briz's first 09 mock

[KillEM]

It also cost the Cowboys a 1st and 3rd pick to get Roy Williams. What makes you think Chad Johnson would only be worth a 2nd? Bengals were not even willing to trade him to the 'skins for a 1st last year. You're dreaming.

 

[BRiZ]

First, we CANT trade Cassel because we simply dont have his rights(UFA).The pats are WAY under the cap and are 24th in the league in salary. I would say that the comp picks will be sufficient in adding youth(LOTS of rookies this year). I can see them again trading away for future picks and misguided talent like Mr Ocho. There has to be a balance between age and experience and many of our problems this year are due to the rookies having to play so much with injuries to starters. Just because the announcers say we have OLD guys doesnt make it so.

we'll have his rights if we slap the franchise tag on him.

???

We can then let teams interested in Cassel negotiate a contract for what he wants and they want, then we can sign him and trade him. Then the cap is back to normal. I dont understand what is so difficult to understand. We have the cap to tag him, we even have the cap to tag him and keep him for one year if we want. Its not like this years free agency market is loaded with studs, the only ones are Asomugha and Jacobs, they arent leaving their teams.

 

[BRiZ]

It also cost the Cowboys a 1st and 3rd pick to get Roy Williams. What makes you think Chad Johnson would only be worth a 2nd? Bengals were not even willing to trade him to the 'skins for a 1st last year. You're dreaming.

Roy Williams was the 7th pick in the 1st round and is only 27 years old, has #1 WR type frame (6-3 215 lbs) and a bright future ahead of him. Chad Johnson was the 5th pick in the 2nd round and is 31 years old with #2 WR type frame (6-1 195 lbs) and has well known character issues. Hes worth a high second / low 1st round pick imo at this stage of his career. Bengals wouldnt take 10 first round picks for CJ last year because there was a personal war going on between Marvin Lewis and CJ, neither one was gunna give in to the other. He will get traded this offseason for sure, look at CJ's stats this year, 41 rec, 380 yards, 4 TDs, hes pulling a Dillon. And Marvin already "won" over CJ last year he'll be ok with dealing him this offseason.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

huh?

Boone is not slower than what we have now at tackle in Kaczur and Light, and he is 6-8 315 and moves well for a guy his size, 5.25 40 yard. If you want someone like Joe Thomas who runs a 5.0 40 yard dash at 6-8 320 good luck finding that outside the top 10 picks in round 1, nevermind round 3.

yeah, he is slower, and he's had several disasters this season in pass protection..........there's a reason a guy that size ain't up there.....and he will never be an LT in the NFL

I'll take luigs as he is a much bigger need on the interior OL where neal is hurt all the time and mankins may be gone........

if you want a mauler at RT, tupou is better

 

[BRiZ]

yeah, he is slower, and he's had several disasters this season in pass protection..........there's a reason a guy that size ain't up there.....and he will never be an LT in the NFL

I'll take luigs as he is a much bigger need on the interior OL where neal is hurt all the time and mankins may be gone........

if you want a mauler at RT, tupou is better

he has average speed for a guy his size and as a tackle, 5.25 is about average for big tackles. If you want someone slow go look at Herman Johnson the big fat slob that runs 5.5 and up. Boone is not slow, he is just not a stud, but im not expecting a stud, im expecting depth on the oline in round 3 cause we are thin at tackle. If i wanted a stud tackle he would be drafted in round 1, but i dont think its necessary right now, the defense needs to be drastically improved.

Luigs is a C/G and a fast one at that, its not even right to compare him to a tackle like Boone. Id be fine with Luigs, we do need depth at C/G and Neal is getting old.

 

[rookBoston]

With Mayo and Guyton, we don't need another young ILB.

Guyton?!? Are you kidding me? Guyton is a promising young player who may one day remind us of Eric Alexander.

Maualuga is a class unto himself. Mayo is incredible. Maualuga will match and exceed him. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Remember the days when we actually generated an effective interior pass rush? Bruschi would hurdle gaurds to make the sack, or come on a delayed blitz? Those days are long gone, now. The missing element in our 4-3 is not the OLBs, where Vrabel and Thomas are as just about good as it gets. The weak link is Bruschi. Solve that, and the entire front 7 solidifies.

Unfortunately, Maualuga is literally too much to hope for. He may be the finest LB coming out of college in the last decade... certainly in the last five years. Our first (assuming its in the 30s), SD's 2nd (in the 40s) plus Matt Cassell... it would be worth trading all three for Maualuga... I sh!t you not. The two picks would get us into the teens. Cassell would put us into the top-10, where we'd need to be.

Thing is... I dont see Belichick spending that kind of draft value on one player. It would be different if we have a pick in the mid-first. But if we make the playoffs and have a good run, Maualuga is a pipe dream.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

he has average speed for a guy his size and as a tackle, 5.25 is about average for big tackles. If you want someone slow go look at Herman Johnson the big fat slob that runs 5.5 and up. Boone is not slow, he is just not a stud, but im not expecting a stud, im expecting depth on the oline in round 3 cause we are thin at tackle. If i wanted a stud tackle he would be drafted in round 1, but i dont think its necessary right now, the defense needs to be drastically improved.

Luigs is a C/G and a fast one at that, its not even right to compare him to a tackle like Boone. Id be fine with Luigs, we do need depth at C/G and Neal is getting old.

like I said, boone is not good in pass pro..........he gives up alot of sacks as he is too slow to protect the edge...........he would not work here

 

[BRiZ]

like I said, boone is not good in pass pro..........he gives up alot of sacks as he is too slow to protect the edge...........he would not work here

im not looking at him to be a starting LT, we have Light who is fine for another few years. If we are gunna pick a stud LT thats gunna have to come in round 1 and that is just dumb right now when we need alot of work on defense. We need depth on the oline, at tackle and in the interior. I believe Boone would add nicely to that depth and could play RT if needed.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Guyton?!? Are you kidding me? Guyton is a promising young player who may one day remind us of Eric Alexander.

Maualuga is a class unto himself. Mayo is incredible. Maualuga will match and exceed him. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Remember the days when we actually generated an effective interior pass rush? Bruschi would hurdle gaurds to make the sack, or come on a delayed blitz? Those days are long gone, now. The missing element in our 4-3 is not the OLBs, where Vrabel and Thomas are as just about good as it gets. The weak link is Bruschi. Solve that, and the entire front 7 solidifies.

Unfortunately, Maualuga is literally too much to hope for. He may be the finest LB coming out of college in the last decade... certainly in the last five years. Our first (assuming its in the 30s), SD's 2nd (in the 40s) plus Matt Cassell... it would be worth trading all three for Maualuga... I sh!t you not. The two picks would get us into the teens. Cassell would put us into the top-10, where we'd need to be.

Thing is... I dont see Belichick spending that kind of draft value on one player. It would be different if we have a pick in the mid-first. But if we make the playoffs and have a good run, Maualuga is a pipe dream.

guyton is already miles beyond anything alexander has ever done.....he may not be the end-all solution......but there is no reason to go off half-****ed with maualuga as all-that.....because he isn't

 

[jeffbiologist]

we'll have his rights if we slap the franchise tag on him.

???

We can then let teams interested in Cassel negotiate a contract for what he wants and they want, then we can sign him and trade him. Then the cap is back to normal. I dont understand what is so difficult to understand. We have the cap to tag him, we even have the cap to tag him and keep him for one year if we want. Its not like this years free agency market is loaded with studs, the only ones are Asomugha and Jacobs, they arent leaving their teams.

To franchise him would mean sealing up $14M in the HOPE that 2 other teams will get into a bidding war for him. If there is only 1 team they can play hardball with us and everyone knows it. The only way to get this done would be to go into collusion with another team.....and the players union would have our ass(and another first rounder)for not negotiating in good faith. It would take a long term deal with at least DOUBLE the $14M GUARANTEED to make it worth Cassel's while....and I sincerely doubt 2 teams will think he is worth more than D.Andersen $$(and he will be on the market too, as well as McNabb). You gotta let him go, and hope we get a nice comp pick in '10.

 

[BRiZ]

To franchise him would mean sealing up $14M in the HOPE that 2 other teams will get into a bidding war for him. If there is only 1 team they can play hardball with us and everyone knows it. The only way to get this done would be to go into collusion with another team.....and the players union would have our ass(and another first rounder)for not negotiating in good faith. It would take a long term deal with at least DOUBLE the $14M GUARANTEED to make it worth Cassel's while....and I sincerely doubt 2 teams will think he is worth more than D.Andersen $$(and he will be on the market too, as well as McNabb). You gotta let him go, and hope we get a nice comp pick in '10.

Franchising him would mean sealing up 14mill -temporarily-. There is no intent to keep him, there is no intent to pay him 14mill, the intent is to trade him. Cassel is looking to be a starter and cash in on his good season and high stock. Hes not going to want to go back to being Brady's backup next year are you kidding me? The Pats have the right to franchise him because Brady tore his knee up and they are protecting themselves, the players union will have no say in the matter whatsoever. Pats will tag Cassel and field multiple offers for his services, and trade him for a draft pick. The cap will be the same as it was before.

 

[KillEM]

Guyton?!? Are you kidding me? Guyton is a promising young player who may one day remind us of Eric Alexander.

Maualuga is a class unto himself. Mayo is incredible. Maualuga will match and exceed him. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Remember the days when we actually generated an effective interior pass rush? Bruschi would hurdle gaurds to make the sack, or come on a delayed blitz? Those days are long gone, now. The missing element in our 4-3 is not the OLBs, where Vrabel and Thomas are as just about good as it gets. The weak link is Bruschi. Solve that, and the entire front 7 solidifies.

Unfortunately, Maualuga is literally too much to hope for. He may be the finest LB coming out of college in the last decade... certainly in the last five years. Our first (assuming its in the 30s), SD's 2nd (in the 40s) plus Matt Cassell... it would be worth trading all three for Maualuga... I sh!t you not. The two picks would get us into the teens. Cassell would put us into the top-10, where we'd need to be.

Thing is... I dont see Belichick spending that kind of draft value on one player. It would be different if we have a pick in the mid-first. But if we make the playoffs and have a good run, Maualuga is a pipe dream.

Guyton is already better than Eric Alexander ever was.

We already used a 1st rounder on an ILB last year.

Vrabel and Thomas are as good as it gets for OLBs? You are lying to yourself. Compare them to Woodley and Harrison from Pitts. Not even close.

You only like Mauluaga because he's Samoan (kEwL!!) and has long hair like Troy Polamalu. and he plays for USC. I swear those are the only reasons ppl like him so much.

He has no where close to the speed that Mayo does, nor does he have the tackling ability.

 

[KillEM]

Roy Williams was the 7th pick in the 1st round and is only 27 years old, has #1 WR type frame (6-3 215 lbs) and a bright future ahead of him. Chad Johnson was the 5th pick in the 2nd round and is 31 years old with #2 WR type frame (6-1 195 lbs) and has well known character issues. Hes worth a high second / low 1st round pick imo at this stage of his career. Bengals wouldnt take 10 first round picks for CJ last year because there was a personal war going on between Marvin Lewis and CJ, neither one was gunna give in to the other. He will get traded this offseason for sure, look at CJ's stats this year, 41 rec, 380 yards, 4 TDs, hes pulling a Dillon. And Marvin already "won" over CJ last year he'll be ok with dealing him this offseason.

Maybe in Madden your little dream trade would work, but not in real life.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Before “drafting” in Briz’s 2009 mock, I need to revisit my “needs” projection from September: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...9-2009-preview-wheres-talent.html#post1050216

Rounds 1-3: OG/OT, TE, DL
Rounds 4-7: OLB, ILB, S, CB, FB, QB, P

Changes - Day One:
With LeVoir winning the #3 OT slot to start the season, the pressure to find a new OT has been lifted. Neal’s strong return has restored the OL to glory leaving one clear hole - Reserve OG/OC. Hochstein looked better filling in for Neal in spot duty than Yates did as a starter - that said, Russ has noticably slowed at OG in the past two seasons while remaining strong at Center. Connelly looked good in preseason and if NE never drafted a single OL in 2009 I think the current pool of players alleviates any need to draft an OL Day One. A strong Reserve OG/OC can be acquired Day Two.

TE is a head scratcher for me; Watson’s #1 weakness is his inconsistency as a receiver, his blocking is adequate and his athleticism creates major mismatches, he just drives me nuts with his drops and fumbles; Thomas has been set back by injuries and his athleticism doesn’t stretch the defense as much as we could like. DeVrees graduating to the roster is a positive step for him, but he remains a mystery for us.

LeKevin Smith is getting a lot of playing time for being the #6 DL in a 3-4 - teamed with Jarvis, Reserve DE looks strong through 2009, and if Wright doesn’t find a strong market for his services I’d welcome him back.

Day Two:
OLB is actually murkier with Woods filling in well, Guyton emerging as a switch hitter, Redd moved up to the roster, and Robertson signed to the Practice Squad. Factor in Adalius and Vrabel, and hope that Crable can match or exceed his Michigan counterpart and you just don’t have any pressure to draft an OLB.

ILB also has reduced pressure despite Bruschi’s age factor. Adalius plays well inside, Mayo is going to be a hero there, and Guyton is pressing for more opportunities. Ruud is a question mark, Alexander might be more valuable dropping weight and playing a hybrid SS/ILB role, but he’s not as bad as many would like to claim - just not an answer either.

S is emerging as a stronger “need,” but that precludes the hope that Meriweather will have a late season awakening as all his training and increased playing time suddenly meld and bring the field into focus for him. He’s teetering on the edge and could graduate to the next level of darned good any day now. Sanders is proving to be good glue for holding together a transitioning secondary, I expect him to be re-signed at middle of the pack money. Lewis Sanders taking “Nickel” reps Sanders gives some decent depth.Spann is one of my boys and someone whom BB just keeps bringing back and plugging in, but he’s either got to bump up a new level in his transition or expect to be the next Hank Poteat - fondly remembered but strictly shadow roster.

CB has four quick twitch little guys with Hobbs, Wheatley, Wilhite, and Richardson, what it needs most is NFL experience and a ball hawk.

FB/QB/P no change.

Updated “needs:” Day One - I’d still like an athletic TE with the hands of Randy Moss, blocking skills of David Ogden in his prime, shiftiness of Wes Welker, leaping ability of Micheal Jordan, speed of Chris Johnson, nastiness of Matt Light, and focus of Tom Brady. Until then, BPV (Best Patriot Value).

Briz’s Projected Patriots draft picks through 3 rounds:

Round 1 #20 (from DET) - I’m not assuming Mattyice is franchised and traded yet, though it is a strong liklihood, I’ll just stick to those picks NE currently has.
Round 1 #25 (pats pick) - Not #32? Shame on you Briz. Assuming Terrence Cody is off the board at this point and Mike Wright wasn’t re-signed: NT B.J. Raji, Boston College
Round 2 #42 (from SD) - As of today, they’d be picking at #40 OL Max Unger, Oregon
Round 2 #57 (pats pick) - again not #64? SS/Nickel LB Jonathan Casillas, Wisconsin
Round 3 #92 (pats pick) - CB Deangelo Smith, Cincinnati
Round 3 #97 (comp pick for Samuel) - SS Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest

I used the top 100 player rankings from NFL Draft Scout to set my "board."

 

[sg14]

I'd like to pick up the "next Justin Tuck",,or "next Willie McGuinest". and be able to move him around. Anyone fit that description???

And any DB selected needs to be stout without any health concerns.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I'd like to pick up the "next Justin Tuck",,or "next Willie McGuinest". and be able to move him around. Anyone fit that description???

And any DB selected needs to be stout without any health concerns.

Justin Tuck didn't fit that description coming out of college, so your guess is as good as anyone else's.

As far as a "power" OLB BB may have a couple on the team. WillieMac was 6'5" 270, coming into the leage Vince Redd is listed at 6'6" 260 and Shawn Crable at 6'5" 243 before Woicik, Nash, and Davis got their hands on them.
- I think it's fair to say Redd, who played both 3-4 DE and 3-4 OLB in college, can match up in terms of measurables - and he's already faster than Willie - can he learn to use his hands and body the way Willie did? We'll see how he takes to coaching, but he's earned a Practice Player of the Week black jersey four times this season so let's give him a couple years and see what develops.
- Crable has more ground to make up in terms of strength and bulk. He's actually a stretch to reach the 270 lb. weight range, but he's also more of a speed rusher so I expect they'll want him to play in the 255-260 range to keep as explosive a first step as possible.

As far as the three DBs in my mock, I tried to look for injury issues and didn't see anything major in the past couple years with them.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Texas de's looking pretty good. Orapko will be a Top 10 pick, and seems
to be more of a 4-3 guy. The other de Sergio Kindle is smaller and showed
an explosive first step. Not many NFL'ers named Sergio.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Texas de's looking pretty good. Orapko will be a Top 10 pick, and seems
to be more of a 4-3 guy. The other de Sergio Kindle is smaller and showed
an explosive first step. Not many NFL'ers named Sergio.

Orakpo is considered the #1 DE in the 2009 draft by NFL Draft Scout.

Sergio is a junior and the #3 rated "OLB" in the 2010 draft per the same site. He's listed as 6'4" 238 so he'd need to bulk up to be a NE 3-4 OLB in any case.

 

[BritPat]

B.O.R, a word about OLB.

You say that with the number of bodies we have that could play at OLB, there's no pressure to draft anyone capable of playing in that position.

I disagree.

I think due to the lack of production in that position we should be looking to add at least one more player there. It's production that governs my thinking about every position, and in terms of pass rush from OLB this year, it's been dire. I think the current total is 8 sacks from the 3 players that have played there. That's not acceptable.

Now, we could have 2 demon sack artists in Crable and Redd, but the keyword there is 'could', nothings proven. I don't see any harm in picking up a true pass rusher in the draft and seeing a battle in camp for roster spots.

 

[BritPat]

Texas de's looking pretty good. Orapko will be a Top 10 pick, and seems
to be more of a 4-3 guy. The other de Sergio Kindle is smaller and showed
an explosive first step. Not many NFL'ers named Sergio.

I'd say Orakpo looks your prototypical (in terms of size) 3-4 OLB, personally.