2014 Draft Prospect Thread

[mayoclinic]

Maybe they should make Mark Harrison the move TE. Hopefully they've been bulking him up this season and he's now 240+. His combine numbers were certainly suggestive of quality athleticism. And let's face it, he just needs to outperform Hoomanawanui initially to be an upgrade.

I've been looking for that move all year. He has the perfect raw physical tools:

6' 2 7/8" 235-240# 35" arms 4.37 speed 6.99 3-cone 38 1/2" vertical

Give me Edelman/Sanders/Maclin-Amendola-Dobson-Thompkins-Boyce-day 3 rookie (Cody Hoffman, Devin Street) at WR and Gronk-Pettigrew/Niklas-Rodgers-Harrison at TE along with Trey Millard and Shane Vereen, and we're in great shape in the offensive skill player front.

 

[s3antana5757]

It's fine with me.

I think next year is the year to draft a true QB heir to Brady. With Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston likely to be at the top of the draft, there will be some very good QBs available later in the 1st round: Brett Hundley (UCLA), Kevin Hogan (Stanford), Devin Gardner (Michigan) and Bryce Petty (Baylor).

Fill in the rest of the roster in 2014 to give Brady a real chance for the next 3 years. Draft a heir at QB in 2015 and groom him for 2 years.

There is a tremendous young nucleus on this team, if the right players can be retained. There will be a lot of roster decisions to be made for this year and the long term, and making the right decisions is critical.

I disagree. I think most of those guys will be gone early, where as this year so you can find a guy later and groom them. Guys like Mettenberger(hurt) and Matthews are good late guys with potential.

Jordan Matthews >>> Kelvin Benjamin, especially for the Pats.

Benjamin is a physical freak who is a great red zone target, but he has iffy hands and can't run routes. It's not clear that he has the maturity, work ethic or temperament to survive with the Pats and Tom Brady.

Matthews is Jerry Rice's cousin and brings his ultra-dedicated work ethic to his craft. This is a kid who requested film of the CB's invited to the Senior Bowl in advance so that he would prepare for them. He's not a burner but he has good size and adequate speed, runs routes like a seasoned NFL veteran, and has great hands. He's the kind of guy who would earn Brady's trust very quickly, and who would put in the time and effort to be successful. He's a more polished Keenan Allen without the injury concerns or off-field issues. I'd say he's as close to a
"sure thing" WR prospect for the Pats coming out of the draft as there can be.

I consider Cody Hoffman to be a "poor man's Jordan Matthews", with slightly better size (6' 3 7/8" 218#). I'd take Hoffman over Benjamin for the Pats, and he would come much, much cheaper.

Didn't realize Matthews are Rice's cousin. I've heard and seen nothing but good things about him. I like this kid alot, maybe only behind Watkins. I think Benjamin stinks. Just look at his brother in the NFL. Very different players for sure, but everything that I've read about Travis is that he struggles with the mental side.

I think tight end is an impossible conundrum for you guys, because you will have problems if Gronk comes back healthy. Two tight end systems work if they have substantially different skill sets. You can't give two guys the same role. Gronk runs great option routes gets a ton of yards on seam routes because of his awareness, football IQ, size, and strength. If you drafted a guy who does similar things, they would run into each other running a seam route. The only type of guy you guys can draft is a sort of flex end, a guy with blazing speed for his size, or it will just be a redundancy in your offense. A Vernon Davis type. Which really limits your options.

Hernandez and Gronk complemented each other's skill set ideally. Perfectly. They went so well together. No tight end this draft class really complements Gronk that well except Lyerla. Lyerla is an amazing fit next to Gronk. The problem is he's crazy.

Umm...Eric Ebron? Really athletic and in the mold of Vernon Davis who would complement Gronk perfectly. I personally think ASJ is the best TE in this draft, but Ebron is really good also.

 

[manxman2601]

Umm...Eric Ebron? Really athletic and in the mold of Vernon Davis who would complement Gronk perfectly. I personally think ASJ is the best TE in this draft, but Ebron is really good also.

Unfortunately there's a very good chance Ebron goes top 15. I don't see how we get a sniff at him.

 

[stelfans]

How about Jeff Janis? Small school guy but apparently super fast with a really big body.
Very curious to watch him.

 

[mayoclinic]

Unfortunately there's a very good chance Ebron goes top 15. I don't see how we get a sniff at him.

I would be quite happy with Ebron, but I've discarded the likelihood of his being remotely available for some time.

 

[mackenzie45220]

How about Jeff Janis? Small school guy but apparently super fast with a really big body.
Very curious to watch him.

He sounds awesome. But I have no film.

 

[s3antana5757]

Unfortunately there's a very good chance Ebron goes top 15. I don't see how we get a sniff at him.

I agree, but the OP said there wasn't anybody similar to Hernandez anywhere in this draft. Remember though, that Eifert was projected to go about the same time(15-20) and I saw him as high as #6 to Cleveland, and he fell to the 20s. It's obviously still very early, but I think he'll fall a bit lower than expected.

 

[Snake Eyes]

He sounds awesome. But I have no film.

Jeff Janis 2013 Highlight Film - YouTube

Jeff Janis 2012 SVSU Highlights - YouTube

Will this help?

 

[mackenzie45220]

Jeff Janis 2013 Highlight Film - YouTube

Jeff Janis 2012 SVSU Highlights - YouTube

Will this help?

I never scout with highlights. They show all the good and none of the bad.

 

[Mac&Barmore FTW]

How does everyone feel about Calvin Pryor?

 

[mayoclinic]

How does everyone feel about Calvin Pryor?

Love him, had him in one of my mocks. Don't think he'll make it to our pick - a lot of people have him rated ahead of Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix as the top safety. I doubt he makes it past 23-24 unless he shows poorly.

 

[ATippett56]

Harrison has all the talent in the world. I've seen him in person, and physically, he's the closest thing I've ever seen to Calvin Johnson. His potential is ridiculous, and he was a wise free agent signing. Everyone knows that, yet he went undrafted anyway. That tells you a lot. I can't have that much faith in an undrafted rookie.

Correct.

Remember Marcus Forston? Two years on the New England Patriots practice squad and the New England Patriots did not re-sign him to a reserve/future contract.

 

[mackenzie45220]

How does everyone feel about Calvin Pryor?

For what seemed like forever, mock drafts had him in the third round and thought he was crazy for declaring. I'm glad he's getting the credit he is due.

 

[captain stone]

Correct.

Remember Marcus Forston? Two years on the New England Patriots practice squad and the New England Patriots did not re-sign him to a reserve/future contract.

Not that it means much, but Forston was finally signed to that futures contract today.

 

[mayoclinic]

Interesting gossip from Tony Pauline at the Senior Bowl, FWIW:

Many were surprised when USC center Marcus Martin announced he was leaving for the draft. Not included in “many” were NFL scouts. The word in Mobile is Martin could be the first center selected in the draft.

Senior Bowl Buzz: Wednesday

6'3" 310#. Played guard before moving to center. Otherwise, don't know too much about him.

 

[captain stone]

That would be an impressive jump. considering that he's currently rated as a 6th-round prospect
by NFL DraftScout, and a 5th-rounder by Draft Countdown.

 

[Pats0204]

Regarding TE prospects, if the PATS decide not to draft one in round 1, therefore eliminating Amaro, Ebron and ASJ, who do you all like better; C.J. Fiedorowicz from Iowa or the Notre Dame kid Troy Niklas? I don't know a lot about either so which would be better fits for the PATS? Strengths, weaknesses etc?

 

[mayoclinic]

Regarding TE prospects, if the PATS decide not to draft one in round 1, therefore eliminating Amaro, Ebron and ASJ, who do you all like better; C.J. Fiedorowicz from Iowa or the Notre Dame kid Troy Niklas? I don't know a lot about either so which would be better fits for the PATS? Strengths, weaknesses etc?

Niklas, by a long shot.

Fiedorowicz is a fine blocker, but he's very limited athletically and won't stretch the field much. He'll be a reliable receiver for his limited routes, but he's fundamentally limited as an offensive weapon. He's a better version of Matt Mulligan as far as I'm concerned.

Niklas has a lot of athletic potential and upside. He only converted to TE 2 years ago, and is still learning the position. He's a great blocker - maybe not quite as technically polished as Fiedorowicz, but darn good - and he has enough athleticism to stretch the field, as well as be a terrific red zone target. He has a great work ethic and strong leadership from what I have been able to glean. To me he's the most reminiscent of another Gronk.

A lesser Gronk vs. a much better Mulligan? Not a hard choice, for me.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Regarding TE prospects, if the PATS decide not to draft one in round 1, therefore eliminating Amaro, Ebron and ASJ, who do you all like better; C.J. Fiedorowicz from Iowa or the Notre Dame kid Troy Niklas? I don't know a lot about either so which would be better fits for the PATS? Strengths, weaknesses etc?

I really like Fiedorowicz, the guy is a blocking beast.

 

[captain stone]

He is, but we need pass-catching TEs more than we need blocking TEs.