http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...olumns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=3144001 In the first of many mock drafts to come, a few things jumped out. The first is that New England, which was forced to forfeit its 32nd pick, made out just fine by having San Francisco's pick, which the Pats received in a draft-day trade last April and right now is the second overall. That means there will be high drama; Bill Belichick and Co. will have to decide whether to take Darren McFadden or trade down as the Patriots look to continue their run of great drafts. Another thing is the abundance of underclassmen here (they're the ones with the * next to their name). Just to be clear, we never promote juniors leaving early, but it's a fact of life that they do. So instead of ignoring it, we add those players who belong in the first round. Obviously, there are lot of decisions to be made between now and Jan. 15 -- the early entry deadline -- as the process goes on and players officially declare their intentions, we'll adjust the mock draft accordingly. But for now, 16 of the 31 picks are underclassmen. A couple other notes: LSU's Glenn Dorsey would become the first defensive tackle selected No. 1 overall since Cincinnati took Dan Wilkinson first in 1994. A case of mock draft vs. my personal rankings jumps out with Atlanta taking Brian Brohm. I think Boston College's Matt Ryan is the best QB prospect, but Atlanta would take Brohm based on his ties with his former coach at Louisville Bobby Petrino. Finally, while Atlanta and St. Louis and Oakland and Kansas City would flip a coin to determine their slot based on being tied in record and opponents winning percentage, the players they are projected to take wouldn't change. Remember, this is the first of many mock drafts and things will change as we move closer to the 2008 draft, but if the draft were today, here's how it would shake out.
They need a RB too, I don't think you pass up a McFadden...... He is a lot like Adrian Peterson....which I was DYING for the Texans to draft. DD
I hate to say it, but I'm almost more of a pats than a texans fan now. If ya can't beat em, join em. The patriots are doing all the right things..
does Moss have a 1 year contract with the Pats? If he doesn't, I can see the Pats spinning him off for a few more draft picks.
lol more offensive line problems next year. i wonder if picks 21 & 31 would be good enough for the pats to trade #2?
I doubt it.. If the Jets, Falcons, and Rams all continue there losing ways you have nothing to worry about. Plus, there's good chance Miami may trade down to a team for quality starting QB, I don't think they will draft QB for some odd reason.
McFadden is a sexy pick. But I wouldn't be surprised if they looked for defense. Maybe Dorsey, or Chris Long or Lauranitis at LB.
They have Lawrence Maroney, who they picked with a first round pick just last year. They have much more pressing issues on an aging defense. I believe they are philosophically opposed to paying much even for great players - I doubt they'll have any interest in taking on the huge contract of a #2 pick that has yet to play a down of football. Besides, this year they've pretty much decided they don't like running the ball anyway. If they win the Superbowl with this strategy, I doubt they would spend any significant money on a RB. I suspect they convince someone that McFadden is an Adrian Peterson clone and trade down and grab a whole slew of picks in exchange.
Oakland has also 4 games left against the Jags, Packers, Colts, and Chargers. Falcons have the Saints, Bucs, Seahawks, and Cards. Rams have the Bengals, Cards, Steelers, and Packers. 49ers have the Vikings, Bengals, Bucs, and Browns. Jets have the Pats again, Titans, Browns, and Chiefs. Hard to say, but i see teams that could finish behind the 49ers, a bunch of em. Especially the Falcons and Oakland, as surprising as the Raiders have been this year that have the toughest of all those teams.
With the way the Patriots run things, I doubt they will want to pay a top 5 pick the money they would have to. I bet they trade down for more picks with more value to fill in some of their defensive needs.
As of right now, the Patriots have the #2 pick in the draft. Word coming out of the Pats camp is that they have recently soured on Maroney and no longer consider him a 20 carry-a-game RB. Pats will draft McFadden if available or trade for a large package of present and future picks. On offense: Pats will re-sign Moss, let Stallworth go, and let go of a couple other contracts (Kelley Washington), and they'll look to shore up their running game and go back to a more balanced attack. Defense: Pats primary need is to start shoring up their LB core for the future, but Belichick has always preferred to take veteran players and plug them into the 3-4 (trusts them more, prefers knowledge over youth since it is a complicated scheme, etc). . Need to strengthen the secondary (Asante Samuel will be gone).
That's not how they operate, they don't go for the sexy names. They have the greatest QB of all time, and surround him with a great system. With the exception of Brady, they spread the money around to have quality in every position. A team of B+/A- talents within a great system beats a team with a few A+ talents. That has been the winning formula.
Moss is on a 1 year contract for like 4mil. He will get a big pay raise, I don't see pats letting him go.
If the Pats end up at #2 they will trade down. They are smart enough not to take a RB that high. Plus their needs on defense are too glaring.
