New England Patriots 2015 Draft: The Good, the Bad and the Baffling
Some picks in the 2015 NFL draft make you nod your head. Some picks make you shake your head. Others make you scratch your head.
Like just about every team, the New England Patriots had an assortment of all three kinds of picks this year. It's not just the picks that are worthy of agreement or disagreement; sometimes, it's the players that a team passes up or the trades it makes in lieu of making a selection.
For the purposes of this article, we'll define "the good" as a pick that filled a need with a talented player that fits the scheme or a trade that collected good value; "the bad" is defined as a pick that did not fill a need or was not a scheme fit, or a trade that did not net enough value; and "the baffling" is defined as any pick or trade that is simply confusing—not necessarily "good" or "bad," but one that will need time before it becomes clear exactly what the team was thinking.
So, which moves were "good," which were "bad" and which were "baffling?"
The Good: Drafting Malcom Brown
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The Patriots have been very successful when drafting defensive linemen in the first round. Every time they've done so under Bill Belichick (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014), they've won the Super Bowl that season.
Whether they win the Super Bowl or not will probably not be based entirely on how well defensive tackle Malcom Brown plays as a rookie, but the Patriots certainly helped their chances by drafting a talented player at a position of need.
The 32nd overall pick of the draft can be a tough spot because of the value attached to those first-round picks, but the lack of top prospects available at each position can be disconcerting. Malcom Brown was told he could be picked as early as No. 7 overall, so the Patriots may have found great value with Brown.
For the Patriots to add a 6'2", 320-pound versatile defensive lineman who could feasibly replace Vince Wilfork with the No. 32 pick is quite the heist.
The Bad: Drafting a Navy Long Snapper in the 5th Round
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Take nothing away from Navy long snapper Joe Cardona. By all accounts, he's a good long snapper; his snaps were clocked at 41 miles per hour, which is "outstanding," according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
That being said, the Patriots don't even know if or when Cardona will be available to play, as he could be forced to fulfill obligations to the Navy for the next two years, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The Patriots made eight selections during the course of the draft, which didn't leave them very much room to sign undrafted free agents, so they were in a unique position—if they wanted someone, they had to draft him.
It's usually naive to be critical of when a player was selected, because we don't know how other teams have graded that prospect, but there's no reason to think that Cardona wouldn't have been available later in the draft.
The Baffling: Jordan Richards in the Second Round
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Well, the Patriots found a way to surprise us all. Again.
It seems like every year, one of the Patriots' selections on the second day of the draft is devoted to making everyone in New England—and across the nation—scratch their head and ask simply, "Who?"
The legacy of surprising second-day safeties like Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon continues with Stanford's Jordan Richards.
Indeed, the Patriots' selection of Richards is very Belichickian in more ways than one—and not just because he ran one of the five fastest three-cone drills among safeties at the combine. Yes, Belichick's affinity for players who time well in the three-cone drill spans back several years, but his penchant for drafting players who are like coaches on the field spans back even further.
Richards' teammates called him "Coach Richards," according to ESPN's post-pick analysis, thanks to his extensive knowledge of the defense and his ability to help his teammates get lined up. He was also voted as a team captain, a sign of his leadership qualities.
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The Good: Beefing Up the Front 7
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Most of the Patriots selections in the 2015 NFL draft were geared toward beefing up the depth chart in the front seven. The Patriots didn't necessarily acquire a lot of starting-level talent in that respect—though defensive tackle Malcom Brown should be an instant starter in the Patriots defense.
What they did acquire, however, were a lot of players who could factor into the rotation at their position from an early stage. That's the way the Patriots like it; they don't want to put a heavy burden on their rookies to make a big impact. They would rather give those players some time to acclimate to the NFL.
Players like Oklahoma's Geneo Grissom, Arkansas' Trey Flowers and Mississippi State's Matthew Wells will all play some kind of role in the Patriots defense. Grissom and Flowers will be a part of a rotation at defensive end/outside linebacker that will help alleviate some of the pressure on Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich to play every snap.
Wells could be a key linebacker in the nickel package due to his athleticism and impressive ability in coverage—according to Pro Football Focus, Wells yielded 21 completions on 43 throws into his coverage (48.8 percent) for 212 yards, no touchdowns and six passes defensed.
Some fans may be disappointed by the Patriots' inactivity at cornerback, but by adding so many versatile, talented defenders to the front seven, the Patriots may have found the salve for their woes on pass defense. Not only can they field a more aggressive pass rush, but they can also be incredibly versatile with their deployment of a deep personnel group up front.
That's the way (uh huh, uh huh) Belichick likes it (uh huh, uh huh).
The Good: Building for the Future
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It's one of the hallmarks of Bill Belichick's draft philosophy.
Forget team needs. The Patriots want to draft good players who will help the team over the course of their careers, not just this year.
The Patriots could have jumped at the first cornerback that was available. They could have "reached" (although I hate that term) for a guard much earlier than the fourth round.
Instead, they bided their time and waited for the right players to fall to them at the right spots. Instead of focusing on needs, they focused on building depth at key positions that needed an infusion of youth. Instead of drafting players to start in 2015, they drafted players who will contribute in 2015 and could potentially start in 2016 or 2017.
Make no mistake: There will be some rookies starting for the Patriots this year. The best candidates are Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown and Florida State guard Tre' Jackson. For the most part, though, the Patriots' draft picks will learn for a year before their roles begin to steadily increase down the line.
The Good: Double-Dip on Offensive Line
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The Patriots have double-dipped on the interior of the offensive line in each of the past two years. Last year, it was center Bryan Stork in the fourth round and guard Jon Halapio in the sixth round. This year, it's Florida State guard Tre' Jackson and Georgia Tech guard Shaq Mason both being selected in the fourth round.
There's no denying that guard is a position of need for the Patriots. Dan Connolly remains an unsigned free agent, and the only "true" guards on the roster are Jordan Devey and Josh Kline. Ryan Wendell converted from center in 2014 but has spent his entire career at center up to this point.
Even if the Patriots are banking on Wendell forging forward as a guard and even if they still think they can re-sign Connolly, guard is still a need. At the very least, the Patriots should be looking to develop solid depth behind those two in the event that one or both spend some time off the field nursing injuries.
Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by CBSSports.com and NFL.com.
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