Patriots Trade Bledsoe, Pick Davey (4/21/02)

It was a monumental franchise altering day for the New England Patriots. While Day 2 of the NFL Draft was going on, the Patriots announced they had traded franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills for their first round pick in next year's draft. The great debate was who was going to be traded after Tom Brady led the Patriots to their first Superbowl championship in franchise history and word on the street was it was going to be Drew. Bledsoe had a lot of good things about him but he also had some faults that Brady didn't showcase in his time as starter. Bledsoe had a rifle arm that could sling the ball downfield but it was often forced into double or triple coverage. He also would take sacks or throw picks at inopportune times. Still, for all his faults, he was arguably the best quarterback in team history before Brady came along. When Brady got hurt, it was Bledsoe that came in and threw the touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots probably don't get to the Superbowl if Damon Huard comes into the game instead of Drew, no offense to Damon. This trade not only jettisons a proven commodity in Bledsoe but the team is now in the hands of Tom Brady moving forward. Let's see how this turns out in the 2002 season and beyond.

                                                        Goodbye Drew, and thank you

As for round's four through seven of the draft, how do you top that trade? The Patriots used the pick they got from the Denver Broncos to draft Drew's replacement in the fourth round, 117th overall, when they selected LSU quarterback Rohan Davey. Davey had a hell of a senior year for the Tigers, passing for 3,347 yards in the season and leading LSU to a Sugar Bowl victory against Illinois. Why did he fall so far? He's a BIG dude at 6'2 and 245 pounds, scouts are concerned about his mobility and avoiding the rush. Still, with Bledsoe gone its going to come down to Davey and Damon Huard as the backup quarterback come training camp. 

                                                     117th overall - Rohan Davey

Remember the trade with the Green Bay Packers for Terry Glenn? With the fourth round pick they got from the trade, 126th overall, the Patriots selected Davey's teammate, LSU defensive lineman Jarvis Green. Green was a monster for LSU, setting the sack record for a freshman with 8 and becoming second team All-SEC his senior year. Now if it was peculiar but somewhat understandable why Rohan Davey fell this far, its almost inconceivable how Green was still here at this point. The scouts say he's undersized at 6'3 285 but he's probably the most athletic defensive end in the draft. Either he's a fringe fourth round pick or he could be a hidden stud. Hopefully it the latter.

                                                         126th overall - Jarvis Green

With the final pick in the fourth round they got from the Patriots, the Broncos took UNLV safety Sam Brandon. With their fifth round pick they got from New England, the Broncos took Michigan State wide receiver Herb Haygood. The Patriots traded their own fifth round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for the Cowboys fifth rounder next year and their seventh round this year. The Cowboys took Virginia Union cornerback Pete Hunter. The Patriots had no sixth round pick as it was traded to the St. Louis Rams 2 years earlier for Dane Looker. The Rams took Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari 205th overall. Also two years ago the Patriots traded not only their first round pick but a fourth and a seventh round pick in 2002 to the New York Jets for the rights to Bill Belichick. The Jets traded that 7th round pick to Washington and with the 234th pick in the draft, the Redskins chose Hampton defensive end Greg Scott. With the pick they got from the Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots took Virginia running back Antwoine Womack 237th overall. Womack had a breakout season his junior year in 2000 with 210 carries for 1,028 yards and 9 touchdowns for the Cavaliers. The problem was he hurt his knee his senior year and was limited to 63 carries and 263 yards in just 5 games. The word is his knee will never be the same again, otherwise he might have gone in one of the first three rounds. So Belichick is definitely rolling the dice on this one. If it doesn't work, just another failed seventh round selection in a sea full of them. If he turns into something, Bill will look like a genius.

                                                     237th overall - Antwoine Womack

With their final pick in the seventh round, 253rd overall, the Patriots took Notre Dame wide receiver David Givens. Givens wasn't used much in college compared to his contemporaries but was a duel threat his junior year with 25 receptions for 310 yards and 24 carries for 101 yards rushing. His senior year he only caught 33 balls for 317 yards and no touchdowns. Why the Patriots would take a guy who didn't even put up great numbers in college is beyond me. The word on the street his his quarterbacks at Notre Dame sucked so he wasn't getting the ball much. He also can be used as a special teamer and we all know Belichick loves them. Still, like Womack, if it doesn't work its just another failed seventh round pick but if it works, Bill's a genius.

                                                      253rd overall - David Givens

So on draft day two the Patriots made a monumental trade to get a 1st round pick in next year's draft while taking a quarterback, a defensive end, a running back and a receiver. These guys will be mostly depth pieces but keep an eye on Jarvis Green. He was too good to fall that far, the Patriots might have gotten lucky there. Time will tell.