Since I am posting stuff from Great Blue North Draft Report…

Mock Draft from January 2, 2009

* Indicates underclassman
# Team Player POS School
1 Detroit *Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma
2 St. Louis *Andre Smith OT Alabama
3 Kansas City *Matthew Stafford QB Georgia
4 Seattle *Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
5 Cleveland *Chris Wells RB Ohio State
6 Cincinnati Michael Oher OT Mississippi
7 Oakland *Vontae Davis CB Illinois
8 Jacksonville *Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri
9 Green Bay Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
10 San Francisco Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State
http://www.gbnreport.com/2009projection.html

I know you have to wait a few years before you can really evaluate a draft pick but Jamal Charles, Texas, was a 3rd round, 73rd pick and Steve Slayton, West Virginia was a 3rd round, 89th pick. Slayton was very valuable for the Texans this year. Maybe next year we will see more of what Jamal can do for the Chiefs.

ouch...

Rumor is we didn't, though it's obviously impossible to know for certain either way.

Besides, I wouldn't project Gholston's success (or lack thereof) with the Jets as being identical to what he would have enjoyed with the Patriots. I think there's more than enough evidence to show that the Patriots do a better job than most of "putting their players in a position to succeed."

:shake:

You don't understand the Patriots draft philosophy. They DON'T CARE what a guy projects to for other teams. Never have and never will.

And besides, it takes two to tango. How do you know for certain that anyone was available to trade down again? How do you knwo that the Pats didn't think that some other team might leap up in front of them to grab him. If he's clearly the best guy on their board, and he fits an OBVIOUS need (which he did) then why the **** would you risk losing him to pick up a minor pick in a late round?

If the Pats truly drafted for need, we would've drafted an LB higher years and years ago, as Pats fans keep (inaccurately) predicting. As BB says, what good is drafting for need if the guy can't fill the need?

Mayo was a happy coalescing of need and BPA, according to the PATS board, which again ignores whatever others think in terms of rankings.