Coaches are creatures of habit. They form relationships and play favorites. They do the same things over and over. They're paranoid.
If that's how they drafted, imagine the team Bill Belichick could put together. Regardless of when a player should be drafted, if New England used their eight picks on players from programs already represented by the team, it would be one hell of a draft. Imagine this:
LB Vernon Gholston, Ohio State
He follows in the footsteps of Mike Vrabel. Heck, he even wears #50 like Vrabel does for the Patriots
LB Keith Rivers, USC
He follows a long line of famous #55s, including Willie McGinest and currently Junior Seau
LB Cliff Avril, Purdue
Sure New England just cut Rosevelt Colvin, but when he played Colvin was an effective pass rusher.
WR Harry Douglas, Louisville
The coaching staff made the mistake of trading Deon Branch. Maybe Douglas would make quarterback Tom Brady forgive that error.
OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
BC has a knack for developing pro level O-linemen, including center Dan Koppen and guard Damien Woody.
G John Greco, Toledo
Some people aren't too high on Nick Kaczur right now, but up until the Super Bowl no one had much of a complaint about him. I wouldn't under-estimate Greco
CB Chevis Jackson, LSU
Randal Gay did well in his reserve and sometimes starter role, but he moved on to New Orleans. This Bayou Tiger could perform well in a similar role.
DT Red Bryant, Texas A&M
In theory, he would be following in the footsteps of Ty Warren. But considering his massive size, Bryant's footprint could dwarf Ty's outline.
Keywords: Chevis Jackson, Cliff Avril, Gosder Cherilus, Harry Douglas, John Greco, Keith Rivers, Red Bryant, Vernon Gholston
