New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – Max Valles, OLB Virginia
 OLB Max Valles is a very athletic but raw edge rusher in this season's NFL draft class. (USA Today, Image) |
As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer we’ll profile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar. Some of these players have already been linked to New England as possible targets others, we feel would be a great fit.
Check out our earlier 2015 NFL Draft profiles on PatsFans.com:
DE/OLB Nate Orchard from Utah
WR Tyrell Williams from Western Oregon
DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma
DT Carl Davis from Iowa
RB David Johnson from Northern Iowa
CB Steven Nelson from Oregon State
OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard
CB Ronald Darby from FSU
WR Devin Funchess from Michigan
OG A.J. Cann from South Carolina
RB Mike Davis from South Carolina
ILB Benadrick McKinney from Mississippi State
OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington
T Jeremiah Poutasi from Utah
OLB Kyle Emanuel from North Dakota State
RB Jay Ajayi from Boise State
WR Jamison Crowder from Duke
CB Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest
DT Eddie Goldman from Florida State
LB Shaq Thompson from Washington
OG Tre Jackson from Florida State
CB Marcus Peters from Washington
CB Eric Rowe from Utah
RB Jeremy Langford from Michigan State
WR Phillip Dorsett from Miami
The Patriots still have a need at linebacker, which we’ve pointed out in previous posts. Jerod Mayo has restructured his contract but missed the final 10 games of both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Dont’a Hightower played down the stretch with a hurt shoulder that required surgery right after the Super Bowl. Besides Jamie Collins, the roster is full of players with potential but little NFL experience.
With the departure of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner and uncertainties as to who and how they’ll play in the secondary, the team will look to upgrade the front seven and improve the pass rush.
The Patriots already signed DE/OLB Jabaal Sheard, a free agent from Cleveland who will join in the rotation at defensive end with Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones. They will be joined by 2nd year player Zach Moore and Michael Buchanan at defensive end. The interior pass rush will be looked to by last season’s top draft pick Dominique Easley and Chris Jones. Collins and Hightower have been effective at blitzing from the linebacker position up the A-gap.
Some additional help could be gained in the draft by picking up a mid round edge rusher at the outside linebacker position.
Max Valles from Virginia is a red-shirt sophomore who gave up his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. He has the length that NFL teams like with their edge rushers at 6’4, 251 and logged in an impressive performance at the Cavaliers’ Pro Day with a 4.84 time in the 40, a vertical jump of 36.5 and a Broad Jump of 9’09”. Virginia’s Pro Day was attended by the Patriots Strength and Conditioning Coach Tom Shaw who worked out Valles and Eli Harold in some coverage drills.
Playing opposite Harold at the edge in 2014, Valles had some impressive numbers; 55 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss (TFL), nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and eight passes defensed. He earned third team All-ACC honors.
Valles is the youngest player to enter the draft at age 20 and although an exceptional athlete, needs to fill out more. He played at 240 pounds in Virginia and has since added 11 pounds but needs to add some strength and muscle at the NFL level.
He has excellent burst at the snap but his technique is still very raw, not surprising, having only two years at the major college level. Lack of weight and strength makes him a liability in setting the edge in the running game.
Pros:
- Great length and athleticism
- Relentless pass rusher with non-stop motor
- Versatile, played both the SAM and WILL linebacker positions
Cons:
- Lacks the bulk to set the edge in the running game
- Relies on athleticism over technique, still very raw
- Very little experience in coverage
Where can the Patriots can get him?: The Patriots could take a shot at Valles in the fourth round and find him still on the board. But his impact may not be felt on the field immediately, they’ll have to be patient with him and allow him to fill out and get stronger as well as learn some more nuances of the pass rush game.
He was kind of a streaky player. Although leading the team in sacks; he recorded them in only 6 of the Cavaliers’ 12 games. And there will be questions as to if his production was tied to Harold getting the lion’s share of attention from opponents.
But from the potential side, he has all the tools to be a successful edge rusher in the NFL; He might just be a year away from being that impact player on the edge. Similar to what Jamie Collins went through as a rookie.
For now, he’d project to be a sub-package edge rusher until he fills out some more, but has the skills and athleticism to be a nice piece of the Patriots team building in 2015. In a very deep class of edge rushers, Valles could have probably benefited from another year of college. But at the age of only 20, he's just scratching the surface on his potential.
In his draft guide, Dane Brugler from CBS Sports says of Valles; “he’s an upright athlete with quickness off the edge, but doesn’t play with functional strength, technique or leverage and should get better once he figures out what he’s doing (and adds 10-15 pounds of muscle). The tools are there but Valles is at least a year or two away from being a regular contributor on defense.”
Here is a highlight film of Valles at Virginia against Lousiville in 2014:
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