VJCPatriot

49ers rookie LB Patrick Willis had a career-high 18 tackles -- including a career-high 16 solo tackles -- during a Week 12 win against the Cardinals. He also had 1/2 sack in the game. Willis now has 110 tackles and one sack in 11 games.
(Updated 11/25/2007).
http://sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/430383

The problem was that he didn't last until the Patriots pick.
They subsequently passed on Beason and obtained a 4th round pick (Randy Moss) and future 2008 1st (currently #4).

I don't dislike linebackers at all. I was fully in favor of drafting Willis because I felt he was a special talent. You can go ahead and hunt up my posts. But the fact remains that BB, traditionally has not drafted linebackers early. It would have to take a very special talent for him to change his drafting pattern.

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carolinatony

Being in Carolina we get all the southern football games and I seen him a lot. He was the best LB I seen the last few years and really wanted us to draft him.
We need some YOUNG LB's next year. I know experience and all that is great but you lose speed the older you get and we lack speed at LB!
I will not be suprised if BB does NOT draft LB again this year.

zarakotas5

I think the people that liked Willis far out-weighed those who didn't, no?

I read a funny post by someone that said something like "why do I have the feeling that whenever I think of Willis I'll hear the song 'I Will Always Love You'?"

reflexblue

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VJCPatriot

There were a number of people who argued that Willis was undersized to be a Patriots linebacker. I felt that his size, at 6-1 240, would be fine and could easily gain a few pounds if need be.

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sebman2112

Willis, Meriweather, Woodley & Spencer were the players I liked for the Patriots in the 2007 draft (in that order), and I argued with BOR and others over Willis' ability to fit into NE's defense in a number of threads.

After a while I started to realize his being on the board when NE selected wasn't likely, so Meriweather then became my main guy, and I got into some heated discussions concerning Brandon.

Patrick Willis might have been my favorite player in that entire draft, and he's better than AJ Hawk (this discussion came up too), lol!

Oh, and the Patriots aren't going to draft McFadden

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Patriot Missile

For the record I'd be willing to wager that 85% of the Patriots fanbase liked Willis too.

dryheat44

Right. I don't remember anybody not actively liking Willis, but there was a large camp, myself included, who were adamantly against trading up to get him, which would have been the two first rounders and then some. I wasn't sold on his fit into the NE system, but I gladly would have drafted him if he fell and rolled the dice.

For the record, my guys last year, in order, were Carriker, Revis, Meachem, and Spencer.

I was, and still am, firmly on the AJ Hawk side of that argument. I had forgotten who it was with. I'd rather have AJ Hawk than any ILB coming out this year as well.

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When it's third and 10, you can have the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time. -- R.I.P. Max McGee

patchick

That's how I remember it too -- almost everyone would have been delighted to scoop up Willis if he slid, he was the top ILB prospect by a mile. The only debate was whether it was worth trading away essentially the entire draft to try to get him. (I said no, FWIW.)

Oh, for either a Willis or Hawk in this draft...

Ochmed Jones

Has anybody noticed that since Vilma went down with an injury for the Jets, ILB David Harris has been playing and is a tackling machine. I think he had a 20 tackle game this year.
Considering all he's had to learn in that defense, he has been very impressive thus far, despite a few hiccups.