DRAFT Patriots select WR Tyquan Thornton at 50.

[FredFromDartmouth]

I watched some more of Thornton and really like what I saw. He has the ability to go from a trot to full speed on the run like some other famous WRs that I will not name. And he pulled away from the CB when he did this, like Jameson Williams (but I don't know what kind of CBs he was up against).

Also Thornton show the ability to do a quick hitch on the fly to evade the CB or safety.

I think that this is the year that the Patriots break their WR curse.

BTW, Bo Melton, My Man is still available--so much for my predictions

 

[zipster9]

Understandable; but even if it does, what’ll he run then? A 4.3? Lol..I’ll take it.

Dunno if 10lbs equates to 0.1mph difference.
I hope he can get onto a regiment with Patriots health/nutritionists to add at least 5lbs of muscle (and keep it)...

 

[Uptown]

Dunno if 10lbs equates to 0.1mph difference.
I hope he can get onto a regiment with Patriots health/nutritionists to add at least 5lbs of muscle (and keep it)...

When I wrote “4.3” I meant anywhere between 4.30-4.39. I should’ve been more clear. Anyway, we’ll see..

 

[zipster9]

I watched some more of Thornton and really like what I saw. He has the ability to go from a trot to full speed on the run like some other famous WRs that I will not name. And he pulled away from the CB when he did this, like Jameson Williams (but I don't know what kind of CBs he was up against).

Also Thornton show the ability to do a quick hitch on the fly to evade the CB or safety.

I think that this is the year that the Patriots break their WR curse.

BTW, Bo Melton, My Man is still available--so much for my predictions

Either Bo Melton or WR Romeo Doubs who visited the Patriots 3x!

I'd prefer Romeo. Romeo Doubs Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com


I'm looking for a massive (Loved Jordan Davis but long gone) DT to stop the run.

 

[italian pat patriot]

With Parker and Thornton at least on WR group we look better then last season

 

[Jim Beankie]

I watched some more of Thornton and really like what I saw. He has the ability to go from a trot to full speed on the run like some other famous WRs that I will not name. And he pulled away from the CB when he did this, like Jameson Williams (but I don't know what kind of CBs he was up against).

Also Thornton show the ability to do a quick hitch on the fly to evade the CB or safety.

I think that this is the year that the Patriots break their WR curse.

BTW, Bo Melton, My Man is still available--so much for my predictions

I entered that Pick the Pats' 1st contest, and I can't believe someone won it (shenanigans?).

Really like Bo. CAustin's still in there, too, but Pats prob need to get (way) more D.

 

[DaBruinz]

Sure, Belichick has access to much more data than fans who read reviews from the experts. But generally those reaches just haven't worked. And now we are seeing a lot more reaches.

Except we're not seeing reaches. Neither Strange nor Thornton were reaches. That idea has been thoroughly debunked.

Two other teams had a 1st round grade on Strange and many teams had a 2nd round grade on him.

It's come out that Thornton was graded top 50 by some teams. So, taking him at 50 isn't a reach.

The "experts" are only "experts" in their own minds. It's a marketing concept used to get the lesser knowledgeable fans to think that they know what they're talking about.

 

[DaBruinz]

Either Bo Melton or WR Romeo Doubs who visited the Patriots 3x!

I'd prefer Romeo. Romeo Doubs Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com


I'm looking for a massive (Loved Jordan Davis but long gone) DT to stop the run.

I prefer Kyle Phillips over either of them.

Look at McCall for the DT position..

 

[zipster9]

I entered that Pick the Pats' 1st contest, and I can't believe someone won it (shenanigans?).

Really like Bo. CAustin's still in there, too, but Pats prob need to get (way) more D.

Eyioma Uwazurike, DT​

just the name is cool!

 

[upstater1]

Not worried about Thornton’s hand size. Deion Branch had 8 1/8 inch hands.

& Tyreek smaller than both

 

[upstater1]

So the issue for him by analysts is that he is SKINNY, 181-ish lbs.

Well, if he bulks up say, 10lbs of muscle, doesn't that potentially SLOW him down a bit?

Seeing him with a tank top, it looks like he's already been hitting the weight room, so he may just naturally be one of these bean poles. He has very strong arms and there're vids of him squatting quite bit. Not sure this guy is ever going to approach Terrel Owens.

 

[Jim Beankie]

So the issue for him by analysts is that he is SKINNY, 181-ish lbs.

Well, if he bulks up say, 10lbs of muscle, doesn't that potentially SLOW him down a bit?

Great question. Pretty much why I had dismissed him, initially. He's about as skinny as Devonta Smith (~2.1" shorter) is now after DS gained a little weight. RMoss did gain 15-20lbs from draft day and probably did slow him down a little bit. Hopefully TT's got it going on upstairs. The former QB bit is going to be a big help there.

It can potentially make him faster if he gets stronger (in the applicable way), although I don't see that happening because Baylor was such a speed / T&F factory, and those guys really know what they're doing.

 

[Urgent]

It's nuts that year after year people talk about reach. Value is in the eye of the beholder, and we're basically dealing with a complicated First Price Sealed Bid Auction -ish system where teams don't know how much (how high) another team is going to bid (as we all know). The Patriots have had to bid/price a round earlier for the same prospect over the last few decades because they've been so darn good for so long. If the Patriots believe another team (and it only takes 1) values someone in the 2nd, if they really want the player, then they'd pretty much have to get them in the 1st, especially when they were picking in the high 20s/low 30s consistently for years. We've basically had 2 decades of prospects with 1st Rnd expectations but with 2nd Rnd value for almost all other teams (and so on for the later rounds). That's why last year's draft felt so much darn easier to get perceived value for the fan/analysts (well, that and BB didn't suck / got lucky / actually did his job ).

Here's BB's track record for picking in the top half of the 1st round. How many GMs have had 100% success like this, especially with the high rates of injury?

Seymour 6 HoF
Warren 13 All Pro
Mayo 10 All Pro
Mac 15 Pro Bowl 1st year (super alternate tho)

I guess the next question would be why not trade up all the time? Fair question. Sure, he could prob get All Pros close to every year by trading into the top 5-15, but he'd basically have no other picks left if trying to go from 30, especially since NE's picks are at the ends of rounds. Look at Detroit's recent bold trade: (#12 & #46 for #32, #34, #66). For the typical Pats scenario over the last few decades, the Pats would prob have to give up their 1st 4 picks (#32, #64, #96, #128) to get that (actually, according to calcs, you'd have to give up all your picks). BB's not a high roller like that. He knows this is hard and the margin of error would be slim and a miss would be catastrophic.

Why am I writing all this and not trimming the overgrown Yew?

Picking poorly in the bottom half of the first round is the best way to get picks in the top half of the first round.

 

[upstater1]

Sure.
But the Patriots performance has been well below league average the past five or more years.
The Patriots have made some odd choices that fans questioned at the time, and the failure of those perceived reaches certainly raises questions when other reaches are made.

The Patriots drafted Derek Rivers and Antonio Garcia in 2017. They have no starters from that draft.
The Patriots have two players remaining from the 2018 draft, Wynn and Bentley. Featured Duke Dawson in the second.
The 2019 draft featured a reach for Harry in the first over the higher "expert"-rated players Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, etc. JoeJuan Williams in the second, who has made the team. An active third with three players, Winovich, Harris, and Cajuste. Their best pick was punter Jake Bailey in the fifth.
2020 delivered Duggar, a good third safety behind McCourty & Philips, Uche, a rotational edge player, Jennings who's done nothing, two TE's who struggle to make the team, and the first kicker drafted. There was a lot of complaining from the fans about selecting Rohrwasser over more highly-rated "expert" kickers, and Rohrwasser didn't make the team.

So over the 2017-2020 period, where there has been time to evaluate, the best players drafted are Wynn, Bentley, Harris, Bailey, Duggar, and Uche. Not a lot of Pro Bowl representation there. Three positional starters; four if you count Duggar, and a good punter.

Sure, Belichick has access to much more data than fans who read reviews from the experts. But generally those reaches just haven't worked. And now we are seeing a lot more reaches.

Don't you think this might be a little too gloom and doomy.

You mention Derek Rivers and Antonio Garcia but we lost our top 2 draft picks. We lost a 1st rounder the next year. And a 4th. Trading them away for players, Deflategate nonsense, even the filming thing from 2 years ago. You can't hold these against Belichick.

As for Harry, go back to a few years ago and read this board. Everyone was ecstatic. A lot of people loved Harry. Harry was not at all a reach. He was projected there. And you can talk about the others you mention, but go back and read Metcalf's predraft assessment. I remember it like yesterday. There's a reason Metcalf dropped to the bottom of the 2nd round and NO ONE picked him before then. He was called lazy, a horrible route runner, a combine freak.

In retrospect, the Harry pick is horrible. But it definitely is not an example of Belichick overreaching. I even wonder who convinced Belichick to make this very un-Belichickian pick. Is this Josh McD trying to convince BB that Harry was B. Marshall?

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

bill is smarter than everybody

How did Mel Kiper and Lance Zierlen become the gold standard of where college players are “ranked” and how they should be evaluated. It’s ridiculous and so are these grades. Sheer lunacy

 

[holyredeemer]

The Packers are being lauded for jumping up to draft Watson. Everyone is saying it’s a great pick. Why was Watson expected to go higher vs Thornton? Because he’s a more well rounded athlete? He played against less quality competition, had less production, and has a pretty damn high drop rate. I don’t get it.

 

[upstater1]

Picking poorly in the bottom half of the first round is the best way to get picks in the top half of the first round.

But it hasn't happened yet. I mean, those poor drafts, and they made the playoffs. They've been picking 29-32 since forever it seems, until last year. And they hit. As they usually do when they are picking top 20.

 

[upstater1]

The Packers are being lauded for jumping up to draft Watson. Everyone is saying it’s a great pick. Why was Watson expected to go higher vs Thornton? Because he’s a more well rounded athlete? He played against less quality competition, had less production, and has a pretty damn high drop rate. I don’t get it.

Also a lot of injuries

 

[Uptown]

& Tyreek smaller than both

I guess it’s safe to say that they both have Ty-ny hands.

 

[Kontradiction]

I’m pretty familiar with him as he was committed to Florida at one point. Gives them their burner on the outside. At 4.29 speed, he will take the top off the defense and he has shown route separation and the ability to win 50-50 balls throughout his time at Baylor. He also played in the most competitive district in one of the most competitive states for the sport. So he’s used to going up against other dudes who are athletically gifted. We badly needed another burner to let Meyers and the TE’s do their thing.

Downsides are his frame, a limited route tree, and he struggled to get off the press consistently. His frame is nearly maxed out and there isn’t a whole lot of room to add bulk. He’ll need to be in motion a lot early on to try and get a free release. His route tree will likely be limited to the 7, 8, and 9 routes. Possibly 6 if he can cut with consistency and clean up that route.

I’d rather have had Pickens there. He’s not as lightning-fast as Thornton, but he’s a better blocker, has a more developed route tree, and has a nasty streak. Maybe the Patriots are trying to move away from drafting players with recent injuries, which was the case with Pickens. Not sure. But I think he will be a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.