Tell that to Danny Woodhead and Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. Oops you failed on that one!
How about you go talk to guys like Pat Paschall and Kenny Cattous. There are far more Paschall's and Cattous's that don't work out for whatever reason, than there are Woodhead's and BJGE's who end up being highly productive (not just backups or STer's). And that goes for every position, not just RB's. ]
A starting offensive guard is far more important than a running back who will be fourth on the depth chart.
Yes, a starting guard is important. No, it doesn't have to be filled during the draft. It can easily be filled during the free agency period.
By you keep stressing that a guard should've been taken instead of Ridley, you're pretty much saying the Pats should've taken a guard even if they didn't have one rated in their next 5, 10, 20, or 50 available.
Connolly does not fit the bill.
Just because Connolly is a perfect example of a UDFA that went undrafted that Scar was able to coach up into a contributor and potential starter, you can't dismiss him because it doesn't fit you viewpoint that they needed to draft a guard. Guess what, they've done this multiple times now with guys like Wendell, Yates, etc. Hell they've had better success with UDFAs on the OL rather than their draft picks (Larson, Welch, Oldenberg, Hilliard, etc.). Oh and its been two years since Ohrnberger was drafted in the 4th, yet what has he done to this point?
Oh and guess what, you can stop complaining now because Cannon is going to come in and play guard. He may not start, but he has a chance to if no vet is brought in.
There exists a financial constraint called the salary cap.
This is a stupid argument. 1) There is no cap at the moment, so how is it a constraint. 2) I don't remember the exact number, but the Pats will be under it based on Miguel's projections (patscap.com if you want to do some homework). 3) Neal was making about $2.5-3.0 that comes off the books and can be spent on another starting caliber guard.
Considering how bad the Buffalo Bills defense was last year, if Stroud was that good the Buffalo Bills would have re-signed him.
This is even worst than the salary cap comment because apparently you think that being on a bad team automatically makes a player bad. So that means you think Leigh Bodden is a horrible CB since he was released by the Lions before being signed here.
These people know a heck of alot more about collegiate football players than you.
Is this really one of your arguments? Besides them spending more time watching youtube videos and games on their couches, what makes them know more than me or anyone else here? To let you in on a secret, not all of these guys were scouts at some point and many may have never stepped on a football field. Plus if these guys knew so much, they'd be working for an NFL team right now.
Belichick is not infallible; the New England Patriots 2006 NFL Draft is a prime example.
Who said BB never gets anything wrong? He has drafted plenty of players that haven't worked out.
The New England Patriots could have selected Ridley with one of their fifth round draft picks while selecting an offensive guard in the third round, a position of dire need. That is the concept of draft value.
I'll say this over and over, but how do you know that no one else was going to draft him? Do you have a live feed in every war room? Have you seen every team's actual draft boards? Oh wait, you don't. So people need to stop making this argument. Heck, there are many examples of the Pats grabbing a "reach" like Mankins, yet stories come out later that a team or two later would have picked them.
Vollmer was hardly a reach when compared to Ridley.
Once again, this is based on your opinion and the opinions of your draft expert buddies. Who has been right more, BB and his scouting team that interacts with these kids year round or you and the experts that watch games on tv or the internet? If BB values Vollmer in the second, he will take him there. If BB values Ridley in the 3rd, he will take him there. He's not going to trade down to the 5th round just to make you happy.
