New England Patriots: More on Josh Boyce
The New England Patriots like to plan ahead and head coach Bill Belichick likes to keep an organized agenda with a plan in place and procrastination out of bounds. While Aaron Burr, an American politician and adventurer said, “Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be one,” it doesn’t necessary fit Belichick’s agenda as his actions demonstrate a Charles Dickens analogy, “My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”
Well, if procrastination is the thief of time, the Miami Dolphins should know that very well as the Patriots snatched the TCU wide receiver from the Dolphins 104th pick overall of the fourth round. As I heard and watched the announcer saying the Patriots 102nd overall pick, “On behalf of the New England Patriots, our coaches and our players were proud to announce our fifth pick of the fourth Round of the 2013 NFL draft is wide receiver from TCU Josh Boyce”.
A Patriots draft pick is always exciting to hear and to watch, mainly when we know the prospect player to be a quality player. But it was even better to find out later on via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that per Boyce the Dolphins had called him to inform he was going to be the 104th pick in the draft, but in a matter of minutes later, the Patriots called to inform he was going to be the 102nd pick instead and going to Foxboro.
The Dolphins had no other choice but to change their plans and draft Florida linebacker Jelani Jenkins with the 104th pick overall. Who got the best end of the deal? Absolutely the Patriots are the winner of this match since the Dolphins had to modify their draft plans by going with the next “best available player” instead of going with “best available-needed player”. In addition, the Dolphins really allowed themselves to be a victim of their own procrastination because if they really wanted Josh Boyce, they were in position to move up the board with picks 104th and 106th should the Eagles, Chiefs, Buccaneers or Jaguars be up for a trade.
As the Patriots gained a 5’11”, 206-pounder wider receiver with a talent to play in the slot, but strong legs and upper body to add depth at the wide receiver position, the Dolphins lost an opportunity in this round to add a slot receiver to supplement the roster with Brian Hartline. Since Jenkins was their “plan B”, the Dolphins will more likely utilize him as back up for Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler.
If healthy, Jenkins can make a big impact on the defense as in 2011 (before his injury) he ended the season with a combined 76 tackles (4.5 for loss), two sacks, and one interception. I would give the Dolphins some credit as they appear to be making the necessary adjustments to their roster, but the Patriots being able to select Boyce first, it could reflect a bigger game-changer when the season comes.
Follow Celia Westbrook on Twitter @celiawestbrook