The guys I like are falling in the draft...

[rookBoston]

LB Chad Greenway at #21, CB Richard Marshall at #52, OL Ryan Colledge at #75 and RB Maurice Drew at #86.

Not quite so ridiculous anymore. After the lackluster post-combine reviews, these guys may actually fall right into our laps. I would dance a jig. Four impact players in three rounds with no trading required.

Start with two great solutions at our two biggest positions of need. Great character fits from coaches that sprouted directly from the Belichick coaching tree... and both true footballers.

Then two more players that fit the Pats draft profile to a T, that play with a lot of heart and productivity-- but dont have some of the measurables that traditional scouting techniques would highlight. Measurables have never meant as much to BB/SP as the rest of the NFL.

Stock for these guys are dropping, but I stick by our earlier assessments of each: they are good players with good work ethic who will be solid pros.

Please let it be so.

 

[nickw308810]

I don't think any Pats fan would disagree with you. I love all 4 of those players and it would be a dream draft.

 

[drew4008]

Marshall and Drew have both increased their stock, not dropped. Marshall could slip into the end of Round 1, and I don't think there's any chance we get him with our 2nd. Drew has been great in interviews and looked very impressive in the drills, plus he showed off his solid build, some team will take a chance on him early. Too early in my opinion, he won't be any more than a decent KR.

 

[stinkypete]

Greenway's stock may have fallen a little, but I don't see Dallas passing him up should he remain on the board.

 

[rookBoston]

Greenway's stock may have fallen a little, but I don't see Dallas passing him up should he remain on the board.

Not so sure. The boys might choose Manny Lawson ahead of Greenway.

 

[Warren94]

I wouldn't want Greenway I would prefer Carpenter over Greenway. just my opinion. I think he is a poor tackler.

 

[patsfaninpa]

I think Dallas will go OL in Round 1. They have an immobile
qb and struggled to protect him last year. That would be a
great draft. We still have a big hole at wr though. I think we
have to address that need on Day 1 too. If we traded down
to 33 with Houston and get there #3, could D.Hagens WR - Ariz St
be a possiblility? Seems to have good size,production,speed 4.44
at the combine. Then we could trade up from 52 to get some
defensive help. Wimberley or Marshall?

 

[AzPatsFan]

Forget it

I think Dallas will go OL in Round 1. They have an immobile
qb and struggled to protect him last year. That would be a
great draft. We still have a big hole at wr though. I think we
have to address that need on Day 1 too. If we traded down
to 33 with Houston and get there #3, could D.Hagens WR - Ariz St
be a possiblility? Seems to have good size,production,speed 4.44
at the combine. Then we could trade up from 52 to get some
defensive help. Wimberley or Marshall?

Forget Hagans. He has athleticism, size, speed, everything except for two teensy little things..

He can't get open... and worse yet he can't catch.

Great! Just what you want in a wide receiver someone who can't catch!! Johnny Grier would love to draft him, i'm sure. When will you guys realize that there is just no water in the WR well this year?

 

[drewdagreat]

I don't think anyone would complain about that draft. That'd be awesome.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Rising and Falling

Every year you hear coaches and GMs talk about building their boards based on production they see on film and not fall in love with workout warriors. Yet every year these same guys see a workout that makes them go wow! and before you can say "production on film" the workout warrior has just jumped to the top of the board.

The rising and falling is almost always in the same pattern. Those that workout well at the combine get the early rise and those that have good pro days make the "late leap".

And BB and SP do it as well, see B Johnson for details. However the thing that BB and SP do better than most is they have a knack for knowing when to gamble and when not to and what positions they can afford to take the gamble. They have had a couple of solid hits early in the draft (Seymour, Light, Wilfork, Warren, Branch, etc.) and some very productive hits later in the draft (Brady, Givens, etc.)
But they have had some real clunkers as well. (Brock Williams, B Johnson, Reid, Cobb, Sams, Etc.) However the clunkers only hurt depth and were not crucial to team success. There was always a backup plan in case the gamble failed. And that is one of the many reasons why I think the Pats management is been very successful these past 5 years or so.

 

[rookBoston]

Also what helps: the clunkers are all mid round picks: 3rd, 4th and 5th. Bethel was a 2nd, but he's the biggest exception.

Not a single bust among all the 1st rounders: Seymour, Graham, Warren, Wilfork, Watson, Mankins... 6 for 6 and counting.

 

[DaBruinz]

Every year you hear coaches and GMs talk about building their boards based on production they see on film and not fall in love with workout warriors. Yet every year these same guys see a workout that makes them go wow! and before you can say "production on film" the workout warrior has just jumped to the top of the board.

The rising and falling is almost always in the same pattern. Those that workout well at the combine get the early rise and those that have good pro days make the "late leap".

And BB and SP do it as well, see B Johnson for details. However the thing that BB and SP do better than most is they have a knack for knowing when to gamble and when not to and what positions they can afford to take the gamble. They have had a couple of solid hits early in the draft (Seymour, Light, Wilfork, Warren, Branch, etc.) and some very productive hits later in the draft (Brady, Givens, etc.)
But they have had some real clunkers as well. (Brock Williams, B Johnson, Reid, Cobb, Sams, Etc.) However the clunkers only hurt depth and were not crucial to team success. There was always a backup plan in case the gamble failed. And that is one of the many reasons why I think the Pats management is been very successful these past 5 years or so.

How can guys picked after the 3rd round be considered clunkers. There's a less likely chance of them having success than the top 3 rounds. Brock Williams ended up with some serious injuriy issues. Bethel is still around, though I do agree with you about him being a failure at this point. Not Sure how PK Sam can be considered a clunker since he was a 7th round pick.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

PK was a 5th rounder.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

The answer for Dabruinz is that I consider the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds, the rounds where teams find solid future starters and dependable backups for depth and ST. Excessive failures in these rounds means that either A) you have a great track record with mid tier FAs or B) you schedule golf games in January.

 

[DaBruinz]

PK was a 5th rounder.

Thanks for the correction Box.

 

[patpatriot]

Kinda hit or miss for mid round picks

Pats mid round picks for the last 3 years:

R3 CB Ellis Hobbs yup
R3 T Nick Kazur oh yeah
R4 S James Sanders maybe
R5 R Claridge who knows?

R3 S Gus Scott who knows?
R4 S Dexter Reid nope
R4 RB Cedric Cobbs uh uh
R5 WR P.K. Sam nuf said

R4 CB Asante Samuel bingo
R4 DT Dan Klecko teaser
R5 C Dan Koppen double bingo

That's four solid contributors out of 11 picks with a couple of maybe-possibles still not heard from yet. This is about average for this part of the draft. Way more than 50% of players drafted in these rounds never make it in the NFL.

Although it just occured to me. All these players are still in the NFL if not making solid contrinutions with the Pats. That would make the Pats big-time winners in picking players who eventually play in the league from the mid-rounds compared with the NFL average.

Extrapolating from this data, the Pats 5 mid-round picks should yield 2-3 solid contributors/starters for them this year.