Kraft acknowledges drafting woes, says approach is changing

[DropKickFlutie]

Michel wasn’t exactly a scrub in College. But Cunningham over Dunlap was way worse. Totally unacceptable.


Chubb had questions regarding catching out of the backfield as teams or media are putting way too much stock into. I think Bill wanted a guy who could catch and run like Kamara which Michel looked like in College. Unfortunately for us, Chubb is that guy and Michel isn’t which I put some blame on McDaniels.

It wasn't that Michel or Maroney was a bad player. It's that a 1st round pick is terrible. Whoever is saying these guys are 1st round guys, ahem same OC, have to be banished from the war room as their opinions are not only worthless but extremely damaging to the long term value and prospects of the team

 

[1960Pats]

What brought Tug Bob Smear Pants out of hiding? He hasn't been seen or heard from since he let Brady walk out the door.

 

[patsfanincleveland]

Can you elaborate on that. I don't understand the distinction. I mean, if you put up a lot of cash one year for bonuses, that translates to less cash spending in future years as that bonus money is amortized and counts against the cap. It all nets out over a number of years.

If you do finance, think of it as income statement vs cash flow.

 

[Nehalem]

Michel wasn’t exactly a scrub in College. But Cunningham over Dunlap was way worse. Totally unacceptable.


Chubb had questions regarding catching out of the backfield as teams or media are putting way too much stock into. I think Bill wanted a guy who could catch and run like Kamara which Michel looked like in College. Unfortunately for us, Chubb is that guy and Michel isn’t which I put some blame on McDaniels.

Sony Michel actually had more receiving yards per game than Chubb in 2020

 

[RobertWeathers]

Caserio was the director of player personnel. So it was his department. If you are the CEO of a company, you don't micromanage every department. The buck stops with Belichick, but if Caserio was lapsing in his duties because his heart wasn't in it, it could have affected the drafts without Belichick's knowledge.

Not saying that is what happened, but it is a possibility.

Do you believe Caserio was on cruise control?

 

[patsfanincleveland]

If we scouted the Georgia backfield, perhaps we should have taken the better back who always showcased far superior speed and athleticism and is now a top 3-5 RB in the NFL

Sony is a JAG

Heed what "50 yard line" says in response to this post.

Learn from it and you will not be constantly making yourself look like a complete dumbazz.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Surprisingly, that's not true.

I just went back and looked again - the ratings were all over the place - I saw Harry at #2, #3, #4, #6. Metcalf was even more volatile.

And look, I've said it before: if I had been running the Pats draft that year, we wouldn't have taken Harry, Williams, or Froholdt, adn would instead have AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, and Hunter Renfroe - that's not hindsight, as I was screaming at the TV.

But I'm no draft expert - far from it.

Depends on what you look at, but I consistently saw him behind Hollywood Brown, Metcalf, AJ Brown and Samuel.

 

[Lansdowne]

Except, of course, that Chubb and Michel were rated side-by-side, with Michel ahead of him more often than not, on almost every draft board.

Scouts don't have 20-20 hindsight - that's for super-scouts posting years later on message boards.

Yup. It’s hindsight to suggest Chubb was an obvious choice over Michel considering many had Michel ranked over him. Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, Matt Miller all had Michel ranked above Chubb. Here’s an article on Pats Pulpit that highlights what draft experts were saying about their picks at the time, including Michel. None of them criticized the Pats for taking Michel before Chubb at the time.

How did the so-called experts grade the Patriots' 2018 draft class?

Let's find out what Mel Kiper and company have to say about New England's haul.

www.patspulpit.com

 

[RIpats88]

Michel was a big part of us winning in 2018. Even if he never does anything else with us at least he helped us win a superbowl.

 

[VectorPrime]

I truly believe that if we had drafted Chubb and the Browns drafted Michel that they’re careers would be reversed and we’d be mad that the Pats didn’t get Chubb.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yup. It’s hindsight to suggest Chubb was an obvious choice over Michel considering many had Michel ranked over him. Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, Matt Miller all had Michel ranked above Chubb.

No, it's not.

 

[Deus Irae]

I truly believe that if we had drafted Chubb and the Browns drafted Michel that they’re careers would be reversed and we’d be mad that the Pats didn’t get Chubb.

That's just silly.

 

[Rob0729]

Do you believe Caserio was on cruise control?

it's a possibility. He was probably upset that the Pats blocked him from going to the Texans. Who knows? I'd be a little disgruntled if my place of employment blocked me from getting what I perceived of as a better job.

Just a theory. I have no proof.

 

[RobertWeathers]

it's a possibility. He was probably upset that the Pats blocked him from going to the Texans. Who knows? I'd be a little disgruntled if my place of employment blocked me from getting what I perceived of as a better job.

Just a theory. I have no proof.

All good. Nothing wrong with speculation.

 

[Lansdowne]

No, it's not.

Yes, it is. You can facepalm all you want. Apart from maybe you, show me who else was ranking Chubb ahead of Michel at that time. I’ll wait.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Except, of course, that Chubb and Michel were rated side-by-side, with Michel ahead of him more often than not, on almost every draft board.

Scouts don't have 20-20 hindsight - that's for super-scouts posting years later on message boards.

not true about Michel being ahead of him

 

[RobertWeathers]

Michel was a big part of us winning in 2018. Even if he never does anything else with us at least he helped us win a superbowl.

In 42 games with the Patriots Sony has averaged...

14.8 carries per game
64yds per game
4.3 per carry
.48 TDs per game

Those numbers are perfectly respectable for a late 1st rd draft pick.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Michel wasn’t exactly a scrub in College. But Cunningham over Dunlap was way worse. Totally unacceptable.


Chubb had questions regarding catching out of the backfield as teams or media are putting way too much stock into. I think Bill wanted a guy who could catch and run like Kamara which Michel looked like in College. Unfortunately for us, Chubb is that guy and Michel isn’t which I put some blame on McDaniels.

did BB watch the tape and mistook Michel for Chubb? I am still not sure how a running back with bad knees, who shared the backfield with a teammate who is better than him was our pick in the first round?

chubb saw stacked boxes the most in college while Sony barely saw them

in 2018, Chubb averaged 3.8 yards after contact. Despite seeing heavier boxes, Chubb consistently showed that he could run through contact. He’s built well and doesn’t shy away from contact. chubb was the bell cow and ran through stacked boxes on first & second down. Michel saw an eight man box only 10% of the time in 2018. In addition, Michel was primarily used on the field in 10 and 11 personnel to spread the defense out.

chubb is an elite athlete, he tested way better than Michel. Chubb made way more sense for a higher draft pick than Michel. Chubb is proficient at gap runs, power, and zone. chubb has elite skills at second level of defense. Chubb is a better athlete, runs through contact better, eludes defenders better, fares well against stacked boxes, has stronger ball security, and runs with better instincts. Chubb catches the ball better too. Sony has brick hands, his sample size in college was small. Sony could not run routes he was not natural at them.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yes, it is. You can facepalm all you want. Apart from maybe you, show me who else was ranking Chubb ahead of Michel at that time. I’ll wait.

Go look at that year's draft thread, or some of the after draft threads. People here use the word hindsight as an umbrella term, but that's not how the word works.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Chubb just explodes through holes with incredible speed while Sony runs in slow motion through them...

kraft finally Acknowledged BBs drafting blunders and hopefully we start taking the better athletes with explosive speed!