patchick

With 3 2nd-round picks in an ultra-deep draft, it would be great to be able to #22 as a luxury "BPA" pick. Go for an impact player, regardless (almost) of position, then start filling holes in round 2. Which made me wonder...is there a key position that the Pats could NOT realistically address in the 2nd and beyond? Where are the talent dropoffs between #22 and #44?

I tried to break this down, using the mock at mynfldraft.com as my baseline since they delivered a fairly sensible set of selections to the Pats (Odrick, LaFell, Misi, Anthony McCoy). Here are the players they have available at the two points at the most talked-about positions:

OLB
22: Sergio Kindle, Jerry Hughes, Carlos Dunlap, Ricky Sapp
44: Koa Misi, Austen Lane, Greg Hardy, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

DE
22: Jared Odrick
24: Alex Carrington, Corey Wootton

WR
22: Demaryius Thomas, Arrelious Benn, Golden Tate, Damian Williams
44: Brandon LaFell, Dexter McCluster, Carlton Mitchell, Eric Decker, Taylor Price, Jacoby Ford, Mardy Gilyard

TE
22: Jermaine Gresham
44: Absolutely everybody else

RB
22: Jahvid Best
44: Jonathan Dwyer, Toby Gerhart, Ben Tate, Montario Hardesty

OT
22: Anthony Davis, Charles Brown
44: Rodger Saffold, Jared Veldheer

Other notable players drafted soon after #22:
OG/C Maurkice Pouncey, CB Kyle Wilson, DT Terrence Cody, LB Sean Weatherspoon


What do you think? Who's the pure BPA -- and is there a position that absolutely cannot wait?

SeauOUCH

I don't love any of the players you listed @22, that list is assuming nobody from the top 15 falls to us at 22 though.

If I had to pick one player from that group it would be Hughes or Pouncy, I like Hughes much better than any of the other LB's listed & Pouncy is a can't miss prospect with a low positional value.

If Graham, Spiller, McClain don't slide to us I hope we trade back to the top of the 2nd & take our highest ranked BPA that slides from that group.

With the Washington trade I'm hoping Clauson slides to 22 & we score a coup of draft pick spoils from someone trading up.

There seems to be ALOT of prospects in this draft that have similiar value from 20-45 or so.

Coach42

Personally I think that this draft is deep enough that we should absolutely use 22 to take the best player available or {GASP} trade back a couple of slots like we did last year and stockpile a few more picks. We have plenty of holes so why not get some more ammo in one of the deepest drafts in a while.

For instance lets say Clausen and Bradford go in the top ten and some team like the Vikings love Colt McCoy. I would absolutely trade down to 30 for a third this year or a second next.

BelichickFan

I'd add Ryan Mathews to the #22 list.

But you've hit the nail on the head of why I still haven't come to a satisfctory (to me) pick at #22 because whoever I pick I have a good, secondary choice we could get with 2a. As of now De. Thomas is my pick but there's so many WR it's tough to stick with him. Same with Mathews given that I like Hardesty a lot.

patchick

Matthews went at #20 in the mock I was using. But by and large, I'm finding the same thing. FWIW, though, Pouncey rates rounds above any other interior lineman on my board.

Metaphors

I think it is DE since Odrick fits as a base 3-4 DE but Carrington and Wootton are too light. Not sure if Belichick considers Alualu, Houston or Woods as options later in the draft.

OLB seems to have more options, meaning a higher chance of someone being available at #44. But we don't know how Belichick evaluates them so his viable list could be much smaller.

So I would list DE as 1A and OLB as 1B. Hard to argue with either of those. Ideal would be walking away with Odrick+Hughes, but that may not be practical.

patsfan-1982

for me pick #22 has to be defense. Sergio Kindle, is the best all round OLB in the draft. Jerry Hughes, is the best pure pass rusher. but dose not have the size that BB wants Jared Odrick, is the guy that would not have much to talk about stat wise as a rookie but would have the biggest impact on the defense as a rookie. and they can get Koa Misi, or jason worilds at #44 to play OLB

bbell31

i agree hughes/kindle/sapp, then add mathews, hardesty, veldheer, saffold, gronkowski, pitta, hernandez, or a potential moss replacement with our other 2nd round picks

Thirdbasekid24

Daniel Teo-neisheim played DE in a 4-3 for the Huskies, he would make for a huge OLB at 265 lbs and only ran a 4.8. Maybe you're thinking of Donald Butler? Either way I'd love to have either of them on the team. Both extremely hard workers and one of the few bright spots on the huskies the past few seasons. Butler is projected to go late 2nd/3rd now. Teo could probably be had 5th or lower.

mgteich

If Belichick judges HUGHES to be a fit, and he is there, then I suspect that he will be the choice.
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I have five that seem to be much better than what we can get in the 2nd. Belichick may also have Thomas there at WR.


ODRICK
He is the complete 3-4 DE, ready to contribute. If we can't get him, I'm fine with Carrington, but I think the difference is large.

GRESHAM
Again, this is not at all close for me. I expect us to try to trade a 2nd for a TE. Otherwise, Gresham is a strong possibility.

HUGHES
As we get closer and closer, Hughes seems more and more like the real deal.

WILSON
It's now or never. He's a stud. If we don't see the need, then we can go with what we have.

POUNCEY
Pouncy is our instant Game Day backup for the interior line positions, and could start at any of the positions if there was a need. He would expected to be a starter in 2011 wherever he is needed.