W.T.H Were the Patriots Were Thinking? One Man's Guess.....

In Major League 2, there's a great scene when Jake Taylor brings in Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn to intentionally walk Beck so he can pitch to Jack Parkman.  Indians announcer Harry Doyle immediately says of the move,

"And they're going to walk Beck to pitch to Parkman.  Obviously Taylor's thinking... I don't know WHAT the hell he's thinking!"

Bob Uecker's famous quote stuck in my head as I watched the Patriots pass up chances to improve their weak pass rush in this year's draft.  Over the years we've all doubted Bill Belichick's personnel moves at some point, but 99.9 percent of the time, he's proven to be right.  With that in mind, let's scroll through each of the Patriots draft picks and try to decipher just what the hell the team was thinking.

Nate Solder–The Patriots offensive line has gotten thin and weak since the Jets beat them in the playoffs.  Stephen Neal retired, Matt Light is getting older and who knows what will happen with Logan Mankins?  Right now, it looks like Dan Koppen and Sebastian Vollmer are the only reliable options. In the past three playoff losses, the offensive line has been manhandled, so let's grab a tackle that every scouting reports says is great at pass protection and can punish defensive lineman in the running game. 

Ras-I-Dowling–The team should play it safe and grab another good cornerback.  Leigh Bodden is a fine player, but he missed the entire 2010 season.  What if he can't recover?  It would be idiotic to pass on Dowling, because he appears to have the size, skill, intelligence and intangibles to cover the elite receivers the team will face next year.    

Shane Vereen–The team needs to reload at the running back position in the worst way.  Before the draft, the Patriots crew of running backs was so old and thin it made Nicole Ritchie look young and fat. Fred Taylor is ancient, Sammy Morris is declining and Kevin Faulk tore his A.C.L. It would be smart to prepare just in case he can't come back. The scouting report on Vereen is so impressive, so perhaps the team thought it would be dumb to pass on him?  

Stevan Ridley–The running back position is crying out for depth.  Once you get past Danny Woodhead and Benjarvus Green Ellis all you have Thomas Clayton and he was a practice squad player.  The scouting reports say Stevan Ridley has great size, a muscular frame and doesn't go down easy.  His vision is excellent and he had a great career going against top-tier defenses in the SEC.  At the very least, Ridley could be an excellent backup/short-yardage back like Jerome Bettis was late in his career.   

Ryan Mallett–The Pats had no choice, they had grab a QB at some point in the draft simply for the sake of depth.  Tom Brady is great, but 2008 taught us that we're going to have to prepare for life without him.  Before the draft, there were only two quarterbacks on the roster.  Considering how big and hard defensive players hit, it's crazy to be that thin at the most important position in football.  The criticisms of Mallett are 100 percent valid, but all of things against him can be corrected with time and proper coaching.    

Marcus Cannon–Usually I would be leery of drafting a guy with cancer, but this time, I trust the Patriots. After all, Rob Gronkowski had back problems that caused him to miss the entire 2009 season.  Back injuries might have scared off 31 other teams, but the Patriots did their homework and he turned out great.  The scouting report on Cannon is so remarkable that I can't blame the team for taking a flier on him.    

Lee Smith - Alge Crumpler is 34 years old, coming off shoulder surgery and not the same receiver he was in Atlanta.  Let's guard against Crumpler declining by taking a tight end who has shown he's a fine receiver and bone crushing blocker.  It's easy to see why they took him, and difficult to argue against it. 

Markell Carter - He'd make a good backup rotation guy that fills out the depth chart, like Myron Prior.

Malcolm Williams - Darius Butler fairly well for a rookie in 2009, but had a horrible year in 2010 and lost his job to Kyle Arrington.  Let's be realistic, there's a chance he could be another second round bust like Terrence Wheatley.  If in fact Butler is a lost cause, let's replace him on the roster with a rookie eager to make the team.  

Like most Pats fans, I wish the Pats used one of their first round picks on a good defensive end.   I'm a little worried Ty Warren might not be the same after his hip injury.  At the same time, it's easy to see why they made each of their picks.  The team must think the defense will make the leap to great if they just get time to play together.  The 2009 draft had a couple of good picks (Chung and Vollmer) while the 2010 draft was unbelievable, so I'm back to living by the "In Bill We Trust" credo.   

Now if we only get them to end this G.D. lockout!