Nate Solder having a Pro Bowl Year

[The_Riddler]

This man has been dominant at LT and appears to be getting better and better each game. I think as of right now, Solder has only given up 2 sacks in 12 games. I believe he should get Pro Bowl consideration, he's been that good over on that left side.

 

[Big-T]

Usually the offensive line for the Pro Bowl is the known names.

So Joe Thomas & D'Brickashaw Ferguson for LT & Mankins probably getting in at guard.

Both Solder & Vollmer have been pretty great this year too and that's made all the more impressive by revolving door of players at the guard spots.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Mankins doesn't even have to play let alone well to get in these days...

 

[Sicilian]

The very nature of the pro bowl for OL is sort of wonky... if an O-Lineman plays a PERFECT season, you probably wouldn't even remember his name.

 

[patchick]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

 

[BelizePats]

Solder was such a smart pick!!!
He's protected the franchise beautifully.

 

[JackBauer]

Crazy thing is, I don't think he's reached his ceiling.

 

[Franchise12]

Solder is having a great year and he hasn't even hit his ceiling yet. now if only vollmer magically became healthy...

 

[manxman2601]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

Stevan Ridley...Oh wait!

 

[nabwong]

Crazy thing is, I don't think he's reached his ceiling.

I'm pretty sure he has. He's 6'8".

 

[Nehalem]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

Looking through the first 3 rounds the only person that looks even remotely interesting would be Justin Houston.

Of course we could have easily had him instead of Glass-IR Dowling

 

[Big-T]

I'm pretty sure he has. He's 6'8".

Door frames become quite a painful hazard when you forget to duck a bit at that height

 

[mayoclinic]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

Solder was taken at 17. And there's only a handful of players that I could argue would have been worth taking ahead of Solder: JJ Watt, maybe Von Miller and Aldon Smith, possibly AJ Green and Julio Jones if you value WRs (which I don't).

Of course, I wanted Cam Jordan at 17. :bricks: I think he's a solid player, but the Pats were clearly smarter than me, as usual.

 

[The Gr8est]

Solder was taken at 17. And there's only a handful of players that I could argue would have been worth taking ahead of Solder: JJ Watt, maybe Von Miller and Aldon Smith, possibly AJ Green and Julio Jones if you value WRs (which I don't).

Of course, I wanted Cam Jordan at 17. :bricks: I think he's a solid player, but the Pats were clearly smarter than me, as usual.

And they are smarter than all of the GM wannabe's who want to question their picks.


Interestingly you know as much as anyone here about the players in the draft, but will readily defer to the Pats' wisdom, yet some people who know the least will cling to their own evaluations over that of the Pats and other pros.

Go figure.

 

[Marqui]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

Phil Taylor is great when he's healthy. I'd love to have him, but not over Solder though.

 

[nekromantique]

i admittedly didnt follow many of the pats drafts up until recent years...but how many o-lineman have they actually MISSED on? aside from injuries...it seems to be the most reliable area drafted for them.

 

[Rob0729]

It's funny how little Solder has been talked about as a draft choice. Here's the full 2011 draft:

2011 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost two seasons later, is there ANYONE you would rather have from pick 19 on in place of our franchise LT?

You are missing the anti-Belichick GM spin. Everyone knows the smart move was to take Cameron Jordan at 17 and Mark Ingram at 28. Belichick blew it by taking Solder at 17 and trading away the 28 pick which ended up being Chandler Jones. Adding insult to injury, Belichick thought reaching for two RBs in Vereen and Ridley would equal Ingrams.

This is why they need to take away the GM responsibilities from Belichick. The Pats could have had Jordan, Ingram, and two other picks rather than Solder, Ridley, Vereen, and Jones. I am sure he would trade all four those players for either Jordan or Ingram.

For those who didn't get my sarcasm, this is why people blasting a draft at the time of the draft is stupid. People killed Belichick for his moves but with his two firsts and third round, he has gotten potentially three All Pros (although he had to wait a year to get Jones with that first rounder).

 

[patchick]

i admittedly didnt follow many of the pats drafts up until recent years...but how many o-lineman have they actually MISSED on? aside from injuries...it seems to be the most reliable area drafted for them.

They've been spot-on whenever they've felt strongly enough about an o-lineman do draft him in the top 3 rounds: Solder, Mankins, Vollmer, Kaczur. Later in the draft has been spottier, but that's to be expected.

I just think it's extraordinary to pick 17th (thanks for the correction, mayo!), take a player who was NOT an obvious pick, and to look back two years later and say "that was the single best possible pick in that spot."

 

[BradyFTW!]

i admittedly didnt follow many of the pats drafts up until recent years...but how many o-lineman have they actually MISSED on? aside from injuries...it seems to be the most reliable area drafted for them.

From memory, the Pats have only taken four offensive linemen in the top 2 rounds since Belichick has been here: Light, Mankins, Vollmer, and Solder. They've certainly all lived up to their draft position, but the other half of that equation, IMO, is that they don't have to spend high picks on offensive linemen. Since Scar can turn UDFAs into competent players, and late-round picks into good ones, the Pats have little reason to pick a lineman early unless they know that he'll be awfully good.

 

[The Gr8est]

They've been spot-on whenever they've felt strongly enough about an o-lineman do draft him in the top 3 rounds: Solder, Mankins, Vollmer, Kaczur. Later in the draft has been spottier, but that's to be expected.

I just think it's extraordinary to pick 17th (thanks for the correction, mayo!), take a player who was NOT an obvious pick, and to look back two years later and say "that was the single best possible pick in that spot."

True. Conventional wisdom was that Tyron Smith was the top OT in the draft and the Pats reached for Solder, regardless of subsequent reports that both the Giants and Chiefs were ready to draft him, and the Giants picked Amukamara instead.

In future years I hope we get to savor the reports that Ozzie Newsome actually cried and then traded out of the 1st round after BB moved up and took Hightower.