Well, sort of.
Dez Bryant was sitting there. Arguably the best wide out in the draft sitting on the board and Baltimore right behind you ready to snatch him up if you don’t take him. Then the Pats pull the trigger allowing Bryant to go to Dallas and picking up a third rounder (they didn’t have one) for a fourth rounder. So they move down two spots in the first but move up 29 spots into the third from the fourth.
Of course that was the second trade down after they traded down with Denver snagging a fourth rounder for moving down two spots.
So in typical New England fashion, they snagged additional picks for trading down. Great if they hit on those picks, stupid if they miss. Obviously.
The Pats were on the clock at #27 and my biggest fear was they were going to trade down yet again, like last year, and I stayed up for nothing. But they made a pick taking Devin McCourty. My first reaction was “who?”. A corner from Rutgers? Seriously?
Last season they were projected to take Butler out of UCONN as high as the first round, they traded down and were still able to get him in the second. I wasn’t super impressed with his rookie season and I don’t think I’m going to be with the rookie from Rutgers.
Here’s what I pulled from ESPN:
What he brings:
McCourty is a great special teams contributor, having blocked seven kicks during his time in college. He also contributes as a gunner and vice both on the punt and punt-return units and should be able to provide help as a kick returner. In addition, he is one of the more fluid corners in this year’s class and while he doesn’t have great ball skills he plays bigger than his size would suggest.
How he fits:
Brandon Merriweather is a good NFL safety, finishing last season with five interceptions, but the Patriots struggled overall to prevent big pass plays. The Patriots pride themselves on taking versatile players on both sides of the ball and McCourty fits the bill. His run support will be an improvement over James Sanders, Brandon McGowan and Pat Chung, and while this wasn’t the Pats’ biggest need he is a prototypical New England player: tough and versatile.
So he’ll be a great special teams guy. Awesome. But it’s pretty clear he’s not a corner you can leave on an island by himself so how does that help your pass rush? I guess the good news is that they have three second rounders today and could absolutely move up and take whoever they want.
Who do I want?
Sergio Kindle.
He’s #2 in all those highlights. He’s a beast and lining him up with Mayo would make this linebacking corps very young and super athletic. Hopefully he’s there for the Pats. We’ll see tonight. At least they didn’t take a tight end in the first.
