I think this was a terrific draft.
It continues the trend of taking hard working, high character athletes who love to play the game. It is players who can come in and help us right off the bat.
1. Carpenter is exactly what we needed and his attitude will only serve to better the defense. If a team can get a talented player who has skills that fit a need perfectly, and that player has a can-do, run through a brick wall attitude... then their draft is on the way to being a very successful one.
2. Fasano is exactly what the doctor ordered. If we are going to play a two TE set almost exclusively then we definately needed another talented TE... and that's what Fasano is. He's the best one in the draft except for V. Davis, and he's a better blocker than Davis. Again, this guys attitude is great: He's a tough guy who loves football more than anything. He'll toughen our offense. Plus he's as ready to step in as any college player could be. He played the motion TE in a system that is so like ours that the terminology is the same.
3. Hatcher is another player who has a terrific attitude and will do anything the coaches ask of him. He's a 4-3 tweener, like Ratliff and Spears were last year, but he's perfect for a 3-4. For a guy his size, he's a wonderful athlete and he can be used a lot of different ways along the defensive front. He's strong, mature, and will fit in great with a group of defenders that have their priorities squarely in order.
4. Green will contribute right away as a returner. How many 4th rounders have we had that even made the team, much less contrubuted on a game-to-game basis? Not many. He's the kind of explosive, lightning quick player that every team needs. Plus he's a mean little SOB who really likes playing football, and he's very coachable. He's a good fit on a team full of guys who rank football as a very high priority in their lives. We haven't had anyone with excelleration and moves like him since Kevin Williams. He'll be exciting to watch and will help our field position all year long.
5. Pat Watkins was a terrific pick in the 5th round. How can you not love this pick? He very well might start at FS... and if he doesn't, he'll still see signigicant playing time and be a star on special teams. Honestly, for years we knew a 5th round pick didn't have a chance of making the team, and now we're talking about one starting. That's good drafting, and a little luck. He's an unusual athlete who will be the first one to get his hands on any jump balls. His long strides eat up ground and gets him from center field to the sidelines in a hurry. We'll use him to roam the middle and use his instincts to find the ball in the air and go get it. He's exactly what we needed, and there would've been no complaints had we taken him in round 3 instead of Hatcher. Getting him in the 5th and still getting a player as good as Hatcher in round 3 was a coup!
6. Montavious Stanley is about my favorite pick in our whole draft. Parcells plans on him playing a lot of time in the NT rotation, and I think he'll see the field a lot. He's perfect for our NT position and he has a great attitude. Anytime your 6th round pick makes the team, you've done good... for him to come in and be a key member of your DL rotation is better than great. He has the skills to help and with his attitude, I think Parcells really expects him to come in and be a solid contrubutor. I like Stanley better than Gabe Watson who a lot of us wanted in the second round. He's got the same physical ability as Watson except he isn't lazy and has a great personality. Just a great, great pick.
7-8. Mcquistan and Whitley... At this point, who knows if they'll make the team, but both seem like they should've gone about where we took them. It's a good gamble to try these guys and again, great attitudes who will do everything they can to crack the 53 man roster.
We got two players who will likely start from game one in Carpenter and Fasano and another who should start my mid season in Watkins. All three of them filled needs and will help complete the team that Parcells envisions us to be.
We got two players on the DL that will contrubute a lot and who were very good players for where they were taken in Hatcher and Stanley. They're two big, hard working defensive linemen with athleticism... you can't have too many of those guys.
We got a player who will help special teams a whole lot in Green. He has rare change of direction and explosion. You usually don't get that in the 4th round, but because of his height we were able to. This pick thrills me.
And we got two developmental type OL who have a good shot at panning out because of their work ethic.
If, by the last half of the season we have three starters and three more heavy contributors from this draft on a team with playoff hopes, it'll be considered one of the better drafts ever. We don't know for sure if that'll happen or not, but there is a very good chance it will. Very. Our drafts used to be lucky to give us one starter and no contributors... now we're talking one of the best there is. That's improvement.
We'll get a lot of starters and a lot of contributors from this draft... and they all have terrific attitudes and character.
I give it an A grade. It's just too good of a draft not to be.
