Smoke or fire, you make the call: "Dont'a Hightower a top 15 pick" and more - New England Patriots Forums

***PATSNUTme*** · 04-23-2012, 06:38 PM

This is an interesting short read on some of the players to be drafted this week. But is it information or disinformation? you make the call.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Insider: Hightower has 'special' talent

The following quotes are from NFL executives, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

(Virginia Tech’s Jayron) Hosley is not a bad player, but he has some of the same issues that DeAngelo Hall and Jimmy Williams had. He’s not very smart.

• "(Alabama LB) Dont'a Hightower had a great individual workout for us. We would not take him. He’d play end or "Mike" linebacker for us, and he’s going to be long gone. He’s a top-15 pick. I wish his instincts were better. But anyone who worked him out had to come away very impressed. He can really move for a man his size. He has some ‘special’ traits."

And there's more, but are they being honest or trying to use a smoke screen?

manxman2601 · 04-23-2012, 07:21 PM

A couple of these are pertinent:

Quote:

"(Montana’s) Trumaine Johnson might be better than (Morris) Claiborne — and I really like Claiborne’s cover talent. If (Johnson) had run (a 40-time of) 4.51 instead of the 4.6s that he ran at the Combine, he would go in the first (round). He’s 6-1, 210 and he’s really a good athlete. He has 10-20 (range) talent. He’s just a (jerk). He has entitlement issues. He’s not a great worker. … He’s inching up. He might go in the back of the first (round)."

This is why I've never considered him for the Pats. If those comments are right, BB would never draft him (I hope).

Quote:

• "The more I watch (Notre Dame’s) Harrison (Smith) from Notre Dame, the more I do not think he is a slam dunk at all. I bought in initially, but he cannot catch. He has below-average hands. He can’t tackle in space. He’s just going to be a guy in the league."

Yup. Harrison Smith defines average. He's fine in the late second or third but I really hope we're not spending a first rounder on him.