Upside

As is usually the case (with the notable exception of the Chandler Jones Dont’a Hightower draft), Patriots Nation is hating on Bill Belichick like he was coming off back to back 5-11-0 seasons and traded away the pick that could’ve been Jadeveon Clowney or Sammy Watkins. If he’s so smart, how come he didn’t beat the Jets to Jace Amaro? Instead of a QB we hope never plays a snap for the next three years, why not more weapons for Brady like WR Jarvis Landry or faux TE Jace Amaro?

Maybe a better question is this: If all the haters are right, how does New England keep winning the AFC East and making a run at the Super Bowl year after year?

The Future is Now or Will Be Soon

Another trademark Bill Belichick draft is in the books. If you didn’t already know, Belichick doesn’t care what you or Mel Kiper or Mike Mayock or Todd McShay or Matt Miller or Nolan Nawrocki or anybody else thinks. You think Dominique Easley is a risky pick just because he’s got bionic knees? Well, that’s your opinion, man. You think Jimmy Garoppolo has tiny hands? Bill will fix his steely pale blue gaze on you and ask, “If hand size is so important, do you think maybe I should draft an orangutan to play quarterback?”

My advice? Don’t make eye contact.

In Bill We Trust In Bill We Trust In Bill We... Wait, What?

I know you aren't supposed to be able to judge a draft for three years and we're only part way through the 3rd round but I am positively hating the Patriots 2014 draft so far. A DT with two surgically repaired ACLs? A QB with tiny hands?

Okay. I should take a deep breath. And drink a martini. And remember that Bill Belichick knows more about football than I do.

Maybe two martins.

Overthinking the Problem

By now I think I must’ve changed my mind about Jace Amaro somewhere in the low 90s. Is he a star waiting to happen? Is he just a poor man’s Mike Evans? And I wonder why the pigskin cognoscenti seem to believe Bill Belichick would give up a 1^st round pick for Ra’Shede Hageman, aka Albert Haynesworth 2.0? Do they all hate the Patriots that much? Is this wishful thinking on their part? God I hope Belichick trades down.

The Dream as Prologue

Somebody’s dream will come true this Thursday night. They’ll hear the commissioner of the NFL read their name aloud from the podium at the 2014 draft. They’ll be a first round pick, a signature on a contract away from a new house for their mom and a new car for themselves. They probably didn’t dream they’d be picked by the New York Jets and booed by their fans.

That sounds more like one of my childhood dreams.

Ahead of Schedule

The 2014 schedule has been released, which was followed closely by pigskin pundits and bobbleheads projecting wins and losses. This despite the fact the draft still awaits, not to mention the inevitable season-ending training camp injury that will hit three or four teams. It’s silly, of course but yeah, here comes my prediction for the Patriots.

Risk and Reward

We’ve reached that point in the pre-draft process where all we hear about is flaws, real or perceived; when the #1 overall pick becomes a hot potato. You can almost smell the fear and understandably so. Blowing a Top 10 pick can haunt a franchise for years, not to mention costing the GM and Head Coach (and his assistants) their jobs. Trade down? Trade down.