Despite what a lot of New England reporters are saying, I think the Patriots did well in the draft. No one objects to the first day’s picks. A solid running back, a great receiver, and a very good tight end.

Day Two is where the griping started. The fourth pick was another tight end. Then a kicker, to replace Vinatieri. The next four picks were split between the offensive and defensive lines; and the finally a safety.

So why isn’t this bad? Why is it OK that they didn’t focus on linebackers and the secondary?

For starters, Rodney Harrison will be back. And his presence on the field is more than just his individual play. He elevates the rest of the secondary.

Next, the defense didn’t play that bad last season. The problem was they were on the field too much. The offense struggled and when playing teams like Denver and Indianopolis, you can’t leave your defense hanging out like that for 40 minutes per game.

Nor can you expect Brady to carry the load himself again. He needs a running game. Now he should have one. With Maroney backing up Dillon, and Faulk there on 3rd downs – plus four tight ends with speed and great hands – the offense now has options galore.

And, of course, there’s still free agency to consider. The Patriots defense if a tricky beast. It needs experienced players to make it work. So even if they had drafted some great linebackers, who can say if they’d have had an immediate impact.

And one more thing. In listening to all the interviews they did with the draft selections, there wasn’t an overblown ego in the bunch. Even though most of them held some kind of records at their schools – even the 10th pick – they weren’t chest-pounding egomaniacs. They wanted to come to New England, help the team, play where Belichick wanted them to play. They were also all rated as being smart with good instincts in the scouting reports. In other words – The Patriots picked people who would work in the New England system, rather than the ones with the gaudiest statistics.

Well done, Belichick and Pioli.

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