Re: * The 2012 Combine Drills!! *
I could see spending a middle or late round pick on a TE. But after perusing some of the draft threads i got the impression there is/was a group of posters that wanted to draft Fleener. I believe it would take a first rounder to acquire him. A first rounder on a WR (deep threat) C, DL OLB OR S but not at TE
Firstly, I'm not an advocate of drafting Fleener in the first but am open to the possibility. So let's look at your objections objectively.
1. One cannot automatically assume that the Patriots will be able to trade out of the first round. Last year was a bit of an exception because a)the lock-out and teams needing to fill needs owing to the uncertainty and 2) Mark Ingram was comfortably seen as the best in class at his position last year and a potential offensive playmaker. Unless it's Tannehill, there's no-one I can see where we are picking that a team should be willing to give up a 2013 first rounder for. So that probably means we'll simply be trading back from #31 and if it's not too far, then the same conditions exist anyway - do we draft Fleener?
2. Let's look at who's available at the positions you noted:
WR Rueben Randle, Mohamed Sanu, Alshon Jeffrey
Randle's starting to get some first round love, I can easily see Jeffrey being off BB's board and I wonder whether Sanu, who is raw, would be rated ahead of Fleener on the Patriots board.
DL Assuming a return to a predominantly 3-4 look, who will be available? Fletcher Cox - doubt it. Devon Still - looking incrasingly more likely but still a push. There's no-one else that can really be considered a fit for the Pats at that point.
OC Peter Konz and that's it. First round value for BB? Maybe but I'm not convinced and he'll probably go to the Ravens or Packers anyway.
OLB OK, better choices here. Vinny Curry, Chandler Jones and Andre Branch. Quick question. How many first round OLB's has BB taken? Yeah. Maybe not better choices after all.
S Only one choice again, Mark Barron. Personally if he's on the board at #27, I think the Patriots take him (I know others disagree). Yes he could be an option at 31, but there's a lot of teams needing safeties. Barron could easily be gone.
You could throw in Stephon Gilmore or Chase Minnifield but are you absolutely sure BB would have them higher on the board than Fleener?
Fleener is bordering on a can't miss prospect with high upside, I think the Pats will have him graded out pretty high and as it's quite likely that any graded higher by the Pats might be gone and a trade down/out can't be guaranteed, logically a Fleener pick at #31 is not something that can be so easily dismissed. And as I pointed out upthread, in two years time we'll possibly be losing one of our TE's (most likely Hernandez) and Fleener would be a pretty good replacement. Why not have him learning the system and getting a head start.
It's not my preferred choice but I don't think it's a terrible option.
