Great Draft

Great draft for the Pats. In Maroney, they didn't get the best all-around guy in the draft, but they probably got the best runner. Then, they got maybe the top WR in the draft in Jackson. A guy who was the top high school wr prospect going into Florida and whose negatives such as yards after the catch were deflated by the Florida offensive system. The guy is 6'2 210 and runs a 4.32. That's a sick 2nd round pick. Then grabbing the Texas TE Thomas. That guy is probably a starter on most NFL teams. He will add to the TE depth and replace Graham if needed after 2006. 4th rounder TE Mills is a good TE depth guy with versatility to man the FB spot. Some were calling him a future Larry Centers. Both Mills and Thomas are experienced special teamers - which is huge in the Pats system especially for guys lower in the depth chart. Fellow 4th rounder K Gostkowski is a solid guy to get to compete with Grammatica. Accurate, has range, and can kick off. That's what you want in a potential Vinatieri replacement. 5th rounder OT O'Callaghan is maybe the steal of the second day. He is projected as a solid starter at the very worst, with plenty more upside than that. That's a huge pick. The next guy is DE Mincey in the 6th round. In my eyes his biggest plus is starting for 2 years at a big time program at Florida and he seems to have the natural size/athleticism for that position. Decent stuff for a 6th rounder. The next two 6th rounders, OG Stevenson and NT Smith, are just crapshoots. 7th rounder Andrews is also just another body, a special teams guy at best.

All in all, the Patriots got excellent value all the way until the 5th round. In Maroney, Jackson, Thomas, Mills, and O'Callaghan, they picked guys that should either step in and start/platoon this year or start in a few years. That's the kind of outcome that an already elite team like the Patriots wants to be able to say at the end of the draft.



And here is this gem of a response to a press conference question by Belichick:

We are getting mixed information on Maroney's height and weight. Can you nail down his size for us?
"He'll be in here Monday and you can take a look at him for yourself. He has those dreadlocks. I don't know maybe they were pressed down, maybe they weren't. Maybe he was on a diet. I don't know. He's probably a shade under 6 feet, around 215, 220, I don't know. He's not 6'2. He's not 5'8. He's not 235. He's not 190. I don't know."

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ps: from Peter King's article today

And one final note from Shanahan about Laurence Maroney. "I loved him,'' Shanahan said. "I think the Patriots got a steal. An absolute steal. I think he's going to be the best back in the league.''