The Patriots' 2006 draft is generally looked at as the 12-car pileup in a three-year stretch of suspect selections.

Laurence Maroney hasn't matched the production of several backs (DeAngelo Williams, Joseph Addai, Maurice Jones-Drew) drafted behind him, Chad Jackson (the Patriots packaged the pick that became Greg Jennings to trade up for him) was a flat-out bust, and, really, the one hit was on a kicker.

But there is one guy out there climbing off the mat, even if it's not happening in a Patriots' uniform. David Thomas, traded for a 2011 seventh-round pick back in September, finished the 2009 season strong, and showed the versatility and receiving ability that prompted New England to pick him in the third round in 2006.

After an adjustment period, Thomas had 28 catches for 278 yards and a touchdown in his final seven games of the regular season (he missed the last one). He had 21 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown in three years as a Patriot. Pretty interesting.

"Sean (Payton), he tries to put guys in position to make a play, and tries to to put them in position to do what they're good at," Thomas told me today in the locker room. "We've got a lot of really good players on offense, in the skill positions and up front on the line. I feel like we're pretty balanced, pretty versatile."

Personally, though, this has been a tough one for Thomas. The timing of the move -- while part of being a pro athlete -- made things complicated. His wife and two young sons stayed behind in New England for a month after the trade, then moved into a hotel with Thomas, and the family is now renting a house down here, since his contract expires after the season.

On top of that, their old place in Plainville hasn't been easy to sell, so they're renting that one out.

"The first month, that was a hard month," Thomas said. "My wife being stuck up in New England, without a lot of help, trying to get the family moved. It was really hard on her, and it was hard for me not to see her or the boys. But that's one of the reasons I married her, she's such a strong woman. She's carried the load."