mayoclinic

BTW, I'm not proposing this, but since Dontae Johnson may well not declare, if anyone wants to they can substitute this for my 6th round comp pick:

6 (comp). Tyrann Mathieu, DB, LSU. 5'9" 178#. Current NFL DraftScout ranking #74.




Fallen Beast! The Honey Badger becomes the 2013 version of Aaron Hernandez/Alfonzo Dennard, a day 1 or 2 pick who slips to day 3 because of off field issues and gets snatched up by BB. Mathieu is undersized and doesn't have elite man coverage skills. But he is a heat seeking missile and ball hawk par extraordinaire who can be moved all around the secondary to create disruption. He's a big risk without a true position and multiple off field issues leading to his dismissal from LSU, but as a day 3 pick the upside is too great to ignore. While NFL DraftScout still has him ranked #74, his recent arrest for repeat MJ possession will no doubt send his draft stock plummeting, and he can surely be counted on to commit a few more faux pas between now and the draft to keep his stock down.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

mayoclinic

BTW, my previous version of this had the Pats keeping their 3rd and 4th round picks and taking Oklahoma swing tackle Lane Johnson in the 3rd round, Chris Gragg in the 4th, and Texas DT Brandon Moore in the 5th. But then I decided that Williams dropping to the 3rd was too good to pass up and that Moore, while talented, may not come out this year and was "more" of a developmental guy (pun intended). Plus, if the Pats re-sign Sebastian Vollmer and drafted Cooper at guard there's no need to move Marcus Cannon to guard, and no need to draft a swing tackle in the 3rd round, and drafting both Johnson and Kyle Long would be overkill. We'd probably end up cutting Long in an attempt to sneak him onto the PS, only to see some other team snatch him up. So I modified my mock.

OTOH, if (a) Sebastian Vollmer isn't re-signed, either because his injury history or his price tag preclude a long term deal, or (b) the Pats don't draft a guard early and look to move Marcus Cannon to guard, then it might make sense to draft a tackle like Johnson.

Lots of options. Lots of good players. Lots of fun.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

mayoclinic

I would prefer to trade Chung for Talib in my scenario, but it's quite possible that Tampa wouldn't be interested, especially as they have Mark Barron. Maybe they'd see Chung as a worthwhile backup. I think I specified a 2014 4th as an alternative, which is roughly equivalent to a 2013 5th round pick.

One of my reasons for preferring to move McCourty to safety is that he plays better in zone and with the ball in front of him than in man/press coverage, whereas Dennard and Dowling play better in man/press. It doesn't make sense to "mix and match" CBs with different stylistic strengths. If McCourty is developing his man coverage skills that might be different. As for signing UFA safeties, I'd grab either Gholston or Byrd in a heartbeat, but I'm assuming both will be franchised or extended (Gholston was franchised last year and almost certainly will this year, and I can't see Buffalo letting Byrd get away to a division foe). Reed's already been discussed in detail. Don't see that happening. DRC isn't my ideal Pats CB, but he'd be a big improvement over Kyle Arrington. I think Talib has the best skill set of the bunch, but obviously there are issues and risks involved. He's only 26. I think it's worth the risk if he can be had reasonably cheaply, but that's JMHO, and it's only because we're desperate.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

KontradictioN

McCarron would be an excellent replacement for Brady. Nice arm, smart, accurate, good footwork in the pocket, and seems to enjoy studying film. Let him sit behind Brady in the wings for a couple of years and then unleash him. I can see his stock being well on the rise by the time the draft rolls around though.

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CREDIT - Sicilian

mayoclinic

Realistically, if we somehow address the other needs discussed in this thread (secondary, OL, LDE, WR) between now and the 2014 draft then I think that I'd be fine with using our 1st round pick on McCarron if necessary. I can't think of a better investment to keep the continuity of the franchise intact.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Avenger

Sign Reed if the ravens don't, he's not what he once was but his presence would help the secondary greatly.

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Snake Eyes

I rarely get excited about college QBs but I do find myself excited about McCarron, and strangely enough it’s his lack of flashiness and very sound fundamentals that impresses me the most. He seems to play without any ego whatsoever.

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mayoclinic

Agreed. And I'm hoping that that very "lack of flashiness" keeps his draft stock down a bit, at least to the late 1st round.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

mayoclinic

That's probably a no-brainer, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen. The chance of Baltimore letting Reed get away short of retirement is pretty slim.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Avenger

They need money to resign Flacco, I'm not saying it will happen but I can see them letting him walk and him deciding that he has more left in him

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