New England Patriots Rookie Review
Because I can’t watch every single game as indepth as a fan of a team can, I decided to reach out to the bloggers who cover the 32 N.F.L. teams to get a sense of how the rookies have been playing. For the New England Patriots I reached out to James Christensen of New England Patriots Draft You can follow them on twitter @nepatriotsdraft
Be sure to follow us on twitter @NFLmocks and like us on facebook.
also over the past week we’ve added more than 20 scouting reports to our scouting report page (about 75 in total) so be sure to check that out.
1) There has been some rumblings that BB is over is head as a talent evaluator. Is that a fair perception?
In reality, he probably isn’t as good as everyone thought he was in 2005, and nowhere near as bad as people make him out to be now. With the sheer amount of picks the Patriots make on a yearly basis, there is a higher amount of “busts”. He has still picked an impact player or two every draft he has been in New England.
2). They say it takes three years to evaluate a draft class…how is the 2009 Draft class looking?
The full list of 2009 picks can be found here. Pat Chung, Sebastian Vollmer, and to a lesser extent Myron Pryor have been impact players when healthy. The jury is still out on Julian Edelman and Ron Brace, while Darius Butler, Brandon Tate and Tyrone Mckenzie never lived up to expectations.
3). Last year Devin McCourty was excellent…how’s he playing this year?
McCourty is certainly in a slump this year, but he isn’t that far off his game. He has shown signs of improving the last couple of games, closing faster on opposing receivers. I’m not worried about him looking to the future.
4). What about the rest of the 2010 draft class how’s that looking?
The 2010 Draft was full of great values for the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have been fantastic, Devin McCourty has started from day one, and Zoltan Mesko has been a huge upgrade at the punter position.
Brandon Spikes and Brandon Deaderick have been solid when healthy, while Patriots fans are still holding out hope that Jermaine Cunningham and Taylor Price can make an impact.
5). I have such a hard time figuring out what the Patriots will do in the draft…is there any rhyme or reason to what they will do?
I think it’s deceptively simple. Like Free Agency, I think the Patriots set a value for each prospect and each pick, with little regard to team need. If there is a prospect/pick that match up on value, they make a selection. If not, they trade out.
6). Nate Solder was the big pick for the Patriots this year and is seeing a lot of playing time…how’s he doing?
He’s had his ups and downs, but has played very well for a rookie tackle. Coming in with little knowledge of a very complex offense and playing in the first game of the season, you have to give him some credit.
7). What about the other early round picks, minus Ryan Mallett?
All three (Ras-I Dowling, Stevan Ridley, and Shane Vereen) have battled injuries
8) Are there any third day picks or UDFA who look like mainstays on the roster moving forward?
We like Jeff Tarpinian a lot. We think he eventually takes over the Tracy White role on special teams, and has a higher upside on defense.
9). What year do the Patriots decide to actually use both of their first round picks?
Perhaps never. They turn that extra 1st rounder into a 2nd rounder and a 1st next year almost every year lately. Basically, they have a free 2nd round pick annuity for as long as they want.
10). Based on how the Patriots are playing this year, what are their needs for the 2012 NFL draft?
The Patriots need to add talent on all three levels of defense, simple as that. In addition, if a receiver that is adept at getting off man coverage is available, they will probably take a look.
11). I usually don’t ask this many questions, but knowing you’re also a huge draft guy, can you give me some players you love/hate
One guy that we really like more than most is Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. We think he could be a fantastic all-around safety at the next level.
One guy that we aren’t high on is Missouri tight end Michael Egnew. We just haven’t seen the game-changing ability.
New England Patriots Draft be sure to check them out.
You can follow them on twitter @nepatriotsdraft.