Dominique Easley - what it could mean.

Not really concerned about his knees given he has new ACL's and if his surgery occurred in October, he should be ready for training camp.
What I really like about this pick is the instant upgrade to the 3rd down interior pass rush which was the most glaring weakness IMHO.
We really won't have to wait to see this kid make an impact as a pass rusher.
Plus, I just really prefer to hear a rookie say he just wants to come in and work hard and do whatever coach asks of him versus some ego-filled kid talking about how he wants to come in and showcase his talents or become a pro-bowler.

@Eric_Edholm: I believe #Cowboys had Dominique Easley very high on their board. Might have been the pick had Martin not slid.

Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/eric_edholm/status/464738114494152705

patfanken said:

4. I think that they would have traded the pick in a nano-second if the opportunity arose, but when it didn't, they went for the best guy on THEIR board, and it was Easly. Lets hope that ACL surgery is like Tommy John surgery and players actually get better once its done.

Click to expand...

I had heard that the Pats could have traded out of the first round, but they REALLY wanted Easley and were concerned that if they traded out they'd have missed on him. So they decided to stay put instead.

If that story is true, then THIS is the guy they wanted all along.

Thanks to @manxman2601 for bringing this feature up on the draft board that draft breakdown has, here's some Easley:

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=246440&gif=EnergeticSimilarBluebottle

I was on another message board last night and our pick caused Seattle to trade out since they were targeting Easley at 32. Easley could be the most underrated player drafted in the 1st even though I was hoping for Bucannon until Arizona took him. IMHO, Bucannon seems to be a Rodney Harrison clone.

FWIW, BB is 4 for 4 when drafting a DL with the first pick (Seymour, Wilkfork, Warren, Chandler).

I think the idea is that we have the ability to bring Easly along slowly, and work him into the rotation as he learns the system and at the same time, finish recuperating.

Sound investment, IMHO.

Big-T said:

Thanks to @manxman2601 for bringing this feature up on the draft board that draft breakdown has, here's some Easley:

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=246440&gif=EnergeticSimilarBluebottle

Click to expand...

Yes, that's funny. Hopefully he'll keep doing that here.

In some of the articles I've read about Easley, it has been mentioned that he's undersized and could use more bulk. He's already pretty thick. I'm not sure he could maintain his speed and quickness with anymore bulk. Gotta love that he never gives up on a play.

The esteemed Mike Tanier looks at Easley and includes this, "Among defenders in this year's draft, only Jadeveon Clowney has as much upside as Easley."

http://www.sportsonearth.com/articl...nfl-career-injuries-acl-florida-gators#!LrvbR

I like this part, IMO effort creates more pressure than speed.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2014positionreviewDE.php

Motor:
NFL prototype: Jared Allen, Vikings

1. Dominique Easley
2. Ben Gardner
3. Scott Crichton
4. Kony Ealy
5. Jadeveon Clowney
6. Stephon Tuitt
7. Ed Stinson
8. Kareem Martin

Recap: Prospects who show a lack of effort can get knocked quickly by coaches when they start evaluating players. Coaches have zero patience for players who dog it. Conversely, a great motor will help players who may be short on athletic ability. This draft class has a lot of good motors amongst the early-round prospects.

Easley was utterly relentless in 2013 and displayed perhaps the best motor in college football. He never quit on plays and was always around the ball.

Never quits
Full Tilt Full Time undersized Tedy Bruschi style

Should we not expect much from him recovering from ACL and being a rookie? Would be sooo nice to have another interior pass rusher next season. All we had was Chris Jones (aside from Chandler moving inside) and he wasn't even in the same zipcode as Peyton Manning.

"He dances between snaps, wears a heavy chain to take onto the field and carries a Chucky Doll to games."

Hmmm sounds like something Spikes would do. I guess a DT has to be whacked.

http://seahawksdraftblog.com/final-draft-notes-chancellor-injured-seahawks-cheat-sheet

ps. where the heck is the quote button in this new format??

Gronkandez said:

"He dances between snaps, wears a heavy chain to take onto the field and carries a Chucky Doll to games."

Hmmm sounds like something Spikes would do. I guess a DT has to be whacked.

http://seahawksdraftblog.com/final-draft-notes-chancellor-injured-seahawks-cheat-sheet

ps. where the heck is the quote button in this new format??

Click to expand...

You click +Quote at the bottom of a post, it's next to Reply. Then you click inside quotes at the bottom of the screen below where you post.

Froob said:

Should we not expect much from him recovering from ACL and being a rookie? Would be sooo nice to have another interior pass rusher next season. All we had was Chris Jones (aside from Chandler moving inside) and he wasn't even in the same zipcode as Peyton Manning.

Click to expand...

Obviously the injuries are a factor, but it seems like more often than not the Pats first round picks start contributing right away. Some exceptions were Meriweather, who wasn't playing much until late season, and maybe Wilfork and Maroney who were easing in behind top veteran starters (which admittedly might be the case here with Easley too). Aside from them though, Seymour, Mankins, Mayo, Jones, Hightower, McCourty, Solder, and maybe Warren (?) all had significant roles pretty early on in their rookie season.

Everything I'm reading about this kid is talking about motor, drive, and effort. Ray Lewis went on the type of rant that only Ray Lewis can about how amazing Easley's effort level was and how he's really talented but everyone in the NFL is talented and it takes a special kind of effort level to be a star in the NFL and Easley has that.

Bob McGinn from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, who has one of the better draft guides every year because he talks to actual scouts and coaches about players, had this:

6. DOMINIQUE EASLEY, Florida (6-1½, 288, 5.0, 2-3) — Blew out his left ACL late in 2011 and his right ACL last season in practice after three games. "The knees are OK with us," one scout said. "That's what will make him fall to the second round or maybe early third." Penetrating style of DT best suited for 4-3 teams. "He's as good as (Aaron) Donald," another scout said. "Really a good player." Started 26 of 32 games, finishing with 72 tackles (18 for loss) and 5½ sacks. "Plays hard," a third scout said. "When he hits it right, he's disruptive. But he's disruptive both ways. He'll get knocked out of the hole. He'll get gashed. Hurt all the time. He has five career sacks. We've got people here who love him." From Staten Island, N.Y. Added another scout: "Even big, strong guys have trouble with him because he's in their pads so fast. He can create inversion. That's how he survives. Big guys will wash him. He gets swallowed."

A couple of things...

1. Easley showed he can come back and quickly from a knee injury. He's a workout warrior.

2. He was playing his way into a top 10 pick before he blew out his other ACL (which was due to the fact that a Miami OL rolled up on it).

3. He'll be wearing braces on both knees.

4. He was dominant upon coming back from ACL a year ago and spearheaded the Gators entire defense. They literally fell apart without him.

That said, I would have much preferred him in the second round. He was one of my binkies, but the first round is a reach. If the Seahawks had legitimate interest and he was Bill's absolute binky, then I can see the reason why the Pats did it... especially since DT pickings are slim in this draft. But it was still a reach. I have confidence that he can come back from it, but I'm not sure he can be as absolutely dominant and win one on one match-ups with the regularity that he did in college. Easley's attack is based on one of the fastest first steps I have literally ever seen for a DT (even with a previously torn ACL). But now that he's had two repaired, is he going to have that same quick first step? If he does, the Pats have what could be a dominant pass rusher lining up at the 3-technique. He has to work on anchoring against the run, though, and should not be on the field during running downs when he first comes into the league. In all, if the knees hold up (the braces should help but how much they slow his first step is a good question), it's a sound pick. Hopefully the team knocks it out of the park at other positions of need.

bagwell368 said:

I'd say that we are not moving from 3-4 to 4-3. The move is already complete. Wonder if BB would have signed VW if he knew he'd draft Easley?

Also to whomever said a 2nd round Center - hope not. 5th-7th round Centers not much less than the top 2-3 kids are out there. Meanwhile we could use 2nd-5th round talent at: S, OG or OT, LB (or two), RB, TE, and a SE more than C.

Click to expand...

Problem is that there are not any more really good safeties left in this draft. You'd be hoping to hit on guys that were just decent in college at the position, a CB conversion in the later rounds, or a hybrid like KPL. That position got absolutely plundered last night so we had better hope that there is a diamond in the rough somewhere or that Harmon is the real deal. Otherwise, we may see another season where Patrick Chung is just a couple of seconds too late to the play and/or is missing tackles like it's going out of style

And one more thing, it doesn't look good when you're appealing to authority about a draft pick and you can't even spell the guy's name right.

Gronkandez said:

"He dances between snaps, wears a heavy chain to take onto the field and carries a Chucky Doll to games."

Click to expand...

The Tennessee game where I got that gif of him rolling down the line pre-snap he was dancing & stuff before getting into his stance. He does the roll a couple of times too, pretty fun watching him be all light hearted then the second the ball is snapped BANG 100% effort, relentless until the play is finished.