AFC East players - how did they get here

[Editor's Note: This is being posted for the original author, hythlodaeus.  He has some awesome info in tables which are difficult to do in a FanPost.]

AFC East players - how did they get here

This is a follow-up to an earlier piece I wrote which was later followed up on Stampede Blue for the Colts.  I always meant to compare with some other teams for perspective, so here is an analysis of the AFC East. Just in time for the draft to make it obsolete!

I have twisted the categories a bit. Following the example of shake'n bake players are considered undrafted rookies until they have actually seen game action on another team. This moves Stephen Neal from FA to UFA. Players signed off other teams' practice squads are listed under "waivers". Finally I have removed the specialists and put qbs, rbs, wrs, tes under a common skill label to make the table watchable.

There are a lot of things to digest here. First off, the Patriots and the Bills have the most drafted players on their rosters. This is partly the result of fairly stable regimes at those two franchises, since most new coaches will bring some players with them from their old team. This is obvious with a lot of former cowboys in Miami and former ravens with the Jets, less obvious in Buffalo. However, it is probably also a reflection on how well the team has drafted over the last decade, and the Dolphins, especially, have been abysmal. Of the 18 drafted players on the roster 8 were drafted last year, so only ten players are left from the previous ten drafts. Ridiculous.

The flipside of draft-success is FA, trades and waivers. The Dolphins and to a lesser extent the Jets have actively been raiding the practice squads of other teams, which is to say they have been filling their rosters with leftovers. Add in a substantial number of trades and it is pretty obvious, just how bare the shelves were in Miami, when Parcells took over last year. The more I look at these things, the more I admire what the Dolphins did last year. Weak schedule or not, they absolutely maximized their opportunities.

It is also obvious, that results are shaped by the quality of the players added. The Bills pretty much mirrors the Patriots in the total numbers, but have not had the same success.

Looking at positional trends things get even murkier. It is interesting, however, that the Patriots actually have the most drafted lbs of the four clubs. Much have been made of BB's reluctance to take lbs in the first rounds - before last year - but other teams care even less about the position. It is also interesting, that all teams seem to have problems drafting certain positions. I noticed in my previous article, that the Patriots have more or less given up on drafting wrs, and apparently Miami have similar problems with drafting defensive backs, the Jets finding efficient players for the defensive line etc. It has often been noted, that the Patriots D-line is composed solely of first-round picks. The three other teams in the division have all had to trade for d-linemen. This is another indication that those players are hard to find. (So sign Vince!!)

And now the same table with starters only. (There might be some inaccuracies here, since I really don't know the rosters of the other teams well enough. Calling some of my projections "educated guesses" might be too nice!)

This throws a more positive light on the Patriots' drafts. Most of the players retained are also starters on the team. The Bills especially seem to have trouble getting their draftees on the field. What is the use of having drafted 7 d-linemen, when only two of them are starting and it was still necessary to trade for Marcus Stroud to stop the run?

Not surprisingly undrafted rookies have a hard time cracking the starting lineup, whereas players acquired by trade are mostly penciled in as starters. This makes a lot of sense, since you should know exactly what you get when trading for a veteran. Further trades involve giving up players or draft picks so they should fill an immediate hole on the roster.

I do think this comparison shows why the Patriots have been the top team in the division for a number of years. I am by no means a build-through-the-draft hardliner like Polian in Indianapolis or Ted Thompson in Green Bay, but successful drafting is essential.