Patriots Make Big Splash on Day 1 of NFL Draft (4/26/03)

Day 1 of the 2003 NFL Draft is in the books and what a doozy it was. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted 2002 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer first overall but the biggest laugher was the Minnesota Vikings failing to get their pick into the office in time. Because it was late, they dropped from 7th overall down to 9th. Thanks to Minnesota's incompetence, the Jacksonville Jaguars took Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich 7th overall and the Carolina Panthers took Utah offensive tackle Jordan Gross 8th overall. The Vikings ended up choosing Oklahoma State defensive tackle Kevin Williams. That might be who they wanted all along but if Leftwich and Gross turn into HoF players, they're going to have egg on their face forever more. As for the New England Patriots, they made a bold move when they traded the 14th overall pick they got from Buffalo in last year's Drew Bledsoe trade along with their own sixth round pick to the Chicago Bears to move up one slot to pick 13. With the 13th overall pick the Patriots took Texas A&M defensive tackle Ty Warren. Warren clogged up the middle for the Aggies in 2002 earning All-Big 12 honors and it looks like the Patriots want Bobby Hamilton and Richard Seymour at the end slots with Warren in the middle to run a 3-4 defense. With Tedy Bruschi, Roman Phifer, Mike Vrabel, Ted Johnson, Willie McGinest and Rosevelt Colvin as the linebackers, Tyrone Poole and Ty Law the corners and Rodney Harrison and Lawyer Milloy as the safeties, this could be a devastating defense next year.

                                                             13th overall - Ty Warren

With their own first round pick, the Patriots traded it to the Baltimore Ravens for their second round pick this year and a 1st round pick next year. The Ravens ended up selecting California quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th overall pick. The Ravens were a salary cap casualty in 2002 so Belichick is banking on the Ravens stinking for one more year for another high draft pick. Problem is they took Ed Reed last year and also took Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs 10th overall this year. Combined with Ray Lewis, that's going to be a defensive terror this coming season. So what did the Patriots do with the pick they got from the Ravens? They traded it along with their third round pick to the Houston Texans for their second round pick and a fourth. The Houston pick was the fourth of the second round and the Patriots selected hard hitting Illinois cornerback Eugene Wilson. Wilson was a ballhawk his sophomore and junior years, pulling in a combined 10 interceptions. So why did he fall to the second round? He only made 1 pick for Illinois his senior year on a team that went 5-7. Bad team aside, with the Patriots relying on veterans Otis Smith and free agent signing Tyrone Poole, they definitely need depth at defensive back.

                                                             36th overall - Eugene Wilson

The Texans used their pick they got from the Patriots to pick Michigan tight end Bennie Joppru. When Joppru was a freshman, his quarterback was none other than Tom Brady. The Patriots then traded their own second round pick and a fourth rounder to the Carolina Panthers to move up to 45th overall to pick Texas A&M wide receiver Bethel Johnson. Johnson was a speedster for the Aggies catching 40 passes for 718 yards and 8 touchdowns after missing most of his junior year with an injury. The Patriots receiving corps of David Patten, Troy Brown, Deion Branch and David Givens could certainly use a guy with speed like Johnson. Especially on the kick and punt returns. This might be a good pick.

                                                          45th overall - Bethel Johnson

The Patriots ended up trading their third round pick, 78th overall, to the Miami Dolphins for their second round pick next year. The Dolphins ended up taking offensive tackle Wade Smith out of Memphis University. The third round pick they sent to the Texans at 75th overall was used to select Northwest Missouri State offensive tackle Seth Wand. That officially ended the first day of the draft where Belichick wheeled and dealed. All in all they took a nosetackle, a cornerback and a receiver that they desperately needed. The Pats had no true speedsters at receivers and definitely needed a run stuffer like Warren. Replacing Tebucky Jones will definitely be Wilson....if all these guys are good enough that is.