With the 60th pick the Patriots take......

[Brady to Brown]

I'm not thrilled by the trade but it was a safe way to spend it. Whoever is there with that pick will have good looking upside on Saturday but much higher bust potential than Welker too.

I don't get, why you don't get, the Welker move. Its not a bad deal, or even a wash. Its a steal. One of Belichicks best IMO.

Belichick took Welker from the Dolphins roster while the Dolphins were changing guard. They were asleep and it cost them.

 

[patsox23]

Count me as one who's obviously willing to give MAJOR benefit of the doubt to Belioli, but who feels we overpaid for Welker. Is he a safer bet than a 2nd rounder (especially the way we've drafted there)? Sure, I guess so. But it's still perfectly legit to say the Pats gave up too much for a guy who's had, at best, one good season. Will he play better here, in this system, and thereby justify the price? Hope so. Does BB have a track record that suggests Welker could find his niche and do precisely that? Of course. Was it an overpay? I'd say, arguably, YEP. But it's done and we move forward and I hope very much I'm wrong.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Pro Bowlers from last year that were 2nd rounders

Chad Johnson
Matt Light
Marcus McNeil
Aaron Schobel
Rashean Mathis
Anquan Boldin
Andre Gurode
Larry Allen
Drew Brees
Alge Crumpler
Tiki Barber
Kris Jenkins
Lofa Tatupu
Brian Dawkins

those are pro bowlers alone..solid list if u ask me..a few guys were a pick after or before round 2 (Gore, Wilson..few more)

That covers about 8 drafts or so. Times 32 . . . well you do the math

 

[RayClay]

The Patriots try to acquire proven players that can help them. Why don't people trust them to judge a player in their own division?

Any draft pick is a crap shoot, even a #1.

 

[RayClay]

People act as if you're allowed to take players from any team when you want at a certain price.

Don't you realize that's ridiculous?

If the Pats feel a certain player can help them, and they do target players, they need to make the best deal they can when they're available.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Count me as one who's obviously willing to give MAJOR benefit of the doubt to Belioli, but who feels we overpaid for Welker. Is he a safer bet than a 2nd rounder (especially the way we've drafted there)? Sure, I guess so. But it's still perfectly legit to say the Pats gave up too much for a guy who's had, at best, one good season. Will he play better here, in this system, and thereby justify the price? Hope so. Does BB have a track record that suggests Welker could find his niche and do precisely that? Of course. Was it an overpay? I'd say, arguably, YEP. But it's done and we move forward and I hope very much I'm wrong.

Everything about Welker screams that he'll succeed in New England. You even say that more than likely he'll work out here.

But as RayClay just pointed out before I started this post, you can't pick and choose when and for how much you get a player.

The big question is this: Would you have rather have Welker and lose the 2nd rounder, or keep the 2nd rounder and Welker is locked up as a Dolphin for the next five years? This was our shot to get him, we took it. It's no different from when a team takes a player a little higher than projected because there's never a guarantee he'd still be around if you trade down.

 

[Seymour93]

I can't believe the Dolphins let Welker go. Stallworth, Washington, Caldwell and Gaffney are rent a players. Welker is a New England Patriot.

I call BS. Caldwell was our #1 WR for nineteen weeks last season. Gaffney stepped up big time in the playoffs. So far Welker hasn't done anything for the New England Patriots besides cost us two draft picks. Also, who's to say Stallworth and Washington are "rent a players" while Welker gets a pass? Stallworth has one of the highest yards per catch ratio in the league. With his quickness and superb route running, Stallworth will be a hit here IMO. Washington is 6 ft. 3 in. Welker is 5 ft. 9 in. I know who I'd be throwing to if I were on the opponents ten yard line.

I think we gave up too much for Welker, but I'm not saying he's going to disappoint. Hopefully he gives us what Troy Brown did five years ago. However to declare Welker a quintessential Patriot while dismissing his teammates is ridiculous. Let's wait for the season to start before we pick who's better than who.

 

[RayClay]

I call BS. Caldwell was our #1 WR for nineteen weeks last season. Gaffney stepped up big time in the playoffs. So far Welker hasn't done anything for the New England Patriots besides cost us two draft picks. Also, who's to say Stallworth and Washington are "rent a players" while Welker gets a pass? Stallworth has one of the highest yards per catch ratio in the league. With his quickness and superb route running, Stallworth will be a hit here IMO. Washington is 6 ft. 3 in. Welker is 5 ft. 9 in. I know who I'd be throwing to if I were on the opponents ten yard line.

I think we gave up too much for Welker, but I'm not saying he's going to disappoint. Hopefully he gives us what Troy Brown did five years ago. However to declare Welker a quintessential Patriot while dismissing his teammates is ridiculous. Let's wait for the season to start before we pick who's better than who.

I don't know how it will shake out, but I'm quite happy with what we got for nothing in Caldwell and Gaffney.

I think Caldwell is marginal because he runs choppy, but I like his effort.

I think Gaffney's our #1 receiver next year. He looks really smooth to me.

 

[TealSox]

Lets not annoint Welker to the Patriots Hall of Fame quite yet or even say that he was a "steal". Fact is, the guy has yet to record his first reception as a Patriot and already he is the critical piece that will set the offense for 2007 and on.

Fact of the matter is, many a good players have been picked in the second round. As of late, the Patriots haven't been very lucky with second round picks. Marquise Hill, PK Sam and Chad Jackson aren't the cream of the second round crop. No fault to the Patriots for making poor decisions when you consider the entire draft is a crap shoot and it is idiotic to expect anything from a college junior/senior who is three months removed from college and who is cashing million dollar paychecks.

Safe money is that Welker will be more productive than Hill or Sam were for the Patriots. At the cost of a second around draft pick, I'll take the safe pick. Especially when you consider that (as mentioned before me) that this team doesn't need another "fingers cross", second round project.

I think that we can all agree that the team is far from rebuilding and more in a "polish and perform" mode. Welker, along with the other free agent acquisitions indicated that the Pats needed veterans to get to the next level; a level that they know far better than any other team in the NFL over the last five years.

Interesting questions though....

Steve Smith USC or Wes Welker?

LaMarr Woodley MICH or Wes Welker?

Eric Weddle UTAH or Wes Welker?

Which players would you take at the "Wes Welker" spot and would that player push the veteran team back into the Super Bowl?

 

[patman52]

So Belichick was wrong in the Welker deal?

He made a mistake in your opinion?

I think I will wait to see if you or Bill is right.

I look forward to see how Brady and Welker work together.

oh, dont worry next year they will be a 3rd-5th rd guy that exceeds Welker's production and he will jump up and "see we could have drafted xxx with the 60 th pick" I told you I was right.

God, the guy caught 70 passes from Culpepper and Harrington while sharing the ball with Chambers, Booker and McMicheal. He is worth the 60th pick in the draft.

 

[calvert]

oh, dont worry next year they will be a 3rd-5th rd guy that exceeds Welker's production and he will jump up and "see we could have drafted xxx with the 60 th pick" I told you I was right.

God, the guy caught 70 passes from Culpepper and Harrington while sharing the ball with Chambers, Booker and McMicheal. He is worth the 60th pick in the draft.

I was at the Fish v Bills game in Miami week 2 last year and Welker was easily and clearly the best player on the field for the fish...next to Jason Taylor. A couple of season ticket holders nearby said he'd been their best offensive player since about midway through the 2005 season. He has great hands, runs precise/sharp patterns, knows how to get open in the soft spots of a zone, runs well after the catch, and he's a very solid returner on special teams. He's still young in his career too...he might not have all the measurables, but he makes plays every Sunday and there is no reason to think his production is going to plummet in a Tom Brady run offense. I wish Welker had been on the roster in the AFC title game...you think he might have been able to find an open spot on a couple of third downs we needed?
You try to build the best team you can...BB and SP think he was worth #60 and #220 or whatever...we'll see if they're right. You can play the "we shoulda drafted" game every round of every year...I'm fairly content with the track record of this braintrust.

 

[Robdude]

I have quickly become a Welker fan and I do believe he is worth a second round draft pick.

But, as a fan of the draft I really dislike how it limits the Pats ability to move around early in the draft. I know there are still ways to move up in the first round but I do not really like the sacrifices that would have to be made. The manuverability that our team has shown during draft day, in the past, is not there this year. I think we are pretty much stuck with the 24th and 28th pick and whomever falls to us. Now this is much more of a 'whine' then recogonizing a real problem I realize because we are the only team with 2 1st round picks and a lot of talent will be around at 24 and 28 from what I have read. But in past years I could watch the first round waiting for the Pats to make a move and even when they didn't the ability was still there.