The Pats Are Gonna Be Alright, I Think

I’m a little excited for football to come back. I’m content with assuming the Bruins probably would have had a great chance at the cup. I’m fine dreaming of next season for the C’s. And I haven’t cared about the Sox (seriously) in a long time.

The NFL draft did it for me. I stopped watching after the Pats traded out of the first round. But when I heard the Pats drafted two tight ends, I got the itch. It feels like 2010-11. Coming off a disappointing 10-6 campaign that ended in a first-round ass-whooping at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium, Bill Belichick started to clean house.

The period between 2007 and 2010 had been a disappointment, for the most part, characterized by extreme highs, extreme lows, and competitive mediocrity. That version of the Patriots was built to send a message in a short window and could have won a couple of Super Bowls, but lack of toughness, Tom Brady’s injury, and depreciating luxury items prompted Belichick to inject some youth into the system.

The Pats' first four picks in the 2010 draft were installed as starters: Devin McCourty (DB), Rob Gronkowski (TE), Jermaine Cunningham (LB), and Brandon Spikes (LB). McCourty and Gronk went on to become two the best Patriots of all time and potential (likely) hall-of-famers. Cunningham and Spikes didn’t live up to the hype but were serviceable in their roles. The team also drafted a new punter, Zoltan Mesko, and complimentary weapon Aaron Hernandez (TE).

Early in the 2010-2011 season, Belichick shipped Randy Moss, the most gifted Patriots weapon of the Brady era to Minnesota, and replaced him by bringing back Deion Branch. The starting running back was undrafted Benjarvus Green-Ellis, who was the opposite of exciting but seemed to always know how to pick up 3 yards and hold onto the football. Welker had emerged as Brady’s go-to possession receiver but was never a game-breaker.

On defense, the Pats were building around linebacker Jerod Mayo, veteran defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, and linebacker Rob Ninkovich. They were anchors to a relatively young, inexperienced unit. Neither side of the ball was great in 2010-11, but the mix worked. Brady had his most statistically efficient season, throwing 36 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions en route to his second MVP award. It wasn’t flashy, but it was controlled. The offense held the ball long enough to make life easier on a leaky defense, whose young talent showed promise.

That team went 14-2 before crashing in the divisional round of the playoffs to a more talented New York Jets team. But the rebuild was worth it. Over the next seven seasons, the Pats made it to five Super Bowls. Can’t reasonably say that the same should be expected of this iteration of the franchise, post-Brady. But something about this offseason suddenly feels familiar.

Here’s the Pats’ first selection of the 2020 draft, Kyle Dugger (Lenoir-Rhyne).

He’s listed as a safety but I’m ignoring the position. What I see is Cordarrelle Patterson playing defense. In 2018, Patterson was the perfect tool for Belichick. In many ways, he was a positionless asset for a team that needed to use smoke and mirrors at times to score. Patterson had limitations as a wide receiver that would have made him a liability in a bigger role, however, he was always a threat when he was on the field. Patterson seemed bigger and faster than everybody else. The tricky part was getting him the ball. Now imagine Patterson roaming the middle of the field on defense as his primary responsibility. He’s a weapon.

Now have a look at Devin Asiasi (UCLA), the Pats' first tight end taken in the third round. What do you see?

He’s not Gronk because nobody can be, but there are similarities: Asiasi is a tank when on the screen. Once he gets to top speed, he’s hard to bring down. He fights through contact for extra yards and bails his quarterback out in tight windows. He doesn’t look as physically fit as Gronk, but he’s an imposing presence. If he’s not a great blocker, there doesn’t seem to be a reason why he can’t become one with his size and apparent toughness.

Then there’s Dalton Keene (VT). He’s a hybrid. He’s listed as a 6’4 tight end but I’m not really sure I buy it. Asiasi, as a comparison, is listed at 6’3. Watch their highlights and tell me Asiasi isn’t bigger. When I watch Keene, I see Wes Welker with George Kittle’s frame.

The Pats are going to be alright. Offensively, they’ll be able to throw enough mismatches at opposing teams to create space for Jarrett Stidham to find an open guy, and maybe some of the young, raw talents solidify roles for the future. Defensively, the Pats are old but should have enough veteran talent to keep the score low. The lack of any real expectations has me excited and I think this team could be fun to watch.