The 2005 NFL Draft kicked off this afternoon with the San Francisco 49ers making a bold move by selecting Utah quarterback Alex Smith first overall. The odds on favorite to go first was California quarterback Aaron Rodgers but the Niners chose Smith instead. A lot of teams took running backs early such as Miami (Ronnie Brown), Chicago (Cedric Benson) and Tampa Bay (Cadillac Williams) and Detroit once again took a wide receiver in Mike Williams. The Patriots picked last in the first round and replaced Joe Andruzzi with Fresno State offensive guard Logan Mankins. Mankins damn near won the Outland Trophy his sophomore year in 2002 but suffered a devastating knee injury that wiped out his 2003 season. He came back to make All-WAC in 2004. With the Patriots needing a new guard to go with Matt Light and Dan Koppen on the left side, Mankins fills that role perfectly. Hopefully he can stay healthy this season.
The Patriots traded their second round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for Baltimore's third and sixth round picks this year and a 3rd round pick in next year's draft. The Ravens selected Syracuse offensive tackle Adam Terry with the 64th overall pick. In the third round, the Patriots used the pick they got from the Ravens to select Iowa State cornerback Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs was first team All-Big 12 his senior year while compiling 209 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 29 pass deflections as a three year starter. He also was a vaunted kick returner with 490 yards in returns. If Duane Starks is the established corner to replace Ty Law, taking a flyer on Hobbs might work out considering Asante Samuel has also found success. Good luck to Hobbs this coming season.
With the third round pick they got from the Patriots in the Starks trade, the Arizona Cardinals picked Virginia linebacker Darryl Blackstock. The Patriots got one of the picks in the third round supplemental draft and they used it to pick Toledo offensive tackle Nick Kaczur. This was an interesting pick as Kaczur didn't go to college directly after high school, he spent two years working construction. Then he went to Toledo and dominated on the offensive line, earning All-MAC honors three years in a row from 2002-04. The MAC isn't exactly the best competition but you gotta be good to be one of the best players 3 years in a row. If Tom Ashworth gets hurt or regresses, having Kaczur to fall back on is never a bad thing.
That concludes the first day of the draft for the Patriots and they might have scored big time with these picks. They needed to replace Joe Andruzzi and Ty Law and they have. Whether or not they develop will be determined with time but at least the Patriots are making the effort. Tomorrow will bring the depth pieces.
No comments:
Post a Comment