Re: Pats acquire DE/OLB Derrick Burgess for draft pick
Justifying the price paid for somebody who is 31 years old, has declining sack totals, has hardly ever played the position he will be asked to play, and is in the final year of his contract, by reminding us how often the FO has swung & missed during the rounds in which that price will be paid, does not exactly instill maximum confidence in the FO for either the drafting or the trading departments.
Then again, considering how well I think that Bill has performed over the last 5/6 drafts, maybe I should hope that he trades away all of his draft picks for experienced vets, as George Allen did with the 'Skins. Because as of now, Burgess is our 2nd-best, if not best, pass-rusher...and he hasn't even played a down for us yet.
The last 5 or 6 drafts? what did they do? Well, 2009 can't be judged yet, though you insist on trying to. So lets look back from 2004-2009:
2008:
Mayo, Wheatley, Crable, O'Connell, Wilhite, Slater, Ruud, SD 2nd Rnd pick in 2009.
Mayo is a starter. Wheatley was played well until he injured his left wrist when he landed wrong after being upended on a play. Wilhite came in and played well at the end of the year earning a few starts. Slater was a regular on special teams. Crable the jury is still out on. O'Connell is still a work in progress as the back-up QB, but showed enough to make Gutierrez expendable. You remember Gutierrez, right? The one you claimed would have a better career than Cassel. Ruud was IRed and has since been let go.
2007:
Meriweather, Kareem Brown, Moss, Welker, Rogers, Richardson, Hairston, Hilliard, Oldenberg, Lua, Elgin.
Most people look at this draft and ignore the acquisitions of Moss and Welker. But you can't. Simply for the fact that draft picks were used to acquire them.
Meriweather is a starter. Brown made it out of camp, but was let go due to injuries elsewhere on the roster. The Pats tried to stash Rogers on the PS, but the Cowboys claimed him and he's a special teams Ace for them now. Richardson is entering his 3rd camp and has an uphill battle due to the Pats drafting 3 CBs in the last 2 years as well as the acquisitions of Bodden and Springs. Hilliard, Oldenburg and Elgin have been floating around the league on other teams practice squads. Lua is gone after a year on the IR. Hairston was let go with an injury settlement during camp.
Overall, if you ignore Moss and Welker, it would seem to be a poor draft. But one thing most people overlook is that the Pats, pretty much, had their final roster before the draft. So, there weren't many, if any Roster spots to be had.
2006:
Maroney, Jackson, Thomas, Mills, Gostkowski, O'Callaghan, Mincey, Stevenson, LK Smith, Andrews
People claim this was a bad draft, but it wasn't. It was actually very good. Jackson's career got de-railed due to a torn ACL in the 2006 Championship game and he couldn't get back on the field in 2007 and then couldn't earn Brady's trust in 2008. Maroney has been good when healthy and has tried to play through injuries to his shoulder, to no avail. Gostkowski has quickly become a top 10 (possibly top 5) kicker in the league. O'Callaghan moved past Britt to earn the starting job when Kaczur was out. However, injuries and concussions have de-railed him the last two years. Mills, the Pats tried to stash on the PS only to have Brad Childress swipe him. Mills continues to play for the Vikings. Willie Andrews was a top Special Teamer for 3 years before off-field incidents landed him out of the league. LK Smith has seen more and more time each year. Mincey didn't give it his all in camp because he "thought he'd have a year to learn the defense" and was cut. He's now seeing time with Jacksonville.
2005:
Mankins, Hobbs, Kaczur, Sanders, Claridge, Cassel, Stokes
Outside of Claridge and Stokes, this draft produced 5 starting caliber players. That's a home run.
2004:
Wilfork, Watson, Hill, Scott, Reid, Cobbs, Sam, Morton
Wilfork is one of the best in the league. Watson, has had his ups and downs, but has been above average overall. Hill, according to BB and his teammates, was the consummate teammate and it was only the dept of the D-line that prevented him from being an impact on the field. Scott got de-railed by an ACL injury in camp after he signed. Reid was brought in to be a special teamer. Cobbs, Sam and Morton were projects. BTW, Morton is still kicking around the league.
Even if I was being cynical and ignoring the additions of Welker and Moss in 2007, its one below average draft in 5. And the 2007 draft was one of the weakest in history. But, anyways..
What you think and what is reality are two different things. And you have no way of proving that the players you think they should have taken would have worked out for the Patriots.
