Jonathan Comey article: The Pats Are Still Kings Of The Draft

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

You're telling me. FWIW Moss was drafted by the Vikings not the Patriots. Welker went undrafted and was signed as an UDFA by San Diego. Therefore in a discusssion as to how well the Pats draft it doesn't have a whole lot of relevance. Now if you want to talk about how they do in trades that's another thing. I guess we should consider Derrick Burgess our third and fifth round draft pick this year and list him when discussing the draft class or does that only work when it helps your side of the argument?

Of course it has relevance. Using draft picks to get veterans definitely counts. It counts just as much as a team using several picks to move up to take someone. If you look just at Ricky Williams himself, he wasn't a bad pick. Once you add that he cost the team 10 draft picks, it was clearly a bad move.

We have 12 draft picks, including the 4 7th rounders that we can't trade. Hypothetically speaking, it is possible for us to take those 8 other picks and aquire 8 veterans under the age of 25 that turn into pro bowlers for us. Yeah, I know it won't happen, just saying that it is technically possible. So we then use those 4 remaining picks and draft players that end up not making the team.

So, by what you're saying, later on when we looked back at the draft, we could only judge it based on how the 4 7th rounders worked out? The 8 young pro bowlers we aquired using the draft picks would have no merit?

And yes, I do add in the trades that didn't work out, like Derrick Burgess. That would add Duane Starks to the 2007 class.

 

[patchick]

FWIW Moss was drafted by the Vikings not the Patriots. Welker went undrafted and was signed as an UDFA by San Diego. Therefore in a discusssion as to how well the Pats draft it doesn't have a whole lot of relevance. Now if you want to talk about how they do in trades that's another thing. I guess we should consider Derrick Burgess our third and fifth round draft pick this year and list him when discussing the draft class or does that only work when it helps your side of the argument?

Yes, you SHOULD consider Burgess in your analysis of this class, absolutely. Just as you absolutely must consider Moss and Welker for 2007. Think of it this way: year after year, the Redskins trade away their premium draft picks for vets, with lousy success. Does that really have zero effect on how you grade their front office on draft management?

It all goes back to the old Jimmy Johnson saw: draft picks are currency. You can spend them by drafting players, by trading for players, or by trading for higher and lower picks. Maximizing their value one way or another is the goal.

2007 was a terrible draft class. Gruesome. (The Pats get a lot of grief around here for whiffing on their many low picks, but go back and look at all the players drafted 150 and below, including UDFAs. The entire NFL whiffed; there's just no talent there.) So the Pats, seeing that, aggressively traded out of the draft into vets and future picks. That turned out to be a much better investment of their draft capital than exercising the picks on rookies would have been.

And this year, if the Pats end up sitting out round 3 as some of your favorite players get selected, you can feel free to curse them for wasting the pick on Burgess.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

It's still almost two weeks away yet the Jets apparently have just drafted Santonio Holmes in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL draft. Wow that's a hell of a draft pick for the Jets.

 

[patchick]

It's still almost two weeks away yet the Jets apparently have just drafted Santonio Holmes in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL draft. Wow that's a hell of a draft pick for the Jets.

Yes, it sure seems to be. The fact that his previous team held a desperate fire sale gives one pause, but it looks like a smart use of a draft pick.

(You may have been aiming for sarcasm, but you hit truth. )

 

[Marqui]

Excellent read.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

You're telling me. FWIW Moss was drafted by the Vikings not the Patriots. Welker went undrafted and was signed as an UDFA by San Diego. Therefore in a discusssion as to how well the Pats draft it doesn't have a whole lot of relevance. Now if you want to talk about how they do in trades that's another thing. I guess we should consider Derrick Burgess our third and fifth round draft pick this year and list him when discussing the draft class or does that only work when it helps your side of the argument?

seriously? my head is really starting to hurt. i feel like my iq just dropped to 130.


if a certain player, whether he has college eigibility or not, is acquired by a draft pick, he is part of that draft.

i hope that's clear enough. peace.