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2011 NFL Draft Results Could Mean the End of Bill Belichick Era Thanks to Ryan Mallett

Ryan Mallett tumbled down draft boards for a reason: teams don't trust him.

The former Arkansas quarterback and now New England Patriot has always had an attitude that may turn some people "off".

As Mallett's tumble continued there was one coach crazy, daring and inventive enough to put a stop to it once and for all, Bill Belichick.

We know Belichick it the master of draft trading, we know he almost always puts his team in the best position to win, but he does not always have the best track record with draft picks and this gamble could hurt him.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Belichick has shown the ability to recognize a loss when he sees one (Randy Moss), but he's played it risky with the Patriot quarterback situation for a long time behind Tom Brady and Mallett could be the one player to bring it all crashing down.

He has the physical tools and that is half the problem, he's going to want to see how good Mallett can be when his chance comes.

We know no coach lasts forever (well JoePa but) Belichick's reign in New England will one day come to an end. 

The Patriots have not won a playoff game since the AFC title game during their 18-0 run to Super Bowl XLII and eventually something has to give.

If/when Tom Brady is ready to go, if Belichick still wants it, his fate could very well be tied to the right arm and attitude of Ryan Mallett.

Well looking at the big picture, is that a risk worth taking?

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2011 NFL Draft Results Says Ryan Mallett Could Be in Trouble As Tom Brady's Backup

The New England Patriots are arguably the favorite in the AFC for 2011.

Tom Brady is a Hall of Fame quarterback, he could easily walk away with two or more Super Bowl rings and might go down as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

We look at Ryan Mallett, latest quarterback to fall victim to the massive draft day drop, and what this means for him.

On one hand, it is a great opportunity to sit and learn from one of the greatest to ever play the game.

On the other, it could be trouble.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Mallett is likely going to have a ton of expectation heaped on him, something similar to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, by the time Brady is done.

Belichick could be all but done by the time Mallett is ready to take over.

Or it could go the other way and Mallett could be on the bench too long, never get an opportunity to grow and things could turn ugly from there.

It is an interesting situation and the Patriots have the opportunity to turn this into something great for themselves and Mallett.

However, there is still the chance that this turns out badly for all involved.

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2011 NFL Draft Results Breaks Down Ryan Mallett's Impact on New England Patriots in Second Round

Ryan Mallett fell and fell down the draft board into the arms of one of the most unlikely suitors, the New England Patriots.

The strong-armed Arkansas quarterbacks' attitude problems caused a Jimmy Clausen-like drop to the third round and the Patriots, with a plethora of picks, came in the rescue chopper.

Tom Brady is obviously not in danger of stopping his elite play any time soon, but Belichick knows what he is doing (although the two running back picks are head scratchers) and this pick is as good an insurance policy as possible.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Two things can be taken away from this pick. Bill Belichick is a bit nervous about his future or he is excited about his future.

I think he's excited and if you really look behind the curtain of this pick you realize that the Patriots, masters of acquiring picks, saw an elite talent fall down the board beyond imagination and realize for their future they may never get a shot at another quarterback this good later on.

This is isn't a desperation pick by Belchick, this is a genius pick.

The Patriots have their heir to Tom Brady, and if you don't know it yet, now you do.

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NFL Draft Results Sees New York Giants Take Big Gamble on Marvin Austin in Second Round

The New York Giants are a team that stick to their guns when it comes to drafting and those guns scream one thing: value.

After Prince Amukamara fell down the draft board the Giants gobbled him up.

Previous years we have seen the Giants go after defensive ends time and time again despite having tons of talent at the position.

New York's biggest needs this year were offensive tackle and linebacker, guess what, they still are.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Last year the Giants drafted a defensive end and a defensive tackle in the first and second rounds, Jason Pierre-Paul and Linval Joseph.

The Giants are also one of the teams notoriously strict on character.

They give some of the toughest pre-draft interviews and have little tolerance for nonsense.

So, what do the Giants do here, they draft a major character concern in Marvin Austin.

For a team with major needs at other positions, and defensive tackle is a small need, this is surprising.

Austin has undeniable talent, but the Giants will have to babysit him early in New York City if they think this is going to work.

There is a limit to how important value is, I think the Giants might have crossed it here.

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2011 NFL Draft Results Compares Broncos and Buccaneers Defensive Selections in NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers set out to make their defenses better in the NFL draft.

Both organizations are heading in different directions and the Broncos are getting ready for the 2011 season with a new decision maker, John Elway, and new head coach, John Fox.

The defense will shift to a 4-3 and they will be looking to turn the league's worst unit into at least a competent unit.

As for the Bucs, they are an improving team with a respected head coach that has turned this team around in a very short time behind the arm of Josh Freeman.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Denver took Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller and UCLA safety Raheem Moore with two of their three picks (went with offensive guard Orlando Franklin with the other).

The Buccaneers needed pass rush help and decided that the play of Adrian Clayborn was good enough for pick No. 20.

Then, it was all about Da'Quan Bowers, the Clemson defensive end that lead the nation in sacks. Bowers fell deep into the second round and the Buccaneers decided that slide was far enough.

Looking at both teams, and their needs, they both made major moves to help themselves.

However, the Broncos are awful against the run and neither nor Moore will really help there.

The Bucs have a chance to have to great pass rusher out of this draft to pair next to last year's defensive tackles.

Much like the Detroit Lions with Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh, look for Bucs to have a dominant defensive line for the next five years if Bowers can regain some form of health.

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NFL Draft Results Finally Finds a Home for Da'Quan Bowers in Second Round of NFL Draft

Well, it was a long, long fall for the nation's leading sack man, but Da'Quan Bowers finally has a home.

Approximately an entire round later than anticipated, Bowers' fall ends with a team in major need of pass rush help.

The Buccaneers landed Adrian Clayborn at No. 20 but still felt they needed pass rush help and found it worthy to gamble on the nation's leading sack artist.

Bowers, only a junior, racked up 15.5 sacks at Clemson alongside another second round pick, Jarvis Jenkins.

Must Read: Complete Results, Reactions and Grades for 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Bowers' knee issue is a serious cause for concern and many teams believe he may only be a one-contract player.

The Buccaneers can now actually afford to gamble on him with Clayborn on the roster and they could easily benefit from two pass rushers more than any other position.

He may only be at full health for a short time, but the Bucs are starting to mold themselves into a very serious threat to win football games right now.

It is about time Bowers came off the board and I'd say the Bucs made a great decision at this point.

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NFL Draft Results Grades Colin Kaepernick to San Francisco 49ers in Second Round of NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers passed on a quarterback in the first round because they obviously had their eyes on Colin Kaepernick.

Aldon Smith was a potential based pick in the first round and so is Kaepernick.

Grade: B

The Nevada gunslinger is extremely smart, will work to be a great player and has a cannon for an arm.

Must Read: Which Big Names Will Come Off the Board in Day Two

Kaepernick was a huge production guy at Nevada but he has a huge learning curve transitioning to the NFL.

This is going to come down to how well coach Harbaugh can develop him and how quickly he can do it.

The 49ers have a lot of developmental talent being added to a team that could actually compete soon.

Not sure how I feel about all this for the short term.

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NFL Draft Results Grades Andy Dalton to Cincinnati Bengals As Home Run Pick in Second Round

The Cincinnati Bengals hit on the best wide receiver in the draft at No. 4 and now have to find someone to throw him the football.

So, the Bengals sat tight and got TCU's Andy Dalton to do just that.

Grade: A

I rate this high for two reasons: 1) the Bengals didn't panic as the other quarterbacks came off the board and 2) they got the best player for what they do.

Must Read: Which Big Names Will Come Off the Board in Day Two

With Andy Dalton the Benals at least know what they are going to get.

Had they gambled on Ryan Mallett or Colin Kaepernick they would have had to deal with a few major question marks and development issues.

Bengals have a great set of building blocks for the their next era of football.

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NFL Draft Results Grades Aaron Williams to Buffalo Bills in Second Round of NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills have needs at tight end, pass rusher, quarterback, offensive line and secondary.

Well, of all those positions the least likely to come off the board would be cornerback, but the Bills couldn't pass on value.

Texas' Aaron Williams, a first round talent, has special teams ability and could play safety if need be.

Must Read: Which Big Names Will Come Off the Board in Day Two

Grade: B

I give it a B only because it wasn't the most glaring need and there are other players they could have taken.

That said, he's a great value and a great player that could easily excel in the slot quickly.

The Bills still have a long way to go but at least they jumping on high value players that they feel good about.

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NFL Draft Results Grades Ras-I Dowling to New England Patriots in Second Round in NFL Draft

The New England Patriots kick off Round 2 with a surprising position pick, but a great player nonetheless.

The Patriots did not need a cornerback but found a great value with this pick and jumped on it.

They didn't trade out, which is a bit surprising, but they have to make use of their picks eventually.

Must Read: Which Big Names Will Come Off the Board in Day Two

Grade: B

Ras-I Dowling is a top-25 talent that has been riddled by injuries for majority of his college career.

He's got the size, speed and ball skills to make an immediate impact for this team.

This a typical New England Patriots pick and we know that Belichick will try and get him out there early on despite not being a major position of need.