So how do you grade this year’s draft?

[PowerRunRevival]

Id go with a C+ for now, but impossible to tell tbh. still hopeful itll be a decent class and could potentially make us quite better. Still ALOT of unknown with this one.

What i like:
- We got our Lg it hopefully fills out our starting ol. and despite the supposed reach i like him more the more i read.
- Added depth at cb, i think at the least m jones should definitely help us. This was probably our biggest downfall in the buffalo losses.
- The rbs - especially like strong as a prospect and he may even impact this year.
- Adding speed at wr. It’s obviously hard getting excited over a wr pick with ne lol and im not terribly optimistic on it, but i like the thought and his 40 time alone is attractive. I personally would have given a little extra to move up a little further for metchie(just 6 more spots up I believe) but iM overall ok with this one.
- added backup qb. This was a need, we were very fortunate mac was able to take every important snap last year cuz weve seen what happens when hoyer has to play in non garbage time. Not sure if i like the choice itself but we’ll see

What i didn’t like:

- no emphasis at run defense / nt. Drafted one dt and hes a project, doesnt look like a run stuffer either with the sacks mentioned . Can only hope we’re looking to add a hicks or something because unlike lb which i was ok with passing on i dont see any potential big additions to last year on the current roster.
- overall value /quality. Other than strong and m jones seems we reached quite a bit on most picks. This is of course all moot if we actually do hit on 3-4 of these considerably(im not talking dietrich wise/Bentley type hits, we need some real difference makers) , but its hard to get as excited over this draft as much as last years where you can look at a guy like barmore and just drool over the potential.
- no drafted competition at punter despite some opportunities. I like Bailey but we could potentially have saved alot of cap space if we hit on a pick and have a cheap punter for a few years. With all the picks woulda been worth a late flyer.

I agree about the run defense, I’m concerned. It wasn’t great last year and it seems like the Patriots plan to replace hightowers snaps with a much smaller linebacker or even a safety.

The defense did need to get faster but it seemed like it also got smaller compared with last season. That can’t bode well for the run defense.

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

when you look at some of the other teams drafts (like the ravens, jets, chiefs)...it feels like the pats got worse relative to AFC competition.
This draft had a feeling of desperation (especially the Thornton pick). It feels like they panicked. Kraft told them to get faster and so they focused on 40 times.

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

Here is what I would have done differently

1. pick Dax Hill at 29 as a CB, instead of Strange
2. pick Troy Andersen LB instead of Thornton
3. Marcus Jones pick was fine
4. Calvin Austen instead of Jack Jones
5. Pierre Strong good pick
6. Chris Oladokun instead of Zappe
7. Kevin Harris fine
8. Bo Melton or Dareka Young instead of Chasen Hines
9. stueberr OK


ridiculous picks- Thornton and Jack Jones and Zappe F--------
Marcius Jone B+
Pierre Strong A-
Kevin Harris B+

 

[billdog3484]

I think it’s too hard to tell how we did. We took players early on that the pundits felt were reaches. In the end who knows. I think taking a guard in the first round was a mistake. We need speed and talent on defense and we really didn’t get anything whatsoever. It’s a head scratcher.

My personal belief was we needed a speedy linebacker and cb1 or 2 . Lloyd was there and we passed. Dean was there until 87 and we passed. We passed on all the top corners.

We have a bunch of guys we drafted on d the last couple of years that haven’t reallly seen the field. I assume bill is high on these guys based on taking nobody on d. If he’s not, then I just have to guess this year is a throw away. It’s shocking.

It’s just really disappointing to me because the first two picks were most important and I fear they weren’t the best Z strange will probably we good but we have had such success finding late round interior lineman I just don’t understand it. Thornton. Shrug. Our history drafting receivers doesn’t give me confidence. And the fact others didn’t have him high makes me really nervous. Our teack record with receivers is awful

 

[StanleyGrogan]

My first reaction is one of disappointment. Did we address our needs? Mostly. I guess they have decide to ride McGrone etc.
Did the teams that picked fewer times/later than us do a better job? Hmmm.
I can only grade my reaction. C or in a word... Strange.

 

[billdog3484]

Jerrod mayo ran a 4.4. He was a good player for us. But he was slower on the field than a 4.4 player. Fast 40 times don’t necessarily mean fast on field players…and vice versa

 

[TheRainMaker]

Jerrod mayo ran a 4.4. He was a good player for us. But he was slower on the field than a 4.4 player. Fast 40 times don’t necessarily mean fast on field players…and vice versa

He ran a 4.5. He was not a 4.4 guy.

Mayo was an unfortunate player completely wasted during his time in NE. It’s a shame he wasn’t drafted a few years later to play with better defenses. Injuries took a toll and he was cooked by 2014.

 

[Toofy]

Here is what I would have done differently

1. pick Dax Hill at 29 as a CB, instead of Strange
2. pick Troy Andersen LB instead of Thornton
3. Marcus Jones pick was fine
4. Calvin Austen instead of Jack Jones
5. Pierre Strong good pick
6. Chris Oladokun instead of Zappe
7. Kevin Harris fine
8. Bo Melton or Dareka Young instead of Chasen Hines
9. stueberr OK


ridiculous picks- Thornton and Jack Jones and Zappe F--------
Marcius Jone B+
Pierre Strong A-
Kevin Harris B+

I would have picked Travis Jones instead of Thornton.

Instead of Jack Jones I would have taken Tariq woolen . Rest all I agree with your picks .

 

[Bourne Patriot]

Z-

If you're gonna let the D rot completely.. they'd be better off trading the entire draft and grabbing Jameson Williams, instead of a trackstar project and a bunch of jags.

Credentials: 1 Madden super bowl win (rookie difficulty)

 

[goheels22002]

I give it a solid "WP" for Witness Protection. I never heard of any of these guys.

 

[zimmy]

I think I gave the draft last year an A. Having thought about the entire draft over the weekend, I think all you can do is give this one a C at this point. Grading a draft the day after is mostly an exercise in comparing where a team took players with a composite media board - basically did they get value. On that metric, we didn't perform very well. However, I bump this draft up a little for successfully addressing team needs - namely big holes on the offensive line and at cornerback but also the aim of getting faster and more athletic.

Finally, I don't think this was a draft with much difference maker pro bowl talent. This was a draft to find good starting level players, and hopefully we've done that even if not at the most glamorous positions. I think we'll look back in 3 years and see a solid but unspectacular draft.

Edit: This also strikes me as a draft where the Patriots identified players they wanted and then took them. Last year was very different where they waited for Jones to drop and seemed fairly indifferent. There are two ways of looking that approach. The negative is that its inflexible and can't shift as players drop or the board unfolds differently. Our small board probably contributes to that e.g. Nakobe Dean was probably off our board due to his size and injuries. I don't think there is any flexibility to re-insert him as he falls way into the 3rd where he might represent value. The positive way of looking at it is that we have got the exact guys we wanted. They spend all year assessing and ranking these guys and they went out and made sure they got Strange, Thornton, Jack Jones etc. That at least gives me some hope that they can be good. I'm sure we could all have a discussion about their philosophy to drafting.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

This draft gets a solid F from me
Last years draft was an exception

 

[SEA_Pat]

I'd give it the exact same grade as every year - NC, or "No Clue". We already know that the pundits hype certain prospects and who the top 15-20 players are, but everything beyond that is a guess involving so many different factors we couldn't possibly understand and we hardly ever pick in the top 15-20 anyway. NE has consistently zigged when everyone else has zagged (perhaps this year they zapped when everyone else zipped), and that's only resulted in the greatest dynasty in NFL history. If I were to grade it would be only based on how outraged the draftniks are, with the higher the level meaning the better draft. By this token, Strange is already a multiple year Pro Bowler. I cheer for laundry, and the guys picked have immediately become "my guys", even though I don't think I have heard of a single one of them prior to this week nor would I be able to identify them if they walked up to me and shook my hand.

Don't fret though, I'll be back for more completely uninformed insight with zero data based on not watching training camp. Stay tuned!

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Id go with a C+ for now, but impossible to tell tbh. still hopeful itll be a decent class and could potentially make us quite better. Still ALOT of unknown with this one.

What i like:
- We got our Lg it hopefully fills out our starting ol. and despite the supposed reach i like him more the more i read.
- Added depth at cb, i think at the least m jones should definitely help us. This was probably our biggest downfall in the buffalo losses.
- The rbs - especially like strong as a prospect and he may even impact this year.
- Adding speed at wr. It’s obviously hard getting excited over a wr pick with ne lol and im not terribly optimistic on it, but i like the thought and his 40 time alone is attractive. I personally would have given a little extra to move up a little further for metchie(just 6 more spots up I believe) but iM overall ok with this one.
- added backup qb. This was a need, we were very fortunate mac was able to take every important snap last year cuz weve seen what happens when hoyer has to play in non garbage time. Not sure if i like the choice itself but we’ll see

What i didn’t like:

- no emphasis at run defense / nt. Drafted one dt and hes a project, doesnt look like a run stuffer either with the sacks mentioned . Can only hope we’re looking to add a hicks or something because unlike lb which i was ok with passing on i dont see any potential big additions to last year on the current roster.
- overall value /quality. Other than strong and m jones seems we reached quite a bit on most picks. This is of course all moot if we actually do hit on 3-4 of these considerably(im not talking dietrich wise/Bentley type hits, we need some real difference makers) , but its hard to get as excited over this draft as much as last years where you can look at a guy like barmore and just drool over the potential.
- no drafted competition at punter despite some opportunities. I like Bailey but we could potentially have saved alot of cap space if we hit on a pick and have a cheap punter for a few years. With all the picks woulda been worth a late flyer.

This was a boom or bust draft. Really there were no safe picks. In 5 years, Bill is going to get an A or an F.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Ask in 2-3 years. Also need how UFAs do

 

[Froob]

I’ll go B- (dunno why people are so against throwing out a tentative grade based on what you think lol)

I like the Jack Jones, Thornton, Strong picks. I think Strange will be good but wish they had addressed guard in a different way pre draft.

The QB pick seems like a waste that early in the draft. Marcus Jones is interesting but concerned about him being 5’8.

Really like the Hines pick, he might be real good. Seems like a big guy that Pats can coach up.

 

[*ChungFu*]

I'm as big a homer as anyone, but a C is the most I can give at this point.
It was mentioned a while ago by someone on the staff that they are looking to change the culture on the team. So they went out and got what seems like mediocre talent on some, with high effort players. Nothing flashy. Could be the plan. I do think the post game joke-a-thons that served as press conferences may be disappearing. They were cute for about 15 minutes.

 

[State]

I loved the two trade downs. We gained a third for next year. Typical good Belichick moves.

Picking a smart, tenacious, and athletic OG at 29 who has played very little big time football and needs a bit more core strength was a horrific over reach. I could have stomached it at 54.

BB saying they were forced into doing it because another team was about to pounce on him is delusional.

So at 29 go defense—George Karlaftis, Daxton Hill, Travis Jones, Logan Hall—or trade down again.

A mistake like this and with the efforts of the other teams in the AFC East (even the Jests seem to be getting their act together) means the Patriots have a very real possibility of being no better than .500 in their division. And that’s being generous.

 

[TomPatriot]

Not sure who this guy is but . . .

 

[Big Bucks]

What is the reality for me that instead of really enjoying the draft this year.. I totally gave day 3 a miss.. (first in 25+years) in the future I am hoping that BB uses all our draft capital on in season trades on players.

I get the feeling the league has told us we have to be bottom of the tree for the next five years and we have done everything to inact that instruction this past year. After the great draft last year and we still made the playoffs.. the league freaked out.. you cannot rebuild so fast... and since that draft its like the total reverse.. the other 3 teams got alot better and we got worse and its seems self inflicted. So many weird moves made the past 12 months.