The Pats and the USC LBs

[Seneschal2]

Reading this Mayock piece about Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, and Rey Maualuga, made me wonder which one, if any, fit the Pats.

Cushing is thought to be a great fit:

If anyone here is a great fit for New England, it's Cushing.

Cushing is not one of my Pats considerations in round one as I prefer Sintim.

Matthews, has had an impressive week of practices, and this blurb is what makes me interested in him more than Cushing and Maualuga -- but not in round one:

Matthews is very fundamentally sound but also very athletic. He would be an immediate demon on special teams while learning the linebacker position at the NFL level.

Maualuga's overall game does not impress me. In addition, his intangibles leave me with questions that make him a risk as our very first pick. He is scheduled as one of the Pats interviews at the Senior Bowl.

Thoughts and preferences?

 

[patsfaninpa]

Reading this Mayock piece about Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, and Rey Maualuga, made me wonder which one, if any, fit the Pats.

Cushing is thought to be a great fit:

Cushing is not one of my Pats considerations in round one as I prefer Sintim.

Matthews, has had an impressive week of practices, and this blurb is what makes me interested in him more than Cushing and Maualuga -- but not in round one:

Maualuga's overall game does not impress me. In addition, his intangibles leave me with questions that make him a risk as our very first pick. He is scheduled as one of the Pats interviews at the Senior Bowl.

Thoughts and preferences?

I was really impressed with Mathews in the Rose Bowl. They used Cushing more in coverage. And, Matthews as a pass-rusher. Pressured qb all day. PSU has a pretty good ol. Agree about Maualuga. He's one of those players who makes the highlights. But, when
you watch him play-after-play he's not as good as his reputation. He would never play
in a nickel defense. Don't want to use a 1st rounder on him if he can't play every down.

 

[upstater1]

It's very had to project any of these players for the Patriots. Bruschi had so many negatives coming out of college, and they still picked him. Why? They thought he was a "football player." Same with Lofa Tatupu.

 

[j00fek]

By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Maualuga's overall game does not impress me. In addition, his intangibles leave me with questions that make him a risk as our very first pick. He is scheduled as one of the Pats interviews at the Senior Bowl.

Source link, please!

I found this a little curious, though:

Where he looked best, though, was over the tight end as a strongside linebacker in the 4-3. His body type, power and aggression lend well to doing battle with opposing tight ends. For a taller linebacker, he gets low and is not a leverage liability. He showed quick hips turning and running with the tight ends. The one area in which he didn't look quite as comfortable was in his read-and-react skills while working in zone coverage. But overall, Cushing's wide skill set drastically reduces his draft-bust factor. If anyone here is a great fit for New England, it's Cushing.

If he's best in a 4-3, doesn't that lower his value to the Patriots a bit?

In any case, though, it's a little interesting that that is the only time they mention a specific player with respect to a specific team. . . .

 

[Seneschal2]

Source link, please!

USC linebacker Rey Maualuga is a hot commodity

MOBILE, Ala. — The suitors lined up near midfield as soon as the South team had broken its huddle to end Tuesday's Senior Bowl practice.

Kansas City, New Orleans, New England and Baltimore all were setting up interviews for that night with Rey Maualuga, star linebacker from the University of Southern California.

 

[BadMoFo]

USC linebacker Rey Maualuga is a hot commodity

He would be a star in Baltimore. The next Ray Lewis.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

USC linebacker Rey Maualuga is a hot commodity

According to Patriots.com, they also set up a meeting with Cushing; no word on Matthews.

 

[BadMoFo]

According to Patriots.com, they also set up a meeting with Cushing; no word on Matthews.

Unless we can move up about 10 spots in the draft, I don't think we have a shot at Cushing or Maualuga. I wouldn't mind Matthews, especially if we can get him in the second round. Kid has an incredible motor.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I don't think the Pats would move up for either (Cushings/Maualuga) but they are doing their due diligence in case one of those guys drops to #23. I'd probably rather take Matthews on day 2 rather than his more hyped teammates and let him develop as a STer first.

 

[AzPatsFan]

It's very had to project any of these players for the Patriots. Bruschi had so many negatives coming out of college, and they still picked him. Why? They thought he was a "football player." Same with Lofa Tatupu.

But in the third and sixth I think, not the first.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

But in the third and sixth I think, not the first.

Lofa was a 2nd rounder, I assume Bru was the 3rd you noted?

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Unless we can move up about 10 spots in the draft, I don't think we have a shot at Cushing or Maualuga. I wouldn't mind Matthews, especially if we can get him in the second round. Kid has an incredible motor.

I think Cushing will be available when we pick. But I can't see BB taking him, he does not project to have much more upside than Woods or Redd.

 

[condon84]

It's very had to project any of these players for the Patriots. Bruschi had so many negatives coming out of college, and they still picked him. Why? They thought he was a "football player." Same with Lofa Tatupu.

Completely agree. First and foremost, are these guys football players? Are they competitive? With Maualuga, people just remember the Penn State game and how he didn't make enough impact plays. People forget all the great games he played for USC and how well he performed. He dominated the OSU game, was the player of the game in the Rose bowl against Illinois, and he won the USC John McKay award for most competitive spirit. I want guys on our team who compete. If he drops all the way down to #23, that would be a coup for the Pats.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Completely agree. First and foremost, are these guys football players? Are they competitive? With Maualuga, people just remember the Penn State game and how he didn't make enough impact plays. People forget all the great games he played for USC and how well he performed. He dominated the OSU game, was the player of the game in the Rose bowl against Illinois, and he won the USC John McKay award for most competitive spirit. I want guys on our team who compete. If he drops all the way down to #23, that would be a coup for the Pats.

Well, as one of the people who felt he disappeared in the Rose Bowl, I saw nothing new in that game from any of the other games I'd ever watched with him - he's got speed and he uses that well, but it's not enough in the NFL. There are some writers plugging him in their Senior Bowl coverage, but there are just a few more scratching their heads and wondering if he's a three-down LB. NFLN's Mike Mayock is one of the people asking that question and he doesn't have an answer yet - and it's safe to say he's seen Maualuga on tape more often than the Rose Bowl.