Did we strike gold @ #7 again?? Willie Andrews
 

Willie Andrews, remember the name folks...........he has 4.44 speed is 5-9 and 182.

ESPN Whispers noted in a recent column (this is not an exact quote here): that the Patriots believe they have one of the steals of the draft noting that Willie travelled under the radar as a senior by playing out of position (he played Strong Safety so the Pats have him down as a CB) - at the very least he shoudl be ye tanother special teams monster for the Pats.



http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/andrews_willie

He has shown the ability to plant, drive and close on passes in front of him from "Off" and "Zone" coverage fast and uses his front arm to break up passes well. The surest thing about Andrews is that he is a good, solid punt returner who can contribute returning punts as a rookie. He will probably stick around the NFL for a few seasons as a backup/No. 44 corneback and return man.



STRONG POINTS
Andrews is a quick-footed athlete who has shown the ability to stay on a receiver's hip in man-to-man coverage. He reads the quarterback well in zone coverage and can break and close quickly enough to make tackles right after the catch on passes outside along the sideline. He has shown a willingness to throw his body into the fray and tackle bigger ball carriers. He is a good punt returner who gets started upfield fast and can keep his feet vs. arm/grab tackles consistently.

He seemed like a throwaway pick to me it would be nuts if he ended up being a legit player.

I didn't see it as a throwaway...just another smallish CB to compete..they even brought in two smaller CBs as UFDAs..to compete.. I loved the pick and seeing this makes me think he may make it in some way.

I have a hard time going against 7th Rders contributing in this regime. Out of his last 14 at least 7 have made some type of contribution. Givens is obvious, but Pass, Banta-Cain and Cassell have also gotten significant playing time.

Kelly, Womack and Morton got long looks but didn't pan out. The rest were camp fodder. I like a scrappy underrated kid vying for a spot in the backfeild. He just has that Ellis Hobbs-Deion Branch-Troy Brown type of feel to him.

I'll be rooting for him.

Uh... you forgot this part:

WEAKNESSES

Andrews is a raw player who needs to learn a lot in order to make the switch to cornerback. His backpedal is choppy and off-kilter which hinders his ability to come out of his pedal quickly to break on passes in front of him. He is not a good tackler -- he lunges/dives and misses too many tackles. He lacks ball awareness when his back is to the quarterback in tight man-to-man coverage and he does not react to the ball well because of it.

________

Sounds a lot less 'steal-y' when you report the whole story. :D

Interesting...I'd been assuming that Andrews had been drafted purely as a KR/PR. If he manages to stick with the team as a returner and seizes on the opportunity to develop his DB skills, so much the better! All reports point to terrific attitude and intangibles.

If he can average more than 2.5 yards on punt returns he will already have earned his 7th round value.

Not when you stop and realize his weaknesses play right into the strength of the Patriots - the ability we have to teach and coach up a player. It is very difficult to teach the attributes Willie possesses such as speed, man to man coverage skill and the return game - every weakness cited was omitted because a quick learner and good student will be able to overcome and blossom in our system. Had he not had these so called "weaknesses" he would not have been a number 7 now would he?

I love the pick and I have a hunch we are going to see a lot from this kid - stay tuned.

Except that all those 'teachable' faults are possessed by Tebucky Jones, and they couldn't coach HIM into being a starting DB because of them... bad tackling, bad in coverage, etc.

Hey, I'd love for the kid to work out. But he is what he is... a looooooongshot.

Not a throwaway. The patriots thought higher of him than a pretty decent MLB (Freddie Roach). They could draft one and hope the other was available in UDFA, and they drafted Andrews.