April 26, 2008 - With the 7th Pick in the 2008 NFL Draft the New England Patriots Select...

Actually, they traded the pick to the New Orleans Saints and dropped down to the number 10 pick.  From there, the Patriots picked - 

Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee.

I've recently been tracking 30 different mock drafts (http://www.sqablogs.com/jstrazzere/1549/Who+Will+the+Pats+Pick+in+the+2008+NFL+Draft%3F++I+Mock+Their+Mock+Drafts%21.html)

These are written by the highly touted "football insiders" who are paid to know about and write about the NFL.

How many of them had the Patriots choosing Jerod Mayo?  Only one - Don Banks of SI.com.  Don even predicted the trade with the Saints!  Which is why Don is one of the best football writers, and one of the reasons I like to watch him on local television.

Here's what Don wrote in his mock draft:

Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee

 

*PROJECTED TRADE WITH THE SAINTS*  While USC's Keith Rivers has been a popular match for the Patriots' first-round pick, we believe they're higher on Mayo. He has much more experience playing inside linebacker than Rivers, and he'd allow New England to shift Adalius Thomas back outside, where his playmaking impact has been greatest. 

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/04/25/mock.draft7.page1/index.html

Well done, Don.  Welcome aboard, Jerod - I'll see you this summer in training camp.