Draft history what could have been.

[Rambos]

Looking back you just don’t know, who will do what. I’m not saying the guys we passed on did better or not.

2001 Round 1 Damione Lewis pass on Marcus Stroud,
2001 Round 1 Adam Archuleta pass on Nate Clements
2001 Round 1 Ryan Pickett pass on Kyle Vanden Bosch

2002 Round 1 Robert Thomas pass on LeCharles Bentley

2003 draft. Round 1 Kennedy pass on Troy Polamalu SS

I would have loved to have Bentley here over Thomas.

Do you draft for need over talent at another position?


Sometimes you draft for need and still can’t fill it.


Yeah I know it’s easy to go back and pick guys that played well, vs. guys that have not lived up to the position taken in the draft. I just hope the guy we take is not the one that does not live up to his draft position.

[AvengerRam]

There isn't a team in the league that can't play "coulda-shoulda" with past draft choices.

For the record, though, I'd still take Pickett over Vanden Bosch.

[Rambos]

Yeah but would you take Thomas over Bentley?

[chiguy]

IIRC, people panned the Polamalu pick when it was made.

[tomahawk247]

Looking back you just don’t know, who will do what. I’m not saying the guys we passed on did better or not.

2001 Round 1 Damione Lewis pass on Marcus Stroud,
2001 Round 1 Adam Archuleta pass on Nate Clements
2001 Round 1 Ryan Pickett pass on Kyle Vanden Bosch

2002 Round 1 Robert Thomas pass on LeCharles Bentley

2003 draft. Round 1 Kennedy pass on Troy Polamalu SS

I would have loved to have Bentley here over Thomas.

Do you draft for need over talent at another position?


Sometimes you draft for need and still can’t fill it.


Yeah I know it’s easy to go back and pick guys that played well, vs. guys that have not lived up to the position taken in the draft. I just hope the guy we take is not the one that does not live up to his draft position.

You missed out some other ones. For example, Kris Jenkins was taken after Pickett and Lewis, so the Rams could have been looking at a defensive tackle partnership of Marcus Stroud and Kris Jenkins.

Its only now that you would question picking Arch, but he was great for us, and i think he still will be. And Vanden Bosch has only been good this one last season. He has been injured pretty much everyother year.

Robert Thomas was just a terrible pick all round.

I would love to have a backfield of Arch and Polamalu, but at the time Defensive Tackle was a much bigger need. However, had we picked up Stroud and Jenkins, then Kennedy wouldn't be anywhere near the Rams.


But like some people have said, its easy to look back and say where we went wrong now, but at the time most of those were good picks

[HUbison]

As mentioned before, every single team can make a similar list. For example,

The Patriots....
2005 - took Logan Mankins....could have had Lofa Tatupu or Odell Thurman
2004 - took Vince Wilfork.....could have had Tatum Bell, Julius Jones or Bob Sanders
2003 - took Eugene Wilson.....could have had Ken Hamlin or Anquan Boldin

Every team out there has an entire list of players picked after them that worked out better than their pick. And here's the kicker......I guarantee this year, we will pick someone who isn't as good as someone picked after them.

[tomahawk247]

As mentioned before, every single team can make a similar list. For example,

The Patriots....
2005 - took Logan Mankins....could have had Lofa Tatupu or Odell Thurman
2004 - took Vince Wilfork.....could have had Tatum Bell, Julius Jones or Bob Sanders
2003 - took Eugene Wilson.....could have had Ken Hamlin or Anquan Boldin

Every team out there has an entire list of players picked after them that worked out better than their pick. And here's the kicker......I guarantee this year, we will pick someone who isn't as good as someone picked after them.

Well the only problem with your list is that Mankins, Wilfork and Wilson have actually been very good players.
Mankins was a very good player for the Pats this year, so much so he got himself a nomination for Offensive Rookie of the Year, which although not on a par with what Thurman and Tatupu did, it shows he wasn't a bad choice.

Wilfork has been a very good NT for the Pats, and has been a far superior player then Tatum Bell and Julius Jones, although Bob Sanders has probably pushed himself to be ing better then Wilfork after last year.

Anquan Boldin is good, but Tom Brady doesn't need good receivers. An Ken Hamlin might not even play football again. So Eugene Wilson isn't a bad choice for the Pats either

[Rambos]

but at the time Defensive Tackle was a much bigger need. However

This was my point, if you get so focused on NEED you can miss out on some good players. Yes all teams can look back and say we could have had this guy or that guy. But only if they where considering taking the best player on the board and not limit their pick to a specific need.

[HUbison]

Well the only problem with your list is that Mankins, Wilfork and Wilson have actually been very good players.
Mankins was a very good player for the Pats this year, so much so he got himself a nomination for Offensive Rookie of the Year, which although not on a par with what Thurman and Tatupu did, it shows he wasn't a bad choice.

Wilfork has been a very good NT for the Pats, and has been a far superior player then Tatum Bell and Julius Jones, although Bob Sanders has probably pushed himself to be ing better then Wilfork after last year.

Anquan Boldin is good, but Tom Brady doesn't need good receivers. An Ken Hamlin might not even play football again. So Eugene Wilson isn't a bad choice for the Pats either

The point is every team passes up better players. Mankins had a good rookie year, but Thurman and Tatupu were better. Wilfork has been a decent NT, but Bell, Sanders & Jones have been just as good if not better. As for Eugene Wilson, he has been solid and underrated if anything. However, Hamlin, playing the same position, looked just as good or better than Wilson before the bar fight. And if you're telling me that a team can predict a draftee will be injured in a bar fight three years later, I'll be impressed. And really there is no comparison between Wilson and Boldin.....Boldin is worlds ahead of Wilson at this point.

Again, the point is not that every team drafts poorly. From my example, I'd say the Patriots do a fine job of drafting. However, every year, we can find selections they made that left better producers on the table. Just as we can with every team in the NFL.