Is Mincey our Elephant starting in 2008?
 

What do you all think? I can see Mincey and Claridge being starters in a couple/few years.

No one projected Koppen or Givens or Samuels or Neal or Pass (7th round) to be starters, but they did. Who knows? I like him.

I think this is a definite possibility just going on his physical characteristics. Obviously he would have to show the instincts on the field but just from a size and speed standpoint, he definitely has a headstart. I'm just not sure if he has the speed and instincts at this point to contribute like a McGinest although he did run a 4.65 40 for the Pats. If he can translate that speed into Pass rushing instincts I think he could in a couple years time translate into an excellent selection especially coming in the sixth round.

Plus, maybe all we should realistically hope for is 90% of a McGinest --- one hundred percent is too hard to find!

Doesn't have pass rush instincts???..where'd you pull THAT little turdlet from? He's got a great first step and good fundamentals. We'll see all about this in time.

I think there's also a possibility he could move inside like Bruschi did. I agree OLB is more likely, but just wanted to point out it's not the only place a good college DE can move.

Bump! (since this relates to the other thread started by Joker)

this is about 4th, 5th, 6th round draft choices
 

i think like ya, shakadave, i project 2007 depth charts in my mind.
but these guys are mid-to-late round draft picks. i understand the BB/SP doctrine, that none of that matters when minicamps begin. ok, ok. moreover, claridge, mincey, mills, smith look on paper to me like we're gonna see a lot of them. but elephant? remember willie ray was the #6 player picked in his year. he was dominant against the run, a helluva pass rusher, enuf speed to give marshall faulk a headache, good dropping back on pass plays. and a big-play guy. kinda what you hope, and maybe 70% of the time get, from an elite college player.
but these rookies! the expectations! the anticipations!
patriots have done REAL well with late round picks IMO that is the strongest testament to BB/SP's drafting skill. asante samuel, randall gay, don davis, givins, troy brown (parcells), kaczur, koppen, gorin, hochstein, pass.
not to mention that other guy, the 6th round pick.
IMHO not all these draftees are gonna be here by 2007. there are 10 of them. BB/SP will have done another magnificent job if 6 of them are here on thanksgiving 2007.
who's gonna stick? i haven't the slightest idea. at all. but we can't put all these guys into our 2007-2008 depth charts.

Maybe the Pats don't *gasp* use an elephant back this year.

I think the reason they had that position was that Willie was such a freakish athlete they could move him around and do all that stuff.

Could there be a 3-4 WITHOUT an elephant back? The Pats have done crazier stuff like 5 down linemen alignments to confuse their opponents.

As far as I know, "elephant" was a term from the old Pete Carroll defenses. I haven't heard it applied to a Bill Belichick defense. I could be wrong, but this left me scratching my head a bit as "elephant" seemed a term from an era gone by.

J D Sal