The anticipation is killing me! Draft day is almost here and I'll be posting my Patriots' Mock Draft tomorrow. The past few months have been dedicated to evaluating prospects in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough for the New England Patriots; a player who can take the team to the next level. No player embodies that description more than Chad Jackson Tom Brady. Just to show how little we know, yet how much is out there, let's just examine some draft reports of Tom Brady.
Review #1
Key Quotes:
He does not make errors [or] panic under pressure.
Accurate on over 85% of passes less than 10 yards.
Key Quotes:
Lacks a strong arm. Doesn't rifle the long outs, but he's an accurate passer with a good feel for touch.
Leader.
Looking at these evaluations, I'd say the descriptions were spot on. Brady is phenomenal in the short game and is less accurate with the deep ball. He is a vocal leader who remains poised under pressure. The fact that the Patriots have managed to build an offense around his strengths have absolutely led to his success in the NFL. Brady was evaluated as the perfect quarterback for a possession offense and he has lived up, and surpassed, those expectations. His great judgment and touch on the quick, short passes have helped the Patriots win many games over the past decade.
Receivers like Troy Brown, David Patten, David Givens, Deion Branch, and Wes Welker are some of the most reliable in the league. None of them are explosive; none are freak athletes. All of these receivers have great hands and can be counted on to bring in the pass and gain extra yards. Brady showed that he can produce in an offense with Randy Moss as a deep threat- however, '07 Moss was extremely reliable as a receiver. As soon as Moss started to drop the ball, Brady was less successful. I think the Moss experiment showed that in order for the offense to succeed, the Patriots need 3-4 solid receivers and a competent running game, instead of picking up one elite receiver.
Don't be surprised if the Patriots draft a receiver like Randall Cobb if they don't have trust in the development of Brandon Tate as a receiver.