Lacking the ammunition to move up much this year, Belichick let the draft come to him, settling on massive guard/tackle Logan Mankins of Fresno State in the first round, then unloading the final pick on the second round to Baltimore for a surprisingly high price, acquiring the Ravens' third- and sixth-round picks this year and Baltimore's third next year. That allowed the Patriots to get the young corner they needed, Iowa State's undersized but productive Ellis Hobbs, with the 20th pick in the third round.
Then they came back to an old staple, using a third-round compensatory selection to get the player considered perhaps the best in the Mid-American Conference, massive tackle Nick Kaczur.
"We did the best we could," Belichick said in his usual, understated fashion. "I'm pleased with the players we got. You can't really worry about what everybody else says or what everybody else does."
Although yesterday's picks were far from sexy, they were the kind of selections Belichick has become known for -- versatile guys who have a chance to help a team that has won three of the last four Super Bowls.
Mankins, in particular, is considered a very tough player who was a solid left tackle at Fresno, where he played for Belichick's old line coach with the Cleveland Browns. Pat Hill strongly recommended Mankins and Belichick felt confident about that, especially after Mankins went to the Senior Bowl and showed he was strong and aggressive enough to move inside and hold his own at guard as well, against bigger defensive players.
That is the kind of lineman New England likes best, guys who can do more than one thing, giving the Patriots flexibility and the player more than one chance to be successful.
