I think you may be under-estimating my love for the Kaiser. When it comes to Inside Line-backer I'm a one-man dog.
"Talent, youth, depth" at wide receiver? Who are you thinking of? (Not Joey, God love him, that's for sure!)
But look, I'm not a draftnik. I'm just piggy-backing on your efforts (intrigued by the White, Pascoe and Morestead picks too) to endorse my binkie. Don't take me seriously anyone. Carry on!
lol =D love your approach
Well by WR youth, I was thinking Lewis... but you're right to call me out. He's a project and he's new, but he's 28, so that's middling-old.
White is a player that I think Belichick can use to make opposing coaches a little crazy. Remember back when he'd bring Michael Bishop in for Bledsoe on random downs, for a change of pace... just to give the opposing D something to think about. Now, Bishop isn't a real flattering comparison, but I think White is a Bishop of a completely different caliber. Also, if the QB experiment doesn't pan out, he doubles as a fairly promising WR prospect and a ST star. As a pure WR the appeal is the fact that he's a natural football player and will be a real pro's pro. If BB could make David Givens look like a star, he'll make White into an all pro. I think of Randal-El, who did some damage against us in his time. Versatility.
White is a luxury pick, and the product of the fact that we can afford to take a chance on a guy with a high upside, at a point in the draft when most other teams are trying to patch major gaps in their roster.
Pascoe: Frankly, so late in the draft there are a dozen guys who'd be decent long shots for the team. The remaining needs are TE, OT, DL, FB, P, LS and ST. That late in the draft, it's a crap shoot for anyone to earn meaningful time on the field. Pascoe is a Fresno connection, and that unquestionably a draw. The weakness of our TE corp is in run blocking, so for a late rounder I was looking for someone to play on the line. He's a tough guy and culture fit. He's got the work ethic and size and cares about football. Let's see if he can contribute on ST and at FB as his vehicle onto the roster.
The punter Morestead is a guy with a huge leg and good smarts. I don't know how best to scout punters, but I know punting has a lot to do with technique, which means teaching. BB is a ST coach, at his core, and so I was looking for someone with good fundamentals, the raw physical skills and a guy that is teachable. This kid sounds like he has the power and the work ethic to be coached into a weapon in the field-position game. Downside is that he doesn't have experience as a holder, which is an absolute must before he'll take uniform for the Pats. But, I'm thinking that is teachable, too. Morestead's competition for the best P prospect is Kevin Huber, who has the benefit of being a holder on FGs in college (Morestead was K and P on his team, so no holding experience). Huber, tho, sounds a little wild in his punting technique, which turned me off. Belichick turned Vinatieri into a legend, has turned Gostkowski into the best K in the NFL after just a few years. I'm hoping he does the same to solidify the P spot.
The best pick in the 6th and 7th would probably be some ST star... which usually means a 6'0 185# FS or WR with great footspeed, peripheral vision and tackling skills. Like Slater, or Guss Scott and Dexter Reid from previous years. Few draft sites spend any time marking which of the prospects are great ST players on coverage and return units.
Also, remember, we need to replace Izzo this year. I'm not sure we have that person on the roster today. Izzo's role on ST is for someone a little bigger and more physical than the Slater-Scott-Reid clones. Maybe Guyton, Redd or Ruud will step into a leadership role on ST. Or Alexander. Frankly, a guy like Barwin would be pretty much ideal. I regret that we couldn't keep Justin Rogers on the roster from a few years back... I think he would have been solid.
