BillBelichickFan79

I definitely agree with you that we need a guy to pound it north-south. I was just saying Spiller has been one of my favorites over the years in college and I would love to see him on the Pats because he's one of the guys I really enjoy watching. But we already have a guy like Maroney who as you said is great in space. However, I still think Spiller will be good in the NFL. There were the same concerns with Chris Johnson last year when he came out and he's turned out to be a pretty good pickup. But I agree we need someone to pound the ball inside like Dillion used to.

I'm a big fan of Dwyer like you and I also love Blount and Johnson as I stated. It's unfortunate Blount was suspended for the season, I was really looking forward to seeing what he could do this season after a great junior year. Curious to know what you think of Blount and Johnson because you seem to know your stuff. Any other backs besides Dwyer and Scott that you like as guys who can pound it inside?

mayoclinic

Here's a new 3 round mock out from Walter Football:

WalterFootball.com: 2010 NFL Mock Draft

They have the Pats taking:

27. Charles Brown, OT, USC. The Pats don't need to take an OT this high.
42.(From Jax) Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech. Fabulous pick, but no way he lasts this long.
54. (From Tenn) Coorey Wooten, DE, Northwester. Another fabulous pick. 6'7" 270# beast who could be a great 3-4 DE.
59. Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU. Nice pick. Could also be Brandon Lang (going 61), but with Sergio Kindle lasting to the 2nd round I would hope we could get Kindle.

I would prefer:

27. Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
42. Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas (going 45 in this mock). 6'4', 250# athletic beast. Some off-field issues and questions about instincts cause him to fall, but the talent is there. Brandon Land from Troy is also an option here.
45. Corey Wooten, DE, Northwestern.
59. Eric Norwood, South Carolina (unlisted) or Micah Johnson, Kentucky (72), ILB. SILB to complete rotation along with Mayo, Guyton and McKenzie.

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bbell31

yeah we do need to take an otackle that high unless we make a big offseason move to get a big time tackle, or if bill belichick sees a steal like he did in Vollmer...Offensive tackle is our weakest position across the board boys...

BillBelichickFan79

I agree with you here I think one of our biggest needs is the offensive line. Light is getting older and you can't count on Vollmer becoming a stud LT. Dwyer is obviously a nice player to have, but you can always find a RB later on in the draft. Protecting Brady is the most important thing and finding a new, young, stud LT would greatly help this cause. I would think OLB might be a possibility in the first round as well if Belichick loses faith in Crable and feels Woods still won't get it done.

Guys like Michael Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, Glen Coffee, Steve Slaton, Jerious Norwood, Leon Washington are just a few guys I can name that have gone 3rd round or later and have been great value so far.

ctpatsfan77

Well, the Pats have LeVoir, Kaczur, and Vollmer all signed through 2011+, so it appears they might disagree with you.

Of course, we'll have a much better idea by the end of the season.

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mayoclinic

I would generally agree with you both about drafting OT early and about not drafting RB early. BUT I disagree in this case, as far as right now goes.

(1) We have 3/4 of our OT group signed through 2011 with Vollmer, Kaczur and LeVoir, and Light through 2010. Vollmer has so far exceeded expectations, and looks like a future LT. Kaczur had by all reports a tremendous offseason conditioning program. Levoir looks capable of developing into a starter. There are question marks about all 3, but as of right now I just don't see the need to spend a high pick on OT, and that has not been the Pats' style. They can probably pick up a solid OT prospect to add to the mix in round 4.

(2) As of right now, RB is one of our biggest long-term needs, with Maroney, Morris and Taylor all being FAs after 2010 and Faulk after 2009. I'm not convinced BJGE will be more than a JAG. I think Maroney has tremendous open field skills and is a great weapon in space, but I don't see him becoming a workload back for us. He was at his best his rookie year when used in conjunction with Corey Dillon, a power back. I would love to see us pick up someone like Jonathan Dwyer, who is one of the few RBs I consider worthy of a first round pick, or Charles Scott from LSU (in the 2nd round). JMHO.

All of this will undoubtedly get refined over the course of the season as we see how different players progress. But as of right now, my dream draft would be something like:

1. Jonathan Dwyer, RB
2a. OLB prospect - Sergio Kindle, Brandon Lang, Greg Romeus, Jerry Hughes, Ricky Sapp, etc.
2b. 3/4 DE prospect - Lawrence Marsh, Corey Wootton, Vince Oghobasse, etc.
2c. ILB prospect - Eric Norwood, Micah Johnson, etc.
4. Developmental OT prospect.

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bbell31

i repeat..dude light and kaczur r not the answer unless they dramatically improve..i havent watched levoir enuf but if light and kaczur were ahead of him then thats scary so i say a stud otackle is definitely top priority..

Marqui

Would be excellent if it worked out similar to that. I really hope BB doesn't get too cute with this draft and take random reaches like he has recently. Thats probably too much to ask though

mayoclinic

One prospect to keep an eye on is Idaho Senior OG Mike Iupati, a 6'6" 330# beast who reportedly runs around a 5.20 40 and has light feet for a pure guard. He's sort of a bigger, stronger Mankins, and plays with an edge. Here's a youtube clip of him clocking Rey Maualuga last year against USC (look for the pancake by #77 early in the clip):

YouTube - Mike Iupati #77 UI vs USC

He could be a possible 1st round pick, but could easily go in the 2nd.

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mayoclinic

Some interesting comments from Wes Bunting of the National Football Post on last night's Nebraska-Missouri game.

On Nebraska DT Ndamukung Suh: "Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh once again was able to dominate the line of scrimmage and keep Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert out of rhythm most of the night. His ability to beat opposing linemen with either his first step off the snap or with his power as an outright bull-rusher is a trait not many defensive tackle prospects possess. Plus, he does a great job keeping himself clean inside and using his hands to disengage on contact. Watching Suh, a 6-4, 304 pound lineman, showcase the athletic ability to drop into coverage, read the quarterback’s eyes and pick off a pass in space leaves you shaking your head in amazement. I’ve heard the Richard Seymour comparisons, and as gifted as Suh looked on tape last year, I still thought Seymour and his freakish athletic ability were too great for Suh to measure up to. However, after watching Suh play in terrible conditions Thursday night and make play after play in all areas of the game, I’m starting to think the comparisons aren’t that far off."

On Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon: "Most of the attention was on Nebraska’s stud DT Ndamukong Suh, and rightfully so. However, if there’s one senior prospect I’d bet the house on as a guy to come into an NFL training camp and nail down a starting job from day one, it would be Missouri OLB Sean Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon showcases a real passion for the game and is an instinctive player who always seems to be around the football. He exhibits impressive flexibility and balance in his drop and does a great job staying low in his backpedal and instantly closing on the pass in coverage. He isn’t the biggest or most physical linebacker and needs to do a better job wrapping up ball carriers in the hole, but he looks like an ideal fit as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. I expect him to be playing/starting in the NFL for many years."

Scout?s notebook: Thursday review | National Football Post

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