Going to bed thinking about the draft
The 2008 NFL draft is this weekend.
New England Patriots needs are, in order: Linebacker, cornerback, tight end, fullback, and quarterback (backup quarterback, to be specific).
Ideally, the Patriots would send their first-round pick (the seventh overall) and a 2009 second-round pick to Cincinnati Bengals for malcontent wide receiver Chad Johnson. Then they would use their second round pick this year to draft tight end John Carlson from Notre Dame. You might ask how getting a wide receiver and a tight end addresses the need at linebacker and cornerback? It doesn’t, but it would make the offense even more potent than it was last year and it hopefully add punch to the run blocking (and to avoid breakdowns like this one against Indianapolis Colts last year).
Since that isn’t likely to happen, I hope the Patriots draft USC linebacker Keith Rivers at seventh. If LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey is available at that spot, which is highly unlikely, they should get him. If Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is available they should take him. Since neither of those three players likely to be available, the Patriots should pick the highest rated linebacker available. Some people have more or less fallen in love with Vernon Gholston, but he strikes me as a one-note player, a poor man’s Dwight Freeney, if you will (here’s a Gholston highlight reel). It is true that the Patriots could use a speed-rusher to complement the plodding Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel, but I think the defense overall would gain more from getting a versatile linebacker, preferably a versatile inside linebacker.
The one pick that would be somewhat disappointing would be drafting a cornerback with the first round pick.
