Should we be going DB with one our 1st rounders?

[ctpatsfan77]

BB the GM has to realize that ignoring this position draft after draft is making him the laughing stock of the entire NFL and directly causing him to have the 32nd ranked defense in the NFL which is then killing his reputation as a great coach!

BB - time to take a long hard look in the mirror, your way is NOT working, YOUR defense sucks to high heaven and is the worst in the entire league!
YOU are NOT doing what is needed to improve the team.

I guess this raises two questions:
(1) Why is he unwilling/afraid to draft DE/OLBs (e.g., Barwin, Matthews, Dunlop, etc.)?
(2) What precisely made BB confident enough to pick Jermaine Cunningham, who is not contributing, and Shawn Crable, who was a major bust?

 

[TriplecHamp]

The team clearly needs a S to pair with Chung. We also need a 3rd corner we can rely on. With his health issues Dowling is not reliable. Arrington is a decent starter but great as your 3rd corner. I'd love to see the Pats get aggressive in FA and sign Laron Landry and Cortland Finnegan. That'd make the secondary a position of strength on the team and let us go BPA in the draft.

Finnegan would be a good addition at corner but Landry's coverage skills aren't the best. Id much rather see Barron or Lester in the late first/early second round. With that first pick should be a stud linebacker or pass rusher. (im getting my hopes up again knowing Im going to be let down)

 

[Sciz]

Yeah, Landry would be awfully redundant with Chung. Don't get your hopes up for Finnegan, either. Hard to rationalize paying big bucks to another CB when you already have three guys that you can win with as starting CBs.

 

[ay-yo]

Yeah, Landry would be awfully redundant with Chung. Don't get your hopes up for Finnegan, either. Hard to rationalize paying big bucks to another CB when you already have three guys that you can win with as starting CBs.

You do not have 3 guys you can win with, you have 2. Due to the amount of nickel we play we need 3 dependable guys at cb plus depth.

I liked what I saw of Dowling but the sample size was small. I need more than 1-2 games before we declare him a quality player. Factor in his health and learning curve and Dowling is far from dependable.

 

[Sciz]

Dowling started every game he was healthy. That means he was deemed an upgrade on Arrington and Bodden. If he managed to beat out Arrington for a starting spot, that means that learning curve wasn't too big.

 

[aurakilla]

They have 4 picks in round 1/2 right?

how about this idea
1st round
1. best available player who is not a qb
2. best available D
2nd round
3. best available D
4. Best available D/O

4 possible impact players since Bradys not getting younger :bricks:

 

[TriplecHamp]

They have 4 picks in round 1/2 right?

how about this idea
1st round
1. best available player who is not a qb
2. best available D
2nd round
3. best available D
4. Best available D/O

4 possible impact players since Bradys not getting younger :bricks:

as long as 1 is a saftey and the other a DE or LB.

 

[rdf63]

So we should just pick the best pass rusher available even if he grades out lower than the best DB?

The biggest question is do you follow the grades or draft because of needs. I think Dowling still has the ability to be a good db and if he didn't have injuries his senior year at VA could have been a top 20 1st round pick. However, the DL and LB situation with the Patriots really needs improvement and I want a DL, DE/OLB and safety who can start immediately in the first and second rounds next year.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Revis is the best cb since Deion Sanders. When it's over he'll probably go down one of the top 3-5 of all time. Super Bowl era. Sanders, Haynes, Blount, W. Brown and Revis. You don't pick up a guy like him at 27th in the 1st round and feel you've washed your hands of the problem. We ain't getting a guy that good where we pick. I think adding a veteran thru free agency should be enough. I think McCourty returns to form. If memory serves me correctly, Ty Law really struggled in year 2 or 3. He turned out fine. Have that vet there in case Dowling isn't ready. You can't write Dowling off yet because he got hurt. Arrington is ok as a 3rd or 4th cb. Just not a top 2 guy.

We need to spend picks on the front 7. Not every pick makes it. As we have seen. Not just for us. But, for everybody. Ignoring it won't make it better. I think we go back to the 3-4. NG Vince/Love RDE Haynesworth/Deaderick/Vet FA LDE #1 PICK and Brace. Bring Carter and Mark Anderson back as situational pass rusher when we use the 4-2-5 front.
Draft two olb in the first two rounds. And, a S with the other 2nd. My draft right now is;

1A Devon Still DE/DT - PSU - Looks like a young Ty Warren. Can push Brace for time at LDE and might be able to start right away.
1b Vinny Curry OLB/DE - Marshall - Has the length BB likes at olb. Need someone at ROLB who can get after the qb. I like Courtney Upshaw. But, he doesn't seem to fit our profile.
2a Safeties are hard to evaluate without the game film. One of the Bama guys could fall either Barron or Lester. McDonald - usc. Martin - Ok. St. Let's say Robert Lester - Alabama
2b Doubling up on that olb position. Want a potential strong side one to back up Ninko. Cam Johnson from UVA seems to be coming on.

I would love to add a C and WR. But, Connolly is better at c than the players on our defensive front. I think Koppen comes back for a year or two also. Trade for a wr? Like we did with Moss/Welker/Branch(2ND time around). Seems to work better than drafting them.

Revis can actually tackle, give it a few years and he'll be considered better then Deion.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

The biggest question is do you follow the grades or draft because of needs. I think Dowling still has the ability to be a good db and if he didn't have injuries his senior year at VA could have been a top 20 1st round pick. However, the DL and LB situation with the Patriots really needs improvement and I want a DL, DE/OLB and safety who can start immediately in the first and second rounds next year.

Assuming BB reverts back to the 3-4 next season, he can realistically get 4 starters for his NFL worst defense in this draft.

Add 4 starters to a group of Wilfork, Mayo, McCourty and Chung and the defense starts to look a little better.

 

[TriplecHamp]

The biggest question is do you follow the grades or draft because of needs. I think Dowling still has the ability to be a good db and if he didn't have injuries his senior year at VA could have been a top 20 1st round pick. However, the DL and LB situation with the Patriots really needs improvement and I want a DL, DE/OLB and safety who can start immediately in the first and second rounds next year.

I think Dowling has the potential to be a real difference maker in our D if he stays healthy. Do you really put your eggs in that basket or do you grab a DB if he slips? Dowling also has the versatility to play safety. DE/OLB, LB, OG/C, and DB, WR are this teams biggest needs.