Before you get upset with the Patriots for drafting players who you have never heard of before, understand that every year there are players who Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. (great analysts) rave about before the season, but end up being busts.

Basically, just because a guy is not talked about as a prime NFL prospect does not mean that he won’t eventually become one.

Here’s a breakdown of the first four rounds of the Pats’ 2010 draft.

Devin McCourty, CB

First of all, do not be turned off by the Patriots drafting Devin McCourty. Initially, I was disappointed with the pick as well, but looking into it, McCourty may be a solid player for the Pats.

Firstly, he is a demon special teams player, as he had seven blocked kicks at Rutgers. Also, he is a kid with lots of speed, running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.

He is a good press corner, and just as importantly, a sound tackler, something the Pats have been missing on the outside for quite some time.

He does not have great ball skills, and he won’t lead the league in interceptions, but he is more of a two-year prospect who will immediately contribute on special teams.

I thought Sergio Kindle would be a good pick here, or even at a later pick for New England (he was available well into the second round). He is an injury threat with a banged up knee, and the last thing the Pats need is an injury-prone player on defense.

Grade: B- He will be a good player for New England, but he could have been picked up closer to the second round, or even in the second round.

Rob Gronkowski, TE

This TE could have been a first-round selection, had it not been for a back injury that set him back during his senior season. However, he is one of the best TEs, if not the best, at getting open in the middle of the field.

He’s a good blocker, has soft hands, and is much more consistent than Ben Watson.

He’s also borderline 6’7″, 265 lbs, and he runs a 4.64-40, so he’ll be a matchup threat against some smaller defenses (like Indy).

Grade: A- Patriots drafted for a need here, and Gronkowski is great at getting open, providing Brady with an extra option in the middle of the field. Hopefully he’ll stay healthy.

Jermaine Cunningham, OLB

Cunningham is the perfect player for the Patriots, especially late into the second round, because as a Gator he was a consistent pass rusher. Not overpowering or extremely fast, he finds ways to get into the backfield with consistency using quickness and technique.

This is just the type of player Bill Belichick likes, a coachable kid who plays with technique and consistency.

Grade: B+ It would have been nice to see the Pats address this position earlier, but they get a good special teams player as well as a consistent OLB.

Brandon Spikes, ILB

Spikes should be competing for the job alongside Jerod Mayo as the Patriots’ starting middle linebacker. Spikes was a good player in Florida. He is a great tackler and possesses a rare ability to anticipate plays, and he does not give up on plays, regularly chasing down players from behind.

He is strong in the three-point stance, so he will be a threat to get after the quarterback. While Spikes has a great initial burst of energy, whether off the line or into coverage, he is unable to sustain his speed, as he was clocked with a 5.01-40 at the combine. This is slower than the punter the Pats drafted, Zoltan Mesko, who ran a 4.99.

Grade: B I like Spikes despite his lack of speed because he is explosive, energetic, passionate, and smart.

Taylor Price, WR

Price is fast, quick, and has great acceleration, as he bursts off the line and quickly gets to his top speed.

He is a versatile player, as he can pass the ball too, opening up offensive possibilities for New England.

Price is not exceptionally talented as a pass catcher, occasionally dropping catchable balls, but chances are that he’ll be used more as an outside threat than a possession receiver.

Grade: C+ Price is a good pick and will develop to be a good wide out, but the Patriots could have picked a much more explosive player from Notre Dame, named Golden Tate in the second round.

Aaron Hernandez, TE

Hernandez is a great pick for New England. He is a gifted tight end who is quick, a great receiver, and a potential deep threat. He was expected to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick, but the Pats nabbed him in the 4th.

Also, he’s good after the catch, possessing explosive ability while breaking tackles.

Grade: A Hernandez not only fits a need at TE for the Pats, but he creates competition at the position and is great value late in the fourth round.

Before we all jump on the Dolphin’s or Jet bandwagon, lets remember that while they drafted college stars, college success doesn’t always translate to NFL stardom. Obviously, the same holds true for New England in terms of drafting college players, so we’ll have to wait and see how these kids pan out.

Overall Grade: B+. While the Patriots may have drafted some players they could have found in later rounds, they still put together a package of players which are talented and fit needs, both offensively and defensively.

What do you think? Did BB bomb this year’s draft, or will his young rookies find success in the NFL?

Unfortunately, the Celtics are just 12th in the league in 3rd quarter score margin, and 21st in the league in their 4th quarter margin. On average, the Celtics gain a half a point on their opponents in the third quarter.

Essentially, the team wins the quarter by 0.5 points, on average.

In the fourth quarter, however, the C’s average point differential is -0.5, or they lose the fourth quarter by an average of 0.5 points.

The Celtics are not putting teams away in the third (a point differential of 0.5 points won’t cut it) and are losing ground in the fourth. This team is unable to play with a lead.

Over the past three games (Magic, Hawks and Lakers), the Celtics have lost the fourth quarter by an average of 6.7 points, or 3+ possessions.

Obviously, Kevin Garnett is not yet 100%, which is a major factor for their lack of dominance, but even in previous seasons with KG hurt, the Celtics have been solid at closing out games.

Again, an unfortunate Boston Sports theme is erupting. An inability to close out games when leading. Talk to the Patriots, 66-1 going into this past season with a lead at half, lost seemingly countless games despite leading at the mid point. They lost in a heart-breaker to Indy, and in a game that went into overtime against the Broncos.

And then there are the Red Sox. Of course, there are no half times in baseball, but there were blown leads and scares.

Jonathan Papelbon, despite putting up 38 saves, had a career high in walks and fewest number of strikeouts since his rookie season in 2006.

He seemed to lack his normal dominance, and in the playoffs surrendered his first post season runs and gave up a stunning game three loss against the Angels.

Call it coincidence, but the Sox, C’s and Pats have all had legitimate trouble closing out games. How do you know when you’ve lost a game that was failed to be put away?

You feel it in your heart. After the final play, your heart drops. For instance think about the feeling after the Pats lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl(sorry about that). That same feeling (on a lesser scale) is when you can tell that your team “blew it”.

The parallel between the Celtics and Patriots is undeniable. Both are seemingly in a better position to lose games when holding leads halfway through games.

Statistically this is not true, demonstrated by the teams’ respective win-loss percentages when leading at the half, but there is certainly question in a fan’s mind during a game about whether either team will be able to finish a game.

This is not normal. Not for the Patriots, and certainly not for these Celtics.

Now, back to the Celtics.

Against the Lakers tonight, despite another halftime lead, were unable to hold on for a win. Ray Allen had 7 points, and went 2-10 from the field. He is having his worst career season in terms of three-point shooting (0-6 tonight, including a potential game winner).

Now, I’m not calling for his head, as he did play solid defense tonight, but he really needs to find a way to step it up. I think he has played too many minutes considering his age and the fact that Pierce and KG have both been injured.

I expect there to be games where he will get rest after the game is out of reach for either team, and this would really benefit his legs.

After going 0-3 in this huge stretch, the Celtics have dug themselves into a hole, and have major questions to answer.

Will they be able to compete with the big teams?

I say yes, considering they beat the best teams when fully healthy earlier this season (other than Atlanta, a team that has caught the Celtics in awkward periods, like in the second night of a back-to-back, but match up well with Boston).

But it is just frustrating to watch the Celtics blow these leads. Whether it be a 16 point lead against the Magic or a five point lead against the Lakers, the C’s should be able to close out games. Obviously, there was a questionable call on Pierce tonight, but I think that there is an underlying problem with this team. Two, in fact, which have been causing Boston to lose games they shouldn’t be.

First, they allow too many offensive rebounds. With Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis missing extended periods of time, this becomes slightly more excusable. Plus, they demonstrated an ability to control the glass tonight against LA (a very good rebounding team), winning the rebound battle 39-36.

However, they have had trouble pulling down boards, and this solid play NEEDS to continue for Boston to have success.

Secondly, they turn the ball over too often. Against the Lakers, especially, that cannot happen. 18 turnovers were committed in tonight’s game. They are 26th in the league in turnovers, with 14.7 per game.

Again, part of this can be because of KG’s absence as a large part of the C’s offense is passing down low, something Garnett excels in. Despite this, the team still needs to find a way to control the ball.

Garnett was playing today, wasn’t he? The Celtics committed an unacceptable 18 turnovers.

I think the problem lies with too much dependence on the skip pass, as good defending teams can easily pick off bounced passes across the length of the floor.

The only way to fix the passing problem is to coach it, and I think Doc Rivers will be able to fix it, and bring the Celtics’ turnover numbers down to the middle of the league.

However, the Celtics should be expected to grab a rebounding player in the trade market, as Rasheed Wallace seems to have little interest crashing the boards. Sheed can shoot, but the C’s really need a rebounding player.

The Celtics will definitely make the playoffs despite their recent struggles, and in a few weeks, with the team healthy again, should win these tighter games.

I expect them to rely on solid 6-10 game win streaks to build camaraderie essential in the playoffs, but again, there are two major problems that need fixing

At this point, however, I think that if the playoffs started now, the Celtics would make it through the first round and be bounced in the second.

1. Tom Brady will be back. Matt Cassel played well. Extremely well, however he was not able to fully utilize the deep threat to Randy Moss. Cassel is a great accurate, dink-and-dunk quarterback, similar to Brady when Tom was younger, however Tom can make the short throw AND the long throw. Cassel was great, but Brady is better.
2. Our Running Backs will be healthy. Okay, last year was crazy. Three out of our four running backs were injured, and all for significant periods of time! No way that happens again. Even if one, or two go down, we have a lot of depth there. Sammy Morris is a great runner for 4-5 yard carries, consistently, as he is fairly quick and packs a punch when he runs into a defender. He also is very good at hitting the holes. Lamont Jordan is a great guy for those tough, 2-3 yard situations, just because of his size and because he’s so hard to bring down. Laurence Maroney is good for 5 yards a carry, if he achieves his potential. He can run over defenders, juke them out, and has a powerful stiff arm move. If BB can utilize these three running backs so that Jordan gets 4 carries a game, Morris gets 10, and Maroney gets 10, meaning they split the load, then they will stay healthy and fresh. Plus, Kevin Faulk can always be thrown into the mix. If any of the backs get tired? No problem, there ar at least two more capable starters. And yes, I believe that Maroney will stay healthy this year, as will Morris, as both are learning to keep their bodies healthy, specifically Maroney, who is learning that it’s better to get tackled than to get injured.
3. Our cornerbacks are good. Ellis Hobbs is a solid corner, and can cover pretty much all the #2 wideouts in the league, and can occasionally shut down a #1 guy. He is a little bit slow on the deep ball, however with Brandon Meriweather’s ball hawking skills and recovery speed, that should be less of a problem. Also, Jonathan Wilhite showed promise at the end of last season. He was able to intercept the ball, and make some big defensive plays. He is a great option to cover the #3 receiver, and occasionally the #2 wideout. Now, not he showed his rapid improvement towards the end of last season, and if he continues to improve, he can become a very, very good corner in this league, because of his instinct. Lastly, Terrence Wheatley was getting better before he injured his wrist.  He is very similar to Wilhite, except that he is a little bit more of a speed corner as opposed to a wrap-up tackler. He is a good tackler, and if improves at the pace he was before he got injured (He shut down Reggie Wayne while playing the Colts before he went down), then he will be a great corner in this league, even a shut-down one. Just because he wasn’t a first rounder, doesn’t mean he can’t be good. Even Jonathan Wilhite. Remember, Asante Samuel was a 3rd rounder.
4. The safeties will be better. James Sanders is improving, and Brandon Meriweather led the team in picks (4) despite only starting 10 games. Sanders is a good, consistent tackler, and Meriweather is a great ball hawk, who is quick and has developed a real knack for the ball. He is working on his tackling, and once he becomes a better wrap-up tackler, his occasional big hit will be glorified. Also, Tank Williams, who was overlooked to to his pre-season injury, is a great safety. He also can play linebacker if need be, and he is a very, very consistent tackler, who posesses enough speed to flow with tight ends and most wide receivers.
5. The line is good. Both lines. The offensive line last year was great after getting used to Cassel’s style, and with Brady back, (or even with Cassel if Brady can’t go) then they will dominate, similar to the ’07-’08 season. Last year, we saw what the Pats defensive line could do with the three men healthy. Warren did go down towards the end of the year, however when they are healthy (which they were for 14 games last year, and will do the same next year) they are dominant. Richard Seymour. Need I say more? Quick, powerful, great at batting down passes and rushing the passer. Vince Wilfork is just a mountain in the middle, and Ty Warren is an underrated run stuffer, who has the ability to get to the QB.
6. Ben Watson will be better. He will be used more offense, as he has become a better blocking tight end, and his route running has improved. He is a great run after the catch tight end, and like Antonio Gates, is very athletic and very fast.
7. Our linebackers will be better. Jerod Mayo will improve, Adalius Thomas won’t be injured, and Mike Vrabel will at least be consistent. Also, Pierre Woods will be a stronger back-up, and a more useful option after his experience last year. Also, Gary Guyton showed promise according to Bill Belichick before getting injured, so he will provide some depth. If Bruschi can come back after his injury, great, he is not great anymore, but he is good, and knows how to play. Also, the Pats will probably address their linebacker issues in the draft, even with Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau.
8. The defense will be deeper next year. Similar to last year, the Pats will probably go all out defense during the draft, to address depth issues at linebacker and safety, as well as grab a #3-#4 cornerback. The Pats will either go safety or linebacker in the first round, and whichever way they don’t go, they will probably choose in the second. I think they will choose a linebacker in the first round, especially after how well Jerod Mayo played last year. Then, in the 3rd, they’ll probably go for a corner, and in the 4th and 5th round they’ll look for secondary players in general. Because they have Tank Williams, who can play linebacker, they don’t need to draft 3-4 backers this year, rather only 2-3. That’s why I think they’ll draft a backer in the 6th round, and then leave the 7th round up to possibly a special teams guy who’s primary position is cornerback.

I think this is how the draft will shape up:

Round

1. Linebacker

2. Safety

3. Cornerback

4. Cornerback/Safety (somebody who has the versatility to play either)

5. Safety/Cornerback (same as above, however more of a safety)

6. Linebacker

7. Lineman/Small Linebacker

Overall, the Pats will just be better defensively, and will be able to utilize all of their weapons offensively. Even though the Pats lost Pioli and McDaniels, I believe that that the coaching of Bill O’Brien will be fine in replacing Josh, and Belichick has a very similar and uncanny knack for getting a steal pick, similar to Pioli.  Plus, I don’t expect the Pats to get hit with 20+ injuries again this season. And when healthy, this team has shown (2007-2008) that they really can’t be beat*. So, if the Pats made, and almost won the Super Bowl* with an extremely similar team, which has an improving defense, then shouldn’t they be able to do it again?

• *Note: The Giants won because of an attrocious offensive game, and the David Tyree catch 1) never happens again and 2)Richard Seymour and Ty Warren were being held on that play (look at the replay)