Who the New England Patriots Could Have Had in the '08 Draft

By (Featured Columnist) on June 1, 2009

438 reads

4

Previous
1 of 12
Next
NEW YORK - APRIL 26:  National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell introduces the first overall pick during the 2008 NFL Draft on April 26, 2008 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York.  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

This is by far the most speculative article I've ever written here at the Bleacher Report, but the topic has really got me intrigued. I don't think I have to go into deep specifics about Cameragate as they are deeply ingrained already.

We all know the Patriots had a first-round draft pick removed as a result among other fines. I do not intend to cause anything other than reflection much like looking back at a trade that didn't work.

This slide show will be a review of who the Patriots would have had the opportunity to select in between the 31st pick which was removed by the NFL and their Second Round pick, selection No. 62 (CB Terrance Wheately).

I could do this a number of different ways like on the basis of who could have helped them the most last year or this year, but I'm going a simpler route.

I'll give you a top 10 of how I would rank the players selected in that time span that the Patriots could have had based off of their performances last year and not on New England's needs.

44th Selection: Matt Forte

MINNEAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 30:  Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome on November 30, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears stole Forte with the 44th pick. The running back put up 1238 rushing yards along with eight rushing touchdowns for them last season.

Further increasing his value and cementing him as the top player the Patriots missed out on were his 63 receptions, 477 yards, and four more touchdowns in the passing game.

49th Selection: Eddie Royal

DENVER - SEPTEMBER 21:  Wide receiver Eddie Royal #19 of the Denver Broncos is unable to stay inbounds as he makes a reception in the endzone as corner back Mike McKenzie #34 of the New Orleans Saints defends during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile Hig

Wide Receiver Eddie Royal was on from the get go. He nearly set an NFL rookie record for receptions in a season finishing with 91 which was good enough for second all time.

His 980 yards and five touchdowns are both Broncos rookie records. His season was good enough to place seventh in the league among wide receivers in receptions, and sixth in the NFL in total yards.

Hard not to put him first for a lot of reasons including him assisting me in my fantasy football championship.

49th Selection: DeSean Jackson

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - JANUARY 11:  DeSean Jackson #10 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a pass in the fourth quarter against Corey Webster #23 of the New York Giants during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 11, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rut

DeSean Jackson may have the "can't score" stigma attached to him, but there's no denying the guy can and did produce. His 62 receptions went for an average of 14.7 yards giving him 912 on the year.

He reached paydirt twice via the passing game and once on a punt return. He also had 440 return yards for the Eagles.

38th Selection: John Carlson

MIAMI - NOVEMBER 09:  Safety Yeremiah Bell #37 of the Miami Dolphins knocks the ball away from tight end John Carlson #89 of the Seattle Seahawks on a failed two-point conversion at Dolphin Stadium on November 9, 2008 in Miami, Florida. The Dolphins defea

John Carlson had a slow and somewhat inconsistent start to his season, but when he was relied on he came through big for the Seahakws.

He caught 55 balls for 627 yards and five touchdowns. He was one of the best tight ends in the league and one of the lone bright spots for an otherwise struggling offense and team.

35th Selection: Brandon Flowers

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 21:  Receiver Anthony Fasano #80 of the Miami Dolphins lunges for the end-zone scoring the game-winning touchdown as Tank Tyler #93 and Brandon Flowers #24 of the Kansas City Chiefs defend during the game on December 21, 2008 at

Many dismiss the Chiefs and their defense based on inexperience and inability. They may be young, but KC's secondary is anything but bad and safety Brandon Flowers is a big part of that secondary. He racked up 69 tackles and an interception in his rookie season.

31st Selection: Kenny Phillips

Display_image

Kenny Phillips was drafted by the 2007 Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants with the 31st pick of the 2008 draft.

That was the selection that ended the first round because of the Patriots absence from their normal slot. Phillips went on to grab 67 tackles and an interception for the Giants.

37th Selection: Curtis Lofton

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 14:  Linebacker Curtis Lofton #50 of the Atlanta Falcons lines up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers  at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Hailing from the Oklahoma Sooners Curtis Lofton jumped right into another red uniform as he was drafted by the Falcons. The fast and agile linebacker collected 94 tackles in Atlanta's defense and continued his trend of putting up big numbers and being a force to pay attention to.

33rd Selection: Donnie Avery

ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 19:  Donnie Avery #17 of the St. Louis Rams looks to catch the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during their NFL game at Edward Jones Dome on October 19, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Rams defeated the Cowboys 34-14.  (Photo by Dili

Dealing with injury issues early on in the season held Donnie Avery back a bit, but it would be fair to say he came back. He scored five times for the lowly Rams offense even doing so rushing once. He nearly led the team in receptions with 53 and yards with 674 as well.

55th Selection: Ray Rice

PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18:  Ray Rice #27 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against Lawrence Timmons #94 and James Farrior #51 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Ray Rice compiled 454 yards rushing and 273 yards receiving on 33 receptions for the Baltimore Ravens in a very crowded backfield as a rookie. That's something to take notice of.

He battled for snaps all year long and had his fair share of droughts, but also showed signs of a Perennial Pro-Bowler at times.

54th Selection: Jason Jones

GREEN BAY, WI - AUGUST 28: Ryan Keenan #51 of the Green Bay Packers attempts to block Jason Jones #91 of the Tenessee Titans on August 28, 2008 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Titans defeated the Packers 23-21. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Gett

Jason Jones quietly put up a very good season for the Titans in 2008. As a defensive linemen his tackling opportunities are diminished but he managed 31 wrap ups.

He also collected five sacks and three forced fumbles to go along with that. All together an impressive rookie campaign.

Begin Slideshow
Keep Reading
Flag
Props (0)
This article is

What is the duplicate article?

Why is this article offensive?

Where is this article plagiarized from?

Why is this article poorly edited?

Flag This Article
New England Patriots New England Patriots: Like this team?
Crop_45x45
or to post a comment

4 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading comments...
just now posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

Advertising
New England Patriots

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address

Thanks for signing up.

Every Team's Ideal Free Agency Pickup Hint: you can use arrow keys to navigate through this channel.