Is it too early to start a binky thread?

[Uncle Rico]

Well, I guess I'm starting one. A couple of qualifiers:

• I'm far from a draft wizz; I always say I only become a college football fan between February and April;
• To me, a binky is someone whose potential is exciting, even if the more scholarly on this board know all the reasons he might not be a fit. Connor Barwin is a classic. Dez Bryant was my binky last year. (I had two n '08 -- Butler and Chung).
• A binky can't be an obivous top 5-10 guy like Fairley/Bowers/Miller/Dareus

So, with that out of the way, I'm going to go ahead and declare Aldon Smith as my official first binky of the draft. Love what I read about his size and motor. I'm starting to see his name at #17 on more mock drafts (which about guarantees he'll never be a Patriot).FWIW, NEPatriotsDraft.com has consistently had him at 17 — that's where I first really noticed him.

Bash away. Or, share your own bashable binky.

[Patriot Missile]

Originally Posted by Uncle Rico

Well, I guess I'm starting one. A couple of qualifiers:

• I'm far from a draft wizz; I always say I only become a college football fan between February and April;
• To me, a binky is someone whose potential is exciting, even if the more scholarly on this board know all the reasons he might not be a fit. Connor Barwin is a classic. Dez Bryant was my binky last year. (I had two n '08 -- Butler and Chung).
• A binky can't be an obivous top 5-10 guy like Fairley/Bowers/Miller/Dareus

So, with that out of the way, I'm going to go ahead and declare Aldon Smith as my official first binky of the draft. Love what I read about his size and motor. I'm starting to see his name at #17 on more mock drafts (which about guarantees he'll never be a Patriot).FWIW, NEPatriotsDraft.com has consistently had him at 17 — that's where I first really noticed him.

Bash away. Or, share your own bashable binky.

Prepare to be bashed by everyone not named Sciz. I like him. I see a few others as better fits but I wouldn't be dissapointed if they select him. He is strong, good hands, decent enough rush moves. I'd be ok with him as a Patriot.

My Binky would have to be Cameron Jordan. Versatile player that is a decent pass rusher and excellent run stopper. I like his motor and the way he took on double teams all last season. Personally, I think he fits the best with what the Patriots do. He needs to put on 10lbs to be more prototypical. I think he is 287 right now which is stout, but when I look at the DE's we've had in the past they all seem to be around 300 or above. We'll see. To be honest there are about 15 players I like at this position right now so it isn't going to break my heart if they don't grab my guy.

[Sciz]

I, as PM mentioned, like Aldon Smith as well

Muhammad Wilkerson is my DE binky.

For a more mid-round guy, I'm a big fan of Ahmad Black.

[Peachhead]

For me, the mid-round guy I desperately want in a Pats uni is, DE/OLB Brooks Reed, Arizona. I love his motor, speed and explosion.

[BKBroiler]

Four of my favorite defensive players for the Pats are all listed above (Wilkerson, Smith, Jordan, and Reed). Although Wilkerson is my binky, I'll say Kendric Burney CB - North Carolina is my next favorite defensive prospect even though corner may not be at the top of the needs list. From watching some UNC games and the Senior Bowl, he seems to play fast and he breaks on the ball pretty well. Plus he is a four down player like McCourty and his size seems to mirror what BB has looked for in a corner in recent years. Hopefully he doesn't start to move too far up draft boards.

[ctpatsfan77]

I refer you back to a post made in 2009 that states a universal truth:

you don't pick binkies; binkies pick you.....you're helpless as far as timing goes.

[MaineMan]

As usual, I have way too many pre-binkies at this point. I tend to focus on late-round sleepers, so the my list usually includes several of those. Of course, they usually end up making a name for themselves with other teams (e.g., Jamar Chaney, Austin Collie, Wesley Woodyard).

Sample:

Heyward (probably as much out of pure contrarianism as anything else)
Reed
KJ Wright
Kelvin Sheppard, ILB, LSU, 6021/250, 4.64 proj 40

Black (as a CB)
Burney
Justin Rogers, CB (slot), Richmond, 5103/183, 31.5" arm, 4.48 proj 40
Richard Sherman, CB/FS, Stanford, 6030/192, 4.57 proj 40

David Carter, DE/DT, UCLA, 6044/297, 33.8" arm, 4.96 projected 40
- Pats scouts interviewed him at the Shrine Game

Will Rackley, OG/C, Lehigh, 6033/307, 33" arm, 5.27 proj 40
Danny Watkins
Carimi

Lester Jean, WR, FAU, 6030/211, 33" arm, 4.49 proj 40
Austin Pettis
Dane Sanzenbacher
Lee Smith, TE (blocker), Marshall, 6059/269, 34" arm, 4.79 proj 40

Graig Cooper
Bilal Powell (patchick sorta talked me into this one)
Alex Green, RB, Hawaii, 6001/219, 4.63 proj 40 (Pats also interviewed)

[Defsoul]

My early binkies are Mikel LeShoure and Ahmad Black. LeShoure has been on my watchlist ever since he averaged 6.8 YPC as a sophomore. I think he is a rich man's BJGE (better size, top end speed and hands, but probably not as good a blocker).

Black may not have the perfect size to play safety in the NFL, but he is a playmaker. Everytime I watched the Gators this year, the guy was making plays on defense.

[*ChungFu*]

Originally Posted by MaineMan

As usual, I have way too many pre-binkies at this point. I tend to focus on late-round sleepers, so the my list usually includes several of those. Of course, they usually end up making a name for themselves with other teams (e.g., Jamar Chaney, Austin Collie, Wesley Woodyard).

Sample:

Heyward (probably as much out of pure contrarianism as anything else)
Reed
KJ Wright
Kelvin Sheppard, ILB, LSU, 6021/250, 4.64 proj 40

Black (as a CB)
Burney
Justin Rogers, CB (slot), Richmond, 5103/183, 31.5" arm, 4.48 proj 40
Richard Sherman, CB/FS, Stanford, 6030/192, 4.57 proj 40

David Carter, DE/DT, UCLA, 6044/297, 33.8" arm, 4.96 projected 40
- Pats scouts interviewed him at the Shrine Game

Will Rackley, OG/C, Lehigh, 6033/307, 33" arm, 5.27 proj 40
Danny Watkins
Carimi

Lester Jean, WR, FAU, 6030/211, 33" arm, 4.49 proj 40
Austin Pettis
Dane Sanzenbacher
Lee Smith, TE (blocker), Marshall, 6059/269, 34" arm, 4.79 proj 40

Graig Cooper
Bilal Powell (patchick sorta talked me into this one)
Alex Green, RB, Hawaii, 6001/219, 4.63 proj 40 (Pats also interviewed)

Love the bolded guys. Add ILB to OLB Martez Wilson and OT to OG Lee Ziemba.

[IllegalContact]

my value binkies....

round 1: mikel leshoure
round 2: danny watkins
round 3: kj wright