College Players to watch in 2010

[DaBruinz]

With the lack of depth at OLB and ILB and the potential turnover on the O-line and in the depth positions, now is a good time to start looking at players the Pats might be looking at. I've picked on names of seniors who I'd like to keep tabs on. Other names are welcome, including the juniors.

Micah Johnson - ILB - Kentucky - At 6'2 and 256, the kid is very good in coverage as well as against the run. He's only listed as a 4th round pick, but that could change with a good season.

Jamar Chaney - ILB/OLB - Mississippi St. - 6' 1/2" and 242. Well rounded LB who has played MLB and WLB. Currently listed as a 5th round pick

Brandon Spikes - ILB - Florida - 6'2 and 256 lbs. Is listed as the top ILB for 2010. Probably will be off the board by the time the Pats draft.

Sergio Kindle - OLB - Texas - 6'3 and 242 - Kindle is listed as the top OLB in the draft right now. Plays OLB and on Special teams

Sean Weatherspoon - OLB/ILB -Missouri - 6'1 and 245 - Looks to be one of the top players in the draft. Could be around when the Pats draft.

Jerry Hughes - OLB- TCU - 6'1 and 252 - He's built for the Pats ILB position,not the OLB position. His pass rushing abilities there could really help balance out the defense.

Eric Norwood - OLB/ILB - South Carolina - 6'0 and 252 lbs Big time playmaker. Slated as a 3rd round pick right now.

Greg Hardy - DE/OLB - Mississippi - 6'3 and 265 lbs - The top DE right now in the draft. Would convert to OLB for the Pats.

Jermaine Cunningham - DE/OLB - Florida -6'3 and 252. Teammate of Spikes.

Corey Wootton - DE/OLB - Northwestern - 6'6 and 270 - Candidate for the Elephant. Gets his hands into the passing lanes.

Ricky Sapp - DE/OLB - Clemson - 6'4 and 245 - Rush OLB for the Pats. Good on the Pass rush and against the run. Not sure about dropping back into coverage.

Jermaine Gresham - TE - Oklahoma - Great pass catching TE. Don't know how he is as a blocker

Anthony McCoy - TE - USC - was known more for his blocking than anything else. Started to show skills as a pass catcher last season. Plays on special teams

JD Walton -C - Baylor - Intelligent and very good technique. Not overly large, but strong at the POA.

Vince Oghobaase - DT - Duke - Would be converted to a 3-4 DE. Has the size that BB likes. Could be a replacement for Smith, Green or Seymour.

 

[borisman]

You might want to add Rolando McClain (he should come out early) to the list. If he has a good season and moves up to mid 1st round, we have enough picks to move to any spot in the draft and draft anyone we want, depending on what happens with FA'cy.

 

[bbell31]

best possible players for the pats team next draft

gerald mccoy dt/de OU
suh from nebraska de dt
adam utal tex
russell okung osu ltackle
trent williams ou tackle
demarco murray/ o so versatile-slot, splitend, pr and kr, tailback all three downs

sergio kindle olb
jahvid best
cj spiller
mardy gilyard wr cincy
jordan shipley texas
brian bulaga iowa tackle
jeremy beal ou de olb
lawrence marsh
!

 

[reflexblue]

Ndamukong Suh, DT 6'4 305 rare combination of strength, quickness, speed and superb fundamentals. I think if BB has a chance to grab him he does. I like him for his name alone it translates to "house of spears"

Terrance Cody Alabama DL 6'5 365 i saw him working out on a blocking sled, i thought he wa going to break it, he bent it back so far

 

[WaterfallJumper]

You might want to add Rolando McClain (he should come out early) to the list. If he has a good season and moves up to mid 1st round, we have enough picks to move to any spot in the draft and draft anyone we want, depending on what happens with FA'cy.

The more I read about this kid, the more I'm convinced he should be our number one target next year. He has exceptional football intelligence, and has called the plays for the past few years. This will be his third year starting, so even if he come out as a junior, he has a lot of experience and production. He's learned how to play every LB position in the 34 and 43. Every position. That's ridiculous! Scouts think he has the athleticism and power to be a defensive end on the level of Jevon Kearse. He's fast enough and has a clear enough understanding of his own defense that he could probably even play a hybrid safety role. I really believe he's the next Adalius Thomas, only a few inches taller.

I'd be happy to trade up for him; we have four picks in the top 64 again this year, and with the huge draft class we just hauled in, we won't have room for another 6 - 8 players next year.

I am so geeky . . . I can't believe I've already created a mock for next year. Maybe I'll post an updated version at the end of training camp, once we have a better idea of our needs next year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Ndamukong Suh, DT 6'4 305 rare combination of strength, quickness, speed and superb fundamentals. I think if BB has a chance to grab him he does. I like him for his name alone it translates to "house of spears"

Terrance Cody Alabama DL 6'5 365 i saw him working out on a blocking sled, i thought he wa going to break it, he bent it back so far

Ochmed Jones, another poster here, is quite the fan of Mt. Cody.

 

[reflexblue]

Ochmed Jones, another poster here, is quite the fan of Mt. Cody.

Like i said i looked at some video of him working out at around 380 lbs, to heavy imo. When he hit the slead the bar the pad is attached to bent so far back i thought it was going to snap, i have never seen anything like what he did before. With the way things are shapping up with the D-line i think BB would more likely go after a top notch D-lineman than a LB. I think we picked out first rnd LB in Mayo, and i don't think he will use a 1st rnd pick on one for a while. That seems o be his history.

 

[DaBruinz]

Like i said i looked at some video of him working out at around 380 lbs, to heavy imo. When he hit the slead the bar the pad is attached to bent so far back i thought it was going to snap, i have never seen anything like what he did before. With the way things are shapping up with the D-line i think BB would more likely go after a top notch D-lineman than a LB. I think we picked out first rnd LB in Mayo, and i don't think he will use a 1st rnd pick on one for a while. That seems o be his history.

I know that Ochmed is high on Cody and I understand why. Not sure that NT will be a priority next year with Brace already added to the team.

Suh was a highly touted pick that decided to return for his senior year. He could be a very interesting addition if he's available.

Rolando McClain is currently the top rated LB for 2011. If he decides to come out in 2010, he'll definitely be up there.

 

[Warren94]

Gotta love the draft. Suh would be a fantastic fit. I was really hoping Spikes from Florida was going to come out... Maybe this year. Mayo and SPikes would be amazing.

 

[bbell31]

spikes is harda8s but i dont think we will need an ilb that bad...guyton lenon and mckenzie will b pretty good imo

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Ochmed Jones, another poster here, is quite the fan of Mt. Cody.

Yes I am. The best pure 3-4 NT I have seen the colleges produce in a long long time. I think that when healthy he is a better NT as a college player than Wilfork is as a pro. I think he has his weight down to about 375-380 range. I know Saban got after him a bit already, so I am hoping he can lose another 10 to 15 pounds of flab by the start of the season.

Another Alabama player to keep an eye on is ILB MCClain (6'4" and 255lbs). He does it all. Sacks, TFL and picked three balls last season. A perfect fit for the Pats. We'll be drafting #32 this year, so if we can sneak him by Pittsburgh, The sophomore ILB that plays on the side of McClain, Hightower (6'4" and 240 lbs.) has a chance to develop into a special player himself.

Another LB I will be paying attention to is Diperseria (spelling) of Rutgers. Depending how he runs, he could excel in our system as well.

I have my eye on OT Ulatoski of Texas. He is 6'8" and a very powerful flat back blocker. Needs to work on the feet a bit. However not hard to imagine Vollmer at LOT and him at ROT.

And yet anothe Alabama kid to watch is OG Johnson (6'6" about 315 lbs.). He is a decent run blocker and pass protector.

An offensive line of Vollmer (6'8") and Ulatoski (6'8") at the tackles and Johnson (6'6") and Mankins (6'3") at OG is quite an impressive start to having a huge wall of protection in front of Brady.

 

[DaBruinz]

spikes is harda8s but i dont think we will need an ilb that bad...guyton lenon and mckenzie will b pretty good imo

If they could get one who is better than McKenzie, we could see Guyton moved to OLB and McKenzie become the 3rd ala Phifer. Thomas isn't getting any younger, Crable continues to be a question mark and so is Woods.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

If they could get one who is better than McKenzie, we could see Guyton moved to OLB and McKenzie become the 3rd ala Phifer. Thomas isn't getting any younger, Crable continues to be a question mark and so is Woods.

Can you really see Guyton setting the edge as an OLB? I struggle with that. How badly depleted is out LB corp, when Guyton is a central part of the conversation?

 

[DaBruinz]

Can you really see Guyton setting the edge as an OLB? I struggle with that. How badly depleted is out LB corp, when Guyton is a central part of the conversation?

With the extra weight he's put on and his height, yes, I can see Guyton setting the edge against the rush. Most of it is about technique, which can be taught.

And, no one said that the LB corp was depleted. I was throwing out a possibility that the Pats may consider if an ILB like McClain is the Best Value Player on their list when its time to draft.

 

[reflexblue]

I know that Ochmed is high on Cody and I understand why. Not sure that NT will be a priority next year with Brace already added to the team.

Suh was a highly touted pick that decided to return for his senior year. He could be a very interesting addition if he's available.

Rolando McClain is currently the top rated LB for 2011. If he decides to come out in 2010, he'll definitely be up there.

Before this years draft i posted a couple times that i wouldn't be surprised if we didn't draft one of the LB's that were popular around here and in the national media. Going by BB's history we chose our LB for the decade in Mayo. If BB has a choce between a top tier LB and a top tier D Linrman i think he takes the D lineman

 

[DaBruinz]

Before this years draft i posted a couple times that i wouldn't be surprised if we didn't draft one of the LB's that were popular around here and in the national media. Going by BB's history we chose our LB for the decade in Mayo. If BB has a choce between a top tier LB and a top tier D Linrman i think he takes the D lineman

It all depends on how they rate out, value wise. And part of that value is based on need. Part of it is based on the tangibles and intangibles that the player brings to the table. BB went for Brace because of the potential of losing Wilfork and Seymour next off-season. There are a lot of things that go into their decision making. Many of which the fans never hear about.

One of the things about the big names at LB is because they all had some blemishes. That may not be the case next year with McClain and some of the others.

Also, a LOT is going to depend on the CBA negotiations. If there isn't a new CBA before free agency of next year, everything is going to go to hell in a hand basket.

 

[AzPatsFan]

One of the things to consider is that Lb and DE conversions are seldom Round One picks. They are usually chosen in round 2- round 4. We have a surplus of second round picks.

So who do we draft with a One? My guess is a Lineman or an Offensive skill position player, RB or WR.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Tebow would make a good fullback.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Tebow would make a good fullback.

Cue the controversy in 10 . . . 9 . . .

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Another LB I will be paying attention to is Diperseria (spelling) of Rutgers. Depending how he runs, he could excel in our system as well.

I'm guessing you mean Ryan D'Imperio, since he's the only Rutgers LB (A) whose name starts with D, and (B) who has the size to play for NE.