Was Matt Cassel worth a first round pick? I’d say so, but no team would give the Patriots a first rounder this year. My guess was a 2010 first round pick plus a later round pick in this year’s draft, possibly a third rounder, would had been the average offer.
So I had no delusions that when the trade between New England and Kansas City was first leaked, the Pats were getting the Chiefs’ third pick overall.
But it would had been nice if the Pats somehow wrestled that pick away from the Chiefs. I’d have no doubt they would use that pick on Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. He would join Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, and Tedy Bruschi in the starting lineup.
Hmmm…Curry…Mayo…Bruschi… I’m getting hungry. Could Gary Guyton change his last name to Gumbo?
The Patriots would have the ingredients for a heck of a linebacking corps in ‘09. Pardon the pun, but I’m distracted now. I’m thinking about food and football.
Since I can’t focus on either one, I’ll put the two together. I don’t know how many draft picks the Patriots have, but I can find a few players that would work in the Patriots menu:
To help shore up the corner position, New England could tab Cincinnati’s DeAngelo Smith or Londen Fryar from Western Michigan. Smith would master double coverage, as he and any safety would sandwich any receiver between them. London “deep” Fryar hopefully wouldn’t be a liability in the secondary. Not only would he get burned, but grease burns are especially painful.
If the team doesn’t re-sign safety Rodney Harrison, the Pats could hire South Carolina’s Emmanuel Cook. Somebody has to make sure all the ingredients are in place for the defense.
Moving into the trenches, DL Mike Wright is attracting attention. If Wright leaves, a strong rookie season by Clinton McDonald from Memphis would have fans saying, I’m lovin’ McDonald’s play.
On offense, there are two options if RB Laurence Maroney isn’t a part of the team in ’09. Glenn Coffee from Alabama could ground out the tough yards, or Herb Donaldson of Eastern Michigan could bring a different flavor to the backfield.
And since the team is down a passer following the trade of Cassel, they could groom Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell. He played under pressure and never crumbled.
I’m leaving out DT Chris Baker of Hampton and TE Jared Cook of South Carolina. Too many Cooks spoil the broth, and the same applies to Bakers.
