2014 Draft Prospect Thread

Merril Hoge's Tie Knot said:

1. If I see something, I post it. I do think Boyd is going to represent great value.

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I was joking about you posting slow motion shots of your binky. Next you'll have him running into the sunset.

JayNM said:

If you are expecting a DL in the first round, you are crazy.

It is our #1 priority, so IT IS OBVIOUS that we won't draft anyone of the position until the 4th round

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I just don't think there are any worth drafting. Plus when you think about it, we are seeking a RESERVE only.

Watch from 02:03.

BB would love this guy.

Gruden's QB Camp: Teddy Bridgewater - ESPN Video - ESPN

AzPatsFan said:

I just don't think there are any worth drafting. Plus when you think about it, we are seeking a RESERVE only.

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Family Guy - Stewie "Say WHAAAT?" (HD) - YouTube

As regards the offensive line. I was just looking at the link between Patriots' OL and the vertical jump which seems to be a fairly strong link. Here's the information on as many significant/drafted Patriots' linemen that I could find. note, there's nothing for Matt Light, Ryan Wendell or Stephen Neal.

Sebastian Vollmer - 36.5
Nate Solder - 32
Nick Kaczur - 31.5
Marcus Cannon - 30.5
Thomas Welch - 29
Dan Connolly - 28.5
Clint Oldenburg - 30"
Corey Hilliard - 29"
Dan Koppen - 28.5"
Donald Thomas - 29.5"

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There's clearly a common theme there. In and around the 30" mark. And included here are most of the offensive linemen that have had some sort of significant role on our offense. If they aren't, themn they're players we've drafted under BB.

There are some that we've drafted that don't match up:

Ted Larsen - 26"
Ryan O'Callaghan - 26"
Dan Stevenson - 24.5"

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But I think it's reasonable to say that 28" and upwards is a pretty good indicator for what the Patriots look for in offensive linemen. Now, to transcribe that to this years draft:

Patchan, Matt - 33.5"
Bitonio, Joel - 32"
Matthews, Jake - 30.5"
Lewan, Taylor - 30.5"
Urschel, John - 29"
Thomas, Brandon - 29"
Leno Jr., Charles - 29"
Johnson, Wesley - 29"
James, Ja'Wuan - 29"
Jackson, Gabe - 29"
Bodine, Russell - 29"
Yankey, David - 28.5"
Robinson, Greg - 28.5"
Turner, Billy - 28"
Martin, Zack - 28"

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Notably, just outside is Trai Turner at 27.5".

Another name to keep an eye on is Kevin Pamphile of Purdue who jumped a 32" at his pro day. In fact, he had a very strong pro day all round:

The athletic 6-foot-4 1/2, 311-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 and 4.94 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.69 seconds. He had a 32-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot broad jump, also bench pressing 225 pounds 25 times.

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Purdue offensive lineman Pamphile on the rise | National Football Post

This is why I've been very interested in names like Bitonio, Patchan, Urschel and Leno since the combine.

Just some more OL names of note:

Weston Richburg - 26.5"
Travis Swanson - 26"
Marcus Martin - 22.5" (Pro day)
Xavire Su'a Filo - 25"
Seantrel Henderson - 24"
Cyril Richardson - 25.5"

If you compare Joel Bitonios combine with Mankins - Then Bitonios numbers are slightly better.

Luxusdk said:

If you compare Joel Bitonios combine with Mankins - Then Bitonios numbers are slightly better.

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Yup. The question is, as we already have Mankins, is BB going to draft another one just yet? Bitonio sure has the feel of a future Mankins replacement type player.

manxman2601 said:

Yup. The question is, as we already have Mankins, is BB going to draft another one just yet? Bitonio sure has the feel of a future Mankins replacement type player.

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Given that we need a Guard (if Connelly moves back to Center), isn't it OK to have two of them until Mankins moves on ?

BelichickFan said:

Given that we need a Guard (if Connelly moves back to Center), isn't it OK to have two of them until Mankins moves on ?

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Absolutely. Bitonio has been near the top of my list for a while. The only thing I would say is that we tend to just plug people in to that RG spot. It's clearly not that highly valued by BB.

manxman2601 said:

Absolutely. Bitonio has been near the top of my list for a while. The only thing I would say is that we tend to just plug people in to that RG spot. It's clearly not that highly valued by BB.

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Sure but even the hoodie may have seen the light. Centers and Gaurds might be more importent then Tackles in todays nfl.

Luxusdk said:

Sure but even the hoodie may have seen the light. Centers and Gaurds might be more importent then Tackles in todays nfl.

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He might have but that's pure guesswork. There is no evidence to support that. I am only going on what I see evidence for and that suggests, and I stress suggests, that he won't draft an interior lineman high. He might change direction, for sure, but I base my analysis only on how I interpret the evidence available. I'm not saying that's the right approach, it's just my approach.

Great research Manx. I can now see why my fears of O'Callahan & Stevenson being
awful draft picks were soon enough confirmed.

Regarding Bitonio, he could also serve as our Swing Tackle (or 4th OT if Svitek is
re-signed) until a spot is ready for him.

captain stone said:

Great research Manx. I can now see why my fears of O'Callahan & Stevenson being
awful draft picks were soon enough confirmed.

Regarding Bitonio, he could also seerve as our Swing Tackle (or 4th OT if Svitek is
re-signed) until a spot is ready for him.

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Absolutely. I am absolutely fine with them drafting Bitonio, he's my favourite OL prospect. I just wonder whether BB will because he tends not to value interior OL that highly in terms of the draft.. That's my only question mark.

Some tape of Concordia's Zach Moore who we've worked out as a DE.

Senior Season

ASU RB Marion Grice is someone I feel is a real possibility for the Pats. He's 6,0" and 208lbs, he's a former WR, has only fumbled once in two years and is a good receiving threat. Matt Waldman who tends to like players that end up as Patriots (Shane Vereen, Kenbrell Thompkins) talks about Grice below:

Boiler Room: Arizona State RB Marion Grice | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio


He hasn't worked out yet because of a broken fibula. Is apparently having a private pro day on Apr 8th. Apparently we've already talked to him though.

manxman2601 said:

As regards the offensive line. I was just looking at the link between Patriots' OL and the vertical jump which seems to be a fairly strong link.

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Yes! It's always the first measure I look for. In the past I've referred to the Pat's OL as "the Olympic high jump team, super-heavyweight edition."

Cannon's a particularly telling example because most of his other measurables were lousy.

captain stone said:

Great research Manx. I can now see why my fears of O'Callahan & Stevenson being awful draft picks were soon enough confirmed.

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Right on, captain. The fact that those 2 draft picks were anomalies, deviating from the Patriots' unusual but well-established approach to evaluating o-linemen, was the problem.

So basically you're saying that the Pats' normal draft approach is the best, and they should stick with it! Love your positive attitude!

I have been rewatching many of the tight ends in this draft and the two guys I keep coming back to are Marcel Jensen and Crockett Gilmore. Jensen seems like the biggest threat on those deep seam passes and Gilmore reminds me so much of a lesser Gronk.

Am I the only person that sees Gronk in Gilmore?