Asante Samuel Trade Speculation: Should the New England Patriots Make the Move?

On 2nd-and-5 in the final 1:20 of Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning doubled forward to secure a low shotgun snap. By the time he had dropped back as far as he needed to, the interior pressure from Jarvis Green had already almost got to Manning. A hurried throw to Amani Toomer was anticipated by Asante Samuel, who came up to make the play. Leaping into the air, the ball bounced off his fingers and harmlessly out of bounds.

Samuel held his head in his hands, screaming at the missed opportunity. And that is the last memory New England Patriots fans have of Samuel.

Never mind the league-leading 10 interceptions in 2006, or the All-Pro 2007 season. 

Now that Samuel is firmly on the trading block, let the "second chance at a last impression" speculation begin. This is only fueled by ESPN's Adam Schefter's claim that the asking price would be a first-round pick or two second-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Wouldn't you know, the Patriots have a spare first-round pick acquired in their trade with the New Orleans Saints, and also have two second-round picks.

They also have the cap space. According to PatsCap.com, the Patriots are between $10.5 and $13.5 million below the salary cap for 2011. This would allow them to add at least one more big-name player to the roster.

Add to that the fact that Bill Belichick is always using high picks on cornerbacks, and it looks like all the Patriots have to do is pull the trigger.

But that would be as reactionary as Manning was in the face of pressure.

If it's not the cap space, and it's not the draft picks, what's the problem?

Well, for starters, Belichick would never give up a pick that high anytime other than draft day. The value of those picks is just so much higher when it's all on the line. 

Beyond that, and as odd as it may seem, the problem would be too much talent at cornerback. 

Trading for Samuel would create a quandary at the cornerback spot. With Samuel joining roster locks Devin McCourty and Leigh Bodden, it looks like there could be a logjam back there.

Cornerback by committee might be the answer in the minds of some fans, but as we learned in his time in New England, Samuel isn't a strong nickel cornerback, so he wouldn't play there.  McCourty will usually be lined up on a team's best option, who is usually on the outside, too.

Putting Leigh Bodden in a situation to be the team's third cornerback would be counter-intuitive. Sure, he's played in the nickel a lot this preseason, but when there are two cornerbacks on the field, he is consistently one of them. He's the second-highest paid player currently on the roster, so it makes little sense for him to ride the bench in the base defense.

Sure, Belichick is never shy about benching a higher-paid player, but in this case, why bother? Bodden has been incredibly solid through training camp and in preseason action, and now seems like a strange time to shake things up in a cornerback unit that has been very strong at the top. 

The Patriots do have three cornerbacks on the field pretty frequently, running the sub package 57 percent of defensive snaps in 2010 and primed to do even more of that in 2011 with a front four built for getting after the quarterback.

They nabbed the most interceptions in the NFL last year with a front seven that ranked 22nd in Cold, Hard Football Facts' Defensive Hog Index last year.

Thank the secondary for an above-average negative pass play percentage (9.27 percent of opponent's pass plays ended in a sack or interception). The defense only clocked 36 sacks despite leading the league with 25 interceptions, and that was without Bodden.

With that in mind, it seems they have a secondary that can capitalize on opportunities with tipped balls and errant throws. 

It looks like the Patriots are set at cornerback, and even if they weren't, a first-round pick seems like a lot to give up.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. If you'll never forgive Asante Samuel for that dropped pick in Super Bowl XLII, follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.