Will this be the draft we grab a LB?

[carolinatony]

I am happy with our picks last year but a bit surprised BB didn't like any LB's enough to grab one. Still wish we had drafted Patrick Willis when we had the chance. Image him and Mayo side by side.
We all know BB likes his veterans but he did take Mayo so maybe he grabs another LB this year.

On the offense, what do you see as a bigger need RB or WR? We could use a younger RB a la Dillon imo and I can see Maroney gone and Taylor retiring(certainly if we win the SB).
Morris and Faulk are both getting up there in years as well.

Moss and Welker are fine but we need that solid 3rd receiver. I'm sure Galloway will be gone.
Certainly if we took any solid OL that's a plus as well.


We have more picks than we need so BB will trade down for future picks which is great but I still can see 3/4 rookies making the team.

Signing Vince is a must or else we need to draft another DL no matter who's on the team now.

With all our picks it would be nice to trade up but again; BB seldoms does this and also it may be a uncapped year.

 

[mayoclinic]

I am happy with our picks last year but a bit surprised BB didn't like any LB's enough to grab one. Still wish we had drafted Patrick Willis when we had the chance. Image him and Mayo side by side.
We all know BB likes his veterans but he did take Mayo so maybe he grabs another LB this year.

On the offense, what do you see as a bigger need RB or WR? We could use a younger RB a la Dillon imo and I can see Maroney gone and Taylor retiring(certainly if we win the SB).
Morris and Faulk are both getting up there in years as well.

Moss and Welker are fine but we need that solid 3rd receiver. I'm sure Galloway will be gone.
Certainly if we took any solid OL that's a plus as well.


We have more picks than we need so BB will trade down for future picks which is great but I still can see 3/4 rookies making the team.

Signing Vince is a must or else we need to draft another DL no matter who's on the team now.

With all our picks it would be nice to trade up but again; BB seldoms does this and also it may be a uncapped year.

What do you mean by an LB?

Do you mean a versatile, mobile Willis-type guy who can pursue, run side to side, shoot the gaps, cover the TE, and make tackles all over the place, and who can play almost anywhere? Mayo, Guyton and McKenzie can probably handle most of those tasks. If we need more of those guys, Sean Weatherspoon is the best option, if he lasts long enough.

Do you mean a SAM/SILB type guy who can stack and shed, take on blockers, rush the passer and still drop into coverage. Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes and Eric Norwood are viable options.

Do you mean a DE/OLB pass rushing LB? Sergio Kindle, Ricky Sapp, and Jerry Hughes are all options.

Do you mean an "elephant" type player who can play 4-3 DE and stand up at LB as well? Derrick Morgan, Greg Hardy, and Greg Romeus are possibilities.

I could potentially see us taking 1 and possibly even 2 guys who fit within those 4 categories. Which ones depends a lot on who is available, who BB likes, and what kind of defense he wants.

 

[Taxed in Maine]

We did take a linebacker last year - Tyrone McKenzie. If he hadn't got hurt we wouldn't be talking about this. With the way Guyton has been playing, I doubt there will be another high pick at ILB.

I WOULD like to see an OLB taken with one of the first 4 picks. There wil be a bunch of them in this next draft.

I truly believe BB wants to play the 3-4, he just can't because of the injuries.
For this reason I see 3-4 DE at the top of the grocery list for April.
There should be several good ones available here also.

On offense I see OG possibly being the #1 priority. They will probably lose one of Neal or Mankins.
Followed by WR. Galloway will be gone, and Randy won't be around forever.

I wouldn't be surprised if BB does NOT go back for another high pick RB. There isn't much to choose from next spring for one thing. Even if Morris and Taylor both go they could grab another FA, and a mid round pick.

There could easily be 7-8 open spots.

 

[patchick]

When I saw the title of this thread, I assumed it meant OLB! Passing on OLBs of every description year after year after year is what baffles me most about Patriots drafting. Inside, there's a pretty nice collection of youth and athleticism -- I could only see it as a luxury pick if a special talent slid.

Still wish we had drafted Patrick Willis when we had the chance.

This bit puzzled me...when did we have the chance? He was picked #11 overall, the Patriots picked at #24. Unless you mean you wish they'd packaged both 1st-round picks that year, so they'd have had Willis instead of Meriweather + Mayo + Moss? Personally, I'm happy with that 3-fer.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

When I saw the title of this thread, I assumed it meant OLB! Passing on OLBs of every description year after year after year is what baffles me most about Patriots drafting. Inside, there's a pretty nice collection of youth and athleticism -- I could only see it as a luxury pick if a special talent slid.



This bit puzzled me...when did we have the chance? He was picked #11 overall, the Patriots picked at #24. Unless you mean you wish they'd packaged both 1st-round picks that year, so they'd have had Willis instead of Meriweather + Mayo + Moss? Personally, I'm happy with that 3-fer.

Yeah, someone who would take Willis alone over Meriweather, Mayo, and Moss is like the idiot on another board who suggested that the Patriots would trade Welker and a pick for Willie Parker. . . .

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

I'd prefer to go LB or OL or RB early this year and wait on WR until 2011. see what tate gives you in 2010 and decide if moss is worth bringing back after 2010. moss will be 33/34 but i assume we would almost surely bring him back.

i'd like to use the raiders pick we have in 2011 to grab aj green or julio jones. they both have great talent and i think either of them would greatly benefit from the tutelage of moss. i like green's speed, hands, and ability to go up and get the ball. he reminds me of randy moss but without moss' amazing speed. jones is a more physical wr, he reminds me of anquan boldin.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'd prefer to go LB or OL or RB early this year and wait on WR until 2011. see what tate gives you in 2010 and decide if moss is worth bringing back after 2010. moss will be 33/34 but i assume we would almost surely bring him back.

i'd like to use the raiders pick we have in 2011 to grab aj green or julio jones. they both have great talent and i think either of them would greatly benefit from the tutelage of moss. i like green's speed, hands, and ability to go up and get the ball. he reminds me of randy moss but without moss' amazing speed. jones is a more physical wr, he reminds me of anquan boldin.

I agree with pretty much everything you said.

I think the WR class in 2011 will be much better than 2010. Assuming the top junior come out both years (which is usually the case with WRs), this year's class will have Dez Bryant, Damian Williams and Rejus Benn, followed by Brandon LaFell and Mardy Gilyard. The top 3 won't be options for us. In 2011 we will have a much higher top pick courtesy of the Raiders, with AJ Green, Julio Jones, and Michael Floyd likely coming out. Don't forget Floyd, he is as good as the other 2. Floyd reminds me of Andre Jonson, Jones reminds me a bit of Moss, and AJ Green reminds me a bit of a cross between Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson.

For 2010, I'd love to see us address LB, RB, DE and OL.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

It depends on who is available at what position in the draft.

If Rolando McClain either falls to BB or falls far enough that BB can swing a deal to move up a few spots, I can totally see BB going after him. the kid is big, 6'4" 250 plus pounds. He runs well (4.5-4.6 range). He is excellent at stacking and shedding and making plays in the running game. He is excellent in coverage, had 3 picks last season. And he is willing to play ST.

He is a perfect fit at ILB in our defense. But he is also perfect for the Pittsburgh, San Diego, Denver, Dallas, and any other 3-4 team's defense as well. So a move by BB is required to get him.

Another candidate should be Mount Cody of Alabama. Probably the best 3-4 NT that college has ever produced. 380 plus pounders that can dunk a basketball ball are rare. This kid eats up blockers sometimes 3 at a time and he can not be moved from the LOS via the double team.
If stopping the run is mission critical in the 3-4 defense, then this is the #1 guy you want.

I've come to realize that Dunlap of Florida is probably not going to make it out of the top 5 so BB is going to have to look elsewhere for a pass rush demon. Hopefully he can find someone better than Burgess.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

I agree with pretty much everything you said.

I think the WR class in 2011 will be much better than 2010. Assuming the top junior come out both years (which is usually the case with WRs), this year's class will have Dez Bryant, Damian Williams and Rejus Benn, followed by Brandon LaFell and Mardy Gilyard. The top 3 won't be options for us. In 2011 we will have a much higher top pick courtesy of the Raiders, with AJ Green, Julio Jones, and Michael Floyd likely coming out. Don't forget Floyd, he is as good as the other 2. Floyd reminds me of Andre Jonson, Jones reminds me a bit of Moss, and AJ Green reminds me a bit of a cross between Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson.

For 2010, I'd love to see us address LB, RB, DE and OL.

Good insight as always from you Mayo. Who do you like the best out of those 3 WR for 2011? I like Green the best I think he's got the highest ceiling and will flourish in the NFL especially if he adds some muscle. If I had to rank them I'd probably say I'd prefer them in this order: Green, Jones, Floyd. I agree that Floyd is talented but I just don't like him as much as the other two who consistently play against tough defenses in the SEC.

 

[carolinatony]

Originally Posted by BillBelichickFan79
I'd prefer to go LB or OL or RB early this year and wait on WR until 2011. see what tate gives you in 2010 and decide if moss is worth bringing back after 2010. moss will be 33/34 but i assume we would almost surely bring him back.


That was what I originally said. As far as Willis I really wanted us to grab him and I thought their was a lot of interest on this board as well at that time.
My point was it would be nice to have them both side by side for 10 yrs which is a mute point now.

I don't know how you guys know all these collage players and just throw out names. Some of you should be scouts for us!
thanks for the comments.

 

[mayoclinic]

Originally Posted by BillBelichickFan79
I'd prefer to go LB or OL or RB early this year and wait on WR until 2011. see what tate gives you in 2010 and decide if moss is worth bringing back after 2010. moss will be 33/34 but i assume we would almost surely bring him back.


That was what I originally said. As far as Willis I really wanted us to grab him and I thought their was a lot of interest on this board as well at that time.
My point was it would be nice to have them both side by side for 10 yrs which is a mute point now.

I don't know how you guys know all these collage players and just throw out names. Some of you should be scouts for us!
thanks for the comments.

It would be nice to have Aaron Curry, too. The point is that Willis was out of our reach in 2007, short of trading both of our picks (and possibly even then). We did just fine.

 

[mayoclinic]

Good insight as always from you Mayo. Who do you like the best out of those 3 WR for 2011? I like Green the best I think he's got the highest ceiling and will flourish in the NFL especially if he adds some muscle. If I had to rank them I'd probably say I'd prefer them in this order: Green, Jones, Floyd. I agree that Floyd is talented but I just don't like him as much as the other two who consistently play against tough defenses in the SEC.

Hard to say right now. Floyd was unstoppable before getting injured, but now he has an injury to deal with. I'm sure BB will hear lots about him from Charlie Weis, and lots about Jones and Green from Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. At this point I'd probably favor Green, who has terrific hands and great body control, kind of like Fitzgerald, but it's close. A lot may depend on how Tate develops and what skill set we are most looking for to complement our other WRs.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I'm not sure. Guyton has gotten a lot of hype as of late. I still want to see a bigger body of work out of him before I crown him pure starter material. So far so good though. I can't help but think of the McKenzie kid either whether or not he would of had a good rookie campaign.

I hope so though. Adalius is not going to be on the young side of 30 forever so they should be exploring options at olb for sure. We surely need depth too, Jr Seau is not going to be on the young side of 40 much longer either lol.

 

[BelichickFan]

With 4 picks in the first two rounds, a LB obviously is a possibility but we're getting younger there and it's a little tough to know how they feel about them. Mayo and Guyton look like starters. After that and the aging Thomas we have all these young guys, Woods, Crable, McKenzie, the answer really depends on how they feel about them. I expect a heavy draft on the lines as we could use a big beast at DE opposite Warren and the OL is starting to age. I have OL and DE ahead of LB on my needs list.

Regarding the WR, I like Floyd and Green more than Jones. Something about Jones bugs me, his personality gives me a bad vibe and I don't know how his quickness numbers will be, he almost seems too big to have the quickness that I would like. I doubt we'll draft a WR high this year, with Moss, Welker coming back and Tate, Edelman as young guys, I would expect a shot at a WR (like Alexander from Missouri) a little later - we can always go higher for a "stud" in 2011 if things aren't working out with the young guys.