Who cares? They had 4 4th round picks and 4 6th round picks. The people setting the values are, to be kind, morons. Mel Kyper would be the worst GM in NFL history. And they get worse as the rounds go on. I'll trust the guy who signs more impact undrafted FAs than anybody else.
No, they rate Gonzalez as a steal. He's not gonna be on top of this chart because it's impossible to have a 100+ pick delta when you're a 1st round pick. Being +8 when you're picked 17th is very good value
I'm astonished by the Mapu ranking here then. He was considered by many observers to be a very underrated prospect that has a lot of potential to be better than his draft slot. I don't think these people scout the small school players worth a damn.
Who cares you drafted a kicker in the 4th round when you could have got him in the 7th or as UDFA? Yet, you want to be happy about Gonzalez as a steal? You realize, as usual, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth?
They have been doing well in drafts the last few years (too early to tell for last year), so yeah, I trust them with most of it. Anything but WR early. Mondre was a great pick. Barmore was a steal. Uche was a solid pick. Dugger a very good pick. Onwenu spectacular. The TE were terrible. It's funny, the Pats got great analyst grades in 2019, which was a terrible draft other than Harris (who got a C grade). The analysts and expected draft position are nonsense.Who cares you drafted a kicker in the 4th round when you could have got him in the 7th or as UDFA? Yet, you want to be happy about Gonzalez as a steal? You realize, as usual, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth?
Also, hate to break it to you but Gonzalez was NOT the steal of the draft. There is a reason he dropped a little lower than expected, when you are universally considered soft it is a huge red flag at the corner position.
Hey, the Pats have been just been killing drafts over the last 5 or so years, so no wonder you blindly trust these picks.........oh wait.........
Good summary of their draft:
New England Patriots: B- Grade
Goals Entering the 2023 NFL Draft: The Patriots are the worst team in the division, as they have many holes on their roster. This includes the receiving corps, linebacking corps, and secondary. Worst of all, however, are the quarterback and offensive line situations. There's talk that the Patriots will move Mac Jones. Either way, they'll need to radically bolster the blocking for whomever is under center next year.
2023 NFL Draft Accomplishments: Bill Belichick is more than willing to acquire third-round prospects in the opening frame, so everything was possible when New England came on the clock at No. 14 overall. The Patriots traded back a few spots, and then selected Christian Gonzalez at No. 17. This was a terrific pick, as Gonzalez was a top-10 prospect. He dropped because some teams soured on his lack of toughness, but he's still incredibly talented.
I loved the Patriots' initial two selections, as Keion White provided value as a skilled pass rusher in the middle of the second round. That, however, was the beginning of the end of the Patriots' positives. Belichick likely ran out of players he liked, so he began picking UDFA-type prospects as early as the third frame. Even worse, he traded up for a kicker in the fourth round!
When the Patriots went Gonzalez-White to start the draft, I never imagined that I wouldn't grade their overall class very favorably, but I'm left with no choice. New England squandered way too many selections following such a great start.
So....knowing the patriots roster...if you were the GM you would do the same thing the Parriots did?
I'm not arrogant enough to think I know anything about the guys beyond maybe round 3. The analysts don't either. Not really.
More specifically....knowing the Patriots needs...would you have drafted a punter and kicker?
Of course. Punter was probably the biggest need on the team and Kicker wasn't far off. Folk can't kick off. When Bailey got hurt/failed we had nobody to kick off. It was a disaster.
Ok...was just curious.
They used a 4th and 6th on the kicker as they traded up to get him.
Even then it's a waste of a pick. No kicker or punter is ever worth it
That Liberty receiver could be a real steal, I remember seeing him against UConn. Mora needs to get receivers like him, short burners that get over looked in recruiting.
You're wrong. It's not fantasy football. You saw a kicker go in the 3rd round for a reason. Teams are realizing that they are very much worth it. A depth piece that may not make your roster is not more important than a guy who will start for 4-5 years. These are absolutely critical positions.
No, it's not. It's really funny watching you twist yourself in circles trying to defend these picks though
I guess it's a good thing you're not a 49er fan than. For the Pats, Punter was the biggest need on the team by far. Kicker was up there with CB. I believe in field position football.
Understood it was a big need, and they could have had useful pieces with those picks and then just signed any of the dozens of available kickers and punters that would have been upgrades over what they had last year. Especially when you're drafting a guy with a round 7/UDFA grade in round 4
The grades are utter nonsense. He wasn't going to be there much later. Another kicker went after him. So obviously the grades were wrong and the clubs knew that the FA kickers and punters sucked. The Pats tried that when Bailey went on IR and got a punter who was (a) terrible and (b) not able to kick off. So the problem was twofold. If they keep Folk, the punter has to be able to kick off. None of the punters available can kick off, so you needed a new kicker.
Your takes are comical, this is a truly impressive level of coping. But congrats on getting a great kicker and punter then, the Pats are gonna need it while the other 3 teams run laps around them in the division the next few years
I feel the same about your takes. Not worried about it. Team doesn't need much. ST cost them 2-3 games last year. I expect a top 3 defense this year and an improved offense.