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I thought it might be kind of cool to start cranking out combination Master Plan & Mock Drafts after the Draft is held, each Year. In retrospect, the information available at this point is far better, after all. Namely: what the Market actually thinks of Prospects and when they really Project to get Drafted, thus making this one more Authentic.
I freely admit, mind you, that knowing when other Teams would've actually drafted the Prospects I coveted is clearly an enormous Advantage. But in all Fairness to myself ~ and to all other Mock Drafters ~ we are all dealing with the equally enormous Disadvantage of knowing only a tiny fraction of what the 32 Teams know.
Being able to interview someone ~ ask probing questions and test their Intelligence, their Processing Speed, their Personality ~ is a gigantic Advantage, and so is being able to interview everyone they're connected with, and to sit down with All 22 Tape and avail oneself of the vast expertise of ones Scouting Department's time & Expertise.
All things considered, I'd call it a Wash!!
And it's also fair to note that the vast majority of the Projections were accurate. This just cleans things up a bit.
So here goes: Fanatical Yankee's 1st Annual Patriots Master Plan & Mock Draft BackDraft!!
Top Priorities of an Extraorindarily Demented Mind
It All Starts In The Trenches.
History has shown us a thousand times ~ if we have eyes to see ~ that while Glamor Positions ~ hideously referred to as "Skill" Positions by the national media ~ are entertaining and exciting to play Madden FootBall with, it is, in the real world, ultimately the teams that focus on Players and Schemes that are adept at boring, mundane things like Tenacious D, Moving The Chains, and Winning The Battles of the Trenches...who end up with the Rings.
The Patriots are poised to make some Magic happen...To perhaps carve out an unprecedented Page in History.
But we are almost perilously thin at what I consider our most vital Positions.
This is one man's wish ~ a fervent Prayer, to quote Paul Newman in The Verdict ~ that we boldly address this.
***
1 ~ Defensive Tackle. Only the QuarterBack exerts more influence on the outcome of his Team's PlayOff Fate than do the Team's Defensive Tackles. Vince Wilfork is simply the best of them all, but if we had somebody of his approximate Caliber playing alongside'm, the Ripple Effect on the rest of our Defense could be spectacular.
Furthermore: If Wilfork goes down right now, our entire Defense goes down the toilet.
Depth of Talent is badly needed.
2 ~ Offensive Guard. It can be argued that the Impact of the play of the Offensive Guards is even more vital to a Team's chances of success in the only Games that really count ~ the ones played in the Dark Depths of Winter ~ than even that of the Center, for they are more crucial than anyone to the Run Game, and it was, furthermore, the failure of Pass Protection in the Interior of our O Line, in each of the last two Super Bowls, that can be argued to've made the Championship Difference. Dan Connolly is a tremendous Reserve, and a decent Starter. But this Team is so loaded, and so well-coached, that we're in a position where it may well be only the Offensive Line that is endangering our chances of winning not just one Super Bowl, but two or even three in a row.
3 ~ Center. The Anchor of the Offensive Line is positioned to exert more influence on the outcome of his Team's PlayOff Fate than all but two or three Players on the entire Team: The QuarterBack and the Defensive Tackles. Our Ryan Wendell did a commendable job stepping in last year, but at such a crucial Position, pursuing anything less than All Pro Caliber Talent is an horrible waste of the efforts of the other 52 men.
However, I see no All Pro Center looming in the Mist, this Year...and that is what I'm holding out for.
Secondary Priorities
4 ~ Depth of Talent at WingBack. Most Tight Ends are either classic Tight Ends ~ On Line Blocker/Receivers like Kong, though of course there are none quite like Kong!! ~ or Flex Ends, like Jimmy Graham, who, as I understand it, doesn't line up much in the BackField nor do much man on man Blocking, but is mostly a Receiver who chips here and there. WingBacks who bring Aaron The Navigator's kind of positional versatility are rarer...but not so rare that we can't find them. Evan Rodriguez is a guy who I was desperate for us to get, last April, and our failure to do so hurt us badly when Hernandez missed huge swaths of time, last year.
Mind you: Rodriguez's Game is far more about beautifully brutal Blocking, accompanied by impressive Routing and great Hands, whereas Hernandez's Game is far more about Receiving, accompanied by the occasional Chip.
But our Versatility and the Quality of Impact would still be outstanding, with Rodriguez in there.
I was ecstatic to see Bill The Mad (Genius) make an aggressive move away from Wide Receiver Depth and towards greater Depth at Tight End, this year. Most of the guys were faded or mediocre, but Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui have proved useful Reserves at both positions, albeit at steep Talent Discounts.
The next step ~ so say I!! ~ is to bring in substantial Depth of Talent in the Draft and by Trade.
5 ~ Depth of Talent at Offensive Tackle. We are wafer thin at this position, with a gigantic Talent Vacuum behind Nate "Universal" Solder and Sebastian The Cruel, and there's really no need for that to be, not with all the raw Day 3 & UFA Talent that comes out every year. I have little faith in the ability of Marcus Cannon to be the kind of Offensive Tackle that I want ~ one with exceptional Lateral Agility to challenge Edge Rushers ~ and I don't want our Championship Chances to rest in the hands of a Guard/Tackle Hybrid like Nick Kaczur on SuperBowl Sunday: I want somebody born to play Guard to play Guard, and I want somebody born to play Tackle to play Tackle.
6 ~ Depth of Talent at Free Safety. Y'all saw how our entire Defense rapidly improved ~ The Ripple Effect ~ once Bill The Mad (Genius) moved Devin McCourty to CenterField ~ a position he was evidently born to play. Well, I have no desire to find out what happens to our Defense if DeMac misses some time, because ~ as I mentioned in predicting our Defense's enormous improvement if DeMac stayed there, after the Aqib Talib Trade ~ CenterField is more essential to the success of the entire Defense than either CornerBack. As such, I think it behooves us to take a long, careful look at potential CenterField Talent in this Draft.
I've always said that CenterField is Ras I Dowling's best position, because I question his Verticity, but not his Range or Instincts. And I strongly suspect that he might actually hold up for a while if all that Turning & Burning at Corner wasn't putting so much stress on'is wickets...But I hardly want to count on him as a #2 at this point.
And he might even yet prove to be an exceptional Press Man Corner, where Verticity is not as critical to success.
7 ~ Depth of Talent at CornerBack. We need to start targeting the talented Day 3 guys who are available every single year, and pay for the highest Expertise in Defensive Back Coaching we can find. However, this Class is weak.
8 ~ Gryphon!! That's my preferred term for the Hybrid Strong Safety & MidFielder who roams the Middle. It's my belief, with the direction this Game is heading in ~ a Passing League producing smaller Defensive Fronts ~ that this Position will evolve ~ and soon, very soon ~ from an obscure, fringe, ethereal, and part time Position that only a few teams employ at all...to one of crucial, critical importance to the success ~ and survival!! ~ of Defenses in the years directly ahead. Troy Polamalu is the Ideal, here: A guy who commands the Verticity to Turn & Burn in Pass Defense, the Short Area Burst to project Power and Thump in Run Defense...and the Processing Speed to discern Who, What, When, and Where...in a NanoSecond.
I have intensely high hopes for Nate Ebner developing, here, and some lingering shreds of hope ~ though not such exuberance ~ for Tavon Wilson doing the same ~ I was horrified and disgusted when we passed on LaVonte David for'm ~ but I'd like to bring in some guys who command far more demonstrable Verticity in Pass Defense.
9 ~ QuarterBack!! We've been incredibly fortunate at this Position, ere the last 11 years and counting, but I would not wish to presume on the FootBall Gods any further. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Brady were our starting QuarterBack for another 5 years...perhaps even longer: into'is 40's. Or it might be just 3 more years after this one, especially if we launch an unprecedented historic run as I strongly suspect we're about to...But in any case, I would sleep much better if we were developing one or two guys behind'm ~ guys who command exceptional Diagnostic Capacity and, above all, Processing Speed ~ who could step in, should they be needed.
At the moment ~ and this may well change over the next 6 weeks ~ the two best candidates I see are already in the NFL, and one or both would need to be acquired by Trade, not the Draft.
Ryan Mallett, I would trade to the highest bidder.
And frankly, considering the desolate wasteland that is this year's crop of QuarterBacks coming out ~ and the number of teams hurting badly at QB ~ that Bid may be far higher than Mallett's vaporous resume ought warrant.
I pray so.
And, now for some really HareBrained Ideas...
I freely admit, mind you, that knowing when other Teams would've actually drafted the Prospects I coveted is clearly an enormous Advantage. But in all Fairness to myself ~ and to all other Mock Drafters ~ we are all dealing with the equally enormous Disadvantage of knowing only a tiny fraction of what the 32 Teams know.
Being able to interview someone ~ ask probing questions and test their Intelligence, their Processing Speed, their Personality ~ is a gigantic Advantage, and so is being able to interview everyone they're connected with, and to sit down with All 22 Tape and avail oneself of the vast expertise of ones Scouting Department's time & Expertise.
All things considered, I'd call it a Wash!!
And it's also fair to note that the vast majority of the Projections were accurate. This just cleans things up a bit.
So here goes: Fanatical Yankee's 1st Annual Patriots Master Plan & Mock Draft BackDraft!!
Top Priorities of an Extraorindarily Demented Mind
It All Starts In The Trenches.
History has shown us a thousand times ~ if we have eyes to see ~ that while Glamor Positions ~ hideously referred to as "Skill" Positions by the national media ~ are entertaining and exciting to play Madden FootBall with, it is, in the real world, ultimately the teams that focus on Players and Schemes that are adept at boring, mundane things like Tenacious D, Moving The Chains, and Winning The Battles of the Trenches...who end up with the Rings.
The Patriots are poised to make some Magic happen...To perhaps carve out an unprecedented Page in History.
But we are almost perilously thin at what I consider our most vital Positions.
This is one man's wish ~ a fervent Prayer, to quote Paul Newman in The Verdict ~ that we boldly address this.
***
1 ~ Defensive Tackle. Only the QuarterBack exerts more influence on the outcome of his Team's PlayOff Fate than do the Team's Defensive Tackles. Vince Wilfork is simply the best of them all, but if we had somebody of his approximate Caliber playing alongside'm, the Ripple Effect on the rest of our Defense could be spectacular.
Furthermore: If Wilfork goes down right now, our entire Defense goes down the toilet.
Depth of Talent is badly needed.
2 ~ Offensive Guard. It can be argued that the Impact of the play of the Offensive Guards is even more vital to a Team's chances of success in the only Games that really count ~ the ones played in the Dark Depths of Winter ~ than even that of the Center, for they are more crucial than anyone to the Run Game, and it was, furthermore, the failure of Pass Protection in the Interior of our O Line, in each of the last two Super Bowls, that can be argued to've made the Championship Difference. Dan Connolly is a tremendous Reserve, and a decent Starter. But this Team is so loaded, and so well-coached, that we're in a position where it may well be only the Offensive Line that is endangering our chances of winning not just one Super Bowl, but two or even three in a row.
3 ~ Center. The Anchor of the Offensive Line is positioned to exert more influence on the outcome of his Team's PlayOff Fate than all but two or three Players on the entire Team: The QuarterBack and the Defensive Tackles. Our Ryan Wendell did a commendable job stepping in last year, but at such a crucial Position, pursuing anything less than All Pro Caliber Talent is an horrible waste of the efforts of the other 52 men.
However, I see no All Pro Center looming in the Mist, this Year...and that is what I'm holding out for.
Secondary Priorities
4 ~ Depth of Talent at WingBack. Most Tight Ends are either classic Tight Ends ~ On Line Blocker/Receivers like Kong, though of course there are none quite like Kong!! ~ or Flex Ends, like Jimmy Graham, who, as I understand it, doesn't line up much in the BackField nor do much man on man Blocking, but is mostly a Receiver who chips here and there. WingBacks who bring Aaron The Navigator's kind of positional versatility are rarer...but not so rare that we can't find them. Evan Rodriguez is a guy who I was desperate for us to get, last April, and our failure to do so hurt us badly when Hernandez missed huge swaths of time, last year.
Mind you: Rodriguez's Game is far more about beautifully brutal Blocking, accompanied by impressive Routing and great Hands, whereas Hernandez's Game is far more about Receiving, accompanied by the occasional Chip.
But our Versatility and the Quality of Impact would still be outstanding, with Rodriguez in there.
I was ecstatic to see Bill The Mad (Genius) make an aggressive move away from Wide Receiver Depth and towards greater Depth at Tight End, this year. Most of the guys were faded or mediocre, but Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui have proved useful Reserves at both positions, albeit at steep Talent Discounts.
The next step ~ so say I!! ~ is to bring in substantial Depth of Talent in the Draft and by Trade.
5 ~ Depth of Talent at Offensive Tackle. We are wafer thin at this position, with a gigantic Talent Vacuum behind Nate "Universal" Solder and Sebastian The Cruel, and there's really no need for that to be, not with all the raw Day 3 & UFA Talent that comes out every year. I have little faith in the ability of Marcus Cannon to be the kind of Offensive Tackle that I want ~ one with exceptional Lateral Agility to challenge Edge Rushers ~ and I don't want our Championship Chances to rest in the hands of a Guard/Tackle Hybrid like Nick Kaczur on SuperBowl Sunday: I want somebody born to play Guard to play Guard, and I want somebody born to play Tackle to play Tackle.
6 ~ Depth of Talent at Free Safety. Y'all saw how our entire Defense rapidly improved ~ The Ripple Effect ~ once Bill The Mad (Genius) moved Devin McCourty to CenterField ~ a position he was evidently born to play. Well, I have no desire to find out what happens to our Defense if DeMac misses some time, because ~ as I mentioned in predicting our Defense's enormous improvement if DeMac stayed there, after the Aqib Talib Trade ~ CenterField is more essential to the success of the entire Defense than either CornerBack. As such, I think it behooves us to take a long, careful look at potential CenterField Talent in this Draft.
I've always said that CenterField is Ras I Dowling's best position, because I question his Verticity, but not his Range or Instincts. And I strongly suspect that he might actually hold up for a while if all that Turning & Burning at Corner wasn't putting so much stress on'is wickets...But I hardly want to count on him as a #2 at this point.
And he might even yet prove to be an exceptional Press Man Corner, where Verticity is not as critical to success.
7 ~ Depth of Talent at CornerBack. We need to start targeting the talented Day 3 guys who are available every single year, and pay for the highest Expertise in Defensive Back Coaching we can find. However, this Class is weak.
8 ~ Gryphon!! That's my preferred term for the Hybrid Strong Safety & MidFielder who roams the Middle. It's my belief, with the direction this Game is heading in ~ a Passing League producing smaller Defensive Fronts ~ that this Position will evolve ~ and soon, very soon ~ from an obscure, fringe, ethereal, and part time Position that only a few teams employ at all...to one of crucial, critical importance to the success ~ and survival!! ~ of Defenses in the years directly ahead. Troy Polamalu is the Ideal, here: A guy who commands the Verticity to Turn & Burn in Pass Defense, the Short Area Burst to project Power and Thump in Run Defense...and the Processing Speed to discern Who, What, When, and Where...in a NanoSecond.
I have intensely high hopes for Nate Ebner developing, here, and some lingering shreds of hope ~ though not such exuberance ~ for Tavon Wilson doing the same ~ I was horrified and disgusted when we passed on LaVonte David for'm ~ but I'd like to bring in some guys who command far more demonstrable Verticity in Pass Defense.
9 ~ QuarterBack!! We've been incredibly fortunate at this Position, ere the last 11 years and counting, but I would not wish to presume on the FootBall Gods any further. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Brady were our starting QuarterBack for another 5 years...perhaps even longer: into'is 40's. Or it might be just 3 more years after this one, especially if we launch an unprecedented historic run as I strongly suspect we're about to...But in any case, I would sleep much better if we were developing one or two guys behind'm ~ guys who command exceptional Diagnostic Capacity and, above all, Processing Speed ~ who could step in, should they be needed.
At the moment ~ and this may well change over the next 6 weeks ~ the two best candidates I see are already in the NFL, and one or both would need to be acquired by Trade, not the Draft.
Ryan Mallett, I would trade to the highest bidder.
And frankly, considering the desolate wasteland that is this year's crop of QuarterBacks coming out ~ and the number of teams hurting badly at QB ~ that Bid may be far higher than Mallett's vaporous resume ought warrant.
I pray so.
And, now for some really HareBrained Ideas...