NE 2017 Draft haul + udfa

[Patsgofor4]

I remember Mark McMillan from my childhood, Chiefs CB. He was tiny. More recently Winfield and Verrett, but they have about 2 inches on Likely. Would be a great story. Slot CB seems like the only real option for him. If by some miracle both he and Hawkins me the 53, we would have the shortest players in the NFL at two different positions.

Kind of an interesting post from a Steelers fan, about sleepers from this years draft, for what it's worth.

"I went back and watched four Maryland games after we drafted Sean Davis. The one guy that kept catching my eye was William Likely. He seemed to always be around the ball and is a top notch returner. He's not real big, but he might have some slot corner potential and special teams value.

Likely did have a pretty serious knee injury this year. He's not ranked very high on most of the Internet draft boards. I just remember wanting to be impressed by Davis, and the more games I watched it was Likely I became impressed with. Would like to see what a trained eye thinks of him."

PS. Forgot about 5'8" Darrell Green

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

He's LIKELY to make the practice squad

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Last thing I need is another binkie ugh.
Kid looks good

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

If he's listed at 5ft7 he must be 5ft5

 

[Patsgofor4]

Hard not to root for a guy like this. After watching a bunch of YouTube clips on him, new binky status confirmed. Showed up and surprisingly did multiple drills at Maryland pro day, less than 6 months after his ACL tear. Super versatile.

Let me preface the following by acknowledging that I'm not at all an expert football analyst (ie. I don't really know what I'm talking about). I just know what my eyes tell me.

Much like Butler, he almost always seems to have his body in the correct position to make a play on the ball. Tracks the receiver beautifully and then gets his head turned around at just the right time. We've seen many Patriots CBs that have lacked that particular skill, leading to backbreaking DPI penalties. Change of direction, body control and recovery speed all seem to be outstanding. I'm in.

 

[borisman]

This is a great thread. I've never learned so much about an undrafted free agent group as I have this year. Kudos to all of you posting relevant info about this group. It feels like we drafted 10-15 players in the 7th round.

 

[long distance]

A few UDFA links in light of Minicamp starting..

A complete overview from nepatriotsdraft.com:
Post Draft Scouting Report: The UDFA’s | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2017 NFL Draft

DJ Killings from Patspulpit's great roster breakdown series:
Patriots roster breakdown: CB D.J. Killings

And some more on Likely:
Cover 5: Getting to know Patriots rookie William Likely
__

Also I am updating OP today to access as much Pats UDFA info as possible from one spot..

NE 2017 Draft haul + udfa

 

[WaterfallJumper]

We got him to make Butler feel less short.

As a short guy, let me assure you that it doesn't work that way. We'll always have a complex.

 

[Jimke]

We got him to make Butler feel less short.

They actually signed him to light a fire under Cyrus Jones. We get a chance today
to see if Likely can catch punts in the rain better than Cyrus.

 

[long distance]

Let's see if they keep him (should be around $300.000 IIRC).
With Bob's money . I would..




EDIT: Or maybe they won't. Just watched his Alabama game and he looked like poor man's Grissom. Great effort but just so slow..

 

[long distance]

It will be interesting to monitor the development, usage and production of Rivers and f.e. Takk McKinley that ATL picked in 1st round and paid 10.2M..

Thankfully Pats (relatively cheap) bet is on Rivers..

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Also TJ Watt

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Also TJ Watt

+ Taco, Barnett, Basham, Hall, Smoot

 

[captain stone]

+ the guy they should've picked at 72, Jordan Willis.

 

[long distance]

Nice article on Langi's path and transition from RB to LB, from lost to leader:
Harvey Langi settling in as a linebacker at BYU

quote:
"Harvey is an emotional leader," said head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "From the off-season, any group that is with him performs at a higher level. He brings energy, he brings a physicality, he brings an intent that elevates his teammates."

"Oh man, the guy just brings energy," said defensive lineman Remmington Peck. "He might not know the defense that well, but he's just energetic and brings excitement. He adds a lot."
___

And here a great video interview on the subject:

 

[Mike the Brit]

I'm not going to make Mr Langi my binkie -- don't want to jinx him -- but he's a confident, likeable young man and I wish him every success.

 

[captain stone]

"…He might not know the defense that well…"

Say what?

 

[long distance]

"…He might not know the defense that well…"

Say what?

Relax . this was from before 2015 season . after RB to LB transition. He learned quite a lot pretty quickly . and while they were moving him around . showed production and versatility. Misused in 2016 as DE (after BYU changed base D) so he is certainly still a work in progress . but by all accounts looks like smart, determined, passionate guy . and shouldn't be too surprising if he can contribute early on ST.

Here his progress at BYU: Harvey Langi Profile | The Official Site of BYU Athletics

 

[long distance]

Augusta continued w some conditioning issues (health related as reamer reported) in minicamp . but don't write him off just yet . the big kid (#97) has a heart..

 

[long distance]

Andrew Jelks is a great story. Used to be a great prospect before he suffered two ACL tears in last two preseasons keeping him off the field for two years. He never gave up though . declared for draft despite possibility to ask for another college yr . showed up for pro day in front of BB . and got his unlikely wish answered.

Here full story: http://www.tennessean.com/story/spo...rew-jelks-nfl-m-not-ever-going-quit/99193994/

quote:

“I think Jelks is a tremendous football player,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. “He was the best player coming into this program when I got here (in 2014). No doubt he was the best player. And for me, it’s been hard to watch Jelks go through it, but it’s also been rewarding to see how his patience, his leadership has really helped groom some of these young guys to play.”

Despite the injury, Jelks was named a team captain last season.

“A guy that hadn’t really played football for two years getting voted a captain just kind of shows what he’s about and how the whole team responds to him and how they respect him”
____


Jelks was the only Patriot player not showing up on field during OTAs. Its possible they don't want to rush him and could maybe start the preseason on PUP with possibility for (for him all-too-familiar) redshirt year. He might be the most talented OT besides Garcia from the 5 they brought in this year. Played RT as redshirted freshman, played LT as sophomore not fully healthy then missed 2 seasons as mentioned. If he can stay healthy could be another steal . but that seems like a big if. In any case he qualifies for my binkie..

Here his interesting bio account:
Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site - Vanderbilt University

quote:

Though he didn't play during the season, Jelks remained an active member of the squad and brought leadership to a young offensive line... Coaches like Jelks dress in full gear for the finale against Tennessee and named him one of four co-captains at the season-ending team banquet.
____


The only game I could find is from 2013 - his redshirt freshman (the only healthy) year (look for #50 at RT). Quite an impressive performance for a freshman.:



Hopefully he sees the field again . in Foxboro..