carolinatony
In the Starting Line-Up
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.After watching the game against the g-men last night it looks like our defense needs to be addressed nexrt draft. We have great experience but need to bring in more speed. A pass rusher would be nice too.
After watching Light get abused so often, I double my call for Jake Long if he's on the board. Don't give me that 2-time Pro Bowler garbage...Brady's been making him look good for years. Get Long on the left side, and move Light to the right.
After watching Light get abused so often, I double my call for Jake Long if he's on the board. Don't give me that 2-time Pro Bowler garbage...Brady's been making him look good for years. Get Long on the left side, and move Light to the right.
Problem is that Jake Long will probably be a top 3 pick. Franchise LTs tend to go early nowadays. If he lasts to #8, I have no problem with the Pats scooping him up.
Look for BB and Pioli to trade down into the first round and grab a second round pick in return. Then who knows what will happen. My bet is that we will go for an offensive lineman with that later draft pick, the most likely candidates being Jeff Otah or Roy Schuening (a reach, but he is another Logan Mankins in the making).
Then we can pick a couple of linebacks in the mid rounds. As for guys who could shift positions in our system and seem to have good size and good athleticism, we probably should think about DE Jason Jones (270 pounds, 4.7 40 time) who just had a very solid senior season and is moving up boards quickly. If we can nab him in the 3rd round, we could have a very serious and versatile weapon on defense.
If the Pats do not draft a linebacker with one of their first few picks,
the player will suffer the same fate as Justin Rodgers. The Pats need
to spend one of their first three picks on a linebacker. Then, they have
to expend a lot of effort coaching and developing the player.
We seem to have done very well in getting our top linebackers free agents in free agency, rather than through the draft. This has also been true for backup linebackers.
There are few natural 3-4 linebackers in the draft, who aren't at least as valuable at DE or OLB.
But in the end, I agree with you. For the 5th consecutive season (or is it 6 or 7), I would like the patriots to use a top pick for a linebacker. HOWEVER, how can I argue with 2007 resuts. We could have drafted Harris. Instead we signed Thomas and turned the draft pick into a 2008 #7. I guess if we pick a linebacker, I would very happy with the strategy.
Late round draft choices are much fun for posters here. They are projected as starters, and usually end up on IR or cut. Who was the last linebacker drafted who gave us more than a year as a starter during their rookie four year contract?
IMHO
Weakest link of the starting 22 is Hobbs.
Biggest offseason loss (potentially) will be Assante
Positions that can justify a rookie salary in the $5 mill range includes CB.
So #7 will be a CB....there you have it.
IMHO
Weakest link of the starting 22 is Hobbs.
Biggest offseason loss (potentially) will be Assante
Positions that can justify a rookie salary in the $5 mill range includes CB.
So #7 will be a CB....there you have it.
IMHO
Weakest link of the starting 22 is Hobbs.
Biggest offseason loss (potentially) will be Assante
Positions that can justify a rookie salary in the $5 mill range includes CB.
So #7 will be a CB....there you have it.
i rather resign Samuel than pay a rookie anything over $5mill/year
Samuel is proven..and hes better than CB coming out imo. Malcolm Jenkins is good but hes not really a huge playmaker.
Our biggest weakness is run stopping. We cant run stop because were slow and dont tackle well. Bruschi getting older wont help that cause.
Logic: You get a young/fast/athletic LB and have him learn from some good ones while they are still here
With regard to your last paragraph, only Tully Banta-Cain contributed
anything at all during BB's tenure as coach. I can't remember any late
round linebacker picks before BB that contributed very much either.
If you can manufacture one that's worth #7. From the little I've read this draft is deep in CBs. Low 1st and beyond. Trade down, take two.