The streets of Boston are abuzz with playoff excitement. But don’t worry, Patriot fans, I didn’t forget about you. Despite the ongoing NFL lockout, football fans were granted a temporary reprieve from the complex court battles and given a glimpse of what the future may hold for their team.
The Patriots’ draft, however, was not one that necessarily inspired a great amount of hope and optimism. It was a rather peculiar draft for those of us who follow the team and are privy to the deficiencies present on the current roster. With six picks in the first three rounds, expectations to address these needs were fairly high, but the final results of the draft have drawn mixed reviews and have left many puzzled.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft was the focus of the New England staff. The general consensus seemed that the biggest priority of the team should have been on the defensive side. Apparently Bill Belichick and his advisors had other ideas.
The inability to create pressure on the opposing quarterback was one of the most glaring voids from the 2010 team. This flaw allowed opponents to sit back in the pocket and pick apart a young and inexperienced secondary. They allowed an average of 258.5 passing yards per game, which ranked 30th in the NFL. Inexplicably, they did nothing in the draft in an effort to resolve those insufficiencies.
With the potential departure of Matt Light to free agency, the Patriots decided to sure up the O-line by drafting Nate Solder with the 17th overall pick, which almost ensure Light will not be returning to New England next season. A towering, massive individual, the 6’8” lineman will look to step right into a starting role and help protect last year’s MVP, Tom Brady.
While the move is not completely indefensible, a top defensive talent in Cameron Jordan, who was predicted by some experts to be a top 10 pick, was ripe for the taking if the Patriots were so inclined to go in that direction. It’s a move that would’ve made a lot of sense, but instead he fell to the New Orleans Saints with the 24th pick.
Holding true to form, Belichick seemed to defy popular opinion and logic, and he traded away their late first-round pick to the Saints, who drafted Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram with the selection; another player who was rumored to be a great fit for New England. The Patriots were not as impressed and, in a move that has become familiar to Patriot fans, we saw New England grab another first-round pick for next year’s draft and also another second-round pick for 2011.
With the first pick of the second round, the Pats went defense by selecting Ras-I Dowling, a 6’1” cornerback out of Virginia. Hopefully he and McCourty will be able to develop into the cornerstones of a young, athletic, shutdown secondary for several years to come. At least that’s the vision the Patriots must have had by ignoring the need for a pass rusher once again.
The passing up on Ingram seemed to be intentional as Belichick had his eyes on a couple of other running backs. The pats decided to spend consecutive picks, one in the second and one in the third round, on RBs Shane Vereen (California) and Stevan Ridley (LSU). Both were viewed as reaches and moves that were difficult to understand given the defensive holes New England needed to fill.
In one of the most intriguing selections of the entire draft, the Patriots went offense again with their next selection. Not only did they go offense, but they went quarterback. With the 74th pick in the draft, they selected much-maligned QB Ryan Mallet (Arkansas) and heir apparent to Tom Brady’s throne. This certainly caught the current QB’s attention and seemed to ruffle a few of his feathers as he quickly issued a statement saying he intends to play another ten years at the position.
Despite possessing first-round talent and ability, Mallett slipped due to concerns regarding his maturity. With the opportunity to learn and develop under Brady, this was a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for the Pats to grab a QB with a ton of potential and a cannon for an arm who will enter the league without the pressure of unrealistic and lofty expectations that accompany too many rookie quarterbacks.
Not completely ignoring the defense, New England hopes they snagged a couple late-round gems with their final two picks. They picked up OLB/DE, Markell Carter, out of Central Arkansas and another cornerback/safety in Malcolm Williams (TCU), neither of which I had heard of prior to the draft; therefore I’m unable to offer much analytical commentary on their selections.
Overall it’s difficult to question draft master, Bill Belichick, but to be honest, this was a frustrating draft for me. Experts claimed that this was one of the deepest drafts for pass rushers and the Patriots continually dismissed those types of players with each passing pick. Maybe even more frustrating was the attention paid to the offense. In 2010, the Patriots were the #1 ranked offense in the league, so it’s hard to imagine what the mindset behind these picks was.
Regardless of my skepticism, like most Patriot fans, I’ve learned to adopt the phrase: “In Belichick we trust.” It’s been a pretty reliable motto since his introduction to New England and I’m certainly not prepared to abandon it now. The draft, although not necessarily a huge success, served as a reminder that football is still king and New England would be a pretty gloomy place this fall without it. Therefore, let’s welcome these players into the fold and hope that the NFL gets their act together and allows the new additions to display their talents for the 2011 Patriots.
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