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NFL Draft: Who have other former Patriots drafted first?

By Will Lomas

Oct 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli (left) and general manager Thomas Dimitroff react after defeating the Washington Redskins in overtime at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Redskins 25-19. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli (left) and general manager Thomas Dimitroff react after defeating the Washington Redskins in overtime at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Redskins 25-19. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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We all know by now (well, I hope) that new Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson cut his teeth working for the New England Patriots.

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The Patriots have one of the most successful franchises over the last two decades, which have come from great drafts finding elite talent in nearly every round of the draft. Just look at the best player they took in each round of the NFL draft since Bill Belichick took over in 2000.

Round 1: Richard Seymour DL (2001)/Vince Wilfork DT (2004)

Round 2: Matt Light OT (2001)/Rob Gronkowski (2009)

Round 3: Stevan Ridley RB (2011)

Round 4: Asante Samuel CB (2003)

Round 5: Dan Koppen C (2003)

Round 6: Tom Brady QB (2000)

Round 7: Julian Edelmelman (2009)

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    • That is a pretty great track record of finding great players in every round. So, with so many GMs coming from that system it is important to note that every indication we have gotten from Jon Robinson from grading scale to personality is that he will mimic the New England formula as closely as he can in Tennessee.

    So, if that is the case I thought it would be a great idea to look back at different teams that other New England front office members took over to see who they took and figure out if it tells us anything about what the Titans could do. So, here is a list of those GMs and their first NFL Draft picks.

    Jason Licht: 2014 NFL Draft- Mike Evans, WR

    So, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent their first pick with their new GM taking Mike Evans. Evans was clearly BPA on the board at that time, and they passed over guys like Anthony Barr, Taylor Lewan, Odell Beckham, and Eric Ebron to get him.

    Evans came out of school as a physical freak who had great production so he was almost a no brainer. However, it isn’t like the Bucs didn’t have any receivers mainly Vincent Jackson who was a 1,000 yard receiver and could have easily been the focal point of the offense.

    Scott Pioli: 2009 NFL Draft- Tyson Jackson DE

    This was a bust, but it was one that no one really saw coming. Jackson had 18.5 sacks in three years of college, and he 28 pass deflections in his last two years. He looked like he was going to affect every passing game in the league and he was big enough and athletic enough to fit any scheme.

    To be fair, he was in a historically bad draft class with major busts all around him like Aaron Curry, Jason Smith, Aaron Maybin, and Larry English. Compared to that group he is a steal given that he is still in the league.

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    Thomas Dimitroff: 2008 NFL Draft- Matt Ryan QB

    This one wasn’t the no brainer that everyone will think it is now. Ryan was a great prospect, but players like Glenn Dorsey and Darren McFadden played against much tougher opponents in their careers and could have easily been the pick if all things were equal.

    However, Dimitroff stood pat and made the choice setting his team up for the future.

    So all in all, it looks like a mixed bag on what the Titans will do in the first round. Dimitroff made a great choice and secured his team for the future with their high pick. However it was a rare position where a talented quarterback fell to third overall.

    On the other hand, Pioli had to make a choice in a terrible draft and you could argue that he made the best choice he could have made given every other player who was considered in that range.

    Licht, who is probably closest to Robinson, didn’t force quarterback by taking Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr. He ended up going with pure value there and it is paying dividends for his team now. Will the Titans do that and take their top player?

    Or will they trade down and make the same call at 4th, 7th, 8th, or 15th overall? Are they comfortable enough to say that they are find taking any player that will make this team immediately better, or are they sold on taking the person they believe to be the best player in the 2016 NFL Draft.

    I don’t know, but I get more and more ready to find out as we get closer to the 2016 NFL Draft.

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