Bowers and Heyward in round 1?

[cstjohn17]

Seems like the front seven would be improved with pretty good depth, all starters would be 1st (Heyward, Wilfork, Warren, Bowers, Mayo) or 2nd rounders (Spikes, Cunningham)

Feel free to switch the names

Instead of Bowers insert Kerrigan, Smith, Quinn, or Sheard
Instead of Heyward insert Watt, Jordan, Wilkerson, or Austin

If they double dip on the front seven we should have a pretty good set of smash mouth, high talent players across the defensive front.

ROLB----Cunningham, TBC
RDE - Heyward, Stroud
RILB ------------ Mayo, Fletcher
NT- Wilfork, Brace
LILB ------------ Spikes, Guyton
LDE - Warren, Wright
LOLB----Bowers, Ninko, Moore

bold indicates starters

 

[tricktak]

I don't like Bowers as an outside linebacker at all and think that he's an overrated prospect.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Bowers would make a fine OLB. I think he became overrated when news of his injury hit the fan. I know a few have had this opinion all along that he is not a fit. But I find it funny how many people have came out of the woodwork and suddenly claimed this notion when just a month ago he was unattainable. A pipe dream if you will.

If he checks out medically you bet I'm all for drafting this player.

 

[Wilfork#75]

This is my ideal first two picks for the Pats. I think these two guys are great fits system wise, and would offer a huge amount of versatility in running a number of different defensive fronts. While Heyward isn't the pass rusher that someone like JJ Watt is, I think he is a much better fit, and a much better run stuffer, which is what our DL is built on. I think improving our run defence this much, allows us to be more creative and aggressive in our pass rush, reducing the need for that 'elite' guy. If we could also take Kenrick Ellis in the late 2nd/early 3rd our front 7 could become one of our strengths. I also think these are two guys that may not be individual playmakers in the NFL, but they make everyone else around them better. They would take the pressure off guys like Mayo, Spikes and Cunningham and allow them to make plays.

 

[Keyser Söze]

If Bower's knee checks out, and he falls past 10.... I hope BB jumps on it.

 

[Sciz]

If the concerns about Bowers' knee are legit, then I'm not going to waste a year converting a guy who will only play for 5 years.

 

[jukes]

I'm good with heyward but i'd probably blow a fuse if we grabbed bowers, i'd rather have kerrigan he may not have "elite potential" but he's consistent

 

[Patriot Missile]

If the concerns about Bowers' knee are legit, then I'm not going to waste a year converting a guy who will only play for 5 years.

I'm with you there.. If he doesn't check out and there is even a notion that microfracture surgery is on the horizon then it is a big no way here. Sadly there may be something to the injury because any good agent would of lashed out immediately if the specualtion was way off. Injury concern is one thing. Overrated is completely different. He played football at the highest level last year.

 

[jukes]

I'm with you there.. If he doesn't check out and there is even a notion that microfracture surgery is on the horizon then it is a big no way here. Sadly there may be something to the injury because any good agent would of lashed out immediately if the specualtion was way off. Injury concern is one thing. Overrated is completely different. He played football at the highest level last year.

Where was he the year before?

 

[supafly]

Sure. Any combo of those players would be great--and that is what about 90% of us fans want. 2 top picks for the defensive front 7. We'd all be happy as anything.

Some of these players will obviously be gone, some will not fit our system, some won't have the football IQ and intangibles that BB looks for, and some won't be enough of an upgrade over later players/rounds--or even what we already have, believe it or not (LB).

So, I will be very happy with 1 of either:

Watt
Wilkerson
Jordan
Heyward

Anything else will feel like Christmas Day as a little kid. I couldn't imagine the excitement over 2 of these guys on your combo list.

 

[the wrothbroughterer]

No complaints from me. It's mathematically possible (per the handy, dandy draft value chart) for them to nab both DaQuan Bowers and JJ Watt. And that is assuming that both are to be taken in the 10-15 range.

If they can grab Bowers somewhere between 10 and 13 and JJ Watt at 17 they'll still have enough firepower to address the interior OL with whatever 2nd and 3rd round picks they still have/trade down for.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Where was he the year before?

You can't pimp Kerrigan and his production more than I have as of late. There are plenty of good college players in the NFL that had 1 good year of college, got buried under depth charts or played in the wrong system,grew up. whatever.

 

[Patriot Missile]

No complaints from me. It's mathematically possible (per the handy, dandy draft value chart) for them to nab both DaQuan Bowers and JJ Watt. And that is assuming that both are to be taken in the 10-15 range.

If they can grab Bowers somewhere between 10 and 13 and JJ Watt at 17 they'll still have enough firepower to address the interior OL with whatever 2nd and 3rd round picks they still have/trade down for.

Watt/Bowers Watt/Kerrigan. Could be cornerstones in the making? A lot of interchangeable parts in this draft. Jordan,Heyward,Wilkerson to name a few more.

 

[TriplecHamp]

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

i am an unabashed Bowers fan, this guy was one of the top players in all of college football last year. If that knee checks out, and he slips for whatever reason, they should go after him. On film, he shows me many of the traits that could convert to OLB. He plays well in space, and has a nose for the football.

In general, the idea of this thread is fantastic. Swap some names around if you like, but this team can add some great young talent to a nice corp of young players on defense, and that is what I'd like to see.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Unfortunately about half the names mentioned are likely to wash out of the NFL. The draft is an inexact science.

It bodes well for us that the Pats have been mostly very good with their 1st round picks in the BB era. As of late McCourty, Vollmer, and Gronk can be considered homerun picks. Chung, Hernandez, Spikes, and Mesko are at least solid doubles or triples. If the Pats can hit a couple of more homeruns in 2011, to add to a 14-2 roster, I think I can just smell the Lombardi returning to Foxboro!

 

[Defsoul]

Where was he the year before?

Bowers was a true sophomore struggling with injuries, so cut him some slack. He hurt his knee in the first play against Costal Carolina and missed the next two games. He played in the next game against Virginia, but only played a few snaps.

 

[supafly]

Unfortunately about half the names mentioned are likely to wash out of the NFL. The draft is an inexact science.

It bodes well for us that the Pats have been mostly very good with their 1st round picks in the BB era. As of late McCourty, Vollmer, and Gronk can be considered homerun picks. Chung, Hernandez, Spikes, and Mesko are at least solid doubles or triples. If the Pats can hit a couple of more homeruns in 2011, to add to a 14-2 roster, I think I can just smell the Lombardi returning to Foxboro!

Exactly. And just another reason why I personally don't see this coveted 2 guy high pick combo, as enticing as it would be.

We all (or a high majority of us) would love to have a 2 guy combo off of this list. It would bring excitement, and could possibly put us over the edge. But as you point out, many of these names will be busts, so you can cross off whoever BB does not even think will make it big. That narrows the list. As I stated in my other post on page 1, I believe that more names get crossed off because BB does not necessarily feel that they are good fits for the system here. Then there are the intangibles-- not only combine numbers, but tape, character issues, potential injuries, and numbers that are not up to his opinion of being good enough measurables. Cross another name or two off of the list. Then there is the fact that they may not be considered upgrades by BB over players in round 2 or 3, not to mention players that we already have on our roster. Again, cross another name or two off. Then there is the obvious fact that many will be gone by the time we'd pick, or even make a potential trade up into the top 10-12 picks. Cross a bunch off there too.

At the end, you aren't going to have many of these names remaining, and this is what I am basing my theory that having a 2 guy combo from this list is not very realistic in my opinion. Others may disagree.

I would not be surprised for a split second if we ended up taking Leshoure/Ingram, or Cobb in the first 4 player choices. As long as we snag a higher ranked DE I am happy. As I said any one of Watt, Wilkerson, Jordan, or Heyward will make me satisfied. I guess my main point (God help us all) is that I am going to predict something a little less obvious, a little less popular and mainstream, and go with a DE, a OL, and at LEAST one if not two skill position players out of the first 4 selections--in no necessary order. I think that when the 4th player choice is actually made, we will be a bit further down that most feel anyway, through trading and added pickups.

 

[Husse]

If Bowers falls to the Cowboys and the knee checks out I would be all for trading up to get him.
I think he is a great OLB prospect with some experience playing from the 2-point stance. He was mostly going uphill from that so I don't know how good he would be in coverage. But he's shown some good instincts and I think that is always the biggest contributor to being good in space.

I think Heyward looks like a solid prospect. Maybe not the kind that will wow you very much, but for us I think would be great.

If we could get these 2 in the draft I would probably be pretty happy regardless of whoever else they picked.

 

[patchick]

If Bowers falls to the Cowboys and the knee checks out I would be all for trading up to get him.

This is exactly what confuses me. If his knee checks out, why does he fall to begin with? (And if he does have a serious knee problem and isn't extending his leg fully, why is that less of a problem for the Patriots than anybody else?)