Offense The Focus Of Draft
FOXBORO, MA — Belichick appears to be satisfied with his defense, but apparently he seems to feel his offense needed some work.
The 2002 NFL Draft is in the books, and five out of New England’s six selections were offensive players, something that was kind of a surprise considering Belichick’s defensive minded attitude. However it was the defense that carried them throughout the postseason, and the third-year Patriots head coach made some moves to improve his offense.
On the first day of the draft Belichick traded up 11-spots in the first round to grab tight end Daniel Graham out of Colorado, and also selected Louisville wide receiver Deion Branch in the second round. The fact that Belichick didn’t take a linebacker during the draft may mean that negotiations with Roman Phifer took a turn for the better, and hopefully he’s heading back to the East Coast for next season. Graham was considered to be the most complete tight end in the draft, and Branch is considered to be a very reliable and athletic receiver who has no fear and isn’t afraid to go over the middle.
On day two, the Patriots used their first pick in the fourth round to draft LSU quarterback Rohan Davey who will likely replace quarterback Drew Bledsoe after he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Davey will probably be the #3 quarterback behind back-up Damon Huard and current starter Tom Brady, and is considered to be similar to Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper. He’s a big guy at 6’3″, 251-pounds, with a rifle for an arm and good mechanics.
They also drafted fellow LSU and defensive end Jarvis Green in the same round who at 6-3″, 273-pounds gives them a big presence at defensive end. He has excellent quickness and is very athletic, and with someone like Belichick to develop him will hopefully become a solid player.
New England then used their two seventh round draft choices on runningback Antwoine Womake and wide receiver David Givens. Womake played for Virginia and reportedly has a knee injury that could potentially keep him out all of this season, although it’s still too early to tell for sure if that’s the case.
Givens gives Belichick exactly what he wants, a guy who can do a lot of different things. He can catch, run, block, return kicks, and played eight different positions in high school Belichick loves guys who can make an impact on special teams as well as add depth at different positions, and the former Notre Dame standout gives him just that.
Posted Under: 2002 Patriots Draft
