Pats draft day reviews of yore...

[oldrover]

Interesting article...

http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2015/04/patriots_nfl_draft_analysis_re.html

This one from Mel Kiper in 2006 caught my eye:

"Laurence Maroney, selected at No. 21, gives the Patriots a security blanket at running back. WR Chad Jackson was a nice pick in the second round and could have gone in the middle of the first. TE Dave Thomas has excellent hands, while Garret Mills might be more of a fullback. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was a reach in the fourth round (I didn't think any kickers would get drafted). New England had a great first day and a good second day." – Mel Kiper, ESPN ​

Actually had kind of a lousy first day AND second day... EXCEPT for the 'reach'. LOL

 

[MitchKumstein]

Kipper the draft guru batted .000 on that one.

Maybe he should consider trying George Costanza's "opposite" plan

 

[scott99]

I remember being Soooooo happy with the Maroney/Jackson picks.

 

[Kontradiction]

I remember being Soooooo happy with the Maroney/Jackson picks.

Most people on this forum were.

 

[fnordcircle]

All I saw with those picks was that we were going to be an offensive juggernaut.

Then someone posted some youtube about Maroney's college career set to music from Last of the Mohicans and I was sure we were going to be unstoppable and that the loss to Denver was just an aberration in unending SB march. And, to be fair, Maroney looked better than Addai and the rest drafted his first season.

 

[RobertWeathers]

All I saw with those picks was that we were going to be an offensive juggernaut.

Then someone posted some youtube about Maroney's college career set to music from Last of the Mohicans and I was sure we were going to be unstoppable and that the loss to Denver was just an aberration in unending SB march. And, to be fair, Maroney looked better than Addai and the rest drafted his first season.

No kidding. That draft was all about offense. LoMo and CJax as the gamebreakers. Mills and Thomas the H-back/TE guys.

All busts- except the kicker...

 

[primetime]

All I saw with those picks was that we were going to be an offensive juggernaut.

Then someone posted some youtube about Maroney's college career set to music from Last of the Mohicans and I was sure we were going to be unstoppable and that the loss to Denver was just an aberration in unending SB march. And, to be fair, Maroney looked better than Addai and the rest drafted his first season.

I think Maroney's problems were in his head, not with his talent. He hit the hole with gusto in 2006 but then after catching the injury bug, it seemed he got afraid of contact and turned into the backfield tapdancer we all vividly recall. If anything, it's a warning to people celebrating draft picks that all the talent in the world can't beat back pure old fashioned luck.

 

[oldrover]

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

 

[Canuck]

Maroney showed flashes of what he could do but he suffered too many injuries to be a consistent lead back in the NFL. Did okay in 2006 and 2007 but put on IR in Oct of 2008 and had a pedestrian 3.9 ypc in 2009.
Best move by Belichick was trading Maroney to Denver Broncos in 2010 for their 4th round pick in the 2011 draft in exchange for our 6th in 2011. He only played 4 games as a Bronco with a 2.1 ypc. Belichick took that 4th round pick in 2011 from Denver and traded that to Seattle in 2010 for WR Deion Branch. Branch was a replacement for Randy Moss who was traded to the Vikings in 2010 for their 3rd round selection in 2011. The Patriots then selected Ryan Mallett.

The above is just a sample of the life of a GM. With the upcoming 2015 draft anything can happen. Maroney was part of the 18-1 team that lost to the Giants in the 2007 SB. Branch was part of the team that lost to the Giants in the 2011 SB. Even though Maroney as a first round pick would classify as a bust, that pick was part of a chain of events that led the Patriots to two more Superbowls.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

I bring up that draft whenever people complain about guys we reached for. 2006 is a perfect example of not being married to pre-draft player rankings.

Going by nfl draft scout, which IMO seems to be one of the more accurate sites over the years, the 2006 class was the best value draft under Belichick, and no other class is even close.

Certainly people will forget all about that by the end of this Saturday though.

 

[fnordcircle]

I think Maroney's problems were in his head, not with his talent. He hit the hole with gusto in 2006 but then after catching the injury bug, it seemed he got afraid of contact and turned into the backfield tapdancer we all vividly recall. If anything, it's a warning to people celebrating draft picks that all the talent in the world can't beat back pure old fashioned luck.

I don't know if he got scared, I think he got big-play-itis. I think he danced in the backfield because he broke off a few big runs in his rookie season and started wanting to make it happen every play relying on instincts more than play design.

 

[patfanken]

Maroney was never a bad pick at #21 But rather a victim of circumstances. His rookie year, which his shared with Corey Dillon, was by all accounts a wild success. What Maroney didn't have the ability was to play dinged. He had some very flashy moments coming out, and was excellent in 2007 when he was the lead back on the best offense in history to that point. He also, IIRC, gave the Pats one other good year in a long playoff run before falling off the earth after the Denver trade.

I have never thought of Maroney as being a bust. A better description of him would rather be a lack of success. These days, someone who is a "lack of success" but not a bust is someone who gives you a couple of good years, a couple of injury ridden years, and by and large wasn't a good starter for at least 4 of his 5 years here, That is what you are looking for from a first round pick

The fact is that if Lawrence Moroney was BB's worst first round pick (and I think he probably was), that is NOT doing a bad job with your first round picks and I'd compare his record with everyone one elses over the last 15 years, especially given when he's had to draft from

 

[scott99]

Maroney was a bust. He had 2,500 yards in his career, averaged 500 yards and 4 tds a year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

No kidding. That draft was all about offense. LoMo and CJax as the gamebreakers. Mills and Thomas the H-back/TE guys.

All busts- except the kicker...

I don't know what exactly Belichick was doing with Thomas and Mills.

On the one hand, they both barely saw the field in 2006.

On the other hand, Belichick, for reasons I still don't quite understand, was so eager to get Thomas back on the field after an off-season injury that he activated Thomas off PUP too early (they definitely didn't need him in Weeks 1–6) and he ended up on IR a couple of weeks later.

 

[Sfpat]

BB tried to sneak Mills on to the practice squad but the Vikings claimed him off waivers

 

[mikey m]

All I saw with those picks was that we were going to be an offensive juggernaut.

Then someone posted some youtube about Maroney's college career set to music from Last of the Mohicans and I was sure we were going to be unstoppable

and that the loss to Denver was just an aberration in unending SB march. And, to be fair, Maroney looked better than Addai and the rest drafted his first season.

Lol. Draft Rule #1 Never trust a highlight video set to LotM soundtrack. Makes every play seem unbelievable. I've fallen for that trap several times.

 

[fnordcircle]

He did look really good in his rookie season, it was so fun to see them alternate carries between him and Dillon.

Goddamn Corey Dillon, what a boss, btw.

 

[Joker]

 

[MitchKumstein]

That horrific 1997 Patriots draft was the beginning of the end for Bobby Grier. The Patriots walked away from an entire draft without one real NFL player.

The most impressive thing for the Patriots in that draft was how many players they found that had the same first and last initial.

Chris Canty, Damon Denson, Sedrick Shaw, Ed Ellis, Chris Carter.

 

[primetime]

Best move by Belichick was trading Maroney to Denver Broncos in 2010 for their 4th round pick in the 2011 draft in exchange for our 6th in 2011. He only played 4 games as a Bronco with a 2.1 ypc. Belichick took that 4th round pick in 2011 from Denver and traded that to Seattle in 2010 for WR Deion Branch. Branch was a replacement for Randy Moss who was traded to the Vikings in 2010 for their 3rd round selection in 2011. The Patriots then selected Ryan Mallett.

The Seahawks used the Maroney pick to select KJ Wright. Seems they ultimately won the deal.