Best draft picks by position in Pats history

[Dexter]

Tom Brady naturally headlines best draft picks for Patriots


Reiss ranked our best draft picks by position.

I became a fan in the late 90's so if I had to make something similar, it will mostly be players from the Brady-BB era. But luckily we have many more experienced fans over here and it will be interesting to hear their take on some of the choices Reiss made and what they would have done differently.

 

[jmt57]

@Dexter - thanks for posting, it's an interesting topic to me.

Nothing jumps out on that list that I would vehemently disagree with. Many (Brady, Hannah) are no-brainers. Reiss did seem to go out of his way to favor old-timers. He has been reticent to do so in the past, stating he couldn't really comment because he didn't personally see those players/games. Perhaps he has taken time in recent years to research more history of the franchise, particularly in the '60s and '70s.

The most debatable would probably be:
- DE (Willie McGinest, Julius Adams)
- DT (Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork)
- LB (Andre Tippett, Nick Buoniconti, Steve Nelson)
- RB (Jim Nance, Curtis Martin, Sam Cunningham)
- CB (Mike Haynes, Ty Law, Raymond Clayborn)
- S (Fred Marion, Lawyer Milloy, Tim Fox)
- K (Gino Cappelletti, Stephen Gostkowski)

One thing Reiss' rankings does not specify is if the performance is based strictly on time with the Patriots, or full pro football career. From his comments it seems to imply the former, which would work against Buoniconti, Martin, Haynes, Law and Milloy. If it is the latter then you could add Stanley Morgan vs Irving Fryar at WR, or even Steve McMichael vs Richard Seymour at DT.

Also, in terms of these rankings how do you handle Devin McCourty? As a CB (his drafted position) or as a safety (where he primarily has played)? And while the tip of the hat to Cappelletti was a nice gesture, Gostkowski was the best draft pick at that position.

 

[brdmaverick]

@Dexter -
Also, in terms of these rankings how do you handle Devin McCourty? As a CB (his drafted position) or as a safety (where he primarily has played)?

Good question, obviously I'm not judge and jury, but if it were up to me I'd treat these situations by tagging the player with the position that they excelled at the most (and not just position they were drafted as).

For instance, though he doesn't qualify for the top spot, I think a guy like Bruschi would be judged as an LB and not a DE (which I think was what he was drafted as).

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Curtis Martin may be a "traitor" but I think he was hands down the best RB. He had the most successful career.

 

[jmt57]

Curtis Martin may be a "traitor" but I think he was hands down the best RB. He had the most successful career.

If the question is about which RB had the best pro football career, then the answer is Curtis Martin.

If the parameters are limited to time spent with the Patriots, then it's not so clear cut.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Drew Bledsoe over Rick Mirer in 1993 can not be underestimated. Sometimes Bledsoe doesn't get the props he deserves. The guy was a great QB for a decent period of time.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Drew Bledsoe over Rick Mirer in 1993 can not be underestimated. Sometimes Bledsoe doesn't get the props he deserves. The guy was a great QB for a decent period of time.

His performance vs minn in 94 is one of the top 5 performances I have ever seen from a QB

 

[jmt57]

Drew Bledsoe over Rick Mirer in 1993 can not be underestimated. Sometimes Bledsoe doesn't get the props he deserves. The guy was a great QB for a decent period of time.

That came perilously close to being Mirer.

Had the Patriots not snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at the end of the final game of the '92 season versus Miami, the Pats finish with a better record than Seattle - and pick second rather than first in the '93 draft.

Of course it is possible that the Seahawks still would have selected Mirer, but if not then that is a major shift in the history of both franchises.

 

[jimnance]

Curtis Martin may be a "traitor" but I think he was hands down the best RB. He had the most successful career.

Cmart was a great rb, both with and without the Pats.

But get real, dude, he wasn't in Jim Nance's league. For a few years, Nance was neck and neck with Jim Brown, the unquestioned, indisputable goat of rbs. Nance was bigger,faster and more productive than cmart, albeit for a shorter period of time. But I don't equate longevity with greatness. Nance carried that team. Cmart didn't carry the team- he was a highly productive rb who was an integral component. There's a difference.