Pats slotted at 24th pick

But doesn't this change if, say the Chargers move on to an AFC Championship game or even Super Bowl?

This is contrary to the rules of the draft as written by the NFL! The draft is based upon records with the exception of teams that make the Play-offs,they automatically drop behind those not making the Play-offs! Somebody is incorrect,I'm pretty sure I read the Rule book correctly!

Mike,

If this holds true and Sand Diego does not go to the SuperBowl, then the Patriots have their second round pick (Number 44?) if so, what a pick up from a Third Round trade!.

"With the 24th pick in the 1st Round, the New England Patriots select ..."
Victor "Macho" Harris, CB, Virginia Tech
... might as well start speculating, right? I like Harris & Alphonso Smith (Wake Forest), but Harris is 6' tall and a real productive play maker. Smith is 5"9", but I'm getting sick of having midget corners. Unfortunately, it looks like a big drop at CB after Malcom Jenkins. Vontae Davis might be the 2nd best CB, but I heard he's a punk much like his brother, Vernon "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" Davis:
"can't play with him, can't win with him, can't coach him."

Time to root for a Chargers vs Eagles/Vikings/Cardinals superbowl

This is ridiculous, and it really needs to be changed. It makes no sense that the Changers are going to the playoffs and pick 16th, while the Patriots are not going to the playoffs and pick 24th.

Since we own the Chargers 2nd round pick where does that land? They are 8-8 with a bunch of other teams and supposedly strength of schedule breaks the tie. But does their winning the Div push their position down?

Well, that stinks. If it were based on making the playoffs or not, I think the Pats would get to pick 20th. Those four extra places will make the most difference in the first round and may not matter as much in the later rounds. If the teams that pick from 20-23 don't have the same needs as the Pats (or aren't rivals like the Jets), it may not make that much of a difference.

what a joke if the NFL allows the playoff teams to be able to draft in front of non playoff teams just because they have a lesser record. Does anybody know the correct ruling on this?

complete BS. and i was just starting to get over yesterday.

i though for sure the playoff teams picked after the non-playoff teams regardless of record....

Mike I think you've got this wrong.

Hi Justin. I just re-typed it in off the NFL's official press release.
--Mike

Don't the play-off wins count as to draft slotting? Just looking for a bright spot. So I guess this is to reward lesser DIV. and their PLAY-OFF rep. Parody one more time bits us US the A$$. // start of 4th QTR jets fans start to leave. 7 minutes left in 4th QTR jest have NO hope of PLAYOFF birth. Tell us why the time changes for these most important games make sense now?

mike is wrong playoff teams are seeded in the draft by how they finish in the tournament...check the facts mike..think about it how can someone in the playoffs get a better draft pick than someone who didnt make it...

this all seems so weird with the PATs sucess over the years to be even talking about this

Mike is right. The draft order is set purely by record, except for the Super Bowl participants. Sine the Patriots are the only team to finish 11-5 and not make the playoffs, they will be the first 11-5 team to pick. The playoffs only matter for teams that had the same record. No playoff team can pick ahead of a non-playoff team with the SAME record. It always seemed like the playoff teams picked last because they generally have the best record. Ties between playoff teams are broken based on who makes it further in the post season.

Does it matter? It's not like we can afford a higher pick, since it looks like we'll be paying both Cassel and Brady a heap of cash. I'm thinking they'll deal the pick for a first rounder next year, and try their luck in the second round, where we have two picks. Unless there's someone that Belichick REALLY, REALLY likes.

Thats not how it reads in the NFL Rules of the Draft That is easily accessible just google it.

This is stupid! Why is it possible that a team playing in the AFC or NFC championship game can get considerably higher picks throughout the entire draft than teams that don't make the playoffs? This is a contradiction! They say the best teams make the playoffs AND the best teams get higher draft picks? I think the playoff system is fair. I am fine with that, but this draft rule should be changed.

I just want to say that Mike Reiss is the man! I just got an email from him saying that he corrected his earlier post to note that tie breakers are determined by playoff performance, and 31 and 32 are for the superbowl teams.

I'm impressed by the depth of the patriots coverage by the globe and the effort made to follow up on reader comments.

When do you guys sleep exactly? I look forward to following the draft coverage this spring.

San Diego should be picking in the mid-teens, right? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we have a 2nd round pick from the bolts in 2009.

David

A couple of points:
(1) As of today, the Chargers' second-round pick that belongs to the Patriots is #47.
(2) The Patriots' first-rounder cannot move down; it will move up one spot for each team with a sub-11-5 record that reaches the Super Bowl. However, if the Chargers make the Super Bowl, that second-rounder drops to #63 or #64.