Pats work out Connor Barwin

PatriotsDaily.com said:

Patriots Daily had an interview with Barwin back on March 2nd:

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Trying to lure innocents into your blog of iniquity are you! :enranged: (Offer free donuts and coffee.)

We're sneaky like that. Next thing you know we'll be recruiting Patsfans.com posters to come write for us!

PatriotsDaily.com said:

We're sneaky like that. Next thing you know we'll be recruiting Patsfans.com posters to come write for us!

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Only if you'll allow crayons.

N.Eman said:

I hope he's available at #34, and i hope Pats to get itchy trigger finger and get him at #23. I hope Barwin is another player to contribute right off the bat like Mr. Mayo !! Great news of the day!

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You guys are all crazy. Barwin is a decent could be great player. Hes not going at 23 and I definitely would not want him at 34. This binkie thing is out of control. It would be nice if he fell to 47 but theres some other players that should be there that I see the Pats targeting. Feel free to comment but this guy has you all blinded by the Vrabel comparisons. I.E. Larry English pass rush extraordinaire would be much better at 34 if he even makes it there.

just my opinion.

He's only played one year at defense. I like his upside, but I wouldn't pounce any higher than SD's pick in the middle of round 2, if that. Then again, I don't have privy to their interviews and scouting processes. If Barwin blows the Pats away like Mayo did, then I wouldn't care where they took him, however.

03/19/09 - Cincinnati Pro day: Connor Barwin will continue to skyrocket up draft boards with another impressive performance. Barwin, a former tight end who switched to defensive end, may ultimately be making the transition to linebacker, considering the eye-popping workouts he's produced at the Combine and now at his Pro Day. Barwin produced two of the more eye-popping results of the defensive ends at the Combine with a 4.66 electronically-timed 40-yard dash and a 40.5" vertical jump. He was even faster Wednesday, posting times ranging from 4.48-4.57, according to those in attendance. He also lifted the bar 23 times and looked good in linebacker, tight end and defensive line drills. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

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..........

Get him, at 34.

ice said:

Get him, at 34.

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Won't be there, if he was running those 40 times he might even be gone before the pats pick at 23.

imagine if we get rey maluga at 23 and than Barwin at 34

spann31 said:

imagine if we get rey maluga at 23 and than Barwin at 34

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We'll have gotten one good fit for NE, and Maualuga.

Box_O_Rocks said:

We'll have gotten one good fit for NE, and Maualuga.

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While we are back on the Connor Barwin bandwagon can anyone see him taking on FB duties as well as TE and LB duties?

Patriot Missile said:

While we are back on the Connor Barwin bandwagon can anyone see him taking on FB duties as well as TE and LB duties?

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Ummm . . . let's not have any more defensive players @ FB. . . .

And, BTW, this is the guy who just ran a 4.5 40, and has a 40" vertical. . . .



Now imagine what he could do with two or three years of coaching from Belichick. . . .

Patriot Missile said:

While we are back on the Connor Barwin bandwagon can anyone see him taking on FB duties as well as TE and LB duties?

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I don't believe Cincy used their TEs as H-backs, they either had them in-line or spread wide in their Spread Offense and ran single back formations for the most part with a platoon of RBs.

I'm sure Barwin could pick up the H-back role if NE chose to use him as a TE, but with his speed/quickness, they most likely will want him out in a pattern to stretch the defense.

ctpatsfan77 said:

Ummm . . . let's not have any more defensive players @ FB. . . .

And, BTW, this is the guy who just ran a 4.5 40, and has a 40" vertical. . . .

Now imagine what he could do with two or three years of coaching from Belichick. . . .

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lol, I'm merely suggesting the possibility that this kid may be athletic enough to take the job on part time. Evidently as a TE and LB he already knows how to lay a lick on someone. I'm not saying Barwin would be a Mike Alstot or anything,{wouldn't that be nice though} but I do think he has better measurables to be a FB than Mr Klecko.

Truthfully if we do draft him I'm hoping he will burn up the competition at LB from day 1 and prove everyone wrong and start. That is the best case scenario. However if like some have suggested he a 1-3 yrs away I would like to see him contribute as a TE, FB or special teams
right away.

Box_O_Rocks said:

We'll have gotten one good fit for NE, and Maualuga.

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Your right Box,
But the Pats are very high on one of these players and luke warm on the other. I could tell you but I don't want to ruin your draft weekend.

PT55

ctpatsfan77 said:

Ummm . . . let's not have any more defensive players @ FB. . . .

And, BTW, this is the guy who just ran a 4.5 40, and has a 40" vertical. . . .

Now imagine what he could do with two or three years of coaching from Belichick. . . .

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I think that Barwin has clearly solidified himself as a first round pick by this time, and probably is a leading option on the Pats' draft board. At this point he has jumped over William Beatty as my preferred option at #23. In addition to his off-the-charts numbers, Barwin reportedly looked very fluid and smooth at a number of positions at his pro day, including TE, DE and OLB. His versatility and the speed with which he has progressed on defense with no prior experience really set him apart from the traditional "workout warrior". I personally wouldn't be surprised if he makes a faster-than-expected transition to OLB, particularly given how comfortable he is playing in space from his TE background, and ends up getting serious playing time by the end of his rookie year. He really seems like he was born to play 3-4 OLB.

It also looks like Parcells is giving him some serious consideration in Miami, so I think at this point waiting for him at #34 is a losing strategy. It's probably 23 or nothing.

spann31 said:

imagine if we get rey maluga at 23 and than Barwin at 34

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Barwin at 23 and Maualuga at 34 is more likely right now, though I doubt Rey will last past Baltimore at 26.

The more public the Pats are about Maualuga, the less likely I think it is that they actually want him. I think they will be fairly quiet about whomever they really want. I personally think Barwin and Ayers are likely to get serious looks from them.

mayoclinic said:

Barwin at 23 and Maualuga at 34 is more likely right now, though I doubt Rey will last past Baltimore at 26.

The more public the Pats are about Maualuga, the less likely I think it is that they actually want him. I think they will be fairly quiet about whomever they really want. I personally think Barwin and Ayers are likely to get serious looks from them.

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Actually,
It funny different a year makes. Gholston was a combine freak who was picked very high based on an assumption in which most Pats fans laughed at the Jets but now Barwin has some impressive combine measurables and is being talked about on these boards with the assumption on playing LBer and if the Pats pick him at 23 it a great value all the sudden?

For Conner to be picked ahead of Rey it would have to be a 4-3 team reaching for a 4-3 DE with good speed and limited (at this time) moves coming off the edge. Maybe a team reaches for his TE skills. However, if a 3-4 team looking OLB takes him before more skilled LBers then whoever gets a player the caliber of a Rey Maualuga would be getting the steal of the draft.

I don't believe a 3-4 team is going to reach for Barwin with more talented OLB's on the board. Maybe I wrong and one does but I know at least one 3-4 team that won't do it.

PT55

PatsandTrojans55 said:

Actually,
It funny different a year makes. Gholston was a combine freak who was picked very high based on an assumption in which most Pats fans laughed at the Jets but now Barwin has some impressive combine measurables and is being talked about on these boards with the assumption on playing LBer and if the Pats pick him at 23 it a great value all the sudden?

For Conner to be picked ahead of Rey it would have to be a 4-3 team reaching for a 4-3 DE with good speed and limited (at this time) moves coming off the edge. Maybe a team reaches for his TE skills. However, if a 3-4 team looking OLB takes him before more skilled LBers then whoever gets a player the caliber of a Rey Maualuga would be getting the steal of the draft.

I don't believe a 3-4 team is going to reach for Barwin with more talented OLB's on the board. Maybe I wrong and one does but I know at least one 3-4 team that won't do it.

PT55

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Actually, we disagree.

First, there's a big difference between taking a DE/LB conversion project at #6 vs. #23 in terms of financial commitment and cap hit. Second, Barwin shows much better agility and ability to play in space than Gholston ever did. There's nothing wrong with a DE/OLB conversion in the 1st round (see Terrell Suggs, DeMarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman), but the higher the pick the more certain you have to be that the player has what it takes. Barwin's TE background in particular make him particularly well suited to playing in space.

Finally, I disagree strongly about Barwin's value as a potential 1st round pick. If he does go in the 1st it won't be as a TE or a 4-3 DE, it will be as a 3-4 OLB. That's clearly where his future is.

You may or may not be right about Maualuga being a better player. But every year there are lesser-known players who turn out to be better prospects than the college stars, and often end up to be better pros. Derrick Johnson was the media darling at LB in 2005, not Merriman or Ware. Ware was a riser after his combine workout. Mayo last year clearly rose after the combine as well. So it's not ridiculous to suppose that Barwin could end up being a better pro than Maualuga. He's clearly more physically gifted, and has better intangibles (intelligence, character, motor, versatility, etc.). The biggest difference right now is positional experience.

mayoclinic said:

Barwin at 23 and Maualuga at 34 is more likely right now, though I doubt Rey will last past Baltimore at 26.

The more public the Pats are about Maualuga, the less likely I think it is that they actually want him. I think they will be fairly quiet about whomever they really want. I personally think Barwin and Ayers are likely to get serious looks from them.

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Oh,
what do you mean the more public the Pats are? I could understand if your talking about the scouts. But if your talking about about the Carucci article that was true because I have a good idea who hinted the Pats interest in Rey and what Vic actually did was asked somebody a series of questions that went something like this:
Vic: I noticed you guys interviewed Rey at the Senior Bowl and you guys have been at multiple USC games over the years is their a good interest there?
Source: Yes
Vic: Do you guys feel the OLBer in this draft class is deeper than MLB?
Source: Yes
Vic: Do you think the Pats could use a ILBer next to Mayo to replace Tedy Bruschi?
Source: Yes
Vic: You guys seem to be looking at players like Peppers or Jason Taylor, If you get one of these guys and a Rey Maualuga was available to draft would he be an ideal type ILBer that would fit next to Mayo.
Source: Possibly, yeah he could fit.

Then Vic looks at the roster and writes the article. The Pats filled the Corner Position and are rumored to be looking at the OLBer. So with ILB being thin and ammo to trade up an grab an elite ILB he puts 2 and 2 together.

What I find interesting is how much the fans on here feel the Pats are still the same Pats (organizational wise) that they were in the early 2000's. The Pats are not as stealth anymore. Partly because the turn-over in the organization on the scouting levels and coaches changing teams. Also, the clever way these insiders now ask question to the others coaches' and assume the simularities. The Pats will let you know the plan but you have to know what to look for.
The problem with the fans on this board is they can't let go of the past and don't think out of the box. Also, the fans tend to latch onto certain players who they feel are best for this team and not whom really is best for this team. The Patriots are always changing things. BB is a master at staying ahead of the curve and thinking out of the box and being creative on changing the schemes. Some things are very suttle.

Enjoy the draft this year will be interesting to say the least if they do what I'm hearing.

PT55