Would you trade up to get Rey Maualuga?

[carolinatony]

We have some extra picks to move up a few spots in the right situation.
If Maualuga drops pass the top 10,is it worth it to try to get him? The $$ is less if he drops out of the top10.
With Mayo and him we would be looking good at LB for a long time.
Just tossing this out....

 

[j00fek]

no.........................................hes been projected to be a 2 down LB

i would trade up for Aaron Curry

 

[carolinatony]

"no.........................................hes been projected to be a 2 down LB

i would trade up for Aaron Curry"


Curry from Draftcountdown
Strengths:
Possesses a terrific blend of size and bulk...Exceptional speed, quickness and athleticism...Very physical and tough...Excellent strength and power...Extremely aggressive...Outstanding instincts and awareness...Offers a lot of versatility...Reliable tackler who will deliver the big hit...Really uses his hands well...Does a nice job of taking on and shedding blockers...Superb pass rusher and blitzer...Has sideline-to-sideline range...Will attack and fill against the run...Comfortable in space...Can match up and make plays in coverage...Has a lot of experience...Durable and never missed a game due to injury...Smart...Hard worker...Team leader...Super productive.

Weaknesses:
Can be too aggressive at times and will overpursue...Not quite as tall as you'd prefer...Pass rush repertoire is limited...Marginal change of direction skills...May have some trouble when it comes to recognition in coverage....Is not particularly fluid when he is forced to flip his hips


Not a good pass rusher.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

No.

However, if he's still there at the San Diego pick he might be worth a flyer.

 

[VJCPatriot]

"no.........................................hes been projected to be a 2 down LB

i would trade up for Aaron Curry"


Curry from Draftcountdown
Strengths:
Possesses a terrific blend of size and bulk...Exceptional speed, quickness and athleticism...Very physical and tough...Excellent strength and power...Extremely aggressive...Outstanding instincts and awareness...Offers a lot of versatility...Reliable tackler who will deliver the big hit...Really uses his hands well...Does a nice job of taking on and shedding blockers...Superb pass rusher and blitzer...Has sideline-to-sideline range...Will attack and fill against the run...Comfortable in space...Can match up and make plays in coverage...Has a lot of experience...Durable and never missed a game due to injury...Smart...Hard worker...Team leader...Super productive.

Weaknesses:
Can be too aggressive at times and will overpursue...Not quite as tall as you'd prefer...Pass rush repertoire is limited...Marginal change of direction skills...May have some trouble when it comes to recognition in coverage....Is not particularly fluid when he is forced to flip his hips


Not a good pass rusher.

You're going to judge his pass rushing skills based on a piece of a blurb that says 'repertoire is limited' ? Dwight Freeney is a 1 trick poney with his pass rush repertoire and he still seems to get the job down.

Besides with Curry you are getting the whole package, the strengths far outweigh the listed negatives. He's probably the best linebacker prospect available in this year's draft. Certainly I consider him a stronger prospect than Mauluaga who has been slipping lately.

 

[Kontradiction]

Nope. His mate in the USC LB corps I would trade up for in a heartbeat though. He and Spikes are the only two which I would have traded up for and Spikes elected to stay at Florida (good for the Gator fan in me, bad for the Patriot fan).

 

[mayoclinic]

No. I personally hope we don't get any of the USC linebackers, and wouldn't trade up for them. Maualuga or Cushing could conceivably be best value at #23, but I suspect not. I certainly don't see us trading up.

I wouldn't trade up past somewhere around New Orleans around #14 - the cost of trading up and the cost of signing the prospect start to go up considerably. The prospects I would consider in the range if they well would be Aaron Curry, BJ Raji, or Jason Smith.

 

[Warren94]

Aaron Curry is the best LB in this draft. USC LB's are Over-rated except for maybe Matthews. Killerop (sp) from Pittsburgh looked good. I could see us trading our 1st rounder this year.

 

[ayjackson]

I've seen varying reports on Curry's size from 233 lbs to 247 lbs. Does he project inside or outside in our 3-4?? I would have thought WILB.

 

[MetalBleachers]

I've seen varying reports on Curry's size from 233 lbs to 247 lbs. Does he project inside or outside in our 3-4?? I would have thought WILB.

Good point. College 4-3 OLBs often end up inside in a 3-4 (like Guyton).

 

[DaBruinz]

We have some extra picks to move up a few spots in the right situation.
If Maualuga drops pass the top 10,is it worth it to try to get him? The $$ is less if he drops out of the top10.
With Mayo and him we would be looking good at LB for a long time.
Just tossing this out....

No. Absolutely not.

 

[mayoclinic]

Good point. College 4-3 OLBs often end up inside in a 3-4 (like Guyton).

Curry probably would project inside to the Pats, either at SILB or WILB, with Mayo covering the other spot. He could play outside, but doesn't have ideal size for that. Everything I've read suggests he is a legitimate 6'3" 245+ but we'll have to wait for the combine to see.

 

[Seneschal2]

If Maualuga drops pass the top 10, is it worth it to try to get him?

No.

Let's be logical for a moment. The entire draft is a crapshoot. Every prospect from the first pick down has positives and negatives. There are no sure things. That said, if you were going to trade up for any player, wouldn't you want that player to have the least amount of questions and concerns about his ability to fit your system? And wouldn't you want that player to be as close to a sure thing as possible? Now create a list and see if Maualuga is on it.

 

[JoeShmoe]

I wouldnt trade up to get anyone. If anything I can see BB trading down bearing in mind what we get for Cassel

Theres a lot of value in the 2nd round in this draft IMO

 

[billdog3484]

i dont think you can trade up for a LB this draft, at least not in the first 2 rounds. there are a lot of good LBs this year

 

[condon84]

I think people are overselling Rey's negatives right now. I think he's gonna be a great LB in the NFL and will be fine in pass coverage. Not that he'll be great in pass coverage, but he won't be a liability. Which LB out there is great at pass coverage as well as stopping the run? The only one I can think of is Bulluck. Willis is adequate but not great. Mayo sturggled at pass coverage. Ray Lewis is adequate, same with the Steelers ILBs. So for people to suddenly concentrate that he might not be as good in pass coverage is missing the point about what a great player Rey is. We will find out next year. But I remember when Polamalu came out and people concentrated on that he wasn't great at pass coverage and forgot what else he brought to the table.

 

[Nestapats]

I think people are overselling Rey's negatives right now. I think he's gonna be a great LB in the NFL and will be fine in pass coverage. Not that he'll be great in pass coverage, but he won't be a liability. Which LB out there is great at pass coverage as well as stopping the run? The only one I can think of is Bulluck. Willis is adequate but not great. Mayo sturggled at pass coverage. Ray Lewis is adequate, same with the Steelers ILBs. So for people to suddenly concentrate that he might not be as good in pass coverage is missing the point about what a great player Rey is. We will find out next year. But I remember when Polamalu came out and people concentrated on that he wasn't great at pass coverage and forgot what else he brought to the table.

I agree a 100%. People are all going on the bandwagon now because he got beat by that TE Shawn Nelson at the senior bowl. But i still see a lot of potential in this kid. I'm not saying we should trade up for him, cause i think we don't need him, but if he falls anywhere near the pats, i would certainly give it a shot.

 

[patchick]

I agree a 100%. People are all going on the bandwagon now because he got beat by that TE Shawn Nelson at the senior bowl. But i still see a lot of potential in this kid. I'm not saying we should trade up for him, cause i think we don't need him, but if he falls anywhere near the pats, i would certainly give it a shot.

To be fair, this board had turned on Maualuga well before the Senior Bowl. Last year at this time a lot of posters here were gnashing their teeth that Rey, the dream Pats ILB, had decided to stay in school. Over the course of the season, though, many were disillusioned -- he looked more and more like a Ray Lewis "keep me clean and let me run" type.

But I tend to agree that the tide has turned a bit far. There are only so many explosive, powerful, athletic 6'2" 254 LBs in this world.

 

[MetalBleachers]

To be fair, this board had turned on Maualuga well before the Senior Bowl. Last year at this time a lot of posters here were gnashing their teeth that Rey, the dream Pats ILB, had decided to stay in school. Over the course of the season, though, many were disillusioned -- he looked more and more like a Ray Lewis "keep me clean and let me run" type.

But I tend to agree that the tide has turned a bit far. There are only so many explosive, powerful, athletic 6'2" 254 LBs in this world.

As I just said in another thread, his combine numbers (re: shuttles and 3-cone drill) will say a lot about his quickness and determine his draft stock. No question he can run a straight line and hit with abandon, but how is he with cutback runners, coverage, etc.?

I feel like USC's so talented top to bottom on D that their players get a bit exposed when isolated. But I do think that Maualuga will produce in the NFL, it's just TBD what type of system fits him best.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I agree a 100%. People are all going on the bandwagon now because he got beat by that TE Shawn Nelson at the senior bowl. But i still see a lot of potential in this kid. I'm not saying we should trade up for him, cause i think we don't need him, but if he falls anywhere near the pats, i would certainly give it a shot.

Feel free to search out my thoughts on Maualuga prior to his getting pancaked by Shawn Nelson.