2016 Draft Prospect Thread

I.M. Fletcher · Feb 4, 2016

Here is a really good video breakdown of braxton miller. It brings to light some of my concerns while pointing out the potential as well.

Also, if you aren't following Matt waldman, he's one of the best out there.

midwestpatsfan · Feb 4, 2016

I.M. Fletcher said:
Here is a really good video breakdown of braxton miller. It brings to light some of my concerns while pointing out the potential as well.

Also, if you aren't following Matt waldman, he's one of the best out there.

Yup, that was a good breakdown by Matt. I second Fletcher's thoughts, Waldman is a must follow.

patsinthesnow · Feb 5, 2016

Something I now do for fun in free time while waiting for the draft. Trying to learn and one day get on the level of Manx, OTG, midwest, etc. Hope to make one profile a day leading up to the draft and then see my stupidity years later.

Sterling Shepard - Pro Football Hub
Derrick Henry - Pro Football Hub

manxman2601 · Feb 5, 2016

patsinthesnow said:
Something I now do for fun in free time while waiting for the draft. Trying to learn and one day get on the level of Manx, OTG, midwest, etc. Hope to make one profile a day leading up to the draft and then see my stupidity years later.

Sterling Shepard - Pro Football Hub
Derrick Henry - Pro Football Hub

The comparison of Shepherd to Jonathan Baldwin is interesting on that profile. He, of course, was the guy BB preferred to Julio Jones.

manxman2601 · Feb 5, 2016

Christian Westerman is a very nice prospect as a LG. very good feet and athleticism. He and Shaq Mason at RG would be one of the most athletic interior OLs in the NFL (Lance Zierlein compares Westerman to Alex Mack). And therein might lie the problem for Westerman. At 297lbs, he might be suited for center. But in a pure zone blocking system, he could be outstanding.

There's some very interesting OGs in this draft. I'm quite taken with the idea of adding a LG, moving to Shaq to RG and having Jackson as a backup.

One final thought which I've mentioned before. ESPN have Cody Whitehair as their 65th overall. Zierlein, again, has a 1st round grade on him with this summary:

NFL COMPARISON
Zack Martin
BOTTOM LINE
With his combination of functional strength and body control, Whitehair might be one of the safest offensive linemen in the entire draft. He will almost assuredly be bumped inside to guard, but could be considered at center as well. He has the confidence and talent to start right away and his run blocking should improve as he gets more comfortable firing out from a three-point stance. Whitehair has the ability to be a very good starter with a ceiling that could reach the all-pro level.

Cody Whitehair Draft Profile – NFL.com

A LG prospect I would absolutely consider with our 60th pick.

luuked · Feb 7, 2016

manxman2601 said:
The comparison of Shepherd to Jonathan Baldwin is interesting on that profile. He, of course, was the guy BB preferred to Julio Jones.

I know that you know that but I still feel the urge to say it out loud.

Belichick didn't like him over Jones, it really was about the draft resources that it took to get Julio Jones. If both are available at the same spot I doubt that anyone would have any question who to take..

manxman2601 · Feb 7, 2016

Scooby Wright's going to be a Patriot. On the other hand he could be off the Pats board. Horrible athleticism, misses too many tackles but he could very well be the smartest man on the field. Amazing instincts, always seems to know where the play is going. He's probably going to be a two down guy/backup but I could also see them bulk him up and use him as a Hightower replacement if they don't bring Hightower back. For now he can replace Mayo on the roster.

luuked · Feb 7, 2016

I.M. Fletcher said:
Here is a really good video breakdown of braxton miller. It brings to light some of my concerns while pointing out the potential as well.

Also, if you aren't following Matt waldman, he's one of the best out there.

Thanks for that YouTube channel. Am about to watch his 49 minute Shepard video...

luuked · Feb 7, 2016

manxman2601 said:
Scooby Wright's going to be a Patriot. On the other hand he could be off the Pats board. Horrible athleticism, misses too many tackles but he could very well be the smartest man on the field. Amazing instincts, always seems to know where the play is going. He's probably going to be a two down guy/backup but I could also see them bulk him up and use him as a Hightower replacement if they don't bring Hightower back. For now he can replace Mayo on the roster.

Quite honestly I always felt like the sort of player that your are describing has skills that are at least as important as pure athleticism.

Yes, those rare true blue chip players have both (see Kuechley or Collins) but when I see some player's draft stock fall dramatically because they are a fraction of a second slower than others I just wonder how much of that disadvantage someone that processes information considerably faster can gain back.

manxman2601 · Feb 7, 2016

luuked said:
Quite honestly I always felt like the sort of player that your are describing has skills that are at least as important as pure athleticism.

Yes, those rare true blue chip players have both (see Kuechley or Collins) but when I see some player's draft stock fall dramatically because they are a fraction of a second slower than others I just wonder how much of that disadvantage someone that processes information considerably faster can gain back.

I tend to value athleticism pretty highly because, lets face it, the NFL is a step up athletically. But sometimes brains and instincts matter too. Wright has those in abundance, but I wouldn't want him in single coverage on a RB. But then Mayo and freely aren't exactly coverage linebackers either. Stick Wright in zone coverage in the middle of the field and he latches onto any receiver in his vicinity.

Apparently he's down to 238lbs which is disappointing. Presumably so that he doesn't stink up the combine. I'd far rather see him at 255lbs (he got to 254 so it's not impossible).

luuked · Feb 7, 2016

manxman2601 said:
I tend to value athleticism pretty highly because, lets face it, the NFL is a step up athletically. But sometimes brains and instincts matter too. Wright has those in abundance, but I wouldn't want him in single coverage on a RB. But then Mayo and freely aren't exactly coverage linebackers either. Stick Wright in zone coverage in the middle of the field and he latches onto any receiver in his vicinity.

Apparently he's down to 238lbs which is disappointing. Presumably so that he doesn't stink up the combine. I'd far rather see him at 255lbs (he got to 254 so it's not impossible).

I get that.. it's just that very often we talk how a difference of 0.3-0.5 seconds can make or break a player in terms of him either being a starter or just practice squad material. And I understand why this is and it somewhat makes sense. The only interesting point for me is that we don't really have any good standardized way to estimate a player's situational 'processing time'. In most cases we just call it "great instinct".

Gabriel_p94 · Feb 7, 2016

manxman2601 said:
I tend to value athleticism pretty highly because, lets face it, the NFL is a step up athletically. But sometimes brains and instincts matter too. Wright has those in abundance, but I wouldn't want him in single coverage on a RB. But then Mayo and freely aren't exactly coverage linebackers either. Stick Wright in zone coverage in the middle of the field and he latches onto any receiver in his vicinity.

Apparently he's down to 238lbs which is disappointing. Presumably so that he doesn't stink up the combine. I'd far rather see him at 255lbs (he got to 254 so it's not impossible).

I see you guys talking about scooby wright as a potential addition to the lb core. But what do you guys think of sua cravens or jayron kearse as potential hybrid players. I think either could take the role of covering tight ends or backs which could free up Jamie Collins to do what he does and make plays. But I know it might be difficult to land either due to where we are picking.

manxman2601 · Feb 7, 2016

luuked said:
I get that.. it's just that very often we talk how a difference of 0.3-0.5 seconds can make or break a player in terms of him either being a starter or just practice squad material. And I understand why this is and it somewhat makes sense. The only interesting point for me is that we don't really have any good standardized way to estimate a player's situational 'processing time'. In most cases we just call it "great instinct".

I agree. it's just something you see on tape. It's not a perfect science. Paul Dawson had those instincts last year and a lousy combine and he fell to the end of the third. I've seen Wright compared to a less athletic Kuechly or a Chris Borland and whilst those comps are OK, it's the typical white man comp syndrome. Wright and Dawson might not be perfect comps in terms of playing style but they're both similar in terms of impact linebackers with questionable athleticism. the 3rd round comp could be where we might grab Wright.

manxman2601 · Feb 7, 2016

Gabriel_p94 said:
I see you guys talking about scooby wright as a potential addition to the lb core. But what do you guys think of sua cravens or jayron kearse as potential hybrid players. I think either could take the role of covering tight ends or backs which could free up Jamie Collins to do what he does and make plays. But I know it might be difficult to land either due to where we are picking.

i think Cravens goes too high, and Kearse, someone that interested me earlier in the year, just isn't very good. We already have our hybrid in Chung although I'd be fine with a really athletic undersized linebacker. Deion Jones is my choice for that role.

HawaiianPatsfan · Feb 8, 2016

Currently my favorite RB prospect. Yes, there are running backs I like much better i.e (elliot). When I say “favorite “ Im generally speaking about a player who I like as a prospect, and will/should be going in the rounds (3-6th) Which I feel are worthy of spending the amount of draft capital on.

Kelvin Taylor RB Florida

5’10 215lbs.

Kelvin Taylor, 22, is the son of former NFL star, and former New England Patriot RB Fred Taylor. He’s a 3 year player out of Florida. He’s a Former 5 Star recruit and the #1 RB prospect in that HS class (2013) He broke Emmit Smiths Florida HS rushing record (since broken by Derick Henry)

During his time in florida, he was a fairly productive player on a horrible offense, despite constantly having a revolving door with both coaches and QB’s during his 3 years down in the swamp.

When I watch his tape, I like a lot of what I see. He posses a good combination of size, strength, and balance. He has good vision and makes smart decision is his cuts when running between the tackles. He also appears to have great ability too quickly turn the edge and head upfield when running sideline to sideline. He has a real hard running style, it reminds me of the way todd Gurley runs with initial patience and then a huge burst of explosion. He's also moving forward when carries the ball, something I highly admire in runners.

I really like him as a prospect. If he’s sitting there in the 4th, I think he would be a good pick. With only 486 carries in his college career, he is a young physical player with low mileage. Oh it also helps that he never fumbled once in his 3 year career at florida.

Ill let you guys do some more research on the man.

midwestpatsfan · Feb 8, 2016

patsinthesnow said:
Something I now do for fun in free time while waiting for the draft. Trying to learn and one day get on the level of Manx, OTG, midwest, etc. Hope to make one profile a day leading up to the draft and then see my stupidity years later.

Sterling Shepard - Pro Football Hub
Derrick Henry - Pro Football Hub

Nice layout and setup. I wish I was a little more handy with computers as I have all these ideas for my own profiles but just not sure how to do them. One of these days I will sit down and learn......maybe.

midwestpatsfan · Feb 8, 2016

manxman2601 said:
Christian Westerman is a very nice prospect as a LG. very good feet and athleticism. He and Shaq Mason at RG would be one of the most athletic interior OLs in the NFL (Lance Zierlein compares Westerman to Alex Mack). And therein might lie the problem for Westerman. At 297lbs, he might be suited for center. But in a pure zone blocking system, he could be outstanding.

There's some very interesting OGs in this draft. I'm quite taken with the idea of adding a LG, moving to Shaq to RG and having Jackson as a backup.

One final thought which I've mentioned before. ESPN have Cody Whitehair as their 65th overall. Zierlein, again, has a 1st round grade on him with this summary:

Cody Whitehair Draft Profile – NFL.com

A LG prospect I would absolutely consider with our 60th pick.

If Whitehair fell to the Patriots pick in the 2nd I would think they would run up to get the card in. I never would be so excited for a Guard pick.

midwestpatsfan · Feb 8, 2016

manxman2601 said:
i think Cravens goes too high, and Kearse, someone that interested me earlier in the year, just isn't very good. We already have our hybrid in Chung although I'd be fine with a really athletic undersized linebacker. Deion Jones is my choice for that role.

Jones is a guy I am targeting at 60. I think under BB he could do so many different things and allow others to do different things. He is the type of guy I wanted the Patriots to take last year. I really like the potential talent that can still be had despite not having a 1st round pick.

manxman2601 · Feb 9, 2016

midwestpatsfan said:
Jones is a guy I am targeting at 60. I think under BB he could do so many different things and allow others to do different things. He is the type of guy I wanted the Patriots to take last year. I really like the potential talent that can still be had despite not having a 1st round pick.

60 is a little high for my blood, I have a day 3 grade on him because he's likely limited to a 3rd down role on our defense. Having said that, I'd be fine with him in round three and wouldn't complain about him at 60 because I,d assume BB had a specific role in mind for him. I like the talent, just concerned about where he fits in terms of an early grade.

captain stone · Feb 9, 2016

manxman2601 said:
Scooby Wright's going to be a Patriot. On the other hand he could be off the Pats board. Horrible athleticism, misses too many tackles but he could very well be the smartest man on the field. Amazing instincts, always seems to know where the play is going. He's probably going to be a two down guy/backup...

If that's the case, then Bill will use his 2nd-rounder on him.

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