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.