Should McFadden be the Pats #1 pick?

[TruthSeeker]

I really like Jonathan Stewart, big thick RB with speed. Those who say McFadden doesn't compare to Adrian Peterson, I disagree, he's very similar in size and talent. I think McFadden is an incredible talent, and would take him over Maroney any day of the week. Will he be there for us ? Maybe. Should we take him ? I much rather we take a LB. The ultimate would be winning the SB, and then drafting LB Jame Laurenitis. Worst case scenerio, if we cant get Laurenitis, we trade down and wind up with Dan Conner, another LB I like a lot.

 

[mcbee]

I really like Jonathan Stewart, big thick RB with speed. Those who say McFadden doesn't compare to Adrian Peterson, I disagree, he's very similar in size and talent. I think McFadden is an incredible talent, and would take him over Maroney any day of the week. Will he be there for us ? Maybe. Should we take him ? I much rather we take a LB. The ultimate would be winning the SB, and then drafting LB Jame Laurenitis. Worst case scenerio, if we cant get Laurenitis, we trade down and wind up with Dan Conner, another LB I like a lot.

Decent RBs should be a dime a dozen.

Can Laurenitis play in the 3-4? Many can't. I think he has decent size, but who knows. Conner is too small to play ILB in the 3-4. 250 pounds is a pre-requisite almost.

David Harris is doing really well as a Jet in the 3-4. I think we should have drafted him instead of Merriweather. But such is life.

 

[Remix 6]

Decent RBs should be a dime a dozen.

Can Laurenitis play in the 3-4? Many can't. I think he has decent size, but who knows. Conner is too small to play ILB in the 3-4. 250 pounds is a pre-requisite almost.

David Harris is doing really well as a Jet in the 3-4. I think we should have drafted him instead of Merriweather. But such is life.

BB looked at Ernie Sims and Vilma to play in a 3-4. Look at Patrick Willis. Leads league in tackles and hes playing great at 240 inside.

Harris is not doing as well as stats indicate..do u really care if your LB has 40 tackles..most of which are downfield. Not his fault..but dont look at stats to judge his play. I saw the Redskins-Jets game..Portis dominated the Jets

and few posts above that..obviously McFAdden > Maroney. a top 3 caliber player verse a top 20-25 in draft is a big difference. all depends how they transition to NFL.

 

[dryheat44]

Really? So Adrian Peterson and Brandon Jackson are the same player?

And by the way, McFadden is as good as Peterson. Yes, he's that good.

J D Sal

No, but Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones Drew are. (Not really, MJD is better).

I just made a large compilation post, but the connection went bad. To summarize: about half the good RBs in the NFL were not first round draft picks. Cherry picking two doesn't make your point valid. Otherwise you get things like Curtis Enis > Ahman Green and Antowain Smith > Corey Dillon.

Most good RBs are replaceable and are dependent on a competent OL. Very few RBs are truly special and can be productive behind a bad OL.

And no he isn't. But he's pretty darn good.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

If both McFadden and Peterson were available for last year's draft, I would have taken McFadden over Peterson without hesitation.
Don't be fooled by what Peterson is doing this year. Not every team has a Hutchison at OG. Look at Alexander in Seattle without Hutchison at OG.

McFadden is very special and very talented. Excellent vision, feet and balance, plus he brings some power to boot. He reminds me of a much faster 2004 season Dillon.

The ONLY way BB does not take McFadden, if he is available when we pick in the draft, is if Jake or Chris Long are still on the board. So let's all hope St. Louis wins 1 non San Fran game and Oakland wins 1 more game because I think the 49ers finish 2 and 14.

 

[Remix 6]

Really? So Adrian Peterson and Brandon Jackson are the same player?

And by the way, McFadden is as good as Peterson. Yes, he's that good.

J D Sal

pure runner? I havent see a guy that good of a runner yet. Closest relation would be Larry Johnson as a "runner"

McFadden could be more dynamic in the NFL than Peterson..but he wont be as good of a runner. Not a bad thing..becaue Peterson's ability and style is just rare.

 

[mcbee]

Drafting RBs high is almost always a mistake. Drafting anyone that high is almost always a mistake, if you ask me. There's no VALUE there.

You are paying an unproven guy huge money. Value is paying a guy less money than he plays for.

Hopefully they can get a good CB or safety around 20th. They've been decent at drafting CBs, LBs maybe less so. RBs?

And McFadden, no matter how good he looks now is still unproven. He runs too tall for one thing. There won't be any holes of the size he's used to...maybe he'll dominate anyway, I don't know.

I like a guy like Tashard Choice in the 3rd round or Mendenhall of ILlinois in the 2nd or 3rd.

Good RBs are a dime a dozen. Great ones are rare, but I don't think you need a great one to win big.

Jake Long...I don't know, Gallery was a top 10 pick, how's he working out? I noticed he has a tatoo that says "LONG" in huge letters on his upper arm. Not full of himself or anything.

Malcolm Jenkins in the teens and pick up some more picks, that is my hope/guess.

 

[mcbee]

BB looked at Ernie Sims and Vilma to play in a 3-4. Look at Patrick Willis. Leads league in tackles and hes playing great at 240 inside.

Harris is not doing as well as stats indicate..do u really care if your LB has 40 tackles..most of which are downfield. Not his fault..but dont look at stats to judge his play. I saw the Redskins-Jets game..Portis dominated the Jets

and few posts above that..obviously McFAdden > Maroney. a top 3 caliber player verse a top 20-25 in draft is a big difference. all depends how they transition to NFL.

240 isn't really that small as far as Willis. Vilma got buried in the 3-4 and the Jets fans think he's basically a bust whereas in the 4-3 he was all-world. He got pulled for Harris and it wasn't due to any injury that he hadn't been playing with for a long time. BB maybe looked at Sims, but he didn't draft him.

Jets fans think Harris is the real deal and he's playing behind some pretty weak 3-4 DL.

YOu never know if McFadden will be "top caliber" or not. All you know is that you'll have to PAY him as if HE IS TOP CALIBER whether he is or not. How many top picks have to bust before people stop chasing fool's gold?

Addai is definitely no good as he was late 1st round...but I'd take him over Maroney.

 

[patchick]

McFadden - Peterson 2 different backs

Absolutely, didn't mean to suggest a stylistic similarity. More a matter of NFL fashion. RB used to be an elite position to target at the top of the draft -- in the 10 years 1977-1986 RBs were selected #1 overall half the time. But only 1 has been the top choice since...Ki-Jana Carter. For the past decade as it's become a passing league the #1's have been exclusively QB and DE.

So I was just hoping that the Copycat Football League might look at Peterson and suddenly remember -- "hey, RB is one of the rare positions where a rookie can actually make a huge impact!"

But not for my team, thanks. I'll put my $10 million to other uses.

 

[JDSal45]

Absolutely not. At the NFL level, the difference between a RB drafted in the top 5 and an RB drafted in the second round (between a good OL) is negligible, except for the price tag and salary cap percentage.

Really? So Adrian Peterson and Brandon Jackson are the same player?

And by the way, McFadden is as good as Peterson. Yes, he's that good.

J D Sal

 

[Remix 6]

240 isn't really that small as far as Willis. Vilma got buried in the 3-4 and the Jets fans think he's basically a bust whereas in the 4-3 he was all-world. He got pulled for Harris and it wasn't due to any injury that he hadn't been playing with for a long time. BB maybe looked at Sims, but he didn't draft him.

Jets fans think Harris is the real deal and he's playing behind some pretty weak 3-4 DL.

YOu never know if McFadden will be "top caliber" or not. All you know is that you'll have to PAY him as if HE IS TOP CALIBER whether he is or not. How many top picks have to bust before people stop chasing fool's gold?

Addai is definitely no good as he was late 1st round...but I'd take him over Maroney.

Sims wasnt picked by us because he was way ahead of where we picked. And when i mean "looked" I mean...wanted to take him/VERY interested in drafting him

BB even had a quote which i dont have anymore saying "Size doesnt matter..if the kid is good and loves to play ball..thats much more important..theres ways around being small

in a 3-4..get yourself a good NT or DL and your good to go for the most part.

Bruschi is not a very big guy..without Washington/Traylor/Wilfork..i dont think he would be as good as he is in the role he plays.

if Jets were smart..they would stick to Vilma..let him bulk a little or coach him up a little and get a NT like Glenn Dorsey or Red Bryant.

 

[patsfaninpa]

If both McFadden and Peterson were available for last year's draft, I would have taken McFadden over Peterson without hesitation.
Don't be fooled by what Peterson is doing this year. Not every team has a Hutchison at OG. Look at Alexander in Seattle without Hutchison at OG.

McFadden is very special and very talented. Excellent vision, feet and balance, plus he brings some power to boot. He reminds me of a much faster 2004 season Dillon.

The ONLY way BB does not take McFadden, if he is available when we pick in the draft, is if Jake or Chris Long are still on the board. So let's all hope St. Louis wins 1 non San Fran game and Oakland wins 1 more game because I think the 49ers finish 2 and 14.

I feel the same way Ochmed. I wouldn't have blinked if they gave McFadden the Heisman last year. He may not have the speed/power of of ****erson and Peterson. But, he does have size,moves and speed of...dare I say...OJ??

 

[Remix 6]

I feel the same way Ochmed. I wouldn't have blinked if they gave McFadden the Heisman last year. He may not have the speed/power of of ****erson and Peterson. But, he does have size,moves and speed of...dare I say...OJ??

Um are u kidding? McFadden is faster than Peterson..not as powerful but hes faster and quicker. hes got some Reggie Bush in him

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I've watched the Oklahoma Texas game last year and the Akkansas Alabama game this year and I think McFadden is as fast as Peterson and has better vision and balance and more powerful a runner.
I think McFadden is a better blocker than Peterson and they both are about the same as receivers.

 

[PATRIOTS-80]

One thing to consider is that usually the RBs on a BB team all play different roles. McFadden could play a Dillon like role. Plus Maroney only has 3 years left on his contract.

 

[BelichickFan]

If both McFadden and Peterson were available for last year's draft, I would have taken McFadden over Peterson without hesitation.

One thing I do remember is that as last year's draft approached, the sources I read from (Pro Football Weekly, NFL Draft Scout, etc) generally said that McFadden would be rated higher than Peterson were he to have been in the draft. Of course, a year can change a lot of things.

Drafting McFadden would be be overdoing it, I guess, considering that we have Morris coming back too. However, I could go for an offense with Brady, Moss, Welker, Chad Jackson (I love Stallworth but I'm saving money here), Watson and some combination of Maroney, McFadden and Morris.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Both Maroney and McFadden have had to spend most of their college careers sharing the load with another back.

I do not think they would have any trouble adjusting to it at the NFL level once they realize it will increase the length of their respctive careers.

If BB keeps the 49ers pick and unless either C Long or J Long is on the board, I think BB has to go with McFadden.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Both Maroney and McFadden have had to spend most of their college careers sharing the load with another back.

I do not think they would have any trouble adjusting to it at the NFL level once they realize it will increase the length of their respctive careers.

If BB keeps the 49ers pick and unless either C Long or J Long is on the board, I think BB has to go with McFadden.

You make a great point. Maroney and McFadden both know how to share the ball already so there shouldn't be any ego problems with them splitting the load in NE.
Extending the lives of both running backs by easing the load they have to shoulder also offers a lot of value.

The other thing to consider is that BB HAS doubled up on a position in the past before when he wasn't quite satisfied with his first pick. Remember how BB moved up to draft Daniel Graham in round 1, and then the next year picked up Watson with the Pats 1st round pick when just about everybody was thinking there was no way he was going to take another tight end?

I think that could be the case again here. Maroney is good, but McFadden is simply BETTER. Unless BB gets excellent value, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he doubled up on RB and took McFadden. I'm sure he did not like to have to troll the dredges after Morris went down with injury and Dillon was cut. Not only is McFadden a stud RB, he gives us a powerback that can score goal line TDs, filling a role that is sorely missing on the team at the moment.
And don't forget the versatility DMac provides by being able to throw touchdown passes in certain plays.

 

[sebman2112]

Decent RBs should be a dime a dozen.

Can Laurenitis play in the 3-4? Many can't. I think he has decent size, but who knows. Conner is too small to play ILB in the 3-4. 250 pounds is a pre-requisite almost.

David Harris is doing really well as a Jet in the 3-4. I think we should have drafted him instead of Merriweather. But such is life.

I'm not sure James can fit NE's system, and I like Maualuga for NE much more. Hopefully he'll come out. I probably wouldn't draft Dan Conner either.

Kenny Phillips is someone I love for the Patriots, and I've been talking about him since this past offseason.

I agree with the other poster who said Jonathan Stewart could be an interesting prospect for NE.

What are some of the opinions concerning Rahard Mendenhall and Steve Slaton on here?

If the Patriots really wanted David Harris they could have drafted him. Remember NE traded the 28th overall pick with Harris on the board. Also, let's not go by the first year, and I'm not sure Harris would be getting much more playing time than Meriweather if the Patriots had drafted him.