The 2018 PatsFans Draft Contest: Hail Victory!

[patchick]

Another wild New England Patriots draft is in the books, and it's time to crown a champion! And the winner is...

An eight-way tie at a whopping one correct selection.

Congratulations go to:
mrscruff
irishfanatic
primetime
goheels2202
KontradictioN
FreeTedWilliams
SirApropos
Peachhead

And oh-so-close behind with .75* correct selections:
kennyb
oceansizer

*a quarter point is deducted for not reading the rules and only listing partial info on each player, forcing a grumpy patchick to verify whether any other "D. Dawson, CB" entered the draft.

Alas, the bespoke commemorative ode goes unclaimed for yet another year. I'm starting to suspect you guys don't want to read my poetry. That's surely the only explanation for nobody writing Danny Etling on their ballot, right?

Congratulations, and best wishes for next year!

 

[jboston19]

Thank you for hosting it and congrats to the winners. I look forward to going 0 for however many next year, but Bill's made it difficult with a dozen picks right now lined up in 2019.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

What's funny about this draft is that every pick was incredibly obvious from a fit and needs perspective, but we all out-thought ourselves trying to unravel the mystery.

Wynn was my highest graded OL and had the best tape. I figured we'd go with Ragnow (and apparently we were interested). All year I thought Michel was the best fit at RB, but that he would go earlier than we would draft a RB -- oops. Dawson was the only CB they had in for an official visit, and we've talked a lot on the draft forum about adding help for the slot. Christian Sam had been connected with them all year, including multiple contacts. People joked that Berrios would end up in NE, because the fit was so stereotypical; I dismissed him because it was just way too easy. Keion Crossen was a slam dunk, too, as a late round option that they'd worked out at a position of need, but I took him off my board last second because I wasn't sure if we would draft him or sign him as an UDFA.

Even with grading all of these players as clear fits, I still didn't predict a single one, though, since it seemed way too simple, and we all know that Belichick is inscrutable.

 

[patchick]

After a couple of years of massive ties at a score of 1, I'm thinking of adding a tiebreaker for next year. Maybe "predict the number of Patriots trades?"

 

[Kontradiction]

I wish I would have went with my gut on Berrios. I was talking about him months ago as a perfect fit for the team and, for some ungodly reason, left him off my list.

 

[manxman2601]

After a couple of years of massive ties at a score of 1, I'm thinking of adding a tiebreaker for next year. Maybe "predict the number of Patriots trades?"

Ten. Do I win?

 

[Sfpat]

I still have a perfect record when predicting Pats draft choices

 

[Luxusdk]

ill say its not helping that 5 Teams have "BB" people as GM/HCs - They all draft before Patriots but look at the same people..

 

[ashley]

One of these years I'll get one right.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

ill say its not helping that 5 Teams have "BB" people as GM/HCs - They all draft before Patriots but look at the same people..

Slowly but surely, it is becoming the Belichick Football League.

 

[maineman209]

but we all out-thought ourselves trying to unravel the mystery.

Exactly.

I had Wynn on and off my list several times before finally taking him off because I thought he might not fall as far as #23, and included Evans instead because I thought he might.

I left out Michel because of his fumble rate, but kept Kerryon Johnson because he seemed like a BB-type pick for the #63-#95 range (went to DET at #43!).

I kept Speaks on my list, figuring him as a possible 6th/7th-rounder like Deaderick (went to KCY at #46!), and ultimately left off Crossen, Sam and Berrios because I thought they might end up as UDFA.

IOW, I "ode-blocked" myself.

 

[cstjohn17]

Thank you for running this, obviously I have no pride and sadly look forward to this each year. I have a lot of introspective self help to do and likely need help.

But onward and upward, see you in July. Nice job by all the winners.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I am now officially 2 for how many years we have been doing this!

I still like my draft better than Bill's