VERY VERY early draft talk: Running Back

[English Patriot]

I know this is a 'WTF' topic right now but i see nothing wrong with looking to the future and especially at the chance to get a franchise running back to help carry (no pun intended) Brady for the remainder of his career.

We all loved what we saw from Jonas Gray but please, please remember that it was just one game and even i got carried away but now the dust has settled from that monster game you have to put into context what our RB situation will look like come spring.

No clue on if Ridley can be Ridley again, Vereen not really going to be the every down back, no knowing what Blount will turn out to be and also the risk of putting all the eggs in the basket for Gray.

All this leads to the Patriots first round pick in the 2015 1st round pick where i believe they should do what the Green Bay Packers did by picking Eddie Lacy for Aaron Rodgers a couple years ago (even though he was a 2nd) and take a franchise RB and boy are there some GEMS to pick from.

There are 3 absolute locks to be top next level backs in the NFL and i'm sure most of you know who they are: Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Ameer Abdullah.

Now i firmly believe that there is 0% chance of all 3 being taken before the Patriots have their customary late 1st round pick and i think they would be missing a big, big opportunity should they not pull the trigger on one of the above.

If you're asking me personally who i'd take then without doubt it would be Gurley because of two reasons:
1) I foresee the guy who was the undisputed number one before his knee injury falling to us because of it
2) That very knee injury not being a problem at all for him and the guy coming in a producing at a very high level in this offense.

Now if you say to me that the Pats use their very very late 1st rounder which almost becomes a 2nd rounder considering they might be picking at 31 or 32 on Gordon or Abdullah i would say they are getting STEALS at that pick.

What do you guys think? Should we go RB and get a back that can really, really make life much easier for Brady as he chases more rings? Or are there other positions of need greater than tailback?

 

[BingoBrown]

We also have a RB on IR from Carolina?

 

[mayoclinic]

This has been discussed extensively on the draft board.

 

[Guts]

The Gaffney kid that we got from CarOline really intrigues me from what people have said. Apparently a guy full of talent with a unfortunate injury

 

[English Patriot]

The Gaffney kid that we got from CarOline really intrigues me from what people have said. Apparently a guy full of talent with a unfortunate injury

He's not Gordon or Gurley IMO. Good guy for competition though, hope he can make it.

 

[AzPatsFan]

I know this is a 'WTF' topic right now but i see nothing wrong with looking to the future and especially at the chance to get a franchise running back to help carry (no pun intended) Brady for the remainder of his career.

We all loved what we saw from Jonas Gray but please, please remember that it was just one game and even i got carried away but now the dust has settled from that monster game you have to put into context what our RB situation will look like come spring.

No clue on if Ridley can be Ridley again, Vereen not really going to be the every down back, no knowing what Blount will turn out to be and also the risk of putting all the eggs in the basket for Gray.

All this leads to the Patriots first round pick in the 2015 1st round pick where i believe they should do what the Green Bay Packers did by picking Eddie Lacy for Aaron Rodgers a couple years ago (even though he was a 2nd) and take a franchise RB and boy are there some GEMS to pick from.

There are 3 absolute locks to be top next level backs in the NFL and i'm sure most of you know who they are: Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Ameer Abdullah.

Now i firmly believe that there is 0% chance of all 3 being taken before the Patriots have their customary late 1st round pick and i think they would be missing a big, big opportunity should they not pull the trigger on one of the above.

If you're asking me personally who i'd take then without doubt it would be Gurley because of two reasons:
1) I foresee the guy who was the undisputed number one before his knee injury falling to us because of it
2) That very knee injury not being a problem at all for him and the guy coming in a producing at a very high level in this offense.

Now if you say to me that the Pats use their very very late 1st rounder which almost becomes a 2nd rounder considering they might be picking at 31 or 32 on Gordon or Abdullah i would say they are getting STEALS at that pick.

What do you guys think? Should we go RB and get a back that can really, really make life much easier for Brady as he chases more rings? Or are there other positions of need greater than tailback?

I would only point out thata we STILL have a 33 year old starting at LG, who is a FA. The RG is a tough, heady guy, but still undersized; and the reserves include three PS guys who are "Projects", whose play has been anything but irreplaceable. Our swing tackle is a FA, who may sign elsewhere seeking to be a starter.

IOW, There are other places to upgrade than RB.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I would only point out thata we STILL have a 33 year old starting at LG, who is a FA. The RG is a tough, heady guy, but still undersized; and the reserves include three PS guys who are "Projects", whose play has been anything but irreplaceable. Our swing tackle is a FA, who may sign elsewhere seeking to be a starter.

IOW, There are other places to upgrade than RB.

It's worth noting that BB's mantra isn't "filling needs" or "BPA"; it's getting the most utility out of the first-rounder over the life of the pick.

BB would go RB in the first round if he felt that the benefit from having one of the aforementioned RBs exceeded that of any of the available OGs, DTs, etc.

 

[ATippett56]

I know this is a 'WTF' topic right now but i see nothing wrong with looking to the future and especially at the chance to get a franchise running back to help carry (no pun intended) Brady for the remainder of his career.

We all loved what we saw from Jonas Gray but please, please remember that it was just one game and even i got carried away but now the dust has settled from that monster game you have to put into context what our RB situation will look like come spring.

No clue on if Ridley can be Ridley again, Vereen not really going to be the every down back, no knowing what Blount will turn out to be and also the risk of putting all the eggs in the basket for Gray.

All this leads to the Patriots first round pick in the 2015 1st round pick where i believe they should do what the Green Bay Packers did by picking Eddie Lacy for Aaron Rodgers a couple years ago (even though he was a 2nd) and take a franchise RB and boy are there some GEMS to pick from.

There are 3 absolute locks to be top next level backs in the NFL and i'm sure most of you know who they are: Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Ameer Abdullah.

Now i firmly believe that there is 0% chance of all 3 being taken before the Patriots have their customary late 1st round pick and i think they would be missing a big, big opportunity should they not pull the trigger on one of the above.

If you're asking me personally who i'd take then without doubt it would be Gurley because of two reasons:
1) I foresee the guy who was the undisputed number one before his knee injury falling to us because of it
2) That very knee injury not being a problem at all for him and the guy coming in a producing at a very high level in this offense.

Now if you say to me that the Pats use their very very late 1st rounder which almost becomes a 2nd rounder considering they might be picking at 31 or 32 on Gordon or Abdullah i would say they are getting STEALS at that pick.

What do you guys think? Should we go RB and get a back that can really, really make life much easier for Brady as he chases more rings? Or are there other positions of need greater than tailback?

No thanks!

I would rather cut Danny Amendola and utilize the $2.1 million salary cap savings to re-sign Shane Vereen.

http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/new-england-patriots

If the New England Patriot receive a third round compensatory draft selection, the earliest I would consider selecting a running back in the 2015 NFL Draft would be the third round.

Vereen, Shane
White, James
Gray, Jonas
Blount, LeGarrette
Gaffney, Tyler

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster.html

 

[hwc]

There is no way on god's green earth that Bill Belichick is going to waste a 1st round draft pick on a running back. If anything is obvious from watching Belichick's approach to team building, it's that he just doesn't value the running back position that highly. Draft one in the mid rounds. Sign an UDFA. Low-ball a vet. Running back by committee. Use them for four years on the cheap rookie deal and move on.

It's pretty obvious that he simply doesn't think that "marquee" high-priced running backs give you value over less expensive guys. Specifically, running backs have a shelf life of just a few years.

Since Belichick has taken this approach, the entire league has moved his direction. You very seldom see a RB drafted in the first round and the RB free agents recently have been lucky to get much more than vet minimum.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Tempting but I'll defer to the Hoodie on this one. Lot of talent for the offensive line, some really good DE's to be had in this upcoming draft. We will just have to wait and see I guess. Not to mention the sr bowls, combine and pro days haven't been sorted yet.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

wayyy too early for me to look into the dam draft....we are building a big push here which i am focused on

 

[ATippett56]

You very seldom see a RB drafted in the first round and the RB free agents recently have been lucky to get much more than vet minimum.

Not exactly.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/knowshon-moreno/

Knowshon Moreno signed a 1 year / $3 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, including a $500,000 signing bonus, $1,250,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $3,000,000.

 

[Peachhead]

Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn. And it won't cost a 1st round pick.

 

[ATippett56]

Plenty of running backs available in the 2015 NFL Draft:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2015/RB

 

[RayClay]

Running backs are a dime a dozen now, I doubt we spend a top pick on one. Maybe we could get Trent Richardson for a conditional 7th?

 

[kennyb]

Amber Abdullah isn't even 200 pounds. Those aren't the only 3 running backs. Pretty much a dime a dozen.

OL, dl, lb are bigger needs. And fa rb aren't too expensive.

 

[ATippett56]

Amber Abdullah isn't even 200 pounds. Those aren't the only 3 running backs. Pretty much a dime a dozen.

OL, dl, lb are bigger needs. And fa rb aren't too expensive.

Linebacker?

Collins
Hightower
Mayo
Casillas - special teams linebacker
White - special teams linebacker

Two additional linebackers are currently on injured reserve, while two more are on the practice squad.

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster.html

The New England Patriots now primarily play a 4-2-5 defensive alignment.

 

[mayoclinic]

Linebacker?

Collins
Hightower
Mayo
Casillas - special teams linebacker
White - special teams linebacker

Two additional linebackers are currently on injured reserve, while two more are on the practice squad.

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster.html

The New England Patriots now primarily play a 4-2-5 defensive alignment.

Haven't you consistently had at least 1 and sometimes 2 LBs in your mocks?

 

[kennyb]

Linebacker?

Collins
Hightower
Mayo
Casillas - special teams linebacker
White - special teams linebacker

Two additional linebackers are currently on injured reserve, while two more are on the practice squad.

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster.html

The New England Patriots now primarily play a 4-2-5 defensive alignment.

Yes lb. Mayo may never be 100% again. Those other guys are jags except for Hightower and collins. Time for new blood.

 

[ATippett56]

Haven't you consistently had at least 1 and sometimes 2 LBs in your mocks?

The "meat" of my mock drafts have been the offensive line.

7th Round for linebacker, fairly low priority.