2012 Patriot Picks: What players, what positions do you want?

SNL said:

First, I hope the Patriots keep their picks in the first two rounds. We need all the defensive help we can get. Here are my favorites in each of the first two rounds:

1a & 1b:

DE/LBs: Branch, Curry, Mercilus I would be happy with any one of these guys to get after the QB.

CB: Minnifield I believe that BB coached his father when he was at the Browns

WR: Wright this guy has the speed to stretch the field

ILB: Hightower I think Spikes is too slow to be starting at ILB


2a & 2b:

S: Lester, McDonald I doubt that either rate as first round pick, but we are in desperate need for help in the secondary

C: Brewster I think Koppen is slowiing down and needs to be replaced

WR: Jones This guy is a big target for Brady

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Need to update your lists.. McDonald is staying in school unless something changed in the last 12 hours..

Konz and Jones are better fits than Brewster for Center.

Dwight Jones or Marvin Jones? I think there are better picks for receiver in the 2nd round than Dwight Jones.

Vinny Curry is currently has a 3rd round grade on NFLDraftscout.com and is the 5th rated DE on DraftCountdown. Jones is a late 2nd/early 3rd on NFLDraftScout and rated as the 5th WR on Draftcountdown. This all will change with the combine, though I don't think the Pats would reach so much on Curry, unless they have the 32nd pick..

Like most of the players, just not sure of where you have them rated.

NinjaZX6R said:

Worthy, who I like over Still, is a gap shooter.

Key Example-Wisc MSU game (1st one)
For the 1st qtr, MSU had him 2 gap and he was ineffective. He didn't get off his blocks fast enough, didn't provide any pressure.
2nd qtr
They finally make him 1 gap, and he starts dominating.

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So, if Worthy is a gap shooter, would the Pats be using his skills to their advantage by putting him in a 2 gap system?

DaBruinz said:

Need to update your lists.. McDonald is staying in school unless something changed in the last 12 hours..

Konz and Jones are better fits than Brewster for Center.

Dwight Jones or Marvin Jones? I think there are better picks for receiver in the 2nd round than Dwight Jones.

Vinny Curry is currently has a 3rd round grade on NFLDraftscout.com and is the 5th rated DE on DraftCountdown. Jones is a late 2nd/early 3rd on NFLDraftScout and rated as the 5th WR on Draftcountdown. This all will change with the combine, though I don't think the Pats would reach so much on Curry, unless they have the 32nd pick..

Like most of the players, just not sure of where you have them rated.

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True, the funny thing is that the players I listed are all up and down various boards (Walter Football Mock Draft Boards) from the first to the fourth round.

These are my gut feelings for the listed players on each round.

Thanks for the heads up on McDonald returning....

Konz is expected to be a first round pick and I do not want a center to be in our first round. I feel our needs at DE, OLB, CB, S are the biggest needs right now (with WR Wright and ILB Hightower being the exceptions).

WR Dwight Jones is another favorite of mine (big target) and at the end of the second round or even the third round would be great.

And Curry I've seen this guy all ove the place from the middle first round to the second round in most mocks....

Time will tell, but its fun to speculate....

DaBruinz said:

So, if Worthy is a gap shooter, would the Pats be using his skills to their advantage by putting him in a 2 gap system?

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I saw him 2 gap in the 1st qtr in the MSU Wisc game 1, he didn't look good. He couldn't get off blocks fast enough. MSU was trying to 2 gap Wisc zone run plays and it wasn't working. So MSU switched to a 1 gap attacking D and MSU started making plays on Defense.

He's a great talent as a 3 tech 1 gap dt. He's very quick off the snap.

NinjaZX6R said:

I saw him 2 gap in the 1st qtr in the MSU Wisc game 1, he didn't look good. He couldn't get off blocks fast enough. MSU was trying to 2 gap Wisc zone run plays and it wasn't working. So MSU switched to a 1 gap attacking D and MSU started making plays on Defense.

He's a great talent as a 3 tech 1 gap dt. He's very quick off the snap.

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Was he at least holding POA while 2 gapping? Or was he getting pushed back. Thanks in advance.

ay-yo said:

Was he at least holding POA while 2 gapping? Or was he getting pushed back. Thanks in advance.

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As I recall, few snaps while he was 2 gapping, he was getting pushed behind. On other 2 gap plays, he did an ok job holding the POA.

My current targets, not in any order:

Zack Brown
Donta Hightower
Mark Barron
Vinny Curry
Dontari Poe
Fletcher Cox
Michael Brockers
Jerel Worthy

I believe Still and Upshaw are going to go too high.

Michael Brockers id definitely the prospect I'm hoping BB goes after. He as the potential to be that Richard Seymour like anchor for this defense. He probably will shoot up the boards after the combine but I think he would be worth trading up for.

I like the idea of doubling up on OLBs like we have on RBs and TEs the past few years. Nick Perry and Vinny Curry are very gettable.

For the secondary I really like Alfonzo Dennard and Mark Barron. Very physical players who are pretty instinctual.

Edit: I forgot about Jared Crick. I think he could present get value because of his injury and would be a great pass rushing DE in the 3-4 while still holding up against the run.

Love all the Michael Brockers suggestions.

BB seems to want his 5 techniques to be taller and relatively lankier than other teams like, say, the Chargers. Because of his height/weight and school, if drafted by the Pats Michael Brockers will inevitably draw some comparisons to Marquise Hill (RIP), but I think it's about time the Pats finally and properly replace Big Sey.

I'd be ecstatic to have either Coples or Brockers. Most of the other 3-4s in the NFL don't even use a 5 technique. A lot of them just use two 3 techs.

VrabelJr said:

I'd be ecstatic to have either Coples or Brockers. Most of the other 3-4s in the NFL don't even use a 5 technique. A lot of them just use two 3 techs.

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I wonder how much BB would be interested in Brockers. What's his record on RS sophomores or juniors for that matter?

Another player who could be a sleeper similar to Ryan Broyles is DE Jared Crick from Nebraska. He was considered a late 1st rd pick before his injury and seems like he could add some pass rushing out of the 3-4. I believe Nebraska uses a 2 gap system but I'm not sure.

ay-yo said:

My current targets, not in any order:

Zack Brown
Donta Hightower
Mark Barron
Vinny Curry
Dontari Poe
Fletcher Cox
Michael Brockers
Jerel Worthy

I believe Still and Upshaw are going to go too high.

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Brockers is a better prospect than Still and Upshaw. Has higher upside and better athleticism. We have a better shot at those two then we do at Brock.
As someone mentioned his stock will rise during the combine.
Not sure about Zach Brown either. He seemed disinterested in the bowl game and didn't cover well in passing situations. Mizzou ran the ball down their throat and he made his takles well down field. I think he's overrated but will go in the late teens.

I'm not a big follower of college football and this is the time of year when I start catching up on prospects. One guy who's caught my attention is Dontari Poe -- 6-5, 350 DT. The Haynesworth experiment tells me BB sees a need here, and Poe seems about the same size (an inch shorter). Thought it was interesting that two people on NFL.com had the Pats taking him in their first mock draft.

jr_3421 said:

Another player who could be a sleeper similar to Ryan Broyles is DE Jared Crick from Nebraska. He was considered a late 1st rd pick before his injury and seems like he could add some pass rushing out of the 3-4. I believe Nebraska uses a 2 gap system but I'm not sure.

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They used to do so full time before Bo P was hired. They sometimes do 2 gap but it depends on their gameplan on certain teams. I know they 2 gapped a lot vs Ohio State to keep Braxton Miller ( mobile qb) from getting outside the pocket.

NinjaZX6R said:

They used to do so full time before Bo P was hired. They sometimes do 2 gap but it depends on their gameplan on certain teams. I know they 2 gapped a lot vs Ohio State to keep Braxton Miller ( mobile qb) from getting outside the pocket.

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Because of the torn pectoral his senior year Crick has dropped to be a second or early third round pick. He would be a good pick with the Pats second 2nd round pick. His 6’6″, 285 lbs frame needs to improve along with his speed but he can still be a solid player. I think Crick would be a good complementary player.

rdf63 said:

Because of the torn pectoral his senior year Crick has dropped to be a second or early third round pick. He would be a good pick with the Pats second 2nd round pick. His 6’6″, 285 lbs frame needs to improve along with his speed but he can still be a solid player. I think Crick would be a good complementary player.

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There were two similar players in last years draft: Cam Heyward and Cameron Jordan. They didn't excite much interest for the Pats. Either BB is happy with our D/Line or is looking for something more exceptional/beefier.

manxman2601 said:

There were two similar players in last years draft: Cam Heyward and Cameron Jordan. They didn't excite much interest for the Pats. Either BB is happy with our D/Line or is looking for something more exceptional/beefier.

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They might have liked both of them...just not in the first round.

MP-Logick said:

They might have liked both of them...just not in the first round.

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But as they were both projected in the first round and were unlikely to fall, I'll re-affirm what I said - "they didn't excite much interest from the Pats".

If Crick falls to the late second, of course he'll get a look, but he's not really a 2 gapper and at only 285lbs is a little light for the Pats isn't he?

a pass rushing LB, dont know much about college football so who are those likely to be?