The Uncle Heatster pre-Combine mock, 2/5

[dryheat44]

Trying to do my best to be realistic as to availability. I'm using the comp picks as figured in the other thread. No FA signings, no Cassel trade, and no trading picks (too hard without mocking the entire draft)

1:23 Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest - OT was definitely a consideration here, but there isn't an immediate need there, and it's a pretty good draft to get one later. I still can't believe Wake Forest has two first rounders (Both of whom I want), and Miami might not have a single player drafted, but here we are. Smith just looks the part. I think we'll go into the season with Hobbs on one side, Smith on the other, with Wheatley the nickel and Wilhite the top backup. I'm cool with that, but I like Hobbs more than most on this board.

2:47 Chase Coffman TE Missouri - I haven't given up on David Thomas, but I don't see him here past 2009 either. Don't get me started on Watson, because we'll be here awhile. If Sintim is still here, he would be my choice.

2:58 Connor Barwin OLB Cincinnati - Too early? Maybe, but I'm not willing to bet he'll be there at 89. I think he's been discussed enough on this board. Obviously, if we land Sintim, we'll look elsewhere here...possibly a sliding OT.

3:89 Jonathan Luigs C/G Arkansas - Two-time Rimington award finalist, winning it once. Key cog in the Arkansas line that's been bludgeoning holes for its RBs in recent years. Very smart in the classroom.

3:97 Tyrone McKenzie ILB South Florida - If he's here, he's great value. One of my favorites in the draft who isn't discussed much. Could be a perfect complement to the ILB rotation, and has the versatility to play OLB -- which he will probably start out as.

4:124 Derrick Pegues S Mississippi St - Another underrated guy who gets lost in the safety discussion, although that will probably change between now and the draft. Also a very good returner.

4:136 Terrance Knighton NT Temple - Experts would call this a reach, but with more teams switching to the 3-4, a true nose tackle becomes a hot commodity.

5:158 Brandon Gibson WR Washington St - Looked good during Senior Bowl week after getting lost on a horrible team. Has real potential as a #2 WR.

5:167 Cornelius Lewis OT Tennessee St - Low risk/high reward Florida St. transfer. I like his upside a lot better than some OTs projected to go early on Day 2. I still wouldn't mind getting a guy like Britton, Smith, or Beatty earlier, though.

6:192 Nader Abdullah DE Ohio St - Good size and instincts to play in the Belichick 3-4. Good PS candidate.

7:230 Kevin Akins S Boston College - Versatility, aggresiveness earn him a shot at the roster.

 

[DaBruinz]

Heatster -
A very interesting draft. As always.

A few comments:
1) I'd rather the Pats take either Mack or Unger with the early in the 2nd. Luigs is a good consolation prize, but I think that Mack and Unger are better prospects than Coffman.

2) Where are you projecting Meriweather? He's the teams FS currently, though the Pats did move him up towards the line more than they did Sanders, but I think that has to do more with Sanders lack of speed for covering a WR in the slot and that Sanders was back calling the secondary alignments.

3) I know that you like Lewis, but his dismissal from Florida State is a concern. Also, do you think he's got the ability to block on screens? One of the issues he seems to have is a lack of mobility. I know that Xavier Fulton is raw, but couldn't he be someone to look at for Dante's school of lineman?

Great work overall.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Alphonso Smith is a pretty good prospect. Is he better than DJ Moore though? Moore can also return kicks and punts. So he'll be a special teams contributor as well.

D.J. Moore Scouting Report - 2009 NFL Draft Prospect

 

[bakes781]

Great stuff as always! Admittedly I don't know much about most of the prospects yet, but Jonathan Luigs of Arkansas intrigues me. Obviously having blocked for McFadden & Felix Jones he has to be pretty good.

 

[dryheat44]

Heatster -
A very interesting draft. As always.

A few comments:
1) I'd rather the Pats take either Mack or Unger with the early in the 2nd. Luigs is a good consolation prize, but I think that Mack and Unger are better prospects than Coffman.

2) Where are you projecting Meriweather? He's the teams FS currently, though the Pats did move him up towards the line more than they did Sanders, but I think that has to do more with Sanders lack of speed for covering a WR in the slot and that Sanders was back calling the secondary alignments.

3) I know that you like Lewis, but his dismissal from Florida State is a concern. Also, do you think he's got the ability to block on screens? One of the issues he seems to have is a lack of mobility. I know that Xavier Fulton is raw, but couldn't he be someone to look at for Dante's school of lineman?

Great work overall.

1) My rough calculations had Unger already gone by that pick. Regardless, I think that a pass catching TE took precedence over an interior lineman, given guys like Luigs and Wood might still be available. I could have gone the other way and taken Mack first and then a guy like Jared Cook, I suppose....but I prefer Luigs to Mack in filling the guard position at this ridiculously early juncture.

2) I'm projecting Meriweather to play wherever the greatest need is. We'll see if Sanders or Sanders or Harrison is still on the team. I have confidence he can be an impact player either way.

3) I don't know why Lewis was dismissed from Florida St, other than "behavior detrimental to the team". It is troubling in the sense that Bobby Bowden has a pretty high threshold for that kind of stuff. It's one of those things that will have to be sniffed out by the scouting staff. If he's a serious problem child, I'd pass.

 

[dryheat44]

Alphonso Smith is a pretty good prospect. Is he better than DJ Moore though? Moore can also return kicks and punts. So he'll be a special teams contributor as well.

D.J. Moore Scouting Report - 2009 NFL Draft Prospect

True, but as a first rounder, I'm more interested in his ability to play corner than any value-added services. You can always find return guys....in this mock, Derrick Pegues is a good one.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

Dr.H 44,

I know from a few years following (but not commenting much ) on this board, you follow the underclassmen quite thoroughly. Still you must use a few sites for additional material, rankings and scouting reports on the 'youngin's'. There are so many draft and mock draft websites out there. Some of them seem quite silly.

Please could you list a few which you think are worth a grain of salt.

cheers from Denmark.

 

[dryheat44]

Dr.H 44,

I know from a few years following (but not commenting much ) on this board, you follow the underclassmen quite thoroughly. Still you must use a few sites for additional material, rankings and scouting reports on the 'youngin's'. There are so many draft and mock draft websites out there. Some of them seem quite silly.

Please could you list a few which you think are worth a grain of salt.

cheers from Denmark.

My best sources are Ochmed Jones and BoR....they watch and re-watch enough games from the Patriots Point of View to comment intelligently about a players' potential fit...even if I don't agree all the time on his value. Because as a father of two kids under 2 1/2 years old who watches football all day long on Sundays, I don't get to see nearly enough Saturday football as I'd like. Hopefully I've seen most players from the majors two or three times in the past two years, and see if they confirm what I think I saw. And I always listen to Seneschal and sebman's evaluations, and Patchick's theories and research. And if you can get past the sandpaper, DaBruinz is worth listening to.

Once you get past that, NFL DraftScout, NFLDraft Countdown, NextLevelScouting (which may be defunct since John Murphy is now GM for a CFL team), Mike Mayock, National Football Post, NFLDraftBible, WalterFootball, DraftTek, and DraftDaddy all get consulted with some regularity. The first three are probably my favorites, but the others are good for different things.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

My best sources are Ochmed Jones and BoR....they watch and re-watch enough games from the Patriots Point of View to comment intelligently about a players' potential fit...even if I don't agree all the time on his value. Because as a father of two kids under 2 1/2 years old who watches football all day long on Sundays, I don't get to see nearly enough Saturday football as I'd like. Hopefully I've seen most players from the majors two or three times in the past two years, and see if they confirm what I think I saw. And I always listen to Seneschal and sebman's evaluations, and Patchick's theories and research. And if you can get past the sandpaper, DaBruinz is worth listening to.

Once you get past that, NFL DraftScout, NFLDraft Countdown, NextLevelScouting (which may be defunct since John Murphy is now GM for a CFL team), Mike Mayock, National Football Post, NFLDraftBible, WalterFootball, DraftTek, and DraftDaddy all get consulted with some regularity. The first three are probably my favorites, but the others are good for different things.

Dr. H44, (sounds like an isotope or a new element)

Muchos Gracias!

You may be right about nextlevelScouting.com as the link doesn't appear to be working anymore in google.

 

[DW Toys]

Trying to do my best to be realistic as to availability. I'm using the comp picks as figured in the other thread. No FA signings, no Cassel trade, and no trading picks (too hard without mocking the entire draft)

1:23 Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest - OT was definitely a consideration here, but there isn't an immediate need there, and it's a pretty good draft to get one later. I still can't believe Wake Forest has two first rounders (Both of whom I want), and Miami might not have a single player drafted, but here we are. Smith just looks the part. I think we'll go into the season with Hobbs on one side, Smith on the other, with Wheatley the nickel and Wilhite the top backup. I'm cool with that, but I like Hobbs more than most on this board.

2:47 Chase Coffman TE Missouri - I haven't given up on David Thomas, but I don't see him here past 2009 either. Don't get me started on Watson, because we'll be here awhile. If Sintim is still here, he would be my choice.

2:58 Connor Barwin OLB Cincinnati - Too early? Maybe, but I'm not willing to bet he'll be there at 89. I think he's been discussed enough on this board. Obviously, if we land Sintim, we'll look elsewhere here...possibly a sliding OT.

3:89 Jonathan Luigs C/G Arkansas - Two-time Rimington award finalist, winning it once. Key cog in the Arkansas line that's been bludgeoning holes for its RBs in recent years. Very smart in the classroom.

3:97 Tyrone McKenzie ILB South Florida - If he's here, he's great value. One of my favorites in the draft who isn't discussed much. Could be a perfect complement to the ILB rotation, and has the versatility to play OLB -- which he will probably start out as.

4:124 Derrick Pegues S Mississippi St - Another underrated guy who gets lost in the safety discussion, although that will probably change between now and the draft. Also a very good returner.

4:136 Terrance Knighton NT Temple - Experts would call this a reach, but with more teams switching to the 3-4, a true nose tackle becomes a hot commodity.

5:158 Brandon Gibson WR Washington St - Looked good during Senior Bowl week after getting lost on a horrible team. Has real potential as a #2 WR.

5:167 Cornelius Lewis OT Tennessee St - Low risk/high reward Florida St. transfer. I like his upside a lot better than some OTs projected to go early on Day 2. I still wouldn't mind getting a guy like Britton, Smith, or Beatty earlier, though.

6:192 Nader Abdullah DE Ohio St - Good size and instincts to play in the Belichick 3-4. Good PS candidate.

7:230 Kevin Akins S Boston College - Versatility, aggresiveness earn him a shot at the roster.

Good job. A lot of work. I do not agree in some cases but hey we don't count anyway. Tell me about Pegues? I think we need a S before an OLB who of which there seems to be a bit of in this draft and we might get later.
DW Toys

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I believe you have Pegues dropping too far, and McKenzie is strictly a two-down 3-4 ILB with no OLB potential for NE, I'd flip the two in terms of Patriots' value.

 

[ayjackson]

Are you projecting that Hobbs will be gone after next season? Wheatley and/or Wilhite look like promising #2 corners.

 

[Seneschal2]

...

Excellent! 9 of 11 are on my Pats prospects list. Yours are the best Pats picks I've seen yet. Day one alone would be quite a score.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Heatster -
A very interesting draft. As always.

A few comments:
1) I'd rather the Pats take either Mack or Unger with the early in the 2nd. Luigs is a good consolation prize, but I think that Mack and Unger are better prospects than Coffman.

2) Where are you projecting Meriweather? He's the teams FS currently, though the Pats did move him up towards the line more than they did Sanders, but I think that has to do more with Sanders lack of speed for covering a WR in the slot and that Sanders was back calling the secondary alignments.

3) I know that you like Lewis, but his dismissal from Florida State is a concern. Also, do you think he's got the ability to block on screens? One of the issues he seems to have is a lack of mobility. I know that Xavier Fulton is raw, but couldn't he be someone to look at for Dante's school of lineman?

Great work overall.

mack yes, but I think unger does not translate that well to OG which is where he would be getting his first reps for the pats.....not sure on this, but he is a bit light and unathletic to be an OG

 

[VJCPatriot]

If the Patriots draft Alphonso Smith how many here will refer to him as the Fonz or Fonzy?

 

[Synovia]

True, but as a first rounder, I'm more interested in his ability to play corner than any value-added services. You can always find return guys....in this mock, Derrick Pegues is a good one.

Exactly. Return guys are easy to find. And we already have one of the best in Hobbs.

 

[cstjohn17]

Very solid, excellent analysis.

Just curious what other offseason moves to you see to round out the roster?

 

[dryheat44]

Are you projecting that Hobbs will be gone after next season? Wheatley and/or Wilhite look like promising #2 corners.

If he stays healthy and hits the open market, yeah he'll likely be gone. Of course in an uncapped year, Belichick might value his return skills enough to make a competitive offer.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

mack yes, but I think unger does not translate that well to OG which is where he would be getting his first reps for the pats.....not sure on this, but he is a bit light and unathletic to be an OG

6'4" 299 is too light? Neal is 6'4" 305, Mankins 6'4" 310. I'm sure Coach Woicik has a regimen capable of adding 6-11 lbs on a scrawny little fellow like Unger.

 

[DaBruinz]

mack yes, but I think unger does not translate that well to OG which is where he would be getting his first reps for the pats.....not sure on this, but he is a bit light and unathletic to be an OG

How is Unger unathletic? He has played all 3 positions on the Offensive line. And has been extremely effective on screens and pulling as well as the inside trap.

I wouldn't mind Mack, Unger or Levitre for the OG position.