Are We Ready For The Draft?

[mgteich]

The draft starts in 4 weeks.

CRITICAL TRANSACTIONS BEFORE THE DRAFT?

While I would like to see upgrades before the draft, I don't think that more early moves are critical or even particularly needed. Obviously, there is room for camp fodder and competition at several positions. But these signings can happen in the next month or they can wait until after the draft, until May or June.

Obviously, I would feel even better if we signed a veteran DE and LB, say Carter and Lawson.

ARE WE READY FOR THE DRAFT?
Belichick's approach is to sign sufficient players so that he can be flexible in making choices during the draft. I think that this has been accomplished. This is true even at safety; after all, if the season were starting this weekend, one of the corners would likely be moved to safety.

IMHO, we are as ready as we ever have been. The lack of late picks is somewhat an illusion. For example, we could trade down a few spots in the 2nd and get compensation that included 3 late picks. We would then still have an "extra" first and an "extra" second. We are likely to trade a pick or two into 2013, but this will likely be accompanied with securing a lower pick or two in this draft. Belichick has plenty of draft ammunition.

AFTER THE DRAFT
We have sufficient cap room to do as Belichick wishes. Of course, we could plan to keep some cap for 2013 as we did last year. Also, some room may be cleared if Light retires. In any case, we do not have any needed cap adjustments or crises.

BOTTOM LINE
Sit back and enjoy!! The fans of many other teams are squirming.

 

[BlueThunder]

This will be the longest 4 weeks of the pre football season...

 

[Boston Boxer]

i am skipping the draft this year...i am sick of watching the circus for 4 hours only to get to the Pats pick and have them trade the pick or draft someone total out of the box who i have never heard of. Not bashing their draft picks, but it is suck a long ass process that now spands 3 days i believe. I will just get a recap off the interney when its over.

 

[pherein]

HAHA we don't have to worry about the draft ... oh wait thats not a good thing.

 

[363839]

i am skipping the draft this year...i am sick of watching the circus for 4 hours only to get to the Pats pick and have them trade the pick or draft someone total out of the box who i have never heard of. Not bashing their draft picks, but it is suck a long ass process that now spands 3 days i believe. I will just get a recap off the interney when its over.

Have to agree with this. I have always looked forward to a high round prospect only to see Bill trade the pick away. Not that I would argue for or against the success of BB's strategy but I just, as a giddy fan, want to see that highly heralded player. Whoever that may be.

 

[Deus Irae]

Team needs seem pretty obvious. There are still players out there who could be signed to try helping with those needs, but the team is in a position to work the draft in such a way as to both fill needs and take players in the areas that are supposed to be the draft's greatest strengths at the same time.

I don't know if that's "ready", but it's a pretty good position to be in at this time, IMO.

 

[reflexblue]

i am skipping the draft this year...i am sick of watching the circus for 4 hours only to get to the Pats pick and have them trade the pick or draft someone total out of the box who i have never heard of. Not bashing their draft picks, but it is suck a long ass process that now spands 3 days i believe. I will just get a recap off the interney when its over.

I agree. for the first time in over Thirty years i'm skipping the draft for the exact reasons you mentioned. When its all over i just read which obscure TE or DB we've picked up

 

[Patriot Missile]

I agree. for the first time in over Thirty years i'm skipping the draft for the exact reasons you mentioned. When its all over i just read which obscure TE or DB we've picked up

Of course the one year you skip they will trade up and make a splash.

 

[patsfan55]

Of course the one year you skip they will trade up and make a splash.

Or trade their first rounder for Conor Barwin.....ohhh!

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I am ready for preseason...

 

[ATippett56]

Hopefully not another year of WTF at the draft!

 

[mgteich]

It is a matter of perspective. Each year, several on the draft board do very well at predicting some of the patriots choices. There are always WTF moments, but one would expect that to be true.

Hopefully not another year of WTF at the draft!

 

[Salva135]

I am fully prepared for another "WTF!" Pats draft. There is nothing they can do that would surprise me at this point. A 5'7" DB from North Dakota St. who was on nobody's draft board in the first round? Why not!

 

[mgteich]

Believe as you will, no matter how inaccurate you analysis is.

This is a slow week, please list your WTF moments in the first round. If you are discussing the Belichick years, I assure you that no such player has been drafted. There have been WTF moments. I recall once when more than half the poster wanted us to draft wide receiver Terrell. There was damage to many TV sets when Belichick drafted Seymour instead. MY WTF moment was when they announced a trade-up. We were all sure it was for a LB. Instead, Belichick chose Graham. Of course, we knew Graham.

Belichick does not choose players that are on no one's draft board in the first round. We leave that approach to the Raiders. I recall a 2nd round OT being on almost no ones's 2nd round board. Vollmer was a great choice. Upon further review, it was found that some top media folks did in fact have Vollmer rated aound where he ws picked (notably Gosselin).

Use Gosselin's final 1st round mock and Gosselin's final 50 and you will be unlikely to be shocked with any Belichick 1st round picks.

I am fully prepared for another "WTF!" Pats draft. There is nothing they can do that would surprise me at this point. A 5'7" DB from North Dakota St. who was on nobody's draft board in the first round? Why not!

 

[rjw]

I am. Is the team itself ready? I don't know. I hate this time of year. Between combine and draft. Gah. Then it's the time between the draft and camps. I just want to get week 1 of preseason started already.

 

[DarrylS]

IMO the draft has been very successful since Pioli moved on, the reality is that every team has hits and misses in the draft... and lately we have had more hits.

I do not think that you will solve CB or any DB issues in the draft, our need last year was maturity and communication and that will not be fixed by a rookie..

There is a lot of money we freed up recently, so the retooling prior to the draft may not be complete..

 

[Fencer]

Let's put it this way. If you ask people at which position groups they think:

• Talent or depth are lacking and ...
• ... can't be straightforwardly addressed in the draft or by scrap-heap FAs

most people would have a short list.

 

[goheels22002]

i am skipping the draft this year...i am sick of watching the circus for 4 hours only to get to the Pats pick and have them trade the pick or draft someone total out of the box who i have never heard of. Not bashing their draft picks, but it is suck a long ass process that now spands 3 days i believe. I will just get a recap off the interney when its over.

Actually this message board is the most fun way to enjoy the NFL draft. While the teams and Commissioner somnabulate for hours, posters here go insane and trollers from the Jets wander in and out setting traps for unsuspecting posters, like me.

You would think the Chinese were landing in Seattle or something the way the people go crazy here when some load who won't pass his physical is selected one pick ahead of the Patriots in the 3rd round and Belichick turns around and trades his pick and a used double-wide to Oakland for six picks in the 2015 draft.

Check in here from time to time and I guarantee it will be the most entertaining draft you've ever experienced.

 

[supafly]

Obviously, I would feel even better if we signed a veteran DE and LB, say Carter and Lawson.

You're going to need to see a trade with the Bengals then, because Cincy resigned him several days ago.

Wake-up call: Lawson returns to Bengals - AFC North Blog - ESPN

It seems pretty obvious that Belichick just doesn't see any talent there, as he passed on him initially in the 2006 draft, and hasn't given him the slightest look since in free agency.

It would appear that he can definitely set the edge and even adequately help move back in coverage (although it's a debatable topic, but I believe he can cover as well as anyone currently on the team, if not better), and he has good meaurables, but there must be something that turns Belichick off.

I'm not sure who's left, as I haven't looked at the FA tracker in a while, but I'd definately agree that one more LB would bode us well. I'm assuming that the course of action will be a draft pick instead--even though we probably won't get much if any, use from him this yr.

 

[supafly]

Let's put it this way. If you ask people at which position groups they think:

• Talent or depth are lacking and ...
• ... can't be straightforwardly addressed in the draft or by scrap-heap FAs

most people would have a short list.

Here on patsfans, some of those people would somehow end up turning that short list into one that's a mile long.

The bottom line is that the defense should be improved in its weakest area of secondary, and we should have some moderate gain overall as a unit (IMO).