What We Want To See Patriots Do In NFL Draft; What Patriots Will Actually Do In NFL Draft
BOSTON (CBS) -- The glorious, resplendent time for NFL teams to pick players is upon us. Huzzah!
Sarcasm aside, the NFL Draft somehow remains one of the most ballyhooed and celebrated days on the entire sports calendar. Despite the fact that it is merely a series of transactions that takes hours upon hours upon hours to complete, the draft nevertheless draws huge television ratings, generates massive interest nationwide, and inspires millions of words to be typed in the minutes and hours following every single pick. Yes, every single pick -- even the 251st selection of a guard who will never, ever step foot on an NFL field -- leads to significant coverage.
This may be a confounding reality on its own, but it's even more perplexing here in New England, where Bill Belichick rarely makes the exciting, headline-grabbing move. The future Hall of Famer's strategy is no doubt a successful one, as his team has sustained unparalleled success over the past 15 years.
Make no mistake about it: When the Patriots play on Sundays, it's exciting. But when they draft in April, it's pretty boring.
That's not to knock the system that Belichick has created. It's merely a statement of fact.
With that, let's experiment with some fantasy vs. reality, in what we'd all like to see the Patriots do in this year's draft vs. what they will actually do in this year's draft.
What We'd Like To See Patriots Do:
Move Up In The First Round, Draft A Game-Changing Type Of Talent
Winning the Super Bowl does have its drawbacks. For example: Picking dead last in the first round. Boring! It's even more boring with this new format, where the first night of the draft involves only the first round. That means that you could sit in front of your TV for three hours waiting for Belichick to make his pick, and even then, he could trade it away, leaving you in a puddle of your own tears as you evaluate where you went wrong in life.
Who wants to see that?
Instead, we'd like to see this: Belichick packages pick No. 32 along with the Patriots' third-round pick this year and a first-round pick next year in order to move up to the top 10 to select an impact player who can help the team win a Super Bowl this season.
Who is that player? I don't know. Maybe it's Leonard Williams, who will be a beast in the middle of the D-line. Maybe it's Amari Cooper, a wide receiver who looks like the real deal. Maybe it's cornerback Trae Waynes, or Byron Jones.
This "impact player" might not even exist. This may prove to be a very stupid move. But it'd be very exciting.
What Patriots Will Actually Do:
Trade Out Of First Round, Acquire Additional Mid-Round Picks
I mean, is there any doubt about this one? When every draft evaluator is saying that picks 20-60 (or thereabouts) are all a similar level of player, you think Bill is going to waste pick No. 32 on a guy he can get at 50? Are you new here?
Of course, late Thursday night, you will get the news that Bill traded the Pats' first-round pick for a second and a sixth, or something like that. I'm sure you'll have trouble sleeping afterwards, given the increased heart rate generated from all of that excitement.
What We'd Like To See Patriots Do:
Draft A Flashy Player With A Lot Of Personality
Darrelle Revis was a better and more durable cornerback than Aqib Talib, but guess who was more fun? Aqib, in a landslide.
Players with personality -- people who talk naturally, don't follow the "code" of the Patriot Way, and insert some humor into the mundane goings-on of the locker room -- are a rare breed in this part of the world. Wouldn't it be great to hear the Pats' top pick jump on that conference call with reporters and declare himself ready to dominate at the NFL level? And then he'd get on Twitter and post some hilarious, off-the-wall stuff?
The number of players who have fit this bill in recent years can be counted on one hand -- Talib, Brandon Spikes, Randy Moss, Ross Ventrone? -- but it's time to infuse some new life into the locker room.
What Patriots Will Actually Do:
Draft An Offensive Lineman With The Personality Of A Cardboard Cutout
Obviously, Bill Belichick is going to draft a lineman. Bill Belichick is always going to draft a lineman. This lineman is going to be a big moose who is very smart and well-spoken, who passed all his tests in college and played multiple positions along the line. We'll have no stats to dissect, because he's a lineman, but we'll use words like "versatility" to spice up the selection.
What We'd Like To See Patriots Do:
Belichick Coming Out Guns-A-Blazing In His Press Conference
You know, we haven't heard much from Bill since February. I'd love to know what he's thinking about DeflateGate taking forever to solve. I wouldn't mind hearing his thoughts on the Jets being found guilty of tampering with Darrell Revis. Can Bill wrap his head around the way the Super Bowl ended? Also, I'd love to hear the intricate details of what went into his draft decisions. I'd love to know what he sees in that one guy he drafted who nobody has ever heard of and on whom ESPN does not have any highlight tape.
I'd love to see Bill let it fly. But ...
What Patriots Will Actually Do:
Belichick Saying The Same Things He Always Says
Just did what we felt was best for the team. ... Thought he did a lot in college, did what the coaches asked of him. ... Big body, strong, durable. ... Look, we just did what we felt was best for the team. ... He's a versatile player, very smart, can play a couple of positions. ... Good value. ... Hard-working kid, good balance, competitive guy, fights hard. ... Really, we just did what we felt was best for the team.
What We'd Like To See Patriots Do:
Make It Clear That They're Going "All In" To Win Super Bowl Next Season
Look, I'm not going to sit here and do the whole "Tom Brady's window is closing" bit with you. You guys have endured enough of that. And I'm not going to assess whether the best quarterback in history is "in decline" or whether Jimmy Garoppolo is the future or any of that. That's bah-humbug type stuff. I'm not into that.
But I will say that facts are facts, and in the case of Brady and the Patriots, it can't last forever. Everyone knows that if you want to win the Super Bowl, the odds are stacked heavily against you if you don't have a very good-to-great quarterback. You need to at least have a Joe Flacco/Eli Manning, but you'd really like your chances better if you have a Brady/Aaron Rodgers taking your snaps.
What I'm getting at here is that Tom Brady is going to be 38 years old, and nothing lasts forever. The Patriots have employed extreme patience over the years in building a sustainable, successful team. It's worked and it's great. But with the finish line coming into view for Brady, why not veer off the path just a bit?
Make a trade early to move up in the first round, compound that by trading Garoppolo for another relatively high pick, draft positions of need to try to find players who can start right away, and maybe take a risk on a guy who will definitely get in trouble eventually in the league but might be able to stay on the straight and narrow for a year or two.
The "All-In Tour Of 2015" would officially be underway, and frankly, it would be captivating.
What Patriots Will Actually Do:
Exert Discipline, Make Trades To Set Up The Team To Have Several Extra Picks Over The Next Three Years
Brady may be nearing the end of his career, but Bill Belichick isn't. Bill Belichick is going to coach until he is 100 years old. At least. Football is Belichick; Belichick is football.
So for as tempting as it might be for a stooge like you or I to envision this "do-whatever-it-takes-to-win-one-more-Super-Bowl-and-cement-your-status-as-best-head-coach-ever-and-your-QB-as-best-QB-ever-and-your-franchise-as-one-of-the-best-ever" strategy, it's just not going to happen.
A leopard doesn't change its spots, a zebra can't change its stripes, and a Belichick is not going to make short-sighted, rash decisions on draft weekend.
Now get ready for the acquisition of that 2017 fifth-round pick. It's coming. And given how successful that strategy has been over the past decade-and-a-half, we shouldn't really question it.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
