Mel Kiper said on a call in show today that he thought Cassell was worth the number one overall pick in the draft, and that if he needed a QB, he'd make that trade in a hurry.
Let me state for the record that I think Mel Kiper is over-rated and he's wrong as much as he's right. But if he's putting that out there, at least some people must think that way. So I started to think about it. What if Detroit or KC came calling with their first round picks. What would the Patriots do? Is there some player out there that they'd want to pay top money to/
When you think about the first overall pick in the draft, you have to know that you're talking big money. Last year the first pick in the draft, OT Jake Long, got $57.5 million over 5 years. That's serious money. When you think about the Patriots needs, is there any player in the draft you'd want to pay that much money for? I think not.
The Pats need help at corner, and I'd love to see Jenkins in a Pats uniform. But he's a reach at #1 and even #3. And if the Patriots were going to spend that much on a corner, they could have just kept Asante last year.
Two years ago the 3rd overall pick, OT Joe Thomas got a 6 year, $43 million deal. Couldn't compare to last year because Matt Ryan gets a contract bump since he's a QB. That's a little more reasonable, but probably still more than the Pats would pay a corner.
The problem is, the positions the Pats value highly enough to spend that amount of money on aren't positions they could afford to spend that much on. I think the Pats would consider paying a top DT or LT that much, but with the entire D-Line under contract for another year (and needing to be resigned next year) and with Matt Light firmly entrenched as the LT, the Pats simply don't want those picks.
So even if Kiper is right and Cassell is worth a top draft pick, I don't think the Patriots would be particularly interested.

Cheney Larschied
Deanna Clover



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I don't think the Patriots would trade up. If they did, I think they would just trade again and get it more picks for that pick. If they did draft anyone, I think it would be either Jenkins, like you said, or Aaron Curry. Most likely Jenkins.
It's possible that they could trade with Kansas City, and if Al Davis REALLY wants Michael Crabtree, they would trade up and we could take the #7 pick and a few other picks as well. I'd be surprised, but it's a possibility.
'Ey
Boston, MA
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I agree. And I think that would be the best possible situation for the Patriots if they were to somehow pull a pick in the 7 to 12 range out of this whole deal. Like you say, I'd be surprised, but it could happen. One reason it could happen is because the Patriots haven't been big sticklers for trying to get 'market value' for something. Last year they traded down from 7 to 10 they gave up '300 points' by the value chart. They got less than 250 points in return. But they got their player at their price. Bellichick has been so successful that he doesn't have to worry about what the 'draft experts' think.
mike_m235
Apo, AE
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