April 25 in Pats History: NEP drafts Drew, Vince and N'Keal

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats draft Drew Bledsoe​

April 25, 1993:
Thanks to a strength of schedule tiebreaker (and blowing a winnable final game of the 1992 season), the Patriots have the first pick in the 1995 draft rather than Seattle.

The Pats dodge a bullet and select Drew Bledsoe rather than Rick Mirer.




April 25, 1993: Day One (rounds 1-4) of the NFL Draft, from the Marriott Marquis in NYC

• 1.1 -- QB Drew Bledsoe, Washington State
• 2.31 - DE Chris Slade, Virginia
• 2.51 - G Todd Rucci, Miami (pick from prior Irving Fryar trade with Miami)
• 2.56 - WR Vincent Brisby, NE Louisiana
• 4.86 - DT Kevin Johnson, Texas Southern
• (Pats received 4.99 in 3/30 trade with Packers for John Stephens)
• Pats trade down, sending 4.99 to San Diego for 4.110 and 5.138

​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats Draft Vince Wilfork​

April 25, 2004: Day One (rounds 1-3) of the NFL Draft, from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden

• 1.21 - NT Vince Wilfork, Miami (pick from '03 trade with Ravens, who used that on Kyle Boller)
• 1.32 - TE Ben Watson, Georgia
• (2.24 used 4/19 to trade for Corey Dillon)
• 2.63 - DE Marquise Hill, LSU
• 3.95 - SS Guss Scott, Florida

​

I'll go out on a limb and say that the 2004 draft yield (Wilfork, Watson, Dillon) more than makes up for the two misses.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
More April 25 Pats Birthdays​

Happy birthday to Bill Brown
Born April 25, 1936 in Mount Kisko, New York
Died April 18, 1989 at the age of 52
Patriot LB/C, 1960; uniform #54 51

Bill Brown went to the University of Bridgeport and then transferred to Syracuse, where he graduated in 1958. He was the defensive captain for the Orange, who were a top ten team back then.

Brown was a middle linebacker for the Patriots in 1960, appearing in all 14 games. He then became a high school football coach on Long Island, with his teams finishing undefeated four times. After that Brown served on the coaching staffs at C.W. Post and Hofstra University, before dying from cancer at age 52.

Happy 32nd birthday to Markus Zusevics
Born April 25, 1989 in Latvia; from Mt Prospect, IL
Patriot OL, 2012-13; uniform #66
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent from Iowa on April 29, 2012

At the 2012 combine Zusevics tore a pectoral muscle while participating in the bench press, and as a result went undrafted. In May the Patriots signed him and he began the year on the reserve/non-football injury list. The 6'5, 300-pound former Iowa Hawkeye was later added to the 53-man roster due to injuries on the offensive line, but never appeared in a single regular-season game with the team. At the end of training camp in 2013 Zusevics landed on IR due to another pec injury, and was waived in March of 2014.

The Jets signed him in May after a tryout during their rookie minicamp. He was released near the end of their training camp and never did appear in a regular season NFL game.

​

Zusevics adds some new language to Iowa practices - Radio Iowa

Colorful language on the football field isn’t something that’s unheard of, but an Iowa Hawkeye lineman sometimes takes the language to another level with his teammates. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports: Zusevics story :60 Text version of the story: Senior offensive tackle Markus Zusevics’...

www.radioiowa.com

Happy 36th birthday to Jacob Bender
Born April 25, 1985 in Mayo, Maryland
Patriot OT, 2008
Signed as a free agent on Sept 1, 2008

Similar to Zusevics, Bender is an offensive lineman who never appeared in any games for the Patriots. The 6'6, 316-pound product of Nicholls State was on the New England practice squad in 2008, from September 1 to November 19. Bender was a 6th round draft pick by the Jets in 2007, and the Pats picked him up after their final roster cuts of training camp in '08. San Francisco later signed Bender to their roster off New England's practice squad, then waived him just before the start of the 2009 season. Bender also spent time with the Giants, New Orleans, Washington and Carolina, but appeared in only two NFL games.[/I]

4/14/2014: Edgewater native hopes to turn life around on football field, return to NFL

12/8/2018: Former Jets draft pick arrested on drugs, weapons charges

Fortunately for Bender his legal issues are nothing compared to the next player born today.




Unhappy 51st birthday to Corwin Brown
Born April 25, 1970 in Chicago
Patriots SS, 1993-96; uniform #30
Patriot DB coach, 2010
Pats 4th round (110th overall) selection of the 1993 draft, from Michigan

Brown started 12 games as a rookie but served mostly as a backup and on special teams the following three seasons. In four years with the Patriots he played in 61 games with 14 starts, making 91 tackles with three fumble recoveries. In '97 Brown followed Bill Parcells to the Jets, and then spent 1999-2000 in Detroit.

(6/17/2010) Early coaching tendencies: Brown wanted to play, then analyze

The following year Brown reunited with former Patriot coach Al Groh, as the special teams coach at the University of Virginia. He later spent three seasons as the defensive backs coach for the Jets, and then was the DC for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. In 2010 Bill Belichick hired Brown as a defensive backs coach but he lasted only one season. Reportedly Brown "just wasn't a good coach".

Things went disastrous for Brown after that. In 2011 a SWAT team was called in after neighbors reported a domestic disturbance and authorities heard gunfire. Corwin - who may have suffered from brain trauma - was hospitalized with a self inflicted gun wound and in 2012 he was sentenced to a suspended four-year sentence for hitting his wife, and pleading guilty but mentally ill to felony confinement and domestic battery.

Ex-Notre Dame coach Corwin Brown to remain on probation

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
April 25 artifacts​

April 25, 1979:
Pats sign free agent WR Ray Jarvis, who had spent the previous eight seasons with Atlanta, Buffalo and Detroit. His best year was 1976 for the Lions, when he had 822 yards receiving and five touchdowns, averaging 21.1 yards per catch.



April 25, 1980:
New England signs free agent guard Steve Schindler, the 18th overall pick of the 1977 draft by Denver. The former BC Eagle was placed on IR with a left knee injury on August 13, 1980, and then on the did not report list on August 17, 1981. He never played for the Pats and appeared in 28 NFL games, with only four starts.



April 25, 1983: Day One (rounds 1-4) of the NFL Draft, from the Marriott Marquis in NYC

• 1.1 -- QB Drew Bledsoe, Washington State
• 2.31 - DE Chris Slade, Virginia
• 2.51 - G Todd Rucci, Miami (pick from prior Irving Fryar trade with Miami)
• 2.56 - WR Vincent Brisby, NE Louisiana
• 4.86 - DT Kevin Johnson, Texas Southern
• (Pats received 4.99 in 3/30 trade with Packers for John Stephens)
• Pats trade down, sending 4.99 to San Diego for 4.110 and 5.138

April 25, 1988:
LB Don Blackmon retires. Five months earlier he was temporarily paralyzed after a hit in a game vs the Raiders - the same team that paralyzed Daryl Stingley, nine months prior.

New England Patriots linebacker Don Blackmon, who lay paralyzed...



April 25, 1988: Day Two (rounds 8-12) of the NFL Draft
(8.208 previously used in trade for Doug Flutie)
9.240 - DB Neal Galbraith, Central Oklahoma
10.267 - C Rodney Lossow, Wisconsin (pick from prior Brian Holloway trade with Oakland)
11.294 - RB Marvin Allen, Tulane
12.321 - NT Dave Nugent, Boston College



April 25, 1991: QB Marc Wilson retires.
Wilson was the 15th overall pick of the 1980 draft, by the Raiders. He spent most of his time in LA as the backup to Jim Plunkett, but went 11-2 as the starter in '85 when then 38-year old Plunkett was injured. In the first game of that postseason Wilson threw three picks in a 27-20 home playoff loss to the Patriots.

New England signed Wilson early in the 1989 off season. He was part of a quarterback carousel that included Steve Grogan, Tony Eason and Doug Flutie that year, going 1-3 in four starts as the Pats finished 5-11. The following year he and Tommy Hodson both went 0-6 (Grogan was 1-3) as Rod Rust's Patriots floundered to a 1-15 record. Wilson's highlight during his time in New England was a fourth quarter game winning comeback drive for a 22-16 victory against the Colts at Foxboro Stadium on December 3rd, 1989.



Happy 30th birthday to RB Lamar Miller, born 4/25/91 in Miami
Pats 2020 offseason; released Sept 5
Signed as a veteran free agent on August 13, 2020
Honorary member of the Patriots all-time offseason all star team; now with Washington



April 25, 1994: Day Two (rounds 4-7) of the NFL Draft
Pats trade down, sending 4.107 to Arizona for 4.121 and 5.135
4.121 - TE John Burke, Virginia Tech
5.135 - P Pat O'Neill, Syracuse
6.166 - WR Steve Hawkins, Western Michigan
6.168 - OT Max Lane, Navy
7.198 - QB Jay 'Sky' Walker
7.222 - LB Marty Moore, Kentucky

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Patriots draft Vince and Ben, and trade for Corey​

April 25, 2004: Day One (rounds 1-3) of the NFL Draft, from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden
1.21 - NT Vince Wilfork, Miami (pick from '03 trade with Ravens, who used that on Kyle Boller)
1.32 - TE Ben Watson, Georgia
(2.24 used 4/19 to trade for Corey Dillon)
2.63 - DE Marquise Hill, LSU
3.95 - SS Guss Scott, Florida




April 25, 2009: Day One (rounds 1-2) of the NFL Draft, from Radio City Music Hall
Pats trade down, sending 1.23 (Michael Oher) to Baltimore for 1.26 and 5.162
Pats trade down, sending 1.26 (Clay Mathews) and 5.162 to Green Bay for 2.41, 3.73 and 3.83
(Pre-draft trade: Pats receive 2.34 from KC for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel, on Feb 28, 2009)
2.34 - S Patrick Chung, Oregon
Pats trade up, sending 2.47, 4.124 and 6.199 to Oakland for 2.40
2.40 - DT Ron Brace, Boston College
2.41 - CB Darius Butler, UConn
2.58 - OT Sebastian Vollmer, Houston




April 25, 2010: New England signs seven undrafted rookies
The Pats sign WR Brian Anderson (Central Michigan), LB Dane Fletcher (Montana State), OL John Wise (Illinois), NT Kyle Love (Mississippi State), RB Pat Paschall (North Dakota State), S Ross Ventrone (Villanova) and S Sergio Brown (Notre Dame).

Anderson had issues holding onto the ball during OTAs and was released prior to training camp. Fletcher appeared in 38 games with six starts for the Pats, but his career was cut short by injuries. Wise was a converted wrestler from Pittsfield, but did not have the same success as Stephen Neal did in that transition. Love was a success, playing in 41 games with 25 starts for the Pats; he went on to play ten years in the NFL. Paschall was the leading rusher in the FCS, but similar to Anderson, he also struggled in mini-camps.

Ventrone turned his last name into the verb 'ventroned' after being signed, promoted or released 29 times in three seasons for the Patriots, including 21 times in 2011. Brown was primarily a special teams player in college who was abruptly pushed into a starting position in his second season (with predictable results) after Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders were both released before the start of the 2011 season. Pats fans may mostly remember him for being the Colt player that Gronk put a monstrous block on in 2014 after a bit too much trash talking.

​

April 25, 2013: Day One (round 1) of the NFL Draft, from Radio City Music Hall
Pats trade down, sending 1.29 (Cordarrelle Patterson) to Minnesota for 2.52, 3.83, 4.102 and 7.229




April 25, 2019: Day One (round 1) of the NFL Draft, from Lower Broadway in Nashville
1.32 - WR N'Keal Harry, Arizona State




April 25, 2020: Day Three (rounds 4-7) of the NFL Draft
5.159 - K Justin Rohrwasser, Marshall
Pats trade up, sending 6.212 and 6.213 to Detroit for 6.182
6.182 - OL Michael Onwenu, Michigan
6.195 - OT Justin Herron, Wake Forest
6.204 - LB Cassh Maluia, Wyoming
7.230 - C Dustin Woodard, Memphis




April 25, 2020: Patriots sign rookie De'Jon "Scoota" Harris of Arkansas.
The inside linebacker went undrafted despite being invited to the Combine, and was given a contract that included a $15,000 signing bonus and $140,000 in guaranteed money - the most ever by the Pats for a UDFA. Despite an open position available with Dont'a Hightower opting out and other free agent departures, Harris was unable to win a roster spot. The Pats kept ILB Cassh Maluia instead, and Harris was signed by Green Bay to their practice squad.




One player with New England roots born today:

Dave Rozumek, 63 (4/25/1954)
Rozumek was born and raised in Lawrence, and he is one of ten players from the University of New Hampshire that went on to become a starter in the NFL for at least one season. The Chiefs selected Rozumek in the 15th round (415th overall) in the 1976 draft. He started all 16 games at inside linebacker for Kansas City in 1978, and appeared in 45 games overall with the Chiefs from 1976-79. After a career-ending shoulder injury he returned to New England, as head coach at Salem (NH) High School. In 1985 Rozumek was one of a group of four people to split the winnings of a $5.3 million Megabucks jackpot.

 

[Pape]

Today in Patriots History
Um, moving on​

Happy birthday to Bill Brown
Born April 25, 1936 in Mount Kisko, New York
Died April 18, 1989 at the age of 52
Patriot LB/C, 1960; uniform #54

Bill Brown went to the University of Bridgeport and then transferred to Syracuse, where he graduated in 1958. He was the defensive captain for the Orange, who were a top ten team back then.

Brown was a middle linebacker for the Patriots in 1960, appearing in all 14 games. He then became a high school football coach on Long Island, with his teams finishing undefeated four times. After that Brown served on the coaching staffs at C.W. Post and Hofstra University, before dying from cancer at age 52.

Bill Brown ... this might be picking nits, but meh... its the off season... I think the on-line reference guides have his uniform number wrong... Brown wore 51 not 54... Walt Cudzik sported 54... that is well documented in most of the early photos of the Pats... a preview roster shows Brown as 51... and another on opening day shows Walt in 54

roster

newspaper photo

screen cap from the 1960 media guide

screen cap 1960 media guide depth chart ... i think this is where the mis-information comes from, which shows Cudzik as 56 and Brown as 54... its the only primary source i can find that shows them with those particular jersey numbers

 

[italian pat patriot]

Today in Patriots History
Pats draft Drew Bledsoe​

April 25, 1993:
Thanks to a strength of schedule tiebreaker (and blowing a winnable final game of the 1992 season), the Patriots have the first pick in the 1995 draft rather than Seattle.

The Pats dodge a bullet and select Drew Bledsoe rather than Rick Mirer.




April 25, 1983: Day One (rounds 1-4) of the NFL Draft, from the Marriott Marquis in NYC

• 1.1 -- QB Drew Bledsoe, Washington State
• 2.31 - DE Chris Slade, Virginia
• 2.51 - G Todd Rucci, Miami (pick from prior Irving Fryar trade with Miami)
• 2.56 - WR Vincent Brisby, NE Louisiana
• 4.86 - DT Kevin Johnson, Texas Southern
• (Pats received 4.99 in 3/30 trade with Packers for John Stephens)
• Pats trade down, sending 4.99 to San Diego for 4.110 and 5.138

​

I was so happy with Drew Bledsoe arrival...he created hopes for a new beginning

 

[everlong]

I loved Don Blackmon. His injury and retirement always are bittersweet in that his career ended but thank god he was able to walk again. For me he was the McHale to Bird with Tippett. Not that I didn't love Bird and Tippett but I thought McHale and Blackmon always deserved more credit than they got because their counterparts were so flipping good.

 

[captain stone]

So many bad draft picks...We all know who they are...

I'd rather have kept Irving Fryar instead of Todd Rucci & whoever the other guy was...

And Blackmon should've had a pick-6 vs da Bears in the SB.

 

[jmt57]

I got a laugh out of the box on the left hand side for 'specialists'.

No long snapper, kick returner or punt returner - but the first specialist position listed is that of 'Passer'.

It was not unusual for football teams at that time to have kickoffs were handled by a big heavy lineman, like Lou Groza (or Tony Discenzo in this case), with the logic of that extra weight equating to a stronger leg and longer kick. Fast forward a few decades, and today's kickers are typically the reverse, the lightest player on the roster.

Punters were usually a quarterback (Tom Greene in this case) or sometimes a running back (Donnie Anderson with Green Bay, for example). No room for a true specialist when rosters were limited to 33 players. Who was the last offensive player to punt full time, Danny White? Maybe Steve Spurrier and Anderson before that.

 

[jmt57]

So many bad draft picks...We all know who they are...

I have long felt that fans and the media are overly critical of NFL teams in regards to the draft, with unrealistic expectations. By comparison a baseball player can make an out in his 70% of his at bats, and he is an all star. Why does a team's performance never get compared to all 31 other teams, far enough down the road to create an honest ranking and appraisal? The only time draft grades are done is the day after the draft, which is useless.

After going through so many drafts as part of this "Today in Pats History" exercise though, it is quickly and abundantly clear which drafts were great, which ones were average and which were poor. While an unforeseen career ending injury to a Gerard Phelan or Tyrone McKenzie can skew results, even when allowing for those circumstance very seldom can a bad draft be rationalized.

The one asterisk I would include is for trades. For example in the 2004 draft above, a second round draft pick was used on Corey Dillon. The additions of Vince Wilfork, Ben Watson and Dillon made for a great usage of draft capital, making the bottom line of the '04 draft exceptional.

I'd rather have kept Irving Fryar instead of Todd Rucci & whoever the other guy was...

True, but wasn't Fryar considered to be a wrong-side-of 30, radioactive washout at that point? Zero Pro Bowls in nine seasons for the Pats, then we get a kick in the crotch watching him clean up his act and play better than he ever did in New England for the next five years.

Part of the problem may have been only getting a 2nd and a 3rd for Fryar, but the bigger issue was what was done with those two picks. If the Pats wanted a guard they should have selected Will Shields rather than Rucci. The other pick was a '94 third that ended up being one of two Pats selections in that third round that never played a down in the NFL! Burch was placed on NFI on the first day of camp, and waived at the end of August. He ended up settling on a 12-year career in Arena Football. It was a bad pick, as was almost all of that draft. The five selections in between Willie McGinest and Max Lane were awful.

From 2011, an overview of that draft:

20 for 20: 1994 | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2017 NFL Draft

Editor’s Note:Doug Kyed, our intrepid staff writer, will be doing some extra work for the final twenty days before the 2011 NFL Draft, taking a look at the last twenty NFL Drafts. Today he looks at the 1994 NFL Draft Class. What a boring draft, huh? The most significant thing that happened in...

www.nepatriotsdraft.com

On a side note, in regards to Fryar and draft trades, there is a little more to the story of the #1 pick of the 1984 draft. While the Pats gave up too much (three firsts) in my opinion for Fryar, consider the previous trade that resulted in Cincinnati even possessing that pick. The Bucs had the worst record in '83 and should have been picking first - but a year earlier they had traded their '84 first rounder to the Bengals for Jack Thompson, the "Throwin' Samoan". Thompson had been the #3 pick of the '79 draft but was a bust, with 13 TD and 19 INT, 1-4 over five seasons with Cincy.

The Bengals getting a first round pick in trade for Thompson was highway robbery. Legend has it that the reason that trade ever happened was because Tampa's skinflint owner, Hugh Culverhouse, orchestrated the trade just so he could avoid having to pay the salary a top draft pick would command.

And Blackmon should've had a pick-6 vs da Bears in the SB.

I always liked Blackmon as a player. Exceptional skills, very underrated. Opponents couldn't just focus on neutralizing Tippett with Blackmon on the other side.

 

[Chevy]

I loved Don Blackmon. His injury and retirement always are bittersweet in that his career ended but thank god he was able to walk again. For me he was the McHale to Bird with Tippett. Not that I didn't love Bird and Tippett but I thought McHale and Blackmon always deserved more credit than they got because their counterparts were so flipping good.

He might not have been a superstar but he was very good at all phases - vs the run, in coverage, rushing the passer. That 85 squad had what should be considered a Top 10 all-time LB group.

 

[captain stone]

He might not have been a superstar but he was very good at all phases - vs the run, in coverage, rushing the passer. That 85 squad had what should be considered a Top 10 all-time LB group.

Linebackers

Don Blackmon

Tim Golden

Brian Ingram

Larry McGrew

Steve Nelson

Johnny Rembert

Ed Reynolds

Andre Tippett

Clayton Weishuhn

Ed Williams


Not one Eric Alexander/JaWrong Bentley-level stiff in the bunch...Damn shame about Clayton Weishuhn; I remember hearing about his injury up in Barfalo on Opening Day of 1984 when I was in Houston visiting friends (and going to the Oilers home opener at the Astrodome vs the Raiders - good seats still available!)...Didn't play at all in '85 but I figured I should include him too...