I'm really late to this thread and I sure as hell not going to read all 19 pages of a thread focusing on a freakin' WR. But I do have as many worthless opinions and speculation as the next guy. So here are my 2 cents:
1. I was among the few that really appreciated what Cooks brought to the Pats, both as a productive receiver, an important decoy to open up others, and a hard working unselfish player that epitomized the Patriot way. That being said he was just a WR, and his impact on THIS particular offense was never going to be worth paying him like a #1 WR at today's market value for that kind of player. I always figured he was a 2-year rental at about $5MM/yr and gone after this season.
2. So like so many, I think this trade was a really good value. I also believe that, while the WR position could still be upgraded, I'd be happy going into the season with that group and a much stronger defense.
3. I think
@DaBruinz made the best post that I read in the 4 or 5 pages I skimmed. In case you forget, be detailed all the loses the Pats suffered on defense over the course of last season and wisely reminded people that regardless of the defensive players we may draft, the 2018 version of the Pats defense should be much better (on paper) simply because of who is coming back,
4. The addition of the 23rd pick isn't some kind of earthshaking event that will somehow change the direction of the franchise like it would if it had been a t0p 5 pick. What it DOES do is give the Pats much more flexibility to do what BB does best in his great drafts and that's getting more shots in his sweet zone, which is in the 20-50 range. It allows him to take chances and not have to take the "safe pick" For example:
We don't need a safety to be an impact player this season, but this trade will allow Bill to pick one of the top guys anyway because his current top 3 guys are all reaching their dotage, so to speak. It's a luxury pick that he didn't have before.
Similarly, he doesn't need a high-end TE either for THIS year, but now if they like that kid from ND, they have the luxury of grabbing him
5. This also allows Bill to move down with any of his top picks see what he can pick up if he likes the depth of this draft. Again, lots of flexibility.
6. If I were CPatterson, I'd be calling Brady and Edelman on a daily basis finding out when the 2 will be working together. The more I think about it, Patterson really could be the key guy here. He has a rare size/speed talent. He doesn't have to be as productive as Cooks to be effective IF he is productive enough to open up the field for others.
7. I'm intrigued by PDorsett. I dismiss his lack of production last year when his snaps were limited by the fact his skills were redundant to Cook's abilities, and Cooks was doing a good job. As with Patterson, I'd like to see him take the initiative an do the extra work to FINALLY make the leap from first-round bust to a productive starter.
So what it boils down to is that you have 2 WR's on the team who have first-round talent, and we only have to hit on one of them to make this offseason a huge home run.
8. The Rams will be a really interesting team to watch this season if only because they are giving us a classic lab study of team building. They are certainly adding talent, but are they building a team that can win in the marathon that is an NFL season, and even if they can, will they be able to sustain it.
9. I think the thing that surprised me the most about this trade was how universally it was applauded by a fandom that usually idolizes WR talent. Could it be that people are FINALLY coming to understand the true value of the WR position in the great scheme of total team building??????
