Looking At The Patriots 2022

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Maybe the jackrabbit RB in South Dakota will be a slot receiver convert?

 

[SkiptoMyLou]

Maybe they're saving their best for the UDFAs.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Maybe they're saving their best for the UFDAs.

Hope so...

 

[vertigho]

I like Strange, I like Jones x2, I like Strong Jr., I really like Roberts.

Holding my breath on Thornton but cautiously optimistic.

Zappe & Harris are pretty meh.

The final two OL, whatever. Don't love 'em. Maybe one figures out the NFL thing and becomes a productive player here are some point.

Still want to see assets invested in DL, LB, CB in the future.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Still want to see assets invested in DL, LB, CB in the future.

What's tough to fathom is these 3 were clear needs going into the draft and remain so after 3 days of drafting and trades.

Team passed on Chenal two different times in the 3rd round.

.

 

[chevss454]

Agree.

Strange will be good. That's about it.

This wasn't a good draft.

I don't know if it will turn out to be a good draft or not. There's just not anyone on the list who is immediately recognizable to the avg fan. Names on a list but no faces.
Other than Thornton, I hadn't heard of a single one of these players before they were drafted. Yeah...it's weird.

I like both corners.

I'm intrigued about the speedy WR.

Two RBs is puzzling to say the least.

A poor man's Mac Jones is also puzzling.

An odd draft all in all.

Puzzling works too. Weird and puzzling.

 

[chevss454]

Maybe the jackrabbit RB in South Dakota will be a slot receiver convert?

I had to go back to the list to know who you were talking about, LOL.
Maybe I'm just tired.

 

[aloyouis]

Everybody is so concerned that the draft is over and we didn't pick seven well-known names. We've picked known names in the past.

For me, I think it was a fantastic draft only in that now we have tremendous anticipation for what camp will look like and how these players will pan out.

I will get serious and invest emotion when the games start.

 

[chevss454]

I like Strange, I like Jones x2, I like Strong Jr., I really like Roberts.

Holding my breath on Thornton but cautiously optimistic.

Zappe & Harris are pretty meh.

The final two OL, whatever. Don't love 'em. Maybe one figures out the NFL thing and becomes a productive player here are some point.

Still want to see assets invested in DL, LB, CB in the future.

Strange will be a solid player for 10 years. Not great, not All-Pro. Solid. Maybe even Pro Bowl.
The first 3 picks were ok.

 

[chevss454]

Everybody is so concerned that the draft is over and we didn't pick seven well-known names. We've picked known names in the past.

For me, I think it was a fantastic draft only in that now we have tremendous anticipation for what camp will look like and how these players will pan out.

I will get serious and invest emotion when the games start.

Personally I think BB is throwing a middle finger up to the league and its scouting system and wants to coach up these no names and misfits to a SB. I'll take that.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I don't know if it will turn out to be a good draft or not. There's just not anyone on the list who is immediately recognizable to the avg fan. Names on a list but no faces.
Other than Thornton, I hadn't heard of a single one of these players before they were drafted. Yeah...it's weird.



Puzzling works too. Weird and puzzling.

RB is a position of strength. And Mac is fantastic. So getting 2 RBs and 1 QB, the only way it remotely makes sense is to save money and not pay the vets at those positions later on. It's a weird way of using the cap to save money in such an overt way. And not address LB or NT.

 

[sg14]

Seems kind of weird that after months of anticipation I look at that list of draft picks and don't see very much that excites me enough to want to talk about it.

I plan to watch some Baylor, LSU,etc,, football games just to see.

There's always a let down after the draft. You learn 50 to 100 names and you get one or two on your team.

 

[sg14]

Maybe the jackrabbit RB in South Dakota will be a slot receiver convert?

A coworker wore his Jackrabbit shirt to work, very cool.

 

[spacecrime]

Seems kind of weird that after months of anticipation I look at that list of draft picks and don't see very much that excites me enough to want to talk about it.

Well, I rarely pay attention to 6/7/UDFA at this point. Until OTAs, I assume they are gone anyway/

The others I'm excited about because the draft is so different. For YEARS, we've been lamenting the lack of speed and suddenly we have it. I'm excited about Thornton. He's a burner with good hands. If he only runs sprints down one sideline, he's going to carry a S and a CB with him. No more collapsing on our mid-range receivers.

I also like Strong. We haven't had a guy like him, he's faster than Curtis Martin. I saw the video someone posted and that had me excited, not just his speed but his side jump near the LOS and instantly being downhill at full speed reminded me of Barry Sanders. Not saying he is Sanders, but that side hop was freakishly good and combined with elite speed.......

I know the flutie guy (or maybe the felger guy) keeps calling Strange a wasted pick, but he has a work-ethic attitude that won't quit and room to put more weight on his frame. I like him.

I loved Marcus Jones before the draft. Jack Jones I loved until I read about off-field issues. If he is more JC Jackson than Alfonso (?) Dennard, we just added some real speed and talent into the defense.

I'm concerned about the lack of drafted LBs, but will wait until tc to see our red-shirted LBs before hitting the panic button.

Admittedly, I'm the one who looks for the best in our draftees/signees, but this could be a great draft

Oh, and neither do I see drafting a QB in the fourth as a wasted pick. I'm a firm believer in having a decent backup QB. You need someone who can play well enough to step in should your franchise QB go down. No one can afford two high round or expensive vet backups. IMO third-fourth round is the sweet spot for a good backup QB. Zappe could be that guy, the fifth QB taken???

I agree that this was an odd draft, but most of us have thought our O was getting stagnant and the only way to fix stagnant is to...well...do something different.

 

[aloyouis]

Well, I rarely pay attention to 6/7/UDFA at this point. Until OTAs, I assume they are gone anyway/

The others I'm excited about because the draft is so different. For YEARS, we've been lamenting the lack of speed and suddenly we have it. I'm excited about Thornton. He's a burner with good hands. If he only runs sprints down one sideline, he's going to carry a S and a CB with him. No more collapsing on our mid-range receivers.

I also like Strong. We haven't had a guy like him, he's faster than Curtis Martin. I saw the video someone posted and that had me excited, not just his speed but his side jump near the LOS and instantly being downhill at full speed reminded me of Barry Sanders. Not saying he is Sanders, but that side hop was freakishly good and combined with elite speed.......

I know the flutie guy (or maybe the felger guy) keeps calling Strange a wasted pick, but he has a work-ethic attitude that won't quit and room to put more weight on his frame. I like him.

I loved Marcus Jones before the draft. Jack Jones I loved until I read about off-field issues. If he is more JC Jackson than Alfonso (?) Dennard, we just added some real speed and talent into the defense.

I'm concerned about the lack of drafted LBs, but will wait until tc to see our red-shirted LBs before hitting the panic button.

Admittedly, I'm the one who looks for the best in our draftees/signees, but this could be a great draft

Oh, and neither do I see drafting a QB in the fourth as a wasted pick. I'm a firm believer in having a decent backup QB. You need someone who can play well enough to step in should your franchise QB go down. No one can afford two high round or expensive vet backups. IMO third-fourth round is the sweet spot for a good backup QB. Zappe could be that guy, the fifth QB taken???

I agree that this was an odd draft, but most of us have thought our O was getting stagnant and the only way to fix stagnant is to...well...do something different.

Fucking-A

 

[rivshark86]

I think this draft is affirmation that the team is going to continue to be a running offense. Probably as long as Mac is the guy. I know we all love him here, but he’s never gonna go toe to toe with the top QBs in the league.
Having a WR like Thornton really helps the run game, even if he’s just running down the field every play. I’m not expecting huge production from him at first, but he’s really gonna influence how defenses play this offense. If he can put on 15 pounds of muscle and keep his speed he could really be something in a few years. Maybe he turns into one trick pony, but we haven’t seen this possible ceiling in a Patriots WR since Moss really.
I don’t really understand the strange pick other than BB knows he needed a guard to do what he wants to do on offense. I wish the position had been addressed in FA or later in the draft. If rank the importance of positions guard is near the bottom. Admittedly I don’t watch much college, and I trust a lot of the draft experts. Over the past ten years they’ve been right more often than not when assessing BBs first round choices. Be it Easly, Brown, Wynn, Harry…….. BB has lost my trust. Even sony really wasn’t worth a 1st. I’m not sure solder was either.
I’m hopeful about these corners. We all saw what McKenzie did against this Def.The defense needed an agile quick guy.
The offense is going to run, and run a lot so I don’t mind the RBs despite more pressing needs at LB and shoring of up the DL.
There are a ton of holes and this draft was never going to fill them all. I’d have loved a LB or a big nasty lineman to pair up with Barnmore.
So we will see. For me there’s no more “In BB we trust”. I don’t see anything from this draft that makes the pats competitive with the best of the AFC.

 

[Mazz22]

So we will see. For me there’s no more “In BB we trust”. I don’t see anything from this draft that makes the pats competitive with the best of the AFC.

Yep. As you said, we are now a running team in a league/conference all about the pass game and explosive plays. It is what it is. We are never going to morph into that team as long as Bill is here as he old school. That being said, I am looking forward to Mac in year two despite the coaching. I think he takes a good step forward and we have a winning record.

 

[TommyD420]

I think this draft is affirmation that the team is going to continue to be a running offense. Probably as long as Mac is the guy. I know we all love him here, but he’s never gonna go toe to toe with the top QBs in the league.
Having a WR like Thornton really helps the run game, even if he’s just running down the field every play. I’m not expecting huge production from him at first, but he’s really gonna influence how defenses play this offense. If he can put on 15 pounds of muscle and keep his speed he could really be something in a few years. Maybe he turns into one trick pony, but we haven’t seen this possible ceiling in a Patriots WR since Moss really.
I don’t really understand the strange pick other than BB knows he needed a guard to do what he wants to do on offense. I wish the position had been addressed in FA or later in the draft. If rank the importance of positions guard is near the bottom. Admittedly I don’t watch much college, and I trust a lot of the draft experts. Over the past ten years they’ve been right more often than not when assessing BBs first round choices. Be it Easly, Brown, Wynn, Harry…….. BB has lost my trust. Even sony really wasn’t worth a 1st. I’m not sure solder was either.
I’m hopeful about these corners. We all saw what McKenzie did against this Def.The defense needed an agile quick guy.
The offense is going to run, and run a lot so I don’t mind the RBs despite more pressing needs at LB and shoring of up the DL.
There are a ton of holes and this draft was never going to fill them all. I’d have loved a LB or a big nasty lineman to pair up with Barnmore.
So we will see. For me there’s no more “In BB we trust”. I don’t see anything from this draft that makes the pats competitive with the best of the AFC.

True. He clearly hit his career ceiling around week 10 last year.

 

[Ryan91]

Personally I think BB is throwing a middle finger up to the league and its scouting system and wants to coach up these no names and misfits to a SB. I'll take that.

BB and the Pats have never subscribed to the two major scouting organisations, it's all in-house and independent, he's long thrown a middle finger to the rest of the league in that regard, it's partly why major media outlets will often grade the Patriots poorly, because their own board is built independently from the outlets which aggregate their draft boards by using the info from National Football Scouting (The National) and BLESTO, with a few minor variations

 

[Phil Elliott]

True. He clearly hit his career ceiling around week 10 last year.

Yup, he's only going to get worse. If he was a high priced race horse, they'd shoot him. Holy shit, sometimes the moronic, anti-NE dialogue here defies belief...