Defensive Line Question

[RayClay]

I really have no idea what NO is thinking down there. Their personnel decisions for the last 4-5 years suck.

I think we can agree that Hicks was excellent here. I forget the poster who is an avid NO fan but he said that Hicks played like this when he was on the inside in NO then idiot Rob Ryan moved him to the outside.

Yeah, too bad we had to use him enough that somebody noticed. I'm optimistic, just relaying that we lost serious talent, athletic ability with he and Chandler, but we do have in house prospects and a good DT draft class I hear, so hopefully we find a bit more than jags applying for the jobs.

Funny thing is, the transformation from sluggish Branch, to beast mode Branch was the story of the season, so you never know.

 

[hornetfb85]

Here's a quick look at what our defense could look like:

DL:
J. Sheard
R. Ninkovich
C. Long
M. Brown (DT)
D. Easley (DT)
A. Branch (DT)
T. Flowers
G. Grissom
R. Johnson
Draft Pick / C. Jones / F. Kearse / I. Kitchen (DT)

LB:
J. Collins
D. Hightower
S. McClellin
J. Bostic / J. Freeney
Draft Pick

CB:
M. Butler
L. Ryan
J. Coleman
D. Roberts
Draft Pick / Free Agent

S:
D. McCourty
P. Chung
D. Harmon
J. Richards
N. Ebner
B. King (unless we go with 6 WR or 5 RB)

 

[jah]

Since there's an entire draft to go, I'm not going to make any roster predictions. Instead, I'm just going to put each defensive lineman in one of four groups: lock; safe for now; could go either way; probable camp fodder:

Locks:
DT Brown, Branch, Easley
DE Ninkovich, Sheard

Safe (for now...):
DT (none)
DE Long, Johnson, Grissom, Flowers

Could go either way:
DT Kitchen, Jones
DE Eric Martin

Probable camp fodder:
DT Kearse, Vellano
DE (none)

Some more specific thoughts:

• We've already got all 4 starters + a sub interior rusher in Easley all set. That's pretty cool.
• We all like Long, Johnson, Grissom, and Flowers right now, but any of those 4 could flop.
• I just can't imagine they can't find someone better for the initial 53 (before attrition...) than Kitchen.
• Chris Jones had a big role on the team before his injury, but the DT situation was also dire. We'll see how BB really feels about him soon.
• I listed Eric Martin as a DE because I only remember him pass rushing in the preseason, and actually looking decent at it. He's pretty much just a special teamer, though, and almost everyone lists him as a LB so I'm going to probably get corrected in this very thread even though I believe I'm right.
• There's more room overall for defensive tackles here (assuming most of Long, Johnson, Grissom, Flowers stick) but an impact DE acquisition would be much nicer than an impact DT acquisition, seeing as we're 3 deep at DT and 2 deep at DE as far as proven starting-caliber players go. I don't consider Chris Long that quite yet but he could easily make that jump.

 

[manxman2601]

Since there's an entire draft to go, I'm not going to make any roster predictions. Instead, I'm just going to put each defensive lineman in one of three groups: lock; safe for now; could go either way; probable camp fodder:

Locks:
DT Brown, Branch, Easley
DE Ninkovich, Sheard

Safe (for now...):
DT (none)
DE Long, Johnson, Grissom, Flowers

Could go either way:
DT Kitchen, Jones
DE Eric Martin

Probable camp fodder:
DT Kearse, Vellano
DE (none)

Some more specific thoughts:

• We've already got all 4 starters + a sub interior rusher in Easley all set. That's pretty cool.
• We all like Long, Johnson, Grissom, and Flowers right now, but any of those 4 could flop.
• I just can't imagine they can't find someone better for the initial 53 (before attrition...) than Kitchen.
• Chris Jones had a big role on the team before his injury, but the DT situation was also dire. We'll see how BB really feels about him soon.
• I listed Eric Martin as a DE because I only remember him pass rushing in the preseason, and actually looking decent at it. He's pretty much just a special teamer, though, and almost everyone lists him as a LB so I'm going to probably get corrected in this very thread even though I believe I'm right.
• There's more room overall for defensive tackles here (assuming most of Long, Johnson, Grissom, Flowers stick) but an impact DE acquisition would be much nicer than an impact DT acquisition, seeing as we're 3 deep at DT and 2 deep at DE as far as proven starting-caliber players go. I don't consider Chris Long that quite yet but he could easily make that jump.

I'd quite like to see them double-dip at DT in the draft. An Alan Branch type - run stopper with some pass rush ablility - and someone who can back oft-injured Dominique Easley. I'm not that enthused about Chris Jones in the Easley role.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I am hoping we take a big dt in this draft, earlier than later.

Clearly ot is the #1 need, but dt, CB and lb remain on the list.

 

[woolster22]

This is supposed to be a very deep year for defensive linemen. With all their draft picks, I
hope the Pats combine a #2 and a #3 and draft either Chris Jones or Austin Johnson. They
have had contact with both of them.

Depends on what Scar thinks. I could easily see a package up into the early 2nd if there's a guy Scar deems worthy. That said, I truly believe we dump a 2nd into next year, if not that, our 3rd.

I am hoping we take a big dt in this draft, earlier than later.

Clearly ot is the #1 need, but dt, CB and lb remain on the list.

I'd take lb off that list. We have Bostic and now McLellin (pretty sure auto correct just screwed me). Cb is also lower on the list. Roberts looked hea d and shoulders above Ryan before breaking his arm and hitting IR in PS on a seemingly stacked team.

DT is supposedly top heavy this year, so I assume we male a day two pick there to counter the loss of hicks.

With Scar in the fold, and the play of Andrews, with Cooper in the fold (go find the article he's in about going to NE. Sounds like an NE pickup), and Stork playing well all over the line when he initially came back....I would not be shocked at all to see a few late round guys at best added to the group, to the board's demise.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Brady is paying Scars grand kid a million a year to bring the paper from the gate to the door...