2019 Patriots Offseason Thread

Regarding Burkhead, i wouldn’t bet my life on him getting cut and maybe they keep him and only 2 tight ends because they line Devlin up there and they can likely practice squad whoever they don’t keep. But I don’t think they’d worry about taking a 2m dead cap hit for him.

I also don’t like Burkhead at all so I’m biased. Other than the last drive of the SB when the rams were toast I felt like every Burkhead drive during the year was worthless

From Walter football..

252. Ken Webster, CB, Ole Miss A- Grade
Ken Webster used to be a late first-round pick in my mock draft. He had a brilliant start to his career at Ole Miss, but following an injury and an arrest, his play completely fell off. However, Webster tested extremely well at the combine, so perhaps the Patriots believe he can return to pre-2016 form. With a pick this late, why not take a shot?


The Patriots love athletic guys and they use 7th rd picks a lot to draft guys who they want as free agents. This is why I didn’t understand dumping some of their 7ths. I bet Webster is a guy they want for the practice squad or an IR stash. He’s got a ton of upside it appears and they’ve had luck with these guys

I really don't have an issue with Webster. Yet pre-2016, so 2015 form? Whatever I real don't care, I'm sure he has some upside. Fine enough pick, yet there were other guys with upside. They shouldn't have dumped those pick or why not trade for a few? If I'm a GM I want a bunch of 7th round picks every year. That way you just draft the guy and don't have to fight 32 teams. The Patriot roster is deep, most top free agents stay away.

Like how athletic is Webster? Crossen was crazy athletic wasn't he? He's a guy that will fight for a roster spot. A guy that overall impressed me last year. I would prefer better competition at weaker positions and overall I'd really like both. Which is why I'm slightly upset they punted from the 5th round on. Like we made enough picks, time to wrap this up. Yet you know they didn't get some undrafted guys they wanted. Very unlike the Patriots.

Hollister traded to Seattle for a conditional 2020 7th.

EDIT : Yates now reporting the pick is NOT conditional. NE expected to have 14 picks next year.

I certainly can't complain with more draft picks. Perhaps this gives ammo to trade up next year.

Great we can now trade up in the 3rd round next year to take a kicker.

It was a joke!

I can’t believe how many people “don’t get” the Harris pick... same people who loved the Michel pick... getting a really good back late in the third round when you’re trying to be a running team and you don’t have a legitimate second back, who runs, is a no Brainer.

I've been calling for a power running attack and improved D for two years to help Brady as he gets older. So I get the pick and his style as a big tough RB is what we needed.

That being said I get why people question the pick you can find RBs anywhere. Josh Adams went undrafted last year. Elijah Holyfield a RB a lot of people called the best inside runner in the draft went undrafted. Dexter Williams went in the 6th round and there were a bunch between those guys.

At the same time Warring went one pick before Harris and Knox went slightly after him. Those were two of the higher upside TE picks in the draft. I trust Bill and won't make a big deal out of it, yet that Harris pick was right after and before big upside guys at our biggest need position. So you can certainly debate if going TE there was a better choice, then getting a RB later. Heck you could make the case for DT also.

Most Patriot picks in this draft you can't go well he could have filled a bigger need and still got a very similar talent latter. Harris is a guy you really can with, because I didn't have basically any different grade on him compared to a fairly large group of RBs.

So just for fun;

Instead of Harris you take Knox, come back in the 5th and take Williams or another RB. I'd bet a good amount of money Cowart doesn't get drafted and is there in the 7th round. Take your punter, then use your three 7th round picks to take Cowart, Webster, and say TE Wilson. Heck double down and take Holyfield so he can battle with Williams for a roster spot.

I think Harris will do well for us, but a lot of RBs would look awesome running behind our OL next year. Is he special or just a really solid big RB? There is some debate about that and he was picked with a few guys I had second round grades on were still on the board. Like say you hate the TEs, still a lot of other players. Like Boykins and Saunders. Like who needs a TE if you had Harry, Boykins, Thomas, Gordon and Edleman in a 5 WR set. Good luck trying to guard that, no team has enough big CB to guard those guys. So if you don't see Harris as a great RB that was clearly better by a fairly wide margin to other guys I get questioning the pick. Bama RBs haven't done great in the pros. There is that worry that Bama's overall talent level made Harris look better.

I'm just giving the views I've seen online and why they hate or dislike the pick. I liked the pick.

I don't think people don't get the Jake Bailey pick. It's the context of the pick. You traded up for a punter. Why does that matter? The majority of punters went undrafted. Bill has drafted one punter in 20 plus years before Bailey. Tons of years the best punters don't even get drafted. Yet you traded up in the 5th for a punter. There's no position in the NFL that matters less than punter. Sure it matters, but there's very little difference in talent and why they don't get paid. Look at Allen he wasn't very good last year and it didn't matter. Even if Jake Bailey becomes the best NFL punter that pick isn't some massive Home run franchise altering pick. So the Patriots deserve criticism on that pick. Given all there picks I wouldn't even have said anything if not for that stupid trade up.

Bailey was rated as a 6-7th round pick and all my draft Mags said has a chance to be drafted. Mainly because teams don't draft a lot of punters and he could have easily went undrafted. I don't mind the pick. Four years of a cheap punter is a good thing if he can beat out Allen. Yet I guarantee you they passed on more impactful players long-term and traded up to do it. It's that context why people don't like the pick and why most teams don't draft punters. You know how in the world did we win six Superbowls only drafting one punter in 20 years, a guy we cut for an undrafted Allen by the way.

Not arguing against anyone here just offering some additional perspective.

The Patriots also look at players differently. We can name a million different players we like based on their raw skills etc and those players may put up big numbers in certain systems but the Patriots system is different. Based on what I can gather about Harris he fits the Patriots to a T.

- can run inside
- is a good pass blocker (this is HUGE)
- can catch the call out of the backfield
- is great with ball security
- intelligent

I also think they look at him as a potential 1a to Michel which is key for a team who wants to run a lot.

I like Boykin physical traits but roster spots are at a premium and how great are the chances he cracks the top 5 in the Patriots depth chart? I assume that’s why they didn’t use draft capital on another receiver.

Tight ends are a different story, but using them... I don’t think they want a raw project at the position that high in the draft. The top back on their board is going to help your team more than a raw Tight end. Anderson and Izzo have promise and have been in the system. If you draft a tight end in the 3rd round then he has to make the team and the guys there aren’t sure bets. I feel a lot of project tight ends went early this year. It was bad value. Wilson is the one guy I don’t get not taking a chance on because of when he went.

It won't ever stop because it's 100% true. Every year or let's say almost every year late round RBs come out of no where. This isn't just one guy like a Tom Brady that happened once. It's why no one says you can find a QB anywhere in the draft, because overall that really isn't true.

Last year where was the RB to get over a 1,000 yards and have the best yards per carry among that group drafted?

He wasn't, it was undrafted Phillip Lindsay, 1037 yards, 5.4 yards per carry. Also undrafted Josh Adams 511 yards 4.3 yards per carry in limited action. This isn't well there was Terrell Davis, once 20 years ago

There's certainly RB tiers that greatly increase how good a RB will be. Example your super elite Barkley type guys. Yet overall it's still the one position where you can find great value all over the draft every year. You know it's true because teams have adjusted how they draft over the years. Do you remember 20 years ago?  People debated the Barkley pick, heck they are still debating even though he was crazy good. Times have changed, teams did those studies and didn't like what they found.

I like the Harris pick, yet his success rate isn't much higher than a ton of RBs taken after him. Which is the reason why people are harping at that pick. That along with the fact we have a stud RB taken in the first round last year.