manxman2601

Draft Insider News & Notes: Week of 4-16


Would make me happy - one of my binkies

Was in my first mock of this draft season so another pick I'd be happy with.


So how would you feel if these were your two second round picks? Personally, although I like both, I could see us doing better in the second round.

Blackluck

It is becoming increasingly clear we are going to draft some sort of fast, athletic linebacker in the 2nd or 3rd, either as a cover LB and/or speed rush player. It may not necessarily be Kendricks but any of them will do - and personally I'd be pleased.

As for Hayward ... all I can say is
We have drafted 14 (!) CBs during the BB era. I don't know where the Pat's are going wrong with their evaulation process, but apparently something is off or we wouldn't continue to draft so many. Please not another slow zone/nickle CB in the 2nd.

dryheat44

I guess it would depend on how we did in the first and who else was available in the second. If we came out of the first with Barron and Reyes, I think that's a really solid-looking first four picks.

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ATippett56

Mychal Kendricks is not a fit for the 3-4 outside linebacker position. Bill Belichick is ideally looking for the 6'-4", 260 lbs, 4.60 sec forty yard prospect with long arms. Kendricks would be a better fit at outside linebacker in the 4-3 Tampa Two defensive alignment.

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Draft: 3-4 Rush Linebacker Rankings

Casey Hayward seems just a notch below Jamell Fleming, however Casey Hayward could be a nice consolation prize if Jamell Fleming is off the board.

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Blackluck

I do not think we are necessarily looking for a prototypical 3/4 OLB, rather someone to play in the 4-2-5.

Sciz

He'd be an ILB for the Pats. Or more specifically, a subpackage LB. Not a pass rusher.

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manxman2601

Agreed. However he is a really good blitzer. Had 8.5 sacks in 2010 playing outside.

Of the top 4 coverage LB's, I rank them:

1. Lavonte David
2. Mychal Kendricks
3. Bobby Wagner






4. Zach Brown

reamer

If you're upset with Hayward, you haven't seen him play. Really, really instinctive. He's incredibly quick, and understands how plays develop. Diagnoses from the corner position as quickly as anyone I've seen. Major ballhawk.

If he ran .1 seconds faster, I think he'd be a lock for the first round; shave another .05 off that time, and he'd be a top-fifteen prospect. The only knock I have on him is straight-line speed (and perhaps that gambles a little too much, but it pays off so often that I don't mind).

Kendricks beat Solder for a couple sacks a few years ago, if I recall correctly. Just flew right past him on multiple occasions. Considering how well Solder has played in the NFL, and how highly BB rated him in the draft, I can only assume that Kendricks rates very highly as well as a blitzer. He's not a guy you'd play at OLB a lot, but in subpackages and as an occasional blitzer, he could be absolutely devastating--Dumervil with way, way more speed.

BelichickFan

If the information we've been getting is correct, Bill seems to want a role playing LB - a coverage LB - whether it's Kendricks, Wagner, or whoever.

I am assuming that when we're in a 4-2-5 Nickel we would have Nink as a DE along with other DL and have Mayo and the new coverage guy as the two LB on the field.

Something like:

Nink-Nananee-Wilfork-DE at DL
Mayo-Kendricks at LB
McCourty-Dowling-Arrrington-Chung-Gregory at DB

(DE on the DL would be a new guy or Carter, I don't think we really have that guy right now).

manxman2601

Very nice analysis.

It's looking like the Pats have a lot of interest in Ron Brooks. I wonder whether they're considering drafting both him and Heyward and then seeing which one fits best at safety (possibly Heyward) and which one at the slot corner position (Brooks?).

Interesting on Solder v Kendricks. If I remember rightly, Von Miller said Nate Solder was the best LT he played against in college. I think that says a lot about Kendricks ability as a blitzer.