The Coon
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.If the Pats are looking to stick with the 3-4 next season, they could target someone like Cameron Heyward from Ohio State. He's 6-6, 285 pounds, and he's a great fit as a DE in a 3-4 system. According to most mocks, he could be had in the second round, which would allow the Pats to use their first rounder on the best available player, whoever that may be. Other fits at DE in the 3-4 system could be Allen Bailey from Miami and Jake Odrick from Penn State. They are also players who could be available in the second round.
Additionally, if the Pats are looking to stick in the 3-4 system, they would benefit from taking a look at a pass-rushing OLB. IMO, these are the best prospects to fill that need:
1. Jerry Hughes from TCU (6-3, 260, 4.64 40 time). He has 11 sacks this season, is a good fit to play DE in a 4-3 or OLB in a 3-4, and could slip to the second round. I think he would be a great success in New England.
2. Von Miller from Texas A&M (6-3, 240, 4.60 40 time). He has 17 sacks this season, and he's only a Junior. Some mocks compare him to Elvis Dumervil. Either he or Hughes could be a great pass rusher for the Pats in a 3-4 system.
Ricky Sapp from Clemson, and Eric Norwood from South Carolina. They could possibly fall to the Pats in the 3rd round.
I see Cameron Heyward and Allen Bailey as my top 2 3-4 DE prospects. I have the Pats taking Heyward in the 1st in my first mock draft on this board, and suggested an alternate version with Bailey in the 2nd. Arthur Jones and Jared Odrick are probably my next 2, with a bunch of guys in the late 2nd and 3rd-4th rounds as possibilities (Corey Wooton, Vince Oghobasse, Adrian Clayborn, Cameron Jordon, Leonard Marsh, etc.).
I don't think Von Miller fits at all for as a 3-4 OLB. He's in the Elvis Dumervil/James Harrison mold, around 240#, and not stout enough to set the edge for us. Great pass rusher, though. Jerry Hughes, Sergio Kindle, Eric Norwood, Ricky Sapp, and possibly Jeremy Beal and Austen Lane are all possibilities if BB wants a 3-4 OLB. If he wants more of a DE who can play the elephant and occasionally drop back into coverage then there are a lot of options in this draft (see the thread on "What BB Wants in a Pass Rusher") then there's a lot of potential candidates - Carlos Dunlap, Derrick Morgan, Greg Hardy, Everson Griffen, Jason Pierre-Paul, Greg Romeus, Beal and Lane, among others.
Interesting that the OLB's on this year's roster are shorter than they've been in previous seasons. Perhaps we're seeing a trend away from a Mike Vrabel (6'4", 260lb) or Willie Mac (6'5" 270 lb) sized guys (though they drafted Crable at 6'5" and wanted Jason Taylor at 6'6") and more guys who are TBC or Burgess sized... or perhaps a problem with the defense is that they still can't find the guys they really want for OLB, which is pretty obvious, I guess.
The outside linebacker group was a little bit different this year. I mean, generally speaking, I think that there were more shorter players, maybe a little less speed than what we’ve seen, maybe a little more power with good production. There weren’t a lot of 4.6, 4.65 (40-yard-dash) guys. There weren’t a lot of 6-4, 6-5 guys. I’d say it was a much smaller pool of those types of players.
One point of interest Mayo (great post as always by the way) - you say that Miller isn't a fit for us because he's in the 240 range, yet you say he reminds you of James Harrison.
Harrison is the best 3-4 OLB in the league, DeMarcus Ware included, and is absolutely magnificent against the run, in a scheme that is similar (although slightly different granted) to ours. I can't believe anyone wouldn't want a player that could play like him.
1. Jerry Hughes from TCU (6-3, 260, 4.64 40 time). He has 11 sacks this season, is a good fit to play DE in a 4-3 or OLB in a 3-4, and could slip to the second round. I think he would be a great success in New England.
Keep an eye on Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan, 6'2 268lbs.
"Watching Miller, it was obvious he possessed an explosive first step off the edge and had the burst to consistently threaten the corner. He did a great job initially dropping his pad level on contact and making it tough for opposing tackles to get in on his frame off the snap. However, the biggest difference for me watching them get after the quarterback was Miller’s body control and suddenness. He did a much better job taking an opposing lineman up the field, stopping on a dime and exploding underneath the tackle with an impressive “up-and-under move.” | National Football Post[/url]
What's messed up is we need TWO OLB's on our team.
Finding one is rare and 3-4 OLB/DE conversions seem to have high boom/bust potential (Vernon Gholston, Shawn Crable, etc)
Finding TWO in the same draft... very unlikely.
In looking at OLB prospects on paper, the one guy who really jumps out at me in terms of size and speed is Ricky Sapp. At 6-4, 248, and a 40 of 4.58, he really fits that BB mold. While he has great measurables and a high ceiling, he is rather raw and would be a project at OLB.
Another guy who really jumps out at me is Sean Weatherspoon. Solid measurables, intagibles, and just a beast on the field. From what I am reading, he has the versatility to play OLB or ILB. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Mayo. I don't know if that makes him redundant or he fits the BB paradigm for a LB worthy of a 1st round selection. There just seems to be a great deal of talent at the DE/OLB position in this draft, but Weatherspoon sticks out as that one player who is the most well-rounded and likely to have an impact right away.
My dream draft would be to get Weatherspoon, Sapp, Wooten, Lindley, Ducassey/Sam Young, Andre Roberts, Jimmy Graham.
ILB
1 1st Brandon Spikes Florida 4Sr Dominant, forceful linebacker who controls the action up the field. Stout run defender who jars ball carriers with crushing hits and causes turnovers. Explosive blitzing up the field. Fluid moving to the sidelines chasing down ball carriers. Struggles moving in reverse in pass coverage, but does show ability in zone. Solid first round prospect.
2 1st Rolando McClain Alabama 3Jr Well rounded linebacker with a complete game. Picks up coverage assignments, displays good awareness and makes plays sideline to sideline. Dependable versus a true playmaking linebacker.
3 3rd Greg Jones Michigan State 3Jr Dynamite young prospect in the midst of a terrific season.
4 3rd Kelvin Sheppard LSU 4Jr
5 3-4 Vincent Rey Duke 4Sr Aggressive and underrated linebacker who stands out in pursuit. Flows to the action, fluid changing direction and fast to the flanks. Offers potential at a number of linebacker positions.
6 3-4 Sean Lee Penn State 5Sr One time dominant linebacker returning from a major knee injury. Could be the best linebacker to come from PSU the past five years if he is able to get back to prior playing form, which he's been slow to do.
7 3-4 Quan Sturdivant North Carolina 3Jr Potential weak side linebacker who easily moves about the field. Fluid, covers a lot of area and makes plays sideline-to-sideline.
8 4th Joe Pawelek Baylor 5Sr Instinctive and hard-nosed linebacker in the middle that can be used in a variety of systems. Stout at the point of attack, shed blocks and attacks assignments. Limited athletically and may be more of a two-down defender yet very underrated at this point.
9 4th Josh Bynes Auburn 3Jr
10 4-5 Jared Norton Texas 4Sr Disciplined linebacker who flies around the field chasing the action or explodes through the gaps in run defense. Flashes on the scene and a sudden defender with a good degree of upside. Suffered a shoulder injury in September and will apply for a medical harship to gain another year of eligibility