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Is Ryan Matthews the RB we should draft?

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PATRIOTSFANINPA

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CJ Spiller is going to be gone probably by the mid 1st round so that may leave Matthews for the Pats to look at.

Have not heard much about this kid...is he a good prospect? and would make a good addition to this roster?

I do expect the Pats to draft a RB within their first 5 picks ..Maybe Matthews is one of them
 
Doubt Mathews is around by the time the Pats pick in the 2nd. Not sure it is worth investing a 1st or high 2nd in a RB given the number of serviceable guys out there and the lack of use they'd get in the Pats offense. There are plenty of decent options that could be had in the late 2nd or later in the draft.

That said, I like Mathews as a prospect and he's probably the most complete back in the draft, although none of his skills are "elite". The biggest question about him is his speed, if he can run well between now and April, he will end up being a mid 1st rounder.
 
CJ Spiller is going to be gone probably by the mid 1st round so that may leave Matthews for the Pats to look at.

Have not heard much about this kid...is he a good prospect? and would make a good addition to this roster?

I do expect the Pats to draft a RB within their first 5 picks ..Maybe Matthews is one of them

From what i've read he would be my choice, he has size and speed. At least i thought i read he has speed 4.48
 
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I'd love to see Tate in the Flying Elvis. I'm hoping he doesn't have a great combine and stays around the 4th round. I think he would end up being a steal in the 3rd (if we did trade into it) or 4th. I don't think it would be wise of the Pats to burn a 1st/2nd to grab a back. Trading back into the 3rd and snagging an extra pick along the way would be ok by me though. I know a few of you guys have been flaunting a couple other names in the 3rd/4th as well.
 
No, Toby Gerhart. When he runs a 4.4 at the combine hopefully people will shutup about him being a fullback.
 
No, Toby Gerhart. When he runs a 4.4 at the combine hopefully people will shutup about him being a fullback.

We actually could use a fullback to block for Brady and power it up the middle on 3rd and short and finally get a TE on the field who could catch instead of ones who only block and suck as receivers otherwise
 
I'd rather have Blount than Mathews, especially since he can be had at the end of the 2nd-4th round.

4th and 1. Blount up the middle. First down.
 
No, Toby Gerhart. When he runs a 4.4 at the combine hopefully people will shutup about him being a fullback.

What?? A 4.4? Are you serious?

Toby Gerhart Scouting Report - 2010 NFL Draft Prospect

He's evaluated as 4.55 speed here. It would be a triumph for him to just crack 4.5 imo.

I think Dwyer has a better chance of success. I certainly wouldn't mind him with one of the Pats 3 second round picks.
http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=2080

I guess you never know though. Hope to see more results come out over the weekend!
 
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Gerhart runs too high. I don't see his running style playing out too well in the pros...
 
His stock is rising and he is projected to be a late 1st or 2nd rnd pick.
Ben Tate from Auburn is a similar RB who wouldn't cost as much.

Ryan Mathews, Fresno State, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Ben Tate, Auburn, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Ben Tate. Great "football name."

Ryan Matthews. Sounds like a guy who'd design a "Special Collection" of lawn furniture for Target. Or a character on "Days of Our Lives."

Ben.

Tate.

Gotta go with him on name alone.
 
I'd rather have Blount than Mathews, especially since he can be had at the end of the 2nd-4th round.

4th and 1. Blount up the middle. First down.
Now there's some fantasy dreaming.
 
I think 4th and 2 has a better ring to it... I know. I couldn't resist.
Blount would have guaranteed that the only controversy was why BB went for it - the guy gets stuffed in the backfield too easily (which is partly why he punched the Boise State DL, he shot his mouth off leading up to the game and was held to -5 yds and a Safety).
 
I'd rather have Blount than Mathews, especially since he can be had at the end of the 2nd-4th round.

4th and 1. Blount up the middle. First down.

I was thinking this the other day. He would be extremely good value if he could be had in the 4th. Not only would he be a good 1-2 punch with Maroney, but he'd also be a good punch if the game didn't go our way and the opposing team starts mouthing off.
 
I was thinking this the other day. He would be extremely good value if he could be had in the 4th. Not only would he be a good 1-2 punch with Maroney, but he'd also be a good punch if the game didn't go our way and the opposing team starts mouthing off.
Only if the other team isn't looking.
 
Only if the other team isn't looking.

I don't know why, but you seem to have a personal bias against Blount. If you watched the Oregon - Boise St. game, him running for -5 yards and safety really had nothing to do with him being a timid runner or sucking. I've seen many games (in 2008) where Blount has run through guys unlike you claim.

It's kind of hard to pick up positive yards when you get handed the ball and there are already 2-3 guys in the backfield. The offensive line of Oregon was absolutely shredded by the DL of Boise that night. Masoli was constantly under fire and as soon as Blount was handed the ball he had nowhere to go.

I know he had a fairly productive 2008, but the offense he was in did not suit his abilities well. He is a between the tackles north-south runner. Handing him the ball out the shotgun is not ideal for a power back. Do the Giants hand the ball to Brandon Jacobs out of the shotgun? No, they have a smaller/shiftier back in Bradshaw to do that with. Jeremiah Johnson and Lamichael James were much better fits in that offensive scheme than Blount. He is a Lendale White/Brandon Jacobs type of runner that is best suited running up the middle.

Just curious, where do you get the notion that Blount is a guy that doesn't like taking guys on and trying to run them over? Have you seen him play in a lot of games or are you judging from writeups you've read and the Senior Bowl?

As far as Ryan Matthews, I'm not really sold. The only RB I would consider in the first is Spiller. The only RB's I would consider in the 2nd are probably Dwyer and maybe Best or McCluster. I don't see us drafting a RB to be "the guy" though. We seem to prefer a multiback system to keep everyone fresh, but we do need a playmaker who can catch the ball out of the backfield.

A guy I like in the 3rd (if we can pick one up) or 4th is Montario Hardesty from Tennessee. He's been compared to a Clinton Portis type of RB, and I saw him play on numerous occasions this seasons and was very impressed. He's had some injury problems but I still think he'd be worth it in the 4th. He lowers his shoulder and always keeps his legs moving. He's also probably got the sickest spin move I've ever seen.

Will we continue to see the trend of vet RB's coming in to work as a group? Maybe a Larry Johnson type of RB who wants to win and maybe has a year or two left in him? If Lendale White isn't tendered, would we take a look at him?
 
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These are my thoughts on Matthews. I almost sound like Mel Kiper.

1) I have never seen him play.
2) He has ideal size for a full time RB.
3) He was extremely productive against all comeptition
4) Based on Pat Hill's comments, he seems to really like the guy.
5) Pat Hill and BB have a very good relationship and BB's got a good history of drafting his players.
6) Fresno State runs a man blocking scheme (based on the few highlights I've seen), as opposed to zone, so Matthews' adjustment should be easier than Maroney's was.
6) The Pats' cast of RBs is not overly impressive right now.
7) I don't really want to see another #1 pick spent on a RB, but I don't think he'll get to 43. So if he's BPA at 22, I can see us drafting him, or perhaps trading down 6-10 spots and trying to grab him there.
 
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