Thanks BOR. Curious to get your thoughts - and others here - on the three he lists. Watt/Heyward/Jordan all - on paper - seem too small. I have to say in terms of play, I like what I've seen of Watt & Jordan, specifically, but it is hard to get past that they MIGHT (we'll see in a couple weeks) be 10-15 pounds under what we look for in a 34 end.
Watt: When I saw him at the beginning of the season I felt he needed another year and should not come out as a Junior. I caught him later in the season and he had clearly improved his technique and consistency, by the Rose Bowl I was no longer concerned with his early declaration intentions. He appears to have the work ethic to continually improve his game, he's got great length for clogging throwing lanes and fending off blockers, he needs to get stronger and improve his technique, but that's a given for rookies and he's one whom I believe will cheerfully put in the work to get better. He's got athleticism which BB & Co. can move around in different roles to create mismatches and pressure the QB. I like him and would have no beef if he was NE's #17 pick.
Heyward: He looked great in his bowl game, not so much during the season when I saw him - which leads me to ask, why? My impression, he's inconsistent. I'll pass.
Jordan: There is a link above of highlights for Jordan against Colorado - big whoop - I watched that game to evaluate Jordan among others and would not give him a first round grade if that game was the standard. He was working against a redshirt freshman RT the entire game and his highlights were few and far between. I watched him the next week against Nevada, he was invisible. He had an impressive Senior Bowl week, but for all the hype from guys like Bunting and Kiper, this kid did not sell me in the games I watched where he was working against players he should have dominated. I'll pass.
I like Fairley and Dareus, and believe both will go too early for NE. Watt is a value at 17, as is Stephen Paea and Muhammed Wilkerson.
-- Paea is short at 6'1", but he's got long arms, is naturally strong, and is still learning the game. While he is light for NT with a Senior Bowl weigh-in of 295, Mike Wright is a quality reserve NT at that weight and I think Paea with some technique improvement could be a multiple position player for NE who can grow into a starter as he gains experience. I also think he had slimmed down in his workouts for the Combine and believe NE's S&C staff can turn him into an explosive 300-305+ player. The one concern I might have is his height makes it harder for him to find the ball.
-- Wilkerson has prototypical NE DE size, good lateral mobility, he played against decent mid-major competition in the MAC, and he was playing all four DL slots in Temple's 40 front so he's versatile. Watching him play this season he looked like a blend of Ty Warren and Mike Wright the way he held strong at the point of attack and collapsed the pocket.
Later in the draft, Jarvis Jenkins, Chris Nield, Pernell McPhee (needs bulk, possible OLB), Karl Klug (undersized, possible OLB), Brandon Bair (needs bulk, possible OLB), Ian Williams (NT), Jerrell Powe (NT).
