briz's first 09 mock

BRiZ said:

woohoo!!! Enjoy!

*picks are projected based on where i think the teams will finish the season.

Acquired Picks:

Round 1 #20 - Detroit trades their 1st round pick acquired from Dallas in the Roy Williams trade for QB Matt Cassel.

Round 2 #42 - Patriots receive San Diegos 2nd round pick for picking FB Jacob Hester last year with the Pats 3rd rounder.

Round 3 #97 - Patriots receive a 3rd round compensatory pick for losing Asante Samuel to free agency.

Projected Patriots draft picks through 3 rounds:

Round 1 #20 (from DET)
Round 1 #25 (pats pick)
Round 2 #42 (from SD)
Round 2 #57 (pats pick)
Round 3 #92 (pats pick)
Round 3 #97 (comp pick for Samuel)

Patriots draft with trades:

Round 1 #12 - Rey Maualuga ILB USC

* Pats trade up in round 1 using their 2nd round pick #57 to select the best player in this draft ILB Rey Maualuga. Teaming Maualuga inside with Mayo would be devastating to opposing teams. With Bruschi finished its almost a no brainer, draft Maualuga to play inside on the strongside with Mayo opposite him on the weakside.

Round 1 #25 - Mike Mickens CB Cincinnati

* We need corners desperately, a #1 shutdown corner would be nice but we're not getting that this draft. Mickens is a darn good solid CB that is physical and good in coverage, we could really use him.

Round 2 #42 - Chad Johnson WR Cincinnati Bengals

* There is no question Chad Johnson is going to get traded this offseason and be out of Cincy, we have to bounce on that. It would make our WR core more leathal than it already is, Moss needs someone opposite him that can pull double coverage off him, and Johnson could do that. I believe Johnson would like to get out of Cincy no matter what, but what he really wants is to win at this stage of his career, and BB seems to like Chad, im sure he would LOVE to come here. I think this is a good value of a pick to give for Johnson, i dont think anyone will give a 1st rounder its just to risky with his well known antics, but theres no way in heck hes going to come cheep either. I high 2nd round pick seems fair to me.

Round 2 #57 - *TRADED*

* This pick was traded to move up in round one to select Maualuga.

Round 3 #92 - Alex Boone OT Ohio State

* We need depth on the oline Boone would be a nice pickup.

Round 3 #97 - Domonique Johnson CB Jackson State

* He is drawing comparisons to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 6-2 200 pounds with sub 4.35 40 yard dash, and from a small school. We could use a taller corner in our midget army.

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You are off in fantasy land again...

jeffbiologist said:

First, we CANT trade Cassel because we simply dont have his rights(UFA).The pats are WAY under the cap and are 24th in the league in salary. I would say that the comp picks will be sufficient in adding youth(LOTS of rookies this year). I can see them again trading away for future picks and misguided talent like Mr Ocho. There has to be a balance between age and experience and many of our problems this year are due to the rookies having to play so much with injuries to starters. Just because the announcers say we have OLD guys doesnt make it so.

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Jeff - In Briz's la la land, he has the Pats franchising and trading Cassel.

The Pats being 24th in salary is a misleading because they alway are above the cap in money spent due to bonuses.

Personally, there is no way I see Chad Johnson on this team.

BritPat said:

B.O.R, a word about OLB.

You say that with the number of bodies we have that could play at OLB, there's no pressure to draft anyone capable of playing in that position.

I disagree.

I think due to the lack of production in that position we should be looking to add at least one more player there. It's production that governs my thinking about every position, and in terms of pass rush from OLB this year, it's been dire. I think the current total is 8 sacks from the 3 players that have played there. That's not acceptable.

Now, we could have 2 demon sack artists in Crable and Redd, but the keyword there is 'could', nothings proven. I don't see any harm in picking up a true pass rusher in the draft and seeing a battle in camp for roster spots.

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Which 3-4 OLB for the Patriots has been a "pass rushing demon"? Not McGinest. He was good in the pass rush, but he also could drop back into coverage. Not Colvin. Not Vrabel. Not AD. They all have by hybrids who had strong pass rushing skill. That's what the Pats need. And I don't believe there is a player in the draft that will meet those qualifications and be around when the Pats draft.

There's no outside pass rush in this draft and there's no help for the offensive line. I have nightmares of Yates coming into the game. So we need at least one OG prospect in the mix in addition to an OLB or DE. I think we can do better, and Maulauga will certainly slip into the 20's. His draft stock has dropped, not risen.

BritPat said:

B.O.R, a word about OLB.

You say that with the number of bodies we have that could play at OLB, there's no pressure to draft anyone capable of playing in that position.

I disagree.

I think due to the lack of production in that position we should be looking to add at least one more player there. It's production that governs my thinking about every position, and in terms of pass rush from OLB this year, it's been dire. I think the current total is 8 sacks from the 3 players that have played there. That's not acceptable.

Now, we could have 2 demon sack artists in Crable and Redd, but the keyword there is 'could', nothings proven. I don't see any harm in picking up a true pass rusher in the draft and seeing a battle in camp for roster spots.

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How many demon sack artists are in this draft? You mention Orakpo as a prototypical 3-4 OLB in a following thread, but is he truly a "demon sack artist?" (The answer is no for the sites I've been checking out, he's slow, but a hard worker.) For now he's projected top 10, perhaps he'll slip after the Combine. Who else in this draft is a Dwight Freeney level pass rusher, and if there is one will they still be available for NE's draft pick? Are they someone who can be developed as a 3-4 OLB?

The bottom line is this draft does not have elite pass rushers. It has some hard workers who may or may not be better than the players currently developing in the NE system. Even if there was an elite pass rusher, they would off the board well before NE selected unless NE was able to obtain a top 5 draft pick.

It may happen that BB gets to select when one of those hard workers is available, for example: Clint Sintim, Virginia. He's a productive 3-4 OLB in the ACC. He'd be a nice option because he's already developing in a similar defensive system and he's been productive. Yet he's projected mid-to-late round one at this point, is his value at that point in the draft more than say a NT or a CB? If all you want is a pass rusher then yes, if you think a top CB is needed or someone to develop behind Big Vince is more important, then no. And if you're BB and you have him graded as a second round value, you take a TE from your first round list and give a number of our fellow posters a serious case of hemorrhoids.

Projecting ahead to 2009:
OLB - Adalius Thomas, Mike Vrabel, Pierre Woods, Shawn Crable, Vince Redd, Gary Guyton, Darrell Robertson, maybe Bo Ruud.

I just don't see anyone, other than maybe Sintim, who could come in and challenge the first three for playing time - so BB is going to have to generate a pass rush by scheme, which ties into the fact that he's been developing two rookies at ILB. If you'll check the game recordings, you'll notice Guyton has been having an impact in the pass rush and Mayo has been sent on occasion too. As these two get better at disguising their blitzs and coordinating with Vrabel and Woods, there will be more pressure on the offense. For this draft the priority isn't to find a pass rushing demon OLB prospect no matter how disappointed the fans may be over sack production this season. This is a "normal" build for the future draft and another DE to OLB conversion "project" needs to be a clear improvement on the projects already here - find him and sell me on the advantages.

DaBruinz said:

Which 3-4 OLB for the Patriots has been a "pass rushing demon"? Not McGinest. He was good in the pass rush, but he also could drop back into coverage. Not Colvin. Not Vrabel. Not AD. They all have by hybrids who had strong pass rushing skill. That's what the Pats need. And I don't believe there is a player in the draft that will meet those qualifications and be around when the Pats draft.

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You misunderstand.....demon pass rusher may have been the wrong term, and I'm not necessarily asking for that although it would be nice.....McGinest, Colvin, Vrabel - none are Ware/Merriman clones, but they are/were very good at getting pressure in previous seasons. We've averaged roughly mid 40's in sacks in the Belichick era (our highest total was last year; 46 - whilst we've hit a low of 33 twice), with OLB's leading the way every season (although Sey was tying one season), especially when we converted to the 3-4. Our highest OLB leader was Vrabes last year with 12.5, the lowest OLB leader has been Willie Mac with 5.5 in 2002 (although I think we were still playing a lot of 4-3 back then)

Every year so far (in the 3-4 era), we've posted mid-teens and higher sacks from the OLB's (the lowest has been 13.5, in 2005, the highest was 23.5 last year) - this year so far we have 9. That's with 11 games gone. We have a total of 22 sacks on the season so far, and with a third of the season left we might just reach the 33 sack mark for the third time. Both times we've only hit 33, we've been only the 17th ranked D in the league - every time we've reached 40 and above, we've been no lower than the 6th ranked D (we've been 2nd overall twice and 1st overall). Right now we're currently the 12th ranked D, and I'd opine that that's only because of the quality of some of the teams we've faced (although we have been very good on run D, and that's with the Miami game skewing our stats somewhat).

Basically, what I'm saying is we need more outside. We should have miles more than 9 sacks from our OLB's considering some of the teams we've faced (Chiefs, 9ers, Rams). We still have 3 teams the are in the top 10 for sacks given up, starting Sunday against the Steelers, and I'll bet now that Vrabel and Woods don't get 5 between them in those 3 games.

Box_O_Rocks said:

How many demon sack artists are in this draft?

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As I've just said, my use of the term demon pass rusher was wrong, and I've posted what I think about the OLB situation

VJCPatriot said:

There's no outside pass rush in this draft and there's no help for the offensive line. I have nightmares of Yates coming into the game. So we need at least one OG prospect in the mix in addition to an OLB or DE. I think we can do better, and Maulauga will certainly slip into the 20's. His draft stock has dropped, not risen.

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There are a boatload of OLB/DE types and OTs in the draft. Just looking at some first day prospects:

OT
==
Andre Smith
Michael Oher
Eugene Monroe
Jason Smith
Duke Robinson (OG)
Ciron Black
Phil Loadholt
Max Unger

DE/OLB
======
Michael Johnson
Brian Orakpo
Aaron Curry
Greg Hardy
George Selvie
Brian Cushing
Everette Brown
Clint Sintim

Not saying they all fit with the Pats or I'm high on all of them...just saying that there are plenty of pass rushers and pass protectors in this draft.

VJCPatriot said:

There's no outside pass rush in this draft and there's no help for the offensive line. I have nightmares of Yates coming into the game. So we need at least one OG prospect in the mix in addition to an OLB or DE. I think we can do better, and Maulauga will certainly slip into the 20's. His draft stock has dropped, not risen.

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I'm definitely not sold on Maualuga.

I am encouraged by the number of quality interior OL currently sporting round 1-3 grades. Add in some OTs who could move inside or push Kaczur inside and that aspect of the draft looks promising.

BritPat said:

As I've just said, my use of the term demon pass rusher was wrong, and I've posted what I think about the OLB situation

Click to expand...

Thanks for the correction. I still task you to identify better OLB prospects than those currently on the roster.

Your stats are interesting - let's consider that there was one report of Vrabel playing with a shoulder that may require surgery after the season and he and Thomas have been used to compensate for the rookie ILBs as they developed in their coverage assignments - I'm just not that concerned by the pass rush as I look ahead to 2009. I've read how Dean Pees considers Pierre Woods to be a good pass rusher, and I've already noted how Guyton is developing. There's still time to at least get the 4.5 sacks needed to match the previous low.

i dont know how you could think we would just let Cassel walk. that is insane to think that

Metaphors said:

Not saying they all fit with the Pats or I'm high on all of them...just saying that there are plenty of pass rushers and pass protectors in this draft.

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To Clarify, I was criticizing the OP's mock draft as having no passrushers or offensive linemen slotted to be taken at all. I am aware that such people should exist, but the OP neglected those need areas in his draft. I won't even get into his 'hypothetical' trade for Chad Johnson. *cringes*

Box_O_Rocks said:

I'm definitely not sold on Maualuga.

I am encouraged by the number of quality interior OL currently sporting round 1-3 grades. Add in some OTs who could move inside or push Kaczur inside and that aspect of the draft looks promising.

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Which is why I don't see the reason to trade into the top 12 to draft him. He will be there in the 20's at our normal pick if BB wants him. Just my opinion.

As much as I love Rey-Rey, Brandon Spikes could very well end up being sat there when we pick at #40. And that would be huge value.

If we could come away with Cody/Black (my favourite OT in the first round), Spikes and Chung with our first 3 packs, I'd jump through hoops.

Round 2 #42 - Chad Johnson WR Cincinnati Bengals


I like your first 2 picks but yoo many needs on defense to go after him imo.
Even OL would be better.

VJCPatriot said:

To Clarify, I was criticizing the OP's mock draft as having no passrushers or offensive linemen slotted to be taken at all. I am aware that such people should exist, but the OP neglected those need areas in his draft. I won't even get into his 'hypothetical' trade for Chad Johnson. *cringes*



Which is why I don't see the reason to trade into the top 12 to draft him. He will be there in the 20's at our normal pick if BB wants him. Just my opinion.

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there are no OLB worth taking in the 1st round unless you want to convert Orakpo or Johnson and they can convert well. Sintim isnt dominant passrushing i wouldnt draft him over a stud ILB like Maualuga, or a stud corner like Jenkins or Davis, or a stud OT.

Hardy from Miss. Selvie from South Florida. I think they would be solid OLB for our system. A OLT would be nice too if one would happen to fall. doubtful however you never know.

billdgo3484 said:

i dont know how you could think we would just let Cassel walk. that is insane to think that

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The option of franchising and then trading him is still a complete longshot. If this situation had happened last year it would've been a lot easier but he's a UFA.

Warren94 said:

I am thinking Curry from Wake Forest followed by Mickens and Herman Johnson. (Neal is a free agent after next season) third round a TE or RT.

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I'd love to see Curry but I think he's long gone before the Pats pick - and the front office has a tendency to trade down, not up with draft picks based on the philosophy of obtaining better value with the lower picks.

Warren94 said:

Hardy from Miss. Selvie from South Florida. I think they would be solid OLB for our system. A OLT would be nice too if one would happen to fall. doubtful however you never know.

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I have a hard time projecting either player into the Pats OLB role. Hardy is a beast, but he lacks technique and has played his whole career with his hand on the ground. It is tough to make the switch and tougher to project since no one knows how he will do in space.

Selvie is a smaller version of Crable and at 240 or so pounds would have even MORE trouble stopping the run than Crable did.

Sintim is the closest thing to a Pats OLB in this draft and although he led college football in sacks and has experience in the 3-4, he isn't what I would call a pass rushing demon.

Sintim, Cushings and Mathews are the three closest college level OLB's that I have seen play this year, that could be projected into the Pats scheme. All have warts however, and neither fills the Pats greatest need, a pass rushing demon OLB off the edge.

*UPDATED*

i think this is a little better from the first one.

Acquired Picks:

Round 1 #21 - Detroit trades their 1st round pick acquired from Dallas in the Roy Williams trade for QB Matt Cassel.

Round 2 #42 - Patriots receive San Diegos 2nd round pick for picking FB Jacob Hester last year with the Pats 3rd rounder.

Round 3 #97 - Patriots receive a 3rd round compensatory pick for losing Asante Samuel to free agency.

Projected Patriots draft picks through 3 rounds:

Round 1 #21 (from DET)
Round 1 #25 (pats pick)
Round 2 #42 (from SD)
Round 2 #57 (pats pick)
Round 3 #92 (pats pick)
Round 3 #97 (comp pick for Samuel)

Patriots draft with trades:

Round 1 #21 - Michael Johnson OLB Georgia Tech

* stud OLB would upgrade our passrush and slaughter the QB, something we desperatly need.

Round 1 #25 - Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri

* stud WR that would be absolutely insane in our spread offense, upgrades Gaffney and takes some coverage off Moss.

Round 2 #42 - Mike Mickens CB Cincinnati

* Not an elite CB but very very solid corner that can play physical and good man coverage.

Round 2 #57 - Tony Gonzalez TE Kansas City Cheifs

* Wanted to be traded to a contender, was pissed he wasnt. We get him in the offseason, we need a good passcatching TE and there are no better than Gonzo.

Round 3 #92 - Alex Boone OT Ohio State

* We need depth on the oline Boone would be a nice pickup.

Round 3 #97 - Domonique Johnson CB Jackson State

* He is drawing comparisons to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 6-2 200 pounds with sub 4.35 40 yard dash, and from a small school.