Picks galore and a whole lot more

Before I get into my thoughts on the Pats and the upcoming draft, I just want to mention two things here...

1. How long is it going to be before MLB officials allow MLB umpire and coaches to carry a firearm onto the field of play?

2. August 2003, Miramax Film's "Shaolin Soccer." Remember you heard it here first and wait for my review next week. It's going to be added to my All Time Sports Movie list.

Now let's look at the upcoming draft...

This is where things stand for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his war room staff for the upcoming draft weekend.

1st Round - 14, 19 2nd Round - 18 (50 overall) 3rd Round - 11 (75 overall), 14 (78 overall) 4th Round - 23 (120 overall), 31 (128 overall) 5th Round - 19 (154 overall), 22 (157 overall) 6th Round - 20 (193 overall) 7th Round - 11 (225 overall), 20 (234 overall), 25 (239 overall)

At his last press conference, BB was questioned on almost every scenario, but he pretty much smiled and kept most of his thoughts to himself.

One of the issues he did touch base on was the chances of him trading up and going after Miami University's injured RB Willis McGahee.

BB quickly dismissed those thoughts by comparing the issue to Pats RB Antwoine Womack.

Womack injured his ACL, had surgery, but was never able to recover after spending most of the year on the team's PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.

To be honest, it easy to see where he's coming from.

It's hard for a team to draft a player fully knowing that he won't even take the field until the following year, and even that can sometimes be a huge IF.

When teams draft players other than QB's, a majority of time they want almost instant results.

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a guy two to three years to come around because the transition from college to pro's is tough.

Anybody who knows football can tell you that, because the NFL's history is littered with prospects, phenoms, and Heisman Trophy winners who either self-destructed or never made the transition.

Sometimes, these busts can ruin a team's salary cap for years to come. Just asks those teams who had invested faith in retired QB Ryan Leaf.

Now I've read some of the so called "draft predictions" out there by other sport writers, and to be honest, I can't see how anyone can foresee what's going to happen.

With the picks the Patriots have, they can cause chaos by trading up and throwing the whole draft out whack.

The Pats may also surprise others and draft in quantity, keeping all of the picks for themselves while trying to find a diamond in the rough.

After their performance last year, the one main issue in my eyes that needs to be addressed was that QB Tom Brady needed to work on his leg and upper body strength to get the ball down the field with some control.

Then we can start looking at some players.

Offense is where this team is bleeding the most.

At wide receiver, the Pats have the most talented group, but no where near the tallest.

Troy Brown never bounced back from his early injury, Deion Branch vanished after week 4, David Patten wasn't utilized, while the wide-out with height Donald Hayes couldn't grasp the playbook or a reception.

Running back Antowain Smith got paid, showed up to camp out of shape, and rushed for only 982 yards last year, but all of the running woes don't fall on his shoulders.

Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis seemed to have problems with how he wanted to use Smith after the Chiefs figured out a way to slow down his offensive attack.

Kevin Faulk may have showed some flashes mid-season and in the final weeks, but for some reason, he wasn't entrusted to run the ball.

There were also problems up front, as the O-line suffered injuries to most of their better players, which meant a lot of shifting week after week.

The biggest loss in my eyes to the offense was full back Marc Edwards out of Notre Dame. He had good hands, blocked and ran his routes well.

The only sure spot on the offense that is wrapped up are the tight ends ,with Christian Fauria and Daniel Graham.

Graham spent most of the season on and off the field nursing injuries, but he did make an impact when on the field.

If these two look good during camp I expect the offense to run more plays with the two TE option.

So on offense, look for the team to possibly draft WR, OL, RB and FB.

The defense is the strength of the team, but they need to get a lot of discipline back.

Last year, the defense couldn't stop the run, missed a s**tload of tackles, and gave up tons of yardage on third down possessions.

If safeties Lawyer Milloy and Rodney Harrison start rattling receivers heads midfield this season, teams will be forced to challenge the opposite side of CB Ty Law.

The sad thing about this is that the rookie cornerback crop is probably the weakest ever, and that hurts because Otis Smith, Leonard Myers, and Ben Kelly spent most of their off-season cleaning the butter from themselves because they got toasted so much last year.

The D-line should see a tremendous boost from the Rosevelt Colvin signing.

Colvin spent most of his 10 sacks last year behind the shadow of Brian Urlacher in Chicago.

In addition, if Tedy Bruschi can come back healthy, look for the defense to be a dominant force if all parties including Willie McGinest, Roman Phifer and Ted Johnson can contribute.

I won't be surprised if they draft a defensive player in the early rounds.

One position I do know they will draft is the punting spot.

Granted it will come in the later rounds, but there is no way this team can keep paying "Lexus" prices to a "Toyota" punter like Ken Walter.

This guy was the weakest link on this team last year, as he gave teams great field position on almost every punt. I truly expect him to lose his spot to whoever they draft.

So for this weekend, I say who the Pats draft will be a toss-up. But, you can be damn sure that other teams are well aware of the Pats picks this weekend and will probably be looking to deal away.

Until next time remember...

Shaolin Soccer... Shaolin Soccer... Shaolin Soccer... Shaolin Soccer...

Contact me at sinista1@msn.com.