Who is the OT you want the Pats to take?

midwestpatsfan said:

I have said it many times, Haeg is my target for OT. He has experience (lower level, I know) size, work ethic, movement skills, and athleticism to become a starting tackle in the NFL. He needs to add strength, but the traits are there...

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I wouldn't touch Haeg until the end of the 3rd round, at the earliest.
His lack of functional strength is shockingly poor, and he is attempting to hide his weakness by refusing to lift, claiming that he is still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered at the Senior Bowl.
Sounds like the OL version of Jake the Fake Bequette.

captain stone said:

I wouldn't touch Haeg until the end of the 3rd round, at the earliest.
His lack of functional strength is shockingly poor, and he is attempting to hide his weakness by refusing to lift, claiming that he is still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered at the Senior Bowl.
Sounds like the OL version of Jake the Fake Bequette.

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That is where I would target him as well.

What about Tyler Johnstone? He sounds like a very good lottery ticket later on in the draft. I know the injury history is bad but I'd love to see them try him as a double dip at ot this draft.

6th/7th-round guy, a possibility as the back-end of a double-dip after an OLman has already been taken on Day 2.

jboston19 said:

What about Tyler Johnstone? He sounds like a very good lottery ticket later on in the draft. I know the injury history is bad but I'd love to see them try him as a double dip at ot this draft.

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The injury history isn't terrible; he just tried to rush back from an ACL injury in half a year, and re-injured the knee. I did that when I was in my early 20s, and once I properly rehabbed and gave myself enough time, I was fine. I haven't even thought about my knees in years, and I'm extremely active (parkour, dance, slackline, gymnastics, martial arts, etc). Presumably, he's learned his lesson, and will actually be more diligent in observing a regimen for body maintenance.

I think he's a tough, mobile lineman who could be a decent starter (not a star, but definitely could win with him) on either side in a pinch, although I'd prefer him as a valuable backup who could probably play 4+ positions. Good late-round player with solid upside.

Willie Beavers

Shon Coleman, OT, Auburn - Round 2
Fahn Cooper, OT, Mississippi - Round 6

I wouldn't touch Shon Coleman until Day 3, and only after already drafting another OLman.

captain stone said:

I wouldn't touch Shon Coleman until Day 3, and only after already drafting another OLman.

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I do not have Coleman on my draft board. If I had more on medical data on the cancer, then that would change things,

Strategically, I'm uneasy with the way this position is shaking out. Focusing on quick-footed athletes who could reasonably project to LT, I'm going to start with the assumption that Spriggs and Clark are both long gone before pick 60. Then it seems likely that teams will overdraft guys like Beavers and Haeg, and that neither will last to 91.

patchick said:

Strategically, I'm uneasy with the way this position is shaking out. Focusing on quick-footed athletics who could reasonably project to LT, I'm going to start with the assumption that Spriggs and Clark are both long gone before pick 60. Then it seems likely that teams will overdraft guys like Beavers and Haeg, and that neither will last to 91.

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He doesn't fit your definition "quick-footed", but the only 'draftable' OT I'm aware of Dante working out is LSU's Jerald Hawkins. I'm sure there have been others but we haven't been told about them.

manxman2601 said:

He doesn't fit your definition "quick-footed", but the only 'draftable' OT I'm aware of Dante working out is LSU's Jerald Hawkins. I'm sure there have been others but we haven't been told about them.

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Yeah, there are certainly more tackle possibilities IF you put aside the balletic requirements -- but that's pretty much what I'm afraid of. IMO the Pats' shift away from their old grand jeté athletic profile hasn't worked out well.

Good post as always, Patchick. The tackle class this year is either athletic and underpowered (Haeg) or out of reach (Spriggs). Not a lot of early to mid round options. Hawkins does not excite me, although I'll trust Dante over my own amateur impressions. That leaves me looking at late round gambles, such as Tyler Johnstone. I do think he has good potential, and reminds me quite a bit of Light, actually. We could win with him.

Brandon Shell and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, two late round guys I'd been interested in as RTs, but whose agility I questioned, both dramatically improved SS and 3-cone times at their pro days. In fact, they have outperformed many tackles who were far more highly rated, which intrigued me. Based on their vertical and broad jumps, they are some of the most explosive linemen in this draft. Only a few players had standout numbers in both jumping events (Vaitai hit 32 at his pro day). I went back and watched as many games as I could of Shell and Vaitai, and I think that they could develop into serviceable tackles. Shell looks smoother and more natural, but Vaitai had the better testing numbers. Both would probably perform better at RT than LT, but let's be honest: either could overtake the Waddle/Cannon fodder in front of them.


Halapoulivaati Vaitai:

Combine Invite: Yes
Height: 6060
Weight: 320
40 Yrd Dash: 5.26
20 Yrd Dash: 3.05
10 Yrd Dash: 1.79 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 23
Vertical Jump: 29
Broad Jump: 09'05"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 5.00
3-Cone Drill: 8.26

Dates: 03/31/16
Height: 6060
Weight: 320
40 Yrd Dash:
20 Yrd Dash:
10 Yrd Dash: 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 27
Vertical Jump: 32
Broad Jump:
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.56
3-Cone Drill: 7.69



Brandon Shell:

Combine Invite: Yes
Height: 6053
Weight: 324
40 Yrd Dash: 5.22
20 Yrd Dash: 2.92
10 Yrd Dash: 1.75 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 22
Vertical Jump: 30 1/2
Broad Jump: 09'04"
20 Yrd Shuttle:
3-Cone Drill:
No Full Workout-Quad on 1st 40/Ran Once

Dates: 03/30/16
Height: 6053
Weight: 324
40 Yrd Dash:
20 Yrd Dash:
10 Yrd Dash: 225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump:
Broad Jump:
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.62
3-Cone Drill: 7.62

reamer said:

That leaves me looking at late round gambles, such as Tyler Johnstone. I do think he has good potential, and reminds me quite a bit of Light, actually. We could win with him.

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Agreed, I have Johnstone on my draft contest ballot. Often year 2 after an ACL looks very different from year 1.

Brandon Shell and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, two late round guys I'd been interested in as RTs, but whose agility I questioned, both dramatically improved SS and 3-cone times at their pro days.

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Both fine day-3 RT prospects (though I suspect Shell is a bit overrated due to the "bloodlines" factor). But I'm still not convinced they're more than that, alas.

either could overtake the Waddle/Cannon fodder in front of them

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Thank you. I needed that.

Vaitai is interesting. He does let his hands get knocked down a little too easily at times but has a decent anchor and with a little technique work could be quite a useful player.

mrscruff said:

Vaitai is interesting. He does let his hands get knocked down a little too easily at times but has a decent anchor and with a little technique work could be quite a useful player.

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I'm greatly interested in having less TCU horn frogs on the roster, not so much about adding more.

It sounds like his value has increased. I wouldn't want him to be the only OT we select, though.

Tony Pauline thinks 6 OTs go in the first round. That means Ifedi or Clark in the first.

manxman2601 said:

Tony Pauline thinks 6 OTs go in the first round. That means Ifedi or Clark in the first.

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It's certainly possible, but when I looked through the last 10 years of drafts, it's only happened once. Most years have an average of 4 OTs picked in the first, and 3 in the second. Over the last 5 years, it's been 5 in the first, so 6 wouldn't be that much of an anomaly, I guess, but it's certainly not the norm.

reamer said:

It's certainly possible, but when I looked through the last 10 years of drafts, it's only happened once. Most years have an average of 4 OTs picked in the first, and 3 in the second. Over the last 5 years, it's been 5 in the first, so 6 wouldn't be that much of an anomaly, I guess, but it's certainly not the norm.

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You have 2011 as the once presumably?

manxman2601 said:

You have 2011 as the once presumably?

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Yes. It's possible I miscounted another year, though.