New England Patriots Fan Group's Blog

First Round Analysis With Input From KP

It's somewhat late, but I hope you think this is worth the wait. I put in my opinion on all of the first round picks of this year's draft. KP was nice enough to help me out and voice her opinion as well.

Me
KP

1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long, OT, Michigan

The Dolphins signed Long a few days before the draft and he is already the highest paid offensive lineman in the entire league. Anyways, I agree and disagree with this pick. Long is an absolute beast and he will be a great tackle for years to come. However, I don't think their quarterback situation is very good at the moment. I find it hard to believe that John Beck is the future of this organization and Chad Henne may be good, but I don't see him as a franchise quarterback. Matt Ryan could have been a good pick for them. If I was Bill Parcells I would have drafted Matt Ryan and put together a package with Jason Taylor and a pick or two for a first rounder to nab an offensive lineman to protect him, like the Falcons did. Anyways, Jake Long will provide space to throw and space to run and will benefit their team greatly. Your team can't succeed without a good offensive line, but it can't without a good quarterback either.

New England Patriots Draft

The Patriots addressed defense mostly in this draft, and they filled holes at both linebacker and cornerback. Here are their picks:

First Round - 10th Overall - Jerod Mayo, ILB, Tennessee
Second Round - 62nd Overall - Terrence Wheatley, CB, Colorado
Third Round - 78th Overall - Shawn Crable, OLB, Michigan
Third Round - 92nd Overall - Kevin O'Connell, QB, San Diego State
Fourth Round - 129th Overall - Jonathan Wilhite, CB, Auburn
Fifth Round - 153rd Overall - Matt Slater, WR, UCLA

Rivers and Mayo: Two Very Different Situations

Keith Rivers and Jerod Mayo are both very similar players, in very different situations. They were drafted ninth and tenth overall in this year's NFL Draft. Rivers went ninth to the Cincinnati Bengals and Mayo went tenth to the New England Patriots. It's safe to say that Mayo is on a better team and in a better environment. Most would agree that it is also safe to say that Rivers is more athletic and has much more portential than Mayo. Let's take a look at their pasts:

Rivers

Draft Analysis - Round 1

Day 1 of the draft and the top 10 went pretty much as I expected.

I said all along for weeks now that the Fins and Rams would go Long (I had the Fins taking Chris though for a while), Falcons would take Ryan, the Raiders would take McFadden and the Jets would take Gholston.

Ryan will have an immediate impact in Atlanta. Yes, I know how many interceptions the kid threw last year but in his defense, BC threw the ball a whole lot more than they did in the seasons before. Overall, I think Atlanta did the right thing. They drafted for need because they sure need a QB.

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