ESPN Taking Aim at Belichick, Patriots Draft: 'They Failed Mac Jones!'
The New England Patriots' draft turned out to be one of those movies that had you on the edge of your seat in the beginning, before the plot wandered and you left the theater ultimately disappointed.
The Pats are getting universally praised for trading back in the first round and still landing Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. And most analysts see the value and immense talent of second-round pick Keion White. But after that ...
"The sharks are swarming around in the water, I get it," ESPN draft guru Todd McShay said on Tuesday's NFL Live. "The first pick was brilliant. I get it with Keion White in the second round. Where I have some concern and start nitpicking is in the third round. I like Marte Mapu, but that was too early for him."
In some circles the Pats are receiving high praise for the 12-player draft haul. But on ESPN they are taking a kick to the crotch, specifically for not helping quarterback Mac Jones by selecting a receiver early in the draft. Their first three picks were defense and they became the first team in 33 years to select a kicker and a punter in the same draft. They didn't take a receiver - LSU's Kayshon Boutte and Demario Davis of Libery - until the sixth round.
While the NFL Live panel credited the Pats with deleting the Matt Patricia play-calling disaster by bringing in Bill O'Brien, McShay and former players Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears each had major issues with the draft.
McShay noted that the "going rate" for trading down from 14 to 17 was a third-round pick, and that Belichick accepted a fourth-rounder from the Steelers just to keep the Jets from drafting their target at No. 15. He also believes that - armed with 12 picks of draft capital - New England could have moved up in the third round "eight spots" to take Houston receiver Tank Dell or "four spots" to grab either of Tennessee's coveted wideouts - speed-burner Jalin Hyatt or 6-foot-3 Cedric Tillman.
Said McShay, "They had options at receiver. Their receiving corps is nice, but ... "
Clark had an emphatic response when asked if the Patriots are better after the draft than when they walked off the field Jan. 8 after the season-ending loss to the Bills.
"Nooooo!," he exclaimed.
"What we're seeing in the NFL is young, talented quarterbacks be helped by the people that are put around them. Josh Allen got Stefon Diggs. Tua Tagovailo got Tyreek Hill. Jalen Hurts got A.J. Brown. Joe Burrow has dogs like Ja'Marr Chase all around him. What did the Patriots do for Mac Jones? They went out and got JuJu Smith-Schuster! That ain't it! Why not make it easier on your quarterback? They failed Mac."
While Clark, like McShay, believes the Pats should have maneuvered to draft Hyatt, Spears puts the team's failures at the feet of legendary coach/GM Bill Belichick.
"His GMing ain't been GMing the last few years," Spears said. "Since Tom Brady left and this team has had to make important decisions, they have failed. When you don't have the players, I don't care how good of a coach you are. All the great coaches usually have Hall of Famers and dudes with their jerseys hanging in the rafters that's tied to their success. That ain't the Patriots right now and that's on Bill Belichick, because he's determining who comes to play for his team."
NFL Live didn't offer a specific grade on the Pats' draft, but that certainly doesn't sound like an 'A.'
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