2015 Draft Prospect Thread

mayoclinic said:

I loved Thomas last year and wanted the Pats to take him with our late 3rd round pick and slot him to take over from Mankins at LG in 2015, but he was never a "high first round pick". He was an early day 3 pick who excelled at the Senior Bowl and whose stock rose into day 2, probably close to where Joel Bitonio ended up. We discussed him fairly extensively:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...d-he-be-value-now-later-in-the-draft.1108854/

It's possible that Thomas could have snuck into the late 1st round, but "high first round pick" is a bit off the mark.

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I agree with you 100% there. What happened is I forgot a comma. I was trying to say "high, first round pick" Considering I believe anything in the first two rounds to be a "high pick"

Its pretty obvious Cedric Obueghi is a much more talented player then Brandon Thomas ever was.
Even with the Torn ACL, I have a hard time seeing him slip out of the 2nd, and no way lasting to one of our picks is the end of the 3rd.

HawaiianPatsfan said:

I agree with you 100% there. What happened is I forgot a comma. I was trying to say "high, first round pick" Considering I believe anything in the first two rounds to be a "high pick"

Its pretty obvious Cedric Obueghi is a much more talented player then Brandon Thomas ever was.
Even with the Torn ACL, I have a hard time seeing him slip out of the 2nd, and no way lasting to one of our picks is the end of the 3rd.

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I wouldn't take him before the 3rd. But if he does somehow slip, we have extra picks, and can afford to use a "luxury" one - it's like getting a 2016 1st rounder.

Ogbuehi's draft stock has take a bit of a hit this season, and there are wildly differing scouting appraisals of him. He probably won't make it out of the 2nd round, but you never know.

mayoclinic said:

I wouldn't take him before the 3rd. But if he does somehow slip, we have extra picks, and can afford to use a "luxury" one - it's like getting a 2016 1st rounder.

Ogbuehi's draft stock has take a bit of a hit this season, and there are wildly differing scouting appraisals of him. He probably won't make it out of the 2nd round, but you never know.

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I agree. I think Id be just as on my feet as I was during this past weekend's game If he was still there, by the 80th pick (late/mid 3rd round) His season has been up and down, however he has all the physical tools of an elite Tackle. Thankfully even with Scar retired, I still believe this is one of the better coaching strengths of our team.

Each day I hope more C.Earving is still there when we pick with our 1st round pick. However after watching the D-line suffer these past few weeks, Im starting to hope a top DE falls out of thelate first. Regardless of what happens, I think we need to take one by the 2nd. Maybe Michael Bennett if he is still around in the late 2nd seeing he's played both DE & DT. Also I think we should consider looking into Leon Orr with one of our later picks. He's a good developmental prospect who made his mistakes.

HawaiianPatsfan said:

Each day I hope more C.Earving is still there when we pick with our 1st round pick. However after watching the D-line suffer these past few weeks, Im starting to hope a top DE falls out of thelate first. Regardless of what happens, I think we need to take one by the 2nd. Maybe Michael Bennett if he is still around in the late 2nd seeing he's played both DE & DT. Also I think we should consider looking into Leon Orr with one of our later picks. He's a good developmental prospect who made his mistakes.

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I've been a Cam Erving fan since last year, and had him high on my list all along, including earlier this season when he was struggling at LT and getting panned. With that said, I personally want to go DL in the 1st - TJ Clemmings is really the only guy who would tempt me on OL, depending on who is available. If Akeem Ayers isn't re-signed then an EDGE player would be a high priority. Even if Ayers is re-signed, I want another EDGE player, but not in the 1st; I'd go DT and try and get a true Wilfork successor, someone who can be paired with Dominique Easley in both base and sub packages, who is stout against the run and who can plug the middle, but who is also explosive and can penetrate. Eddie Goldman, Malcolm Brown and Jordan Phillips are the 3 who come to mind. I need to evaluate Ellis McCarthy more carefully, but his inconsistency scares me; Jarran Reed could be intriguing if he declares.

I'm not a huge Michael Bennett fan. I don't think he's anywhere near as explosive or versatile as Easley, and there are other guys I would prefer if we went with a DE/DT - Arik Amstead, Mario Edwards and Marcus Harrison all come to mind, though DeForest Buckner would leapfrog them all if he declares. But I probably prefer to go with a true DT and a DE/OLB EDGE player in the 2nd like Max Valles or Danielle Hunter. I also like the OL options that are likely to go day 2, particularly Jake Fisher and Jeremiah Poutasi. I'd consider trading up for Cam Erving if he's still on the board in the mid 2nd round, but I think that's very unlikely.

There are now three Terry Williams (NT, ECU) videos on Draft Breakdown. For the life of me, I cannot see what Jonathan Hankins or Louis Nix have on Williams. I have a second round grade on him; there isn't a part of his game that I consider a weakness. I can only think the red flags are pretty heinous for him to be considered little better than a late round UDFA type.

If you haven't acquainted yourself with Williams, I strongly urge that you do.

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/terry-williams

manxman2601 said:

There are now three Terry Williams (NT, ECU) videos on Draft Breakdown. For the life of me, I cannot see what Jonathan Hankins or Louis Nix have on Williams. I have a second round grade on him; there isn't a part of his game that I consider a weakness. I can only think the red flags are pretty heinous for him to be considered little better than a late round UDFA type.

If you haven't acquainted yourself with Williams, I strongly urge that you do.

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/terry-williams

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I have watched Williams. He caught my eye in the Virginia Tech game earlier this year. By far his best game I watched of his. My concern with him is that he is maxed out. I don't see a scenario where he improves greatly on what he is. Add on some injury concerns, off field issues, and lower competition and I still grade him out as a day 3 guy.

midwestpatsfan said:

I have watched Williams. He caught my eye in the Virginia Tech game earlier this year. By far his best game I watched of his. My concern with him is that he is maxed out. I don't see a scenario where he improves greatly on what he is. Add on some injury concerns, off field issues, and lower competition and I still grade him out as a day 3 guy.

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I don't need him to improve on what he is. He's a traditional, but quick and very athletic, NT who doesn't get moved by double teams and is a constant disruptive force. He'll improve because of NFL coaching but that's what I want him to be.

I will also be interested in seeing what Williams comes in at height wise. I look at last years draft and saw guys like Curran Reid, Ryan Carreathers, Justin Ellis go in Day 3 and Zach Kerr go undrafted. I think all 4 are more talented with more upside than Williams, but that is just my opinion.

manxman2601 said:

I don't need him to improve on what he is. He's a traditional, but quick and very athletic, NT who doesn't get moved by double teams and is a constant disruptive force. He'll improve because of NFL coaching but that's what I want him to be.

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I agree that that's what he is. If either of Wilfork or Branch isn't re-signed, I'd be very open to taking Goldman/Brown in the 1st and Terry Williams late day 3 if he's still on the board. I think that would be a nice combination - a - "traditional NT who doesn't get moved by double teams" and another guy who is more versatile and disruptive. Along with Easley, that would allow for a lot of mixing and matching:

- Goldman/Brown - Easley in most sub situations in a 2-4-5/4-2-5 hybrid.
- Goldman/Brown - Williams when you want a jumbo package inside for more run stopping,
- Goldman/Brown - Williams - Easley as the interior 3 in a 5-2 base, or part of a 4-3 Under, or as a 3-4 DL.

Say we were to win the superbowl, and Wilfork were to retire, how would you feel about using his Salary on Terrance Knighton?

HawaiianPatsfan said:

Say we were to win the superbowl, and Wilfork were to retire, how would you feel about using his Salary on Terrance Knighton?

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pay 8-9 mill for Knighton? NOT GOOD!

any love for Maxx Williams? The guy can do it all, he could be Gronk's partner in the 2-TE sets from day 1 as well as cover for Gronk if he went down again. I'd take him at #32 personally, of course dependent on who falls.

DraftBreakdown has film up of Max Valles against Pittsburgh:

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/max-valles-vs-pittsburgh-2014/

Rushes mainly out of a 2 point stance. Needs to get stronger - but remember, most of the time he's rushing from the left side and going up against TJ Clemmings, one of the best tackle prospects in the country. Gets his hands up well and clogs the passing lanes, has nice speed in pursuit. Not bad in run support. Does a nice job disengaging from his blocker to slide over and make a pick-6 INT.

Valles loses his share of the battles against Clemmings, but he makes a lot of plays, too. Good to see him go up against top competition.

Film from DraftBreakdown of Eddie Goldman against Louisville:

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/eddie-goldman-vs-louisville-2014/

Outstanding effort against the DT, destroys single matchups. Disruptive, good in pursuit. Lines up at several different spots.

DraftBreakdown film of Malcolm Brown against BYU:

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/malcom-brown-vs-byu-2014/

Solid, but I don't see the same explosiveness, power or athleticism that I see in the Goldman clip.

mayoclinic said:

Film from DraftBreakdown of Eddie Goldman against Louisville:

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/eddie-goldman-vs-louisville-2014/

Outstanding effort against the DT, destroys single matchups. Disruptive, good in pursuit. Lines up at several different spots.

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Thanks for the link Mayo. He certainly got a lot of attention from Louisville. Double-teamed on many plays. Didn't really beat them. But, that's no biggie. He's doing his job taking on two. I loved the play where he gets double-teamed the the RDE comes free and the rb runs inside of him without a finger being laid on him. I like him as a DT and not a NG. Not sure he's massive enough to be that VW NG type. But, as he gets stronger in his upper body. He'll get off those blocks better because he's got good feet. I believe he's only 3 years out of high school. DT is a tough position to break in at. For those worried about his stamina. He got a sack in the last minute of the game. From a 3-man rush. Rag-dolled the center. That was a very long game. I remember watching it live. I'm sure the injury against GT affected his play in The Rose Bowl.

patsfaninpa said:

Thanks for the link Mayo. He certainly got a lot of attention from Louisville. Double-teamed on many plays. Didn't really beat them. But, that's no biggie. He's doing his job taking on two. I loved the play where he gets double-teamed the the RDE comes free and the rb runs inside of him without a finger being laid on him. I like him as a DT and not a NG. Not sure he's massive enough to be that VW NG type. But, as he gets stronger in his upper body. He'll get off those blocks better because he's got good feet. I believe he's only 3 years out of high school. DT is a tough position to break in at. For those worried about his stamina. He got a sack in the last minute of the game. From a 3-man rush. Rag-dolled the center. That was a very long game. I remember watching it live. I'm sure the injury against GT affected his play in The Rose Bowl.

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I think Goldman isn't a pure NT, but he can play it reasonably effectively. I agree he's a DT. He reminds me a bit of Sylvester Williams, but better.

My thinking is that in sub you pair Goldman with Easley and have tremendous disruption inside, with 4 edge guys (DE/LBs) alternating between rushing and coverage around them. Easley can also drop into a zone at times to create more confusion. In base, I would probably put Goldman at LDE, whether it's a 3-4 or 4-3 Under, or as the left DT in a 5-2 (same as the 3-4, but 2 of the LB's come up on the line).

Leemo said:

any love for Maxx Williams? The guy can do it all, he could be Gronk's partner in the 2-TE sets from day 1 as well as cover for Gronk if he went down again. I'd take him at #32 personally, of course dependent on who falls.

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I'm in this camp too. I agree with what I sense is the prevailing opinion here that OG, DE, DT, and OT are bigger priorities (that's my thinking on the order of priority, depending greatly on what happens with Solder and Vollmer this offseason). I also share with everyone else whose posts I've read here the great hope that the Pats are not going to need to replace Revis or McCourty in the draft. I'm not optimistic at this point, however, about getting anyone at any of those line positions that can impact the team as much as a TE that would be a substantial upgrade over Hooman and Wright. The Pats have had the great fortune this year (knock wood) to have Gronk and Edelman pretty much all season, but as you said, going forward they'd be in a lot better shape with a partner/potential fill-in for Gronk than they would to have someone in the line or RB or WR rotation. For the next couple years I'd like to see them invest less round 1 - 3 draft capital on projects like Easley and Garappolo (though I'm a big fan of both picks at this point) and more on guys like Maxx Williams who I (with my woefully uninformed view) see as being capable of more immediate impacts.

Here's some footage from DraftBreakdown of Florida St. RT Bobby Hart (6'4" 339#), who played guard during the Shrine Game week and reportedly looked good:

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/bobby-hart-vs-notre-dame-2014/

Reminds me a bit of DJ Fluker. Probably better suited to RG than to tackle, but very interesting prospect.

Leemo said:

any love for Maxx Williams? The guy can do it all, he could be Gronk's partner in the 2-TE sets from day 1 as well as cover for Gronk if he went down again. I'd take him at #32 personally, of course dependent on who falls.

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I love Maxx Williams as a prospect, I truly do. However we have much greater team needs along both sides of our lines.

I may get a lot of **** for saying this, however as long as Colt Lyerla is a Free Agent. I hate the idea of us spending any draft pick on a TE this year, unless some how Maxx fell to the end of the 2nd, which will never happen..
I actually wrote a piece I was going to post about Colt and how NE could do wonders for the kid, and how he could do wonders for NE. I really wish bill would bring him to town and help him get his **** together.

ps. this means nothing at all, but you should see what I do with him and Gronk in my Madden Franchise mode. UNSTOPPABLE lmfao