Sciz

Not at all. He's a horrible athlete by NFL standards. For a comparison, other than the 40, Nate Solder was better or right with Upshaw on every combine test. The difference is that he did it at approximately 50 pounds heavier.

The short arms don't help either. Basically the only thing he's got going for him as a Pats OLB is his bulk and straight line long speed. Explosion isn't there, change of direction isn't there, and length isn't there.

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NinjaZX6R

I don't think Jones did. I know Hightower met the Pats at the combine and proday.

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manxman2601

Neither were. Which is interesting as they are both underclassmen. I can see Hightower being OK with the Saban connection and a fair amount of tape but I wonder how much the Pats knew about Chandler Jones, especially as he missed some games this year.

MrNathanDrake

Chandler Jones flat out said he did NOT visit with the Pats. He had 20 visits, and none were with New England.

He only talked to NE at the Combine.



Hightower also did not have a visit from what I understand. A few weeks ago Upshaw visited and said something about it on Twitter and Hightower said he hadn't visited New England.

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MrNathanDrake

From ESPN......


21
Chandler Jones
Syracuse
DE
New England
From Cincinnati

Todd McShay breaks down the Patriots' selection of Chandler Jones with the 21st pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
What he brings: When you look at Jones' combine workout, nothing really stands out in terms of numbers. But when you throw in the film, you see a player who has above-average upside as a pass-rusher. He anticipates the snap well, does a good job of bending inside, and he closes better than his timed speed would suggest. Plus, he still has room to grow into his frame and get even bigger.



How he fits: Obviously, defense was a huge need for the Patriots in this draft. In one way, to improve a porous pass defense is to get better in the pass rush up front. Bill Belichick can juggle his 3-4 and 4-3 schemes depending on his personnel. Jones fits perfectly as a right defensive end in a 4-3 look, but he could also play OLB as an edge rusher opposite Rob Ninkovich in their 3-4 look. The Pats appreciate versatility more than any other team in the NFL, and Jones gives them flexibility in interchanging their fronts.




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25
Dont'a Hightower
Alabama
ILB
New England
from Denver

Todd McShay breaks down the Patriots' selection of Dont'a Hightower with the 25th pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
What he brings: Hightower's got great size at 265 pounds, combined with above-average range and versatility as a pass-rusher. One of his better assets is defending the run on the interior, where he's a hammer taking on blocks and does a great job of tackling with leverage and strength. Great pick.



How he fits: He looks like the perfect Patriots player, again, because of his versatility. He can line up at ILB and their 3-4 defense with Brandon Spikes or he could play outside opposite Rob Ninkovich and give them flexibility with Jerod Mayo. He can certainly rush the QB, and this gives the Pats four outstanding linebackers and increases their flexibility in terms of which packages they want to play. Not surprisingly, this is another Alabama pick, which is clear evidence of how much Bill Belichick trusts Nick Saban and his players.









also from ESPN.......


Winners
2. New England Patriots: Too often in past years, the Patriots got a little too cute. They'd trade a choice for a future first-rounder. They'd trade back and acquire more draft choices than they had roster spots for rookies. On Thursday, Bill Belichick made two wise trades, and finally got a pass-rusher (Chandler Jones from Syracuse) and a quality inside linebacker (Dont'a Hightower of Alabama). Those were significant and telling moves. It shows the Patriots might be moving back into a 3-4 defense, but now they can do it with two young linebackers who can rush. Jones is quick from the outside. Hightower can rush from the inside. The Patriots have only two remaining draft choices, but the two trades cost them only two fourth-round picks.

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supafly

Interesting..thanks for the response, buddy. Much appreciated.

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supafly

Great breakdown of the 2 new rookies. Thanks for the post and quote.

The last sentence is wrong, which isn't surprising for ESPN though..

We gave up our 3rd rounder to move from 27 to 21, and then our 4th rounder to move from 31 to 25; so we parted with our only 3rd and our only 4th.

We have 2 picks left, both in the second round tomorrow, although I'm sure we can speculate that one of them will be a trade down.

I'm assuming one player taken, and one trade down---but Belichick may feel that the quality is there with both second rounders tomorrow instead, thus allowing us to be done with the 2012 draft after picks 48 and 62.

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wcpatsfan

Who?







10 char

MrNathanDrake

yeah I noticed that too but since I was copy n pasting I figured Id leave it in since its ESPNs mistake anyway.


I love this draft already... no matter what happens tomorrow. The Chandler Jones pick alone wouldve been great, but Hightower makes this draft amazing.



I think we take a Secondary player tomorrow. Corner or Safety, or Corner who BB converts to Safety. Or maybe DL depth like Derek Wolfe or Reyes.

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italian pat patriot

benvenuti ai New England Patriots !