PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

The NFL Draft: Here We Go Again

by

I think I’ll start my draft research today. I’ve gotten plenty of questions about specific prospects but I don’t pay any attention to college football or the draft until now, when the Pats’ season is over.

I find that three-plus months is more than enough time for the goat rodeo that goes on each spring. There are plenty of draftniks out there that study far more film than I do and they do it year-round. 

I don’t claim to be an expert at scouting, I only claim to understand the kind of players that fit the Patriots scheme and the kind of players that they look for. If you want to see how I’ve done in each of the last three seasons with my Patriots draft board, you can find out here: 2011, 2012, 2013.

Draft analysis has almost become a competitive sport at this point, but I just try to do it for myself for fun.  People get so attached to prospects, angered at random mock drafts, or into vehement arguments regarding who will be drafted where. At the end of the draft, almost everyone is 90% wrong about everything.

Here’s a secret – even the NFL teams don’t really know what they’re doing, much less the countless amateur draftniks out there. Again, I don’t want to take away from all the hard work that many out there do, but trying to predict the completely unpredictable and then getting mad about those who disagree is silly.

A huge percentage of these prospects we spend so much time debating will be out of the NFL in a matter of years, if not months. And that one player you love for the Patriots? Yeah, they’re probably not going to draft him.

So let’s just try to have fun with it. My favorite part of the draft is when it’s over and the speculation is done. The Pats will have a handful of rookies and then we can dive into the real analysis.

I’ll be focusing on free agency in most of the posts here in the coming weeks, while slowly crafting my big board. “Needs” at this point are pointless in relation to the draft. The Pats will fill every hole they have in free agency so they’re free to take the best player available in the draft.

So our focus will remain mostly on free agency for now but the time has come once again to hit the draft pipe… 

2014 Patriots Salary Cap Picture – 1/22/2014 Update :Patriots Salary Cap

by

2014 Patriots Salary Cap Picture – 1/22/2014 Update :Patriots Salary Cap

I try to talk about salary cap, but I’m nowhere near to the expert that Miguel at PatsFans.com is. He’s been keeping track of the Pats’ cap for long before anyone else was ever into this kind of thing and now he’s writing for PatsFans we can expect more great analysis like the update linked above. Here’s the gist of it…

As you can see from above, the Pats could create more than $21 million in additional cap room if they chose to do so. The Pats could create more than $7.5 million in additional cap room WITHOUT releasing a single player. That is, the $21 million and the $7.5 million figures are in addition to the $6.16 million in cap space that I believe that the Pats will have before redoing the deals of the players already signed for the 2014 season, releasing any signed players, or signing any UFAs.

An offseason plan for the Patriots – Sports – The Boston Globe

by

An offseason plan for the Patriots – Sports – The Boston Globe

I like Arthur Jones and Randy Starks, those are the kind of players the Pats’ really need, especially as Wilfork/Kelly insurance. Not sure how realistic Gonzalez is, but they need to add at least two tight ends and should take the best guys they can get. Bringing Mulligan and Hooman back would at least give a safe baseline, but they need another threat.

Not sure how they can possibly afford to do all this if they Franchise Talib at $11million. They’re below $5 million in space now with McCourty’s escalators for playing time. They can open up some space, but that’s a ridiculous number on Talib.

by

https://www.patspropaganda.com/7600/

by

Good morning, Pats planet. Writing up my Friday B/R piece focusing on the Pats’ defense. Some really interesting (and bothersome) stats in it. Having a hard time drawing the line between real criticism and things that simply are due to injuries.

The injuries were hard in the season, but their effect will reverberate through the offseason as well unfortunately.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/good-morning-pats-planet-writing-up-my-friday/