Time to grade the Patriots draft

[PATRIOT64]

Grade the draft by speculating and looking ahead - How was it to you?

A
A-
B
B-
C
C-
D
D-
F
F-

 

[Jimke]

Not great but not bad either, B. Did not draft offensive players

with no chance of making the team.

 

[carolinatony]

A solid B
We addressed LB. Anything after this makes it better.

How many NEW players do fans expect on a 16-0 regular season team? We are not the Lions or Viking where you NEED lots of new players every year.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I go with B-. Love the Mayo pick, Like the Crable, Wil(wish-he-had)hite, Slater & Ruud picks.

 

[PatsDeb]

Since we needed linebckers & corners, I'll give it an "A-" until I see different. The more I read about Mayo, the more I like. And we got two other linebackers in later rounds. BB and SP know what they like in a player, so I trust they took the best available in the spots we had. I am a little concerned about the size of the corners we took, but let's face it, BB and SP obviously prefer smaller faster ball hawks to bigger corners, so those guys seem to fit too.

The QB in the 3rd round doesn't bother me - how many threads have we had on here about Matt Cassell not having "it" and Brady (unfortunately) is mortal like the rest of us. Grooming one or two replacements is never a bad idea. The all-purpose special teams guy isn't a surprise either. Lots of players have stuck on the Pats for their special teams play over what they can do on "O" or "D".

For once, I thought the Pats stuck to what they "should" do, and there weren't any surprises. We stocked up for training camp in places we could use some help. Two good days in my mind.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Solid B

Knew there was never a chance they were goin to draft a USC player...


Love the Mayo, Crable and Wheatly pick

They had O connell rated that high, and need to develop a QB...

I think we may add Alexander and Law to the roster and I think we will be ok..

They got younger and faster at lb and cb, and that was the goal...

Also I think our CB situation is not that bad, we lost 3, but we have alot of competion for the spots..

 

[NEPatriot]

i go with B

 

[peterforpats]

only time will tell if this or any other draft is mgood or bad. to give a grade now just shows how much time you have on your hands. relax; it will all play out in due time.

 

[Deus Irae]

only time will tell if this or any other draft is mgood or bad. to give a grade now just shows how much time you have on your hands. relax; it will all play out in due time.

People who spent a weekend watching the draft clearly do have the time on their hands..... Adding another 5 minutes of time spent for the evaluation process isn't likely to be the tipping point. Plus, second guessing picks, teams and players is part of the fun of watching the draft.

 

[upstater1]

I thought they played everything perfectly although I'm still bugged by the trade with San Diego. Was there really no one else in the 3rd round that might have helped this team?

 

[40yrpatsfan]

A

1. Mayo, ILB: rare talent, instant contributor, fills huge need. That's what you want in your #1.

2. Wheatley, CB: another rare talent - will contribute this year, start in 2009. We did great getting him at 62 -also fills huge need. His combine tape shows incredible quickness.

3. Crable, OLB: not as much of a lock as the other two, but great measurables, played in a big time program, a leader. Got him in the right spot at 78 - projects as a definite player. Has above average potential, not a plodder. Also fills huge need.

4. O'Connell, QB: you gotta have balls and vision to make this pick, which BB-SP certainly don't lack. Looks like a fantastically athletic kid with huge upside. You don't get this kind of potential in the low 4th round. Fills a medium need. Could be our #2 in 2009 and future starter in 6 years or whenever Brady gets tired of it all.

5. Wilhite, CB: looks like good value at #129. Excellent speed. Some analysts think he's as good as his opposite corner at Auburn who went at #60. Maybe another 4th round Assante?

6. Slater, ST: this guy will have a cult following within 1 year. Gunner-supreme + great KO returner + can play about 5 positions on both sides of the ball + his father was an All-Pro.

7. Ruud, ILB: we'll see. Great pedigree and aptitude. Maybe he can develop into a future Bruschi in a few years. But he sounds like a long shot.

8. Lest I forget: a 2009 2nd rounder, which is just a beautiful thing

 

[Steve1iron]

A -

They focused on all of our weak areas. ILB, OLB and CB plus special teams. Would have been an A if they had made a move on the offensive line.

I can't complain.

 

[NEPatriot]

the problem with our new faces is they don't have a lot of times to develop because we expect them to fill in the position right away because of our aging players. I can't spend 14 millions dollars for you to develop your talent in 2 years.

 

[fumbrunner]

B. Like the mayo pick . He will be a stud for years to come.

Wheatley scares me a bit with his fused wrist and all.

Would have been an A if they had used a couple of the 3rd round picks to trade down and get one of the top 5 corners.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I'd tend to say B+

But apparently that's not an option.

 

[LuthierJr]

B-

Only because they only drafted one of the guys I liked (Mayo), but I'll be the first to admit I don't know jack ***** when it comes to really evaluating talent on a professional level, but from my couch I like Mayo, Wheatley, O'Connell, and Wilhite is growing on me. Slater should be a solid Special Teams player... Don't know about the Ruud kid, but I do like we picked up a 2nd next year.

 

[patsox23]

B/B- for me. Loved the Mayo pick, like the BB-love for Wheatley, like the Crable pick, like getting another 2nd rounder for next year. Otherwise...eh.

 

[Horace's Ivories]

I'll give it an A for effort.. love Mayo and TWheat

 

[unoriginal]

I'd give the Pats' 2004 draft a B-, because overall it was a poor quality draft.

 

[JoePats]

I thought they played everything perfectly although I'm still bugged by the trade with San Diego. Was there really no one else in the 3rd round that might have helped this team?

They were going to take Crable at that spot, and the phone rang at the last minute. Teh Pats were on the phone with Crable at the time, and had to tell him they were still interested but had to put it on hold for now because of the trade, and they made the trade. They still got their guy (paraphrased from Reiss' blog).

Just shows you how much they value future draft picks. Certainly in normal years but next year the extra comp 3 (hopefully) is obviously not tradable.

The grade today obviously means nothing. But I love the youth on defense. It was needed. I think from an outsider's perspective it's easy to identify positions of need and obviously harder to match them up with players. But I like that the Pats added 2 corners and 2 linebackers, inside and outside.