Huge pressure on this year's draft

[mgteich]

The dolphins and the jets agreed. Instead they traded for what they needed.

Belichick doesn't see any fits in restricted free agency

 

[mgteich]

And how much did the homeruns of Vollmer and Edelman improve last year's team? They were solid replacements when starters were injured. They didn't make the 2009 team better than 2008.

The problem people are pointing out is that it is foolish to expect that the 2010 draft class will make a dramatic improvement to the 2010 team, unless we are very lucky indeed.

This result COULD be made much more likely by using an approach of focusing on finding two studs early (Odrick and Hughes anyone? or Morgan and Graham?). After all, we have 13 youngsters coming back from next year. We need TWO top players more than four maybe 2012 starters.

This is what gives me hope. It looks like his first draft without SP that BB has hit two home runs in Edleman & Vollmer, with Butler showing starting potential. Chung a bit of a mystery still and Brace is looking like the only bad apple in the bunch, but even he could turn it around.

So yes, that gives a fan hope that BB can nail a couple of those picks to refresh the team's talent pool. I just hope he doesn't pass on LB talent in the first two rounds over and over again like last year, when just about any of those LBs would have been starting on the NEP.

 

[tombonneau]

And how much did the homeruns of Vollmer and Edelman improve last year's team? They were solid replacements when starters were injured. They didn't make the 2009 team better than 2008.

The problem people are pointing out is that it is foolish to expect that the 2010 draft class will make a dramatic improvement to the 2010 team, unless we are very lucky indeed.

This result COULD be made much more likely by using an approach of focusing on finding two studs early (Odrick and Hughes anyone? or Morgan and Graham?). After all, we have 13 youngsters coming back from next year. We need TWO top players more than four maybe 2012 starters.

Well, Edelman & Vollmer aren't exactly analogous comparisons. Neither was drafted to be a starter in 09. But I don't think you can argue that the team wasn't better with them than without them when Light and Welker were out.

Take them out and you're starting Kaczur at LT and I don't even want to know who would have been the slot WR. BB probably would have called up Troy Brown. And I'm only half-joking.

 

[Feep50]

BTW: Isn't every draft pressure packed? We are all adding pressure to it because we see our team in a general decline and don't want to see the lights go out on our dominance and success. just sayin'......

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

Hope is not a strategy for success. You don't put all your eggs on the draft. Neither do you rely on FAs. You hedge your bets. You diversify. Select FAs + draft picks give you the best probability of success.

 

[jeffbiologist]

I'd say that was way off. The pressure should be on last year's draft picks as the biggest improvement should be between year 1 and 2. This simply didnt happen last year with the 08 picks. If we get significant contributions not only from our 4 2nd rounders but Tate, Mackenzie, Edleman, Ornberger, Bussey and even Hoyer in the preseason it will quell all these April FOOLS. Its very knee-jerk around here lately, people writing off Moss simply because his contract is up next year. Like he wont take a Bruschi-special?? Welker may miss a few games, but he missed a few last year too....no big deal unless its a playoff game and it gets Edleman more reps. FAs will continue to wheeled in, the bargain basement isnt far away and we know the Pats like sale items. I still hold out hope that they can get 1 FA starter, and I would certainly trade off #53 for Haynesworth if we can get him to play ball! Half these picks will likely be gone anyways....traded for a player here, swapped into next year there....ending up with a bunch of no-names that suddenly perform when coached up. Lets just keep everyone healthy and make solid, consistent decisions.

 

[mgteich]

We have 13 returning rookies from last year, plus Wheatley and Crable. Perhaps the pressure to improve the team can come from the improvement is some of these FIFTEEN players, plus a healthy Mayo and Brady.
=========================================

That being said, I see a great opportunity to find two players who can contribute in 2010 around the 22nd pick in the first. That means trading two seconds to move up.
=========================================

We will have a chance to develop players with the remaining NINE picks. There are lots of TE's and WR's available in the 3rd and 4th. I see us trading down with our remaining 2nd to get a 3rd, a 4th and a 5th.

That would give us two picks in the first 2 rounds (both in the first) and
1 3rd
2 4th
1 5th
2 6th
5 7ths
================
BOTTOM LINE
PART 1: find two top defensive players in the first
PART 2: use the 4 middle picks to find TE, WR and RB talent
PART 3: try to find a gem or two (including a punter and a returner)

 

[supafly]

I'd say that was way off. The pressure should be on last year's draft picks as the biggest improvement should be between year 1 and 2. This simply didnt happen last year with the 08 picks. If we get significant contributions not only from our 4 2nd rounders but Tate, Mackenzie, Edleman, Ornberger, Bussey and even Hoyer in the preseason it will quell all these April FOOLS. Its very knee-jerk around here lately, people writing off Moss simply because his contract is up next year. Like he wont take a Bruschi-special?? Welker may miss a few games, but he missed a few last year too....no big deal unless its a playoff game and it gets Edleman more reps. FAs will continue to wheeled in, the bargain basement isnt far away and we know the Pats like sale items. I still hold out hope that they can get 1 FA starter, and I would certainly trade off #53 for Haynesworth if we can get him to play ball! Half these picks will likely be gone anyways....traded for a player here, swapped into next year there....ending up with a bunch of no-names that suddenly perform when coached up. Lets just keep everyone healthy and make solid, consistent decisions.

Wait a minute, did you just seriously state that you feel that Randy Moss is "going to take a 'Bruschi-special' hometown discount?" You must not have followed the career of Randy Moss, the contract negotiations of the NEP, the last contract Moss barely signed for 9 million+, or the comments of Moss a month ago regarding his status here next year.

This isn't anything close to a knock on Moss, he's very talented. Just ask him, he'll tell you point blank. After all, he went to Rand University, and he pays with straight cash homey.

No one can predict the future so I'm not going to say he won't be here, but I can certainly promise you one very specific fact--Randy Moss is NOT going to take anything close to a "Bruschi-special," as you put it. If we do end up resigning him (doubtful to most) it'll be very close to what he signed for last time, just not as many years. That's like saying Richard Seymour was planning on taking a hometown discount, actually it's worse.

As far as your prediction of Welker 'missing a few games possibly,' you do realize the likelihood of him being put on PUP to start the season right? Or do you feel that Bill Belichick is uncharacteristically going to rush back our biggest offensive threat on our team? It's a 9-12 month rehab, and with the stress he'll be putting on his knee/ligaments cutting like a RB, I'd guess that at best it'll be a minimum of about 10 months--and that's being very optimistic. I don't think that a 10 month prediction in a 9-12 month rehab is anything close to pessimism, and that'd put him back in November, meaning he'd miss about half of the season.

To Bottom line it, I agree that there's waaay too much pessimism here lately, but stating that Moss will take a Bruschi-like discount, and that Welker may miss a few games is just as bad on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Edit: Jeez man, I just got around to your Haynesworth comments just now too. You have an interesting take on things.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Well, the thing is, who's to say the Patriots don't plan on being active in FA? As near as I can tell, FA isn't exactly over, is it?

This in particular will be a time in which you might see some RFA movement as the RFAs sign their tenders and then can be traded for less than their tendered level...

some of these guys were being dangled as trade bait and can still be had for a lesser price as the draft approaches.