As the 2011 NFL Draft draws ever closer, the analyses, mock drafts, and other predictions grow ever more complex. The folks over at Pats Pulpit have, of course, been at it for months now, and have by this point produced an almost unreasonable amount of information, previewing prospects, analyzing needs, and looking at every possible strategy from every possible angle.
For those who haven't been keeping up, with just three days to go, there's no catching up. Or, rather, there wouldn't be if the Pulpiteers hadn't condensed all their information into its most natural form: a draft board. Or, rather, two very big draft boards.
Richard Hill's first board gives a grade to 90 different players, dividing them into the round the NFL-at-large would consider picking them in, and then again into the top, middle, and bottom of said round.
The second board gets rid of the players that likely would not fit into the Patriots' scheme, leaving us with a personalized draft board for the team.
The result: an impressive tool to help anyone interested in the draft keep track of who's left, and perhaps more importantly, trade scenarios. For instance, if Robert Quinn--predicted by Pats Pulpit to be a 1A player--somehow falls to no. 17, then you could expect the Pats to take advantage
Of course, Quinn almost definitely won't fall, and when it comes to predicting Bill Belichick's drafts, everything has a tinge of futility to it (just wait until he trades his first rounders for all the picks in the sixth) but Richard Hill and co. have produced quite the interesting and informative tool nonetheless.