New England Patriots: Grading the 2009 Draft Class

3    Brandon Tate      WR      North Carolina      Grade: C-

When Tate was drafted he held the NCAA record for combined return yards. He was also a decent receiver with a penchant for the long-ball. Bill Belichick likes his players to be more versatile and a guy that can’t run the full route tree is always going to find it tough to make the roster. When the Patriots drafted Julian Edelman, (we’ll get to him later) there was only space for one return specialist. Put simply, the Pats liked Edelman better. Don’t get me wrong, Tate was a very good return man and has had success in the NFL since being cut before the 2011 season.

3     Tyrone McKenzie    LB       South Florida      Grade: F

Poor Tyrone McKenzie. He tore his ACL in training camp after being drafted and never really recovered. He was cut the following year before the 2010 season. McKenzie was re-signed to the practice squad but was cut later in the season and signed with the Bucs and then the Vikings before falling out of the league in 2013.

4    Rich Ohrnberger     OG      Penn State     Grade: D+

Ohrnberger was a versatile guard who could play center in the league but he came into a team that was flush with good interior linemen. He saw a bit of playing time when injuries pushed him into a starting role. He was cut in 2010 and re-signed to the practice squad. Once he left New England and started to play with San Diego he became what he was drafted to be; a part-time starter and a good back. Since then he has retired from the game and has become a radio host and also a good twitter follow – ‪@ohrnberger.