Loved it when Bill Belichick reminded the pigskin pundits and bobbleheads in his post-Day 2 stand up the Patriots had already banked WR Brandin Cooks (and his 5th year option), DE Kony Ealy, TE Dwayne Allen and RB Mike Gillislee before Day 1 of the draft.
He didn't mention keeping QB Jimmy Garoppolo or CB Malcolm Butler; I know they were on the roster all along but somehow it seems like the Patriots acquired them from Cleveland and New Orleans, respectively, doesn't it?
Also loving the reaction to the Patriots 3rd round picks but I have to admit I'm caught off guard by a New England draft that doesn't get a C+ "Failed to work up to expectations" kind of grade.
Perhaps an even bigger surprise? Belichick didn't take a safety nobody ever heard of in the 3rd round this year.
Day 2 was all about the upside for the Patriots' picks; small school prospects who showed well at the all star games against D1 competition. DE Derek Rivers and OT Antonio Garcia were drafted for starring roles in 2018 and will have a year of practices, meetings, lifting, film work and standing slack-jawed in awe of Tom Brady. In the case of Rivers, I hope he'll lead the Pats in preseason sacks and take a few rotational snaps during the regular season.
Trey Flowers, Kony Ealy and Rivers could become a dominating rotation on the edge for the Patriots for the next five years. The Patriots have tried the small school route in the past with mixed success but there's some interesting subtext with Derek Rivers. He wound up at Youngstown State because he didn't have the grades to get into a D1 school yet he turned that around and graduated with a 3.0 GPA.
As for Garcia, it sounds like he needs to add a little weight before he's ready to start. He'll likely take the fourth spot on the depth chart in 2017 behind starters Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon and swing tackle Cameron Fleming. Buy those LaAdrian Waddle jerseys while you still have the chance.
Belichick never sleeps. Before Day 3 got started, New England bolstered their TE position group and special teams unit in a trade with Kansas City for James O'Shaughnessy, giving up their 5th round pick.. O'Shaughnessy is described as a "move tight end" meaning he isn't a "good blocker." I have to think Belichick liked O'Shaughnessy's tape on special teams. How many tight ends will the Patriots keep? I've got a little bit of a man crush on Matt Lengel (aka Baby Gronk) and I've been intrigued by the gigantic Michael Williams (coming off a season on IR). Is the Rob Housler era over before it started?
With their 4th round pick, the Patriots doubled-down on the defensive line, taking Arkansas DE Dietrich Wise, Jr. Hey! Arkansas! That's where budding superstar Trey Flowers played college ball! Wise was a popular pick amongst the local pigskin prognosticators as a potential Day 3 pick and well, here we are. The XXXL Wise is is long and quick (7.07 Three-Cone Drill!). Unlike Derek Rivers, Wise played against big time competition in the SEC so there's that. He also seems to fit the bill in terms of toughness and character.
New England finished their 2017 draft by taking a second raw but athletic, large-framed offensive tackle prospect in Conor McDermott, from UCLA. Maybe Cameron Fleming should take some snaps at guard and center come training camp. Both McDermott and Garcia have the athleticism to play left tackle and frames that could grow into a right tackle.
That's it. That's the New England Patriots 2017 draft class. Well, plus Cooks, Ealy, Allen and Gillislee. (Sorry, Bill.) An unusually small yet intriguing quartet. I'm psyched! Okay, I was psyched before the draft opened. Brandin Cooks alone had me all in on 2017.
Notables on the UDFA list of rookies include much discussed LB Harvey Langi from BYU and equally mentioned WR Austin Carr from Northwestern. More prospective offensive tackles. Safeties of the strong and free varieties, assorted d-linemen, a pair of twins (if one makes the team will the other?). We wish them all the best, of course, and if they're good enough, their pigskin dreams will come true. Having said that, I read a post that had 44 of the 53 roster spots for New England already locked down. That's probably not how Belichick views it, of course, but I get the point. Making the Patriots roster is a longshot for the 2017 rookie class. They're joining the Super Bowl champs. It should come as no surprise their roster is loaded. If you're running back LeShun Daniels out of Iowa, you're looking at a position group that goes practice squad deep; James White, Rex Burkhead, Mike Gillislee, Dion Lewis and D.J. Foster (and I'm not counting special team stalwart Brandon Bolden or fullback James Develin). Got to give Daniels credit for a strong sense of self. I'll be watching for him in the notes from training camp and in game action in the preseason. That's what makes it fun and interesting. Someone is the star of a movie they don't even know is being made yet.
It's the season of hope for football players and football fans. Everything is possible right now. Even Browns fans are feeling pretty good, dreaming of an 8-8-0 season with a win at home against an AFC North opponent. It could happen. It's a possible future.
Like my fellow citizens in Patriots Nation, I'm feeling pretty good about the Patriots chances tonight. Yes, their quarterback is old, their receivers are short, they can't rush the quarterback and their head coach is secretly Dr. Xavier, but somehow I've got a good feeling about them.
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