March 14th Patriots Mock Draft

[VJCPatriot]

You know the drill. You've read the scouting reports, watched youtube videos till you feel asleep. Now that we have more information how will you draft? Ok so here are the rules.

1. Use CBS Sports Rankings here. (Updated 3/12 as of this post but just use the one thats most current when you do your mock.)
2. You may select +/- 3 slots on Day 1, 5 slots on Day 2, and 10 slots on Day 3.
3. Heres the hard part. No trades!

Here are the Pats picks:
17,28,33,60,74,92,123,156,&184

Here we go:

Day 1

#17 JJ Watt DE, Wisconsin. I'm sold on this kid's athleticism, length, and motor. He just makes plays and could make a huge impact for the Pats defensive line.

#28 Derek Sherrod OT, Miss St. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to protect Brady's blindside!

Day 2

#33 Brooks Reed OLB/DE, Arizona. Pin back your ears and get after the QB! Is it the hair? He's a bad, bad man!

#60 Benjamin Ijalana OG, Villanova. A big ugly to serve as our Mankins insurance.

Day 3

#74 Kenrick Ellis DT, Hampton. At 6'4, 340 lbs, Ellis is a monster load for OL to handle. He could play a role for the Pats in run stopping packages.

#92 Edmond Gates WR, Abiline Christian. A speedster to stretch the field and make defenses back up a little.

#123 Buster Skrine CB, Chattanooga. A slot corner to challenge Butler and Wilhite is a need. Skrine has the agility and burst to excel at that position. He also looks like a potential 4 down player.

#156 Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh. Rolling the dice on the injury risk in case he turns out to be a stud. This late in the draft, why not gamble on greatness?

#184 Roy Helu Jr RB, Nebraska. A fast guy with a solid build who also caught the ball in college. Yes, he ran behind college football's best offensive line. But despite splitting carries he was a very productive and versatile player. Senior player with plenty of tape who flashed his speed recently at the NFL combine.

Notes: It was sooo tough to do a mock without trades. But I think this one turns out with some players I could definitely live with.

 

[jsull87]

Ok Here's my take:

Day 1

#17 Aldon Smith DE/OLB - He is the rusher i think has the most upside i have seen him be virsitile, rush from the inside and out. I like Watt but i think we can get a very good 3-4 de later in the 1st and i think if you have a chance to draft someone with this much talent you do.

#28 Muhammad Wilkerson DT Temple Jr 6-4 315.

I think he has alot of talent and can be our future starter at DE and really completing our front for a while. Think about what BB can do with all our DLine back and healthy. Warren Wilfork Wilkerson, brace, wright, warren, deadrick, pryor. Great value here in my opinion.

Day 2

#33 Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State Sr 6-5 321. Great value at 33 and can protect the Blind or move over to the right to let seabass do his thing.

#60 Stefen Wisniewski C Penn State Sr 6-3 313. Future replacement for Koppen i like him and hope he works out.

Day 3

#74 Clint Boling OG Georgia Sr 6-5 308. this is Me doubing up on the Interior Line because mankins is a question mark, neal just retired and Koppen is old, time for some youth.

#92 Shane Vereen RB California rJr 5-10 210. To add some youth to the possition and to fight for playing time and make it a competition with BJGE, Danny and Faulk.

#123 Jeremy Beal ILB Oklahoma rSr 6-2 262. This guy has shot down draft boards... i am taking a shot at him here for special teams mor than anything and hoping he can one day maybe be a better version of guyton

#156 Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh. Rolling the dice on the injury risk in case he turns out to be a stud. This late in the draft, why not gamble on greatness? ( this was your pick love it here)

 

[Patriot Missile]

Ok Here's my take:

Day 1

#17 Aldon Smith DE/OLB - He is the rusher i think has the most upside i have seen him be virsitile, rush from the inside and out. I like Watt but i think we can get a very good 3-4 de later in the 1st and i think if you have a chance to draft someone with this much talent you do.

#28 Muhammad Wilkerson DT Temple Jr 6-4 315.

I think he has alot of talent and can be our future starter at DE and really completing our front for a while. Think about what BB can do with all our DLine back and healthy. Warren Wilfork Wilkerson, brace, wright, warren, deadrick, pryor. Great value here in my opinion.

Day 2

#33 Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State Sr 6-5 321. Great value at 33 and can protect the Blind or move over to the right to let seabass do his thing.

#60 Stefen Wisniewski C Penn State Sr 6-3 313. Future replacement for Koppen i like him and hope he works out.

Day 3

#74 Clint Boling OG Georgia Sr 6-5 308. this is Me doubing up on the Interior Line because mankins is a question mark, neal just retired and Koppen is old, time for some youth.

#92 Shane Vereen RB California rJr 5-10 210. To add some youth to the possition and to fight for playing time and make it a competition with BJGE, Danny and Faulk.

#123 Jeremy Beal ILB Oklahoma rSr 6-2 262. This guy has shot down draft boards... i am taking a shot at him here for special teams mor than anything and hoping he can one day maybe be a better version of guyton

#156 Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh. Rolling the dice on the injury risk in case he turns out to be a stud. This late in the draft, why not gamble on greatness? ( this was your pick love it here)

Great job. Like it quite a bit.

 

[midwestpatsfan]

17. Ryan Kerrigan-4 year guy from big time college. Smart. Athletic kid who gets to the football. Has violent hands. Will be making the switch to LB but I think he has the smarts, athleticism, and work ethic to do it. May not be great in coverage but will work to get better. One of the few I think can play all 3 downs and not hurt the team with a glaring weakness.

28. Phil Taylor or Muhammid Wilkerson- Taylor would be a guy who could plug the middle giving Wilfork the option of moving to end and being a disruptive force there. Wilkerson would be an end that is a little more raw but has the measurables to play in the 3-4. Good against the run and could help get pressure on the QB. Either one would give the team depth on the DLine and options.

33. Derrek Sherrod- At the end of the season, there was talk that Sherrod was the best Oline prospect in the draft. He was solid all season. He has some mechanic issues and will get beat, but I think he could start right away at RT if need be and give the line some flexibility if Light is brought back.

60. Stephen Wisnewski-I have seen his name for the Patriots at 28 so this might be a good value. Considered the best C prospect in this years draft, but could play guard as well. Has NFL bloodlines and plays with the demeanor needed to play C in the NFL.

74. Ras-I-Dowling-You can never have too many talented CB and Dowling, when healthy, is right at the top. That is the key and the 3rd round is where you start to take these guys that have top talent but ? marks. When healthy, dowling could fight for starting time and would upgrade the position.

92. Shane Vereen-I like Vereen a lot. I think he is a nice compliment to LawFirm and has the talent to start if needed. Would give the patriots that breakaway speed guy who can bust that long run.

123. Ugo Chinasa-Chinasa is raw talent kid that has great athleticism and that size speed combo the Patriots covet for the LB position. Will be a conversion project and most likely would be a practice squad guy who may never work out, but if he can make that transition would give great depth to a currently weak position.

156. Vincent Brown/Austin Pettis- Brown is a small school kid that has great hands and is a good route runner. Not elite speed but finds a way to get open. Pettis is not as athletic but again, runs a good route tree and has good hands, both are solid and could make an impact down the road. Neither are flashy, but get it done, which I think Brady likes.

184. Brandon Fusco- 2 centers? The line needs help, Fusco has talent and both him and Wisnewski can battle it out for who stays at center and who moves to guard. Having both gives the line some flexibility on the interior.

There you have it. My first shot at it. I was a little down on this draft but I would be real happy with a haul like this.

 

[BKBroiler]

Ok Here's my take:

Day 1

#17 Aldon Smith DE/OLB - He is the rusher i think has the most upside i have seen him be virsitile, rush from the inside and out. I like Watt but i think we can get a very good 3-4 de later in the 1st and i think if you have a chance to draft someone with this much talent you do.

#28 Muhammad Wilkerson DT Temple Jr 6-4 315.

I think he has alot of talent and can be our future starter at DE and really completing our front for a while. Think about what BB can do with all our DLine back and healthy. Warren Wilfork Wilkerson, brace, wright, warren, deadrick, pryor. Great value here in my opinion.

Day 2

#33 Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State Sr 6-5 321. Great value at 33 and can protect the Blind or move over to the right to let seabass do his thing.

#60 Stefen Wisniewski C Penn State Sr 6-3 313. Future replacement for Koppen i like him and hope he works out.

Day 3

#74 Clint Boling OG Georgia Sr 6-5 308. this is Me doubing up on the Interior Line because mankins is a question mark, neal just retired and Koppen is old, time for some youth.

#92 Shane Vereen RB California rJr 5-10 210. To add some youth to the possition and to fight for playing time and make it a competition with BJGE, Danny and Faulk.

#123 Jeremy Beal ILB Oklahoma rSr 6-2 262. This guy has shot down draft boards... i am taking a shot at him here for special teams mor than anything and hoping he can one day maybe be a better version of guyton

#156 Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh. Rolling the dice on the injury risk in case he turns out to be a stud. This late in the draft, why not gamble on greatness? ( this was your pick love it here)

Guyton and Beal aren't even close to being the same type of player. Guyton is an extremely athletic Mike ILB/situational linebacker that ran a 4.47 40yd dash and can cover TE's/RB's. If you see Beal as a ILB instead of an OLB, then he would most likely be a Sam ILB since he appears to be a more stout, less athletic (he ran a ran a 5.14 40) linebacker that doesn't look to be very good in coverage. If anything you would need to compare Fletcher to Beal, but even here Id take Fletcher any day since he has shown he has the versatility to rush the passer, be stout against the run, cover, and play ST's.

 

[Gator Mike]

#17 Aldon Smith, LB, Missouri - In this scenario, I think we can wait to get someone like Wilkerson, Taylor, Paea, or Ballard later. There aren't many OLBs left that I think would be much of an upgrade on Jermaine Cunningham. Smith is one of them.

#28 Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple - Possible long-term replacement for Seymour, although not quite as talented. Seems like as good a fit for what the Pats need as they can reasonable expect in this position.

#33 Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State - Gives us a lot of options. If he can play RT, they can switch Vollmer to the left and let Matt Light go. If he can't, he'll almost certainly be a pretty good guard.

#60 Quinton Carter, FS, Oklahoma - Even before Brandon Meriweather's brush with the law, I got the sense that he wasn't a Belichick favorite. I think they'll let him walk as a free agent after grooming someone to take over for him next year.

#74 Shane Vereen, RB, California - I'm buying the hype. No doubt the Pats could use another running back, and for the most part, Vereen seems like a reasonable choice here.

#92 Kristofer O'Dowd, C, Southern Cal - I just feel like Koppen is beginning to run out of gas. O'Dowd should be able to play any position in the interior of the offensive line.

#123 Cortez Allen, DB, Citadel - The Pats are interested, and Belichick likes versatility. Allen's kind of an intriguing athlete.

#156 Owen Marecic, FB/LB, Stanford - Smart, tough, strong, great blocker as a fullback, versatile, great special teams player... too many possibilities for the Pats to pass up.

#184 Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU - Fastest WR left on the board. Needs to get stronger and more precise running his routes, but those are issues a year on the Practice Squad might be able to address.

 

[jsull87]

Guyton and Beal aren't even close to being the same type of player. Guyton is an extremely athletic Mike ILB/situational linebacker that ran a 4.47 40yd dash and can cover TE's/RB's. If you see Beal as a ILB instead of an OLB, then he would most likely be a Sam ILB since he appears to be a more stout, less athletic (he ran a ran a 5.14 40) linebacker that doesn't look to be very good in coverage. If anything you would need to compare Fletcher to Beal, but even here Id take Fletcher any day since he has shown he has the versatility to rush the passer, be stout against the run, cover, and play ST's.

fair enough. Was just talking about taking a punt on a guy some wanted 6 months ago at 28 as a late round flier to compete on special teams and with our existing linebackers. Both ILB and OLB

 

[patsfan-1982]

#17 Julio Jones, WR not the pick every one was looking for but he was just to high on BB's bord to pass up

#28 Justin Houston, DE/OLB he will be a nickle DE pass rusher he's first year untill he picks up BB's system and is full time at OLB

#33 Cameron Heyward, 3-4 DE not a day one starter but by the end of the year he will be a force.

#60 Marcus Cannon, G he's a big body that will help the running game and help keep does big NT's from seting the LB's free on Brady come playoff time

#74 Daniel Thomas, RB at 6 foot 230lbs he should give the pats RBBC some more pop

#92 Jake Kirkpatrick, C he will have a year or two to pick up the system befor he has to start

#123 Chris Carter, DE/OLB he's a lil small so he can play ST untill he puts on a few lbs and picks up the system

#156 Terrance Toliver, WR a big WR who will play ST

#184 David Carter, DT/DE a Project who could make the team and give some dept

 

[VJCPatriot]

TRADE 1
#33 for #49 and #80

TRADE 2
#123 plus #156 for #107

Please see rule #3 above. No trades for this mock! I know it makes it a lot harder.

 

[patchick]

VJCPatriot, I love, love, love your mock. In fact, I'm not even going to try my own, I'll just second yours.

(Tiny nitpick: I can understand looking for a RB at the end, but I'm not a Helu fan. I'd leap on Brandon Fusco there, and count on finding Helu-caliber RBs for cheap in FA.)

 

[VJCPatriot]

VJCPatriot, I love, love, love your mock. In fact, I'm not even going to try my own, I'll just second yours.

(Tiny nitpick: I can understand looking for a RB at the end, but I'm not a Helu fan. I'd leap on Brandon Fusco there, and count on finding Helu-caliber RBs for cheap in FA.)

TY Patchick. I think the picture is getting a little clearer for me as the draft approaches. The only potential black cloud to the upcoming draft goodness is the lockout and the impasse between owners and players. I really hope that there's a 2011 season. But who knows how long it will take to work out. The rookies and younger players could miss valuable development time if they don't get to go through the minicamps and training camp process, etc.

Oh and I found it REALLY HARD to settle on my players at #28 and #33 without trading out of those picks and thus breaking rule #3. Perhaps this is an indication that the Pats might trade out of those positions? Trader Bill is perhaps one of the most active GMs in the NFL when moving around during the draft. Just a few things to think about.

 

[dryheat44]

I think at the end of the day, Romeus is going to go much, much higher. I'd look for him by the end of the third unless it's clear he's going to need a medical redshirt year. I would certainly target him before the likes of Gates and Skrine. The one thing I don't like about these exercises is that the person doing it knows how late he can wait on a player.

Also, take Ellis off your board. Actually, it's safe to take every Hampton player off your board every year until they make a change at the top level. The entire football roster is made up of guys who've done jail time, thrown off other teams (even lassez faire SEC teams), are ignoramuses, and otherwise straight-up thugs.

 

[patchick]

Also, take Ellis off your board. Actually, it's safe to take every Hampton player off your board every year until they make a change at the top level. The entire football roster is made up of guys who've done jail time, thrown off other teams (even lassez faire SEC teams), are ignoramuses, and otherwise straight-up thugs.

There are a ton of character issues in this year's DL crop. Ellis does come with warning flags, but my gut says Taylor's the biggest risk.

 

[patriotscpfc]

Not as easy to do without trades.

17: Ryan Kerrigan - 3-4OLB - Best option there and I'm not excited by the pick. Considered Castonzo.
28: Derek Sherrod - OT - Last of the Top Tackle prospects left.
33: Danny Watkins - OG - Fills a need.
60: Stefan Wisniewski - C - Year to develop under Dante. Then takes over from Koppen
74: DeMarco Murray - RB - Does it all.
92: Edmond Gates - WR - Very fast. 6 foot, but 40" vertical. Can go up and get the ball.
123: Casey Matthews - ILB - Can't hurt to bring him into camp. Competes with White and Guyton for a spot.
Gets tough now. 5 of my binkies are after 156 but before 181.
156: Greg McElroy, QB. I'd have liked to have taken Marecic, Whalen, Herzlich or Romeus here. In reality, I think I take Marecic and then someone who isn't a RB at 184.
184: Da'Rel Scott - RB - Benny, Murray, Woody, a veteran and Scott. Could do worse.

Not a great fan of my draft. But got at least 3 starters. Plus 2 more who could start in 2012.

 

[patriotscpfc]

DEFENSE
Watt, Wilkerson, Reed, Darling

OFFENSE
Ijalana, Carpenter, Vareem, Stanzi, Fusco

#17 DE Watt
#28 DT Wilkerson
#49 OLB Reed
#60 OG Ijalana
#74 DB Darling
#80 OT Carpenter
#92 RB Vareem
#107 QB Stanzi
#184 OC Fusco

TRADE 1
#33 for #49 and #80

TRADE 2
#123 plus #156 for #107

No trades otherwise I'd have been dropping down to get some of my binkies as well as moving up for Quinn

 

[VJCPatriot]

I'm sure the Pats will do their due dilligence in terms of character investigation. Much like they did with Brandon Meriweather. Until then, it's too early to dismiss any player from the draft board.

According to Scout.com's blurb, Ellis spent his first 11 years of his life living in Jamaica. Without going into his family life or knowing what kind of neighborhood he grew up in, it would be difficult to judge him as a person. I'm sure interviews and such will help teams make up their minds on the character and intangibles aspect of a player.

CBS-sports scouting report indicates that he was dismissed from SC for drug violations. Just a guess off the top of my head here, but considering possible Jamaican cultural influences, that was probably for marijuana use. Assuming he's clean now, he should be ok, unless smoking pot turns a person into an irretrievable thug.

Also, take Ellis off your board. Actually, it's safe to take every Hampton player off your board every year until they make a change at the top level. The entire football roster is made up of guys who've done jail time, thrown off other teams (even lassez faire SEC teams), are ignoramuses, and otherwise straight-up thugs.

 

[dryheat44]

Assuming he's clean now, he should be ok, unless smoking pot turns a person into an irretrievable thug.

Obviously, that doesn't reflect my thinking. It's also true that SC historically has run one of the blindest-eye programs in D1. I'm willing to bet it takes more than smoking pot to get thrown off the team.

Did I make a generalized statement about Hampton? Yep. But it comes from about four years of research. Every draft prospect that comes out of there has major "character" issues attached to them. In the name of optimizing resources, I'd ignore every player coming out of there for the short and medium term. It wouldn't surprise me if BB did as well. It's clear what kind of program they run and what kind of importance they put on character, they don't play at a high level of competition, and both of those things are important to BB when scouting.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

-- 17: OLB Ryan Kerrigan - Watt is gone and those pesky rules ... plus or minus 3? Meh.
-- 28: DE Muhammad Wilkerson
-- 33: DL Stephen Paea - These pesky rules again, too bad the OP can't follow his own rule 2.

-- 60: OL Ben Ijalana
-- 74: OL James Carpenter
-- 92: RB Jordan Todman
- 123: CB/FS Jalil Brown
- 156: WR/PR/KR Jeremy Kerly
- 184: OL Brandon Fusco

 

[patchick]

CBS-sports scouting report[/url] indicates that he was dismissed from SC for drug violations. Just a guess off the top of my head here, but considering possible Jamaican cultural influences, that was probably for marijuana use. Assuming he's clean now, he should be ok, unless smoking pot turns a person into an irretrievable thug.

FWIW, I think there's a little more to it than just "he smoked some pot." Ellis started off in the doghouse at SC for being overweight, then was suspended for 3 games for positive drug tests, then kicked off the team for even more "violations." Hampton took him in, and he ended up getting suspended for a game there, too. It's always worrisome when a guy keeps making the same mistakes after paying heavy prices for them.

 

[jeffbiologist]

I simply cant understand a patriots mock without trades. :bricks: