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

WelshPatriot said:

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

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There are a few out there. We can prob trade down from 32 and get Vinny Curry a tad lower. That's my guess. A 3-4 de with our top pick. Hopefully, one who can run and is more athletic than the fatties we have.

1. Courtney Upshaw - OLB - Alabama - Doubt if he falls to us.

2. Nick Perry - OLB/DE - USC - 4th year junior. Had a pretty good season. Prob gone before we pick.

3. Whitney Mercilus - DE - Illinois - What a name for a pass rusher. Most think he's a 4-3 end. Tend to agree. But, we could stick with the 4-3.

4. Melvin Ingram - DE/OLB- South Carolina - Only 6'2". Prob a 4-3 end.

5. Vinny Curry - de/olb - Marshall Bit of a tweener. Great motor. A favorite of many on the board. Waiting to hear what Box thought of his senior year. He hasn't been posting.

6. Andre Branch - de/olb - Clemson - Had some big games against VA Tech. Invisible in others.

7. Bruce Irvin - OLB - West Va - A little light for us. 240LB. Kid can run and get after the qb. If we do the double up thing. I could see him in Round 2.

8. Ronnell Lewis - OLB - Oklahoma - Started off the season a hot name. Hit mid-teens on Kipers big board. Not very big 6'2"240 and he played de at Oklahoma. Then he got hurt and his stock slipped. Then he flunked out of Oklahoma. I know hard to believe.

9. Dontae Hightower LB - Alabama - Played ILB at Alabama. Some think he can convert to the outside. I'm not so sure.

patsfaninpa said:

There are a few out there. We can prob trade down from 32 and get Vinny Curry a tad lower. That's my guess. A 3-4 de with our top pick. Hopefully, one who can run and is more athletic than the fatties we have.

1. Courtney Upshaw - OLB - Alabama - Doubt if he falls to us.

2. Nick Perry - OLB/DE - USC - 4th year junior. Had a pretty good season. Prob gone before we pick.

3. Whitney Mercilus - DE - Illinois - What a name for a pass rusher. Most think he's a 4-3 end. Tend to agree. But, we could stick with the 4-3.

4. Melvin Ingram - DE/OLB- South Carolina - Only 6'2". Prob a 4-3 end.

5. Vinny Curry - de/olb - Marshall Bit of a tweener. Great motor. A favorite of many on the board. Waiting to hear what Box thought of his senior year. He hasn't been posting.

6. Andre Branch - de/olb - Clemson - Had some big games against VA Tech. Invisible in others.

7. Bruce Irvin - OLB - West Va - A little light for us. 240LB. Kid can run and get after the qb. If we do the double up thing. I could see him in Round 2.

8. Ronnell Lewis - OLB - Oklahoma - Started off the season a hot name. Hit mid-teens on Kipers big board. Not very big 6'2"240 and he played de at Oklahoma. Then he got hurt and his stock slipped. Then he flunked out of Oklahoma. I know hard to believe.

9. Dontae Hightower LB - Alabama - Played ILB at Alabama. Some think he can convert to the outside. I'm not so sure.

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great stuff! cheers

Add Cam Johnson too. 6'4 260lbs. Virginia.

patsfaninpa said:

9. Dontae Hightower LB - Alabama - Played ILB at Alabama. Some think he can convert to the outside. I'm not so sure.

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I'll be watching him at the combine. Especially his 3 cone and shuttle run. Few scouts out there claiming he doesn't have the lateral quickness to convert to OLB in the Pros.

NinjaZX6R said:

6'4 260lbs.

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The absolute minimum for a BB prototype OLB, I'd think.

Shea McClellin, DE,Boise State 6-3 255. Seen this guys name being thrown around quite a bit. High motor with decent cover skills. Some are calling him a poor man's Brooks Reed. May be worth a look in the later rounds?

Vontaze Burfict - Let's add a little more nasty to this defense.

Vontaze Burfict-All American - YouTube

Keyser Söze said:

Vontaze Burfict - Let's add a little more nasty to this defense.

Vontaze Burfict-All American - YouTube

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Bufict is indeed a beast. Problem is that he plays equally stupid as beastly. Too many cheapshots and stupid penalties.

If he could he could control his emotions better I think he can be a great player.

Husse said:

Bufict is indeed a beast. Problem is that he plays equally stupid as beastly. Too many cheapshots and stupid penalties.

If he could he could control his emotions better I think he can be a great player.

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I completely agree, his only problem is he can't control his emotions, because he doesn't have any off the field issues I am aware of. While I think BB may see his intense passion for football as a good thing, the fact that it has spilled over and hurt his team on the field would be a big issue. If he fell to the bottom of the 2nd round I would take a look at him because he is the most physically talented LBer in this draft. If he could get his emotions under control he would be an all pro caliber ILB. But I think some team will take a chance on him earlier than I would be comfortable doing so.

Wilfork#75 said:

I completely agree, his only problem is he can't control his emotions, because he doesn't have any off the field issues I am aware of. While I think BB may see his intense passion for football as a good thing, the fact that it has spilled over and hurt his team on the field would be a big issue. If he fell to the bottom of the 2nd round I would take a look at him because he is the most physically talented LBer in this draft. If he could get his emotions under control he would be an all pro caliber ILB. But I think some team will take a chance on him earlier than I would be comfortable doing so.

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It's not just his emotions. He makes poor reads at times, over pursues trying to run around blocks and becomes invisible when he's not around the ball. Phenomenal athlete, hard hitter,could be a steal or a total bust for some team with good coaching and attitude adjustments. I think we are set at inside linebacker and don't think the Pats will even glance in his direction.

Keyser Söze said:

Vontaze Burfict - Let's add a little more nasty to this defense.

Vontaze Burfict-All American - YouTube

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We already got nasty with Spikes. He's emerging as one of the emotional leaders on this defense.

Big Vince is 30 years old. Without him this DL looks A LOT worse. I wouldn't mind starting to look for another NT (Dontari Poe or Alameda Ta'amu). If we stay 4-3 Vince can play the 3 tech. This would mean less double teams for Vince which would likely prolong his career for a little bit.

I'm not sold on either of these guys but if BB is then it should be a top priority. It seems a lot of mocks have Poe going mid-late 1st and Ta'amu in the 2nd. If we got Ta'amu at 47 I'd be thrilled.

Out of all the NTs in the draft I like Josh Chapman (Alabama). I think he's the best run stuffer and could become great with Vince to mentor him. He also provides great value, 2nd round is his max I think, and he played for Nick Saban.

jr_3421 said:

Out of all the NTs in the draft I like Josh Chapman (Alabama). I think he's the best run stuffer and could become great with Vince to mentor him. He also provides great value, 2nd round is his max I think, and he played for Nick Saban.

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Josh Chapman would be a great pickup and think he will go in the 2nd between 55 - 60 picks. I don't think the Pats will take him in the 2nd round but if he is available in the early 3rd rounds they may consider it. I wonder if the Pats may trade the one of the 1st round picks, load up with another 2nd this year and pick someone like Chapman or Alameda Ta'amu.

For NT, I prefer we wait till next year and then find a way to get Star Lotulelei. What a beast! He's as big as Vince, very powerful, and so athletic that he's dropped into coverage against running backs.

YouTube removed his video against Washington earlier this year, in which he destroyed their entire blocking scheme, but you can still see him in action against Georgia Tech in this video. He's #92. Not his best game, but it's hard for linemen to stand out against the triple-option attack, especially when dealing with cut blocks over and over again. Nonetheless, you can see his power and athleticism on display.

2011 Sun Bowl Utah Utes vs Georgia Tech HD Highlights - YouTube

jr_3421 said:

Out of all the NTs in the draft I like Josh Chapman (Alabama). I think he's the best run stuffer and could become great with Vince to mentor him. He also provides great value, 2nd round is his max I think, and he played for Nick Saban.

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Chapman is a really impressive guy. He was the anchor for that Alabama defence, and what makes it even more impressive was he did it with a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee for the last 7 games. That guy is tough and I would love to have him on this team.

Tide NT Chapman played 7 games with torn ACL - CBSSports.com