Only in your eyes.
Why? Please explain the similarities between Mayo and Barwin, besides the fact that they both will play LB in the NFL.
Of course "in my eyes". I made the statement with no expectation that it would be universally endorsed. And I was not comparing Mayo and Barwin as players, I was comparing them as prospects at their relative positions (ILB and OLB) for the Pats 3-4 defense.
The Pats had a huge need at ILB last year, and really needed a defensive leader to take over the mantle from Tedy Bruschi. Despite a lot of wishing that Patrick Willis had been available a year later or that Maualuga and Laurinaitis had come out, Mayo emerged out of nowhere (from a 2nd round pick at the time he declared for the draft) as really the perfect Pats 3-4 WILB candidate, worthy of a top-10 pick. To quote Patchick (from the day after the draft),
"Mayo is a good-sized linebacker with very good athleticism, but it's the mental side of the game that many here feel makes him special. Intelligent, instinctive, team captain, student of the game, filmroom junkie...pairing that with the physical tools makes for the rare package that is a Pats ILB."
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../13/81729-chocolate-pudding-mayo-page2.html (see post #18)
Willis may have had more pure speed and sideline-to-sideline tackling ability but Mayo had better intelligence, instincts and coversage ability. Laurinaitis might have nice coverage ability and intangibles, but Mayo had much better athleticism and upside. Maualuga might have had more size and hitting ability but Mayo had a much more complete package. I think Mayo ended up being the best 3-4 WILB candidate for the Pats to come out this decade. But at the time he was considered a bit of a reach at #10 by many, and many considered Curtis Lofton to be a near comparable player despite a marked difference in athleticism and upside. The past year seems to have validated Mayo as worthy of the #10 pick.
I think the Pats have a similar need at OLB right now. And, just as Mayo emerged from the shadow of other ILBs last year, Barwin as emerged from relative obscurity. I have documented elsewhere why I think he is the best 3-4 OLB candidate for the Pats since 2005. Just as Mayo combined impressive athleticism and intangibles, Barwin combines off-the-charts athleticism with terrific intangibles (versatility, drive, motor, confidence, intelligence, etc.). Sintim seems much more like a Lofton kind of player to me - a very solid player who will no doubt be a fine pro, but without the athleticism or upside of Barwin, just as Lofton didn't have Mayo's athleticism or intellectual smarts. Hence my analogy.
Again, I think Barwin is a top 10 talent and would have been a consensus top 10 pick if he had another year of experience on defense. I think we will be lucky if he is available at #23. I think English is a fine DE with nice pass rushing capability but I don't see him as a particularly good fit at OLB. I see Sintim as a nice player with good experience but limited athleticism and upside. I will be shocked in the Pats pass on Barwin for either.
BTW, remember how many people were desperate for us to get Quintin Groves as our 3-4 OLB last year? He had a lot of experience coming our of Auburn too. Last I saw he hadn't done too much for Jacksonville (13 tackles, 2.5 sacks). And he ran a 4.57 40 at 259 lbs. (though his 3-cone of 7.31 was the same as Mayo's, quite slow for a 3-4 OLB candidate).
