks like a reach only in retrospect.

As for Tyquan, it's true most people thought of him as a 4th rounder. BUT he was whispered as a riser in the draft evaluation process and by multiple teams. It's clear they traded up to get him, but traded in front of Green Bay and Pittsburgh. They had intel that Pittsburgh was high on Tyquan or they wouldn't have traded up for him. Pittsburgh's WR coach was Tyquan's WR coach at Baylor the prior year.

You’re right …the draft is really a crap shoot. Any first round pick is as likely, if not more likely, to be a bust as he is a star.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Parcells left the room that day though. I remember reading he slammed the door. So he gets no credit for Glenn, Bruschi and Milloy either.

Why not Bruschi and Milloy? I knew he was pissed about the Glenn pick, think he wanted Clemons or Brackens instead. Did he leave the draft entirely and not make the selections for Milloy and Bruschi?

 

[Betterthanmost]

Why you ask, these are his words. I think discipline is his number one thing in all areas in grading a WR. He hates those who remotely do their thing!

 

[Real fan 02]

 

[Real fan 02]

Is it poor scouting? The offense being too tough to get? Not investing enough capital in it? Luck? All of the above?

I mean I seem to remember a time when pats couldn't draft cornerbacks. Now anyone they pick up off the street looks elite.

It just seems that teams draft elite talent every year in the late 1st and into the 2nd round etc. almost every team can find good receivers. And we consistently draft guys who don't even belong in the NFL

It's one thing if we draft a receiver and they just become okay. A parker, lafell type player. Not elite but they have a place as a #2 or #3

The problem is we draft guys who seemingly don't even belong in the NFL. Thornton doesn't even look like the belongs on the field. It's fair to question had we drafted anyone other than Harry or Pickens instead of Thornton that the trajectory of this team would be totally different.

Harry was the same. How we miss that bad has to be studied by the scouts.

This has been bills kryoptinte.. the Hits were branch, Jules and Malcolm Mitchell.. 3 WRs in 24 seasons... another thing of note is.. AJ brown told his agents he wanted to be here and The Patriots were his favorite team, Deboo got on Social media and expressed to all how he hoped the patriots took him...