Patriot WRs and Jason White
NFL Draft Mailbag
December 29, 2004
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: BlueDevilsCBWR@***.com
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2004 1:49 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Hey
Hey man great site! I have to disagree with your New England pick..James Butler is a great player don't get me wrong but Patriots have a lot of good safetys..Rodney Harrison, Eugene Wilson, Dexter Reid, Guss Scott. I think they should go with Carlos Rogers in round 1 if he is there. I have a couple questions.
Do you think the Patriots would draft a WR in round 2 or 3? And who do you think they would draft at WR?
Lou: It's not outside the realm of possibility that the Patriots would take a receiver in the first round, but if that doesn't happen look for it to almost for sure happen in rounds two or three. David Patten will be an unrestricted free agent, while David Givens will be a restricted free agent. And even with a new offensive coordinator coming on board, I wouldn't look for the Pats to radically change things offensively in light of how much success they've had with the current system.
As for who they'll take, if South Carolina's Troy Williamson comes out in the draft (he's a junior), he would likely be a second rounder. The Patriots could trade down or up (depending on which pick they used) and get him; he's a speed guy who runs a reported 4.4 40 and who is 6'2". However, Williamson could also return to play for a year under Steve Spurrier, who could easily make him a major name going into the 2006 Draft (think about what you know of Spurrier's offensive philosphies). Craig Bragg you mentioned as your favorite college WR (in part of the e-mail I had to truncate for space), and he could easily be there at the Pats spot in round 2. He might even slip to round 3, since he looks to be more of a "possession receiver" type who isn't a super deep threat but who can make clutch catches and handle his fundamentals well. You might also see the Patriots stretch and take WVU WR Chris Henry in the first round, particularly if there's a run of WRs like there was last year (remember Lee Evans going #13 to the Bills, which at the time looked ridiculously high?)
From: Hal Scott
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 12:59 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Jason White
Jason White is tough, has tremendous skills, and is a winner. I don't hear anything about his being projected as a NFL quarterback. I think he could be an excellent NFL quarterback. What do you think?????
Lou: White will be a developmental-type prospect. Due to his knee injuries (two ACL tears), his mobility in the pocket isn't all that good. People question his physical skills, but the guy is 6'3" 225. Maybe a little more muscle would help, but not every QB needs to go out there with a Jeff George like arm.
What will happen is White will be drafted in the mid-to-late part of the draft and given the chance to grow and develop. He might spend a year on a practice squad and work his way into a #3 position. Given time to learn the NFL game, he might put up something someday. But by the same token, winning as a college QB and winning as a pro QB are two very different beasts.
With that said, there might be a team out there secretly enamored with him who would invest a third round pick to make sure they get him. He will get the full physical checkout and then some at the combine, but if he comes off with a clean bill of health, don't count him out.
