Pats0204

You forgot PHYSICAL! :-) Seriously though, I love his physicality and aggressiveness. I am also of the belief that he will skyrocket up the boards come April after his workout numbers at the combine which is why I doubt he will be there in the 4th; even though that's where he currently is projected to go.

Synovia

I think there's also this misconception that a 2nd round pick SHOULD be a good player.


If I look back 4 years, to the 2009 draft (where guys should have played the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 season), of the 32 picks,:

4 have gone to pro bowls (#42 Jarius Byrd, #49 Max Unger, #53 Lesean McCoy, #55 William Moore")

6 Have retired

There's a handful of other good players (Vollmer, etc). But most of the guys in the round are either below average starters on poor teams (Mauluga, Butler), depth on good teams, or roster filler/ST guys. And that was considered a fantastic draft going in.

You're lucky to get a guy who starts for a season or two out of a 2nd round pick.

goheels22002

The defense needs physical corners who can hold their own outside the numbers and step up on the edge on run/screen plays. Dennard is a tough guy out there, and Talib is too. But they shouldn't bet on him.

The Pats ought to pick David Amerson CB out of NCSU with their first pick - a gigantic corner with great ball skills. 6-3, 195 lbs - tied Dre Bly for the NCAA record with 13 INTs a couple of years ago. Nobody threw in his direction this year so his stats are down. But he's got the size and speed to match up with big receivers opposite Dennard. He's projected late 1st/early 2nd.

I'd keep McCourty and Gregory as the starters at safety with Tavon Wilson as a backup, and go get one more later in the draft or undrafted free agent. Wilson did a good job as a rookie. Safeties don't come into their own until their 3rd or 4th year - it takes experience back there to see what's going on. McCourty matured this year before our eyes in his 3rd season. I believe that if Talib hadn't pulled his hammy the Ravens game would have turned out differently.

AzPatsFan

trying to convince any self appointed draft guru about anything, is a waste of time. Tavon Wilson was a respectible rookie registering 40 tackles and 4 picks for his rookie season.

Everyone overlooks the way the NFL is evolving. Now the "big new idea" is to draft a big corner and turn him into a Safety. So you can cover the TEs and RBs out of the backfield, while sacrificing the run stopping of the in-the-box SS.

Gee Whiz Isn't that EXACTLY what BB did? Back before it was the new "fashionable" thing to do, he drafted a "big corner" who had actually played S in college too. Quelle Idee! It seems simpler to have a non-coverage LB assigned to cover the draws and delayed runs, while putting a more agile, competent, "coverage" safety in to chase the TEs and RB/Receivers.

Isn't BB a pure Genius, anticipating once again???

KontradictioN

You want to know how you can tell it was a bad pick? Two ways. One, was he drafted a lot higher than he should have been? Two, is there still a need at the position that he was drafted for?

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CREDIT - Sicilian

Synovia

Yeah, because every rookie is clearly a pro-bowl level starter or a bust.

We need another Tackle, and Vollmer was drafted too high. Is he a bad pick? We didn't even need a tackle when Solder was drafted, and he was drafted too high. Was he a bad pick?

Deus Irae

No feathers ruffled here. My response was to Crowell, who was trying to claim a hypocricy that doesn't exist.

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BradyFTW!

Wilson's playing time decreased as the season went on, but that was in large part due to Gregory getting healthy and McCourty moving full-time to safety. The jury's still out on him, although I'd be lying if I said I was super encouraged by what he did this year. He flashed some playmaking skills, but also the tendency to get caught out of position and give up huge plays. That's not a trade-off that Belichick is willing to make. He also showed a tendency to repeat the same mistakes, which is disheartening.

Hopefully another offseason of coaching will help him turn the corner, because the physical tools are there

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ATippett56

By the end of the 2012 NFL Season, Tavon Wilson surpassed Patrick Chung as the New England Patriots primary dime back.

Going forward, once Steve Gregory, Patrick Chung, Kyle Arrington, Marquice Cole are replaced/upgraded, the New England Patriots will finally field a respectable pass defense.

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Deus Irae

I think it's too early to close the book on Wilson, but I also think that anyone trying to claim he had a good year is going to really have to stretch the definition of the word 'good', because he was awful for a large part of the season. And I agree that having to address the safety position isn't a good sign, but I also think that BB is likely looking for a 3 safety group that are all starter level and above, because I think BB wants to really be able to count on things like the big nickel.

Gregory's not the answer. So, I think BB's looking at his safeties and sees that he's got McCourty and Wilson, and that the team still needs a front line safety even if Wilson pans out nicely. Personally, I saw a player that reminded me far too much of Patrick Chung, but he's still got time to develop, so I'm trying to keep an open mind moving forward.

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