*************2013 NFL DRAFT GRADES************

2.52 Jamie Collins, LB, Southern Miss

The Patriots needed some major depth on their team, and getting a guy like Collins is a solid value.

B

2.59 Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall

I like the pick, but I'm not sure I love it. There were better receivers out there, but Dobson is a guy with a ton of great potential.

B

3.83 Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers

The Pats needed a corner and luckily got one of the last great ones here. I think that they should have addressed this a little earlier though.

B

3.91 Duran Harmon, S, Rutgers

Now this is a pick that I can't get behind. The team drafted a 6th rounder here and likely will be looking for safety in the near future.

F
 
4.102 Josh Boyce, WR, TCU

7.226 Michael Buchannon, DE/LB, Illinois

7.235 Steven Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers

 OVERALL GRADE: D-

Ick. This is a draft that this team usually sits out of while picking up future picks, and they failed at that. The team three guys that will contribute, and zero starters. The best move that they made all weekend was getting LeGarrette Blount.
 
 *************2012 NFL DRAFT GRADES************ 

1.21 Chandler Jones, DE (LB), Syracuse

Chandler Jones is a guy with a lot of potential, and a great family lineage. I can't hate the Pats for trading up for him, but I think a 3rd rounder to do so may have cost a bit too much.

B

1:25 Dont'a Hightower, MLB, Alabama

The team traded a 4th rounder to move up and get a nasty prospect on the inside. They have done a lot to help their front seven in the draft, but they need some help in the backfield.

B

2.48 Tavon Wilson, S, Illinois

Apparently Al Davis's final diabolic plan was to possess Bill Belichek and have him take a 6th round safety in the 2nd round. The Patriots really dropped the ball on this one. Some will come out and say that Travon Wilson was on a few top-100 big boards, but that doesn't excuse the fact that this is one of the biggest reaches in a long time.

F-

3.90 Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas

The Pats traded back for and got a 5th in the process. I actually love this pick a lot because Bequette was quietly one of the best pass rushers in the SEC.

B+
 
6.197 Nate Ebner, S, Ohio State

Apparently one Matt Slater wasn't enough. Ebner doesn't actually have a position off the special teams squad, and I just don't get it at all.

F

7.224 Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

You know what's sad? Dennard might be the best value pick that the Pats made the whole draft. He was actually a free pick for moving down, and if Dennard can over the cop punching thing then he actually could start for this terrible backfield.

A-

7.235 Jeremy Ebert, WR, Northwestern

I got a lot of crap for mocking a talented receiver to the Pats this year because the team already had eight guys on the roster worth noting. So in that case, what the heck will Ebert contribute to the team?

F
 
OVERALL GRADE: C+

Here's the good. The Patriots got two great pass rushers and an inside linebacker with a lot of potential. They also got a corner in the 7th that legitimately could see the field a lot. The bad unfortunately is that they went from a stock load of draft picks to an empty slate in 2013. They drafted a safety in the 2nd round that could have been found in the 5th round, and they had to trade up a lot to get the guys they did get. Are they a better team? Absolutely. But the team just didn't have the Patriot feel.


*************2011 NFL DRAFT GRADES************ 
 

 Picks

**Disclaimer. The Patriot fans get a disclaimer, because no, I'm not smarter than BB. But given the predicted needs by EVERYONE, and the overall draft you cannot use "BB made the pick so it is good" as an excuse. I also ask you to read the entire bit before sending in the dirty hate mail.
 
1.17 Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

From all accounts, the team was looking for defensive ends, rush linebackers, and offensive linemen to help win now. Nate Solder is a 1-year project that might not see playing time next year unless he really shines in camp. His value seemed so damaged after the Senior Bowl and Combine too that this was actually a reach by many accounts outside of rumors that the Chiefs wanted him.

C
 
2.33 Ras-I Dowling, CB/S, Virginia

This pick just didn't do it for a number of reasons. The team was 'guaranteed' to trade out of this pick, and it is hard to believe that they didn't get any good offers. If they did take the pick it was 'a lock' to address the front seven problem. Another corner/safety just wasn't a top notch need, especially given the fact that there are undrafted corners that I would have been ok drafting in the 4th or 5th round.

D
 
2.56 Shane Vereen, RB, California

I really like this pick, but that is assuming the team didn't have bigger needs to fill. Vereen is a Maurice Jones Drew type of rusher, and I would love to see him get the rock in the offense. I also think he is a better overall prospect than Jahvid Best was, but Vereen didn't touch a major need.

B
 
3.73 Stevan Ridley, RB, LSU

Ridley is a power back from LSU that is a better college guy than NFL guy... like every LSU power rusher. The team may have wanted to get some power in their attack, but this makes four "can't lose" youngsters on a team that likes to hold on to some veterans.

C-
 
3.74 Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas

This is might be the best overall pick in the draft. Mallett here is an absolute steal on talent, and he should have gone 50+ picks sooner. As a 2nd rounder he should have been a steal because there is no financial or potential commitment that teams give 2nd rounders, so to get him in the mid-3rd is robbery. 

Second, the team blocked both the Dolphins and the Bills from taking him. They passed on him up to this point, but they had to have been thinking about him in the third. Those two teams now are left with garbage at QB for the next year, while the Patriots have Mallett. No quarterback essentially guarantees that this is a two-team race for the division.

Finally the Patriots added an option for the future. If they actually hold onto Mallett for awhile then they have maybe the best backup in the game. Look for the team, however, to put Mallett into the game when the Patriots are far ahead. They will make Mallett look really good and then look to trade him down the road. Just think about what Kevin Kolb is worth right now after two great games paired with a few average ones!

A+++
 
5.138 Marcus Cannon, OT/G, TCU

I have had Marcus Cannon in the top-15 of my big board since this time last year. I loved his speed to size ratio, I loved his strength, and I absolutely loved his potential. It is unfortunate that he got cancer, but it does sound as if he could be ready to play at the start of the season. If not, he is a steal in the 5th round for 2012.

A+
 
5.159 Lee Smith, Tight End, Marshall

Why?

F
 
6.194 Markell Carter, DE/LB, Central Arkansas

Markell Carter is apparently the go to guy for the Patriots front seven this offseason. All those emails that swarmed in because a DE/LB wasn't mocked at 17 were justified because secretly the Patriots had Carter as their best overall pass rusher.
 
7.219 Malcolm Williams, CB, TCU

Who and Why?

F 

Draft Grade: B

A B-grade? I must be a Patriot fan right? Nope. The team made nine picks this year, and none of them may see a start in 2011 despite needing two upgrades in the front seven and two+ upgrades on the OL. But if you factor in the fact that the team walked away with an extra 1st and 2nd next year, as well as a few guys that could be the future of the team. Maybe the team thought that they have enough talent to make the playoffs in 2011, and so they don't absolutely have to find starters now.

NEW GRADE: C+

I may have overvalued the Patriots because of some of their middle round picks, but the first four picks were some real head scratchers. Fans demanded pass rushers and defensive ends, and instead got project left tackles, defensive backs, and rushers (two in fact). During the draft process I got daily complaints about having a single rusher in the first five rounds, and I got even more hate if I didn't have a pass rusher in the first. I will still get complaints about this too, but I really think the team needs to find a Randy Moss(esque) receiver because their group of guys really aren't that good.