DRAFT DAY DISCUSSION A tale of a draft SQUANDERED....

[Sporin]

Look, I can't state it any clearer. .... every year I watch the draft and listen to my buddies ***** about the picks, then things work out pretty well. My Facebook page blew up after the McCourty pick last year as my buddies gave a collective "who?" Every year I get the... "Why did they pick ________?!?" and "Why didn't they pick _________!!!?" emails.

If a broad anecdotal observation bothers you I'm sorry. You "win." Enjoy you sweet statistical pownage of a guy expressing his love for the team despite the draft grades every year.

 

[Sporin]

I'm not even sure what we're arguing about. :beer:

 

[Deus Irae]

Look, I can't state it any clearer. .... every year I watch the draft and listen to my buddies ***** about the picks, then things work out pretty well. My Facebook page blew up after the McCourty pick last year as my buddies gave a collective "who?" Every year I get the... "Why did they pick ________?!?" and "Why didn't they pick _________!!!?" emails.

If a broad anecdotal observation bothers you I'm sorry. You "win." Enjoy you sweet statistical pownage of a guy expressing his love for the team despite the draft grades every year.

You made a claim that it was no different than every other BB draft, and pointed to question marks. I asked you to give examples. I wasn't looking for "sweet statistical pownage". I was trying to understand what you were talking about, because your point didn't seem accurate to me. Last year's draft made good sense in terms of dealing with as many immediate needs as possible, and doing it with value picks. This year's draft does not do that nearly as well.

Part of it is, probably, the fact that free agency hasn't taken place yet. However, that doesn't explain all of it.

 

[Sporin]

You made a claim that it was no different than every other BB draft, and pointed to question marks. I asked you to give examples. I wasn't looking for "sweet statistical pownage". I was trying to understand what you were talking about, because your point didn't seem accurate to me. Last year's draft made good sense in terms of dealing with as many immediate needs as possible, and doing it with value picks. This year's draft does not do that nearly as well.

Part of it is, probably, the fact that free agency hasn't taken place yet. However, that doesn't explain all of it.

I really think we are talking about 2 different things, because I'm boggled as to why you keep hounding me on this.

Are you saying that my "claim" is wrong for just last year? or wrong about this year? Are you implying that this year was particularly egregious vs. previous years? Are you upset that my implication that this year was no "worse" then previous years when you think it was worse?

Either way, you are taking it to a level of detail that I wasn't. My point was only that it seems a lot of fans are unhappy every year. This year, last year, 4 years ago, doesn't seem to matter. It also doesn't seem to make much difference if the team drafts the position fans want, but not the preferred player. Of if the team drafts players in positions that fans don't think need filling. People still piss and moan about it... at least the average Joe's I know do.

I wasn't trying to have a pick-by-pick analysis, I was conveying a broad, anecdotal observation, based on what I hear with my buddies year in and year out... you are welcome to agree or disagree with that, but that's as far as I plan to take my analysis, and never claimed otherwise.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Last year's draft made good sense in terms of dealing with as many immediate needs as possible, and doing it with value picks. This year's draft does not do that nearly as well.

When you go from one of the deepest draft classes of all time to a draft class that may prove weaker than even the 07 class, that is to be expected.

 

[IllegalContact]

really........I've said this several times.......the biggest reason people get pissed is because their predictions could not have been more off-base

the whole ryan mallett thing threw people way off

 

[moosekill]

really........I've said this several times.......the biggest reason people get pissed is because their predictions could not have been more off-base

the whole ryan mallett thing threw people way off

Well, that and the two running backs taken, bam bam..... I figured we would have to take at least one running back in the draft, so taking two doesn't surprise me. Some people, however, seemed to think that it wasn't a need, or if so, only a minor one.

Hey, I like BJGE, he is safe, and seems to always get a few yards. I think, however, he makes his living off of Tom Brady's arm. I don't think he is the kind of back that teams had to be worried with, they happily let him rack up his 1000 yds, figuring he couldn't beat them, Brady could. He doesn't have break away speed, and he isn't a bruising goal line type runner. I think we picked up runners who may be able to fill both rolls in the draft. A runner who has that break away speed who may make a few more people miss, and a runner you can put in when you need 2 yards. Hopefully, teams will have to respect them and that should give Brady even more options.

 

[Ring 6]

I was just asking for examples that fit your claim. McCourty was a pick after day 1. By the end of day 2, most people were fine with it, because the other picks had put it in context.

1 1 27 27 Devin McCourty DB Rutgers
2 2 10 42 Rob Gronkowski TE Arizona
3 2 21 53 Jermaine Cunningham LB Florida
4 2 30 62 Brandon Spikes LB Florida
5 3 26 90 Taylor Price WR Ohio
6 4 15 113 Aaron Hernandez TE Florida
7 5 19 150 Zoltan Mesko P Michigan
8 6 36 205 Ted Larsen C North Carolina State
9 7 1 208 Thomas Welch T Vanderbilt
10 7 40 247 Brandon Deaderick LB Alabama
11 7 41 248 Kade Weston DE Georgia

Where are the players there?


Last year was an example of a draft that targeted immediate needs and did it with value picks and smart maneuvering. There were no QBs taken, the team didn't use high picks to double up on positions where the team already had 'established' players, etc...

This draft addressed immediate needs as well, unless you want Steve Maneri protecting Bradys blind side.
I guess you consider Woodhead and 'established' RB who can carry the whole load?

 

[Smash-MouthD]

It's amazing every year we hear the same lament,we drafted who, why draft him so early, yada yada yada no one was jumping for joy when the pats drafted devin mccourty even I said who the hell is devin mccourty. The fact of the matter is we need to become tougher on offence and I think a big ole blocking tight end, two young runners and two huge o-linemen is a nice start.
There seems to be this idea out there that a pass rushing olb is the pats biggest need and they have passed on so many of these guys the last few years, but I don't seem to recall any of these guys that have come into the league and set the world on fire. Yes Clay Mathews is a great pass rusher but he is one guy. The media is the worst at this it seems to be all they talk about but they never seem to mention that the Pats have never really had that one over the top pass rusher it's alway's been a team/ scheme pass rush. Unless your drafting in the top five there is a very slim chance of getting an elite pass rusher, Atlanta set Cleveland up real nice for Julio Jones who is no megatron so what would it cost to get a Miller or Dareus no thanks I am all for team building the Draft is just one route to building your team there still are trades and free agents. You hear guys on the radio talking as if BB dose it just to piss people off.

 

[The Scrizz]

You made a claim that it was no different than every other BB draft, and pointed to question marks. I asked you to give examples. I wasn't looking for "sweet statistical pownage". I was trying to understand what you were talking about, because your point didn't seem accurate to me. Last year's draft made good sense in terms of dealing with as many immediate needs as possible, and doing it with value picks. This year's draft does not do that nearly as well.

Part of it is, probably, the fact that free agency hasn't taken place yet. However, that doesn't explain all of it.

So let's talk needs.

LT - Light is a FA and 34 besides - Solder filled a pretty big need.

CB - Which CB besides McCourty did you feel comfortable relying on last year? My answer is none. I hope Bodden is back to form and if he is there is the option of Ras-I at safety where we have two players that will be UFA next year. So yes, Dowling filled a pretty big need and was a very good value due to his injuries making him slide.

RB - we have 2 on the roster. We definitely needed players here. What difference does it make that we took two 'in a row'. Why does where they were taken matter? They both fill needs on the roster and are both very different players.

QB - Despite what he might hope, Brady is no guarantee to play for 4 more years never mind 10. The only QB over 35 to win a SB was Elway and he did it by handing off to Davis 30 times a game. Mallet was ridiculous value, especially when you consider guys like Ponder going at 12 and the ginger in the early 3rd.

OG - Cannon was one of the top-rated guards and we got him in the 5th. Who knows what happens with Mankins, Neal retired, Kazcur could be gone, so yes this was a need too.

This years draft did indeed do what last years did. It doesn't mean all the players will work out, but needs were filled at value slots in the draft and we still rolled high picks over to next year yet again. What more do you want?

Let me guess it rhymes with Mass Lusher.

 

[Kontradiction]

This was simply one of the worst drafts of the Belichick era. The needs were DE, OLB, OL, and WR. We responded by drafting a good OT with our first pick. We then traded the second pick away when Wilkerson, a guy who would have been a great pick in our defense, was available. Instead he went to the Jets who seem to have strengthened their D-Line. With the first pick in the second round, we took an injury plagued CB that we absolutely did not need when there was a plethora of talent at the OLB position still available. We then selected two RB's in a row when we only needed one and could have gotten quality in the third round. We didn't need Vereen, IMO. We have Woodhead for the purposes that he gives us. Ridley was a good pick, and it happened at the right time. Mallett makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me unless they're planning on trading Brady a year before his contract is up. Even then it still woudln't make all that much sense. Cannon is not the type of OL that the Patriots use, so his pick doesn't make much sense at this point either. Smith is a good pick-up as a physical blocker to replace Algae Crumpler for the long term. The Markell Carter pick was good only because we needed to select an OLB somewhere. But I'm not sure what to make of him when we had open shots at guys like Brooks Reed. Hopefully Belichick proves me wrong here because, with that and the miss on Wilkerson, it looks like 2009 and 2010's problems will most likely become 2011's problems. Who knows? Maybe Belichick has some plans for free agency, whenever that occurs.

Out of this entire draft, I only see two picks that I really like. Out of this entire draft, the Patriots only worked out three of the players they drafted. IMO, this is a poor, poor draft by Belichick at a period when he could have quickly re-built the team with a quality youth infusion to put around Brady the way he did last season. Instead, he seemed to have gotten fancy with the picks.

 

[NEPats1]

Teddy pretty much echoes what we've been saying: BB doesn't want to take a OLB high in the draft

"That's the question of the day," Kiper said. "Tedy was on the [TV] set and we were talking about that, and how he played in that defense, so he knows what it takes to play linebacker. He said it's a complex situation for a linebacker, and it's a lot for them to digest early in their careers, so [he likes] veterans -- Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Rosevelt Colvin.

"But I think it's about a philosophy. He believes you have to be a veteran, you have know what's going on. Using a first-round pick on a linebacker is risky for his situation. So you pass on those guys and develop from within."

Experience at OLB the key for Pats? - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[Synovia]

This was simply one of the worst drafts of the Belichick era. The needs were DE, OLB, OL, and WR. .

I got no problem with OLB being a need, but WR?

They just drafted 2 WRs (Price and Tate) who were both rookies last year, and looked good in limited time. They've got a young guy who looks pretty good (edelman), they've got Welker, and Branch for another year. They've got a WR/RB tweener in woodhead, and a TE/WR tweener in Hernandez. They don't need another pass catching target. They've got a rookie TE who caught 10 TDs last year. There's not enough balls to go around.

They've got Ty Warren, Gerard Warren, Marcus Stroud, Pryor, Deadrick, Richard, Brace at DE. They've got good vets, and young guys who've shown sparks.

They drafted OL. Multiple guys. (Cannon and Solder).



I think McCourty and Mayo have spoiled people. Most draft picks take time to develop. You don't just keep drafting the same position every year because the guy you drafted the year before isn't a pro-bowler yet.

 

[Synovia]

Last year's draft made good sense in terms of dealing with as many immediate needs as possible, and doing it with value picks. This year's draft does not do that nearly as well.
.

This year doesn't deal with Immediate Need?

1st round:

Solder: We have a LT who will be 33 before the season starts, and his contract is up at the end of the season. We drafted the best LT prospect in the draft.

2nd round:
Dowling: We have one CB who is good (McCourty), and one who didn't suck, but is 30, coming off a blown shoulder, and hasn't played in a year. We play 3 CBs on more than half of the snaps. The rest of our CBs suck.

Sounds like immediate need to me.

Vereen We have Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus GreenEllis for Running backs. Sounds like a need to me.


3rd round.
Ridley: See Vereen

Mallet:: We have a QB who will be 34 before the season starts, and typically quarterbacks suck in their first couple years after being drafted. The best QB talent in the draft falls to the 3rd round. Combo of immediate need and value/fortune.

4th Round

Cannon: We have one guard on the roster who has played meaningful snaps in the NFL (Connoly). We have another (who is an elite talent) Who may or may not be a free agent. Sounds like a need to me.

5th Round:

Smith: Probably not an absolute need, but Crumpler is getting older, and its a 5th rounder.

6th Round:
Carter: OLB. Enough said.

7th round:
Williams Whether hes a need depends on what you think of Arrington, Whilhite, etc. I think extra DBs is always a need.



When the only pick that can't really be argued as an immediate need is your 5th rounder, I think its ridiculous to say that the team ignored their immediate needs. They just don't agree with you on which needs are most pressing.

 

[Sublimation]

Not sure if this has already been said in this extensive thread, but as far as drafting for the future goes, what about this theory: Supply & Demand.

Many have said this year's draft was loaded with DLs, DE, LBs and so even if we didn't want one early, we could've had one with the 33rd pick (Sheard, Reed). I'm not a futures trader or finance guy, but it would seem that drafting for positions the draft is NOT rich in would inherently make those players more valuable picks, simply because there are less to go around.

You can't view the draft year in a vacuum, but maybe BB figures that if Cunningham/TBC/Ninkovich don't pan out down the road, he'll be able to pickup an edge rusher easier & cheaper than he'd be able to get a CB or RB, so he took the draft risk on those positions instead.

 

[Kontradiction]

Teddy pretty much echoes what we've been saying: BB doesn't want to take a OLB high in the draft









Experience at OLB the key for Pats? - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Bruschi also called for a young, run stuffing DE presence before the draft and echoed how much he appreciated the Seymour pick back in '01 because it took a lot of the heat off of him and the other LB's. Belichick had numerous chances to take a guy who could have been a great fit for this defense and instead traded out of the first round where, again, there was a plethora of talent available and let the same guy go to the Jets... the team that just embarrassed us in our own house in the second round of the playoffs. Bruschi also called and said he'd like to see a guy like Brooks Reed taken with the first pick in the second round.

I got no problem with OLB being a need, but WR?

The Jets showed us in the playoffs exactly why there is a need for a WR. Maybe Belichick is going to try to pick up a Sidney Rice in free agency, but when and how we're going to be able to do that is anybody's guess.

They just drafted 2 WRs (Price and Tate) who were both rookies last year, and looked good in limited time.

For one, Tate didn't see limited time. For another, I'd hardly say he looked "good" as a WR last year. He had a lot of drops and didn't look to have really developed a good chemistry with Brady. He had his moments and, hopefully, he can take those good moments to take another step in his third year. But I didn't see any evidence that Tate was ready to lead this team as the flanker. As for Price, I'm not sure how we can pass any judgment on him at this point. He saw action in one game and looked decent. Before that, he struggled with route running and footwork. With what we knew going into the draft, WR was a sure-fire need.

They've got a young guy who looks pretty good (edelman), they've got Welker, and Branch for another year. They've got a WR/RB tweener in woodhead, and a TE/WR tweener in Hernandez. They don't need another pass catching target. They've got a rookie TE who caught 10 TDs last year. There's not enough balls to go around.

I have no problems with TE. However, they aren't going to be enough going against some of the better secondaries in the NFL. Woodhead is not a WR tweener. He's a third down back. Branch is getting older and, although he had a solid season for us, is not a premier threat.

They've got Ty Warren, Gerard Warren, Marcus Stroud, Pryor, Deadrick, Richard, Brace at DE. They've got good vets, and young guys who've shown sparks.

Ty Warren is coming off a bad hip injury, Gerard Warren is just north of horrible against the run, Stroud is old and hasn't shown that he can be a presence against the pass since the early 2000's, Deaderick shows promise but looked extremely raw last season, Richard is a back-up at best, and Brace showed his fair share of struggles last year. The Seymour trade was a mistake in that we let go of a Pro Bowl caliber DE and had nobody behind him to even perform the job admirably at a starting level. We went into 2010 with a DE by committee and it was exploited by smarter teams from time to time as we saw RB's like Peyton Hillis and Shonn Greene kill us by running off the edges. If you can get a starting caliber DE in the first round who is a very good fit for your defense, you do it. You do not let him fall to the Jets then follow it up by taking an oft-injured CB and a RB who can do many of the same things that Danny Woodhead does in round two, then follow it up by taking ANOTHER RB in the third round.

They drafted OL. Multiple guys. (Cannon and Solder).

I love the Solder pick. I think he'll be a very good starter for us going into the future. His main area of concern is his strength and we have some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the league. Cannon I don't get because he doesn't seem to be a fit for what we do along the O-Line.

I think McCourty and Mayo have spoiled people. Most draft picks take time to develop. You don't just keep drafting the same position every year because the guy you drafted the year before isn't a pro-bowler yet.

We only drafted Cunningham last year, and he looked to improve game by game. We still needed one more blue chipper OLB prospect to be drafted this year. We had numerous chances to do that and waited to take Carter. Maybe Carter will develop in time, but he still looks to be a work in progress. The Pats needed someone who could come in and contribute right away. Hopefully Belichick proves me wrong and Carter can come in to rush the passer and set the edge immediately, but it isn't looking good right now.

By the way, I hope to God I am wrong, and will gladly admit it if I am.

 

[Synovia]

Bruschi also called for a young, run stuffing DE presence before the draft and echoed how much he appreciated the Seymour pick back in '01 because it took a lot of the heat off of him and the other LB's. Belichick had numerous chances to take a guy who could have been a great fit for this defense and instead traded out of the first round where, again, there was a plethora of talent available and let the same guy go to the Jets... the team that just embarrassed us in our own house in the second round of the playoffs. Bruschi also called and said he'd like to see a guy like Brooks Reed taken with the first pick in the second round.

Tedy Bruschi is a TV personality. We need a run-stuffing DE presence? What the hell is Brace? What the hell is Love? They're run stuffers.

The Jets showed us in the playoffs exactly why there is a need for a WR. Maybe Belichick is going to try to pick up a Sidney Rice in free agency, but when and how we're going to be able to do that is anybody's guess.

No, the jets showed us what the problem is when you have no running game. When you try to pass all the time against a very good secondary who can drop 7 in coverage and still either stop a run, or sack your QB. Nobody gets open against Revis on one side, and double coverage with Cromartie on the other. The key is to be able to run the ball when they do this, and force them out of Nickle/Dime. We couldn't do that.

for one, Tate didn't see limited time. For another, I'd hardly say he looked "good" as a WR last year. He had a lot of drops and didn't look to have really developed a good chemistry with Brady. He had his moments and, hopefully, he can take those good moments to take another step in his third year. But I didn't see any evidence that Tate was ready to lead this team as the flanker. As for Price, I'm not sure how we can pass any judgment on him at this point. He saw action in one game and looked decent. Before that, he struggled with route running and footwork. With what we knew going into the draft, WR was a sure-fire need.

Tate was a rookie. He looked great for a Rookie. Drops and poor chemistry are expected. Anyone you draft outside the top 10 or so isn't going to look any better than Tate did, unless you get really friggen lucky.

I love the Solder pick. I think he'll be a very good starter for us going into the future. His main area of concern is his strength and we have some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the league. Cannon I don't get because he doesn't seem to be a fit for what we do along the O-Line.

What exactly is it we do along the O-Line? What exactly is it that makes Cannon a bad fit? We drafted some smaller O-Lineman because we wanted to go to Zone blocking. It was an absolute failure... now they're moving back to where they were: physical monsters.

We only drafted Cunningham last year, and he looked to improve game by game. We still needed one more blue chipper OLB prospect to be drafted this year. We had numerous chances to do that and waited to take Carter. Maybe Carter will develop in time, but he still looks to be a work in progress. The Pats needed someone who could come in and contribute right away.

And why do you think a pick at the end of the first round could contribute right away, when bellichick has said dozens of times that the OLB role is too complicated for a rookie, and that he prefers vets. Drafting new OLBs every year makes the problem WORSE, not better.

 

[Deus Irae]

So let's talk needs.

LT - Light is a FA and 34 besides - Solder filled a pretty big need.

Actually, if you bring back Light, OT is not a need at all. What would be a need is a developmental OT, starting NEXT year. However, I was fine with Solder, because the OG/C most worth choosing in the first round (Pouncey) was off the board. The question here is whether or not BB could have made a trade that allowed him to move up for Pouncey yet wasn't overly costly. We don't know the answer to that, so I don't find it worth worrying about. A future with 2 6'9" tackles seems as if it's going to be happening soon.

CB - Which CB besides McCourty did you feel comfortable relying on last year? My answer is none. I hope Bodden is back to form and if he is there is the option of Ras-I at safety where we have two players that will be UFA next year. So yes, Dowling filled a pretty big need and was a very good value due to his injuries making him slide.

Dowling shouldn't have to fill a need. The team has McCourty and Bodden for starters, with Arrington/Butler/Wilhite to handle the nickle and dime stuff. He was a luxury pick. I know this because BB knows better than anyone, and he drafted Butler and Wilhite (and Wheatley, for that matter), so the CB position is guaranteed to have been a rock solid, lockdown, group.

People (This is not aimed at you) are trying to have things both ways, and that's just not right. You can't defend drafting Dowling AND defend Belichick on the basis of his brilliance with drafting.

RB - we have 2 on the roster. We definitely needed players here. What difference does it make that we took two 'in a row'. Why does where they were taken matter? They both fill needs on the roster and are both very different players.

I've got no problem with drafting a RB high in the draft. I was all for it, actually, and I actually took heat for having RB in the list of top 5 team needs. The problem comes with the second pick used on a RB, when DE/OLB were the team's top needs and still hadn't been addressed.

QB - Despite what he might hope, Brady is no guarantee to play for 4 more years never mind 10. The only QB over 35 to win a SB was Elway and he did it by handing off to Davis 30 times a game. Mallet was ridiculous value, especially when you consider guys like Ponder going at 12 and the ginger in the early 3rd.

The Mallet pick makes no sense at all. It's a great example of "value" being taken too far.

OG - Cannon was one of the top-rated guards and we got him in the 5th. Who knows what happens with Mankins, Neal retired, Kazcur could be gone, so yes this was a need too.

I've got no problem taking a flyer on this guy.

This years draft did indeed do what last years did. It doesn't mean all the players will work out, but needs were filled at value slots in the draft and we still rolled high picks over to next year yet again. What more do you want?

Let me guess it rhymes with Mass Lusher.

No, the draft did not do what last year's did, as I demonstrated earlier. Also, DE/OLB is not just about "Mass Lusher". It's 2 positions in the front seven that went without getting sufficiently addressed, even though they were the team's most pressing needs. In a year filled with DE/OLB prospects, that should never have happened.

 

[Synovia]

Dowling shouldn't have to fill a need. The team has McCourty and Bodden for starters, with Arrington/Butler/Wilhite to handle the nickle and dime stuff. He was a luxury pick. I know this because BB knows better than anyone, and he drafted Butler and Wilhite (and Wheatley, for that matter), so the CB position is guaranteed to have been a rock solid, lockdown, group.

People (This is not aimed at you) are trying to have things both ways, and that's just not right. You can't defend drafting Dowling AND defend Belichick on the basis of his brilliance with drafting..

Sure you can. The Patriots play 3 corners on most plays. Bodden is a 30+ vet who missed the entire year last year because of injury, hes a question mark.

As to Bellichick's brilliance, if you can name me one GM who hasn't had a pick bust on him, any year in the last 5, then we can consider your statements as anything other than a silly strawman.

 

[The Scrizz]

Actually, if you bring back Light, OT is not a need at all. What would be a need is a developmental OT, starting NEXT year.

So now Bill needs to be able to tell the future as well. And Light is 34, he's getting old.



Dowling shouldn't have to fill a need. The team has McCourty and Bodden for starters, with Arrington/Butler/Wilhite to handle the nickle and dime stuff. He was a luxury pick. I know this because BB knows better than anyone, and he drafted Butler and Wilhite (and Wheatley, for that matter), so the CB position is guaranteed to have been a rock solid, lockdown, group.

People (This is not aimed at you) are trying to have things both ways, and that's just not right. You can't defend drafting Dowling AND defend Belichick on the basis of his brilliance with drafting.

So because so of his picks haven't panned out he should ignore the area where he made those picks? That sounds like your argument. Nobody has said he is infallible and actually this discussion is about need and DB improvement was a need.


The problem comes with the second pick used on a RB, when DE/OLB were the team's top needs and still hadn't been addressed.

You keep forgetting those 3 little words. "in my opinion". We have a ton of DE and OLB take forever to develop in this system which is why most of our good ones have come from FA. So how exactly would taking an OLB that might contribute next to nothign next year solve this issue?


The Mallet pick makes no sense at all. It's a great example of "value" being taken too far.

Yes, because QB's never get hurt and there is such a long history of older ones playing at a high level. He was the fifth player we took. How many rookies does a 14-2 need? I know the answer is 1, as long as it's a "pass rusher"

I've got no problem taking a flyer on this guy.



No, the draft did not do what last year's did, as I demonstrated earlier. Also, DE/OLB is not just about "Mass Lusher". It's 2 positions in the front seven that went without getting sufficiently addressed, even though they were the team's most pressing needs. In a year filled with DE/OLB prospects, that should never have happened.

Again, if they were the teams most pressing needs you most likely would have seen it get addressed. Apparently it was your most pressing need, not the team's.