BPF

Patriots take closer look at OL Meredith - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com

I like Meredith with one of those 2nd Rd picks. He's versatile, he can play OG or OT. At South Carolina he started started a total of 38 games, 8 at RG, 11 at RT and 19 at LT. Reports are he was impressive during East-West Shrine practices, where he showed strength, quickness and excellent footwork. So he's an excellent athlete with quickness and agility, has good size w/long arms. He shows great balance and is a knee bender. He has good feet and is a strong pass protector. He also has mobility to get to the 2nd level and pulls well. He's smart, graduated in 5/2008 with a 3.7 GPA and has no off the field concerns. Seems like a Patriot type OL.

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BelichickFan

Definitely a solid option after the higher group of Britton/Beatty are gone. I think we're all hoping for defense at 23/34, Meredith would be a viable option to look at starting with the SD #2.

mayoclinic

Exactly. Meredith and Eric Wood are my preferred OL prospects in the 47 and 58 range. I think both would be excellent value. I may prefer Meredith to Eben Britton (more versatility, and possibly more upside as a LT), so if William Beatty is off the board then I give him serious consideration. I rank Eric Wood just a shade behind Alex Mack, and he has a much better chance of fallng into the 47-58 range than Mack does.

Unless another top defenders (Robert Ayers, Jarron Gilbert, Larry English) falls to 47 I would be quite content with:

23 - Connor Barwin, OLB
34 - Louis Delmas, S
47 - Jamon Meredith, OT
58 - Eric Wood, OG/C (possibly with a trade up)

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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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mayoclinic

Here's a nice profile on Meredith from nfldraftcountdown.com:

Jamon Meredith | South Carolina Scouting Report - 2009 NFL Draft Prospect

Jamon Meredith
Offensive Tackle
Senior
South Carolina
Height: 6-45/8
Weight: 304
40-Time: 5.03

Official Bio

Strengths:
Excellent athlete...Adequate height and bulk with long arms...Is quick and agile...Great balance and is a natural knee bender...Nimble feet and moves well laterally...Terrific pass blocker who can protect the edge...Good strength...Mobile with great range to get to the second level and pull...Offers positional versatility...Real smart..Experienced.

Weaknesses:
May be a bit of a 'tweener...Needs to be more tough and physical...Not real stout at the point of attack...Mediocre initial punch...Doesn't get a great push in the run game...Poor hand use...Not a finisher and lacks a killer instinct...Questionable awareness...Is not a fit for every scheme.

Notes:

Three-year starter in the SEC...A high school defensive end...Played in one game (three plays) in 2004 but was granted a redshirt as long as he sat out the first two games of the 2008 season...Earned four starts in 2005 then started the next three years for the Game****s...Hampered by an ankle injury as a senior...Has extensive experience at left tackle, right tackle and guard...Could project outside or inside...Best fit at the next level might come in a zone blocking scheme...Finesse type with shaky intangibles who some have labeled as soft...Has all the physical tools you look for..May be capable of starting at left tackle in the NFL.

I like what nfldraftcountdown has to say about players in their evals. Their comments are usually accurate, even if I may disagree with their rankings or projections.

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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

BelichickFan

That would work for me except I really would like to come up with an ILB not too far down. The wildcard is Guyton but assuming he is what he was from last year, him and Bruschi don't excite me as Mayo's partner. I realize we can't have everything and ILB isn't too strong this year. That's why, allthough I do like Barwin a lot, I would really consider Maualuga (if available) and take one of the other DE/OLB over Wood.

Seneschal2

There's a good possibility that OT and OG/C will be addressed within the first six picks, when you consider the prospects projected value rankings, and the Pats slots.

As Mayo pointed out, the DE/OLB and Safety positions could be had with the first two picks, which would leave two slots open for two miscellaneous positions. Speculative for sure, but the idea that 6 positions can be filled by the end of round three, and most (if not all) will have starter potential, makes this draft one of the most promising in recent memory.

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"What we want to try to do is maximize each spot on the roster; we want to be stronger at No. 1 than the opponent, stronger at No. 25 than they are, and stronger at No. 53 than they are, we're always looking to upgrade the talent level on the team, and play together to be functional."
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mayoclinic

If Larry English slips to #47 I would consider taking him and moving him inside to SILB, where I think he might end up better than Maualuga in the long run. Then take Meredith or Wood at #58, again possibly with a trade up.

Thinking about the OL and S options, I think I'm happier with Barwin/Delmas/Meredith than I am with Barwin/Beatty/one of the other safeties. And Delmas is more likely to last to #34 than Beatty.

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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

Seneschal2

Draft strategy is EXACTLY what you're referring to. And it's very true, that BB can't always have his #1 ranked prospect at each position. He's been forced to pass on his favorite prospects in the past, and I see no changing that fact in this draft.

Your example is very sound in that there are several options at specific positions in this draft which will influence and dictate the Pats selections. Simply stated, if one position has limited quality depth, than BB may have to address that position early -- assuming it's a priority need.

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"What we want to try to do is maximize each spot on the roster; we want to be stronger at No. 1 than the opponent, stronger at No. 25 than they are, and stronger at No. 53 than they are, we're always looking to upgrade the talent level on the team, and play together to be functional."
- Bill Belichick -

Mogamedogz

I was just talking about how i would love for them to take a good look at Meredith yesterday (and in the Draft thread this morning).

Meredith is one of my binky's this year.

Some things I like most about him.

-One of the smartest offensive linemen in the Southeastern Conference, the fifth-year senior boasted a 3.74 grade-point average, receiving the school's Harold White Award for his academic excellence in 2008. As a sophomore, he was named the university's recipient of the Andrew Sorensen Scholar-Athlete Award for Football.

-He lined up at both tackle positions prior to shifting to left guard as a senior. That move was brought about so that he could mentor Georgia Military Institute transfer, Jarriel King, at Meredith's familiar left tackle slot.

-He has a keen understanding for the game, which is the reason he has played every position on the front wall except for center. He picks things up quickly and has no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field.

- He is a self-starter who does not need to be monitored.

mayoclinic

If Brandon Spikes had come out, then I would be 100% in favor of taking Spikes at 23, if at the risk of losing Barwin or Delmas, because of the greater availability of alternatives at OLB and S. But I just don't think Maualuga offers the 3-down capability or ability to cover that Spikes offers.

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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