Welcome Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower to the Patriots!!

I will never understand teams like the Rams taking a kid with what 5 sacks in 3 years in college and letting a guy who could be an anchor for a defense for years go down to us at #25.

No excuse to let this kind of talent slide so far, he will be a stud and we have 2 potential pro bowl middle linebackers for years to come.

Thank you NEP.

Salva135 said:

This first round disputes the idea that Belichick has a long-term view for a perpetual annuity of a second rounder and that he will never take a rookie LB in the first round, and that he values the later rounds so much that he would never give them up.

BB crushed a bunch of long-held axioms of BB strategy tonight and made a lot of people who argued he would "NEVER do this or that" look foolish. In BB we never know what's going to happen.

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Think it finally occured to Bill that he's got maybe 3 more years with Brady as a top flight QB and the future is now for Super Bowl success.

Im extatic with the Hightower pick, alot less with the chandler jones pick - although he has alot of potential he is after all injury prone and not that strong, mayock said he is going to be a beast assuming he will gain about 30lb in 2 years and will be alot stronger. i just hope BB could get somthing out of Jones cause he has alot of potential.

No one gushed: "Wow, this is the type of left tackle Bill Belichick can really mold. You'll see him playing left tackle, right tackle, out at tight end!" It was a solid pick.

No one got all excited: "Hey, this guard can pull, he can trap, he can drive. Who knows what Belichick will do with him!" Another solid pick.

No one enthused; "With these two safeties, there's no more free and strong, they are both athletic safeties that can cover, rush, and stuff the run!"

However, when Jones and Hightower step on the field, no one knows what Belichick will have them doing.

They can both cover.
They can both rush the passer.
They can both tackle.
They are smart.
They have a quick first step.

Jones is exactly the type of player Belichick can mold. He's versatile. He can play the elephant role. He can take on a tight end. He can learn from Belichick. Hightower can play inside or outside. He can QB a defense. With Mayo, they can swap positions, swap roles.

I'm very excited to watch these two players evolve in this defense.

I said in another thread that while I think Chandler Jones will be a solid pro, I'm not sure he's a superstar in the making and I don't think I would trade up to get him. I also said I'd be very happy to be proven wrong.

That said, I'm glad he's a Patriot. He's a really good player and he does have all kinds of potential. So we'll see.

I love the Hightower pick. That guy is a stud. So combined, adding these two guys really does help the defense a great deal, so I'm excited overall.

I think what BB should/will do with today's 2nd round picks is this: (1) try to trade one of them for a 1st rounder in next year's draft, and (2) try to trade the other one for, say, a 3rd and a 4th rounder in this year's draft. That way they keep four picks, but still manage to add their traditional extra first rounder for the following year.

RhodyPatriot said:

Think it finally occured to Bill that he's got maybe 3 more years with Brady as a top flight QB and the future is now for Super Bowl success.

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I think it's more a combination of the rookie wage cap kicking in and some linebackers that fit his schemes being available at a reasonable trade cost and it being a glaring need, but I'll accept that theory as being a small factor as well...

I know someone from cuse, he is a huge fan . If you cut his arm it may actually bleed orange . He is also a bills fan . Before the draft he txt me saying Jones is the one player he hopes the pats don't get. Said he is a workhorse , has a huge upside and is a great character guy.

Sounds like Kraft had a pretty cool phone call with Hightower:

"Dont'a, welcome. It's great to have you as a Patriot," Kraft said to Hightower, in a video posted by Patriots.com. "I know you were Captain of the [Crimson Tide] for two years. What I love in reading reports about you is how respectful you are of your mother. It really means a lot. It says something about the kind of guy you are. I know that [Alabama] Coach [Nick] Saban praised you. So we're excited to have you up here. We don't trade up too often. So I look forward to meeting you and seeing you here."

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Patriots Today - Inside the draft room

Expectations for the rookies

What do we expect from the rookies?

Reckedtrek said:

Rotate and keep them fresh all game/season long, injury insurance. Put Mayo outside from time to time... lots of ways! Flexibility is a great thing!

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Maybe this means the return of the "****tail party" formation.

Re: Expectations for the rookies

I'd like to see Chandler Jones worked in as a situational pass rusher on 3rd downs and see Hightower starting as a middle linebacker next to Mayo.

Though, I suspect that we'll see all kinds of crazy combinations with the front 7. The Patriots are going to move guys all over the place, it is going to really play havoc with the offensive line protection schemes.

I don't know which front we'll use as a base - but Hightower-Spikes-Mayo is the best set of LBs we've had in a long time. 34 or 43, those guys should be on the field together a lot. :rocker:

Wasn't able to watch last night so I'm kind of rushing to get all the information right now. I understand we gave up a 3rd and a 4th in these trade ups so there's only 2 more picks left and both in the 2nd round?

Looks like the trades were worthwhile though I'm pretty sure both of these guys could have gone top 15. AND they fill areas of need (if Hightower can play OLB). The front 7 is definitely gonna be nice, especially if Carter comes back healthy. Now just need a FS and we are pretty much set.

Watching some clips of Hightower, one thing that stand out is that he looks very explosive and fast, looks fantastic.

jlu52 said:

Coach and staff just freaking nailed it tonight. I believe they got exactly who they hoped they could get. Exciting days ahead for the Patriot's D!

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I think the trade-ups, but a few spots not packaging 1s to move up a ton of spots (for example), militates for that conclusion.

We're used to seeing them wait to see who falls... figuring, meh, we can get him later, or the moral equivalent... etc. ...or else targeting a specific position and type(s) of player they were able to grab sort of away from the spotlight (Gronk/Hernandez in '10...) It always seemed like sculpting best value and figuring out how it fit in, maybe emphasizing need (Dowling/Solder in 11) and picking their "best available" but definitely not trading up.

This time it looked like the ones they truly targeted were in reach and they figured hellyeah, we'll pull that trigger.

One thing I love about how they did it was they used 2011 picks to buy 2011 picks -- the "time value of money", with the currency being draft order, is excessive in the NFL draft. In the past the Pats have always scored big just by growing the value of picks into the future... this time they cashed some in, and then some.

Would not be surprised by anything (cuz it IS BB,) but I would certainly not be surprised to see them parley one of the 2s into ammo for the rest of the weekend. (You know... get another 2 and a 3 for 48, get a few more for the 2 and the 3, blah blah blah.)

Always fun & always interesting.

Now that the front 7 biz seems taken care of (I think), where do you guys think this is headed?

PatsFanInVa said:

I think the trade-ups, but a few spots not packaging 1s to move up a ton of spots (for example), militates for that conclusion.

We're used to seeing them wait to see who falls... figuring, meh, we can get him later, or the moral equivalent... etc. ...or else targeting a specific position and type(s) of player they were able to grab sort of away from the spotlight (Gronk/Hernandez in '10...) It always seemed like sculpting best value and figuring out how it fit in, maybe emphasizing need (Dowling/Solder in 11) and picking their "best available" but definitely not trading up.

This time it looked like the ones they truly targeted were in reach and they figured hellyeah, we'll pull that trigger.

One thing I love about how they did it was they used 2011 picks to buy 2011 picks -- the "time value of money", with the currency being draft order, is excessive in the NFL draft. In the past the Pats have always scored big just by growing the value of picks into the future... this time they cashed some in, and then some.

Would not be surprised by anything (cuz it IS BB,) but I would certainly not be surprised to see them parley one of the 2s into ammo for the rest of the weekend. (You know... get another 2 and a 3 for 48, get a few more for the 2 and the 3, blah blah blah.)

Always fun & always interesting.

Now that the front 7 biz seems taken care of (I think), where do you guys think this is headed?

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These are the kind of rational move ups Bill couldn't quite justify the value of prior to the new CBA because of the added cost of the $$$. Now smart teams will all be more likely to be moving around at least within range. I knew he wouldn't be packaging the two firsts or the two seconds to move way up. Too much value in the 10-70 range for that in this draft. I didn't think he'd be willing to part with both of the essentially day 3 picks mid draft picks, but he likely sees where he currently is as sitting right in the sweet spot of this draft. Will enable him to make 2 picks or trade back for the future while still ticking off some present day boxes because of the talent remaining on the board as tonight commences. He doesn't have the room or the need for the quantity some teams - including the cap strapped needy teams - are forced to focus on because he's built depth in prior drafts and through FA, especially FA this season.

If there are fits left I would think they would be at corner because you can never have too many (as long as they aren't inflexible and greedy like an Asante), and interior linemen on both sides of the ball. Developmental WR and RB could be added but I don't think you have to look at either at least where he sits. There will also be more FA available post draft and he's in great position financially to add more depth that way while many teams really aren't.

They needed to start infusing young, impact talent on this defense and he has already accomplished that in one evening. From here on out it's gravey train...IMO.

Salva135 said:

BB crushed a bunch of long-held axioms of BB strategy tonight and made a lot of people who argued he would "NEVER do this or that" look foolish. In BB we never know what's going to happen.

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Anyone who argues that BB would NEVER do anything looks foolish from the moment they make that statement.

I dunno you guys, bills fans don't seem to approve of our picks:

Good lord, the Pats just keep getting better - Buffalo Bills Forums

So let me get this straight...

The Pats* secondary was HORRIBLE last year. They lost one of their DE's to us and the other hasn't been signed yet. In a pass happy league they just drafted a LB who will probably come off the field in the Nickel and Dime packages.

They haven't addressed the secondary yet and replaced a DE. Personally I dont get the WOW, they can do no wrong.

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If Decasto was really a Pat* right now, I'd be a lot more concerned. But he isn't. Bellychick is still ignoring his biggest needs -- oline and secondary. Obviously, he knows what he is doing, but I would rather these picks than seeing NE countering our dline.

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OL is apparently our biggest need

Againts the run, yes Hightower could be good. But with all the passing and 4/5 WR sets, I doubt he see's the field in dime and nickel packages. Mayock made an interesting point about Bruce Irvin(as pass rush specialist), which I think also applies to Donta Hightower. He said 4-5 years ago a player like Irvin wouldn't see the field as much, but seeing as the league is passing much much more, he'll be on the field A LOT more. So, I understand that Hightower is great in run support and pass rush via blitz, but I think his effect is nuetralized because his cover skills are questionable. LB's and Safety's that can cover are all the rage in the NFL. In dime and nickel situations, a LB will have to come off the field, I doubt its Mayo and Brandon Spikes is a good LB in his own right. Just a thought.

Personally I think the Pats* crapped the bed. They didn't draft a CB(yet), they didn't draft a safety(yet) and they haven't drafted any lineman. There secondary was arguably the worst in the league last year. Matt Light is retiring and the rest of their line is aging fast(except N. Solder). Yes, they possibly replaced M. Anderson leaving with Jones. But they also drafted a run stuffing LB, which wasn't of great need. With 2 picks left in this years draft, they may in fact not fill the holes they need to.

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except for vollmer, cannon, mankins and solder our O Line is kind of old!!!

Plus one. If you look at their roster, they can use help everywhere except QB, TE, NT and LB. Their secondary was atrocious, they had little pass rush and lost Anderson, Ellis and Warren (latter two still available, however), their guards (esp. Waters) are getting old, their WR are ancient by NFL standards and they lost their best RB. That said, they made the SB last year obviously, but I finally expect the fall off we've all been waiting for for years, but we've said that before....

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Good lord, the Pats just keep getting worse! Jones and Hightower were players that weren't even on my radar. Bellicheck must be on drugs! What are they thinking?!

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I can't believe Belichick would draft players that weren't even on this guy's radar? must be meth

Im confused...were the Pats supposed to try and get WORSE in the draft?

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This, this, this, a thousand times this.

New England used to be a team that lived on their defense. Last year they were the worst in the league and at best they stayed even. Let's not forget their sack leader is now playing for us and there's NO WAY Jones has 10 sacks.

Their team is built around one guy, Tom Brady. If they don't keep him healthy their season is over. There's no Cassell riding a defense to an 11-5 season. If they don't put up 30 a game they're going to lose more than they win. They've got one freaking midget for a RB. Now Brady's best OT just retired and their other tackle is going to miss camp and potentially the season opener because of ACL surgery.

I hope the Patriots use all of their pics on defense!

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Not only can Mallet or Hoyer, in this poster's opinion, not carry Cassell's jock, but we no longer have the juggernaut defense we had coming off of the 2007 season...

Belichick knows his window with Brady is closing...hence collecting the high picks this year and doing everything he can to put a competent defense on the field. Don't know why any Bills fan is "worrying" about it, though. It's not as if we should expect the Pats* to not try to get better. I'm pretty optimistic about where the Bills are headed and that they've closed the gap on these jackasses.

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I was excited but the Bills fans have me worried, I think we have to worry about a second gap closing now

My wife went to be to watch TV last night (I figured American Idol or something), and when the Pats moved up to draft Jones I went up to fill her in and she was already watching . I was so proud..... I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.....

:rocker:

What that shows Tyrone is the poor knowledge the quoted Bills fans possess in regards to the Patriots roster beyond a couple of starters and statistics.