My Early Mock - 1.0

[IcyPatriot]

I'd be very happy with those first 2 rounds.

I don't know who to look for at OLB that would fit our mold really, so we'll probably wait till late round 2 or round 3 for an OLB conversion project.
There are not a lot of fits this year.
Maybe a guy like Beal. He's a bit short but he definitely has the bulk at 268 lbs.

I looked at the OLB's and I'm like every time one will be available Bill will see more value in another position of need or just plain value. I'm not really sold that Bill wants a pass rushing OLB. Have we had one since he got here?

 

[PATSNUTme]

I always appreciate those who stick their necks out to do their own mocks. Good work Icy.

Sorry if my typing is off. I still have tears in my eyes thinking the patriots would actually do this.

 

[serifyn]

1a: 1Cameron Jordon DE/ 2Ryan Kerrigan OLB/ 3 JJ Watt DE
1b. 1Justin Houston OLB/ 2Muhammad Wilkerson DE/ 3Anthony Castonzo OT
2a. 1Stefen Wisniewski/ 2Mikel Leshoure/ 3Rahim Moore

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

Haven't heard that one yet. Any others?

I know Aldon Smith is with CAA but not with Condon. I was scared for a while on that one.

BB won't care who the agent is -- even Condon -- if there is a rookie salary scale. Of course, Condon could still try to get 4 year deals for a typical 5 year first round pick (lower half of round 1).

 

[Sciz]

BB won't care who the agent is -- even Condon -- if there is a rookie salary scale. Of course, Condon could still try to get 4 year deals for a typical 5 year first round pick (lower half of round 1).

I don't think it's the deal length that makes a big deal now, it's the guaranteed money. Condon sounds like the kind of guy who is going to have his client hold out until his contract demands are met, and Bill doesn't want a guy who is going to hold out. He already dealt with that headache once.

 

[Shelterdog]

absolutely........Larsen would have been an upgrade over either of them except that the pats gave him away.

So why'd we keep them instead of Larsen? Scar was drinking heavily? BB wanted to make things harder for himself?

Larsen was awful when he was here and the fact that he was a starter on a garbage o-line doesn't make him a good player.

 

[IcyPatriot]

So why'd we keep them instead of Larsen? Scar was drinking heavily? BB wanted to make things harder for himself?

Larsen was awful when he was here and the fact that he was a starter on a garbage o-line doesn't make him a good player.

The thing about Larsen that intrigued me was that Dante himself wanted him - had scouted him and worked him out personally. I thought he would get project status if nothing else. then again i think we sometimes don't see that a player could have potential but sees opportunity elsewhere so shows attitude or laziness just to get out of there.

 

[WhiZa]

JJ Watt has Tom Condon as his agent, who the Pats haven't worked with in 7 years, since the Ben Watson contract issue. JJ is my #2 DE prospect behind Fairley (and easily ahead of Dareus), but I don't think it's overly realistic.

Herzlich seems like a worse version of Ninkovich right now. The Pats need somebody who can rush the passer, and Herzlich isn't that player.

How did you find out Condon was Watt's agent? I looked in google and it returned nothing of substance

 

[MaineMan]

The thing about Larsen that intrigued me was that Dante himself wanted him - had scouted him and worked him out personally. I thought he would get project status if nothing else. then again i think we sometimes don't see that a player could have potential but sees opportunity elsewhere so shows attitude or laziness just to get out of there.

Yeah, I don't know that Larsen was necessarily waived because he was no longer deemed a worthy project. It was probably mostly getting caught in the numbers game and the Pats were hoping he'd clear through to the P/S. Tampa had some O-line injuries they were already dealing with at the time of final cuts and picked up a couple guys besides Larsen for backups, IIRC. Larsen only made it into a starting role because their O-line guys started dropping like flies. Credit to him, though, that he stuck even after a couple of their other O-line guys got healthy.

Anyway, it's not like it was the first time the Pats have had a decent developmental prospect snagged by another team on his way to the P/S, and it won't be the last.

And, it's not like it doesn't happen to other teams. In 2006, the Texans picked up a UDFA CB and waived him after camp, presumably to get him to the P/S. Green Bay claimed him. Tramon Williams.

 

[Sciz]

How did you find out Condon was Watt's agent? I looked in google and it returned nothing of substance

BostonHerald.com - Blogs: Rap Sheet Blog Archive Uh oh: The first mock drafts are out… Who did the Patriots (pretend) pick?

OK, cross Watt off because he’s a client of super-agent Tom Condon (who the Pats don’t work with following the Ben Watson rookie deal)

 

[jsull87]

I just did a little exercise where i wrote out the patriots roster as it stands today (including matt light and mankins).

Then i added DE and OLB 1st 2 picks (i personally went Cam Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, do the same with your favorite 2 picks). Then look at what happens to the D. It looks so much stronger with those 2 positions filled with 1st round talent. I know thats stating the obvious but when it was laid out in front of me it looked a whole lot simple. That leaves a starting D of:

..................................Warren...Wilfork....Jordan

...................Cunningham.......Spikes...Mayo.........Kerrigan

Bodden.........................................................................McCourty

..............Chung....................................Merriweather

It also lets our other d linemen (pryor,wright,Brace especially) do what they do best and sub in in situations and not have to much of the burdon. It also in my opinion will leave every position on the defensive roster with good depth (except for NT)

After that i picked basically best available OG/C and OT in the 2nd. In my mock i had Pouncey and Ijalana in the 2nd (slight trade up for Ijilana). That leaves our Line:

......................Orgnberger
.........Kakzur.......Connoly...Pouncey*..Weddel...Ijalana*
.......Vollmer.........Neal.....Koppen.....Mankin......Light
..........RT ............RG..........C.............LG..........LT

2 2nd's replenishes this in my opinion but you know what this does highlight?
Lose Light, Mankins, Neal (inevitable injury) and we look very thin, but even with one of light or Mankins going we are still in a pretty stable position in my opinion.

Now you can replace the picks with who ever your binki's are but all i am saying is when you lay it out and actually se the depth we have at most positions, add 1st round talent at a couple of key positions and i think this defense can be a top unit to go along with the 2 2nd's we can keep the Offense moving as a top unit.

Sorry if it was a little to ranty but i was just encouraged after laying it all out on paper that we actually have a pretty well stocked team after you fill 1 or 2 key positions. (i left RB and WR out because i am fine with those situations and don't think they need addressing 1st 2 rounds comparatively as we have both youth, depth and veteran leadership at those positions, i include rb in this as Faulk might be back) and i think TE is set

 

[Patriot Missile]

I just did a little exercise where i wrote out the patriots roster as it stands today (including matt light and mankins).

Then i added DE and OLB 1st 2 picks (i personally went Cam Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, do the same with your favorite 2 picks). Then look at what happens to the D. It looks so much stronger with those 2 positions filled with 1st round talent. I know thats stating the obvious but when it was laid out in front of me it looked a whole lot simple. That leaves a starting D of:

..................................Warren...Wilfork....Jordan

...................Cunningham.......Spikes...Mayo.........Kerrigan

Bodden.........................................................................McCourty

..............Chung....................................Merriweather

It also lets our other d linemen (pryor,wright,Brace especially) do what they do best and sub in in situations and not have to much of the burdon. It also in my opinion will leave every position on the defensive roster with good depth (except for NT)

After that i picked basically best available OG/C and OT in the 2nd. In my mock i had Pouncey and Ijalana in the 2nd (slight trade up for Ijilana). That leaves our Line:

......................Orgnberger
.........Kakzur.......Connoly...Pouncey*..Weddel...Ijalana*
.......Vollmer.........Neal.....Koppen.....Mankin......Light
..........RT ............RG..........C.............LG..........LT

2 2nd's replenishes this in my opinion but you know what this does highlight?
Lose Light, Mankins, Neal (inevitable injury) and we look very thin, but even with one of light or Mankins going we are still in a pretty stable position in my opinion.

Now you can replace the picks with who ever your binki's are but all i am saying is when you lay it out and actually se the depth we have at most positions, add 1st round talent at a couple of key positions and i think this defense can be a top unit to go along with the 2 2nd's we can keep the Offense moving as a top unit.

Sorry if it was a little to ranty but i was just encouraged after laying it all out on paper that we actually have a pretty well stocked team after you fill 1 or 2 key positions. (i left RB and WR out because i am fine with those situations and don't think they need addressing 1st 2 rounds comparatively as we have both youth, depth and veteran leadership at those positions, i include rb in this as Faulk might be back) and i think TE is set

I love it. Jordan rocks and Kerrigan has got the strength and speed we have been looking for in our OLB position. Pouncey improved over the course of the season and is coachable by Dante to do even more. Ijallana is a great value pick and I like him to fill in sooner rather than later. Keeping both Light and Mankins is a tall order. I'm seeing OT and Guard as a must regardless if they are resigned or not. We need depth for free agency purposes as well as for injury reasons. Neal and Kaczur.

That team looks pretty good when they are healthy. What's that team's name again? Bodden and Warren?

Good job!

 

[jsull87]

I love it. Jordan rocks and Kerrigan has got the strength and speed we have been looking for in our OLB position. Pouncey improved over the course of the season and is coachable by Dante to do even more. Ijallana is a great value pick and I like him to fill in sooner rather than later. Keeping both Light and Mankins is a tall order. I'm seeing OT and Guard as a must regardless if they are resigned or not. We need depth for free agency purposes as well as for injury reasons. Neal and Kaczur.

That team looks pretty good when they are healthy. What's that team's name again? Bodden and Warren?

Good job!

Keeping both light and mankins will be a tall order but i am not getting into that atm and regardless we will still have to draft 2 OL possitions in the 1st 2 rounds in my opinion. All this illustrates is put it on paper and give our young players another year in the system... plug in our 2 1st rounders on d and 2 2nd's on OL pair that with Warren and Bodden back... you have the looks of a very solid D and an O thats great and has had some youth injected into the OL.