Drafttek's 2011 2 rd mock draft

[patsfaninpa]

No. No it wouldn't. You just never are able to consistently project RBs from college to the NFL well enough to waste a top-15 or whatever pick on them. Nobody in the draft is Jim Brown, Eric ****erson, or Barry Sanders.

If I had my druthers, I'd get Hayward and Romeus out of the first round. WR is a definite need if Moss leaves, but I'd rather wait on a guy like Greg Childs later in the draft than use an early pick on Green.

Right now olb and de are our two biggest needs IMO too. There is always free-agency before the draft. Provided they iron out a CBA. I could see us going after a guy like Lamar Woodley. Pittsburgh usually let's their high-priced fa's walk and they've already extended James Harrison.

 

[Defsoul]

Right now olb and de are our two biggest needs IMO too. There is always free-agency before the draft. Provided they iron out a CBA. I could see us going after a guy like Lamar Woodley. Pittsburgh usually let's their high-priced fa's walk and they've already extended James Harrison.

I don't think that they will allow Woodley to walk. James Harrison is 32 years old, he will become 33 prior to the 2011 NFL Draft. He is not their future, Woodley is.

 

[Metaphors]

There is always free-agency before the draft. Provided they iron out a CBA.

While it is entirely possible there will be a CBA by March of next year, I see no reason to believe it will happen. The suffering for the players doesn't start until several months later so there will be little motivation for them to compromise. The owners have even less motivation since the TV money will still be rolling in. I don't believe any games will get cancelled, but it will probably get really close to that point.

So I think that means the 2011 draft will be unique. Instead of plugging holes after free agency, teams will have to draft without knowing how free agency will affect them.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

While it is entirely possible there will be a CBA by March of next year, I see no reason to believe it will happen. The suffering for the players doesn't start until several months later so there will be little motivation for them to compromise. The owners have even less motivation since the TV money will still be rolling in. I don't believe any games will get cancelled, but it will probably get really close to that point.

So I think that means the 2011 draft will be unique. Instead of plugging holes after free agency, teams will have to draft without knowing how free agency will affect them.

If that is the case, and I hope it is. Then we should see a ton of teams drafting for need rather than the best player available. it will add a dynamic that should allow quite a few really good players to fall into the teens, where we will probably have two picks.

 

[fester]

Right now olb and de are our two biggest needs IMO too. There is always free-agency before the draft. Provided they iron out a CBA. I could see us going after a guy like Lamar Woodley. Pittsburgh usually let's their high-priced fa's walk and they've already extended James Harrison.

Woodley won't be available. Woodley is a premier pass-rushing OLB, and as the Patriots know, those are very hard to find without a Top-15 pick.

Harrison will be going into the 4th year of his contract and he'll be at the point where he is either cheap enough to keep or the Steelers have enough leverage to force a renegotiation towards an extension and a pay-cut. Jason Worilds was drafted as a Harrison replacement option in the second round this year.

The Steelers have a demonstrated history of signing their elite level players to their first non-rookie deal. They are reluctant to sign a guy to a second big non-rookie deal (that is where they get a reputation of not paying for high priced free agents), but they are more than willing to sign a guy at the end of his rookie deal for big money (see Polamalu, see Hampton, see Ike Taylor for recent examples on the Steeler's defense.)

 

[UofApatsfan]

If the draft fell this way, the Pats could absolutely clean up...

DE Marcell Dareus - If he were a couple of inches taller, an ideal Seymour replacement
WR Jonathan Baldwin - Assuming Moss moves on, get a huge target outside for Brady
OG Mike Pouncey - Steps right in for Mankins or Neal
OLB Da'Quan Bowers - Inconsistent at Clemson but too good a skill set to pass on late in the 2nd

Tighten up the RB position in FA and later in the draft. The only question would be OT if Light moves on, but there are young candidates on the roster and the LT-in-waiting in Vollmer.

This would be great except I wouldn't go Pouncey but rather a tackle. Yeah, they'll need to address interior O-line at some point, but Koppen is probably the starting center as long as Brady is still here, and it's hopeless at this point, but I still think the Mankins situation will work itself out. Finding a guy who can block on an island and keep Vollmer at RT more or less sures up their pass protection.

But yeah, I can't imagine a 1st round scenario better than Marcell Dareus and Green/Jones/Baldwin/Floyd.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This would be great except I wouldn't go Pouncey but rather a tackle. Yeah, they'll need to address interior O-line at some point, but Koppen is probably the starting center as long as Brady is still here, and it's hopeless at this point, but I still think the Mankins situation will work itself out. Finding a guy who can block on an island and keep Vollmer at RT more or less sures up their pass protection.

But yeah, I can't imagine a 1st round scenario better than Marcell Dareus and Green/Jones/Baldwin/Floyd.

The Pats appear to be taking a hard look at LT Nate Solder (Colorado).

 

[patsfaninpa]

The Pats appear to be taking a hard look at LT Nate Solder (Colorado).

Would make for a nice pair of bookend T's going forward. Couple of 6'8" young linemen. Looks like he needs to bulk up according to scouting report on cbs.com.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Would make for a nice pair of bookend T's going forward. Couple of 6'8" young linemen. Looks like he needs to bulk up according to scouting report on cbs.com.

They say that about most OT prospects, at 300 lbs he's within a hair of Matt Light right now (305). Get him in with Coaches Woicik and Nash, and the staff dietitian, and he'll be just fine.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

While I do like Solder, I worry that the hype may build until some team drafts him earlier than his experience warrants. He's a good athlete, but still pretty raw. I like him as a mid-second or later kind of guy, and wouldn't mind pairing him with Vollmer for the future, but I have a feeling he'll go in the first. Guys that big, fast, and strong simply don't last long.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

While I do like Solder, I worry that the hype may build until some team drafts him earlier than his experience warrants. He's a good athlete, but still pretty raw. I like him as a mid-second or later kind of guy, and wouldn't mind pairing him with Vollmer for the future, but I have a feeling he'll go in the first. Guys that big, fast, and strong simply don't last long.

NFL Draft Scout has him as their #2 OT and #10 overall prospect, he appears to be solidly in the first round.

EDIT: FWIW... In the Scouting visits thread it looks like NE is looking at early & late round DL, early round OT and late round interior OL, mid-late round WR & QB, late round RB, early round OLB, and mid-late round ILB & DB. They are looking at higher first round prospects apparently to be prepared in the event of another Oakland meltdown, and all the other visits would initially seem to also match up to where NE might be expected to draft. No draft worries at this point in the process, just business as usual.