Patriots coach has impact at BC pro day

[Irish Hooligan]

Short but interesting read in a slow time for NFL news.

Pro Day Notebook: Pats coach ramps up BC's workout - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

 

[TealSox]

Good read on the pro-days.

Couple takeaways:

1. If Dante lead the O-line portion of the Pro Day, does that mean he was helping out a local university or that the Patriots are intrigued by Castanzo.

2. Why did 25 teams go up to UCONN when their highest rated players is a projected 3rd round RB?

3. Greg Lloyd named his son Greg Lloyd? Does he play like his dad too?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Good read on the pro-days.

Couple takeaways:

1. If Dante lead the O-line portion of the Pro Day, does that mean he was helping out a local university or that the Patriots are intrigued by Castanzo. Intrigued? Just due diligence. The Niland kid may be a UDFA target for NE's personnel office whom Scar got to work out under cover of the more celebrated Castonzo - just too many variables to guess. I think it was a chance for Scar to check a top OT target who might fit NE's scheme better than some others while stopping off home for clean socks between private workouts.

2. Why did 25 teams go up to UCONN when their highest rated players is a projected 3rd round RB? It's a growing program with some good mid-to-late kids to pick over.

3. Greg Lloyd named his son Greg Lloyd? Does he play like his dad too?

Well, he wasn't the highest rated LB for UConn by draft sites, but some teams like legacies.

 

[Water Boy]

Boy I hope that Scar's coaching was just for giggles. I'm not stoked on Costanzo in the first round. I'd much rather see us draft Carimi.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Boy I hope that Scar's coaching was just for giggles. I'm not stoked on Costanzo in the first round. I'd much rather see us draft Carimi.

Yes, I have strong reservations for Castonzo that high; the issue which makes this murky is the picture which emerges when examining the NE round one & two draft history starting with Klemm and Light, and running through Mankins and Vollmer.

-- All four prior Top OL draftees were extremely athletic coming out of college; three were TE to OT conversions in college; all played more than one position during their tenure.
-- All were 1st team All-Conference as seniors.
-- Light, Mankins, and Vollmer came from programs which either started with a relationship with BB or Scar, or quickly developed one (I can't be sure if Light's coaches had a prior link, but NE grabbed two of Light's linemates off the street so Scar liked the base material Purdue developed).

Castonzo and Solder both bring those same elements to the draft:
-- Both are extremely athletic as measured by the Combine drills and workouts.
-- Both are 1st team All-Conference (and both All American too).
-- Solder's senior year OL coach developed Tom Ashworth; I don't think I need to go into depth on the BC O-line tradition and how BB and Scar relate.
-- And to put icing on the cake, both were team captains.

It's easy for us to pick holes in these kid's games, but if BB and Scar believe NE would be better for a new stud OT (left or right depending on flipping Vollmer), both fit the Scarnecchia/Belichick profile, providing the base material Scar has demonstrated he can develop into a consistent starter.

I'd still rather have a shiny new DE, but Bob Kraft has the draft room buried so deep my mind-meld with BB loses sync, and he likes to take off on his own tangents whenever that happens.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Short but interesting read in a slow time for NFL news.

Pro Day Notebook: Pats coach ramps up BC's workout - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

Dante went down to Houston to personally work out Vollmer a few years ago, which is why I put Vollmer in my mock that year (as a fifth rounder though).

Not saying anything is going on here with Costanza, but I don;t believe in coincidence either when it comes to BB.

 

[Water Boy]

I think the intriguing question is if BB drafts a round one OT like Costanzo or Solder, does that signify that Light will not be resigned or offered a very short term and/or below market deal. Though we need to consider who Light's replacement will be, taking a pure OT in round 1 is going to be a bitter pill for me. If Light walks IMO, we'd be filling a void, but not improving the team and likely weakening the position for the short term. If Light stays, we'll have a first round pick who's a back up.

When BB replaced Andruzi with Mankins it was a very calculated move that immediately improved the team. I don't see Costanzo or Solder & Vollmer being an immediate upgrade over Light & Vollmer, but there are many Matt Light haters who probably do.

I would much rather draft Carimi who has been mentioned as having the ability to also play OG. I've seen Sherrod mentioned as possibly being able to play OG as well. This would allow for Light to return or not, would give us a pair of stud OTs in the future (with Carimi as a nasty, road grading but athletic RT and Vollmer as my pro bowl stud LT), and would fill a void at OG in the short term.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I think the intriguing question is if BB drafts a round one OT like Costanzo or Solder, does that signify that Light will not be resigned or offered a very short term and/or below market deal. Though we need to consider who Light's replacement will be, taking a pure OT in round 1 is going to be a bitter pill for me. If Light walks IMO, we'd be filling a void, but not improving the team and likely weakening the position for the short term. If Light stays, we'll have a first round pick who's a back up.

When BB replaced Andruzi with Mankins it was a very calculated move that immediately improved the team. I don't see Costanzo or Solder & Vollmer being an immediate upgrade over Light & Vollmer, but there are many Matt Light haters who probably do.

I would much rather draft Carimi who has been mentioned as having the ability to also play OG. I've seen Sherrod mentioned as possibly being able to play OG as well. This would allow for Light to return or not, would give us a pair of stud OTs in the future (with Carimi as a nasty, road grading but athletic RT and Vollmer as my pro bowl stud LT), and would fill a void at OG in the short term.

An argument can be made for moving Vollmer to LT and drafting one of the two listed to play RT. I would not automatically consider it a downgrade without first seeing them on the field under Scar's tutelage, yet the economics raise questions considering NE's starting Tackles for the past decade have not been first round selections. Looking at some of the later round prospects, I believe an adequate RT replacement could be drafted without using a first round pick. Vollmer's presence on the roster gives NE a great deal of flexibility in their shopping.

 

[Water Boy]

An argument can be made for moving Vollmer to LT and drafting one of the two listed to play RT. I would not automatically consider it a downgrade without first seeing them on the field under Scar's tutelage, yet the economics raise questions considering NE's starting Tackles for the past decade have not been first round selections. Looking at some of the later round prospects, I believe an adequate RT replacement could be drafted without using a first round pick. Vollmer's presence on the roster gives NE a great deal of flexibility in their shopping.

I should preface that when it comes to this year's draft, I am looking for players who will immediately improve the team. I think the Patriots are on the precipice of a Super Bowl run next year and I want some instant gratification out of our draft picks. Maybe its because I'm spoiled from last year. Solder and Costanzo may very well be an improvement over Light, but I wouldn't bank on this happening in their rookie year.

 

[Fencer]

Dante went down to Houston to personally work out Vollmer a few years ago, which is why I put Vollmer in my mock that year (as a fifth rounder though).

Not saying anything is going on here with Costanza, but I don;t believe in coincidence either when it comes to BB.

The trip to BC was a bit shorter. It would have been telling if he had NOT gone.

 

[rookBoston]

I could imagine BB drafting a first round LT to start Week One. Mankins started Week One as a rookie. So did Light. My most recent mock has us taking Solder in a slight trade back from 17, and then Cam Heywood at 28 and Justin Houston at 33. That kind of draft feels very plausible to me.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

The trip to BC was a bit shorter. It would have been telling if he had NOT gone.

I don't buy into that at all. A trip is a trip, but add in that he personally worked out the O Line players and in my mind Dante was setting them up to gauge how much time it would take for these players to adjust to the zone blocking scheme.

And while I doubt Costanza's ability to road grade on running plays,I also recognize that with his nimble feet and lateral agility he is perfectly suited to pick up the zone blocking scheme quicker than Vollmer did, which means day 1 starter in my book.

If I did not see this massive black hole size need for a stud DE on the D line I would be beating the drum for Costanzo at #17.

 

[TealSox]

I could imagine BB drafting a first round LT to start Week One. Mankins started Week One as a rookie. So did Light. My most recent mock has us taking Solder in a slight trade back from 17, and then Cam Heywood at 28 and Justin Houston at 33. That kind of draft feels very plausible to me.

Complications of the lock out, may still dictate which direction the Patriots go in the 2011 draft. Which players [projected to be available at the 17th, 28th and 33rd pick] could come in and start on Week 1 despite the loss of OTAs, Mini Camps and/or the pre-season? I'm assuming positions, such as offensive guard, defensive tackle and offensive tackle. From there, you have to figure that [unless they are drafting on upside] they are going to take a technically sound player who has a length of experience at the college level and not a red shirt sophomore, junior or senior with one year of starting experience. This might even mean, they want a player from a competitive conference to couple with a tenure of starting experience.

DE:

JJ Watt: 26 starts over two years at Wisconsin, red-shirting in 2008 and played TE at Central Michigan.

Cameron Jordan: 50 starts over four years at Cal.

Ryan Kerrigan: 48 starts over four years at Purdue.

OT:

Anthony Castonzo: 39 starts at LT and 14 starts at RT.

Gabe Carimi: 49 starts at LT.

Nate Solder: 36 starts at LT and 4 starts at TE.

At the 3-4 DE position, I think Cameron Jordan is the most primed to start despite the loss of practice time due to the lock out. As for the offensive line, I think Castonzo could fill in at RT due to his experience at the position. I would hope that at 33, the Pats could still land Danny Watkins though.

 

[Fencer]

I don't buy into that at all. A trip is a trip, but add in that he personally worked out the O Line players and in my mind Dante was setting them up to gauge how much time it would take for these players to adjust to the zone blocking scheme.

And while I doubt Costanza's ability to road grade on running plays,I also recognize that with his nimble feet and lateral agility he is perfectly suited to pick up the zone blocking scheme quicker than Vollmer did, which means day 1 starter in my book.

If I did not see this massive black hole size need for a stud DE on the D line I would be beating the drum for Costanzo at #17.

I would guess that in approximately 30 NFL cities, the appropriate position coach from a local team attends a Pro Day where a first-round talent is being showcased.

If nothing else, it gives him a chance to chat with his peers.