The 2014 Mock draft Thread.

[Snake Eyes]

Another quick bump.

- Trade Mallett for #33. I'll keep this for now.
- Cut Wilfork, sign UFA DT Linval Joseph (NY Giants)
- Resign Talib and Blount
- Sign UFA TE Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit)
- Edelman walks, sign UFA WR Riley Cooper/Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia)
- Sign UFA OC Alex Mack (Cleveland)
- Wait to sign a UDFA QB and a veteran when teams cut down in June
- Gregory, Connolly and Kelly end up getting cut after June 1

Draft:

- Trade 29 to San Francisco for 56 and 61.

- Trade 33 to Jacksonville for 39 and 102. Gus Bradley moves up if Dee Ford is still on the board.

39. Stephon Tuitt, DT/DE, Notre Dame. 6'5" 312#. Big DE who can also play DT. If Aaron Donald is still on the board, he would be tempting.

56. Deone Bucannon, S, Washington St. 6'1" 216#. Pats need a physical enforce who can cover. Bucannon is in-between Dashon Goldson and Kam Chancellor.

61. Joel Bitonio, OL, Nevada. 6'4" 307#. An immediate upgrade at RG, and a possible 5-position lineman.

- Trade 62 to Cleveland for 69 and their 5th round pick.

69. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville. 6' 3 1/2" 258#. Guys who can play in space or play on the line and who can rush the passer give tremendous versatility.

93. Billy Turner, OL, North Dakota St. 6'5" 312#. More OL help, with another guy who can play tackle or guard, and who has huge upside.

102. Christian Jones, LB, Florida St. 6'3" 236#. Jones can play all 3 LB positions, can cover TEs or WRs 1-on-1, and can be used as a blitzed and sub rusher.

124. Richard Rodgers, Move TE, Cal. 6'4" 245#. Arthur Lynch and Xavier Grimble are also options.

5 (from Cleveland). Aaron Lynch, DE, USF. 6'6" 260#. Serious depth as an edge rusher behind Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich.

6a. Antone Exum, DB, Virginia Tech (6' 220#) or Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma (5' 11 1/2" 194#). Big, physical CBs for depth outside. Both have day 2 talent, but fall due to injuries.

6b. Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech. 6'6" 250#. A bit of a gamble, but he has the potential to convert to TE if he bombs at QB. The Pats will bring a veteran in during TC to compete.

6 (comp). Jonathan Dowling, DB, Western Kentucky (6' 1/2" 198#) or Dontae Johnson, DB, North Carolina St. (6' 2 1/2" 199#). Big DBs who can play CB or safety.

6 (comp). Trey Millard, FB/H-back, Oklahoma. 6'3" 253#. Versatile swiss army knife.

7. Colt Lyerla, TE, Oregon. 6'5" 250#. Moon shot.

Main goals:

Offense:

1. Add depth and talent behind Gronk at TE. Brandon Pettigrew is a fierce blocker who will allow the Pats to run 2-TE sets. He's also a great red zone target. Richard Rodgers is a poor man's Jace Amaro. Colt Lyerla and Mark Harrison have potential. Trey Millard can also play the H-back position, and Logan Thomas could be a TE conversion if he doesn't pan out as a QB.

2. Upgrade the OL. Alex Mack is a huge upgrade at center over Wendell. Joel Bitonio and Billy Turner are tackle/guard prospects with the versatility to play multiple positions, and a ton of upside.

Defense:

1. Upgrade the DL. Linval Joseph is a run-stopper who can push the pocket and generate some pressure. Stephon Tuitt can be a big LDE or a pressuring DT. Armond Armstead will hopefully be back and call also play both outside or inside. Aaron Lynch has 1st round talent from the neck down. Michael Buchanan will hopefully make a 2nd year leap. Marcus Smith can play on the DL or in space, as can Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower.

2. Upgrade the middle of the defense and get more athletic in space. Collins, Smith and Jones are all fluid played who can match up on TEs and cover a tremendous amount of space, as well as rush the passer.

3. Get bigger and tougher in the secondary. Deone Bucannon would give the Pats a rangy, physical safety that they haven't had since Rodney retired. He'd be our "Kam Chancellor" opposite McCourty. Exum/Colvin and Dowling/Johnson would add size, depth and physicality in the secondary at both safety and CB.

I think this draft would accomplish those goals.

What do you think of Zach Kerr and Jeff Janis?

 

[mayoclinic]

What do you think of Zach Kerr and Jeff Janis?

I like both of them as day 3 prospects. Lots of athleticism and upside, which is what I think day 3 is for.

 

[everlong]

Using the #33 for Mallet premise and keeping the trades to a minimum I would be very happy with this.

1 Hageman DT Minnesota
2 Pryor S Louisville
2+3 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE Washington
4 Hubbard OLB/DE Alabama
6 Logan Thomas TE (conversion) Virginia Tech
6 Marcus Martin C USC
7 George Uko DT USC

Cannon and Conolly for RG. Pick up Maclin on a one year prove it deal. Sign Talib to another one year deal if possible or alternately Brent Grimes.
Kevin Williams and Linval Joseph to work into the Dline rotation. Cut or rework Wilfork.

 

[ashley]

Using the #33 for Mallet premise and keeping the trades to a minimum I would be very happy with this.

1 Hageman DT Minnesota
2 Pryor S Louisville
2+3 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE Washington
4 Hubbard OLB/DE Alabama
6 Logan Thomas TE (conversion) Virginia Tech
6 Marcus Martin C USC
7 George Uko DT USC

Cannon and Conolly for RG. Pick up Maclin on a one year prove it deal. Sign Talib to another one year deal if possible or alternately Brent Grimes.
Kevin Williams and Linval Joseph to work into the Dline rotation. Cut or rework Wilfork.

Love this draft for the Patriots. I love Pryor but think he might go in round 1.

 

[everlong]

Love this draft for the Patriots. I love Pryor but think he might go in round 1.

Thanks.

I think Hageman and Pryor will probably be gone before our pick at 29 but stranger things have happened. Nobody saw Wilfork dropping to 24.

 

[mayoclinic]

Using the #33 for Mallet premise and keeping the trades to a minimum I would be very happy with this.

1 Hageman DT Minnesota
2 Pryor S Louisville
2+3 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE Washington
4 Hubbard OLB/DE Alabama
6 Logan Thomas TE (conversion) Virginia Tech
6 Marcus Martin C USC
7 George Uko DT USC

Cannon and Conolly for RG. Pick up Maclin on a one year prove it deal. Sign Talib to another one year deal if possible or alternately Brent Grimes.
Kevin Williams and Linval Joseph to work into the Dline rotation. Cut or rework Wilfork.

I love Pryor - he has a great combination of physicality and field generalship. He's not caught out of position very often. I think he's worth a 1st, and I doubt he'll last to the early second. Deone Bucannon is a close 2nd to Pryor for me - I love his physicality and length.

Not so high on Hubbard. He's not very good in space. I want more mobile guys like Christian Jones and Marcus Smith.

Marcus Martin with a 6th would be highway robbery. I doubt he will stay in that range.

For the rest, you know how I feel about Linval Joseph. Jeremy Maclin would be sweet.

How would you feel about the following:

- Re-sign Talib, sign Linval Joseph and Jeremy Maclin

1. Ra'Shede Hageman, DT
- Trade back slightly from 2a and pick up an extra 4th
2a. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE
2b. Deone Bucannon, S
3. Christian Jones, LB
4a. Marcus Martin, OC
4b. Richard Rodgers, TE (or Arthur Lynch or Xavier Grimble if you prefer)

Or, as an alternative:

- Trade 29 to SF for 56 and 61
2a. Ra'Shede Hageman or Stephon Tuitt, DT
56. Deone Bucannon, S
61. Troy Niklas, TE
- Trade 62 for an early-mid 3rd and a late 4th/early 5th
3a. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, or Joel Bitonio, OL
3b. Christian Jones, LB
4. Marcus Martin, OC
5. Richard Rogers, TE (or the alternatives)

 

[ashley]

I love Pryor - he has a great combination of physicality and field generalship. He's not caught out of position very often. I think he's worth a 1st, and I doubt he'll last to the early second. Deone Bucannon is a close 2nd to Pryor for me - I love his physicality and length.

Not so high on Hubbard. He's not very good in space. I want more mobile guys like Christian Jones and Marcus Smith.

Marcus Martin with a 6th would be highway robbery. I doubt he will stay in that range.

For the rest, you know how I feel about Linval Joseph. Jeremy Maclin would be sweet.

How would you feel about the following:

- Re-sign Talib, sign Linval Joseph and Jeremy Maclin

1. Ra'Shede Hageman, DT
- Trade back slightly from 2a and pick up an extra 4th
2a. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE
2b. Deone Bucannon, S
3. Christian Jones, LB
4a. Marcus Martin, OC
4b. Richard Rodgers, TE (or Arthur Lynch or Xavier Grimble if you prefer)

Or, as an alternative:

- Trade 29 to SF for 56 and 61
2a. Ra'Shede Hageman or Stephon Tuitt, DT
56. Deone Bucannon, S
61. Troy Niklas, TE
- Trade 62 for an early-mid 3rd and a late 4th/early 5th
3a. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, or Joel Bitonio, OL
3b. Christian Jones, LB
4. Marcus Martin, OC
5. Richard Rogers, TE (or the alternatives)

I've been hearing more and more about Marcus Smith and how athletic he is. I think either Hageman and Tuitt would be a steal and adding a top physical safety and a good tight end like Niklas would be great!!!!

 

[everlong]

Not so high on Hubbard. He's not very good in space. I want more mobile guys like Christian Jones and Marcus Smith.

I'm not viewing Hubbard at all like I'm evaluating Jones and Smith I would take over Hubbard but he's likely gone mid second. I see Hubbard as a rotational DE who can play either side and give Jones and Nink a blow. I agree he's not a player you put in space but Saban did drop him on a limited basis. At 6-6 and with long arms I feel if he can be coached up on his hand technique he could end up being a very effective pass rusher. I also feel he can throw another 10-15 pounds on this frame and not lose a step. I also think in time you could kick Jones and Hubbard inside on passing downs to really give interior linemen a fit.

I know people have projected him to OLB and I'm just not seeing that.

Jones I view a lot like Jamie Collins. Just an athletic freak and he's already played a lot in coverage. Honestly could be Derek Brooks redux but you could really move him around. While you're probably right that Martin won't last until the 6th I think teams are going to look at Jones and think wow he reminds me of a Seahawks defender and especially if he runs in the low 4.6's as I expect and he'll be gone in the first round.

I like your other scenarios.

 

[mayoclinic]

Nobody saw Wilfork dropping to 24.

He didn't. We took him at 21 in 2004.

 

[everlong]

He didn't. We took him at 21 in 2004.

Close enough.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm not viewing Hubbard at all like I'm evaluating Jones and Smith I would take over Hubbard but he's likely gone mid second. I see Hubbard as a rotational DE who can play either side and give Jones and Nink a blow. I agree he's not a player you put in space but Saban did drop him on a limited basis. At 6-6 and with long arms I feel if he can be coached up on his hand technique he could end up being a very effective pass rusher. I also feel he can throw another 10-15 pounds on this frame and not lose a step. I also think in time you could kick Jones and Hubbard inside on passing downs to really give interior linemen a fit.

I know people have projected him to OLB and I'm just not seeing that.

Jones I view a lot like Jamie Collins. Just an athletic freak and he's already played a lot in coverage. Honestly could be Derek Brooks redux but you could really move him around. While you're probably right that Martin won't last until the 6th I think teams are going to look at Jones and think wow he reminds me of a Seahawks defender and especially if he runs in the low 4.6's as I expect and he'll be gone in the first round.

I like your other scenarios.

I'm worried that Jones will blow away the Combine. I want him badly.

I understand your point about Hubbard - it's pretty much the way I look at Trent Murphy. I've heard less than encouraging things about Hubbard's motor, though.

 

[everlong]

I'm worried that Jones will blow away the Combine. I want him badly.

I understand your point about Hubbard - it's pretty much the way I look at Trent Murphy. I've heard less than encouraging things about Hubbard's motor, though.

I would be very worried.

Well Murphy's much more athletic and polished so I wasn't projecting a choice in the 4th round. If Murphy does well at the combine he'll be gone first half of the second round at work. That's too bad about Hubbard's motor I hadn't heard that. I'm sure Bill will get the skinny. Not knowing about the motor my thinking is Hubbard is an ideal 4th round candidate. If you can coach him up on his hand technique he could end up being a steal. As it is he's way behind in that regard to Murphy. Smith is odd. He uses his hands well against the run and sets a nice edge. In pass rushing his hands are often wild with no thought or intent.

 

[ivanvamp]

2014 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Teddy Bridgewater goes No. 1 to Houston Texans | Audibles - SI.com

Sorry if I've missed it, but they have Jace Amaro (TE, Texas Tech) for us in the first round. This description:

"Clearly, Tom Brady needs more targets. And clearly, with Aaron Hernandez out of the picture and Rob Gronkowski bringing new definitions to the term “injury-prone,” the Pats could use a productive and consistent presence at the tight end position. That’s how Bill Belichick has designed New England’s current offense. Amaro was a yards-after-catch monster in college, lining up in the slot most of the time and creating nightmares for linebackers and safeties. He’d be a perfect plug-in for Hernandez’s old role, and could take some of the heat off of Brady should Gronk continue his recent injury trends."

6'5", 260 lbs

Season stats: 106 rec, 1352 yds, 12.8 ypc, 7 td

A beast. Imagine pairing him up with Gronk? Holy smokes.

 

[BelichicksHoodie]

Sorry if I've missed it, but they have Jace Amaro (TE, Texas Tech) for us in the first round. This description:

"Clearly, Tom Brady needs more targets. And clearly, with Aaron Hernandez out of the picture and Rob Gronkowski bringing new definitions to the term “injury-prone,” the Pats could use a productive and consistent presence at the tight end position. That’s how Bill Belichick has designed New England’s current offense. Amaro was a yards-after-catch monster in college, lining up in the slot most of the time and creating nightmares for linebackers and safeties. He’d be a perfect plug-in for Hernandez’s old role, and could take some of the heat off of Brady should Gronk continue his recent injury trends."

6'5", 260 lbs

Season stats: 106 rec, 1352 yds, 12.8 ypc, 7 td

A beast. Imagine pairing him up with Gronk? Holy smokes.

There is no doubt that the pairing of the two creates excitement, but would that really be the best course of action? Say we have the top rated corner on our board or the top rated safety on our board there at that spot? I feel as though we can't pass that up in order to take a tight end. We didn't lose to the Broncos because of our offense, we lost because we couldn't get off the field at all against Manning. I also feel like we can get a potentially very good TE in the mid rounds of the draft, where historically in the last few years, the majority of them have come from.

 

[manxman2601]

There is no doubt that the pairing of the two creates excitement, but would that really be the best course of action? Say we have the top rated corner on our board or the top rated safety on our board there at that spot? I feel as though we can't pass that up in order to take a tight end. We didn't lose to the Broncos because of our offense, we lost because we couldn't get off the field at all against Manning. I also feel like we can get a potentially very good TE in the mid rounds of the draft, where historically in the last few years, the majority of them have come from.

Our offense was terrible against the Broncos. Brady desperately missed that bigger body over the middle last year. You just have to look at how much he was forcing throws to Gronk when he was fit to see that. Sorry but I can't agree.

 

[Big-T]

Mock draft: New England Seahawks edition!

Trades:
Ryan Mallett > Houston Texans - #33
Stevan Ridley > Oakland Raiders #67
#125, #167 > Chicago Bears - #113
#221 > Atlanta Falcons - TE Tony Gonzalez (will also need an altered contract)

Draft:

(1) 29. Calvin Pryor - S - Louisville
(2) 33. Kyle Van Noy - LB - BYU
(2) 61. Loucheiz Purifoy - CB - Florida
(2) 67. Gabe Jackson - OG - Mississippi State
(4) 113. C.J. Fiedorowicz - TE- Iowa
(6) 182. Cassius Marsh - DE - UCLA
(6) 189. Shamar Stephen - DT - Connecticut
(6) COMP. Aaron Lynch - DE - South Florida
(6) COMP. De'Anthony Thomas - RB - Oregon

 

[BelichicksHoodie]

Our offense was terrible against the Broncos. Brady desperately missed that bigger body over the middle last year. You just have to look at how much he was forcing throws to Gronk when he was fit to see that. Sorry but I can't agree.

We lost to the Broncos because we couldn't stop them and Brady was on the bench the entire game. Not because we didn't have Gronk. Go blow your draft picks on weapons for Brady and ignore the defense, it won't matter because he won't even be on the field because our defense can't get off the field on third down.

You clearly didn't learn anything watching Denver get annihilated, or from the five best teams in the NFL this season: Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina, New Orleans and Arizona(all of these teams would have won the AFC had they been in it) who were the best teams in the NFL due to their dominant and suffocating defenses. All these teams fought in wars this year against each other. You finally put Denver who pretty much cake walked through the AFC because a vast majority of the defenses were pushovers, against the best defense in the league and they had their doors blown off.

The old adage "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" isn't some sentimental piece or old wives tale. Look at the statistics and it holds true. But that's just my opinion, and everyone knows what they say about opinions.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

We lost to the Broncos because we couldn't stop them and Brady was on the bench the entire game. Not because we didn't have Gronk. Go blow your draft picks on weapons for Brady and ignore the defense, it won't matter because he won't even be on the field because our defense can't get off the field on third down.

You clearly didn't learn anything watching Denver get annihilated, or from the five best teams in the NFL this season: Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina, New Orleans and Arizona(all of these teams would have won the AFC had they been in it) who were the best teams in the NFL due to their dominant and suffocating defenses. All these teams fought in wars this year against each other. You finally put Denver who pretty much cake walked through the AFC because a vast majority of the defenses were pushovers, against the best defense in the league and they had their doors blown off.

The old adage "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" isn't some sentimental piece or old wives tale. Look at the statistics and it holds true. But that's just my opinion, and everyone knows what they say about opinions.

The problem with this argument is that the defense that couldn't get off the field isn't going to be the defense that starts the 2014 season.

Personally, I think the draft should be about 50-50 between offense and defense.

 

[mayoclinic]

Personally, I think the draft should be about 50-50 between offense and defense.

I would amend that slightly and say that the off-season focus should be about 50-50 between offense and defense. Depending on which side is addressed more heavily in FA (including re-signings) could skew the emphasis in the draft.

 

[manxman2601]

We lost to the Broncos because we couldn't stop them and Brady was on the bench the entire game. Not because we didn't have Gronk. Go blow your draft picks on weapons for Brady and ignore the defense, it won't matter because he won't even be on the field because our defense can't get off the field on third down.

You clearly didn't learn anything watching Denver get annihilated, or from the five best teams in the NFL this season: Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina, New Orleans and Arizona(all of these teams would have won the AFC had they been in it) who were the best teams in the NFL due to their dominant and suffocating defenses. All these teams fought in wars this year against each other. You finally put Denver who pretty much cake walked through the AFC because a vast majority of the defenses were pushovers, against the best defense in the league and they had their doors blown off.

The old adage "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" isn't some sentimental piece or old wives tale. Look at the statistics and it holds true. But that's just my opinion, and everyone knows what they say about opinions.

I will thank you. Except that I've only necessarily advocate one or two which isn't blowing all my picks. There are six more which can be used on defense.