The crazy thing is that Bill's been pretty good at drafting TE's all along... Graham, Watson, GRONK, the Murderer... but lately, yeah, it's a big suck-o-rama.
Has he really?
Let's take a look at Bill's two 1st round TE picks
Daniel Graham
Drafted 21st in '02....played 5 seasons in NE.....2 rings......0 Pro Bowls
Averaged 1.9 catches, 22 yds, and 0.26 TDs in his 63 regular season NE starts
Averaged 1.2 catches, 13 yds, 0.1 TDs in 11 playoff games
Can't deny Graham's blocking proficiency.....but....if BB used a mid 1st round draft pick in recent years to draft a blocking TE, this board would melt down
Note: Board crucified Jonnu Smith's NE stats/gm are identical to Grahams....2.2 catches, 21 yds, 0.1 TDs (blocking a different story)
Recent comparison: N'Keal Harry....essentially a 1st round blocking WR though N'Keal took 3 years to find his niche
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Ben Watson
Drafted 32nd in '04....played 7 NE season....1 ring.....0 Pro Bowls
Averaged 2.3 catches, 28 yds, and 0.25 TDs in his 81 NE games
Averaged 2.2 catches, 23 yds, and
1.2 TDs in his 10 NE playoff games
Can't deny Graham's athleticism and threat level, yet this TE's stats show either an underutilized asset while a Patriot or an overvalued NFL TE given his draft position, stats, and reputation.
Note: Less of an athlete Hunter Henry is averaging 3 catches, 34 yds, and 0.64 TDs
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Yes.....team success trumps individual stats
But, the pass catching stats for both are underwhelming and it is understandable why BB let Graham move on after his rookie contract expired.
Watson's 14 year NFL career validates his draft slot more than his NE production, IMHO