gonzo

[Ochmed Jones]

ILB Willis and CB Revis in the first round, followed up with FS Gattis in the third, CB Wilson and ILB DeOssie in the fourth (assuming comp pick) and my draft is complete.

 

[dryheat44]

It's about the difference in quality between what you draft and who he replaces. A WR would replace a quality player - Caldwell, Gaffney, Jackson, Welker, FA WR (who we appear to be going after). Who are you going to cut or are you keeping 6.

How many non-quality players do we have on the roster? Marquise Hill and Gene Mruczkowski. Unless I'm forgetting someone, everybody else is either a quality player or has value as a young special teamer (Alexander, Woods, Andrews, Mills) with potential.

And are Caldwell and Gaffney really high-quality players, or are they high-quality players the same way David Patten, David Givens, and Tim Dwight were high-quality players?

Again, it seems like some are advocating forfeiting our other draft picks because we already have quality players at all positions.

 

[BelichickFan]

How many non-quality players do we have on the roster? Marquise Hill and Gene Mruczkowski. Unless I'm forgetting someone, everybody else is either a quality player or has value as a young special teamer (Alexander, Woods, Andrews, Mills) with potential.

And are Caldwell and Gaffney really high-quality players, or are they high-quality players the same way David Patten, David Givens, and Tim Dwight were high-quality players?

Caldwell and Gaffney are better than the guys we have as backups at LB and DB.

I'd be OK with doing something like this if there were a great value but I don't see Gonzalez as a great value at #28. Solid pick, sure. But without a great need there we have other spots more upgradable.

 

[patchick]

It's about the difference in quality between what you draft and who he replaces. A WR would replace a quality player - Caldwell, Gaffney, Jackson, Welker, FA WR (who we appear to be going after). Who are you going to cut or are you keeping 6.

Then look at our bottom LB and DB. It's not about "room" it's about the difference of the new guy minus the replaced guy.

By and large I do subscribe to this theory. A compromise between need and BPA is "incremental value" -- how much that player can be expected to improve the team. Our TEs may be solid, but Antonio Gates would still have plenty of incremental value. A merely above-average TE probably wouldn't.

Where we differ is in our approach to timing. The 2007 starting lineup is fairly set; the 2008 lineup is riddled with holes. I'd go out of my way to find a roster spot for a guy to learn the ropes in order to make an impact the next year. Therefore positions like WR and S which are likely to look very different in 2008 can't be considered "full" for 2007.

 

[BelichickFan]

Where we differ is in our approach to timing. The 2007 starting lineup is fairly set; the 2008 lineup is riddled with holes. I'd go out of my way to find a roster spot for a guy to learn the ropes in order to make an impact the next year. Therefore positions like WR and S which are likely to look very different in 2008 can't be considered "full" for 2007.

I actually agree with this. Picks like Maroney, Jackson and Thomas were all picks for "next year" (relative to when they were picked, next year was '07). I do think Belioli draft for need for the following season, not the current season - and if they happen to force their way into the lineup immediately all the better.

And I also realize that what looks like a deep, though unspectacular, group of WR on our roster now could look very thin in 12 months if Caldwell and Gaffney leave, Jackson doesn't develop and a FA WR isn't signed. All we'd have left is Welker

So I'm sort of OK with drafting a WR if we don't sign a FA in the next few weeks who can reasonably be relied on. But it's such a deep year for WR - I like Gonzalez, I do - but I don't want to spend a #1 on him when we could get, say, Chris Davis in the 3rd round.

I'd much prefer 24 and 28 to go to some combination of Willis, Siler, the Safeties and the CB. Between that group, we'll get two good Back Eight players. We can still get a solid WR prospect in round 3.

 

[mgteich]

I think it useful to look at the 2008 and 2009 teams when we consider the draft. It is then that the need at CB and S become even more obvious. WR depends on whether we add another free agent. FA, Welker, Jackson is a pretty good start at 2008. Without the free agent, we should be considering a WR.

 

[dryheat44]

I think it useful to look at the 2008 and 2009 teams when we consider the draft. It is then that the need at CB and S become even more obvious. WR depends on whether we add another free agent. FA, Welker, Jackson is a pretty good start at 2008. Without the free agent, we should be considering a WR.

Exactly. The key to continual success is to continually replenish the team, not to wait until people leave to find a replacement. Too much talent is never a problem.

IMO, the best strategy is to fill all your holes before the draft, then use the draft to take the very best player for your team/system. It's when you focus on a position out of perceived need that mistakes in evaluation happen. In reality, Light, Neal, Kaczur, Caldwell, Gaffney, Thomas, Evans, Hochstein, Mruczkowski, Yates, O'Callaghan, Britt, Testaverde, Cassel, Pass, Brown, Johnson, Kight, Mills, Wright, Hill, Bruschi, Vrabel, Alexander, Izzo, Hobbs, Sanders, Gay, Scott, Mickens, Miller, Gostkowski, Harrison, Hawkins, Woods, Mays, and Wilson can ALL be improved upon. We don't have scores of future hall-of-famers littering our roster. To ignore postions in the draft because we're "all set" is folly.

 

[Water Boy]

Exactly. The key to continual success is to continually replenish the team, not to wait until people leave to find a replacement. Too much talent is never a problem.

IMO, the best strategy is to fill all your holes before the draft, then use the draft to take the very best player for your team/system. It's when you focus on a position out of perceived need that mistakes in evaluation happen. In reality, Light, Neal, Kaczur, Caldwell, Gaffney, Thomas, Evans, Hochstein, Mruczkowski, Yates, O'Callaghan, Britt, Testaverde, Cassel, Pass, Brown, Johnson, Kight, Mills, Wright, Hill, Bruschi, Vrabel, Alexander, Izzo, Hobbs, Sanders, Gay, Scott, Mickens, Miller, Gostkowski, Harrison, Hawkins, Woods, Mays, and Wilson can ALL be improved upon. We don't have scores of future hall-of-famers littering our roster. To ignore postions in the draft because we're "all set" is folly.

Would you still take Gonzo now that Stallworth has been signed?

 

[BelichickFan]

Would you still take Gonzo now that Stallworth has been signed?

Depends how they see Chad Jackson, I guess. With Stallworth, Welker and Jackson we have 3 WR signed for at least 3 years right now. If they think Jackson will make it, I say definitely no. Otherwise it's still possible if Troy retires or we may have just Stallworth and Welker who can be relied upon going into 2008.

 

[dryheat44]

Would you still take Gonzo now that Stallworth has been signed?

Only if there is nobody else of value, and if we can't trade the pick.

Remember that Stallworth is one indiscretion from a suspension. So we need to cover our bases just in case.

Also keep in mind Stallworth could very well only be here for one year.

 

[mgteich]

Gonzo is still a good pick. It depends on the ILB situation, whether we can get Griffin and how the FO evaluates Round 3 safeties.

 

[BelichickFan]

Gonzo is still a good pick. It depends on the ILB situation, whether we can get Griffin and how the FO evaluates Round 3 safeties.

Gonzalez is a reach in the first round. WR is still a possibility and Gonzalez one of those possibilities but he's more of a mid second rounder who could sneak into the first.

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Why take him at 28 when most likley he will drop to the 3rd round.

 

[bogey888]

Why take him at 28 when most likley he will drop to the 3rd round.

No way he drops that low

 

[Water Boy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=14927

Here's a chat from ESPN.com w/ Gonzo.

Jason(Pittsburgh,Pa): Anthony, Many of mock drafts have you going to New England what would think of playing with a player like Tom Brady?

Anthony Gonzalez: First of all, to go to an organization like the Patriots would be an honor, because their entire organization seems to do things properly. Then to play and catch passes from a QB like Tom Brady, I would be excited about. That said, though, I don't put a whole lot of stock into those mock drafts."