Positional ranking 3-4 OLB Pre Combine

[manxman2601]

I think that where Vinny Curry will be picked will depend on his true height. I've seen him listed at just over 6'3 by NFLDraftScout.com but I've also seen him listed at 6'5 by Draftcountdown.com..

If Curry is 6'4, then I could easily see the Pats trading up in the second or trading down from the end of the 1st to get Curry. I don't see Curry as a 1st rounder.

This is one of the reasons I've been high on Andre Branch. He looks to have the length that BB likes from his outside linemen/backers. Not quite so high on him after the Clemson bowl debacle however.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

This is one of the reasons I've been high on Andre Branch. He looks to have the length that BB likes from his outside linemen/backers. Not quite so high on him after the Clemson bowl debacle however.

Their entire defense got rocked in that game. Branch still was strong against the run (they never ran toward his side in the game, at least that I saw; admittedly, I only watched about 65% before turning to more interesting things), and when he did rush, he was absolutely flying past the tackle. Smith is a very good QB who I think is farther along than Griffen was at the same point in their careers.

 

[jays52]

Vinny Curry sucks. Shea McClellin, on the other hand is a name I'm throwing into the ring.

 

[manxman2601]

Vinny Curry sucks. Shea McClellin, on the other hand is a name I'm throwing into the ring.

Threw it in some time ago

 

[Peachhead]

Vinny Curry sucks.

Curry had 11 sacks this year. He can't suck that much.

 

[jays52]

Curry had 11 sacks this year. He can't suck that much.

I don't trust stats, for example Tully Banta-Cain had ten sacks as well once. I trust my eye, and my eye shows a player with decent enough acceleration but little else. He doesn't have the innate understanding of football that you look for in players. Poor hand play, poor technique, poor run-fit execution, gives up on plays, and no comprehension of pursuit angles. He's a decent enough athlete but not a football player.

 

[jays52]

Threw it in some time ago

Word. Many thanks, kind sir

 

[Sciz]

Vinny Curry sucks. Shea McClellin, on the other hand is a name I'm throwing into the ring.

Been all over him for a while. He's not a truly elite rusher, but he's the kind of all around run/coverage/rushing kind of guy that could replace Ninkovich very nicely. Very very versatile, and really good in coverage for a college pass rusher.

 

[jays52]

Been all over him for a while. He's not a truly elite rusher, but he's the kind of all around run/coverage/rushing kind of guy that could replace Ninkovich very nicely. Very very versatile, and really good in coverage for a college pass rusher.

Iron Mitts to boot. He'd be a tremendous asset in setting the edge, and I'm a total whore for motor.

 

[Off The Grid]

Vinny Curry sucks. Shea McClellin, on the other hand is a name I'm throwing into the ring.

Threw it in some time ago

Word. Many thanks, kind sir

Been all over him for a while. He's not a truly elite rusher, but he's the kind of all around run/coverage/rushing kind of guy that could replace Ninkovich very nicely. Very very versatile, and really good in coverage for a college pass rusher.

Iron Mitts to boot. He'd be a tremendous asset in setting the edge, and I'm a total whore for motor.

Ayup. I advocated for'm back in my Halloween Mock1.0, so everybody owes me a beer!!

McClellin is a Scrapper's Scrapper who does indeed play Full Throttle at all times.

A classic Patriot.

 

[Peachhead]

I don't trust stats, for example Tully Banta-Cain had ten sacks as well once. I trust my eye, and my eye shows a player with decent enough acceleration but little else. He doesn't have the innate understanding of football that you look for in players. Poor hand play, poor technique, poor run-fit execution, gives up on plays, and no comprehension of pursuit angles. He's a decent enough athlete but not a football player.

Yeah, I definitely agree with your general point about stats. They can be misleading, and never the whole picture.But I don't think Curry sucks, especially compaired to McClellan (and I like McClellan), or frankly almost all of this year's draft class.

 

[VJCPatriot]

It is idiotic for BB to avoid drafting players at this position, arguably the second most important position in the 3-4 defense.

Look back at the first three rounds of the last ten drafts and total by defensive positions the number of players BB has taken at each defensive position. List all the players by position. Let me help you with the OLB position, we have Crable, Cunningham and........ well you get the point.

Do the math and report back to us. Hope this sheds some light for you on this subject.

BB's 'idiotic' drafting has brought us seasons of 14-2 and 13-3. If the players don't fit the system, I think BB avoided them for a reason, didnt he? Boy, I guess BB's 'idiot' is a lot smarter than most people's 'smart'. What's the obssession with OLB btw? Didn't Carter and Anderson just yield us 20 sacks at the OLB position?

 

[Wilfork#75]

BB's 'idiotic' drafting has brought us seasons of 14-2 and 13-3. If the players don't fit the system, I think BB avoided them for a reason, didnt he? Boy, I guess BB's 'idiot' is a lot smarter than most people's 'smart'. What's the obssession with OLB btw? Didn't Carter and Anderson just yield us 20 sacks at the OLB position?

Carter and Anderson had so much success because they played a lot more 4 man fronts this season. I agree that you don't draft players if they don't fit the system, but if you cant find those players then you need to find a new system. I think thats a lot of the reason that many Pats fans want the team to stick with a 4-3 because its a lot easier to get personnel. While the 3-4 may be the prefered defensive system, if you cant find the players then its useless.

If BB does go back to a 3-4 then he needs to find his guy and pull the trigger on him. I hear all the time that BB wont draft an OLB early because they are a risky position and if they don't pan out you could still have that need the next season. Well if you never fill that need then you are guaranteed to still have it the next season. Sure they may have won games in the last two years, but this team has obvious flaws and refuses to fix them. The aim of this team is to win the Super Bowl every year, not put up good regular season records, so they need to continually improve and that starts with the defence, especially OLB.

 

[goldenaleus]

Quinton Coples is more of a 3-4 DE than a 3-4 OLB. He's 6'6 290lbs. Perfect Seymour replacement. We need to move up and grab this kid or get the heck out of the 1st.

I think that if he is at Carolina's spot(8th) then we trade our two 1st round picks and take him.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

BB's 'idiotic' drafting has brought us seasons of 14-2 and 13-3. If the players don't fit the system, I think BB avoided them for a reason, didnt he? Boy, I guess BB's 'idiot' is a lot smarter than most people's 'smart'. What's the obssession with OLB btw? Didn't Carter and Anderson just yield us 20 sacks at the OLB position?

Again it's idiotic to avoid drafting 3-4 OLB's when you run a 3-4 defense.

What if BB avoided drafting QB's and instead signed nothing but veteran retreads from the free agent scrap heap.

And what if BB's answer was no college QB fits our system. Wouldn't you think that was a most bizarre and idiotic statement?

Bottom line is every kid at every position (not named Luck) is not going to fit exactly into our system. The goal is to coach up the draftee and develop the draftee. Unfortunately BB doesn't even appear interested in doing that for this 1 position on the football team. Is not that by definition "idiotic".

 

[reflexblue]

BB's 'idiotic' drafting has brought us seasons of 14-2 and 13-3. If the players don't fit the system, I think BB avoided them for a reason, didnt he? Boy, I guess BB's 'idiot' is a lot smarter than most people's 'smart'. What's the obssession with OLB btw? Didn't Carter and Anderson just yield us 20 sacks at the OLB position?

No, this proves just how Great a coach BB is. He can take Jags and sub jags and win with them.

 

[everlong]

Montgomery LSU - Just a redshirt sophomore. Good size and outstanding 4.5 speed. Projected as late first round pick. Needs a bit more sand in the pants.

According to SI he's going back to LSU to get the sand in his pants. If he has a solid year it could move him way up next year.

 

[VrabelJr]

I think that if he is at Carolina's spot(8th) then we trade our two 1st round picks and take him.

I hope so. This is what our 3-4 is missing. When you have a good 5 tech DE you can have almost anyone playing OLB. When we had Seymour even TBC was able to get 10 sacks. Everyone makes too big of a deal out of OLB. It's DE where the productivity comes from.

 

[borisman]

No, this proves just how Great a coach BB is. He can take Jags and sub jags and win with them.

He's not winning anything with jags and sub jags without Brady. That's a guarantee. I know he won with Cassel a few years ago but that was far from a jagful defense.
And yes, he is a great coach. He needs a good draft this year for sure and sign a couple of FA that will actually contribute to the team.

 

[everlong]

In Rang's lastest mock he has us taking Cox at DT\DE which is a nice pick.

The second pick

Andre Branch, DE, Clemson: A defensive end for the Clemson Tigers, Branch's value could rise exponentially if the 6-4, 260-pound senior proves as fluid in workouts as he appears when chasing down ballcarriers. The Patriots received some pretty strong play this season from veterans Andre Carter and Mark Anderson but in Branch the team would have a pass rusher capable of lining up at defensive end or rushing the passer from the two point stance should the Patriots revert back to Belichick's customary 3-4 defense in 2012.

I didn't catch any of Clemson's games this year so I'm not sure what to make of this one.