It's more likely they're watching Cody, considering Hampton is in his 30s, though I could see why they're interested in McClain, who is my absolute #1 choice for the draft next year. In fact, I keep trying to work through scenarios in which we position ourselves in the middle of the first round, though I fully expect us to pick at #32.
***WARNING: ILLOGICAL AND HIGHLY UNLIKELY DRAFT FANTASIES TO FOLLOW***
If Brace plays well enough to supplant Wilfork, how about we tag and trade the big fella? He gets his new contract, we get a first rounder (at least; maybe a 1st and 3rd?), and everyone is happy. In fact, why not target a team that's terrible against the run, like Detroit? I'm sure they'll improve by a few wins this year, which means it's more than likely they'll still have a top-ten first round pick. Once we acquire their pick, we can shop it to the Niners, who have two first rounders. Most likely, they'll win 8 or 9 games, due to their weak division, strong defense, and smash-mouth running game. Their quarterbacks, however, suck. With the star quarterbacks coming out next year, I have to believe that Singletary wants to get "his guy" in the draft. And instead of waiting for someone to fall to where his mid-round picks are likely to be, we entice him to trade up and secure the Future of the Franchise.
Last step: draft McClain and Cody. Check. Mate.
***BACK TO OUR NORMALLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING***
Dunlap is already touted as a top-ten or top-five pick. A good year at Florida will do nothing to change that. He's out of our range, and I doubt he's fluid enough in space, anyway.
Romeus is a guy I've had my eye on for a while. He's big, fast, athletic (former basketball player), and is still just learning the game. I'd be completely happy with that pick up with one of our second rounders. In fact, he's one of my top three choices for next year.
Hardy seems like the ideal Pats OLB, except for his history off the field. Perhaps BB is willing to overlook that in exchange for one of the nastiest pass rushers in the last few years? Hardy owned the SEC before his season-ending injury last year, putting up at least a sack a game. Did I mention he's a former TE, like another recent binky?
Sapp is slightly smaller, though still has decent size (6'4, 250), and is reportedly very fluid in space. He's a quick, long-armed defender who isn't receiving a lot of buzz right now, but he looks like a legit pass-rusher.
Wootton is one of my favorite prospects, largely because he has a great last name, but more because he has huge size, excellent fluidity, and surprising suddenness for such a big man. Reminds me of Julius Peppers; though he isn't as dominating of a pass-rusher, he's a lot better against the run.
And my sleeper pick: Austen Lane, a big, fast, athletic monster who had over a dozen sacks and twice as many tackles for a loss last year; could be a good gamble for greatness in later rounds.
Wow, now I want to write up a 2010 mock draft for the Pats. Thanks a lot, Ochmed! Now I have the draft bug all over again.
With 4 first day picks, we have a lot of options and relatively few major holes. Some of the prospects of particular interest to me include:
1. Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech. My absolute #1 prospect for the Pats right now, and I'm a defense-first guy. I would love to see a power running game to complement the blitzkrieg pass attack a la Corey Dillon in 2004, and Dwyer seems like a Jonathan Stewart type prospect. With the tendency of RBs to fall into the late 1st round (such as Rashard Mendenhall to Pittsburgh at 23 in 2008 and Beanie Wells to Arizona at 31 last year), it's not out of the question that Dwyer might be within trade-up range, and we have plenty of ammo to trade up.
2. 3-4 OLB pass rushers. How high a priority this is depends on how Derrick Burgess adjusts and whether we re-sign him, but even so he and AD are both in their 30's and adding a young pass rusher will be key. I had been high on Sergio Kindle but he will probably go top 15 and he's had off-field issues which suggest he may not be a great fit. The 3 players who interest me the most right now are Greg Hardy, Brandon Lang, and Greg Romeus, in that order. Ricky Sapp is also of interest depending on how he recovers from his ACL tear and adjusts to playing in space. One or more of those guys should be available sometime in the 2nd round, depending on how things play out.
3. 3-4 DEs. How high a priority this is depends on whether we resign Richard Seymour. My favorites are Wooten and Florida's Lawrence Marsh, a 6'5" 305# junior with terrific athleticism.
4. WR. How high a priority this is depends on how Brandon Tate looks to be developing. With Moss approaching 33 we certainly need to develop some young WR talent. Both Brandon LaFell of LSU and Mardy Gilyard of Cincinnati could be prospects of interest. Gilyard reminds me a bit of Greg Jennings, one who got away.
Despite Ochmed's man crush on him, I don't see Mount Cody being a consideration for us unless Big Vince leaves, and even thin, depending on how Brace and Pryor develop it may not be our biggest concern. And while I like both Brandon Spikes and Rolando McClain at ILB, I think that whether we would be willing to trade up to go after one of them depends on how Guyton develops and how high the FO is on McClain. The guy who I like as an SILB prospect is Eric Norwood from Carolina (6'1", 260#, with a nose for the ball, good pass rushing skills, surprisingly good ability to play in space, and nice ability to take on blockers) who probably looks to be a 2nd round guy right now.
My current "dream" 1st day would look something like the following (with no clue as to whether it would be even remotely possible, this early on):
1. RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
2a. DE/OLB Greg Hardy, Mississippi, Brandon Lang, Troy, or Greg Romeus, Pitt
2b. DE Corey Wootten, Northwestern, or Lawrence Marsh, Florida
2c. ILB Eric Norwood, South Carolina, or WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
