Marqui

I think Kyed is a little off on his assessment of Jones. Belichick in an interview on Sirius straight up said Jones is a perimeter "end of the line player". I think there's zero chance he ends up as a full-time 5 tech and will be a DE/OLB only. And the Patriots wouldn't have traded up for him in the first round if they "didn't see that upside" in Jones.

mayoclinic

I completely agree. I think Kyed's struggling trying to fit new players into old paradigms.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I do think that there is a role for the kind of player that Shaun Ellis used to be - a 285-290# guy with the ability to shift inside to DT, play the 5-tech and 7-tech, and occasionally even stand up. Not a classical "elephant", but definitely a hybrid DL of sorts. That's the kind of role I envisioned Cameron Jordan being able to play. But I think that the guy who may be capable of doing most of that is not Jones, but rather Jonathan Fanene - I'm not so sure if Fanene can stand up and drop into coverage, but he can certainly do the rest of it. And that seems to be how Kyed sees Fanene, too:

2012 Free Agency: Jonathan Fanene | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft

I see Jones as a different beast altogether, a pure DE/OLB, as you put it. He's strong enough that he could be moved inside once in a while, especially if the Pats use some kind of NASCAR package. But that would be relatively rare. I think that it would be a relative waste to try to "convert" Jones to a classic 5-tech player. If that's what the Pats wanted, they could have gotten any number of prospects in the last 2 drafts with a much short developmental timecourse. They wanted something very different.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

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VJCPatriot

To put it simply, I believe that BB drafted Jones to be a passrusher. Whether that's at rush end in a 4 man front, or blitzing OLB when we go to a classic 3-4 base, remains yet to be seen. But he will see the field in those types of situations. Chandler Jones also has the prototypical build that BB has SAID HIMSELF that he is looking for - an athletic freak about 6-4 to 6-6 in height with 4.6-4.8 speed along with agility who can get after the QB and disrupt the passing game that is now the staple of the NFL game.

I also don't see the point of trying to bulk up Chandler Jones to 290 lbs and turning him into a stout run-stop first defensive end. Chandler Jones is not a Seymour replacement, his job is to get up the field, create pressure, make plays and hopefully cause some fumbles, turnovers, ints, rushed throws, sacks, etc. IE make impact plays.

Chandler Jones to me is a scalphunter, a lethal anti-QB weapon. Hightower to me is the all-around LBer. I could see him playing a McGinest type elephant role and moving all around on our D. Both project to be impact players to me.

The only question is how long will it take for them to get up to speed in BB's new D. Patricia also has the keys to the car. So I am excited to see the playcalling and packages that the Pats use in 2012 with these versatile new weapons at LB/Rush end.

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Fencer

BB will try anything for a twist. Kyle Arrington lined up at DE. Mike Vrabel lined up at NT. Tom Brady lined up at WR.

But I think it's right that Jones is seen as an outside-rushing player, who with rare exceptions only comes inside on stunts, or to punish personnel groupings that over-commit to stopping the outside rush.

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supafly

I think this statement is spot on.

From the article it seemed for a minute there that the description was of Ty Warren on the other side

As you said, there were any number of players who could have fit that mold in the first 2-3 rounds in the past couple of yrs; probably many in this yr's draft alone.

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mayoclinic

Derek Wolfe and Kendall Reyes come to mind. Both decent prospects, but the Pats seem to be looking for something entirely different.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Fencer

Actually, isn't Jones suited for 5-technique?

What he's not suited for is I-say-5-but-I-mean-4, which is the classic 3-4 DE position.

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supafly

I think it's still yet to be determined, Fencer. I certainly trust that Belichick and his staff will properly assess Jones, try him in different scenarios/packages, see what's needed for the team itself, and then make that determination.

His versatility and athleticism would point to him being used in the "7-tech" elephant role, or at least that's the thought from many here due to Belichick's passing on plenty of decent prospects who could have been space eaters/run stoppers at a much lesser price in a lower round.

However, I also believe that you are correct on some level too. He very well may be used as the typical 3-4 "5 tech" depending upon some other various factors such as his on the field play in different scenarios, whether or not he lives up to his challenges with versatility, the needs of the team itself, etc.

I think what mayoclinic is saying is that it would be somewhat of a waste to at least NOT try him at the more athletic pass-rushing + versatile role, seeing as how he has good size and measurables, and we moved up to get him in the first round etc.

Surely something to keep a close eye on though, and the eventual answer will probably not be totally 100% determined until sometime into the 2013 season, although of course I could be way off base too.

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mayoclinic

Justin Smith was 6'4" 267# coming out of Missouri in 2001. He spent 7 years as a 4-3 DE for Cincinnati before being converted to a 5-tech, and is now probably the best in the NFL. It took a while, though. Jones has the frame and the strength to bulk up to 285# and to play the 5-tech, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him used that way on occasion. But it doesn't seem like the obvious way to go, at least at first.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi