Forbes: Patriots are the worst drafting team in the NFL since 2006

[Quesadilla Joe]

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal..._pats_one.html
There are different ways to gauge how successful teams are in the NFL Draft, and Forbes has come up with its own fomula rating the league's 32 teams over the last three years.

Based on that formula, which heavily weighs how many draft picks remain on a team's roster, the Patriots rank as the NFL's worst drafting team.

"The bottom five will surprise fans most. The worst drafting team in the past three years, holding on to only a little more than half of its drafted players: the New England Patriots. With three Super Bowl wins since 2001, the Patriots are the team of the decade so far. They boast a 39-9 record in the past three years. How have they maintained that excellence? Though saddled with low draft picks, the Patriots have been the masters of picking up useful veteran free agents--players whose contracts have expired, making them eligible to sign with any team--to fill holes in their lineup (see: receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker)."

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal..._pats_one.html

This article, which was passed along by a reader (thanks Ken), sheds a different light on the strong reputation that the Patriots have regarding personnel acumen.

Certainly, other factors must be considered, such as: 1) Because the Patriots have had a stocked roster there have been fewer opportunities for rookies; 2) Rookie free agents like Pierre Woods and Gary Guyton aren't accounted for; 3) Technically, Wes Welker was the team's second-round draft choice in 2007, and Randy Moss was the team's fourth-round draft choice in 2007 (those players were acquired with those picks).

But even with those points in mind, the article by Forbes makes one pause and consider if the team has missed some opportunities -- particularly in 2006 and 2007.

It would be hard to argue that those drafts were the team's best work.

Here is the Forbes link. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/08/nfl...hisSpeed=30000

[Brock]

Wes Welker wasn't a free agent. Forgive me if I'm skeptical. EDIT- Neither was Randy Moss, this guy's a dumbass.

[Hootie]

Too bad Moss and Welker weren't free agents...they used draft picks to acquire them.

Epic fail by Forbes.

[dirk digler]

The Donkey's were rated the 3rd best but still suck. The Steelers were rated the 3rd worst

[Dartgod]

DAMMIT, SCOTT!!

[Hootie]

Hey Cutler (cool name), are you a Bears fan?

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Shouldn't it be orton7624 now?

[Hootie]

You suck, Donkey fan!

[beach tribe]

No NO Cutler sucks now, just ask him.

[LaChapelle]

Let me see if I have this right.

1) Patriot's drafts suck so Pioli sucks

2) Even though the Patriots drafts are the worst. McDaniels can take a 7th rounder from that dung heap and make him a winner. McDaniels is genius.

So to some up, Broncos rule, Chiefs suck.

[veist]

Wow, what a joke. Their formula is "who has the most of their drafted players, that makes them the best at drafting". So many things wrong with that it makes me want to punch someone.

[T-post Tom]

Well judging by the Patriot fans' comments on the link, Forbes really screwed the pooch when they paid that writer.

[nychief]

well, it stands to reason that fewer draft picks will make the final 53 on a very good team.

[blaise]

I think Forbes was the magazine that said Kevin McHale was the top General Manager in sports a couple of years ago.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/02/spo...0302gms_2.html

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

Well judging by the Patriot fans' comments on the link, Forbes really screwed the pooch when they paid that writer.

Well, the formula's got a million problems.

Here's why the Patriots were dead last (a few of the reasons, anyway):

1. start date. They looked at the last 3 years only. If they went back just one more year -- to four years ago -- then you pick up Pro Bowler Logan Mankins, and three starters -- CB Hobbs, ROT Kaczur and S Sanders. You also get some dooooofus named Matt Cassel, but of course, that wouldn't matter because....

2. the ONLY criteria for whether it's a good draft is (a) you drafted the guy, and (b) he's still with your team. Using that formula, the Patriots get ZERO credit for a guy like Cassell (who didn't count nayway because he only goes back three years). For that matter, the Giants and Bolts would get zip for Manning/Rivers because they didn't KEEP the guy they drafted. To Forbes' mind, the difference between drafting Philip Rivers (and trading him for Eli Manning) and drafting Ryan Leaf -- none.

3. Patriots get ZERO credit for using draft picks to acquire established players. We traded picks to get these two flunkies named Moss and Welker. According to Forbes, it counts as much as drafting Joe da Suck and Wally Washout. No credit for that, none.

4. As a result -- in 2007 we had ONE pick in the first three rounds. Big surprise that alot of those 4-7th rounders didn't stick with a team that had an undefeated regular season and was iwthin a minute or so of winning the Super Bowl.

Seriously -- they almost had to specifically design a formula to hose the Pats to come up with this...

All that said, nobody is going to argue that 2006/07 were the Patriots' best drafting years. They obviously weren't. But how the hell many guys (other than Hamas) would argue that a 2nd and 7th for Welker and a 4th for MOss were a bad idea?!?!?!?!?!?!?