{"id":397078,"date":"2011-04-25T16:58:14","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T16:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/25\/with-6-of-top-92-patriots-open-to-deals-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-25T16:58:14","modified_gmt":"2011-04-25T16:58:14","slug":"with-6-of-top-92-patriots-open-to-deals-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/25\/with-6-of-top-92-patriots-open-to-deals-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"With 6 of top 92, Patriots open to deals (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)\u2014Bill Belichick is a wheeler-dealer during the NFL draft. In each of the last two years he made seven trades while it was going on.<\/p>\n

Expect more of the same.<\/p>\n

The coach of the New England Patriots<\/a> has six of the top 92 picks in the three-day draft\u2014three in each of the first two rounds\u2014plenty of attractive pieces to move up to get a player he covets or down to add an extra choice or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere definitely seems to be a lot of interest in our draft picks. As you know, we\u2019re not afraid to trade them,\u201d Belichick said in an interview with Sirius\/XM radio this month. \u201cWe\u2019ll do what\u2019s best for the team. We\u2019ll evaluate those opportunities if they come up on draft day and take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the first round, the Patriots have the 17th pick acquired from Oakland for defensive end Richard Seymour<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> just before the 2009 season, and their own 28th. In the second round, they have the first pick, the 33rd overall, as a result of a trade that sent their third-round pick last year to Carolina, and their own 60th.<\/p>\n

In the third round, last year\u2019s trade of Randy Moss<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> brought them the 74th pick from Minnesota to go with their 92nd pick.<\/p>\n

Having both the 28th and 33rd choices could be a big bargaining chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of have two picks there, pretty close to each other, and sometimes that has some dynamics,\u201d Belichick said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of two spots somebody can move into, instead of just one. One way or another, if teams want to deal, I think we\u2019ll be one of the teams that they might want to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two first-round trades worked out for the Patriots last year. They traded their own 22nd pick for Denver\u2019s 24th and a fourth-rounder that they used on tight end Aaron Hernandez<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> Then they shuffled that 24th pick to Dallas in a trade that brought the 27th. They held on to that and selected cornerback Devin McCourty<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> who made the Pro Bowl.<\/p>\n

New England\u2019s biggest needs this year are pass rushers and offensive linemen.<\/p>\n

The Patriots\u2019 36 sacks were tied for 14th in the NFL last year. Rookie linebackers Brandon Spikes<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Jermaine Cunningham<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had decent seasons playing with star middle linebacker Jerod Mayo<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> but are still developing. The offensive line needs youth with the retirement of guard Stephen Neal<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> the free agency of tackle Matt Light<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and the bad feelings between the Patriots and guard Logan Mankins<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> who sat out the first seven games in a contract dispute and was designated their franchise player after the season.<\/p>\n

If the Patriots want to get linebacker Von Miller of Texas A&M, they\u2019ll probably have to move into one of the first five spots. Linebacker Robert Quinn of North Carolina should go lower, but still before the Patriots\u2019 No. 17 pick.<\/p>\n

By holding onto that choice, they should have a chance to draft linebacker Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue or defensive ends J.J. Watt of Wisconsin or Cameron Jordan of Cal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when we look back on it in a couple of years, and evaluate it, it will probably come down to which teams are able to evaluate those front-7 (defensive) positions the best,\u201d Belichick said. \u201cThere are going to be a lot of those players taken high, whether they (are) defensive linemen or defensive ends\/outside linebackers.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-round offensive line possibilities include Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin. Danny Watkins of Baylor could be available at No. 28.<\/p>\n

One position where the Patriots don\u2019t need help is tight end. Hernandez was their third leading receiver last year with 45 catches, six for touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> a second-round pick, caught 42 passes with 10 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

They helped the Patriots to the NFL\u2019s best record (14-2), and were major contributors to the team\u2019s league-high 32.4 points per game. But the Patriots lost in the AFC divisional round, 28-21, to the New York Jets<\/a>. It was the second straight season New England lost a home playoff game prior to championship weekend.<\/p>\n

Despite all the scouting and analysis done for the draft, director of player personnel Nick Caserio said sometimes teams must decide whether to gamble on a player.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, you sort of have to, I don\u2019t want to say go with a gut instinct, (but) maybe there\u2019s an example of a player in previous years who was in a similar situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

So, he might compare the potential draftee to how a current pro was viewed when he was entering the draft. But this year is different with the current NFL lockout of players, although that hasn\u2019t changed the way the Patriots get ready for the draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur approach this year is no different than it\u2019s been in years past,\u201d Caserio said. \u201cWe\u2019re evaluating the player for his skill set based on the information that we\u2019ve gathered. And then, we\u2019ll move forward from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

View article:
\nWith 6 of top 92, Patriots open to deals (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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