What does this draft tell us about the roster?

[Box_O_Rocks]

I think Light will probably be back. I would keep Light at LT for 1 more year and move him to LG for another year or 2. What's interesting about the Solder pick is that they seem to like Vollmer better at RT. I would have thought he can easily transition to LT.

The Dowling pick seems to indicate that Merriweather may not be around much longer, which is perfectly fine by me.

And alas, it would appear that the Kevin Faulk era is over.

I've posted this before, though where eludes my recall at the moment, but Vollmer on paper is the better RT. The right side of the offensive line usually faces off with the defense's best run defenders - the Ty Warrens of the NFL. For an O-lineman to apply the "force" necessary to the job of moving a Ty Warren, you need strong leg drive as well as upper body strength. I measure leg drive with the vertical jump (the broad jump is a factor, but players rock and build momentum, so I don't rate it very highly for leg drive).
-- Solder: 32" vertical jump.
-- Vollmer: 36.5" vertical jump.
Good leg drive for both, but Vollmer generates more power for the application of force. We also have the less efficient standard of 225 lb. bench reps to measure upper body strength.
-- Solder: 21 repetitions.
-- Volmer: 32 repetitions.
On paper Vollmer is a better RT candidate than Solder, or Nick Kaczur who previously held the job (31.5" v, 22 reps).

Yet another factor to consider is O-line continuity, a Scar favorite as we have seen historically. Vollmer put his stamp on RT. If Connolly wins RG then NE starts out with the greatest continuity available on the roster. Even if another OL won RG, retaining Vollmer at RT still creates continuity for the new starter as he's flanked by two returning starters.

I've said all along Vollmer was the logical choice to keep at RT if you try to look through Coach Scarneccia's eyes - just remember to squint and growl a lot while peering out.

 

[SanAngeloState]

It tells us that Ridley is very talented...he's kind of the anti-maroney, hits the hole hard, has good vision for the crease and knifes through.

It tells us that brady needs some competition so he doesn't keep going all hollywood on us.

 

[everlong]

Yet it appears you have correctly answered your own question by noting how time, and a return to health, is working to create the experience a young unit needs to be an elite unit. You do argue for a "specialist" to create pressure in a narrow window, but as we often see, players get injured and someone else must attempt to fill the role. We know NE favors players who only "specialize" in being terrific football players capable of executing any assignment at a fairly high level - it's been a jack-of-all-trades program ever since Coach Belichick shook Bob Kraft's hand. CB Troy Brown says it works. FB Russ Hochstein says it works. QB Matt Cassel says it works. Plug and play the New England Patriots' Way. Works for me.

I was conceding the point that they will be better. Will they be a championship level defense as currently constituted? Debatable but IMO they will be average. The Patriots have had specialists such as Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, TBC who eventually became much better all around players. There's no reason to think they couldn't draft a player to rush the passer and grow into the other roles.

I disagree. Not only does it still work, but I enjoy rooting for a team where Joe Schmoe, subbing in for an injured fan favorite, is making the same plays as Mr. FF. Consistency, and it only gets better with experience and practice. The youngest secondary, second youngest defense, patience my friend.

I agree with having a healthy middle class I just question if a change in philosophy is needed to a more pressure orientated defense. You don't need to be blitz happy like the Jets or Ravens but having the personnel to be selectively aggressive or give the illusion of pressure and the other team having to honor that illusion like the Chargers or Steelers would be nice.

The trade maneuvers which have given NE two fifths, a sixth, and a seventh for today actually work better for RG and C as I scored the better "NE fits" for this draft. Solder was the only OL I saw for NE in rounds one and two - there were others I liked, but for NE they needed to go in round three or later. The meat of the interior OL pool begins in round five to my thinking, should be fun.

I like Solder and think he could be the best OT of the draft when all is said and done. The other trades and picks make sense I just think they had more pressing needs that weren't addressed. If LT was coming out this year and was on the board I think Bill would trade down so he could draft Jumbo Elliot and Dave Meggett.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I like Solder and think he could be the best OT of the draft when all is said and done.

He needs to work really hard to gain weight and strength and especially better technique and you could be right.

If he can knee bend more, get his hands up a bit higher and not cross his legs on kick slides, he could be a monster LT for the next decade.

Dante and Nash can help this guy be as good as he wants to be. (I wish he had a lot more nastiness in him.)

 

[mgteich]

I would keep Vollmer at RT. I would also try to sign him to an extension once that is allowed. We could have an awesone combination for years.

Dante was pro dates. He knew the task. Find the LT's and evaluate them. We drafted Solder instead of Costanzo, Carimi and Sherrod. One has to think tha the patriots got the best LT for our system.

With regard to continuity, I expect for Mankins to stay the year at $10M. If not, we get a guard in free agecny. We could start with our 2010 line of Light, Mankins, Koppen, Connolly, and Vollmer (with Wendell, Solder, Kaczur and Ohrnberger as backups). It is hard to have more continuity. More likely is that either Light or Kaczur will go.

I've posted this before, though where eludes my recall at the moment, but Vollmer on paper is the better RT. The right side of the offensive line usually faces off with the defense's best run defenders - the Ty Warrens of the NFL. For an O-lineman to apply the "force" necessary to the job of moving a Ty Warren, you need strong leg drive as well as upper body strength. I measure leg drive with the vertical jump (the broad jump is a factor, but players rock and build momentum, so I don't rate it very highly for leg drive).
-- Solder: 32" vertical jump.
-- Vollmer: 36.5" vertical jump.
Good leg drive for both, but Vollmer generates more power for the application of force. We also have the less efficient standard of 225 lb. bench reps to measure upper body strength.
-- Solder: 21 repetitions.
-- Volmer: 32 repetitions.
On paper Vollmer is a better RT candidate than Solder, or Nick Kaczur who previously held the job (31.5" v, 22 reps).

Yet another factor to consider is O-line continuity, a Scar favorite as we have seen historically. Vollmer put his stamp on RT. If Connolly wins RG then NE starts out with the greatest continuity available on the roster. Even if another OL won RG, retaining Vollmer at RT still creates continuity for the new starter as he's flanked by two returning starters.

I've said all along Vollmer was the logical choice to keep at RT if you try to look through Coach Scarneccia's eyes - just remember to squint and growl a lot while peering out.

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

I think you are correct. Dowling probably moving over to safety, if BB can get him off the trainer's table.

What FA could BB be looking at for OLB? Wouldn't that FA be much more expensive than Sheard in the second round?

Jabaal Sheard is a terrible OLB prospect. A tweener is suposed to be more athletic than a bigger DE. Sheard is less athletic than guys 20lbs heavier and less talented. Rob Ninkovich was a better prospect coming out.

 

[AzPatsFan]

A draft with an unexpected shape tends to point to fan misperceptions about the existing roster. For instance, a 1st-round CB in 2010 wouldn't have been any surprise at all if we hadn't all been penciling in Darius Butler as a starter. So let's read these tea leaves! Here's some conclusions I'm tempted to draw:

- No, despite his solid numbers LawFirm is not seen as a feature back by the team.

- The DL weakness at the end of last season reflected the incredible rash of injuries at the position more than a lack of talent. Add Ty Warren, Marcus Stroud, Ron Brace, Myron Pryor and (hopefully) Mike Wright to the mix and subtract Gerard Warren; even without a draft pick, the projected DL bears little resemblance to the one that lined up in the playoffs.

Your point about the D ine is quite correct. The Pats were done in at the end of the season by that most unusual rash of injuries, so they could not continue the obvious Defensve improvement that occured between the start and end of the season.

The Pats roster show almost an excess of talented Defensive linemen. Consider Wilfork, T Warren, G Warren, Marcus Stroud, accomplished first rounders all; and Brace, Wright, Deaderick, Pryor and/or Love who have found niches to contribute wiht their talents. That is a cast of 9, when you seldom carry more than 7 on the roster.

Where is the glaring need there, except in our imaginations?

But I agree I would like ONE more OLB. But BB knows you have to invest two or three years in a rookie and may have decided to go to veteran FA, as he has done successfully before, more often than not. I theorized elsewhere that BB has started to reconstruct the Offense in earnest, with this Draft instead, before it fades.

 

[sg14]

There was a glaring need on pass defense last year.

If we are to blame injury's then we are counting on Wright and Pryor for sacks, and I surely hope their health is up to par. I don't expect Warren/ Stroud to create alot of sacks. Yes Warren will definately help in general.

There were 7 front seven players picked between the #33 and #56 picks, and would not be surprised that the Pats missed out on one of those.
Have been wondering how BB ranked Wilkerson , lets say, with Deadrick, is Wilkerson significantly better, I hope not.

This question about the roster could be phrased in a different way, "How will the play on the field change"

More running, and keep the D off he field??
The OL will most likely not be as mobile after we loose a world class athelete like Neal, so the play selection will be different.??

Your point about the D ine is quite correct. The Pats were done in at the end of the season by that most unusual rash of injuries, so they could not continue the obvious Defensve improvement that occured between the start and end of the season.

The Pats roster show almost an excess of talented Defensive linemen. Consider Wilfork, T Warren, G Warren, Marcus Stroud, accomplished first rounders all; and Brace, Wright, Deaderick, Pryor and/or Love who have found niches to contribute wiht their talents. That is a cast of 9, when you seldom carry more than 7 on the roster.

Where is the glaring need there, except in our imaginations?

But I agree I would like ONE more OLB. But BB knows you have to invest two or three years in a rookie and may have decided to go to veteran FA, as he has done successfully before, more often than not. I theorized elsewhere that BB has started to reconstruct the Offense in earnest, with this Draft instead, before it fades.

 

[patchick]

Forgot a big one: maybe BB has seen more from Taylor Price than we have.

 

[letekro]

You have a point, to a certain degree.

I agree Green-Ellis is definitely upgradeable even though he really fumbles.

However on the defensive side of the ball. I do not share your belief. No one can convince me that Wilkerson is NOT an upgrade over Deaderick, G Warren, Brace or Stroud.

This is a case of BB falling in love with the acquiring future picks and ignoring immediate needs.

And in the case of Sheard, can anybody here say with a straight face that he is not capable of starting over TBC or Ninkovich or Moore from day one.

I think BB's pride and stubbornness have left their fingerprints all over this draft.

And it starts with all the draftniks saying we need defensive front seven players and BB saying, "I am going to show them!"

The next thing you know is all we have on defense is an often injured joke named Dowling and the Jets have two powerful D Line players each capable of roasting Koppen and/or Connelly at will.

No wonder Ryan keeps needling BB, only good things come to the Jets from it.

This is an absurd post. I'm not even sure where to begin. Let's start with the basics: You have no idea how the Patriots evaluate talent or what they're looking for in a player. Second, you do not have access to even 1% of the information that they have -- you know nothing about what Al Groh has to say about Dowling or what opposing coaches might say. You know nothing about how Ras I Dowling presents himself in an interview or how he breaks down film. You do not have access to coach's tape, you did not work him out individually. you are like one of these death row inmates that reads a constitutional law primer and thinks that he is a lawyer. Second, the idea that BB--widely considered the most brilliant football mind in the world--spends his free time watching people with ZERO NFL personnel experience--Todd McShay and Mel Kiper--and then acts just to spite them indicates that you are FAR out of touch with reality. I mean, do you believe this nonsense or are you just hurt that BB thinks your talent evaluation leaves something to be desired?