Patriots First-Round pick currently No. 3

by tommasse on Nov 19, 2007 10:13 PM EST

With San Francisco losing to St. Louis on Sunday, the Niners split the season series with the Rams, and the teams are tied at 2-8 (also with the Raiders and Jets).

The Raiders and Jets are both 2-5 (.286) in their conference, putting them ahead of San Fran and St. Louie, who are both 2-6 (.250) in the NFC. The 49ers are 2-3 (.400) in the NFC West, while the Rams are 1-3 (.250).

At the bottom, if course, is Miami, and just ahead at 3-6 are Atlanta and Cincinnati. A slew of teams are 4-6.

The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.

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New Miami Tradition

I can see the future now.

Every time the last winless team finally wins a game, Ricky William sparks up a bong hit in memory of the 2007 Dolphins.

Mark my words.

by vapatsfan on Nov 20, 2007 9:30 AM EST reply actions

ricky williams

that will make for some great ESPN filler

by JoeConnolly on Nov 21, 2007 10:27 PM EST up reply actions

Even Money

says that that #3 is trade-down bait. We still need linebackers. We need an RB. You can't have too many talented DBs.

I just don't know if there's anyone in the draft that's worth a #3 to this team at those positions. That #3 looks more like money in the bank than an actual pick to me.

Patriots and more at Borrowed Suits

by JohnHannahRules on Nov 20, 2007 10:34 AM EST reply actions

no bet...

the major skill positions on offense seem covered at the moment and the great gaping aging hole seems to be rising on the linebackers. come training camp the pats will be in a better position with quantity rather than one stellar early draft pick. if the pats win out, I don't see seau sticking around for another, and how old is rodney now? middle of the defensive backfield has the biggest shoes to fill immediately, and these are positions that get hurt a lot. pick late and pick often if possible.

of course I'm talking out of my... hat... now. (see? trying not to be vulgar...)

by circusboy on Nov 23, 2007 11:21 PM EST up reply actions

Prospects

Has anyone looked at the prospects for top 5 college draftees? I haven't had a chance to take a look, and I am not into college football. Any good linebackers, defensive ends, guards, or defensive backs ranking up there? All 4 of those positions could use an outstanding rookie to start learning the ropes.

by Ogor on Nov 20, 2007 10:35 AM EST reply actions

Not big on college football myself

And I don't think many of the draft boards mean much now anyway. That said, I agree with Gooch that the Patriots will trade down unless there's someone in the top 5 that they absolutely have to have. I just don't see a situation where that would be the case.

If they get a late first and a second out of it, my early prediction is a running back and a linebacker, but five months from the draft I might as well pick numbers out of a hat.

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by tommasse on Nov 20, 2007 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

They ought to be able to get...

...more than that. A late first and early second are pitifully little for a top 5 pick.

by RSNexile on Nov 20, 2007 12:42 PM EST up reply actions

yup

I would like to be the first to welcome Darren McFadden to the Patriots in what will be the most the funniest draft ever.

by ZTurgeon on Nov 20, 2007 11:53 AM EST reply actions

What will be hilarious

will be the reaction to it on the faces of all the self-satisfied Patriot haters out there who think the Pats "lost" their first round pick.

by vapatsfan on Nov 20, 2007 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

ha ha ha

YES! VAPATSFAN is absolutely correct. A lot of people around the league are probably not yet aware that the juggernaut is going to have a top 5 pick next year. They're all banking on us aging ourselves out but until we have to replace Brady, I do not see that happening. It is no coincidence that New England has the team that it does. We are just as confined by the salary cap as everyone else, but we are truly a better TEAM than everyone else. And that team includes the truly unsung heroes involved in salary cap calculations, talent scouting, etc. We manage our money better than everyone else and that is why we're ALWAYS in a position to win and regardless of how good we were in the previous year, we always seem to get just that much better the next year. The exception of course being the year we had no wide outs... but on the whole, our organization's plan-ahead capabilities are beyond comprehension. To have your first round pick taken away (which will probably be 32nd overall anyways) and then have a top 5 pick instead? Who can argue that we are not poised for another few years of greatness?

Go Pats.

by PaulRevere on Nov 20, 2007 3:41 PM EST reply actions

You dont have to be into college football...

to get a head start on the draft. espn's 08 draft page has a list of their top 32 senior prospects along with a nice summary of each. Draft tek, among many others i'm sure, already has their mock drafts for founds 1-3. Tommasse is absolutely right that talking about draft choices 5 months out is extremely speculative, but of course indulging in wild speculation and conjecture is part of the fun of being a fan.
This is a pretty deep draft with uber-talented prospects like glenn dorsey(DT-LSU) and DArren McFadden (RB-ARK) to keep an eye on. But for the pats' selection, I'm with Gooch on this. THis pick is strictly for trade; players taken in top 3 overall are in line for guaranteed money ranging from $25-30 million. No player without a down of experience in the nfl (I dont care what his 40 time is or his college resume) is worth that kind of investment, given the uncertainty of the college-pro transition. Darren mcfadden could be the next adrian peterson or he could be the next regge bush.Bush is certainly not a bust but is his role and production even remotely worth $26.2 million in guaranteed money?
In terms of trade value, Peter King had a nice piece a couple weeks age in his MMQB column about the value of the pats' pick using the trade value chart popularized by jimmy johnson. THe #5 pick overall (which it was at the time of the article) is equal in value to a mid first rounder and late first rounder. BTW, a mid 1st and late 1st is exactly what the pats would have had if the niners had a respectable season (which is what most pundits expected) and spygate never happened. In essence the niners abyssmal season completely offsets the consequences of the spygate punishment. Well...except for the .5 mil it cost belichick.

by mento on Nov 21, 2007 1:27 PM EST reply actions