Are 7th round picks that much better than rookie FAs?

[eagle eye]

This year they are especially valuable with the depth in the draft, a lot of talent that would be 6th or 7th rounders normally being pushed down.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Aren't you supposed to say excuse me when you do that?

In some cultures it's considered a compliment.

 

[Nonentity]

True, but Brady wasn't a case of the Patriots seeing more in Brady than everyone else in quite the same way as Cassel. By their own admission, they should have taken Brady earlier than they did; (almost) no other team in the NFL could have drafted Cassel without their sanity being questioned.

I rewatched the 2001 Americas Game on Thursday night. They had ignored him for the middle rounds because they didn't need a QB, but by the time the Patriots got to the 6th round he was so ridiculously high on their board compared to everyone else left that they couldn't NOT take him.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

LET'S DRAFT A FEW PUNTERS!

Seriously, we have 7 picks in the 6th and 7th. That is the time for drafting special teamers and taking an advance shot at UDFA quality players.

Perhaps we can avoid having the two days of tortured posts on which UDFA's we just HAVE to sign, or not.

I think BB prefers veterans at the punter position. I suspect he will draft a punter or sign one as a UDFA and have him compete against an off the street veteran FA.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I think BB prefers veterans at the punter position. I suspect he will draft a punter or sign one as a UDFA and have him compete against an off the street veteran FA.

Well, that's what he did when replacing AV (Gostkowski won), and Lonie Paxton (Jake Ingram won); Hodel was signed within days, but Gramatica wasn't signed until 4/6/06.

 

[WhiZa]

I think BB prefers veterans at the punter position. I suspect he will draft a punter or sign one as a UDFA and have him compete against an off the street veteran FA.

I agree, younger punters just don't make it here. He prefers the punters who can place the ball over a huge leg fresh out of college.

 

[TheComeback]

True, but Brady wasn't a case of the Patriots seeing more in Brady than everyone else in quite the same way as Cassel. By their own admission, they should have taken Brady earlier than they did; (almost) no other team in the NFL could have drafted Cassel without their sanity being questioned.

Obviously they did see more in Brady than anyone else, since they drafted him before anyone else. Just like they did with Cassel.