He wheeled and dealed and wound up with additional first and second rounders for next year and somehow, in the process, came away with players this year who, while solid, do not wow you.
The funny thing about Belichick is that he always has so many picks but never seems to USE his picks. He traded down three times in the first two days and bolstered his draft for next year but in the process, missed out on some impact defensive players.
At #17 overall he selected OT Nate Solder from Colorado. Solder has the quick feet and balance to be a solid left tackle but needs to improve his upper body strength (only 21 reps at the Combine), run blocking and overall awareness. Because of these issues, he will need time to develop into a starter.
He is a mountain of a man at 6-8, 319 and has the skills to be a solid blind-side protector for Tom Brady. Matt Light is 32 and near the end of the line so finding his replacement was important but I don’t think they got great value out of the pick.
They needed help on their defensive line and both Muhammad Wilkerson and Cameron Jordan would have been great fits. I am certainly glad Belichick did not take Wilkerson so he could be there for the Jets but he and Jordan are better prospects than Solder.
Throughout ESPN’s coverage, Mel Kiper pointed out multiple times how the Patriots passed on taking Clay Matthews two years ago and probably regretted trading their spot to Green Bay. They needed a pass rusher then and needed one coming into this draft but failed to fill that need.
They were in prime position with their first pick in the second round (#33 overall) to take one of two guys who would have fit perfectly into their system, Brooks Reed (Arizona) and Jabaal Sheard (Pitt), and passed on both to take CB Ras-I Dowling.
Dowling is a nice player but he was unable to stay healthy throughout his career at Virginia. He has second round talent but with his durability issues, taking him where they did was a bit of a reach.
New England had one of the worst pass rushes in the league and to come away with no edge rushers was surprising, especially when you consider they were in prime position to take one.
With their other second round pick (#56 overall), they selected running back Shane Vereen (Cal). He is an excellent fit for the Patriots’ offense because he is a natural pass catcher and will be used a lot in that role both as a back and a slot man.
But the second round is high for Vereen. They could have easily had him in the third or fourth round.
With the first of two third rounders (#73 overall), they selected RB Stevan Ridley from LSU who is okay but I was not particularly high on him. In fact, they passed on better prospects like Mikel LeShoure (Illinois), who went to Detroit with the very next pick, and Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State) who went in the 4th round to the Niners.
Ridley has good size (5-11, 225) and can break tackles but is not very creative and does not pick up yardage when the hole is not there. He has natural hands and that probably factored into their thinking but I think they could have taken a better player with this pick.
Their second third rounder was the only pick I liked. At #74 overall, they selected Ryan Mallett, QB from Arkansas. At 6-6, 253 pounds, he is a monster at quarterback.
He will be very tough for defensive linemen to take down. He is very strong and has impressive arm strength.
This kid can really spin it and makes all the throws down the field. But there are serious concerns about his maturity and overall character.
The word on him is that he rubbed coaches the wrong way and was not a true leader. He also had off-the-field issues including public intoxication in 2009.
But he is coming into a great situation. Belichick will not take any crap and will show this guy how to be a pro.
In addition, and this is the biggest upside for Mallett, he will have a chance to learn from one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. If he takes to Brady’s mentoring and grows up a little, this kid will be scary good.
He has all the physical tools to be a great one and just has to get squared away above the shoulders to succeed.
In the fifth round, Belichick selected Marcus Cannon, offensive tackle from TCU. Cannon is a real fatty - he stands 6-5 and weighs 358 pounds. This guy will have to be careful not to eat his way out of the league but even with his girth, he has surprisingly quick feet.
He was actually a top prospect and had 2nd round ability but was diagnosed with cancer right before the draft and his stock plummeted. If he can come back from his treatment, he could grab a starting spot.
Guard Stephen Neal retired and without much depth behind him, Cannon could seize his spot at right guard. But for Cannon to be strong enough after roughly three months of chemotherapy might be asking too much.
Like Solder and Mallett, Cannon is unlikely to make an impact for the Patriots this year. He certainly has the talent but probably won’t factor into the mix until 2012.
No one develops talent like Bill Belichick. He gets his guys ready to play and certainly gets the most out of his players.
I have questioned his drafts in prior years and yet he always seemed to put out a team that was among the best in the league. I have questions yet again and while I am sure his team will be solid, they have bowed out of the playoffs in the first round in consecutive years and do not appear to have the cornerstone players, particularly on defense, to win another championship.
Belichick might be getting too cute for his own good when it comes to the draft. He had a chance to fill the void left by Richard Seymour at defensive end and passed.
He has not had a good edge rusher since trading Mike Vrabel and despite having an opportunity to take one this year, passed on that need as well.
It is hard to question Belichick because of his track record but he came up short this year in terms of filling needs and getting maximum value for his picks. No one works the process better than him but if I’m a Patriots fan, I came away from this draft feeling disappointed with many of these selections.
Overall grade: C
Written by Alan Levin