captain stone

FWIW, I was listening to Moving the Chains w/ Pat Kirwin this PM on the Sirius. He said that he had spoken to someone - a scout or a coach, I forget which - who had intimate knowledge of both Calvin Johnson & Demaryius Thomas, and this guy claimed that Thomas compares very, very favorably to Johnson.

Drafting WRs - esp. WRs in the 1st round - is a very tricky proposition, but we desperately need a young, #1-caliber WR by 2011. Will Thomas be able to do anything at all before the draft, or are teams going to have to rely on sight unseen?

As for the rest of the mock, I would be cool with Pouncey & Sapp, though I also doubt that Pouncey makes it past the Clots at 31. And if Bill thinks that Sapp is the best of the remaining OLBs, then I'll trust his judgement.

As for 2c, I'd rather see if a CB, DE, ILB, another WR or another OLB, or even a - gulp - TE has slipped through the cracks, though Hardesty is cert. on the rise and would be an upgrade over LaMa, Taylor & Morris.

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BelichickFan

When I touch this up I'll likely put a TE in for Pouncey as everyone agrees he won't be there.

I'm not excited about a first round WR but we not only need a contributor this year but a possible #1 WR for down the road with Moss almost at the end so I reached for the chance of greatness a little here. I think he may not make it to us with the Demise of Dez but the foot may allow it.

VJCPatriot

I just don't see WR in round 1. If he lasts till round 2, then I'm willing to take a gamble... on the guy with the broken foot. Let that sink in.

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captain stone

I can understand the reluctance to use a high pick on somebody not projected to start immediately, but Koppen is bad now, and getting worse. He's in a race with Kaczur to see who's going to get Brady killed first.

At least Kaczur can poss. slide inside when Neal has his annual half-season injury/hurting-from-injury/recovering-from-injury. But there is nobody currently on the roster capable of providing PO-caliber Center play if Koppen gets hurt or continues on his downward spiral. Dan Connelly had his audition at both Center & Guard last year, and underwhelmed at both.

We need a long-term solution at Center, and there is nobody else in this draft who provides both the athleticism & the bulk nec. to protect Brady & sustain a running game. Besides, there have been a few early-round draftees of ours who did not start during their first season - Ty Warren, Wilfork, Marquise Hill, LaMa, CJack, Meriweather, last year's picks. While they were cert. part of the rotation at their respective positions, it wouldn't surprise me to see Pouncey starting at either Center or RG by season's end.

If Pouncey isn't meant to be, then that's cool too, just as long as our gigantic holes at OLB & WR (& SILB?) have been addressed by the end of Round 2.

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bucky

I actually heard that from Kirwan before, not sure where. But the bottom line is that Thomas is woefully unprepared to contribute this year due to the fact that he's been playing in an offense about as far from pro style as you can get. Running primarily fly patterns and bubble screens.

So now I'm thinking if we can't get a WR who contributes big time in 2010, do we really need to spend a 1st rounder on him? We already have a potential long threat in Tate who was drafted primarily with 2010 in mind. I expect the Pats will sign Josh Reed as the #3 WR. Edelman will have to be #2 until Welker returns - which may not be till 2011. And hopefully Tate will contribute in at least a Bethel Johnson-type role this year. So looking at 2011, we'll have Welker, Edelman, Reed and Tate. We still have the option of bringing back Moss, or getting another FA, and of course we can get another WR this year in the middle rounds. So WR is actually not that much of a need for 2011 compared to RB, TE, OLB, maybe even DE.

Just something to think about as we try to predict what the team might be thinking.

BelichickFan

I thought of that but his Wunderlich pushed me over the top - not to mention he did have 35 catches as a Sophomore playing for Chan Gailey. I know 2011 is ultra strong at WR but if you assume Moss will be gone, we'd have Thomas as a second year player along with Welker, Tate and Edelman. I'd feel better about that than Welker, Tate, Edelman and the rookie of your choice. And with him smarts and time with Gailey a couple years back I bet he would contribute this year as much as we usually count on a low #1 to do so. I think your points are good, I just don't really want to wait until next year for a potential stud WR if possible.

VJCPatriot

And what if he is a bust? What if he never gets his full speed from his foot injury? You've spent a #1 pick on a position that is not the top need on a BB team. What ever happened to building from the lines out? I think that Pats fans are spoiled rotten by the success of 2007. Yes that was hella fun to watch, but you don't NEED it to win. The Pats won 3 Superbowls without that kind of talent at wideout.

The D-FENSE needs an impact player a lot more than the offense does at this point. How many times was the Pats D able to hold onto a lead in the 4th quarter with just a few minutes left to go in 2009? Answer- NOT ENOUGH! They blew the most 4th quarter leads EVAH for a BB run Patriots team. Do you see BB going for it on 4th and 2 if he had the type of defenses of the 2001, 2003, or 2004 teams? I SURE DON'T!

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. I like seeing great wide receiver play as much as the next guy. But sometimes the SEXY position is not the most IMPORTANT position on the field. JMHO.

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BelichickFan

What if any player is a bust ? Thomas has a lower floor and higher ceiling than most #1 picks for the Patriots but until I come up with another option he's the guy I like. I think he gives us our best chance to make as seamless a transition as we can to not having Moss anymore in 2011.

patchick

I don't really hate it as much as you expect -- strange, given my long-time resistance to round-1 WRs. I'm OK with waiting until later for DE candidates, especially since Suh and Odrick are both likely to be gone. I'll take Deaderick AND Lissemore on day 3 instead.

DaBruinz

Thomas isn't worth a 1st round pick. As for Hardesty, I don't see the value in adding the RB there..not when you've still got issues at OLB, which SAPP is not in the NFL. He'll be playing SILB.