DOL thinks the Falcons will keep 27 close to their vest.
From reading the story, I have to agree with him. Granted, this has all the makings of a "Saying one thing and doing another" type of move.
That said, the 5 first round picks of the Patriots while Dimitroff was the director of scouting caught my attention. From 2003 to 2007, the Patriots selected, in order of most recent:
Brandon Meriwether, Safety
Laurence Maroney, Running Back
Logan Mankins, Offensive Line
Vince Wilfork, Nose Tackle
Ty Warren, Defensive End
What do all five of those picks have in common? They were all on the team at the beginning of the 2010 season. What might be more impressive? They were all productive players. Okay, Maroney wasn't THAT productive, but he still had some use in his Patriots' tenure.
What's important about those picks is that four of the five picks were at pick #21 or later in the draft. One of them was pick #32 (Mankins). As has been mentioned before, Dimitroff is not new to this area of the draft. He did go on record saying he'd trade the pick away if the offer was big enough, but I'm not sure any team would have enough value in picks and players to cause Dimitroff to step out of the first round.
I know a lot of you have been saying we should trade the pick away for a couple 2nd rounders. That seems like a good idea, in theory, but the other teams would obviously have to be on board as well.
As if you needed any more confidence in Dimitroff, I hope this post only further reinforced your beliefs in him.
He sure has done pretty well with later first round picks. Knowing that, would you still try to trade it away? Or would you take Dimitroff's almost-guaranteed production out of whomever he picks at #27?
Discuss!