Kevin O'Connell analysis

While I understand the importance of needing a solid back-up to fill Brady's shoes one day, why did they use such a high pick when we CLEARLY have other needs to fill?? This move makes me nervous

In Bill We Trust....but a QB here is little tough to digest. Was this kid a lock to be scooped up before the 5th round?

From NFL.com

Compares To: MATT CASSEL-New England...O'Connell is a more mobile passer, but like Cassel, he is going to need time and patient coaching to add technique and mechanical refinement. He is a rare-sized athlete with great mobility in the pocket, but his delivery is a mess and his footwork leaves a lot to be desired. He forces a lot of throws and needs generate better touch on his short-area throws and improve the zip on his deep passes. If a team preaches patience and has an established veteran in place to allow O'Connell several years to develop, he could be a good one. Rushing him, however, might render any pick used on O'Connell a wasted selection.

so were gonna replace Matt Cassel with a Matt Cassel lol

Very interesting Pats move. Does this mean that O'Connell is a really great prospect or that the Pats are finished with LB and CB draftees?

Goodbye Matt Cassel. We hardly knew ye.

Erin,

What are the other needs the Patriots CLEARLY need to fill? They already drafted 2 LBs and 1 CB. Those were pretty much the only CLEAR needs. Brady hasn't had a solid back up for a while, and this pick will hopefully fill that void. I like the pick. A lot of teams had this kid ranked in the 1st-2nd round.

Hopefully O'Connell catches on to Brady's work ethic and refines that raw potential into great play. I really like this pick. Remember when you question a draft choice that you're questioning guys who've prepared for this day all year.

Jaws loves him. Good enough for me.

Patriots leaving alot of talent on the table that could contribute.

Was really hoping to obtain a TE and a RB and perhaps a WR with these 3rd round picks.

Another LB is alright.

Perhaps Mike Hart (RB Michigan) can be obtained with the next pick.

I think it's a good move.

Brady is 31 by preseason, and his mind is clearly in other, slightly more brazilian places. Drafting someone who may be able to fill his role in a couple years is good drafting.

Trust, my friends. Trust. There are things going on behind the scenes that we'll never be able to understand. We have the best talent evaluators in the bizz, so trust 'em. No worries here.

Cassel replacement with speed (or a good 08-09 pre-season showcase for future #2 pick)

On the contrary--this is a real smart pick! There are no QBs coming out in next year's draft (the pool is thin), and with Cassel gone through free agency after the season, and this guy's upside being what it is, he fills a need that they will not have the opportunity to fill in the next couple of drafts. Essentially they found a guy with huge potential (dude's an athlete!), and athlete's can be coached up, came from an awful team, so he forced a lot of things so the stats aren't there...but what they've done is used a pick to get a quality QB two years ahead of the next time they'll have another opportunity to do so (and that's two years of coaching he'll have under his belt).

The talent in this draft is pretty similar from mid-second though 5th--it's a good draft, and why they traded with SD to get an additional fifth rd pick. All things considered, they can get what they need in the fourth and fifths--no different than the second and third in terms of talent level. This could bear out to be a giant pick in the future--well done!

Don't understand the pick at this point in the draft...A guy that needs development--I thought we had two other guys like that already...What about TE , CB, OL?

IMO a rediculous choice. why the Pats don;t get a veteran QB to back up Brady i don't understand. now they have THREE young QB's taking up space.
Hard to believe that in the 3rd round they couldn't have found someone with potential to draft. countless 3rd round draftees have gone on to become all-stars.
they even could have packaged a couple of 3rds to move up into the second; or have taken a chance on another DB or LB. i think Pioli has gotten a pass for some of his previous drafts, but IMO, this choice calls into question his talents in this area (i know it's not all his doing). i shudder to think who we are going to draft with the next few choises.

The Pats need help at O-Line and D-Line back up slots. The LB position has been stocked with back ups, the CB position was reloaded, the safety position was very weak this draft. Where do you stash a WR or RB this year? No room at the inn.

Billy,
Are you serious? What other spots do they need? Did you watch the super bowl?
Don't you think it would be kind of nice to find someone to push these Offensive Linemen a little? Why not take a Cousins here (OG, UTEP) or the highly rated tackle out of kansas? Clearly there needs to be some competition on the line or we will get the same play out them again. Did you know that Brady was the most hit QB in all of football last year? (No, not sacks, but the amount of times he was hit) Without shoring up that line...we may very well need O'Connell sooner than anyone would like.

Bernie,

Sure it's easy to say they should just get a veteran backup, but who? Who would you rather have behind Brady? Maybe you should apply for a personnel job with the Patriots instead of wasting your talents on the internet. I'm sure you could replace Scott Pioli in a heartbeat.

You shudder to think. thats quite a statement. are you worried about them picking a guy in the 4th round that turns out to be a bust(no such thing) do you also wish to replace both pioli and belechick? who would you rather have? The team in San Diego or Indy always seem to draft well and yet only one superbowl between them in the last 10 years I will stick with the ones who got us here

I think this is a great pick because then BB can work to develop him and groom him to be the backup behind Tom. On NFL network they said he was rated as th 5th best qb by a lot scouts and one scout said he graded out as a first round prospect. Yes an OL may have seemed like the logical choice, but with the amount of Bigs gone the difference between these picks isnt much, and this guy has the size and speed to be a real player, the one other take nfl network had was that they could use him as trade bait in the future ala matt schaub

Jeff,

I wouldn't consider o-line an CLEAR need, which was my point. As bad as the Patriots o-line was, it did pretty well... wouldn't you say? I don't pretend to know what the Patriots are thinking or what they plan to do. There are still 4 rounds left. Relax.

Gotta love all these personnel pros on teh interwebz.

This is a complete disaster - if these internet Einsteins can see things that the awful Belichick/Pioli team can't then the Patriots are going to be in the running for the 1st overall next year. O-Line? They didn't address that even though the erroneously think they have 3 pro-bowlers in the line. It wasn't the coaching in the Super Bowl it was the talent level. QB? Brady's going to be around until he's 45 right? Kraft needs to reach out to these posters ASAP so his team isn't destroyed by the 2 blind mice.

watch the kid on you tube,he has all the tools to be a great one,great pick

im not worried. the pats know what they are doing. just keep reminding yourselves who we are and where we've been compared to all the other teams. sure our o-line broke down in the superbowl, we have midgets playing corner, and our linebackers are members of aarp, but we didnt lose a regular season game! we're close to having a parade every year. tom and bill > everyone else

got to say what many of u are thinking THIS DRAFT IS PATHETIC TAKE A LESSER LB FOR A EXTRA 3rd ROUND AND DRAFT A QUATERBACK GREAT MOVE ITS NOT LIKE WE LOST A WR OR OUR A SHAME OF A OL AND L> MARONEY IS NOT THE GUY BILL U MORON

Guys, I'm from San Diego and the Pats stole a QB some team would most likely picked in round 4. O'Connell's college stats aren't eye-popping. If you judge him on that, you never saw this guy play. He is a GAMER! Bottom line. A 4-year team captain (ANYONE HERE OF ANOTHER? NOPE), so you cannot question his leadership. He lliterally carried his team on his shoulders to victory in some games.

Even with his "bad" stats, O'Connell led his team in rushing as a QB and accouted for 74% of his team's offense. Jaws is right on when he attributes his forced throws and "bad" stats to a lack of talent around him. O'Connell had some terrible O-lines in his career and was running for his life pretty much his entire career. If SDSU had some offensive talent like the late 80s and early 90s when they were putting up points, this kid woulda had a special career and been picked earlier than the 3rd.

I'm a Charger fan. But kudos to NE for fleecing SD outta a 5th and getting off their rears to pick the best value pick in the draft. No doubt he would have went somewhere in the 4th.

people who need to type in caps to specify their opinions prove that they clearly have no intelligent opinion to provide

hey mike would u have picked a qb i guess everything the pats do is the right thing i e spygate

Mike,

People who comment on how a message is delivered are clearly clueless to the content provided and are now just nit picking to find a way into a discussion that is way over their heads. Perhaps we should lower the discourse to your level and have a spelling contest.

I belive that this has been an excellent draft for the Patriots. I mean trading thier last 3rd round pick for a 2nd next year is a great move. Mayo, Crable, and Wheatley are guys who will do solid at worst. They are coming in to a smart team and with the great coaching they will get I belive both the first two picks could be studs, Everyone who pays any attention to NCAA football knows full well how high the level of competition is in the SEC. Mayo will shine.

O'Connell has the size and arm of any quarterback. He'll be a great back-up for Brady, and he'll gain a lot of experience from his as well. Not to mention O'Connell is fast and a great scrambler/rusher. He's god a strong arm and he has good vision. Who wouldn't at 6-6?

Stop complaining and start thinking about the positives coming from this. Yes Tom Brady is great, but if he got hurt or later in the season when the Patriots have clinched the Division... you'll want someone you can trust playing for Tom so he doesn't get hurt. I'm also from San Diego and I am also an LCC alumni. Kevin is a great player and NE did a great job choosing this kid.

I know they were undefeated until the SB and I know they know their needs better than anybody, but this draft does not impress me. Backup QB is not a need. Nowhere near it. If Cassell can't do it then get Culpepper or some other vet. In the meantime you have aging LBs, no secondary and an O line that really sucked in the SB, not to mention the D line's inability to get to Eli. So you draft a backup QB in the THIRD ROUND? Not to mention reaching for Mayo. Sorry, I do not get it.

how can you go wrong with a name like Kevin Oconnell

Any guy that is literally strong enough to carry his entire team on his shoulders is all right by me!

The Jets loved this guy!! Need I say more??

As an SDSU grad, I have to say, I'm surprised he went so high. He has the build you'd want, but he I can't say he was ever a dominant qb for sdsu. Even last year he did not have the starting spot locked up going into spring ball. Good luck, actually I'm a niners fan and I can't stand the Pats, but I hope O'Connell works out for you, because he's a fellow aztec and because you guys need another fantastic quarterback from California.

Lest we forget, Drew Bledsoe went down at age 29 - Mo Lewis of the Jets hit him in September 2001. Thank God, somebody picked 6-5, 195 Tom Brady of Michigan as back-up quarterback to fill a need on the Pats.
Brady will be 31 this summer.
Bringing in a whiner like Caulpepper or some other injured vet won't help for the long term, Clearly, a backup with size and game experience is a necessity. Cassell did not even play in college, so his last meaningful time on a football field was in high school. This guy McConnell 6-5, 225 is a solid pick - no QB controversy, size, brains, some mobility and a nose for the end zone.

I remember when the Pats drafted Tom Brady I thought to myself, "What are they nuts? What kind of QB are you going to get that late in the draft? Why waste a pick on a mediocre QB?" The rest is history.

Matt Cassel has not been that impressive to me as a backup, either in the preseason or his cameo appearces the last two years. With his lack of starting experince, in the pros or in college, I'm really nervous about having him as the backup. I think that Gutierrez would/will push Cassel for the number two spot this year. So Cassel is really competing for the number three spot and if O'Connel has the potential to be a good replacement for Brady in three or four years, it's a good pick. I think the Pats took a chance developing Cassel because they saw potential, but it hasn't worked out as they had hoped.

Also, remember that the only two of the Pats' picks made the team last year. So there's no guarantee that whomever they might have taken instead of O'Connel would make the team anyway.

Finally, I think the real reason they picked O'Connel was to eliminate confusion when subbing for Brady, "Matt, go in for Brady." Which Matt?

O'CONNELL WAS A STROKE OF GENIUS THAT WILL NOT COME TO FRUITION OF COURSE IMMEDIATELY, BUT IT WILL ...............GOT THAT "BRADY" KIND OF FEEL TO IT....................HE HAS ALL OF THE TOOLS, THE BEST MENTORS IN BRADY, MCDANIELS AND BELICHICK........................WHAT ELSE WERE THEY GOING TO DO , THEY HAD A COUPLE OF VETS TO FILL SPOTS AND A FEW ROOKIES AS WELL, AND WE ALL KNOW HOW ROOKIES WORK OUT IN THOSE SPOTS (CB,IL,OL) ..............AFTER ALL OF THIS TIME ,I WOULD TRUST B. B. WITH MY ENTIRE LIFE ..................HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY PERCENTAGES, MOST OF THE TIME, ....................YESH, YEAH, YEAH WE SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR THE LONG FIELD GOAL IN SUPERBOWL..................BUT HIND SIGHT IS ALWAYS 20/20....................O'CONNELL IS A VERY INTELLIGENT BET AND MADE A NICE PLAY OR 2 AGAINST RAVENS ..............BETTER THAB CASSELs ........PLEASE !!!