New England Patriots: Grading the 2009 Draft Class

7    Julian Edelman      WR     Kent State     Grade: A+

It’s not often that a franchise drafts a player as versatile as he is talented. When the Pats took Julian Edelman in the 7^th round they got a player that would be an elite level punt and kick returner and also one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. He also played a bit at free safety. Since replacing Wes Welker in the slot, Edelman has averaged 10 yards per catch and 1000 yards per season. Not bad for a 7^th round pick. He somehow hasn’t made the Pro Bowl so far in his career, but that is more likely down to the way the NFL sticks its nose up at slot receivers, preferring to honor deep threats. Also, did you know that Edelman played quarterback at Kent State?!

7    Darryl Richard     DT       Georgia Tech      Grade: D+

Richard should not to be confused with Darryl Richards the Cornerback drafted in the 7^th round a few years later. Richard never played in an NFL game but he did manage to stay on the practice squad for 3 seasons. He was valued as a practice player so much that his wage was increased to that of a veteran rather than a Practice Squad member. To be fair to Richard, there is value to a team by playing on the scout team to a high level.

More from Musket Fire

• Patriots get steal of the night with perfect first round pick
• What trading Mac Jones during the draft can do for the Patriots
• Best and worst draft picks during the Bill Belichick era
• Early round Patriots draft picks you’ll hate now, love later
• Musket Fire Roundup: Our own final predictions for round 1

Overall Grade – C

This grade was calculated using a weighting system and then averaging this out across the amount of picks for this year. The “C” grade might seem a bit harsh as it yielded 3 quality players in Chung, Vollmer and Edelman. It also resulted in the drafting of nine less than stellar players that brought the grade down.