3 Players I plan to keep an eye on for the 2017 draft

[BobDigital]

This is not in ant particular order.

Mike McGlinchy, OT, Notre Dame - 6'7 310 - A lot depends on this season as he moves from RT to LT. If he does well he is going to go in round 1-2 and should be an OT we target.

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - 5'10 220 - Fast but not quick in a box. Even though not overly quick he has a good single stutter step juke move to freeze. His runs are either single cut and north south or bounce to the outside and run. He runs with a lot of power and while he seems to have soft hands is not thrown to much. His acceleration is better than average. By the time he is on the other side of the LOS he is up to full speed and running throw arm tackles. A good compliment to Dion Lewis and James White type players.

Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU - 6'3 290 - I am all about those pass rushing DTs and the first thing i look at is your first step. It is why i liked Bullard, Easley, Donald and it is why i like Godchaux. The kid has a legit first step and it helps him win instantly. Though I would not compare his first step to the level of those players it is still pretty good and he has the added ability of being able to anchor vs the run and hold the line. Personally I would prefer him get down 10 more lbs and see if it helps his first step be closer to the likes of those i mentioned.

It is why to early to start scouting too much and not enough info of where guys will be but i will throw out these 3 who particularly caught my eye.

 

[Wilfork#75]

I did a quick mock in May in the 'Early 2017 Mock' thread. My top 3 guys (after the obligatory Jimmy G trade) who I will watch the closest were:

1. Desmond King- CB- Iowa
The 2015 Jim Thorpe award winner, reminds me a ton of Darrelle Revis. Biggest question is speed

2. Christian McCaffrey- RB- Stanford
Seemingly perfect RB for the Pats. Versatile, explosive, can do it all. RB depth could push him to the late 1st early second round. Biggest question is how can he repeat his ridiculous 2015 season with every opponent targeting him now. 2017 could be the year I change my stance of not taking any RB in the first round.

3. Conor McDermott- OT- UCLA
A 6'8" former TE with excellent lateral mobility? Yeah, he sounds like a Pats OT. At the moment most see him as a 2nd round pick, but where he gets drafted depends on how he performs this upcoming season. He could play himself into a top 10 pick or fall to the later rounds, so his performance will be really interesting to follow.

And as a bonus- Carl Lawson- DE- Auburn
He has as much pass rushing talent as anyone in the draft, but injury and inconsistency have plagued his career. If he stays healthy and puts it together he could challenge Myles Garrett as the top pass rusher drafted. If he struggles he could be a mid/late round steal for someone.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

I did a quick mock in May in the 'Early 2017 Mock' thread. My top 3 guys (after the obligatory Jimmy G trade) who I will watch the closest were:

3. Conor McDermott- OT- UCLA
A 6'8" former TE with excellent lateral mobility? Yeah, he sounds like a Pats OT. At the moment most see him as a 2nd round pick, but where he gets drafted depends on how he performs this upcoming season. He could play himself into a top 10 pick or fall to the later rounds, so his performance will be really interesting to follow.

You think he's available in the 2nd? He looks like the best tackle available next year, and they tend to be top 10 kind of guys (which you did mention could happen, to be fair). I'd love to be able to draft him, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

 

[Wilfork#75]

You think he's available in the 2nd? He looks like the best tackle available next year, and they tend to be top 10 kind of guys (which you did mention could happen, to be fair). I'd love to be able to draft him, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

This far out, who knows? CBS currently has him as a 2nd/3rd rounder and the 7th rated OT. At the moment I think Cam Robinson from Alabama (who knows what is going to happen with him), Roderick Johnson from FSU and Mike McGlinchey from ND look like the top 3 guys, but everything is going to change. There are probably players currently rated in the top 50 at the moment that will go undrafted so I'm not too concerned with where guys are rated at the moment. McDermott is definitely an interesting one to watch though because his potential range is so big. I can definitely see him being out of reach for us.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

This is not in ant particular order.

Mike McGlinchy, OT, Notre Dame - 6'7 310 - A lot depends on this season as he moves from RT to LT. If he does well he is going to go in round 1-2 and should be an OT we target.

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - 5'10 220 - Fast but not quick in a box. Even though not overly quick he has a good single stutter step juke move to freeze. His runs are either single cut and north south or bounce to the outside and run. He runs with a lot of power and while he seems to have soft hands is not thrown to much. His acceleration is better than average. By the time he is on the other side of the LOS he is up to full speed and running throw arm tackles. A good compliment to Dion Lewis and James White type players.

Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU - 6'3 290 - I am all about those pass rushing DTs and the first thing i look at is your first step. It is why i liked Bullard, Easley, Donald and it is why i like Godchaux. The kid has a legit first step and it helps him win instantly. Though I would not compare his first step to the level of those players it is still pretty good and he has the added ability of being able to anchor vs the run and hold the line. Personally I would prefer him get down 10 more lbs and see if it helps his first step be closer to the likes of those i mentioned.

It is why to early to start scouting too much and not enough info of where guys will be but i will throw out these 3 who particularly caught my eye.

Every year I pick out about 50-60 guys that I think are Patriot-type players. DG is absolutely on my list. Cant wait to see how he developed.

 

[BobDigital]

Every year I pick out about 50-60 guys that I think are Patriot-type players. DG is absolutely on my list. Cant wait to see how he developed.

I know it is way way early to say this but the priority on this type pf player goes down depending on Anthony Johnson. It is hard to carry 2 small interior guys like this. I would not say we can't but you need to be sure you have enough bigs and it takes a spot away from somewhere else.

But i like interior pass rushers... They are just so disruptive.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I know it is way way early to say this but the priority on this type pf player goes down depending on Anthony Johnson. It is hard to carry 2 small interior guys like this. I would not say we can't but you need to be sure you have enough bigs and it takes a spot away from somewhere else.

But i like interior pass rushers... They are just so disruptive.

Who doesn't want that disruptive 3 tech causing havoc? Probably most important guy on defense nowadays? Definitely top 2-3.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Chubb had an excellent debut last night in his return from injury. Great game.

McDermott handled Garrett, from what I read (overseas, can't watch right now). Think he's a top ten pick.