So we had a GREAT first day.. what now for the rest of the draft (2 picks)

[manxman2601]

I love Brooks as a prospect but I think his value would mainly be on ST and we alreay have Slater and Marquice Cole for Gunners.

Best blitzing DB in the draft apparently.

 

[mrscruff]

Two defensive backs, a versatile Offensive Tackle who can kick inside to guard if required, an interior nickel rusher,a 3-4 DE and possibly WR are all still needs to varying degrees. A coverage linebacker is also an option, although I am starting to think that the Patriots interest in the smaller coverage linebackers was a smokescreen to hide the Patriots interest in Hightower.

UDFAs will factor into the equation but I see 4-6 more draft picks after BB has traded down. I wonder if agents for UDFAs may look at the Pats roster and steer clear preferring offers from other teams.

There will be a decent WR (not a stud by any stretch of the imagination) worth picking in the last two rounds on Saturday. I don't see many classic 3-4 DE candidates but Akiem Hicks and Dominique Hamilton are options again, in the 6th or 7th rounds. There could be a raw athletic offensive lineman like Tom Compton or Ryan Miller (Colorado) available on Saturday also.

I would love to get Mike Martin as an interior rusher but only in the fourth and I think some other team pulls the trigger before then.

That leaves 2 defensive backs. The third round should offer decent options for a talented cornerback and a safety conversion prospect a couple of rounds later.

So I can see BB trading down out of the both 2nd round picks and picking up a 3rd, 4th, 5th and a trio of 6ths and then parlaying the rest of the draft capital into next year. With the 1st round playing out as it did, the rest of the draft is now gravy.

But then again my track record with predictions are awful...

 

[manxman2601]

Posted in the day two thread, I saw this on twitter:

Hearing interest for CB Ron Brooks, #LSU is really picking up w/ the #Seahawks + #Patriots big players in the 2nd Round. #NFLDraft

 

[Off The Grid]

Draft gurus: Can Worthy and/or Still play 3-4 DE or no?

NO, Sir!!

Worthy is a Shooter, and Still is a Slug!!

 

[kennyb]

Josh Robinson from central florida may be the man, kind of like Mccourty but has more speed, great tackler too. If they pick an UDFA like Brooks in the 2nd round boy am I going to be mad.

DL maybe DaJohn harris USC or Kheeston Randall Texas if they pick up a 5th or 6th rounder. Or Malik Jackson who would be a good 3-4 DE also.

I'd like to see them get Streeter from Miami or Greg Childs from Arkansas but there may not be room. Plus the learning curve is apparently steep.

 

[patsfaninpa]

I'd say Worthy - no, Still - Yes. Worthy is a one-gapper only, relies on jumping the snap and penetrating.

Still could. Would take him or Reyes if they drop to 48. Trade back from 62 for a 3 and a 4. Take Ron Brooks with the 3. BPA with the 4th.

 

[patchick]

Still could. Would take him or Reyes if they drop to 48. Trade back from 62 for a 3 and a 4. Take Ron Brooks with the 3. BPA with the 4th.

FWIW, in another thread I too said Reyes & Brooks, with a bit of maneuvering up and down. Reyes is my #1 target, the CB pool is deep enough to be flexible.

EDIT: oh, umm, that was actually this thread. i clearly have a short attention span.

 

[patsfaninpa]

FWIW, in another thread I too said Reyes & Brooks, with a bit of maneuvering up and down. Reyes is my #1 target, the CB pool is deep enough to be flexible.

EDIT: oh, umm, that was actually this thread. i clearly have a short attention span.

I see Chandler Jones at that elephant role in a 3-4. Not a 2-gapping de. I think we're still short a player there. That's why I'd prefer Still or Reyes. Boykin did look fantastic in their bowl game against Michigan St. Can't complain about a highly touted SEC cb if we took him either. He probably goes earlier if he didn't break his leg.

 

[State]

Reyes makes a ton of sense and I don't see anyone taking him prior to the Pats picking at #48 today.

DB also makes sense with the other pick. I see Fleming as an outside CB, Boykin as a slot guy or Trumaine Johnson as a combo DB. If they trade down, I could see one of the Josh's (Robinson or Norman) or even Asa Jackson if they drop way down. If they are looking pure safety, I really like Antonio Allen since he seemed to be a guy falling down draft boards for no apparent reason. Just don't know what they are looking for based on the plan for McCourty/Dowling/Allen/Arrington/Moore.

It still does the day after.

But it looks as if the Patriots did more than reach for Tavon Wilson at 48--with Reyes being drafted right after--they panicked, thinking another team was going to pull the trigger on Wilson.

What is with us drafting Wilsons from Illinois?

Wasn't going to happen. Can't prove it of course. But it just. wasn't. going. to. happen.

The opportunity cost in not drafting an interior lineman at 48 like Reyes when the probability was very great that Tavon Wilson would have been available at 62--or likely well beyond--could come back to haunt people.

What keeps me awake at nights as a Patriots fan is seeing either Tom Brady or Vince Wolfork go down.

Ron Brace, who looks like a second-round bust, is likely not the answer he was intended to be.

If we lost, G-d forbid, Vince, we could have definitely used a Kendell Reyes or Jerel Worthy to rotate in the 4-3 defense we would likely run.

So it's not how well Wilson plays, people, it's also how well the other guys play who we could have had at 48 but passed on

All because panic set in inside the Patriots draft room.

And trading down at 62 for the value we received in return--or, I should say, the lack of value--shouldn't be discounted either.

The Patriots had a great first round and a poor second.

BTW, what is it with Illinois? They continually send high draft picks to the NFL but can't perform well as a team. FOUR picks in the top 48 this year and they finished 2-6 in the Big Ten.

Ron Zook can recruit 'em but I guess he can't coach 'em.

 

[patchick]

But it looks as if the Patriots did more than reach for Tavon Wilson at 48--with Reyes being drafted right after--they panicked, thinking another team was going to pull the trigger on Wilson.

. . .

All because panic set in inside the Patriots draft room.

Wow. I don't think there's a single soul on this board who liked the pick, but "panic" is the least plausible explanation I can imagine.

Nobody is better prepared for every draft scenario than the Patriots. Nobody sticks more faithfully to the philosophy of not falling in love with guys. Where's the evidence that they "panicked" over somebody else getting to precious Wilson? Heck, in the first round they traded up twice to keep other teams from nabbing their prospects, isn't that more of a show of panic rather than simply drafting an unlikely player?

My guess -- which is total wild conjecture, but at least has some circumstantial evidence behind it:

BB & co. wanted to trade one of their 2nd-round picks into 2013, because they weren't enamored with this crop. The problem was that NOBODY was enamored. For the first time in memory, there was not a single draft-day trade for a future pick. So no luck trading #48 for future value as time ran down.

Given that, they just decided to secure the last piece they knew they wanted before the draft was done: a safety. That way they'd be in position to trade away #62 if the opportunity arose. And Wilson was their top-rated safety. Notice that all of the other db's fans wanted were slightly built CBs, with the exception of Trumaine Johnson, who was a character risk (and once again, they drafted nothing but respected team captains).

:confused2:

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Wow. I don't think there's a single soul on this board who liked the pick, but "panic" is the least plausible explanation I can imagine.

...

:confused2:

I also think they panic'ed. They saw their picks melting away without drafting a safety. They should have traded down at that point or taken Trumaine Johnson and let the Patriots locker room deal tame him.

The Patriots have panic'ed before. Ron Brace was a panic pick because they were worried about re-signing Wilfork. How's that working out?

Another 2-round screwup by the Patriots.

 

[dryheat44]

All this means to me is that Bill Bellichick trusts the opinions of him and his scouts over those of Kiper, Bunting, McShay, and their ilk - who essentially just copy each other. It's like the opening polls of NCAA football - nobody has played a game yet, yet peeple put together a top-25 list, and if you're not on that groundless, initial list, you have virtually no chance of winning the title. Likewise, some mediot puts together a positional ranking list, and every other mediot (and fans like us) uses it as the basis of his list. If a Belichick, Newsome, or Reese made their pre-season scouting sheet available to fans instead of the Kiper's of the world, Wilson would have been a 2-4 round prospect. Which is why I find it ludicrous when Kiper or a fan says "He would have been available later!". Based on what? Kiper's projections, which is guided by guesses, the media, and scout's misdirections?

I don't see any controversy whatsoever with the picks. Remember that if the on-line scouts were good, they'd be working in the NFL

 

[patchick]

I also think they panic'ed. They saw their picks melting away without drafting a safety.

They "saw their picks melting away without drafting a safety" and "panicked"? Despite having overnight to plan since their last pick, and watching NO other safeties come off the board in round 2?

I'm sorry, but that really doesn't make sense to me. Nothing was "melting away," they still had 2 second-round picks just as they started the day with, and absolutely nothing that transpired in picks 33-47 would have induced panic.

 

[State]

I wonder how Tavon and Ras-I will play this year. Two early second-rounders who better play like it.

Time will tell.

As it has with a bevy of bad picks in the secondary.

 

[ZoisKing]

What an impressive start to the draft! I have added to my Patriots hit list (Chandler Jones who joins Gronk and Spikes), while getting to know Hightower better.

Very happy about the two trade ups in round 1. This should wipe the slate clean, and all those who believe that Bill never does this or never does that is nonsensical, as his moves are being made on the value of a particular draft. This was clearly a draft that warranted trading up.

I'm not sure which 1st rounder I like better. Jones was in my final mock, but Hightower wasn't even considered....why? I completely disregarded Hightower because of the position tag assigned to him-ILB. I didn't realize how scheme diverse he was, and what an athlete and pitbull this guy is! For those who were aware of him and realized his ability to play in a lot of different fronts-I commend you. :rocker:

As for day two....who the **** is Tavon Wilson! I, like the rest of you have no clue about this guy, but such a blindsided pick only merits trust in BB from me. If he's willing to take a guy this high who I've never heard of (ahem...Sebastian Vollmer), then I'm excited to see what he's made of.

As for Bequette....great pick! He can get after the QB and I expect big things out of him. From watching video of him, I'd say he needs to work on developing a variety of moves, and work on his balance as well. If he can become more adept at those two things, then I think we aced this pick.

Looking forward to day 3! :singing: