And with the Patriots first pick of the first round.....they have traded out for a second and a 3 round pick, *pick team* is on the board.
I hate hearing this almost every year.
Yeah, maybe their dumb asses will pick a QB in the sixth round or something.
Personally, I'm a fan of the approach. Almost all draft picks carry a fair amount of risk. Nobody likes spending a first rounder on a bust. Yet if you're adept at picking talent you can do quite well in the latter rounds. NE fits into that category and they seem to do alright in that regard. Furthermore, where they're at doesn't offer a whole lot of upside, yet if there's a player somebody desperately wants, hell yeah you trade down a few notches. Belichick apparently doesn't much favor spending high draft picks on LB's and the TE's they are interested will be later round prospects, so trading down won't bother me. Granted, it lacks the excitement of the big draft day pick, but as NE has demonstrated, it can be made to work wonders for the long term.
There's also the fact that in the modern league, it's not like you're drafting somebody for a long period of time. Since there's no loyalty in the league anymore, it makes sense to spend high draft pick money on known quantities; ie. free agents. I'd say the Patriots did pretty well with that this year.