The 2013 Prospect Thread

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

Originally Posted by Avenger

Marcus Lattimore broke his femur and patella, and tore the ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL in his knee.

Poor guy. That should all but end his career.

[manxman2601]

Originally Posted by VrabelJr

I'm super impressed with Tyler Bray out of Tenn. He's a junior and tbh he probably could use another year in college. But if he were to come out I'd put him as a top 3 QB prospect.

Really? He's got the arm but the football intelligence of a gnat. The rumours I've seen is that he spends all his downtime clubbing rather than studying film. I doubt he comes out but if he does, it will be interesting to see whether he takes a Mallett like fall - similar personalities by the looks of it.

Originally Posted by VrabelJr

On another note, I've pegged the three areas as big need for the Pats in order:

1. Interior pass rushing DT
2. Free Safety
3. Nickel LB

Besides Safety, this years crop looks super disappointing at the types of DT and LBs we need.

I think it's potentially a good to very good class of pass defending LB's from the top (CJ Moseley and Michael Mauti) through to the likes of Alec Ogletree (possibly), Khaseem Greene and the two Iowa staters.

[nekromantique]

Originally Posted by Avenger

Marcus Lattimore broke his femur and patella, and tore the ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL in his knee.

terrible. guy has so much talent its ridiculous...just has the worst luck with major injuries. staying for his senior year probably wont help him (draft-wise), sadly...but it may be in his best interests...get the education while youre on scholarship.

[manxman2601]

At the risk of being boring, I just wanted to share one play with you.

It's Jonathan Cooper (again, sorry). Watch the play at 0:11 in the video below (LG remember). He blocks one lineman, then a second then runs across the field to block for Giovanni Bernard and then runs downfield in front of him for 40-50 yards. He is seriously athletic.

Sorry for the repetition but I started watching the vid and was so impressed with the play I wanted to share.


Ross ****rell vs North Carolina 2012 - YouTube

[Luxusdk]

Do you think we need a gaurd that bad ? - Do you see us use a top pick on a gaurd?

I beleave, that next year Marcus Cannon can be moved to OG and i think it's the right place for him. Right guard look's like the place for him. He's been used some this year, but comming back 100% from chemo, is alot easy to say then doing. Next year with a full season of regraining the lost plus a off season,then i think he could be ready. But then again, that would only be posibel IF we resign Volmer and getting a OT ( could be Long and/or a FA signing ) I have no clue if there's a player on the practice squard there's worth talking about?

Would also mean we can move Connolly back to C, not because Wendell been bad, infact i think he's the furture at C. Then there's Thomas, who's 2 years older then McDonald, but i'm not so sure he's the answer as the 4 gaurd next year, might being better to "promote" McD and go with him.

[manxman2601]

Originally Posted by Luxusdk

Do you think we need a gaurd that bad ? - Do you see us use a top pick on a gaurd?

I beleave, that next year Marcus Cannon can be moved to OG and i think it's the right place for him. Right guard look's like the place for him. He's been used some this year, but comming back 100% from chemo, is alot easy to say then doing. Next year with a full season of regraining the lost plus a off season,then i think he could be ready. But then again, that would only be posibel IF we resign Volmer and getting a OT ( could be Long and/or a FA signing ) I have no clue if there's a player on the practice squard there's worth talking about?

Would also mean we can move Connolly back to C, not because Wendell been bad, infact i think he's the furture at C. Then there's Thomas, who's 2 years older then McDonald, but i'm not so sure he's the answer as the 4 gaurd next year, might being better to "promote" McD and go with him.

I do for Four reasons:

1. In terms of evaluating a player based purely on his abilities rather than need or position value, he will be very close to the BPA available. For example, Scouts inc has him as their 10th best player.

2. If as some are reporting that scouts see Cooper as better than DeCastro then Cooper may well become one of the best guards in the NFL and we're rarely in a position to draft one of the best players in the NFL (by position) so we should take advantage of it when the opportunity arises.

3. Logan Mankins was a guard taken in the first and we've done quite well with him haven't we?

4. With the way the teams developing, a quality OG is a necessity. We're running the ball a lot more and we run a lot of screens and draws. That requires an athletic guard.

I wouldn't normally be in favour of taking a guard in the first round, it's just I think Cooper is that good. Put it this way, ignoring who we did select last year and what we know now, if the Patriots had selected David DeCastro, would you have been disappointed. I wouldn't have and I suspect it would largely have been respected as a good pick hereabouts. Cooper is the same.

For now, in terms of first round wants I have it:

1= J Cooper
1= Terrance Williams
1= Ziggy Ansah
4 Cornelius Carradine
5 Dion Jordan (so confused with him. Great player but just don't see a great fit. Could still end up my no 1 someday).

How decisive am I?

Edit: Just thought of another reason. Logan Mankins is by far and away our best interior lineman but he's constantly beset by niggling injuries so Cooper also reduces the amount our OL suffers when Mankins is out.

[mayoclinic]

Originally Posted by Luxusdk

Do you think we need a gaurd that bad ? - Do you see us use a top pick on a gaurd?

I beleave, that next year Marcus Cannon can be moved to OG and i think it's the right place for him. Right guard look's like the place for him. He's been used some this year, but comming back 100% from chemo, is alot easy to say then doing. Next year with a full season of regraining the lost plus a off season,then i think he could be ready. But then again, that would only be posibel IF we resign Volmer and getting a OT ( could be Long and/or a FA signing ) I have no clue if there's a player on the practice squard there's worth talking about?

Would also mean we can move Connolly back to C, not because Wendell been bad, infact i think he's the furture at C. Then there's Thomas, who's 2 years older then McDonald, but i'm not so sure he's the answer as the 4 gaurd next year, might being better to "promote" McD and go with him.

Originally Posted by manxman2601

I do for Four reasons:

1. In terms of evaluating a player based purely on his abilities rather than need or position value, he will be very close to the BPA available. For example, Scouts inc has him as their 10th best player.

2. If as some are reporting that scouts see Cooper as better than DeCastro then Cooper may well become one of the best guards in the NFL and we're rarely in a position to draft one of the best players in the NFL (by position) so we should take advantage of it when the opportunity arises.

3. Logan Mankins was a guard taken in the first and we've done quite well with him haven't we?

4. With the way the teams developing, a quality OG is a necessity. We're running the ball a lot more and we run a lot of screens and draws. That requires an athletic guard.

I wouldn't normally be in favour of taking a guard in the first round, it's just I think Cooper is that good. Put it this way, ignoring who we did select last year and what we know now, if the Patriots had selected David DeCastro, would you have been disappointed. I wouldn't have and I suspect it would largely have been respected as a good pick hereabouts. Cooper is the same.

For now, in terms of first round wants I have it:

1= J Cooper
1= Terrance Williams
1= Ziggy Ansah
4 Cornelius Carradine

How decisive am I?

Edit: Just thought of another reason. Logan Mankins is by far and away our best interior lineman but he's constantly beset by niggling injuries so Cooper also reduces the amount our OL suffers when Mankins is out.

I actually agree with both of you, to a certain extent.

I firmly believe in drafting talent over need, and I don't think the Pats have to reach for a guard. I think that Marcus Cannon could easily move to RG allowing Connolly to move to center, and that the Pats could get a quality swing tackle in the 3rd round or so (I've suggested someone like Lane Johnson of Oklahoma), and/or a developmental tackle like Kyle Long or Luke Marquardt.

But I also believer in Manx's philosophy of "evaluating a player based purely on his abilities rather than need or position value". And I also value interior linemen VERY highly on both offense and defense, and in building from the "inside out" as has been discussed before:

Building a team from the "inside out"

I have no doubt that Jonathan Cooper is a tremendous guard prospect for the Pats, on a par with Logan Mankins, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. So I'd have no trouble taking him with a top 40 pick. Whether I would do so depends on who else is available. Unlike Manx, I don't believe in taking WRs in the 1st round. My top 3 for the Pats right now would be Cooper, Jesse Williams, and Ziggy Ansah, with the order TBD. Ansah is obviously rawer than the other two right now, and further evaluation would be required. As with Manx, Tank Carradine could also factor into the mix, but for right now, Ansah's upside and versatility give him the edge on my list.

[mackenzie45220]

Originally Posted by manxman2601

Really? He's got the arm but the football intelligence of a gnat. The rumours I've seen is that he spends all his downtime clubbing rather than studying film. I doubt he comes out but if he does, it will be interesting to see whether he takes a Mallett like fall - similar personalities by the looks of it.



I think it's potentially a good to very good class of pass defending LB's from the top (CJ Moseley and Michael Mauti) through to the likes of Alec Ogletree (possibly), Khaseem Greene and the two Iowa staters.

I agree with manxman. Bray is overrated

[mackenzie45220]

Originally Posted by manxman2601

At the risk of being boring, I just wanted to share one play with you.

It's Jonathan Cooper (again, sorry). Watch the play at 0:11 in the video below (LG remember). He blocks one lineman, then a second then runs across the field to block for Giovanni Bernard and then runs downfield in front of him for 40-50 yards. He is seriously athletic.

Sorry for the repetition but I started watching the vid and was so impressed with the play I wanted to share.


Ross ****rell vs North Carolina 2012 - YouTube

I love him too. Just for the record, I think the fact that this video's title is partially censored is seriously hilarious.

[mackenzie45220]

Originally Posted by Merril Hoge's Tie Knot

Poor guy. That should all but end his career.

So sad. Worst injury I've ever seen.