Patriots Make Noise on Draft Day 2 (4/22/01)

The New England Patriots didn't wait around to make a move on the second day of the NFL Draft to start the fourth round. The Patriots traded the fourth round pick they got from the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fifth round pick to the San Diego Chargers for the first overall pick of the fourth round (96th overall). The Patriots selected South Florida offensive tackle Kenyatta Jones. Jones is 6'3 and helped South Florida go 7-4 under Jim Leavitt. In terms of the Patriots, this is definitely a depth pick because you never know who might get hurt. Adrian Klemm got hurt last year so having Jones as insurance wouldn't hurt.

                                                 96th overall pick - Kenyatta Jones

The Patriots originally owned the 101st overall pick but that was famously sent to the New York Jets as compensation for hiring Bill Belichick away from the Jets. The Jets took cornerback Jamie Henderson out of Georgia, another teammate of Richard Seymour. With the 112th pick they got from the Patriots, the San Diego Chargers took Nebraska University linebacker Carlos Polk. Finally, with the pick they got in the trade with the Minnesota Vikings, the Patriots took Brock Williams' teammate, tight end Jabari Holloway. Holloway had a hell of a sophomore season as he caught 15 balls for 262 yards and 2 TDS but tapered off his junior and senior seasons. The Patriots are relying on Rod Rutledge and Jermaine Wiggins this season at the TE position but Belichick must think that Holloway can help out.

                                                    119th overall pick - Jabari Holloway

The Chargers used their 5th round pick they got from the Patriots on USC linebacker Zeke Moreno. The Jets traded the 5th round pick they got to the Patriots to Detroit and the Lions drafted quarterback Mike McMahon from Rutgers. The Patriots eventually drafted with the 163rd overall pick Washington University safety/linebacker Hakim Akbar. He was first team All-American and first team All-PAC 10 his Junior year with 97 tackles and 2 picks. Belichick is always looking for special teamers and he fits the bill perfectly.

                                                   163rd overall pick - Hakim Akbar

The Patriots traded their sixth round pick, 170th overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 5th round pick in next year's draft. With the 6th round pick they got from the Detroit Lions, the Patriots chose South Carolina State tight end Arther Love. He had 20 receptions for 342 yards and 2 TDs for the Bulldogs. Just like Jabari Holloway, he's strictly a depth piece hoping to turn into something more.

                                                          180th overall pick - Arther Love

With their other pick in the sixth round, 200th overall, the Patriots selected Miami University cornerback Leonard Myers. The powerhouse Hurricanes went 11-1 that year with Myers patrolling the defensive backfield. They won the Sugar Bowl over Florida so Myers definitely has big game experience. With the Patriots boasting Ty Law at the corner slot, Myers can definitely try to impress camp to win the other side job.

                                             200th overall pick - Leonard Myers

With the seventh round pick they got from New England, the Jets took Iowa State defensive tackle James Reed 206th overall. With the pick they got from the Detroit Lions in the seventh round, the Patriots selected BYU kicker Owen Pochman. Owen didn't have the most accurate leg with the cougars but he could kick it a mile. Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri is the opposite as he's very accurate but with a limited range. A little competition never hurt anyone so let's see how this plays out come training camp

                                                   216th overall pick - Owen Pochman

With their final pick in the seventh round, the Patriots selected Michigan State linebacker TJ Turner. Turner famously made the 4th and 1 stop on Number 1 ranked Ohio State back in 1998 to preserve a Michigan State victory. He also scored a pick six on Purdue quarterback Drew Brees the same year. Seventh round picks aren't locks to make the roster but clutch plays against big time talent can help. Let's see how he looks at mini-camp.

                                                     239th overall pick - TJ Turner

That's seven draft picks taken on day three and the majority of them are going to be depth pieces. Head coach Bill Belichick has stressed the importance of practice squaders and end of the bench players because every season is going to have injuries. If something happens to Matt Light, there's Kenyatta Jones or vice versa. If Ty Law goes down, Leonard Myers has to step up. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but there's not much to complain about this late in the draft. We'll see how this all plays out come training camp.

Patriots Go Big On Day 1 of Draft (4/21/01)

The New England Patriots shocked the world with their draft picks in the 2001 NFL Draft. In the first round, San Diego traded their pick to the Atlanta Falcons who chose speedster Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick. The Chargers ended up picking TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson with the fifth pick. Boston media and fans alike were screaming at the Patriots to take one of the three standout wide receivers including Michigan's David Terrell, NC State's Koren Robinson or Miami's Santana Moss. Instead, the Patriots drafted 6 foot 6 monster defensive tackle Richard Seymour from the Georgia Bulldogs. He had 223 total tackles and 9.5 sacks in his career at Georgia, earning All-SEC honors his junior and senior seasons. Georgia went 8-4 under Jim Donnan and defeated Virginia in the Oahu Bowl with Seymour in the middle of it. The word is he can play end or nose tackle which is the kind of versatility head coach Bill Bellichick will be looking for. Patriots fans and media are mad at the pick, not because Seymour isn't good, but they wanted weapons for Bledsoe. Well this may not be the "sexy" pick, but after how awful the Patriots defense was last year, this might be a damn good pick.

                                                     6th overall pick - Richard Seymour

The second round pick was a result of wheeling and dealing. They originally owned the 8th pick of the second round 39th overall but they traded it to Pittsburgh for the 19th pick of the round (50th overall) and the Steelers fourth round pick 112th overall tomorrow. The Steelers chose Richard Seymour's teammate linebacker Kendrell Bell with that pick. The Patriots then traded the 19th pick along with their sixth round pick (173rd overall) to the Detroit Lions for their second round pick at 17th pick to move up and select 6 foot 5 blindside left tackle Matt Light of Purdue University. Once again, Pats fans and media were crying they didn't take Wisconsin receiver Chris Chambers or Tennessee running back Travis Henry. This is definitely not a "sexy" pick but once again, the battles are won and lost on the trenches. The Patriots dearly missed Bruce Armstrong last year and drafted a left tackle to protect Bledsoe. The Boilermakers went 6-6 for Joe Tiller but lost the Sun Bowl to Washington State. If Light turns out to be better than expected, can't judge Belichick for picking a lineman over a receiver.

                                                 48th overall pick - Matt Light

To finish off the day, the Patriots once again traded down in the third round. Originally they held the 7th pick of the round (69th overall) but they traded it to the Minnesota Vikings for the 24th pick (86th overall) and their fourth rounder (119th overall) tomorrow. With the pick they got from the Vikings, they took Notre Dame cornerback Brock Williams. Notre Dame had a bad year under Bob Davie going 5-6 although Williams played every game that season. He was also used on special teams as a underclassmen in 1997 and 1998 so Belichick will definitely look to have him play all over. He doesn't have the hooplah surrounding him as Seymour did but any time you add to the defense, it can't be that bad....right?

                                                     86th overall pick - Brock Williams

All in all the first three rounds can be viewed as a success or failure depending on how you look at it. The failure is a mediocre offense didn't get any reinforcements at the skill positions other than a new blindside tackle, and that's if he's good enough to crack the starting lineup. Also not getting a stud like Terrell or Santana Moss leaves Bledsoe with the enigmatic Terry Glenn and aging Troy Brown. Not that Troy or Terry aren't good players, but they can't do it all alone. Not getting Travis Henry means the Patriots are going to rely on Kevin Faulk to carry the load and that's not going to work. They may draft some skill tomorrow or sign some in free agency, but missing out on studs might hurt them. Now the other side of the coin is best case scenario the Patriots instantly upgraded in the trenches. Seymour is going to be a monster at defensive tackle and Light might be able to keep opposing players off Bledsoe long enough to make a throw. Brock Williams also joins Tebucky Jones and Lawyer Milloy in the secondary and Belichick loves his hard hitting defenders. The two trades the Patriots made now gives them two fourth round picks to go with their fifth rounder and  seventh rounder. Let's see what tomorrow brings.