The Patriots Just Casually Reminding Everyone They Dominated the Draft Even Without Any Picks
The Patriots might have had the fewest draft picks in team history along with the latest first pick they’ve ever had. But they posted this over the weekend just to make it clear that by no means did they sit this one out. As a great man once put it so beautifully, no days off.
If the draft is the NFL’s Black Friday, the 2017 Patriots were the mom who got all her shopping done online back in October. So while everyone else was busting doors and skulls, she got to sleep in, stay home, and nurse her hangover with a Bloody and a turkey sandwich. And the team wanted to remind everyone what they really got with their picks this year:
–First round: A 23-year-old deep threat with back-to-back 1,100 yard seasons
–Second round: A DE who played more snaps in Super Bowl 50 than the man he’s replacing did in Super Bowl 51
–Third round: An athletic pass rushing stud who fits their 6-4, 4.6 40-time criteria and posted a sub-7 3-Cone time
–Third round: A swing tackle who was ranked No. 5 at his position by both Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper
–Fourth round: Martellus Bennett’s replacement and an established red zone threat
–Fourth round: A massive, strong, if somewhat unathletic edge-setting end
–Fifth round: A running back who averaged 5.7 YPA each of the last two seasons
–Fifth round: A blocking tight end
–Sixth round: A tackle project who needs to increase his strength, but has room for muscle on a 6-8 frame
So that’s five young but established veterans to go along with the four rookies. When you look at it that way, they had as good a draft as the dogshit teams drafting 80 spots higher than them.
But don’t just take my word for it. NFL.com gave them a B+. Kiper gave them an A, saying “You have to remember that Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy are essentially those picks, and New England knows exactly what it’s getting in both … and [they] surrendered its fifth-round pick for Mike Gillislee. All should contribute to a team looking to defend a Super Bowl title. … Now, on to what New England got this weekend, including two guys who were higher on my board than where the Patriots picked, and at need positions. Derek Rivers is a workout freak and ferocious pass-rusher who had 41 career sacks at Youngstown State. He would have been a contributor if he had played at Ohio State.” The only other team to rate as high as the Pats on his report card were the Chargers.
Granted, just from a Draft Geek perspective, I love the drama of watching their draft unfold and watching them move up and down the board. So seeing them make so few moves is a little anti-climactic. So it’s important to keep in mind we already had most of our climaxes.
Other draft notes:
*The Jets, God bless them, never disappoint on draft day:
.
Just googled how to spell “Jets” and this ain’t it:
pic.twitter.com/l2jsp02u8n— Wheeler Walker, Jr. (@WheelerWalkerJr) April 29, 2017
.
*Obviously I’m surprised by the lack of a Jimmy Garoppolo trade. I stand by my assertion the Pats were willing to make a deal. I believe the reports out of Cleveland that the Browns kept trying to get one done. And only when they couldn’t did they pull the trigger on DeShone Kizer in the second round. The logical conclusion is the Browns weren’t offering enough. Jimmy G has value. It was a seller’s market for quarterbacks. So the Pats were not going to give him away just to get the proverbial something for him. And it’s way too late in the game to consider moving him. So the 2017 Patriots will have the two best quarterbacks in their division.
*Speaking of which, I’d love to sit here and tool on what the rest of the AFC East did. It’s an annual tradition. But I can’t. I honestly think they all had solid drafts. Buffalo absolutely swindled Kansas City in the Patrick Mahomes II trade. And got a great value pick on Nathan Peterman, the QB out of Pitt with the 171st pick. The Jets revamped their safety position with Jamal Adams and Marcus Maybe. And the Dolphins loaded up on defense with Charles Harris, Raekwoan McMillian and Cordrea Tankersley. So instead of belittling their terrible drafting, I’ll just have to wait and watch them terribly coach these guys in the Fall.
*I’m not saying Joe Mixon should never be allowed in the NFL, as despicable as knocking a girl out with the fist to th head may be. But still, you had to laugh when he went to the Bengals. I must be liberating to be in their personnel department knowing that there are absolutely zero restrictions on character concerns, no worries about bad PR, no problems whatsoever about the punch video running on constant loop on your local sports stations. If there’s a top prospect entering his eligibility year who loves the Bengals and dreams of playing for them, I suggest you punch a coed, a coach or a cop, and your dream will come true.
*J-E-T-E Jets! Jets! Jets!