Most impressive rookie so far: Offense

[BradyFTW!]

Edelman has a larger body of work, but Vollmer is so trusted that the Pats carried only 3 OTs for the first part of the season, and he's filled in admirably for light. Vollmer gets my vote.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Edelman has a larger body of work, but Vollmer is so trusted that the Pats carried only 3 OTs for the first part of the season, and he's filled in admirably for light. Vollmer gets my vote.

That, and LeVoir was going to be ready to come off PUP after Week 6. And don't forget that Kendall Simmons can, in theory at least, play tackle.

 

[Tunescribe]

I voted Hoyer. Putting an undrafted rookie in that position all by himself is pretty damn impressive. He must REALLY have impressed the coaching staff.

 

[patchick]

I voted Hoyer. Putting an undrafted rookie in that position all by himself is pretty damn impressive. He must REALLY have impressed the coaching staff.

It's definitely impressive, but I'll play devil's advocate anyway. Hoyer was undrafted, but he wasn't inexperienced -- he was a multiyear starter in the Big 10. Plenty of drafted QBs played in minor conferences or, in the case of the Jets' starter, for just one year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

It's definitely impressive, but I'll play devil's advocate anyway. Hoyer was undrafted, but he wasn't inexperienced -- he was a multiyear starter in the Big 10. Plenty of drafted QBs played in minor conferences or, in the case of the Jets' starter, for just one year.

So why didn't the Pats draft him instead of, say, Darryl Richard?

[I like the fact that Guyton asked BB, "So why did you draft Bo Ruud instead of me?" In the long run, though, it actually worked out to Guyton's benefit financially.]

 

[Patriotic]

Since I can't make up my mind . . . Sebrandon Edelhoy.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Boy I was torn on this one... I think the jump that Vollmer has made and the importance to the team was among the most vital for us

But for Edelman to go from being a WR in college to a WR in the NFL would nearly impressive... except for the fact that Edelman's going from QB to WR.

He gets my vote but I'm glad to say "I told you so" about Vollmer as well.

 

[jeffbiologist]

I will go yet another direction....Michael Oher. He is the big "top 10" tackle who fell to us and we traded the pick, he ended up in Baltimore. How he does will be how good our entire draft was for years to come.......Hoyer, for all the previous points and numerous ones we will never know(behind closed doors). Having him on the roster allows us so much flexibility and cap space. Edleman will be better on the field this year, and in the long run Vollmer looks good. Havent seen many "we need a better back up" posts in a while...

 

[IcyPatriot]

edelman almost without having to think about it, but I still like vollmer a lot.

What he said ... I mean really it's not a fair question ...

 

[patchick]

I will go yet another direction....Michael Oher. He is the big "top 10" tackle who fell to us and we traded the pick, he ended up in Baltimore. How he does will be how good our entire draft was for years to come.......

Right, we traded down to 26. Then we traded that pick, which was used to nab LB Clay Matthews. Does that make Matthews' success also determine "how good our entire draft was for years to come"? Or how about Hakeem Nicks or Louis Delmas? They were highly regarded players at positions of need and fit the Pats profile much better than Oher.

You always pass on more players than you take. How can it be that passing on a random one -- who was never linked to the Pats by any source I know of -- is more important than the players they DID take, included a great looking prospect at the same position?

 

[A.C Vegas]

I will go yet another direction....Michael Oher. He is the big "top 10" tackle who fell to us and we traded the pick, he ended up in Baltimore. How he does will be how good our entire draft was for years to come.......Hoyer, for all the previous points and numerous ones we will never know(behind closed doors). Having him on the roster allows us so much flexibility and cap space. Edleman will be better on the field this year, and in the long run Vollmer looks good. Havent seen many "we need a better back up" posts in a while...

So what you are saying that the player we don't want for what ever reason directly affect how the plauyer on our team play and how effective and impressive they are on the team. No one here is asking if the draft was good (which so far looks very good). You make zero sense at all

 

[Deus Irae]

My personal rankings:

Edelman
Vollmer
Hoyer
Tate

In that order, to date, and it factors in draft status, or lack thereof.

 

[northernpatriot]

Looking at these two polls all I can say is that was a heckuva draft!

To think, two of the higher selections have yet to make a contribution due to injury (Tate, Mckenzie)

 

[MoLewisrocks]

My personal rankings:

Edelman
Vollmer
Hoyer
Tate

In that order, to date, and it factors in draft status, or lack thereof.

I'd almost be tempted to flip flop Vollmer and Hoyer only because of position difficulty and draft status, or lack thereof...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I will go yet another direction....Michael Oher. He is the big "top 10" tackle who fell to us and we traded the pick, he ended up in Baltimore. How he does will be how good our entire draft was for years to come.......Hoyer, for all the previous points and numerous ones we will never know(behind closed doors). Having him on the roster allows us so much flexibility and cap space. Edleman will be better on the field this year, and in the long run Vollmer looks good. Havent seen many "we need a better back up" posts in a while...

Baltimore seem's to have rebounded from their 3 game skid now that he's back at RT...and not LT. Not sure he could have played either position here.

 

[patchick]

Baltimore seem's to have rebounded from their 3 game skid now that he's back at RT...and not LT. Not sure he could have played either position here.

BTW, if anybody else is still hung up on Oher, here's the long-term value equation to track:

Michael Oher = Darius Butler + Brandon Tate + Julian Edelman + JAX 2nd-round pick in 2010

That's what we got for the #23 pick. If you like, you could balance out positions by adding 2009 #58 on the left side of the equation and Sebastian Vollmer on the right.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Nunne and Tate? Have they done anything to be listed?

Vollmer has looked good in 2 starts, but Edelman has been a very formidable player, considering we're using the phrase "impressive" I'm going with edelman. Who expected this from a rookie?

You know, I hear all these comparisons to Welker. It took Welker years to get his career solidified, Edelman looks to do so in his first season. Now wether it's the factor of having Brady or not as your QB is a debate for another time. But in short, I'm very excited at the consistency and potential Edelman has shown.

I hope we're saying the same things about Tate soon.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'd almost be tempted to flip flop Vollmer and Hoyer only because of position difficulty and draft status, or lack thereof...

I hear you. I went with Vollmer because he's played while the games have still been in doubt, unlike Hoyer. The apparent fact that Hoyer has impressed the staff enough to serve as the only backup is probably the most impressive thing any of the team's rookies have done this year, but that isn't 'on-the-field' impressive, so I didn't consider it for this poll. That was a conscious choice, because I just don't know enough about the machinations behind the scenes on the whys and wherefores. Had I used it as a factor, I'd have switched Hoyer and Vollmer.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Nunne and Tate? Have they done anything to be listed?

Didn't include Nunn. Tate managed to get off PUP and onto the field within a week, which is fairly rare.

You know, I hear all these comparisons to Welker. It took Welker years to get his career solidified, Edelman looks to do so in his first season. Now wether it's the factor of having Brady or not as your QB is a debate for another time. But in short, I'm very excited at the consistency and potential Edelman has shown.

There's also the fact that unlike the folks who simply didn't understand Welker's value in Miami in 2004, the Patriots saw Edelman as a potential gem in the rough from the get go.