***THE OFFICIAL 2015 NFL Rounds 4-7draft thread ***

shmessy said:

Evidently these guys have been drinking since the Richards pick last night:

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Looks like Gronk spent the night in a van down by the river.

DefenseRules said:

Not for nothing but they could have picked him later in the draft.

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At this point in the draft that could be said about every player who gets drafted.

primetime said:

I listed Cardona as a guy that made too much sense in the 6th round, but it was pointed out to me that the service academies now have a strict 2 year commitment policy. Cardona will be a good Reserve-Military stash but I don't see the point in drafting him in the 5th round when he's a long snapper who won't be available until 2017-8.

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Is this serious??? I thought it to be a decent pick, but if this is indeed true, and all jokes aside, it is a a very stupid pick

Awesome, because long snapping isn't a skill that will be greatly diminished from 2 years of not playing football. Luckily in 2 years we'll have a guy who can barely compete for the least important role on the roster.

This is a BB Navy charity pick.

jays52 said:

Actually, I think it demonstrates the opposite. He knows that he's gotten his guys so he takes the best guy at a position of need from a program he legitimately loves. He gives a kid a great honor and contributes back to an institution he has affection for. It happens with successful people in every vocation on earth. Do your job then have a little fun and enjoy the perks of power. Good for him.

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We also won't see this guy for many years, so he really doesn't fill a need. Unless the need still exists 4 years from now.

JayNM said:

Gronk had to be drunk to choose this outfit

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Or Brady and the other guys tricked him into thinking that's the kind of stuff they'd be wearing and Gronk is too dense to realize what's going on.

Deus Irae said:

Chiefs and Ravens are rumored to have been interested, and they each had multiple comp picks coming at the end of the round.

I'll bag on the pick a bit, mostly for fun, but the pick looks better than Gronk's suit.

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Exactly........the object is to outwit your opponent.....and BB has a knack of jumping in front of Baltimore. NE got the best LS.......that's a win in my book. Years back, BB jumped in early with his surplus of extra picks and got Ghost. With extra picks and foresight, you build quality depth. Would you rather hit the waiver wire to fill special teams rolls. Not BB.

If he is allowed to play, it is excellent news. Aiken was seriously going to cost us a game...Allen should be paid danger money.

PatsFanInVa said:

Maybe it's worth seeing what happens between now and opening day. You're counting on Shaq and/or Jackson just pushing Connolly into the sunset & the team moving on. You really think these picks are the death knell?

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I just think that between the Pats having not re-signed him yet, and then drafting two interior linemen within the first four rounds, that Connolly is probably not in their plans. And as I said elsewhere, from Connolly's perspective that means the chances of his making the Pats' roster dropped; it is extremely rare that a player taken in rounds 1-4 is cut as a rookie in training camp.

shmessy said:

ummmm.so you are kicking out Connolly and Kline, but keeping Devey????????

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I don't know why I didn't include Devey in that post. His name did come to mind, but my brain fortunately immediately flushed him from my thoughts. Replacing Devey and Kline is a nice upgrade.

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart at start of 2014 season:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Josh Kline --- Marcus Cannon
C: Ryan Wendell --- Chris Barker --- Bryan Stork
RG: Dan Connolly --- Marcus Cannon
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Marcus Cannon --- Cameron Fleming

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart at end of 2014 season:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Dan Connolly --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
C: Bryan Stork --- Ryan Wendell --- Dan Connolly
RG: Ryan Wendell --- Josh Kline --- Jordan Devey
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Marcus Cannon --- Cameron Fleming

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart after 2015 draft:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Tre' Jackson --- Marcus Cannon --- Chris Barker
C: Bryan Stork --- Ryan Wendell --- Joe Cardona
RG: Ryan Wendell --- Shaq Mason --- Josh Kline --- Jordan Devey
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Cameron Fleming --- Caylin Hauptmann

Obviously some of the current depth chart is up in the air - not only with the rookie draft picks, but with returning players like Wendell, Cannon and Fleming - but the bottom line is that the Patriots' offensive line has improved over where it was 365 days ago.

rochrist said:

Dobson is a Marshall guy. Or did you just mean the state in general?

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State in general. I lived in Morgantown for 8 years and went to most games while I was there. I now live close to Marshall. Right down from where Dobson grew up. He has life long friends here that talk glowingly about him. Can't help but be a fan.

jays52 said:

Actually, I think it demonstrates the opposite. He knows that he's gotten his guys so he takes the best guy at a position of need from a program he legitimately loves. He gives a kid a great honor and contributes back to an institution he has affection for. It happens with successful people in every vocation on earth. Do your job then have a little fun and enjoy the perks of power. Good for him.

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So they get a great long snapper in two years. Not like there are a lot of available roster spots right now.

a guy from navy...total steal.

jmt57 said:

I just think that between the Pats having not re-signed him yet, and then drafting two interior linemen within the first four rounds, that Connolly is probably not in their plans. And as I said elsewhere, from Connolly's perspective that means the chances of his making the Pats' roster dropped; it is extremely rare that a player taken in rounds 1-4 is cut as a rookie in training camp.


I don't know why I didn't include Devey in that post. His name did come to mind, but my brain fortunately immediately flushed him from my thoughts. Replacing Devey and Kline is a nice upgrade.



New England Patriots OL Depth Chart after 2015 draft:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Tre' Jackson --- Marcus Cannon --- Chris Barker
C: Bryan Stork --- Ryan Wendell --- Joe Cardona
RG: Ryan Wendell --- Shaq Mason --- Josh Kline --- Jordan Devey
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Cameron Fleming --- Caylin Hauptmann

Obviously some of the current depth chart is up in the air - not only with the rookie draft picks, but with returning players like Wendell, Cannon and Fleming - but the bottom line is that the Patriots' offensive line has improved over where it was 365 days ago.

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Putting Cardona there?? really?? Guy is a long snapper.. Doesn't have the body to play center on the regular line.. That will be Shaq Mason if anyone..

JayNM said:

Is this serious??? I thought it to be a decent pick, but if this is indeed true, and all jokes aside, it is a a very stupid pick

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Yeah. They can take leave for training camp and then they have to do 2 years. It was instituted in 2008. Unless Belichick can call in a big favor, Cardona's in camp then on the Reserve-Military list until 2017.

TBR said:

He won't be able to play for 2 years

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Naval ADSO is 5 years upon commission.

Cardona can and probably will be called to serve at some point for the next two years. I wouldn't project him to do anything on this team.

Congrats to BB and the Patriots for drafting Joe Cardona..The guy forever will have some great stories to tell among them being drafted by the Superbowl Champion New England Patriots!

TomPatriot said:

Naval ADSO is 5 years upon commission.

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Standing directive from DOD allows players on a professional sports roster (i.e. Reserve-Military) or who receive a contract offer from a professional sports team to apply for early release after 2 years of commitment, but it absolutely requires a 2 year commitment. Leave can be taken for training camp in the first season. In other words, Cardona will be in camp this summer and then on Reserve-Military until 2017 training camp.

Sticky Caulk said:

Cardona can and probably will be called to serve at some point for the next two years. I wouldn't project him to do anything on this team.

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He can try to defer his enrollment.

jmt57 said:

I just think that between the Pats having not re-signed him yet, and then drafting two interior linemen within the first four rounds, that Connolly is probably not in their plans. And as I said elsewhere, from Connolly's perspective that means the chances of his making the Pats' roster dropped; it is extremely rare that a player taken in rounds 1-4 is cut as a rookie in training camp.

I don't know why I didn't include Devey in that post. His name did come to mind, but my brain fortunately immediately flushed him from my thoughts. Replacing Devey and Kline is a nice upgrade.

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart at start of 2014 season:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Josh Kline --- Marcus Cannon
C: Ryan Wendell --- Chris Barker --- Bryan Stork
RG: Dan Connolly --- Marcus Cannon
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Marcus Cannon --- Cameron Fleming

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart at end of 2014 season:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Dan Connolly --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
C: Bryan Stork --- Ryan Wendell --- Dan Connolly
RG: Ryan Wendell --- Josh Kline --- Jordan Devey
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Marcus Cannon --- Cameron Fleming

New England Patriots OL Depth Chart after 2015 draft:
LT: Nate Solder --- Marcus Cannon --- Jordan Devey
LG: Tre' Jackson --- Marcus Cannon --- Chris Barker
C: Bryan Stork --- Ryan Wendell --- Joe Cardona
RG: Ryan Wendell --- Shaq Mason --- Josh Kline --- Jordan Devey
RT: Sebastian Vollmer --- Cameron Fleming --- Caylin Hauptmann

Obviously some of the current depth chart is up in the air - not only with the rookie draft picks, but with returning players like Wendell, Cannon and Fleming - but the bottom line is that the Patriots' offensive line has improved over where it was 365 days ago.

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Agree, with the enormous caveats:
After 2015 draft, before one snap in training camp, Assuming Connolly's gone, Assuming that Cardona is C3 only because you need him somewhere to have the LS somewhere on the squad. He weights 240something.

I'm not attached to Connolly especially. Just not counting him gone until he's gone.