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I just came across this, and though it is very brief I just wanted to pass it along as it offers a glimpse into the thought process going into a draft for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Bill Belichick recalls nearly drafting Isaac Sopoaga in 2004, Tommy Kelly came out of nowhere | Jeff Howe | Boston Herald
First a revisit to the 2004 draft, when the Patriots drafted Guss Scott and Dexter Reid:
The there is this, on looking at undrafted rookie free agents:
Bill Belichick recalls nearly drafting Isaac Sopoaga in 2004, Tommy Kelly came out of nowhere | Jeff Howe | Boston Herald
First a revisit to the 2004 draft, when the Patriots drafted Guss Scott and Dexter Reid:
Bill Belichick spent some quality time with Isaac Sopoaga before the 2004 draft and said this morning the Patriots were prepared to select him if given one more opportunity.
The Patriots were in the market for a defensive tackle after failing to re-sign Ted Washington, and they landed Vince Wilfork with the 21st overall pick. Wilfork was a known commodity as a big-time player and was the second defensive tackle selected (Tommie Harris), so the Patriots knew they landed a starter with their first pick. That decreased any potential need to reach for a backup defensive tackle later in the draft.
Sopoaga was taken by the 49ers with the eighth pick of the fourth round (No. 104 overall) -- nine spots after the Pats drafted safety Guss Scott and nine picks before they took safety Dexter Reid.
Belichick said today Sopoaga was "absolutely" someone they closely studied in 2004.
"We talked about taking him, and we were going to take him and we were just a round late," Belichick said. "But we’d already taken Vince, obviously. But you can never have too many defensive linemen. That was kind of the conversation. He was right there. We were ready to take him. We said, ‘Well, you know, we can get him one round earlier.’ We’d already taken a couple guys, and we probably waited a little bit too long on that one."
If there were ever a re-draft (there won't be, but play along), Belichick noted the Patriots weren't the only team who would have handled Sopoaga differently.
"A pretty good fourth-round pick, I’d say," Belichick said. "If you knew what his career was going to be, he could have gone in the second. He couldn’t have gone in the first ahead of some people who were drafted in that round, obviously. I’d say he’s had a real good career. To be a fourth-round pick that’s done what he’s done, I’d say not too many of them have done that, right? So, I think it’s been pretty good."
The Patriots were in the market for a defensive tackle after failing to re-sign Ted Washington, and they landed Vince Wilfork with the 21st overall pick. Wilfork was a known commodity as a big-time player and was the second defensive tackle selected (Tommie Harris), so the Patriots knew they landed a starter with their first pick. That decreased any potential need to reach for a backup defensive tackle later in the draft.
Sopoaga was taken by the 49ers with the eighth pick of the fourth round (No. 104 overall) -- nine spots after the Pats drafted safety Guss Scott and nine picks before they took safety Dexter Reid.
Belichick said today Sopoaga was "absolutely" someone they closely studied in 2004.
"We talked about taking him, and we were going to take him and we were just a round late," Belichick said. "But we’d already taken Vince, obviously. But you can never have too many defensive linemen. That was kind of the conversation. He was right there. We were ready to take him. We said, ‘Well, you know, we can get him one round earlier.’ We’d already taken a couple guys, and we probably waited a little bit too long on that one."
If there were ever a re-draft (there won't be, but play along), Belichick noted the Patriots weren't the only team who would have handled Sopoaga differently.
"A pretty good fourth-round pick, I’d say," Belichick said. "If you knew what his career was going to be, he could have gone in the second. He couldn’t have gone in the first ahead of some people who were drafted in that round, obviously. I’d say he’s had a real good career. To be a fourth-round pick that’s done what he’s done, I’d say not too many of them have done that, right? So, I think it’s been pretty good."
The there is this, on looking at undrafted rookie free agents:
In a related story, Tommy Kelly went undrafted in 2004, and Belichick said no one had Kelly on their radar.
"I think Tommy Kelly was off a lot of people’s radar," Belichick said. "I’ve talked to Mike Lombardi about him because of course he had him out in Oakland. He was kind of a guy that really slipped through the cracks. I know when Mike took him out there, he was thinking it was a, ‘We’ll take a shot at him’ kind of thing. I’d say it was a great find by Mike. What a career Tommy has had from being an undrafted guy. He’s had an excellent career. I think Mike really found him and then once he started playing, then everyone in the league could see he was a pretty good player. I wish we had seen him or been able to see what Mike saw because really there wasn’t any action on him. Then once everybody saw him play, it was like, ‘Oh my God, how did we miss this guy?’"
"I think Tommy Kelly was off a lot of people’s radar," Belichick said. "I’ve talked to Mike Lombardi about him because of course he had him out in Oakland. He was kind of a guy that really slipped through the cracks. I know when Mike took him out there, he was thinking it was a, ‘We’ll take a shot at him’ kind of thing. I’d say it was a great find by Mike. What a career Tommy has had from being an undrafted guy. He’s had an excellent career. I think Mike really found him and then once he started playing, then everyone in the league could see he was a pretty good player. I wish we had seen him or been able to see what Mike saw because really there wasn’t any action on him. Then once everybody saw him play, it was like, ‘Oh my God, how did we miss this guy?’"
