Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

i think trading up to get willis would not make sense value wise to the patriots. i agree that he is a top 10 talent, but i dont see him as the best fit in the pats d. if he were to fall to 24, i think it would be fair to say itd be a BPA situation, but i don't see him as the perfect fit worthy of trading up in the draft. pats mlb spend a lot of time taking on OL, and i dont think that plays to willis' strong suits. set him loose in a 4-3 and i think you'd have a very productive player, but it dosen't look like bill and his 3-4 are leaving anytime soon. that being said, hes too good of an athlete to pass up at 24. assuming thats pretty unlikely, i think the pats will go in a different direction at LB-everyone seems to forget eric alexander, who had 10 tackles in the afc title game. i think he and another mid round draft pick will hold down the lb core until next yrs stellar lb class comes out/bruschi retires

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

Your right. I really like Willis' athelticism but I'm worried he would get overpowered by stronger guards playing in the 3-4. I think David Harris would be a better fit but he will be gone around the second round. I don't think the Pats will trade up for Willis. If they don't trade Samuel, the Pats will probably move up a couple spots from the 24th pick but nothing dramatic. ILB and secondary must be addressed early.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

Maybe you're right but I've heard most pundits say he can play both. He's cover 2 in that he's very fast but he has the size to play 3-4 ILB.

And Archives, if the Patriots are really interested in Harris IMO the best thing to do would be trade 28 back into the early-mid second round and get him. If they have no takers for the trade, just nab him at 28.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

Isn't that fifth year worth taking a linebacker at 28? Harris wouldn't be hitting his stride in the defense until late in his contract anyways.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

Indeed you have a point, but perhaps the trade down would be worthwile if we wanted another pick this year or next.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

I agree, but
I said the same thing about Vilma.
Recently, BB said he had him on his board, but the Jets took him as a MLB.

Earlier today I heard a rumor that the Jets would like to trade Vilma; maybe he isn't suited to Eric's 3-4.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

and i think he doenst like playing mangina's 3-4, which is basically BB's 3-4

he doesnt like 3-4 in general, at least thats what ithink he said

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

This is all quite a load of doo-doo in my opinion.


You've got a guy who's pushing 240 lbs and runs a sub-4.4. and great athleticism. A tackling machine. Look at the stats. He's no dummy either and he works hard. He's strong.

He's got some width to his upper body.

How could you possibly relegate him solely to a 4-3 MLB performer?

Here's what I think. On run defense, any O-linemen that moves up past the line of scrimmage will have to get their hands on him first.

On Pass D, he's got the speed to cover or adequately lay a chip on any RB or slot receiver making their way into the flat.

There aren't too many TE's that are going to out-physical this guy.

For Christ-sake, we were gonna have Monty "effing" Beisel be our WLB of the future!!!!! Weren't we enamoured with the speed he brought to the position.
What was missing was toughness and smarts.

Willis has both.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

if you read the first post the statement was "ideally". i believe willis is capable of playing in the 3-4, just as vilma is, however i dont see it making sense value wise for the pats to move up to get him. if he falls, he becomes BPA at 24 and im sure it wouldnt take long to pull the trigger. but to give up two late 1st rds for a player w/ some serious question marks playing in the complex pats 3-4 dosent make sense w/ all quality players that would be on the board at the end of the first round. coverage, taking on OL, and even intelligence/leadership are of concern in terms of putting willis in at ILB. while he is known as an "instintive" player (one of many buzz words that gets thrown around way too often), it was noted at the senior bowl that it was buster davis, not willis, who took control of the defense and established himself as the leader/shot caller. in the pats system, the mlb is the heart of the defense. even as bruschis physical skills have fallen, he is still able to make a major impact w/ his exceptional grasp of our system/ability to make reads. throwing someone like willis into the fire w/ a complex playbook/different system would be a questionable decision. at 24, we could afford to give him some time to learn the system and bring him along for next yr. but at a top 11 pick (he even looks like a bill), you would expect a player to come in a be a huge factor right away.

Re: Willis ideally 4-3 ILB, not 3-4
 

The same OL that were able to run down Beisel? Willis won't be hiding behind two DTs, he'll be lined up 3-5 yds deep over an OG with two gaps to defend- his gaps. Willis needs to go downhill, take on the OG and control those gaps. The same Willis in a 4-3 can settle behind those DTs, read the play and use his speed to slide through the trash and meet the RB. He excells at doing that, but based on the little I've seen of him on tape, he's got a long way to go to take on OL head on and win.