Grading the New England Patriots 2014 Draft

By Vincent Frank on Thursday, May 15th 2014
Grading the New England Patriots 2014 Draft

The New England Patriots are now at the point where they are going to have to play catch up with other AFC teams in order to remain consistent contenders in the conference. In doing so, they need to find immediate impact players both in free agency and the draft. 

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they didn't do this early in the draft. Instead, they selected an injury-prone interior lineman in the first round and a project backup in the second round. These two reaches in the early rounds put the Patriots behind the proverbial eight ball. With that said, New England did do a tremendous job finding value at need positions later in the draft. Here is our grade of the Patriots 2014 draft haul. 

 

First Round, 29th Pick: Dominique Easley, Defensive Tackle, Florida

If it wasn't for two torn ACL's during his Florida career, Easley would have likely been a top-10 pick and the first interior defensive lineman off the board. Instead he well to a Patriots team that had the ability to take a chance on such a high-upside player at a position of need. Easley is a natural 3-tech and will likely start his career backing up Tommy Kelly

The issue with this selection is that New England took a chance on someone with a checkered injury history when there were other possibilities still on the board at the time. Ra'Shede Hageman, Stephon Tuitt and Timmy Jernigan were all still on the board. While New England filled a position of need, it didn't get value at a point in the draft where value was essential. Grade: C+

 

Second Round, 62nd Pick: Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback, Eastern Illinois

Probably one of the worst picks of the draft, Garoppolo was a major reach for a Patriots team that needed to find immediate contributors in order to continue contending in a AFC that has gotten much better during the offseason. Another major question, especially if New England was targeting a quarterback. Why not pick up Teddy Bridgewater in the first round and address the defensive tackle position in the second round? Hindsight is 20/20, but Will Sutton and Louis Nix were still on the board when the Patriots picked Garoppolo. A combination of one of those players and Bridgewater would have been a much better outcome here. 

Moving forward, there are tremendous question marks about this small-school product. Where he might have a quick release and be pretty athletic, ball placement and technique issues are major concerns right now. At the very least, New England brought in a high-upside quarterback that can learn from one of the best. Grade: D+

 

Fourth Round, 105th Pick: Bryan Stork, Center, Florida State

Stork really didn't impress during postseason events after winning the Rimington Trophy as the best center in the nation in 2013. He's a leader with a ton of experience that understands the nuances of playing along the interior of the offensive line. He struggles with pad level, gets too upright at times and can be thrown off the spot. More of a natural player in a zone-blocking scheme. Stork could eventually replace Ryan Wendell as the starting center. Good value pick here. Grade: A 

 

Fourth Round, 130th Pick: James White, Running Back, Wisconsin 

The Patriots took White probably two rounds too high. He went ahead of the likes of Lache Seastrunk and Marion Grice, which is interesting. That said, White fits what the Patriots are looking at in a running back. He's more of a rotational guy that could get some playing time as a rookie ahead of Shane Vereen, among others. Still, a pretty big reach in Round 4. Grade: B-

 

Fourth Round, 140th Pick: Cameron Fleming, Offensive Tackle, Stanford

A pretty good value pick here. Fleming is underrated in what he does well. The Stanford product rarely got beat at the point of contact in college, continually stays low with the pad level, which is something that's going to be huge at the next level. He fits the Patriots blocking scheme to a T. A great value pick here. Grade: A+

 

Sixth Round, 179th Pick: Jon Halapio, Guard, Florida

At the very least, New England was able to build depth along the offensive line while finding a couple potential long-term replacements. That was obviously its primary goal heading into the mid rounds. Halapio, much like Fleming, was one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the draft. He boasts violent hands at the point of contact, keeps his pads low and pushes off the line to the second level. It's also important to note that Halapio was a standout player in one of the toughest conferences in college football. Grade: A

 

Sixth Round, 198th Pick: Zach Moore, Linebacker, Concordia

Moore will vie for pass-rush specialist duties as a rookie in 2014. He lacks experience and technique, especially coming from a small school, but is extremely explosive off the snap. At least that's what we have heard from those who have had an opportunity to scout him. I have not. Grade: INC

 

Sixth Round, 206th Pick: Jemea Thomas, Safety, Georgia Tech

Thomas was one of the most entertaining defensive back prospects to scout. He's a press-cover guy that can absolutely dominate opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage, continually throwing them off their routes early. He does a tremendous job making a play on the ball, competes at the second level and can play a multitude or roles in the secondary. While Thomas obviously has major concerns in overall athleticism and back-end coverage ability, the upside is tremendous here. Grade: A 

 

Seventh Round, 244th Pick: Jeremy Gallon, Wide Receiver, Michigan 

At 5'7" and less than 190 pounds, Gallon is a smallish receiving threat in the form of the Wes Welker's of the world. While it's foolhardy to expect that type or production in the NFL, all he does is make plays. This could potentially be a major steal. Grade: A 

 

Final Grade: C+

Simply put, New England reached with its first two selections. While Easley could very well stay healthy and turn into a Pro Bowl performer, spending a first-round pick on a question mark isn't necessarily what a contending team needs. As it relates to Garoppolo, he's a project backup that the Patriots exhausted a top-70 pick on. In no world does that make sense. 

New England did make up for these early reaches by picking up three offensive lineman that could eventually become starters. While not sexy, that's what you call franchise building.

Stay In Touch

Scores

No NFL games.
NFLFantasy
NFLFantasy
NFLFantasy
NFLFantasy
NFLFantasy
NFLFantasy