Does LenDale White fall to us?

[broadwayjoe]

White is the "hot" name right now so some team will reach and pick him very early. 0% chance he falls to us. That however will allow someone to fall to us that shouldn't again....Wilfork 2?

I certainly agree someone pretty good will fall to us and since we have a few needs I'm sure we can go any direction and we will get a top flight player.
Also someone will again have outstanding numbers at the combine and shoot up the boards and we can wait for the cream of the crop.

 

[shakadave]

I certainly agree someone pretty good will fall to us and since we have a few needs I'm sure we can go any direction and we will get a top flight player.
Also someone will again have outstanding numbers at the combine and shoot up the boards and we can wait for the cream of the crop.

Yes, it's a WHOLE lot more fun seeing who falls to 21 than having to wait for 32! Wasn't 21 the exact spot we got Wilfork?

 

[shakadave]

I love watching the mocks myself to satisfy my curiosity, but they really don't start to take realistic shape until the combine is over and there is a flurry of activity in free agency.

Me too. And then remember, even with the April mocks, the Patriots still do something unexpected!

 

[stcjones]

Ashton YO-Booty!???

NFL Draft Countdown has us picking Ashton Youbouty out of Ohio State.

All good things must come to an end and while the Patriots still have a very good team you can see that age, free agency, injuries and the loss of assistant coaches have begun to catch up with them. Gone are the days where they can afford to simply take the best player available because, like most teams, the Pats have needs to address and holes to plug. The most glaring weakness for the second straight year would appear to be in the secondary, where they are in desperate need of an infusion of talent at cornerback. Ashton Youboty has a great blend of size, speed and athleticism and you can't discount the success that other Buckeye cornerbacks like Antoine Winfield, Shawn Springs, Nate Clements and Chris Gamble have had in the NFL. In other words there is a good chance that this is a safe pick because other Ohio St. alums have transitioned to the next level with great results. Linebacker is also a need for New England with some of their veterans like Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi getting older and starting to show some wear. On offense wide receiver is going to be a concern, especially if David Givens leaves as a free agent, and an upgrade over Brandon Gorin at right tackle sure wouldn't hurt either.

Note that Derek Hagan and Darnell Bing, among others, are still availabe.

What a great name.

 

[aabtec]

It's obviously a long ways until the draft and things can change pretty quickly. Plus, there's no gurantee that Belichick goes in that direction even if he's there.

That being said, do you guys see White falling to #21? I've been checking a lot of mock drafts and I'd say less than 50% have him going before our pick. I've seen Green Bay at 5, Arizona at 10 and several to Minnesota at 17. The rest of them have him going to us, except for one that has us passing on him.

A lot of it depends on what teams think of course. Everyone thought the Colts were nuts when they "reached" for Dwight Freeney. Lee Evans was a fringe-1st rounder when the Bills took him at #16 I believe it was.

When most of us wanted Jackson, it was hard to find a mock draft that had him falling to us. Once the draft got closer, it was almost impossible to find a mock that had him dropping anywhere even close to us. With so many mocks having us land him at #21, even after his dominating performance in the Rose Bowl, I have hope.

I think I want White more than I did Steven Jackson. That's why I almost hope no one falls that is a sure pick for us. We let Ted Washington go, and a stud NT falls to us. We had already traded for Corey Dillon. So when Tagliabue called out Wilfork's name, for me it was "(Sigh) Yeah, that's the right pick." (And I still think it is)

I don't want to pass on White though. He's perfect for this team and we're eventually going to need a young RB. We don't have a RB on this roster that didn't miss multiple games this year because of injuries. Dillon is over 30. The secondary and linebackers certainly need some help but unless someone like AJ Hawk or Michael Huff is sitting there, I don't see better value at that spot.

I never thought that Wilfork would fall to us but he did..He would look good in a Pats uniform.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

White strikes me as a product of fantastic blocking more so than a real talent at RB. Because he is hard nosed with fair accleration, he'd be a decent value in the late second or third round but if White goes high in the first round some team is going to be disappointed. He seems too "stiff" as NFL people like to say....

 

[nickw308810]

I doubt that White makes it to 21. He is the protypical big NFL RB that teams will be looking for. Plus he is getting hyped up so much after a good National Championship game and someone will take him thinking he won't last long.

 

[drew4008]

In a word... No.

Do I think we would get a RB and pay him Round 1 value AND pay Dillon his huge contract?... No.

Come August, we will have Dillon and Faulk 1-2 again.

 

[mgteich]

I have no problem paying a Round 1 RB, even if we have Dillon and Faulk.

I also have no problem paying a Round 1 ILB when we have Bruschi and Vrabel.

or a Round 1 OLB when we have McGinist and Colvin

or a Round 1 DE when we have Seymour, Warren and Green

or a Round 1 corner when we have Hobbs and Seymour

I think you get the idea.

In a word... No.

Do I think we would get a RB and pay him Round 1 value AND pay Dillon his huge contract?... No.

Come August, we will have Dillon and Faulk 1-2 again.

 

[SkiHound]

I'm not a big fan of drafting a RB. But that wasn't the question. I think it's entirely possible that he or DeAngelo Williams will be there at #21. There's not a lot of teams that need RB, it's a strong draft and there's a lot of veteran RB on the market.

I agree. I think it's more likely that Williams is the one who's still available. I think the Pats will go in a different direction, but who saw Mankins as the 1st rounder last year? Williams is a super talent and my impression is that he's a real team guy, my only concern would be durability.

 

[ilduce06410]

high college performer....

I don't have a good feeling about the RB from Memphis. He's fast, strong, but small, and injurable. When I watched him in the bowl game, I kept thinking "But he couldn't do this in the pros."

t think that RB, deangelo williams, is 215 lbs.
but the rest-smallish, not sure can take the pounding, that was said about gale sayers. sayers, too, set many records when he wwas at kansas.
frankly, tho, i can't remember top nfl RBs who also set college records except mike garrett, oj simpson, billy sims. paul hornung, csonka. out of what, 4,000?

 

[Big_Os_Hometown]

White is the "hot" name right now so some team will reach and pick him very early. 0% chance he falls to us. That however will allow someone to fall to us that shouldn't again....Wilfork 2?

Agreed, he'll only get more looks as we get closer to April. Defense is our pick

 

[drew4008]

DeAngelo Williams came into the Senior Bowl at under 5"9 and 208, not quite his listed 5"10 and closer to 220. I say we pass on him. I still say Reggie Bush is our best option.

 

[Flying Fungi]

I have no problem paying a Round 1 RB, even if we have Dillon and Faulk.

I also have no problem paying a Round 1 ILB when we have Bruschi and Vrabel.

or a Round 1 OLB when we have McGinist and Colvin

or a Round 1 DE when we have Seymour, Warren and Green

or a Round 1 corner when we have Hobbs and Seymour

I think you get the idea.

I wouldn't call Dillon's contract all that big either.