Clady, Ellis the keys?

[patchick]

Wow...this is exactly the way I see it too, with a possible trade upwards for J Long.

Oh no! Then what will we argue about for the next month?

 

[dryheat44]

Oh no! Then what will we argue about for the next month?

I reckon which quarterback to draft as a late round prospect. Sam Keller in the sixth?

 

[patchick]

I'm with you almost every step of the way. It's just that, if we can't trade the pick and Long, Long, Gholston and Clady are gone, I'll go with Leodis McKelvin over Groves and be content that I was fortunate enough to get the next great Trojan (proper trojan - one who hails from Troy).

That way I don't have to rely on finding a trading partner in the early second to land Cason or Flowers or Porter.

Fair enough! If they trade out of the top 10, CB starts to look like better value. I'd still take the big body myself, but it's a closer call.

 

[patchick]

I reckon which quarterback to draft as a late round prospect. Sam Keller in the sixth?

Ooh, nice time waster! Gutierrez was such my binky last year that I'm tempted to rest on my laurels, but I'll poke around....

 

[Metaphors]

Ooh, nice time waster! Gutierrez was such my binky last year that I'm tempted to rest on my laurels, but I'll poke around....

Try Kevin O'Connell from San Diego State. His dad is an FBI agent which could also prove useful in the current climate of the NFL.

Or you could wait until 2009 and hope for Brady Leaf. Has there ever been a name that provided such conflicting emotional responses...

 

[BradyManny]

The entire OL (even Mankins) laid an egg. Drafting Clady upgrades the group, but by itself doesn't make the Pats immune to a collective hairball coughed up by the OL during the playoffs.

....

If you don't like the defensive options at #7, how about trading down and selecting DRC or Talib at a more reasonable pricetag? Mayo or Lofton can be added later and the results are similar. The added benefit of not having to hear about the "elderly" Pats defense every week makes it all the better.

I'm all for trading down, but I may be in the minority when I say that I would probably draft Clady BEFORE trying to trade down, not the other way around.

While you're right that drafting Clady doesn't make the group immune to the type of self-destruction it faced in the Super Bowl, it would limit the possibility of that. Frankly, I have always been of the opinion that - like with his wide receivers - Tom Brady makes his offensive line better than they are.

And just as we saw what happened when he was grouped up with an elite wideout in Moss, it would be interesting to see if Brady gets that much better (I know, you're thinking - is that possible?) when he has an elite OL. Mankins, Light and Koppen all earned their Pro Bowl status this season, but the rightside could easily be upgraded, particularly I feel Kaczur, Neal less so as he is great in the run blocking, but what is the status of his knee for next season? And Light eventually will need a replacement at LT. Clady looks the part for the Patriots, a beast with athleticism, and more importantly, if Gholston & the Longs are off the board at that point, would probably be the only option that would feel worthy of the #7 pick to me.

But, I agree that trading down is a great option...but one I'm not necessarily expecting to happen. I'd sell my soul to the devil to work a trade down that nabs us Groves and Cason for instance, but I'm not going to hold my breath that Chicago or Dallas or anybody else will want to trade up, and if they do, the chips will fall just so that they trade up with us.

I'm pretty excited for this draft in that there are a bunch of scenarios that are interesting and a lot of different outcomes that I'd personally be happy with. I can't wait to see it all play out.

 

[PATSNUTme]

For what it's worth Drafttek has the Patriots trading down with the Bears so they can take Ryan. We would get the Bears #14 and #45.

I don't know how plausable that would be but the math works according to the draft trade value chart.

 

[BradyManny]

For what it's worth Drafttek has the Patriots trading down with the Bears so they can take Ryan. We would get the Bears #14 and #45.

I don't know how plausable that would be but the math works according to the draft trade value chart.

Seems as likely as any trade down scenario that involves 2 08 picks coming our way. I would def do that if Gholston and Clady are gone at 7, and the Bears are interested in moving up to get Ryan for instance.

#14 and #45 could get us Groves and Cason, which is my aforementioned dream trade down scenario. There's plenty of other combinations of players that would be available and helpful to us at those spots as well.

 

[jeffbiologist]

A trade down will likely only be done with a team who thinks they are only that one player away from being a playoff team. Teams with enough to trade us are usually bad enough so that they have multiple holes, and bypassing position A in the first and getting position B and flipflopping into the 2nd is OK with them. They wont trade 2-3 players for 1....The closer you are to winning the more I think you have to make moves.
That said, of the teams trading up we should rule out Carolina, Chicago, and likely Denver. We should be concentrating on teams like Baltimore, Cleveland, Cinci(mostly because of the coach),Buffalo,New Orleans and Dallas. I am looking at team make up more than records, and a team like Baltimore will be able to rebound quickly. And I would definately suggest that any trade would more likely be a pick and a player than multiple picks. If Gholston and Long are gone, and we couldnt trade to 5 to get one of them, I like the trade of 7 to Baltimore for Suggs. And I would NOT want Carpenter involved in a trade with Dallas, he was signed for first round $$ and hasnt played up to it. Even if he is better than Dallas thinks he is, he isnt worth first round $$ on this team.

 

[VJCPatriot]

More Clady News:

Summary, both Panthers at #13 and Bears at #14 show marked interest in this OL prospect from Boise State. Clady is also suitable for a zone blocking scheme, which the Patriots now employ.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=58105

Draft Scout *Ryan Clady News
03/11/08 - Bears coach Lovie Smith traveled to the edge of the Rocky Mountains on Monday to see a mountain of an offensive tackle. A week after Boise State's Ryan Clady impressed at his pro day, Smith showed up at the campus known for the blue turf in Bronco Stadium to personally work out the junior. Clady is considered one of the top two or three tackle prospects, a position high on the Bears' list of needs. The 6-6, 309-pounder could be off the board before the Bears select at No. 14, but more than six weeks from the draft, it's too early to tell. Clady did not work out at the combine but was impressive last week and went through drills with some marginal line prospects for Smith. With free agency offering little help at tackle, the Bears figure to choose one on the first day of the draft for the first time since general manager Jerry Angelo selected Marc Colombo in 2002. - Brad Biggs, Sun-Times

03/03/08 - Hoping to enhance their professional prospects, 12 former Boise State football players, highlighted by expected first-round pick Ryan Clady, worked out for more than 50 NFL personnel representing 30 teams Monday at the Caven-Williams Sports Complex. Clady, as expected, was the star of the show. Most of the personnel were in town to see him because the left tackle did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week after straining a pectoral muscle. His appearance Monday helped increase attendance among NFL personnel, a boon to the other players, which included safety Marty Tadman, offensive linemen Tad Miller and Jeff Cavender and defensive lineman Nick Schlekeway. The Carolina Panthers were well-represented. The Panthers’ general manager, head coach, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and defensive backs coach were all in attendance. Clady had lunch with representatives of the Panthers’ organization Monday. Carolina has the No. 13 pick in April’s NFL Draft. The chances of Clady falling that low appear to be slim, especially after his impressive work Monday. Clady exceeded his expectations with a 31-inch vertical jump and 9-foot broad jump. Clady ran his 40-yard dash in about 5.18 seconds. Unlike at the combine, no official times are given at Pro Day. NFL coaches and scouts put Clady, Tad Miller, Jeff Cavender and Dan Gore through extensive offensive line drills during the two-plus hour workout. - Brian Murphy and Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman

02/28/08 - Boise State's junior entry Ryan Clady strongly believes he's the top tackle in the draft and there are those that agree, seeing him as a more pure, prototypical NFL left tackle than Long. At the very least Clady should become the school's first first-round NFL draft pick. "My pass-blocking abilities and my feet, I think I have good feet," Clady said with confidence. "And I think I can excel at the next level." Clady, who has been working out with former NFL tackles Will Shields and Jackie Slater, describes himself as better suited for a zone blocking scheme in the mold of the Denver Broncos linemen that work well in space and cut block opposing defenders. While the Patriots aren't a pure zone team like Denver, Clady's skills would nevertheless seem well suited for New England if the team were looking to solidify the line with the No. 7 pick.