Cuts show ’16 draft hardly sweet
Troubling new trend
Another cut-down day. And another Patriots draft class basically bites the dust.
At best, 2016 is treading water given what remains.
Hard to believe it’s the class from just two years ago. But we’re already nearing the stage of sticking a fork in it.
After Bill Belichick got his roster down to the necessary 53 yesterday, he pretty much tossed the 2016 class onto the pile of rejects in the process.
With the 2018 class off to a rough start with firstrounders Isaiah Wynn (IR) and Sony Michel (knee) out or ailing, and 2017 down two of the four overall picks (Tony Garcia and Conor McDermott are already gone), this isn’t helping the cause.
The way it went down, Belichick released secondround pick Cyrus Jones, a cornerback from the 2016 group who played in just 10 games.
The Alabama product had ability, but just couldn’t seem to put it all together in his short time in New England. He had fumbling problems his first year, and as a returner, that’s deadly.
Jones, however, was determined to prove he was worth the pick. He worked hard to cure his fumbling problem, but he tore his ACL last year during the preseason, and that derailed his efforts. He got back to play in the last two preseason games this August, but there were other promising young cornerback prospects ahead of him, namely J.C. Jackson, an undrafted rookie, along with Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen from this year’s draft.
Belichick also cut 2016 third-round pick Vincent Valentine, a defensive lineman who flashed his first season, but whose progress stalled after spending last season on IR. He played in 13 games.
Fourth-round pick Malcolm Mitchell, meanwhile, was released in early August. Despite chronic knee problems, he helped the Pats win a Super Bowl in 2016. He was someone who caught on quickly and gained Tom Brady’s trust. That seemed like a golden ticket. But Mitchell was only able to play in 14 games. Now he’s gone.
Of the nine players drafted that year, only three remain on the team. Thirdround offensive lineman Joe Thuney has been a starter at guard, and a solid contributor. Sixth-round pick Elandon Roberts remains with the linebacker group as a run stopper and sixth-round pick Ted Karras made the roster as a reserve lineman.
The Patriots already dished off quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a third-round pick in 2016, last year in exchange for Phillip Dorsett. They’re hoping the receiver can finally click with Brady and have a breakout season. With Julian Edelman set to miss the first four games of the season with his PED suspension, and with a receiving corps that’s incredibly thin at the moment, they’re counting on him to step into a more prominent role.
Another receiver, Devin Lucien, was a seventh-round pick in that draft. He’s been cut, brought back, but released again yesterday.
Of course, teams can stock up, and reload their rosters many ways. They can do it through free agency, trades, or having a keen eye for signing undrafted free agents, which is an area the Pats have shined in the past. To that end, it should be noted cornerback Jonathan Jones is someone they signed as a undrafted player in 2016, who made the 53-man roster once again this year.
It’s just lately, they’ve come up pretty empty at the tops of drafts, in those first four rounds. They don’t have those foundation players in place to continue to build, or to continue to have sustained success. That usually doesn’t bode well for the future. That can be a problem.
Having Brady, however, covers a lot of things. Having a great quarterback has covered for a lot of missteps in the draft, or unsuccessful years in the past. He’s made up for the lulls. But the end is coming for him in the near future. There isn’t an exact date for his departure, but Brady can’t carry them forever. He can’t keep making up for the duds.
Sure, Belichick can recharge his roster in other ways. And he has. But one of these days, having too many swings-and-misses in the draft will come back to haunt him.