Which draftees will have better careers?

[VJCPatriot]

These comparisons might be unfair, but who cares, let's hear the opinions.

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ).
Drafted only 1 slot apart, playing the same cornerback position, the comparisons will be inevitable. Who ends up with the better career and why?

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
Who got the better passrusher, the Fish or the Pats. Who ends up better overall?

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Both teams had big needs at tight end, both teams arguably filled it with the top two TEs available in the draft. Gronk is a big, physical all around TE but he sat out a year due to injury. Gresham is a more polished pass catcher but he reportedly doesn't block as well. Who got the best player?

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)
First McClain has Crohns, and then he doesn't. Spikes appears to run a molasses slow 40, but claims he isn't as slow as timed. The film seems to support his assertion. McClain is a tackling machine. Spikes blows people up but sometimes takes bad angles. Who will be the better player and who will make the bigger impact? Can even McClain turn around Oakland's D? Can Spikes give the Pats D a new attitude?

 

[TruthSeeker]

These comparisons might be unfair, but who cares, let's hear the opinions.

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ).
Drafted only 1 slot apart, playing the same cornerback position, the comparisons will be inevitable. Who ends up with the better career and why?

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
Who got the better passrusher, the Fish or the Pats. Who ends up better overall?

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Both teams had big needs at tight end, both teams arguably filled it with the top two TEs available in the draft. Gronk is a big, physical all around TE but he sat out a year due to injury. Gresham is a more polished pass catcher but he reportedly doesn't block as well. Who got the best player?

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)
First McClain has Crohns, and then he doesn't. Spikes appears to run a molasses slow 40, but claims he isn't as slow as timed. The film seems to support his assertion. McClain is a tackling machine. Spikes blows people up but sometimes takes bad angles. Who will be the better player and who will make the bigger impact? Can even McClain turn around Oakland's D? Can Spikes give the Pats D a new attitude?

Let me start by saying I hope the Pats prospects win every battee mentioned above, that being said, the only one I see them winning is the Gronkowski vs Greshem war. Then again, they hardly ever throw to the TE, so who knows.

 

[Tasco]

I'd go with McCourty, Misi, Gronkowski and McLain, even though I think that the difference between Misi/Cunningham & McCourty/Wilson is pretty small.

 

[Sciz]

The Pats got the more physical CB, the bigger and more explosive OLB, the better all-around TE, and the better value at ILB. I'll take that any day.

 

[Rob0729]

Personally, college football is not my bag. So I won't even venture to guess. I do fear this thread is in danger of turning into a lot of people throwing around homer/hater allegations though.

 

[ferdi1704]

mcourty cunningham gronkowski mcclain

 

[Mangold74]

Personally, college football is not my bag. So I won't even venture to guess. I do fear this thread is in danger of turning into a lot of people throwing around homer/hater allegations though.

Most likely. Truthfully no one really has any idea today. The cornerbacks were probably viewed differently by each teams coaching staff since they play such different style of defense.

I've given up trying to predict if an outside linebacker is going to be good. It's so difficult to figure out how a college defensive end will fair at outside linebacker going up against 6 6 320 pound left tackles that can actually run.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I'll give my own evaluations here:

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ).

As cornerbacks they grade out about the same, both are 1st round corners.
McCourty has a good all around game, is physical, can play zone well, and can support the run. Wilson has more picks and appears to be more of a ballhawk.
However McCourty can also make impact on special teams, as returner, kick blocker, and gunner.

Next although people have been erroneously calling the 5'11 McCourty a midget, they seem to fail to realize that Wilson is a full inch shorter than McCourty.
Why is Wilson going to be better again except that he has Revis opposite him?

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)

I don't think a lot of people saw the Cunningham pick coming. A lot of people were more focused on Dunlap, who I feel is a physical freak BUT lacks the motor, consistency, and CHARACTER to be a good Patriot.
It is possible that Cunningham was the guy who made Dunlap look good. We'll have to wait and see. Miami picked Misi ahead of Cunningham so it's possible they plucked a guy that BB may have been interested in.

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)

Grehsam's biggest red flag to me is his inability to block. I think the Pats missed Graham's presence big time, they needed a TE who can block and catch, and Gronk looks like he can come in and do both.
As long as Gronk can stay healthy (that's the main flag against him), I think he can be another Todd Heap type player for the Pats , an excellent all around physical player.

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)

McClain was playing at another level in 2009 from any other inside linebacker. But the same could be said about Spikes in 2008.
I think it will be real hard for McClain to turn around the losing culture in Oakland but he will definitely get the reps and opportunities to do so.

In New England, Spikes doesn't necessarily need to turn around the culture, but he will be counted on to bring some passion to the lockerroom that was MIA in 2009. Spikes seems to be a passionate player and his physical nature and size will fit him perfectly at SILB next to Mayo. Hard to tell who will be better right now, but Spikes seems to have less obstacles to success, IE he's not in the armpit called Oakland. Spikes might turn out to be the bargain of the draft for the Pats if he pans out as expected.

 

[stinkypete]

McCourty vs. Wilson: McCourty was my guy before the draft, and he remains my guy. The 2009 Patriots didn't suffer for lack of defensive turnovers. They suffered for poor tackling and misplaying the ball while in the air.

Gresham vs. Gronkowski: Gronkowski was, IMO, the best all around TE in this draft, and, honestly, I think Hernandez has more potential as a grme breaker than Gresham.

Cunningham vs. Misi: I was pissed when the Fins took Misi. I preferred him over the Kindle/Hughes/Graham cluster as fits for the Pats. I think he will be a very good LB. That said, Cunningham flew way under my radar pre-draft, and I still know less about him that I did Misi.

McClain vs. Spikes: Obviously McClain is the better player. Can we even compare these two guys? They were picked 50 spots apart. Live the Spikes pick though, fills a 5 year need, IMO.

 

[patsfan-1982]

These comparisons might be unfair, but who cares, let's hear the opinions.

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ).
Drafted only 1 slot apart, playing the same cornerback position, the comparisons will be inevitable. Who ends up with the better career and why?

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
Who got the better passrusher, the Fish or the Pats. Who ends up better overall?

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Both teams had big needs at tight end, both teams arguably filled it with the top two TEs available in the draft. Gronk is a big, physical all around TE but he sat out a year due to injury. Gresham is a more polished pass catcher but he reportedly doesn't block as well. Who got the best player?

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)
First McClain has Crohns, and then he doesn't. Spikes appears to run a molasses slow 40, but claims he isn't as slow as timed. The film seems to support his assertion. McClain is a tackling machine. Spikes blows people up but sometimes takes bad angles. Who will be the better player and who will make the bigger impact? Can even McClain turn around Oakland's D? Can Spikes give the Pats D a new attitude?

McCourty, and Wilson, are pretty much the same as far as CB goes they are both nickel backs at best but McCourty, will be a ST's star.


Jermaine Cunningham, will be better at seting the egde and stoping the run. but Koa Misi, will have more sacks and tickels.


Rob Gronkowski, im a big fan of this kid but brady just dose not use he's TE's the pats drafted two receiving TE's in first round in back to back years and turned them both into blocking TE's so i will say Jermaine Gresham, but only because of the pats history with TE's


Rolando McClain, is the day one starter in oakland and will have lot's of tackels but spikes, will be the better football player it may not all ways show up in the stat book because mayo, will get most of the tackels but he will be great

 

[Mangold74]

McCourty, and Wilson, are pretty much the same as far as CB goes they are both nickel backs at best but McCourty, will be a ST's star.


Jermaine Cunningham, will be better at seting the egde and stoping the run. but Koa Misi, will have more sacks and tickels.


Rob Gronkowski, im a big fan of this kid but brady just dose not use he's TE's the pats drafted two receiving TE's in first round in back to back years and turned them both into blocking TE's so i will say Jermaine Gresham, but only because of the pats history with TE's


Rolando McClain, is the day one starter in oakland and will have lot's of tackels but spikes, will be the better football player it may not all ways show up in the stat book because mayo, will get most of the tackels but he will be great

Kyle Wilson was a much higher rated player going into the draft (not that it means anything now). Since the Pats have so many corners it seems like you basically drafted a special teams player in the first round. I like both players but Kyle Wilson seems to be a better man cover corner and will probably be the Jets punt returner. I like McCourty too but until the Pats find a way to get pressure on the qb, no cornerback is going to look good running around for 3 or 4 seconds.

Has BB drafted an OLB that actually became anything decent? I feel like he's much more concerned with the player being a certain size, being able to stop the run and also not be a weakness in the passing game. Those things are nice but the bottom line is you have to be able to pressure the qb. Cunningham might be awesome but i don't trust BB to draft outside linebackers and I don't trust him to be objective with florida players. Good chance Cunningham winds up on the IR even if he's not hurt. it seems like BB really prefers veterans because the position is very difficult to learn. I doubt that Cunningham has any type of immediate impact. Maybe he will be a great player, but no one knows at this point.

I'll be curious to see if your coaching staff actually utilizes the tight end. I think both tight ends have injury concerns. If Gronks back is ok and they use him correctly he could be very dangerous. I always liked Watson and Graham and thought they were very dangerous players but not used enough.

Spikes is a nice player and may even end up having a better career due to coaching/team. McClain was clearly the more talented player.

I liked the Pats draft, but I still think your front office puts too much value in trading back and drafting system players. I know second round draft picks are the best value money wise but the Pats have left so many talented players on the board to get more 2nd round picks and more system players.

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

Perception will be reality for these picks. Who will be regarded as better?

Wilson because footballs will not be thrown at Revis much. The Jets pressure scheme will help him also.

The homer in me says Cunningham will be much better. I doubt most Patriots and Dolphins fans even know these two are on their team.

Brady throws to his TEs more than Palmer does. Edge Gronkowski.

McClain is going to be great. He has the size and athleticism to play OLB in a 3-4, but also the feel and understanding to play in space inside. I like what Spikes should bring to our defense, but if Spikes is better it will be because Rolando busted.

 

[Kontradiction]

The following are just educated guesses based on what I've seen of each player.

1. McCourty
2. Misi
3. Gronk
4. McClain

McCourty seems to have more polished skills, is better against the run, has good instincts, more fluid hips, is better against the run, and is the better special teams threat. I haven't seen a huge amount of either guy but, based on what I have seen, I think McCourty has the best chance to have a better career. As for the two OLB's, Misi looks to be stronger in all facets of the game than Cunningham. Cunningham has a tendency to overpersue and an even bigger tendency to blow some coverages. His instincts just don't seem to be as good as Misi's. As for TE's, I think Gronk will have a better career just because he's a dual threat as a pass catcher and a run blocker where Gresham is more or less just a pass catcher. I think a more apt comparison would be Gresham vs. Hernandez. As for the fourth one, it's really a wash simply because both have similar skill sets. I gave McClain the nod, though, because I'm more or less just going by what I saw in college. Out of the two, the thing that put McClain out in front was his consistency over a longer period of time. However, if rumors about Spikes' injury are true, he could very well prove to be the better of the two. We shall see, I guess.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Same answer for all four: "I have no clue whatsoever, but interested to find out". That said, I'm not at all optimistic about 4 (though I think they'll both be really good), and the other 3 I think could go either way.

 

[WhiZa]

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ): They are similar in grade. I think Kyle Wilson will look better on paper with the Jets blitz packages he should have more ints. McCourty will do a better job in run support and ST. As far as value to the team McCoutry will win, but Wilson will look like the better player based on stats.

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
I don't think either will be productive early on. Their success or failure will be predicated on how they are used in the scheme. At the end of the year I predict Cunningham will be used more as a DE and will probably put up better numbers.

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)
This is the same as the McCourty and Wilson debate. Gresham will look best on paper and will be utilized right away on the Bengals. Gronk will be working in the passing and blocking game helping his numbers slip, but his overall value to the team is higher.

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)
This isn't even comparable. McClain is an instant starter while Spikes is the #3 or 4 ILB on the team right now. Spikes will always be #2 to Mayo if he grows into the position, meanwhile McClain will be racking up the tackles.

 

[ausbacker]

I'm not biased at all. Every one of the Patriots rookies will have better careers as well as experience Superbowl success on multiple occasions whilst all being perennial pro bowlers when retiring as Patriots.

 

[bucky]

These comparisons might be unfair, but who cares, let's hear the opinions.

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
Who got the better passrusher, the Fish or the Pats. Who ends up better overall?

I'm just curious why you picked Kao Misi as the comparison. You could have picked Jason Worilds - who was picked 1 pick before Cunningham, or Carlos Dunlap - who was picked 1 pick after and also played for Florida. Or perhaps Jerry Hughes - who the Patriots passed on in the first, or Sergio Kindle - who the Pats passed on twice.

 

[the wrothbroughterer]

These comparisons might be unfair, but who cares, let's hear the opinions.

1. Devin McCourty (NE) v. Kyle Wilson (NYJ).
Drafted only 1 slot apart, playing the same cornerback position, the comparisons will be inevitable. Who ends up with the better career and why?

2. Koa Misi (Mia) v. Jermaine Cunningham (NE)
Who got the better passrusher, the Fish or the Pats. Who ends up better overall?

3. Jermaine Gresham (Cin) v. Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Both teams had big needs at tight end, both teams arguably filled it with the top two TEs available in the draft. Gronk is a big, physical all around TE but he sat out a year due to injury. Gresham is a more polished pass catcher but he reportedly doesn't block as well. Who got the best player?

4. Rolando McClain (Oak) v. Brandon Spikes (NE)
First McClain has Crohns, and then he doesn't. Spikes appears to run a molasses slow 40, but claims he isn't as slow as timed. The film seems to support his assertion. McClain is a tackling machine. Spikes blows people up but sometimes takes bad angles. Who will be the better player and who will make the bigger impact? Can even McClain turn around Oakland's D? Can Spikes give the Pats D a new attitude?

I'll take McCourty over Wilson because of McCourty's tackling ability and closing speed. His SportsScience thing was really a jaw dropping showcase of his athletic abilities and the reviews from his Head Coach give me a lot of confidence in him.

I'll take a push with Misi and Cunningham. I really never understood the Misi love. I thought he was too small to play 34OLB and his highlight reels were unimpressive. At the same time, I had no idea who Cunningham was pre-draft and the 4.86 40-time with no other available measureables is just as disconcerting.

I'll take a push with Gresham and Gronkowski. Gronkowski has better blocking ability, better size, I think he is just as good a pass catcher when you consider that Gresham had Sam Bradford throwing to him, and is less of an injury risk. But the historical lack of use in the Patriots system is working against him and history never favors the blocking TE. Plus, Gresham will probably be the 2nd best target for Palmer this season. Knee injuries scare me more than back injuries, so ultimately it will come down to who stays healthier.

I'll take McClain over Spikes. I think Spikes is going to be great on this team, his skill set fits perfectly with what the Patriots are looking for and his ability to make plays in zone coverage is going to go a long way for him, too. McClain on the other hand is going to be a Superstar playing in Oakland. He's instantly the best player in the front 7 and I think he's going to put up Patrick Willis numbers.

 

[patsfan-1982]

I'm just curious why you picked Kao Misi as the comparison. You could have picked Jason Worilds - who was picked 1 pick before Cunningham, or Carlos Dunlap - who was picked 1 pick after and also played for Florida. Or perhaps Jerry Hughes - who the Patriots passed on in the first, or Sergio Kindle - who the Pats passed on twice.

im not sure why he picked Misi, my self but he is the guy we will be seeing the most of and the tuna picked him so he may turn out good


as far as dose others guys go Jerry Hughes, is now just a 4-3 DE with the colts who will have lot's of sacks but we will never know how he would be as a 3-4 OLB


Jason Worilds, will be a great pass rusher with the steelers and sergio kindle was the best all a round OLB in the draft


i think all of them will have better numbers then Cunningham, and a lot of that is do to were they went all great pass rushing thems other then the fish all dose team have more then one great pass rusher so worilds, kindle, and hughes, will never see a double team.

 

[Iceman778]

Who will be the better player and who will make the bigger impact?