2014 Draft Needs

[manxman2601]

As BB shocks the DT and TE factions and goes guard David Yankey with 29. Myself I'm hoping for a DT with the first pick but I can see BB throwing a wrench in what we perceive as need and spoiling all mocks around the world.

I'm toying with the idea of putting a RB in at #62 in my next mock...seriously...so at least I'll have that base covered.

 

[patsfaninpa]

As BB shocks the DT and TE factions and goes guard David Yankey with 29. Myself I'm hoping for a DT with the first pick but I can see BB throwing a wrench in what we perceive as need and spoiling all mocks around the world.

I prefer the DT, but wouldn't be shocked. Interior OL play wasn't very good last year. Wendell should be replaced. Move Connolly back to play C and pick up a guard. Or, get rid of Connolly too. Your top pick starts at RG, Shop for a C. Honestly, doubt we could be any worse than we were last year.

 

[Brady6]

I was looking at mock drafts and my question for everyone is do you think a player like Louis Nix has as much value in this NFL as say a Wilfork back in 2004 when he was drafted?

 

[Patriot Missile]

I was looking at mock drafts and my question for everyone is do you think a player like Louis Nix has as much value in this NFL as say a Wilfork back in 2004 when he was drafted?

Sorry I've seen nothing from Nix that impresses me besides his size. No penetration, just a big body in the middle that happens to fit the profile of a NT. To all the Nix fans out there I have a question? Have you watched him actually play games or are you going off of other mock drafts? Is this a reaction pick to the possible departure of Wilfork? What is it you like about him? I'm just curious. Would you be ok with a late flyer on Kerr or Ellis who actually showed some penetration during the Sr and Shrine bowls? I've been plenty wrong regarding every thing in the draft and I'm hoping I'm wrong regarding this prospect. <copied and pasted in reply to your recent mock that was very good btw>

I may be wrong but IMO He is just not the guy I see replacing Wilfork. I see Mediots going crazy trying to fill the NT position but it could be possible they won't even need one anymore if they go a different route. Look at your question and I think you can answer it for yourself. Wilfork was drafted by a 34 team to play NT and was as far as I thought a miraculous drop on draft day. To this day I thought for sure he was a top 8 pick. What formations have we been seeing the last couple of years? Now what do we play? Multiple fronts. 34, 43, 2-5-4, 4-3-4 etc. now if you think they are going to return back to a 34 as their base alignment and try to run disguises out of it then maybe he is your guy?Or maybe they do like his skill set as an interior guy? Personally I just like other players better who I think have more value later on.

 

[manxman2601]

Sorry I've seen nothing from Nix that impresses me besides his size. No penetration, just a big body in the middle that happens to fit the profile of a NT. To all the Nix fans out there I have a question? Have you watched him actually play games or are you going off of other mock drafts? Is this a reaction pick to the possible departure of Wilfork? What is it you like about him? I'm just curious. Would you be ok with a late flyer on Kerr or Ellis who actually showed some penetration during the Sr and Shrine bowls? I've been plenty wrong regarding every thing in the draft and I'm hoping I'm wrong regarding this prospect. <copied and pasted in reply to your recent mock that was very good btw>

I may be wrong but IMO He is just not the guy I see replacing Wilfork. I see Mediots going crazy trying to fill the NT position but it could be possible they won't even need one anymore if they go a different route. Look at your question and I think you can answer it for yourself. Wilfork was drafted by a 34 team to play NT and was as far as I thought a miraculous drop on draft day. To this day I thought for sure he was a top 8 pick. What formations have we been seeing the last couple of years? Now what do we play? Multiple fronts. 34, 43, 2-5-4, 4-3-4 etc. now if you think they are going to return back to a 34 as their base alignment and try to run disguises out of it then maybe he is your guy?Or maybe they do like his skill set as an interior guy? Personally I just like other players better who I think have more value later on.

I can guarantee you that Wilfork75 , who is Nix's biggest fan on here, has seen plenty of him. Personally I think he's a second round talent but I strongly respect Wilfork75's eye and am prepared to accept I might be misreading Nix.

 

[Brady6]

I can guarantee you that Wilfork75 , who is Nix's biggest fan on here, has seen plenty of him. Personally I think he's a second round talent but I strongly respect Wilfork75's eye and am prepared to accept I might be misreading Nix.

I would rather draft Kareem Martin, I think Martin who I think end up being the second best DE in the draft early and go for a Justin Ellis type in the mid rounds of the draft.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I can guarantee you that Wilfork75 , who is Nix's biggest fan on here, has seen plenty of him. Personally I think he's a second round talent but I strongly respect Wilfork75's eye and am prepared to accept I might be misreading Nix.

I think W75 is great and really do appreciate his work here. I've been plenty wrong on prospects before and Nix wouldn't be the first or the last. Just stating my opinion and that is all. For all I know he is the next coming of Wilfork although I think he is far from it. Again, we are all entitled to an opinion right or wrong and I think this is the fun part of the draft forum. I have been plenty swayed to prospects by some members here and steered away as well. At the end of the day it's just a hobby but I do enjoy the research. Just wish I had Pat Chicks uncanny ability to win the final mock event every other year.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I would rather draft Kareem Martin, I think Martin who I think end up being the second best DE in the draft early and go for a Justin Ellis type in the mid rounds of the draft.

I like Martin's value as a mid to late second round pick. And he might fit our LDE position better and be less risky than a player like Hageman. Hmmm. Really like his length and size for the position.

 

[manxman2601]

Completely off topic but what the hell's going on in Carolina? Their starting WRs are Marvin McNutt and Tavarres King. At least when we went for a WR drive in the draft we still had (at the time) Amendola, Edelman, Gronk, Hernandez and Vereen.

Still, it's a good year to go into the draft needing receivers. Unfortunately for them, they badly need a LT and at least two CBs.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Completely off topic but what the hell's going on in Carolina? There starting WRs are Marvin McNutt and Tavarres King. At least when we went for a WR drive in the draft we still had (at the time) Amendola, Edelman, Gronk, Hernandez and Vereen.

Still, it's a good year to go into the draft needing receivers. Unfortunately for them, they badly need a LT and at least two CBs.

Yup I think Carolina needs to load up on WRs big time. They must be in some kind of cap crunch because they let Smith and Lafell go for not much money.

I'm still anxious about the TE position, but I am very satisfied with our CB position, and think we're pretty much done with WRs. I wouldn't mind seeing a young safety and WR being drafted to groom, because those positions could use upgrading, but it's not a big need now.

I'm wondering if Adrian Wilson can bounce back. He's still on the roster for a reason. And I'm wondering which of our young receivers can make a 'sopohmore' leap.

I think we still need a rotational DE. I'm starting to warm up to Kareem Martin because he wouldn't require as high of an investment and looks like he could turn into a solid player for us.

Overall, free agency has been VERY GOOD to us this year! I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop with Wilfork, and then we should see another flurry of activity with the freed up cap space.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Completely off topic but what the hell's going on in Carolina? Their starting WRs are Marvin McNutt and Tavarres King. At least when we went for a WR drive in the draft we still had (at the time) Amendola, Edelman, Gronk, Hernandez and Vereen.

Still, it's a good year to go into the draft needing receivers. Unfortunately for them, they badly need a LT and at least two CBs.

If they would of just traded Hardy to us for a 2nd they'd never be in this mess.

 

[Wilfork#75]

Sorry I've seen nothing from Nix that impresses me besides his size. No penetration, just a big body in the middle that happens to fit the profile of a NT. To all the Nix fans out there I have a question? Have you watched him actually play games or are you going off of other mock drafts? Is this a reaction pick to the possible departure of Wilfork? What is it you like about him? I'm just curious. Would you be ok with a late flyer on Kerr or Ellis who actually showed some penetration during the Sr and Shrine bowls? I've been plenty wrong regarding every thing in the draft and I'm hoping I'm wrong regarding this prospect. <copied and pasted in reply to your recent mock that was very good btw>

I may be wrong but IMO He is just not the guy I see replacing Wilfork. I see Mediots going crazy trying to fill the NT position but it could be possible they won't even need one anymore if they go a different route. Look at your question and I think you can answer it for yourself. Wilfork was drafted by a 34 team to play NT and was as far as I thought a miraculous drop on draft day. To this day I thought for sure he was a top 8 pick. What formations have we been seeing the last couple of years? Now what do we play? Multiple fronts. 34, 43, 2-5-4, 4-3-4 etc. now if you think they are going to return back to a 34 as their base alignment and try to run disguises out of it then maybe he is your guy?Or maybe they do like his skill set as an interior guy? Personally I just like other players better who I think have more value later on.

I think your opinion of Nix depends on which tape you watch. If you watch his 2012 tape I have no doubt that he is an elite NT that is a top 10 talent (many people had him rated as the best DT last season if he would have declared). If you watch his 2013 tape then you do get questions about his game because he wasn't healthy and didn't perform up to his potential. For my evaluation of Nix I go back to the 2012 tape because I don't know how much the injury slowed him down in 2013.

The reason I like Nix so much and why I would take him in the 1st instead of grabbing someone else later is I think he does have the potential to be more than just a two down run stuffer. I love his quick feet and agility (even if it doesn't show up in his testing numbers). He moves really well for a guy his size and in 2012 in particular I think he is a guy that did show he can get penetration. He's never going to put up sack numbers because he doesn't have closing speed, but what I think he will do is create pressure, force some throws and be a tfl machine. But of course his calling card is his run stuffing and ability to take on double teams, freeing up his teammates.

Whenever I watch tape of Nix I always go back to the National Championship against Alabama. That is a game that Nix detractors always bring up but I see it as a perfect example of why I love the guy. Alabama had the most dominant offensive line I have ever seen on college football with a hell of a 1-2 punch at running back. Their offensive game plan was simple though, run everything away from Louis Nix. He might not have put up much in the box score and only had 1 or 2 'splash' plays, but Nix was easily the most dominant player on that ND defense (even though they got blown out) simply because of his presence. I think that is a hell of a compliment to Nix that Saban would game plan specifically to try and keep him out of the game and I don't think you can put any blame on him for the loss. He was one of the few ND players that stood up. The other thing I love about that tape is even though he was largely kept out of the game and constantly double teamed, he didn't give up and played hard and to the whistle. Seeing a big guy chase plays to the sidelines and down field was really impressive.

In terms of the value of NT's currently in the NFL, I see it as a market inefficiency. It's not a 'sexy' position because they won't help your fantasy football team, but what a good NT does is make everyone else around him better. They do the dirty work in the middle to free up everyone else on the team. They are the facilitator that allow the other guys to make plays. I don't see having a quality NT as limiting your ability to run multiple fronts, I see it as allowing you to play multiple fronts. I think Nix can play in all of those alignments you named and be a quality player. Especially with the way our secondary is now designed, if we can play single safety man to man and have a good run stuffing D-line, that frees up our LBers to make plays. We all know BB loves to disguise his defense, by freeing up our LBers the options are almost limitless. I still think playing defense in the NFL is about stopping the run first, if you can't do that you can't win in the playoffs.

I know everyone has their own opinions on players and that is fine. Different views are great for healthy debate and I'm not trying to change anyone else's views. This is just my opinion on why I think Nix would be a great addition to this team.

 

[Wilfork#75]

I like Martin's value as a mid to late second round pick. And he might fit our LDE position better and be less risky than a player like Hageman. Hmmm. Really like his length and size for the position.

Martin is a guy I really struggle forming an opinion on. He's got the size you want and the testing numbers he put up were really surprising. But to me his tape doesn't back up his potential. To be honest he was a huge disappointment on tape and I certainly didn't think he was as athletic as he tested out. My problem is he is exactly the kind of guy I believe in taking chances on in the middle rounds. The formerly highly hyped guys with measurable's and have flashed a little bit of dominance but never put it all together (the Michael Johnson, Everson Griffen and Greg Hardy type guys). I would take a chance on him but to me he is the definition of a boom or bust player. The question is how high. Ideally I would take him in the 4th round because that is where I think his tape suggests he should go. He would likely be need to be taken higher than that and I can justify late 3rd round, but I don't think I could take him in the 2nd. Even with such a weak DE draft class I don't think I could reach for him at that stage with the amount of talent at other positions available.

 

[Pats-Phan]

Current needs:

QB - not before the 5th

RB - when BJGE and Woodhead had 1 year remaining we drafted Ridley and Vereen. Now Ridley and Vereen have 1 year remaining on their contracts. We could take a rb as early as the 2nd. I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion and personally I don't want a RB early but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened. Also we have no 4th RB at the moment.

FB - no need. have Develin if we want one.

TE - Could take one as early the 1st.

WR - No top end talent but plenty of bodies. I wouldn't be opposed to taking a guy in the 1st if we thought he was a number 1 WR in the future. Mid round pick seems like a waste as the guy likely won't be much better than what's on the roster. So either 1st round or not before the 5th.

Interior OL - Could take one as early the 1st. Could take multiple prospects.

OT - not before the 5th

DE - could take one as early as the 1st. Especially since a starting DE pushes Ninko to our primary backup LB and our 3rd DE for pass rushing DL's which is very appealing to me.

DT - Like WR we have no top end talent at the position but plenty of bodies. Wilfork, Kelly, Jones, Siliga, Armstead and Vellano are all under contract. If a guy looks special I don;t mind taking him but I don't see how a mid round pick will be an upgrade over what we have. Late round flies are (as always) fine.

LB - starters are in place but need back ups though. 3rd round or later.

CB - stacked! Late round fliers only (assuming Browner is a CB)

Safety - we could take one as early as the 1st round. Position would be baaaaaaaad if McCourty were injured.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Even when we had Wilfork and Kelly, I was still saying DT was a need.

Now that Wilfork wants out, we really need a DT.


You can find good Tight Ends in the middle rounds, so hopefully the Pats go best DT available in the 1st, and wait until the 2nd or 3rd for a TE.

Remember we still have Gronk.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Aaron Donald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YKvx6LcBs


Not ideal weight. But he is ideal for todays pass-heavy NFL, with mobile QBs.

Pats get into so many shoot outs. A DT who can get to the QB is something I've always wanted this team to get. I don't want a run stuffing specialist NT. We don't play the 3-4 nearly as often as we used to.

 

[jsull87]

Aaron Donald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YKvx6LcBs


Not ideal weight. But he is ideal for todays pass-heavy NFL, with mobile QBs.

Pats get into so many shoot outs. A DT who can get to the QB is something I've always wanted this team to get. I don't want a run stuffing specialist NT. We don't play the 3-4 nearly as often as we used to.

I saw a Mock today where he went 32... I just can't see him lasting to us.

I don't know if i am missing something here but he looks like an absolute baller to me. I know there are a coupld of patsfans who share my opinion.

If he lasts to us we should definitly take him even if we still have wilfork. Donald in our Nickle and working his way into our base would be scary good for our pass rush.

 

[Luxusdk]

Aaron Donald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YKvx6LcBs


Not ideal weight. But he is ideal for todays pass-heavy NFL, with mobile QBs.

Pats get into so many shoot outs. A DT who can get to the QB is something I've always wanted this team to get. I don't want a run stuffing specialist NT. We don't play the 3-4 nearly as often as we used to.

I think the most want one, plus i really think Melton joining Cowboys could be a good thing for us.

 

[mayoclinic]

Some interesting thoughts on FA and draft needs from Mike Loyko at NEPatriotsDraft.com:

Thoughts on the NFL Draft and Patriots Free Agency | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2014 NFL Draft

There's a lot I don't agree with, but it's provocative and a good read. Among the interesting stuff:

Prior to the start of free agency the three biggest needs on the Patriots roster were Defensive Tackle, Tight End, and Pass Rusher. Now that the initial rush of free agency is over and the smoke has cleared those three positions remain the most likely areas to be targeted early in the draft. It is still possible the Patriots add veteran depth at those positions before the draft, but the quality of player left on the market, leaves a lot to be desired. If they intend to upgrade these positions for 2014 it will almost certainly come during the first two days of the draft.

Linebacker is an area to watch. The majority of people don’t believe it’s a draft priority because they have three quality starters and used their first pick in 2013 draft on a linebacker. But, when the depth of the position is examined, it’s clear they aren’t done here. Depth and speed is still necessary at the position and with the subpackage becoming more and more important, I wonder if the Patriots look to add another speedy, subpackage LB early in the draft. With that in mind a name to watch could be Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier. He’s in a similar mold as Jamie Collins, as both are athletic and physical freaks. We’ve already seen the Patriots dramatically upgrade the backend of the defense, which will improve the pass rush. By adding another speedy LB like Shazier coverage and speed at the position immediately goes for a weakness to a strength. Not to mention the pass rush will be upgraded by default.

Last year the Patriots were aggressive in their pursuit of undrafted free agents after the draft and it paid off. They received incredible production from players such as Joe Vellano, Kenbrell Thompkins, Ryan Allen, and Josh Kline throughout the season. If you look at the roster and do the math, I expect them to once again be active immediately following the draft. As of today the roster stands at 62 players, the maximum number of players allowed during the off-season and camp is 90. NFL teams generally like to approach that number during the summer so they can run a full camp, have competition at all positions, and keep the starters reps down. Currently, the Patriots are 28 players under that roster limit right now. Subtract the Patriots seven draft picks and at most two compensatory selections and there are still 19 players under the limit. Those spots won’t all be filled by veteran free agents. Look for them to sign between 15-17 UDFA immediately after the draft and take that same aggressive, targeted approach that worked in 2013.

 

[captain stone]

Except for not naming C/G as a need, and for calling what was provided by the likes of Kline, Allen,
Vellano and The Faller as "incredible", I don't have an isue with the rest of what was written. Only
Ryan Allen provided what I would deem as superior production compared to whom he replaced.

Sadly, the needs that were mentioned - DT, TE, DE - have not been addressed whatsoever.