Dan Connor From Penn State

[ALP]

wut do u guys think of him? i dont watch college ball, but apparently he just won the Bednarik Trophy which goes to the best defensive player, he even beat out dorsey, one seen as the lock for number 1....

so, who wants to tell me about him? i was of the opinion laurinatius (sp?)...was the best LB, and thats who i wanted, (plus, can u find a cooler name?) but i just dont know now...is conner better?

and who would u like the pats to take from the two, thanks.

 

[Ahriman]

wut do u guys think of him? i dont watch college ball, but apparently he just won the Bednarik Trophy which goes to the best defensive player, he even beat out dorsey, one seen as the lock for number 1....

so, who wants to tell me about him? i was of the opinion laurinatius (sp?)...was the best LB, and thats who i wanted, (plus, can u find a cooler name?) but i just dont know now...is conner better?

and who would u like the pats to take from the two, thanks.

I've seen both of them projected being picked anywhere from 5 to 20. If the Pats end up with a 1st rounder in the late teens (from trading down) and Connor is on the board, it would be almost criminal to not select him. James Laurinaitis had all the hype coming into this season, but Connor has pretty much stolen his thunder.

 

[sebman2112]

I'm still not sure if James fits NE's defense, and I've thought for a while he'd be most effective in a Tampa 2. This isn't really size related either, as I've heard James has gained some weight and might gain a little more. Supposedly he weighs about 245lbs, but we'll see if that's true at the combine.
It's simply his playing style that makes me say Tampa 2. Who knows though, maybe he could adjust to NE's defense over time.

Dan Conner is slightly taller than Laurinaitis, but he's pretty light for a LB in NE's system. I don't know about the other posters on this board, but I doubt NE's drafting a 228lbs LB. Maybe if this guy gains some weight, but he'd have to gain 17-22 pounds before NE would give him a look, and I'm not sure he could gain that much weight, while keeping his current mobility. I've also thought that Dan's legs/trunk could use some added strength, and if NE drafts a LB on the first day he's going to have a very strong lower body. Connor also seems more like a 4-3 LB to me....the type of guy who needs the extra protection.

The first round LB that would fit NE's desires at ILB just happens to be Rey Maualuga, but he's already voiced his intentions of staying in school. The next guy at ILB that I think could fit in with NE is Jon Goff, maybe Leman, and maybe Larsen. I know Goff can carry added weight, and I've seen him listed at 240lbs. He doesn't get talked about much on these boards (don't really know why), but he's one of the best ILB's in the class.

 

[Lockdown06]

I'm still not sure if James fits NE's defense, and I've thought for a while he'd be most effective in a Tampa 2. This isn't really size related either, as I've heard James has gained some weight and might gain a little more. Supposedly he weighs about 245lbs, but we'll see if that's true at the combine.
It's simply his playing style that makes me say Tampa 2. Who knows though, maybe he could adjust to NE's defense over time.

Dan Conner is slightly taller than Laurinaitis, but he's pretty light for a LB in NE's system. I don't know about the other posters on this board, but I doubt NE's drafting a 228lbs LB. Maybe if this guy gains some weight, but he'd have to gain 17-22 pounds before NE would give him a look, and I'm not sure he could gain that much weight, while keeping his current mobility. I've also thought that Dan's legs/trunk could use some added strength, and if NE drafts a LB on the first day he's going to have a very strong lower body. Connor also seems more like a 4-3 LB to me....the type of guy who needs the extra protection.

The first round LB that would fit NE's desires at ILB just happens to be Rey Maualuga, but he's already voiced his intentions of staying in school. The next guy at ILB that I think could fit in with NE is Jon Goff, maybe Leman, and maybe Larsen. I know Goff can carry added weight, and I've seen him listed at 240lbs. He doesn't get talked about much on these boards (don't really know why), but he's one of the best ILB's in the class.

i'd love maualuga - I heard he might be staying in school though.

Although Connor is a little light - wasn't there a lot of speculation that the pats liked Beason from Miami a lot last year? if i remember correctly he wasn't that much bigger.

 

[patchick]

Although Connor is a little light - wasn't there a lot of speculation that the pats liked Beason from Miami a lot last year? if i remember correctly he wasn't that much bigger.

There certainly was speculation, but it never seemed too plausible to me...and indeed, the Pats passed on him twice. Here are the sizes of players whom the Pats have actually drafted, signed or started at ILB under BB:

Tedy Bruschi 6'1" 247
Ted Johnson 6'4" 253
Roman Phifer 6'2" 248
Ryan Claridge 6'2" 254
Monty Beisel 6'3" 240
Eric Alexander 6'2" 240
Chad Brown 6'2" 245
Junior Seau 6'3" 250
Adalius Thomas 6'2" 270
Oscar Lua 6'1" 240

Note that the light end of the group -- Beisel, Alexander, Lua -- doesn't do a ton to inspire confidence.

 

[sebman2112]

i'd love maualuga - I heard he might be staying in school though.

Although Connor is a little light - wasn't there a lot of speculation that the pats liked Beason from Miami a lot last year? if i remember correctly he wasn't that much bigger.

Much different physical build. Beason is 6'0 (just a hair under 6'1") and weighs 237lbs. Connor is 6'3" and weighs 228lbs. Beason has bigger/stronger legs than Connor, and he's more physically developed.

Now, I do know the Patriots talked with Beason before the draft, and at times I had some interest in him, but I wasn't sure if the Patriots would go his direction. The guy NE was rumored to be interested in selecting just prior to the draft was David Harris, and I also thought LaMarr Woodley & Anthony Spencer could have been nice LB's for NE. Later in the draft NE intended to select Stewart Bradley, but the Eagles grabbed him first. That would have been a nice pick, but you can't always get your man. the Eagles know this, as they had intended to select Meriweather in the first.

 

[chunkypony]

I'm gonna be honest. The kid is not too bright. I have been telling this story for a couple years now, I had math class with him his freshman year. He almost failed "mathematics for elementary school teachers"; things we covered in this class included probability, different forms of counting, and multiplying with fractions (I took the class as a way to fullfill credits towards my teaching degree).

Me and my friends made sure to check his homework each time the homework folder came around (because he was on the football team OMG SO KEWL) and he constantly got low grades.

I don't want to say that this translates to the football field, because I think he is a great athlete, and perhaps he could have a rediculously high football IQ and still suck at math, but just something to think about.

 

[ayjackson]

I saw a close up of Alexander last week and thought he looked bigger. Anybody else notice this? Do teams release players' weights at any time after they draft them?

 

[danny88]

I saw a close up of Alexander last week and thought he looked bigger. Anybody else notice this? Do teams release players' weights at any time after they draft them?

You can get that from the combine weigh in. When they are in the NFL the numbers are def not accurate.

Also weight alone is not always a great measurement. If a guy is 6'2 240 at 10 percent body fat , and another guy is 6'2 255 at 16 percent body fat , the first player has a lot more muscle on him, and could be stronger.

 

[VJCPatriot]

The first round LB that would fit NE's desires at ILB just happens to be Rey Maualuga, but he's already voiced his intentions of staying in school. The next guy at ILB that I think could fit in with NE is Jon Goff, maybe Leman, and maybe Larsen. I know Goff can carry added weight, and I've seen him listed at 240lbs. He doesn't get talked about much on these boards (don't really know why), but he's one of the best ILB's in the class.

http://www.scout.com/a.z?s=143&p=8&c=1&nid=3066672

This site lists Jon Goff at 235 lbs. He would definitely need to gain some weight to get a look. But under the radar suits the Pats just fine. Remember they do have a high 3rd round pick that they might decide to use on a 3-4 ILB.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I do not think the teams record actual heights and weights for their players. The Pats had Ted Washington at 340 lbs. when he had to be close to 390 or so.

There was talk of Connor dropping 15 pounds and moving to safety in the pros. However I do think he could play ILB for the Pats, but I am not sure how long he would last before his body broke down.

Goff would be great at ILB when we played Pittsburgh or Baltimore or other run first teams, but if you saw the Florida Vandy game this year, then you know, he can be exploited and heavy footed against speed. Ditto for Leman.

 

[Lockdown06]

Much different physical build. Beason is 6'0 (just a hair under 6'1") and weighs 237lbs. Connor is 6'3" and weighs 228lbs. Beason has bigger/stronger legs than Connor, and he's more physically developed.

Now, I do know the Patriots talked with Beason before the draft, and at times I had some interest in him, but I wasn't sure if the Patriots would go his direction. The guy NE was rumored to be interested in selecting just prior to the draft was David Harris, and I also thought LaMarr Woodley & Anthony Spencer could have been nice LB's for NE. Later in the draft NE intended to select Stewart Bradley, but the Eagles grabbed him first. That would have been a nice pick, but you can't always get your man. the Eagles know this, as they had intended to select Meriweather in the first.

oh ok thanks - i didn't realize the gap between beason and connor's height and weight were that big - thanks for the info though.

 

[ALP]

actually, the pats only passed on beason once...and i think if carolina had not taken him, and the pats had the chance to draft him at 28, they would have done so...

also, thanks for the responses guys...so goff leman and lester are the candidates then uh? well, i dont know of any of them...so if we dont take Tehm in the first round...who do we take?

 

[Lockdown06]

shawn crable from Michigan could be a possibility - definitely not in the first round, but if he fell to the 3rd or 4th i could see it happening - i dunno if he'd drop that far though

 

[JackPMiller]

wut do u guys think of him? i dont watch college ball, but apparently he just won the Bednarik Trophy which goes to the best defensive player, he even beat out dorsey, one seen as the lock for number 1....

so, who wants to tell me about him? i was of the opinion laurinatius (sp?)...was the best LB, and thats who i wanted, (plus, can u find a cooler name?) but i just dont know now...is conner better?

and who would u like the pats to take from the two, thanks.

I am not sold on him as much. I do believe he was the best in a weak crop of LBs. I just don't believe he will be a great pro, if he has to play in a 4-3 system. But your Pats play mostly a 3-4, which would be good fit for him, playing at the Inside Strongside LB. I believe the 3-4 style in the pros will be better suited for his game. So, I can see you guys going for him. But as of now, the guy that I can see your team draft is Kenny Phillips S Miami(Fla.). Reason, how old is Rodney Harrison? I expect he will soon be on the downside of his career. In fact, Phillips, if need be, could play CB should Samuel decide to leave. But I see Phillips as a replacement for Harrison.

 

[jpnoonan]

Get Goff!!!

After taking a look at some of the footage on Goff, he seems as though he would be a solid pick for the patriots 3-4 scheme. He seems to possess instinctive passrushing ability and above average speed for an LB (4.50 forty). Add the fact that the guy looks to be a tackle machine, and the patriots would get a great value pick if he fell to them late in the 2nd.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=11748&sport=1

Take a look at his highlight reel here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hV2DBTEP4kw

Also, check out this kid at the SEC media day, for crying out loud he sounds like he plays for the pats! Not to mention he's majoring in mechanical egineering, so he must be an intelligent guy. He reminds me alot of Patick Willis.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0ipiDZ8ZIlc

To finish it off, he's from Lynn, MA. This guy was born to be a patriot.