NFL DraftWeekend Team Thread: New England Patriots

[bigtuna 0]

official list of guys on the board i like in rd 3:

 

DT GABE WATSON

DB DEE WEBB

DB Darrick Martin

SS Darnell Bing

WR Maurice Stovall

DE Mark Anderson

 

FS's Ko Simpson, Anthony Smith, Pat Watkins, Will Blackmon

[lsk6453 0]

TE?

 

wtf!

[bigtuna 0]

They did it again.

 

David Thomas TE Texas.

 

 

Lowly rated and a position of NON NEED.

[whoisjgalt 0]

They sure love their tight ends in New England.

[lsk6453 0]

I love the 1st 2 picks, but I was expecting the defensive help to start coming

 

DB

S

LB

[Thin Spirit 0]

Good day up until now.

 

Alot of defensive talent on the board yet, and this happens.

[lsk6453 0]

may there is a trade on the horizon???

[esoitl 0]

the guys on Sirius love him but i dont know, i think they have enough already

[bigtuna 0]

The ghost of Dave Stachelski

[lsk6453 0]

I wonder if this new TE sticks, will get a Wendy's endorsement!

 

David Thomas

[rocket1012 0]

Dave Thomas,TE?..That's a tough pick to rationalize...

[Thin Spirit 0]

After thinking about it, and reading some opinions on Patriots Planet...

 

They lost Fauria, and Graham may not be re-signed.

 

Graham has made some impressive catches in his time, but he has never become a consistent offensive threat that the Pats hoped he would be when he got taken in the first round. With the emergence of Watson he is now used more as a blocking TE and it is causing Watson to get double coverage when they are in two TE sets.

 

Thomas has talent, he did have 8-10 catches in the National Championship game....but still, at the same time I don't overly like the pick. If they were going to go offense, I would have prefered Stovall, but they really needed to go D here.

[TD Ryan2 316]

I hate the pick.

 

Graham is a capable receiver who's a BEAST as a blocker. Graham flat out pancakes people.

Watson has emerged as the skill/talent/pass catching TE.

 

I just don't understand this pick. You use a first day pick for a guy who MAY be a backup TE **IF** you can't sign Graham?

 

BOOOOO!

[TD Ryan2 316]

NE's picks tomorrow:

 

4th rnd: 9 (106 overall) AND 21 (118 verall)

 

5th rnd: 3 (136 overall)

 

6th rnd: 22 (191 overall)

 

7th rnd: 21 (229 overall)

 

 

I'm still pissed about the TE pick.

Stovall was still on the board! They could have had BOTH Johnson and Stovall!!

 

 

I gather a few things from this.

 

#1 Bruschi must be completely healthy

#2 They must not be too worried about Harrison either

#3 they're happy with the DBs they have

[Thin Spirit 0]

They have three picks in the 6th round tomorrow.

[devildog 0]

Seems like a typical Patriot pick to me. Thomas doesn't have great size or speed but is very smart and plays with a passion. Very good underneath target and will be good around the goalline like Fauria was.

[George Carlin 1]

Armchair quarterbacks saying they don't like something Pioli and Belichick did.

 

[Raider 84 29]

New England continues to have awesome drafts! Great value picks every time.

[bigtuna 0]

Available roster spots: LB, K, OT/G/C, CB, QB, NT

 

 

Expect picks to go in this direction.

 

Do not hope for Bing or Watson or guys like this. By passing on them in round three, it indicates they are not on the Pats list of about 100 players that they draft from.

 

Positions needed to replace:

 

Willie McGinest, Matt Chatham, Chad Brown, Adam Vinateiri, Tom Ashworth, Flutie, Starks.

 

replacements taken care of :

Chad Jackson (Givens)

Reche Caldwell (Dwight)

Dave Thomas (Fauria)

Tebucky Jones (chad Scott)

 

Brown's replacement is likely Claridge, who spent last year on IR. Ashworth's replacement may be FA pickup Wesley Britt.

[George Carlin 1]

Mel Kiper said New England had the best draft of all the teams so far.

 

That's good enough for me.

[Thin Spirit 0]

The initial shock of the Dave Thomas pick is over, and the more I read on this kid, the more I like this pick.

 

Fauria is gone, Watson/Graham have very rarely ever been healthy together and the Pats love to run the two TE set, especially in the redzone.

 

Here is a video of Thomas...he seems to catch everything that comes his way, and has pretty nice break away speed for a TE...

 

http://media.putfile.com/DT-74

 

I'm already excited for the season.

[Walter34 3]

The initial shock of the Dave Thomas pick is over, and the more I read on this kid, the more I like this pick.

 

Fauria is gone, Watson/Graham have very rarely ever been healthy together and the Pats love to run the two TE set, especially in the redzone.

 

Here is a video of Thomas...he seems to catch everything that comes his way, and has pretty nice break away speed for a TE...

 

http://media.putfile.com/DT-74

 

I'm already excited for the season.

 

Its a 3rd string TE on a day 1 draft pick.

 

I like the 1st two selections, but you cant spin this one into a positive light.

[devildog 0]

Its a 3rd string TE on a day 1 draft pick.

 

I like the 1st two selections, but you cant spin this one into a positive light.

 

They needed a tight end and the kid is good. What's the problem?

[Patriotica 5]

Is Martin Gramatica just a body in camp or will he be the kicker? Is he done?

[ROCKET 0]

I'll admit TE is the last thing I wanted in round 3 but Thomas is a very good one. I'll give Bioli the benefit of the doubt on that one assuming we know go for defense today. There is still alot of quality left out there and believe it or not historically they have probably had more success drafting on the second day as opposed to the first day most years. I was very happy with Maroney but would have preferred Holmes over C-Jax as far as wr but obviously Pittsburgh gobbled him up early. I have reservations about C-Jax but given the Pats' lack of quality wr's I can see their willingness to move up and take a shot on him. He was projected as a mid/late first round pick and they got him in the early second costing them a 2+3 so that's pretty solid IMO. It's painfully obvious that the Pats value the TE position alot more than most teams as it seems to be a more important position in their offensive scheme than most offenses. Having at least 2 quality TE's is viewed a must by the brass. I'm going to go look at the guys left as I wasn't able to watch the 3rd round yesterday. If we come out of the 4th with a solid lb and db then I'll be stoked. Another dl and ol prospect would be nice today too.

[Boston 0]

Absolutely thrilled with day one. This draft stocks the offensive skill positions…and they’re doing it without handing out big free agent contracts. The Pats badly needed an injection of skill on this side of the ball and at least on paper that’s been accomplished. Last year too much of the offense fell on Brady’s shoulders. When the injuries hit and the offense often got stuck in neutral the Pats just weren’t as dangerous as they had been. With these new players and Watson developing the Pats offense should be very diverse, athletic and deep. It will really have the ability to cause those matchup problems they’re always looking for.

 

While, I swear by the defense first rule this was a draft that was very necessary (expect defense to be the focus in day 2). It will keep the Pats a balanced team. Look what Brady has done in the past often with limited weapons. Now imagine what he can do with improved skill positions and an O line that’s young and improving (and all signed long term except for Koppen right now). The Pats offense is young and really has a chance to be big time for years to come. Look at the age of these guys:

 

Brady-28

Cassell-23

Maroney-21

Pass-28

Faulk-29

Branch-26

Caldwell-27

Jackson-21

Watson-25

Graham-27

Thomas-22

Light-27

Koppen-26

Neal-29

Mankins-24

Kaczur-26

Gorin-27

Hochstein-27

 

Now as far as breaking down the first day selections, here’s my take:

 

Maroney-Could not have been happier. I have felt for awhile that a first round RB upgrade was their biggest bang for the buck and would produce immediate dividends. They now don’t have to worry about Dillon’s replacement long term and short term should he continue to slide. Maroney has size and speed and appears to be a RB that’s perfect for those cold weather games later in the year and the playoffs. His arrival means Dillon, Pass and Faulk are that much more effective. In a best case scenario Dillon plays like he did in 04 and Maroney compliments him but if Dillon is infact traveling south than the Pats are covered and in a stable situation which is far different than what happened in 05.

 

Jackson-With Givens gone, Troy turning 65 this year, Bethel disappearing and Dwight and Davis not working out this position needed an upgrade very badly. Getting a WR ranked by many as the top 2 or 3 in the draft in round 2 is great value. The kid is fast, has good size and goes over the middle. On paper an excellent compliment to Branch. The fact he comes cheap moneywise means you can extend Branch but the WR position still won’t be eating up too much cap space. While he won’t probably won’t produce like Givens in year 1 he has the upside to post better numbers than Givens while also coming in much cheaper than the deal Givens ended up signing.

 

Thomas-Total textbook Patriot pick. On the surface many scratch their heads and wonder why. Look deeper and it’s fits the Patriot philosophy to a t. The kid is productive, a leader, played his best in a championship setting and is very diverse in that he can line up at TE, Hback and FB (he can also long snap and is a great special teams prospect). In a year or two this pick will be one that fans point to and say this is why it’s “in Bill we trust.” Mike Mayock said this is one of his favorite two or three players in the draft. Expect this kid to line up everywhere and his sure hands will help keep the chains moving. Also, the fact that the Pats always play three Tes and Graham only has one year left on his deal means this pick makes even more sense. I think this is a real sleeper pick and fully expect this kid to be a real fan favorite in Foxboro once they see what he brings to the table.

 

As you can see I’m fired up. The first day is just what the doctor ordered. Now let’s get some defenders in day 2 and see about bringing in a few more veterans with the cap space (wouldn’t Law be a sweet addition) and get the season started.

[Thin Spirit 0]

but you cant spin this one into a positive light.

 

how can you not spin this into a positive light?

 

he's a good TE, has a good work ethic and is one hell of a smart kid.

 

Fauria is gone, and as I said, how often have Watson and Graham been on the field at the same time? Vrabel has caught how many TD passes from the TE spot over the last few years?

 

Was it their biggest need, no. But they were probably drafting the best player available to their team need once again...when you've won as many championships as they have in the last 5 years and have the drafting track record they do, I think you can spin a positive light on anything.

[OakHeadFootball 1]

Thanks for the Thomas vid, been looking for that. I like what I see, the kid shows serious concentration and hands making the tough catches. Little weak in the lower body from what I read but thats probably easier to remedy than anything else. Plays smart, and seems to shine when needed most (big games, 3rd-4th down) Will fill in nicely for Fauria especially on the "hands" team. Pats might not have to worry nearly as much as everyone thinks on D. This offense is quickly shaping up to be stellar.

[OakHeadFootball 1]

Guess they got a short yardage/ goaline guy now to

 

Will they take any D?

[Thin Spirit 0]

Fullback?

 

Who lacks burst and does not have the size to break tackles.

 

Now this pick, I will sh1t on.

[Patriotica 5]

They slept all night for this guy. He must bring something to the table.

[OakHeadFootball 1]

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingr...rrettmills.html

 

Looks like another "tweener" type multi roll guy. I refuse to question any Pats picks like the good Kool-Aid drinker I am.

[Walter34 3]

Rumour has it the pats are trying to package their 6th and 7th rounder for Anthony Becht as well.

 

Just kidding guys ... relax

[Thin Spirit 0]

They got Gostkowski!!

 

[manola 0]

Nice looking kicker from Memphis!

[TD Ryan2 316]

They got Gostkowski!!

 

 

 

[Ignignokt 0]

Rumour has it the pats are trying to package their 6th and 7th rounder for Anthony Becht as well.

 

Just kidding guys ... relax

 

 

 

 

[Ron_Mexico 0]

I'm hoping for more genius moves from

the Patriots braintrust tomorrow.

 

Let's have some fun, gentlemen.

PREDICTION:

 

Mid to late round pick:

 

STEVE GOTKOWSKI : K : Memphis

 

---------------------------------------------

 

 

bang

 

nice call, SKY

[themorey 1]

Wow....so what does that make like 5 TE's on the roster now? Maybe Mangini was the magic behind the Patriots success and not Belichek as widely believed.

[manola 0]

Wow....so what does that make like 5 TE's on the roster now? Maybe Mangini was the magic behind the Patriots success and not Belichek as widely believed.

 

Yeah dumbass, Mangini made most of the decisions on draft day...not Belichek or Pioli