CNNSI Early 2011 Mock Draft

[furley]

Or, New England could select both Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.

5. New England Patriots (via Raiders)
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia*

The Pats will need more offensive playmakers with Randy Moss turning 34 in 2011. Green is Calvin Johnson-light, which is still pretty good.

21. New England Patriots
Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt

Romeus was a basketball player who didn't pick up the sport until his senior year of high school. If he reaches double digits in sacks this season, he should be a first-rounder.

2011 NFL Mock Draft has Ryan Mallet, A.J. Green at top - Andrew Perloff - SI.com

 

[Marqui]

I prefer Robert Quinn and Johnathon Baldwin.

 

[the wrothbroughterer]

Or, New England could select both Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.








2011 NFL Mock Draft has Ryan Mallet, A.J. Green at top - Andrew Perloff - SI.com

Yes, please. A feature back that's cost controlled through the rest of Tom Brady's career keeps us dangerous.

 

[reflexblue]

I really doubt BB would Ever draft a WR this high.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

This is far too early to begin the mock draft craze for the 2011 draft but I assume we grab a stud RB if still needed or trade back (or stay put) and take a couple stud defensive lineman (or Moss replacement).

 

[Peachhead]

DE Cameron Heyward (Ohio State) then RB Mark Ingram (Alabama) would be my early choices (D-linemen generally go earlier than RBs).

 

[furley]

I like these quotes... They're both selfless...

Offensive linemen don't win Heisman Trophies. Neither do running backs without a few 300-pound bulldozers clearing a path.

"Everything I do starts with them," Ingram said Monday. "I try to give them as much praise, as much acknowledgment, as I could because they're kind of like the unsung heroes. They talk about me, but they're never on the picture, they're never on the highlights."

"I've been around guys demanding the ball, making problems, making issues when they don't receive the ball, but Julio never complains," quarterback Greg McElroy said. "He's a joy to have in the locker room, a joy to have in the huddle."

Said Jones: "I really don't care about stats and everything. I just go out there and play the game like it's supposed to be played and try to block . . . it's how I was raised."

Alabama's Mark Ingram gives offensive linemen their due - Los Angeles Times

 

[WaterfallJumper]

I prefer Robert Quinn and Johnathon Baldwin.

Good man.

I'll settle for Quinn and Ingram, as well, but that's my favorite pairing.

 

[the wrothbroughterer]

I like these quotes... They're both selfless...











Alabama's Mark Ingram gives offensive linemen their due - Los Angeles Times

He definitely seems like the BB high-character type and those quotes definitely back that up. I'm not big on the athletes crying thing, Adam Morrison ruined that for everyone, but he seemed genuinely overwhelmed and happy to win the Heisman last year and plays like he truly loves the game.

 

[TriplecHamp]

Or we could draft AJ Green and Greg Romeus...just saying

 

[furley]

Using Oakland's pick for whichever player is debatable. It doesn't matter in the big scheme of things since Belichick is more apt to trade it in order to trade down or stockpile more future draft picks.

The bigger picture is targeting Mark Ingram. I'm not saying it's even possible if you assume he'll be one of the top two running backs available if he should come out. But there's a lot to like about him player and person wise. You just know, he could help New England.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

If there is a rookie payscale, they don't have to worry about investing so much money on a WR early like teams have done in the past. However, their first pick will likely be a OL or DL/OLB.

 

[Yorkshire Patriot]

What really excites me about future drafts is that a rookie payscale will allow teams to go all out and trade up to get picks at the top of the 1st round. In the past, handing out huge contracts has scared teams away from trading into the top 10, but if the size of these contracts are predetermined before the draft then teams may be more confident in pulling the trigger to handover multiple picks to move up and grab someone they really covet.

 

[dryheat44]

Or we could draft AJ Green and Greg Romeus...just saying

Yep.

I don't understand wanting to waste a first round pick on a running back. Are there a few "elite" RBs in the NFL? Sure, but there's no indication Ingram will be one. Typically, an RB is probably worth 15% of a team's running success. As long as you have good linemen and a passing game that prevents the defense from stacking the box, a good RB will perform about the same as a "great" one. And since the NFL, and the Patriots in particular, are now pass-first, why waste a 1st round pick on an RB at the expense of a play-maker on defense or very good lineman?

Make no mistake, RB is the most fungible position on the team.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

Yep.

I don't understand wanting to waste a first round pick on a running back. Are there a few "elite" RBs in the NFL? Sure, but there's no indication Ingram will be one. Typically, an RB is probably worth 15% of a team's running success. As long as you have good linemen and a passing game that prevents the defense from stacking the box, a good RB will perform about the same as a "great" one. And since the NFL, and the Patriots in particular, are now pass-first, why waste a 1st round pick on an RB at the expense of a play-maker on defense or very good lineman?

Make no mistake, RB is the most fungible position on the team.

I am going to agree with you about 50%. Of course the OL does a lot of the work but a runner still needs to have a good combination of speed,power, and vision. It is rare to find a RB with all three of those traits. Not all RBs with a good offensive line do well and not all RB's with a poor offensive line do poorly. Barry Sanders had a poor offensive line. And unless you want to have guys like Maroney running the ball for the next 5 years then we need to grab a RB.

 

[Marqui]

And unless you want to have guys like Maroney running the ball for the next 5 years then we need to grab a RB.

I think his point was it doesn't have to be in the top 15.

 

[bakes781]

Yeah unless you can honestly say that Mark Ingram is the next Barry Sanders then I don't want any part of a RB in the 1st round.

The lifespan of a RB is far too short to invest that kind of $. Those that advocate for one usually speak from a fantasy football mentality. If you notice the top RB changes almost every year.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Make no mistake, RB is the most fungible position on the team.

Duh, of course you need an OL to run behind. But there is a marked difference between a JAG RB and an Adrian Peterson. Are you telling me this team wouldn't be better with an Adrian Peterson than a Laurence Maroney? Give me a few minutes to LMFAO first and I'll get back to you.

If Ingram is that special #1 type RB, I have no problem taking him early in the first round. 3 of the Pats current RBs are over 30 - Morris, Taylor, and Faulk. And Maroney and BJGE are Jags. Most of their contracts will expire in 2011. This all points to a huge need at RB.

Now if Randy Moss does not return in 2011, which is entirely possible, that also creates a huge need at WR. So we're going to have to wait and see but 2011 could be a huge year for skill position offensive players. The difference is that the wide receivers appear a lot deeper than the runningbacks right now, so to get a special RB you might have to spend the earlier pick, while you still might get a special WR with the later 1st round pick.

And of course there's always room to upgrade on Wright/Lewis at DE. But that's another story.

 

[bakes781]

The fact that BJGE is on the same level as 1st round selection Maroney goes to show that decent RBs are a dime a dozen. The great ones are few and far between, but most importantly don't stay healthy for very long. Therefore I'd much rather be trying to find the next Curtis Martin on day 3 than I would be wasting my entire draft class on the next Ricky Williams.

 

[upstater1]

It also seems pretty clear that coaches who know how to design a running offense can plug anyone in there.

Denver with Davis, Bell, and a dozen others I don't remember.

The Patriots with Antowain, Corey, Morris, etc. We once even tried Marion Butts!!

Then you look at guys who are considered busts, like Benson and Thomas Jones. They go elsewhere and have good seasons.