Ron_Mexico
I Love Doggies
Pats may be eyeing wideouts
Michael Felger
4/28/2006
Which way do you want the Patriots to go?
With 11 picks, the Pats have the flexibility to move up in the first round of this weekend’s NFL draft, and multiple reports have indicated they are intending to do so.
The other option is to stand pat, trade down, or even swap out until next spring.
So what do you want?
I’ll take what’s behind door No. 2.
I know, I know. No fun. A.J. Hawk. Michael Huff. Manny Lawson. Kamerion Wimbley. Those are the names that get the blood flowing. All have the tools to step right into the Patriots defense, fill a need and make an impact. It’s a lot more interesting picturing those players in a Patriots uniform than consulting value charts and computing extra picks.
But since when have Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli worried about being fun and interesting? And when was the last time they had a bad draft? (Answer: 2000, even though Tom Brady came out of it in the sixth round).
The more picks Belichick and Pioli have, regardless of the round, the more good players the Pats are going to end up with. Plain and simple.
Remember, Belichick and Pioli don’t fall in love with players, and let the 2003 draft serve as the definitive proof of that fact.
That was the year Kentucky defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was the hot name. The next Warren Sapp. The Pats had two first-round picks that spring, and Belichick had no problem allowing rumors to circulate regarding the Pats’ interest. Reports had the Pats shipping their two first-rounders to Chicago at No. 4 for the right to take Robertson.
It was all smoke, even though the Pats did, indeed, like him. Instead, the rival Jets were baited into giving up their two first-rounders, plus a fourth-rounder, to nab Robertson. The Jets have gone 20-28 since.
Meanwhile, the Pats did wind up sending the Bears a pick, a seventh-rounder in order to move up one spot and take Ty Warren at No. 13. Then they traded down and out with their other first-rounder, sending it to Baltimore for a 2003 second-rounder and a 2004 first. The second-rounder was ultimately spent on Eugene Wilson and the first on Vince Wilfork. The fourth-rounder they would have had to give up to move to No. 4 was used on Asante Samuel.
To summarize: The Jets got Robertson. The Pats wound up with Warren, Wilfork, Wilson and Samuel. Get the point? Robertson took up huge cap dollars and did little for the Jets’ bottom line. The Pats’ haul has become part of their championship foundation.
The last time the Pats moved up significantly in the first round was 2002, when they sent the Redskins a third-rounder to jump from No. 32 to No. 21, where they landed tight end Daniel Graham. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t worth it. You don’t move up 11 spots in the first round to take a tight end whose greatest quality is his blocking.
This year, Lawson and Wimbley look to be perfect fits for the edge of the Pats’ 3-4 defense, just as Robertson looked like a perfect 3-4 nose tackle back in 2003. And more than any player, Lawson has the physical tools to replicate what Willie McGinest provided for so many years.
Unfortunately, 3-4 teams like San Francisco, Oakland, Cleveland, Miami, Dallas and San Diego all pick ahead of the Pats at No. 21 tomorrow. It’s hard to imagine Lawson and Wimbley surviving that gauntlet.
The Pats have extra picks in the third and fourth rounds, as well as their own fifth, so the ammunition is there if they want to leapfrog. But the Pats should hold on to as many picks as possible in what appears to be a deep draft.
One more history lesson from 2003: Instead of extending themselves for Robertson, the Pats patiently waited for training camp and then got their nose tackle through a trade, sending the Bears a fourth-rounder for Ted Washington.
Yesterday, reports surfaced about the Pats’ expressing interested in the Packers’ disgruntled Pro Bowl receiver Jevon Walker, as well as Denver’s Ashley Lelie. New Orleans star receiver Donte Stallworth is also said to be on the block.
A third-rounder for Walker, Lelie or Stallworth represents value.
A third-rounder to move up in the first round for an athletic but unproven college player is for those who fall in love.
Michael Felger
4/28/2006
Which way do you want the Patriots to go?
With 11 picks, the Pats have the flexibility to move up in the first round of this weekend’s NFL draft, and multiple reports have indicated they are intending to do so.
The other option is to stand pat, trade down, or even swap out until next spring.
So what do you want?
I’ll take what’s behind door No. 2.
I know, I know. No fun. A.J. Hawk. Michael Huff. Manny Lawson. Kamerion Wimbley. Those are the names that get the blood flowing. All have the tools to step right into the Patriots defense, fill a need and make an impact. It’s a lot more interesting picturing those players in a Patriots uniform than consulting value charts and computing extra picks.
But since when have Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli worried about being fun and interesting? And when was the last time they had a bad draft? (Answer: 2000, even though Tom Brady came out of it in the sixth round).
The more picks Belichick and Pioli have, regardless of the round, the more good players the Pats are going to end up with. Plain and simple.
Remember, Belichick and Pioli don’t fall in love with players, and let the 2003 draft serve as the definitive proof of that fact.
That was the year Kentucky defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was the hot name. The next Warren Sapp. The Pats had two first-round picks that spring, and Belichick had no problem allowing rumors to circulate regarding the Pats’ interest. Reports had the Pats shipping their two first-rounders to Chicago at No. 4 for the right to take Robertson.
It was all smoke, even though the Pats did, indeed, like him. Instead, the rival Jets were baited into giving up their two first-rounders, plus a fourth-rounder, to nab Robertson. The Jets have gone 20-28 since.
Meanwhile, the Pats did wind up sending the Bears a pick, a seventh-rounder in order to move up one spot and take Ty Warren at No. 13. Then they traded down and out with their other first-rounder, sending it to Baltimore for a 2003 second-rounder and a 2004 first. The second-rounder was ultimately spent on Eugene Wilson and the first on Vince Wilfork. The fourth-rounder they would have had to give up to move to No. 4 was used on Asante Samuel.
To summarize: The Jets got Robertson. The Pats wound up with Warren, Wilfork, Wilson and Samuel. Get the point? Robertson took up huge cap dollars and did little for the Jets’ bottom line. The Pats’ haul has become part of their championship foundation.
The last time the Pats moved up significantly in the first round was 2002, when they sent the Redskins a third-rounder to jump from No. 32 to No. 21, where they landed tight end Daniel Graham. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t worth it. You don’t move up 11 spots in the first round to take a tight end whose greatest quality is his blocking.
This year, Lawson and Wimbley look to be perfect fits for the edge of the Pats’ 3-4 defense, just as Robertson looked like a perfect 3-4 nose tackle back in 2003. And more than any player, Lawson has the physical tools to replicate what Willie McGinest provided for so many years.
Unfortunately, 3-4 teams like San Francisco, Oakland, Cleveland, Miami, Dallas and San Diego all pick ahead of the Pats at No. 21 tomorrow. It’s hard to imagine Lawson and Wimbley surviving that gauntlet.
The Pats have extra picks in the third and fourth rounds, as well as their own fifth, so the ammunition is there if they want to leapfrog. But the Pats should hold on to as many picks as possible in what appears to be a deep draft.
One more history lesson from 2003: Instead of extending themselves for Robertson, the Pats patiently waited for training camp and then got their nose tackle through a trade, sending the Bears a fourth-rounder for Ted Washington.
Yesterday, reports surfaced about the Pats’ expressing interested in the Packers’ disgruntled Pro Bowl receiver Jevon Walker, as well as Denver’s Ashley Lelie. New Orleans star receiver Donte Stallworth is also said to be on the block.
A third-rounder for Walker, Lelie or Stallworth represents value.
A third-rounder to move up in the first round for an athletic but unproven college player is for those who fall in love.
I think any of them would be good additions to the Patriots...at the right price. And a #1 isn't it (IMO).
