Pats' transaction impacts Burgess trade

There were some coming's and going's today in Foxboro, MA, at Gillette Stadium. The biggest deal of the day was the trading of defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith to the Denver Broncos for a 2010 5th round draft pick. Besides the fact that Smith was a promising young defensive lineman, this trade has another impact: the recent trade for Derrick Burgess. The original trade for Burgess included 2010 3rd and 4th round picks, with the 4th rounder being conditional. If the Patriots acquired a 5th round pick (which is something they didn't previously have), then they would send that 5th rounder to Oakland in lieu of the 4th round pick. Therefore, with the trading of Smith, the Pats will recoup their 4th round pick and lose the 5th round pick they just got. Not a bad deal for Le Kevin Smith, and it makes the Derrick Burgess trade more palatable for fans that felt the Pats gave up too much in terms of draft picks. However, you can also now toss a promising young player in that trade equation. With an overabundance of quality defensive linemen, this shouldn't have a significant impact on the defense. Smith would have been a backup if he (and he most likely would have) made the roster. In other moves, the Pats released CB Michael Richardson and signed RB Chris Taylor, who had previously played sparingly in Houston. With the depth at RB I don't see Taylor having an impact, and he was likely brought in as a camp body. Richardson has been less-than-impressive in his stint in New England and likely would have been cut before the regular season. The Patriots also placed WR Shun White on the reserve/military list.Go Pats!