I think a WR in the 2nd and 4th is fine.
Do you actually think they could find someone at WR in those rounds? To recap, the scouting department and draft decision-makers (many of which are still there) that were responsible for selecting N'Keal Harry, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boute, Demario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker are going to find someone for once? This draft is said to be weak in terms of WR talent.
I know NE needs a LT, but just taking one early doesn't automatically mean that guy will work out. Their recent OL picks have been almost as bad as their WR picks. A lot of the best tackles in recent years were drafted in the second half of Round 1 or early in Round 2. Unfortunately, the guys NE have taken in that range haven't worked out (Strange, Wynn) and guys they've taken in Rounds 3 and 4 haven't done much (Wallace, Cajuste, Garcia).
I also tend to disagree with the take that taking a LT at 4 is a no brainer, 10-year starter at the position. In this era, OL guys coming off their first contract will demand insane amounts of money for a second contract. The one thing we should have learned over the past decade plus is NE doesn't want to pay out big money to offensive lineman, and the only one they re-upped was Owenu (and they may already regret doing that). The point being, there is nothing to suggest they would want to give a starting LT a 5 year/$125+ million extension. The only thing they would be assured of would be having that player for a minimum of 4 years.
Not to be a pain but you have been very critical on pretty much every option they have...since this is not a "lay-up" draft with an easy pick what do you want to see happen?
I've already mapped out what I would do several times. Hunter or Carter if available. Trade down some to get an extra pick or two if not. If they stick at 4 anyway, I would rather they took a high upside player like Jeanty or Warren. Depending upon how far they moved down, tackles should still be there. Defensive lineman will be there. If they move further back, a couple of WR will be there.
This isn't just something I came up with. They were talking about this recently on one of the evening talk shows. A lot of draft prognosticators think there are maybe a half dozen top prospects and then a drop off with the next 20-25 guys in a very similar bucket talent wise. If they move into that huge group of similarly rated players, they may as well load up on extra picks. Perry, Breer, and Bedard had similar views.
As for being critical, I've researched what the tendencies and capabilities are for the guys running the show now. Vrabel has been good at developing defensive players, but n recent years, none of the parties has done great n terms of drafting and developing offensive players. That's really not my opinion, it's just how things worked out. Not saying that will carry over to this and future drafts, but it's something to monitor.
It also seems like Vrabel is looking to play a similar style as he did in TEN. Focus on defense and the run game to grind out wins and win games being more physical than opponents. I know we have touched on this before, but that seems like a similar style to what BB played with Vrabel on the roster, and it also seems like more of an old school strategy that is less prevalent this days when a lot of the successful teams are a lot more focused on high flying offenses. That doesn't mean it can't work, but I think a lot of fans would have liked to see a bigger commitment to the offensive side of the ball. Yes, I realize they tried to bring in help on offense so it's not like they decided to ignore that side of the ball.
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