NEW ENGLAND’S LACK OF DRAFT CAPITAL AN ISSUE
Pats missing second-round pick heading into April’s draft
With a first-round pick — No. 23 overall — and three thirdround selections, the Patriots find themselves in an unenviable position given the absence of a second-rounder in between.
Why?
Taking into account the Pats’ needs, the second round would be the money round for them in 2020. It’s the round where the best tight ends are going to come off the board. It’s also the round where they can get the best value in a deep wide receiver class. And, if they want another quarterback to add to the list of potential Tom Brady successors, being at 23, with no second-round pick, doesn’t help.
That scenario must be an annoyance to Bill Belichick, who historically has picked a few gems in the second round (Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jamie Collins, Sebastian Vollmer, Deion Branch, Matt Light, just to name a few).
Unless the Patriots do some reshuffling with their current picks, or make a trade, Belichick is going to be without a significant piece of his draft puzzle. The second-rounder he had was shipped to Atlanta in the trade for Mohamed Sanu. So it’s a doublewhammy.
As it is, the Patriots aren’t the type that reaches for players. They aren’t going to snag the best tight end in the draft with their firstround selection, just to assure getting him. So to solve the issue, they’ll either trade out of the first to get picks in the second or make another deal involving a separate pick or player.
At least, that’s what is needed if the Patriots plan to address their tight end position in the draft, and get the ball rolling.
Moreover, unlike the last few drafts, which were tight end rich, this particular draft doesn’t have a lot of depth there. None are expected to go in the first round.
Whether it’s Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant, Dayton’s Adam Trautman, Notre Dame’s ColeKmet, this trio isn’t likely to last to the third round. And, checking the numbers from Trautman’s Combine workout, he scored the best 3-cone drill of any tight end, and was third-best in the short shuttle. So he looks like a perfect pick for the Patriots.
During a recent conference call, NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah provided an overview of the top tight ends.
“When I look at this tight end position . . . I have it with 1, 2, 3 guys right there at the top, where I have the same grades on Adam Trautman from Dayton, Harrison Bryant and Cole Kmet from Notre Dame,” said Jeremiah. “I think all those guys are in position to potentially be the first tight end picked. I don’t think any of them are first-round guys.”
So if the Patriots are planning to revive their tight end group, and snag a future difference-maker at the position, they’re going to have to make a move to get into the second round.
Meanwhile, in an incredibly deep wide receiver draft, the best value comes after the first round.
The Patriots, who selected wideout N’Keal Harry in the first round last year, aren’t likely to go that route again given the results. So the second round or slightly later makes the most sense.
Moreover, if the Patriots aren’t going to move up significantly for one of the top quarterbacks, they’ll be gambling the next wave — be it Georgia’s Jake Fromm or Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts — will be there in the third round.
So file this one under secondround blues.
Brady’s next team is …
The Titans, Raiders and Chargers are getting the most traction in the Brady Sweepstakes. Lagging a bit behind are the Buccaneers, Colts and Giants.
So who will land Brady if he does bolt from the Patriots?
Various commentators and analysts offered opinions on their favorite horse in the race. Naturally, the answers varied.
Former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, a SiriusXM NFL analyst, predicted the Chargers. NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner, meanwhile, believes if Brady leaves, he’ll go to the Titans.
“I think the best fit is New England,” said Weis. “I know everyone is talking about the Raiders, but the place that makes the most sense is the Chargers. And it makes the most sense for the wrong reason … it’s not like they don’t have talent there. But they’re not selling any seats. They’re going into a new stadium, with very few fans … and they’re the renters, not the owners of the stadium. So they need a splash.
“If I was the Chargers, I’d be offering him everything to get him. He’ll give the team the best chance of winning, and he’ll sell seats.” Warner?
First off, he said that even though Brady might be one of the greatest competitors in the sport, and remains hungry for another championship — the Chargers and Raiders don’t make the cut.
Why?
They’re in the same division as the Super Bowl champion KC Chiefs.
“I don’t look to the Raiders and Chargers and look to compete
against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs twice every year just to win my division,” said Warner, who met with a small group of reporters Thursday. “I don’t want to have to go through the other great quarterback in the AFC twice a year, and then possibly be the wild card, and have to play them again. Just from that standpoint alone, I’d probably look at a team like the Titans.
“They were right there last year, and have some pieces to build on. That’s probably, in my mind, the best situation of those three I’m hearing about.”
The Giants and Buccaneers, two other possibilities, are in the NFC. Warner says that’s the tougher conference because of the quarterbacks involved. Former Super Bowl winners Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson reside in the NFC.
Said Warner: “If you go to the NFC, there’s a lot of guys you have to go through if you want to win a championship.”
Vrabel on Brady rumors
Speaking of the Titans, Mike Vrabel may have been playing coy with reporters on Tuesday, knowing more about Brady’s future than he was letting on.
He certainly took some pleasure trading jabs with reporters. Inquiring minds were trying to weigh the Titans’ interest in Brady, hoping to unearth even the tiniest bit of information.
Vrabel cleverly answered questions with questions, and while acknowledging his friendship with Brady, distanced himself from wooing the quarterback to Nashville.
Catching Vrabel for a few minutes after the media scrum, the former Patriots linebacker seemed amused by all the inquiries.
He told a story about his youngest son Carter reaching out to him for Brady info.
“I think it was funny that Carter texted me, and asked me if Gisele was at MBA (Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy),” said Vrabel. “One of his buddies at school was texting him.”
What did Vrabel tell his son? “I told him to get off the phone in the middle of the day when he’s in school,” Vrabel said with a laugh, adding, “I don’t spend a lot of time on social media. I tell our players that’s for high school kids and lonely housewives.”
Winning with a pricey QB
The Seahawks have one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks in Wilson. With that in mind, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked at the NFL Combine how he can build a successful roster with a franchise quarterback’s contract in tow. Wilson’s average annual value is $35 million after recently signing a 4-year, $140 contract.
“It is a challenge. It affects you first in free agency, the chance to be real active this early part of the free agency period is a real challenge. You have to do really well with all of your picks and we always try to get as many as we can ’cause we feel like we get the competitiveness in our camp to help us. And you have to make really wise decisions along the way and there’s really, really tough decisions you have to make because every single step of the way, you’re up against the numbers,” said Carroll.
“It’s something John (Schneider) is great at, he’s done a marvelous job of. It’s hard to stay up. Everything is designed to knock you back down and let the teams work their way up and that’s how it’s always been, so we take great pride in staying on that top level of the thing with all of the circumstances that we deal with.
“And we got Bobby (Wagner) and Russell (Wilson), two of the highestpaid guys at their positions. They deserve it, they’re worthy of it, they played like it again,” he went on. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with that decision because they’re the two guys that lead our football team and lead our franchise. But it causes challenges and you have to hit right in free agency, in all aspects of free agency, and we have to do a really good job at every opportunity when players become available.”
More QB fodder
Warner on Matthew Stafford trade rumors: “Nothing surprises me in this business, especially if you’re not winning.”
The Hall of Fame quarterback was also asked about Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, and why he hasn’t been able to make the leap.
“I don’t think he’s consistent enough as an every-down passer … his technique gets away from him far too often. That leads to inconsistencies,” said Warner. “You just can’t live in the world of trying to make special plays every week.”