Pats select KR/STer/FS/WR/CB/Track Matt Slater with 153rd overall pick

[MothershipConnection]

Hey y'all, UCLA fan checking in here, I just wanted to with you guys the best of luck with Matt. You are going to LOVE this guy on special teams. He's pretty much the best special teams player I've ever seen, and that's no understatement. He's an absolute beast of a gunner and a beast of a kickoff returner. He was in on almost every special teams tackle for us and is one heck of a kick off returner. Just hits the hole hard and has the speed to take it to the house.

He doesn't really have a position, he never stuck at WR for us cause he couldn't catch, and he never got a ton of time at DB. But he's a solid 6-0 200 with 4.4 type of speed and with your coaching he might contribute at safety one of these days. I don't really think he has the hips to play corner but he does love contact. But best of luck with him, I think he can make it.

 

[VJCPatriot]

The problem is that you can only carry so many guys on the game day roster that are there solely for their special teams play. If this kid is purely a special teams guy, he will have to be really good t it to make the team.

Izzo is still here every year isn't he? The Pats have got to believe he has the potential to be Izzo-like to take him with a 5th.

Hey y'all, UCLA fan checking in here, I just wanted to with you guys the best of luck with Matt. You are going to LOVE this guy on special teams. He's pretty much the best special teams player I've ever seen, and that's no understatement. He's an absolute beast of a gunner and a beast of a kickoff returner. He was in on almost every special teams tackle for us and is one heck of a kick off returner. Just hits the hole hard and has the speed to take it to the house.

He doesn't really have a position, he never stuck at WR for us cause he couldn't catch, and he never got a ton of time at DB. But he's a solid 6-0 200 with 4.4 type of speed and with your coaching he might contribute at safety one of these days. I don't really think he has the hips to play corner but he does love contact. But best of luck with him, I think he can make it.

Hey, hope you stick around to watch some Pats games to see your boy in action. I hope he lives up to the hype that you're giving him.

 

[State]

Jackie's wife must be a little woman.

 

[Lampshade]

Hey y'all, UCLA fan checking in here, I just wanted to with you guys the best of luck with Matt. You are going to LOVE this guy on special teams. He's pretty much the best special teams player I've ever seen, and that's no understatement. He's an absolute beast of a gunner and a beast of a kickoff returner. He was in on almost every special teams tackle for us and is one heck of a kick off returner. Just hits the hole hard and has the speed to take it to the house.

He doesn't really have a position, he never stuck at WR for us cause he couldn't catch, and he never got a ton of time at DB. But he's a solid 6-0 200 with 4.4 type of speed and with your coaching he might contribute at safety one of these days. I don't really think he has the hips to play corner but he does love contact. But best of luck with him, I think he can make it.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Fencer]

Andrews and Spann should be nervous about this one.

 

[unoriginal]

This should appease everybody who wanted a tall DB drafted, don't you think?

 

[IcyPatriot]

Slater returns a kickoff ... hard to find stuff on this kid.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1197079aHcDk6SG


Recovers a fumble:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1236319Qme5WfBm

 

[Fencer]

The PE.com article linked above make me love this pick. Guys are being taken first-day for return skills and little else.

Besides, I went to UCLA.

(I must be one of the few people in history to transfer from UCLA to Ohio State. But it wasn't particularly voluntary.)

Character/attitude matter in these ST roles. I.e., you need to be like Kelley Washington, not Bethel Johnson.

 

[sebman2112]

This should appease everybody who wanted a tall DB drafted, don't you think?

He's more of a special teamer, and as I already pointed out, he's actually 5'10.5", not the listed 6' people are throwing around. I like the pick though, as he's a good KR (scored three TD's and averaged 30.9 yards per KR in 2007), and gunner.

 

[BelichickFan]

The PE.com article linked above make me love this pick.

You're not the only one - a great ST player in both coverage and returns will make me very happy if he's as good as is being advertised.

 

[MothershipConnection]

I'll be checking in every week to see how Matt is doing assuming he makes the team. It's always an uphill battle for a 5th rounder without a position to make a team, but if it's true that the best way for a rookie to make a team is by special teams, you got one of the best special teamers in the country right here. Our offense was pretty pathetic last year and he really helped us make up for it by his special teams play. He had around 20 tackles on special teams alone on top of the 3 kicks for TDs.

 

[BostonBullit]

man what a waste of a fifth round pick, I hate football players. this guy can't figure out what to be when he grows up so he just plays everywhere and is a teams nut, who the hell wants that kind of riffraff floating around their locker room

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

At least his last name is not Walsh

 

[unoriginal]

He's more of a special teamer, and as I already pointed out, he's actually 5'10.5", not the listed 6' people are throwing around. I like the pick though, as he's a good KR (scored three TD's and averaged 30.9 yards per KR in 2007), and gunner.

As I'm sure you're aware by now, the difference between a midget and a tall corner on these boards is 1", maybe 1.5.

 

[sebman2112]

As I'm sure you're aware by now, the difference between a midget and a tall corner on these boards is 1", maybe 1.5.

Yea, I've kind of thought it was funny to see people harp on Hobbs for being a "midget", when he was actually only about 0.5" shorter than Samuel, and had a 42" vertical, which was very good, and better than most prospects.

Go through the list of top CB's in the NFL, and you'll notice that a lot of those top CB's are in the 5'9.5" to 5'11" range. Even Lito Sheppard (who a bunch of fans wanted NE to trade for) is 5'10".

 

[PatDaPatriot]

FWIW, David Givens was a CB/S/WR/ST player for four years at Notre Dame. I believe he was a safety his final year, and the Pats drafted him as a WR...

Slater may pay immediate dividends as a returner. Which I thought was need worth addressing this draft...

 

[IcyPatriot]

FWIW, David Givens was a CB/S/WR/ST player for four years at Notre Dame. I believe he was a safety his final year, and the Pats drafted him as a WR...

Slater may pay immediate dividends as a returner. Which I thought was need worth addressing this draft...

No question I would rather see this kid or another kid returning instead of Welker and Maroney ... way too risky last year.

 

[signbabybrady]

I dont know why but he seems like Vince Papali

 

[DaBruinz]

what a fing waste of pick.

Learn a little bit about football and the fact that Willie Andrews is probably not long for this team.

This isn't a bad pick.

 

[DaBruinz]

The problem is that you can only carry so many guys on the game day roster that are there solely for their special teams play. If this kid is purely a special teams guy, he will have to be really good t it to make the team.

Not when you consider that Willie Andrews has legal troubles and the Pats had Ray Ventrone out there for a bit.