**The official Day 2 Patriots Draft Thread**

[letekro]

Also people, it looks like its up to Price and Tate....

With no offseason, WR draftees wouldn't have helped this year anyway. On the plus side, we now have a stable of backs and a mean left side of the line with which to pound away.

 

[Seneschal2]

My first thought was Ridley is going to be turned into a FB, expanding our offense with a weapon from that spot, but we use so much 2 TE, that minimizes the FB roles.

BB doesn't want to waste Gronk's talents by keeping him in to block (as much). Having a slew of RBs who can assist in that regard will free him up from those Graham-like duties.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The Ridley pick is eerily reminiscent to me of the 2006 Draft when the Pats picked TE David Thomas in Round 3 and TE Garrett Mills in Round 4. That draft sucked.

The key difference between then and now is that the Pats had two first-round TEs on the roster and it was going to be next to impossible for Thomas and Mills to get playing time.

Right now, the Pats had two open spots at RB—since it was fairly clear neither Fred Taylor nor Sammy Morris was going to be resigned.

I know Mike Reiss was big on Shane Vereen. Ridley, though, is a big stumper.

 

[NE_Paddy]

I just find it hard to believe that Ridley wouldn't have been around for at least 3 more rounds. Time to face the facts--BB HATES this DL/OLB class.

Just like he's hated every DE/OLB class for the last 10 years. I'm really not sure what he wants at that position anymore. It's odd because the Pats are seemingly the only 3-4 team that don't place a big emphasis on talent at the OLB position (Cunningham aside). Perhaps it's genuinely become a scheme thing; Belichick might think coverage is more important than pressure.

 

[Water Boy]

Pats are completely retooling their offense. It looks like they are gearing up to be a running team to do better in the playoffs. And there is some logic to this. When the Pats running game disappeared in the playoffs their offense got too predictable and teams could gear up just to stop the pass. Pats added a mammoth LT who will be stronger in the run game, then two shiny new RBs, one who can gash the defense, and another who can pound the rock to revitalize the run game.

If the Pats were really interested in improving the run game, I think they'd address their interior line. I like Solder, but I think he's more of an athletic pass protecting LT. I don't expect to see much dividends from him in the running game.

 

[kptmorgan04]

We have no picks in the 4th round, unless we trade up, so that's a real possibility that both will go before then.

I would be happy trading most the rest of this years picks to get back in the 3rd or 4th round. too many picks late which 95% of the time amount to nothing (especially after selecting the big boom/bust pick of Mallet)

 

[juny]

Bizarre draft -- Only really like the Solder pick (day 1).

We had 3 starter-level quality players from the 2nd round last year. I doubt we will see 1 from this 2nd round class. True Mallett is a long-term project, but I would have thought this team would have addressed pass rush issues.

 

[Horace's Ivories]

Ridley made this guys "all sleeper team" for what its worth:

Running Back: Stevan Ridley, LSU - Projected Round:3

Any running back that puts up 15 touchdowns playing in the SEC has a reasonable chance of being successful in the NFL. Stevan Ridley's bruising running style allowed him to handle the grind of the SEC schedule showing durability and consistency.

He may not be the fastest running back (4.66), but Ridley is arguably the best inside runner in this draft class. Ridley has tremendous explosion in his lower body and maintains a great pad level at the point of contact. The LSU running back also has impressive vision and surprisingly quick cutback moves. At six feet tall and 225 pounds, Ridley is a bowling ball between the tackles and very tough to bring down.

When comparing Ridley to the top running back prospects available in the 2011 NFL Draft, there is not much separating him from Mark Ingram and Mikel Leshoure. He lacks the straight line speed and game breaking elusiveness, but Ridley is a dependable and durable inside runner who should be able to produce in the NFL right away.


Ridley compares favorably to fellow SEC running back Ben Tate, who was a second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Stevan Ridley presents an ideal value in the third round and beyond given his ability to make an instant impact in short yardage situations.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

We have no picks in the 4th round, unless we trade up, so that's a real possibility that both will go before then.

This is true. Belichick did not see the value there. Let's let this play out, and we'll have a better idea what all of this means later.

Let's say they bring in Kiwanuka if the Giants let him go. Things are looking better for the pass rush in that scenario than if they take a flier on a late 3rd round pass rusher.

Would I like to see some defensive players brought in? Sure. But I can see some logic in all of the picks, even if they aren't what I was expecting.

 

[mgteich]

The patriots draft for the future. Belichick did fine with such a weak draft. We have five players, a 2012 1st and a 2012 2nd! Belichick still has a chance at longshots tomorrow.

TACKLE
Is Kaczur part of the future? How long will Light be here? We needed an OT. We have the luxury of developing a very talented one, yet again, as we did with Vollmer. Solder could start now at LT, but he will be under no pressure to do so. Dante went to his pro date, so he's sure of what he's getting.

RUNNING BACK
Running back was a clear need this year. Last year we cornered the market on ancient RB's. We had the three oldest running back in the entire nfl. Now, we have Green-Ellis, Vareen, Woodhead, Ridley and Clayton. BTW, Green Ellis is an RFA this year.'

SAFETY
Both Meriweather and James Sanders are in their contract years. It takes a year to develop a safety. We got a good one in Dowling. This was a clear need. Going into the draft, the two top candidates were A. Williams and Dowling. Belichick got his man. And, just BTW, Dowling can also play corner!

QUARTERBACK
Hoyer is an RFA next year. We now have the luxury of having two backups. Mallett can learn the system and can develop. Belichick can then choose which one to trade.

The Patriots have not, in recent memory, carried fewer than four RBs to start the season.

Right now they only had two on the 53 (Woodhead and BJGE). The Pats believe in RBBC, and I guess BB got tired of depending on unreliable over-the-hill backs.

 

[NEPats1]

Basically Mortenson is saying there's gonna be a documentary in 10 years about the Mallet 6 LOL i love it!

 

[IcyPatriot]

Ridley made this guys "all sleeper team" for what its worth:

Running Back: Stevan Ridley, LSU - Projected Round:3

Any running back that puts up 15 touchdowns playing in the SEC has a reasonable chance of being successful in the NFL. Stevan Ridley's bruising running style allowed him to handle the grind of the SEC schedule showing durability and consistency.

He may not be the fastest running back (4.66), but Ridley is arguably the best inside runner in this draft class. Ridley has tremendous explosion in his lower body and maintains a great pad level at the point of contact. The LSU running back also has impressive vision and surprisingly quick cutback moves. At six feet tall and 225 pounds, Ridley is a bowling ball between the tackles and very tough to bring down.

When comparing Ridley to the top running back prospects available in the 2011 NFL Draft, there is not much separating him from Mark Ingram and Mikel Leshoure. He lacks the straight line speed and game breaking elusiveness, but Ridley is a dependable and durable inside runner who should be able to produce in the NFL right away.


Ridley compares favorably to fellow SEC running back Ben Tate, who was a second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Stevan Ridley presents an ideal value in the third round and beyond given his ability to make an instant impact in short yardage situations.

Ridley is a gunner ... we need upgrade at the gunner position.

 

[Water Boy]

The key difference between then and now is that the Pats had two first-round TEs on the roster and it was going to be next to impossible for Thomas and Mills to get playing time.

Right now, the Pats had two open spots at RB—since it was fairly clear neither Fred Taylor nor Sammy Morris was going to be resigned.

I know Mike Reiss was big on Shane Vereen. Ridley, though, is a big stumper.

I love Vereen.

 

[Ring 6]

This really is a fascinating draft.

The Patriots went 14-2, and really had one serious flaw: the worst third-down defense in football. With an inability to generate pressure on the passer, the Pats just couldn't shut teams down on third and long, and relied on supreme offensive performance to win games.

The draft was rated as average in general, but potentially the best ever for 3-4 front seven players, and the Patriots entered with an abundance of picks where those players lay. A perfect match.

And they have simply avoided that fit.

Clearly Belichick reads both the team and the draft significantly differently than most of us.

While some of the early picks were odd, they appear odder as rounds increase.

Solder looks like a solid pick, although probably a player needing some time. But picking him dropped the team out of contention for the top front seven players.

Then another trade out of the first, a pattern now with this team.

Then a trade down yielding value, when other teams were gaining big premiums on the traditional draft chart.

Now a second running back that was presumably drafted now because who knows when teams will be able to sign undrafted players.

A back-up QB is the best value pick of this draft, but a player most of us hope doesn't see the field for the next three years.

A total focus on offense.

Really a surprise.

Echoes of the Meriweather draft class.

Lets look at this from a different angle.
Lets assume in free agency we add a veteran 34 OLB who is a good pass rusher.
We end up with:

DE- Warren, Stroud, Brace, Wright
NT- Wilfork
OLB- FA, Cunningham
ILB- Mayo, Spikes
CB- McCourty, Bodden, Arrington, Butler
S- Chung, Meriwhether, Dowling

What players picked today would you say are a certain upgrade at any of those positions?

In addition we have Guyton, TBC, Ninkovich, Fletcher as LB depth and Sanders, Page, and maybe the kid we picked up off IR as S depth.
There is depth everywhere.

If a pass rushing OLB is added in FA, what picks could have been made that would crack this unit. The only argument really would be DE, and we have Warren who is an excellent 2gap DE, and Stroud who is a stout run stopper in our 2gap.

We have added 2 starting DEs, a starting high caliber corner, and a almost 1st round corner to a defense that was very young, improved dramatically and played very well in the 2nd half of the season.

I will be much happier if the OLB comes in FA than the draft, and then it would make a hell of a lot of sense why we drafter players at offensive positions where we have an aging FA LT, 3 RBs who appear done, and a QB who is 34.

 

[TruthSeeker]

That's what I'm afraid of.
Belichick is a HOF coach NOT a HOF draft specialist.

Bingo. He's gotten a free ride because he's won 3 SB's, but besides 2010, when has he had a STELLAR draft ? 2001 SB was won by former picks of Grier and Parcells and some free agents, and a lucky 6th round pick by BB. SB's in 2003 and 2004 seasons were filled with Belichick's good drafts in 2002-2004. He didn't have a good draft after 2004, until 2010. Sure he had some decent picks, but nothing great except for Mankins in 2005, and trading picks for Welker and Moss. 2010 seems to be a rare occasion, an actual great draft, haven't seen those very often, and a year later, 2011 may have been BB's worst ever.

 

[Wilfork#75]

I just don't get it.

The Solder pick was solid yet unspectacular, Dowling is a good pick and I can live with Vereen, but after that this draft turned to ****. Why would we take a #4 RB with a 3rd round pick. I doesn't matter if he is a good player or a good fit, a #4 RB is not good value in the 3rd round, it doesn't matter who it is. This to me is an even worse pick than the Mallet pick. In the end the only needs we filled were OT and RB depth. Unless Dowling is a FS and we trade Meriweather, that is a luxury pick. And I'm fine with a luxury pick if we use our others to fill needs, but we still need interior OL help, another WR, DL, and a pass rusher. Oh, and we don't have another pick until the 5th round.

While the other teams in the draft got better, we got value. Value doesn't help you win games, players win games. And players that will actually step foot on the field help you win games. I normally agree with BB trading down and adding picks, but this is a terrible draft. A 3rd round pick on a #4 RB, where's Michael Irvin when you need him, C'mon Man.

Oh, and is anyone else wishing we had traded it all for Julio Jones.

 

[reflexblue]

calm down kids,
1. pass rush sucked because we had one CB all year. it's hard to have one of those when the other CB just has to look away from mcourty and throw. Bodden will be back and the new kid might spend half the year or so uninjured. So that will automatically get better.
2. BJGE is a very good backup, yes i said backup. Morris, Taylor and faulk are all 34, which is *ancient* for a nfl RB. Drafting some RB's wasnt optional.
3. TFB is 34, do you all think he's going to be TFB until he's 44? Mallet can sit on the bench and learn how to play on the field and not be a ****** off the field from the best for a few years. Kid is not a bad quarterback.

No the pass rush sucked because there were no pass rushers and haven't been since the days of Colvin and Vrable

 

[upstater1]

didn't the pats get better when they put bledsoe on the bench?

I don't know what you're looking for in the 3rd round, but if you can select a guy that can be as good as a fringe Hall-of-Famer, you've done well.

 

[Aßßynormal]

Pats are completely retooling their offense. It looks like they are gearing up to be a running team to do better in the playoffs. And there is some logic to this. When the Pats running game disappeared in the playoffs their offense got too predictable and teams could gear up just to stop the pass. Pats added a mammoth LT who will be stronger in the run game, then two shiny new RBs, one who can gash the defense, and another who can pound the rock to revitalize the run game.

Now do I think they went a little overboard with the RBs? Maybe a little. I probably would have taken Hankerson over Ridley. But it's hard to argue with the 'new vision' that BB has for this team. I think defense will again be addressed by BB with veterans once the lockout ends and free agency starts again.

Where, or when, does Hankerson get on the field?

 

[Ring 6]

The patriots draft for the future. Belichick did fine with such a weak draft. We have five players, a 2012 1st and a 2012 2nd! Belichick still has a chance at longshots tomorrow.

TACKLE
Is Kaczur part of the future? How long will Light be here? We needed an OT. We have the luxury of developing a very talented one, yet again, as we did with Vollmer. Solder could start now at LT, but he will be under no pressure to do so. Dante went to his pro date, so he's sure of what he's getting.

RUNNING BACK
Running back was a clear need this year. Last year we cornered the market on ancient RB's. We had the three oldest running back in the entire nfl. Now, we have Green-Ellis, Vareen, Woodhead, Ridley and Clayton. BTW, Green Ellis is an RFA this year.'

SAFETY
Both Meriweather and James Sanders are in their contract years. It takes a year to develop a safety. We got a good one in Dowling. This was a clear need. Going into the draft, the two top candidates were A. Williams and Dowling. Belichick got his man. And, just BTW, Dowling can also play corner!

QUARTERBACK
Hoyer is an RFA next year. We now have the luxury of having two backups. Mallett can learn the system and can develop. Belichick can then choose which one to trade.

Is it possible that the labor dispute could end with BJGE being a UFA?
Are these 2 RB picks insurance against that?
I suppose there are many scenarios where players not under contract but obligated to a team with RFA, or Franchise tenders could be set free?