Vince is in the fold. Updated needs rankings and draft order preferences

[ATippett56]

Redundant thread? We've got a whole sub-forum! Anybody who thinks there's no such thing as too much draft talk should drop in:
Patriots Draft Talk - New England Patriots Forums - PatsFans.com Patriots Fan Messageboard

Allow me to rephrase, the thread redundancy is a waste.

 

[Deus Irae]

...Alas, that just doesn't line up with the reality of this draft class. 4-3 DE is a very weak position, and a lot of the more intriguing physical specimens are small-school guys expected to go day 3.

Getting a 3-4 DE/4-3 DT like Tuitt would be fine with me, since the Patriots like to be mutliple. I'm not in a panic about that pick, though, because this year there should be a very decent, and diverse selection of round one talent still available at #29.

DE is a bit odd for me this year. I'd rather have either one of the top 2-3, or none at all, given the way the draft is set up.

I certainly have no issue with them taking a S/WR/CB/DT that falls on their board.

Gilbert
Dennard
Ealy
Tuitt
Pryor
Clinton-Dix
(Marquise) Lee
Nix


Any of the above would at least interest (the now, not finished looking at draftees) me if available, for example.

 

[Deus Irae]

Redundant thread? We've got a whole sub-forum! Anybody who thinks there's no such thing as too much draft talk should drop in:
Patriots Draft Talk - New England Patriots Forums - PatsFans.com Patriots Fan Messageboard

Just a note, here:

There are still FAs in the world, too, so the idea that this is all about the draft is a non-starter, anyway.

 

[jsull87]

Just my early thoughts:

OG/C depends to me on how they view Connolly and Cannon. If they have them slated for C and RG respectively then the need goes down to a mid round OG/C and a Mid round Swing T. But without knowing any of this I'd go.

1: DE (situational but hopefully will strike Jones like gold)
2: TE 2
3: OG/C
4: S
5: WR
6: Coverage/ST LB (Fletcher)
7: 3rd down RB


Starters Set: QB, RB, LT, LG,RT, TE1, LDE, RDE, DT, NT, ILB, WOLB, SOLB CB1, CB2, Slot CB, and FS.

Starters up for grabs: C, RG, WR, TE2, S 3rd down rush DE.

A sneaky singing that could sure up C and G would be Davin Joseph, if the pats think his last season was an anomaly or BrianDe La Puente. This would let us then focus on DE, TE , S and WR in the draft.

 

[supafly]

3. TE - I think we are OK with our In line TE's with Hooman and Gronk, however we need to add 2 guys who fit the "move" TE role.

Of course we've discussed the top 5 guys for a while and getting one in the draft would be ideal. Niklas seems most likely to me.

Except Troy Niklas is nothing close to being a "move" or "flex" TE, he's exactly the opposite.

He's probably the best blocking TE out of the whole group, and would be filling more of the Gronkowski role, than the Hernandez role.

The best "move" TEs in the draft are clearly Ebron and Amaro. Once they are gone there will be a scrambling for the more traditional in-line TEs.

Patriots' 2014 NFL Draft All About the 'Y' Tight End | Bleacher Report

 

[supafly]

Except Troy Niklas is nothing close to being a "move" or "flex" TE, he's exactly the opposite.

He's probably the best blocking TE out of the whole group, and would be filling more of the Gronkowski role, than the Hernandez role.

The best "move" TEs in the draft are clearly Ebron and Amaro. Once they are gone there will be a scrambling for the more traditional in-line TEs.

Patriots' 2014 NFL Draft All About the 'Y' Tight End | Bleacher Report

For what it's worth, I'm not really buying into the idea that we necessarily are looking to replace Hernandez per se. We could certainly choose another TE and still run a 2 TE set with both tight ends having the capacity to take advantage of mismatches in the passing game. They'd also both be able to block very well too, which is obviously huge.

You may not agree, but I believe we could even end up improving on the TE position if we choose another top tier TE. Hernandez wasn't exactly known for his blocking, so we'd actually improve in that area. Possibly more importantly, we could continue having the ability to keep the same personnel in for enormous blocking, with one/both having the ability to run passing routes as well.

Obviously, they'd both be major red zone targets, as we already know what Gronk brings in that area. It would also allow us to feel more comfortable should Gronkowski go down again as well.

The whole "move" TE--"we definitely need to replace Hernandez's role" is a bit overrated in my opinion. What we need to do is improve the depth and talent at the position, take advantage of being able to run the hurry up by keeping the same personnel on the field, and have an improvement in the blocking game to impose a physical will come January.

 

[TonyTucker]

TE, DE, C, S in any order.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Tight End is the #1 need.

We know we can't rely on Gronk to be healthy. Injured 3 years in a row.

We have so much depth at WR (assuming Dobson and Boyce progress as expected), but almost no depth at TE where we know we will be thin when Gronk likely goes down again.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Current needs rankings:



IOL

TE

DE

S

LB

DT

WR





Draft order preference*:



Round 1: DE

Round 2: TE

Round 3: IOL

Round 4: S & LB

Round 6: DT

Round 6: DT/WR

Round 7: WR/DT







*I reserve the right to change this order if a CB/S drops in round one





What you got?

Almost 100% agree. I agree with the top 3, and after that I think it gets murky.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

I would go with best player available, or at least the player who will have the biggest impact on our team next year.

Someone like Jace Amaro might not be the BPA when we pick, but he would probably have a much bigger impact on our team than a DE, WR, DT, who would almost certainly be sitting on the bench behind the starters we already have.


If the right Safety is sitting their at our pick, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Gregory is gone and Tavon Wilson should be cut soon. Adrian Wilson cant be counted on. He's flat out old and missed all of last year.

Do we really want to go into the season with Duron Harmon as our only SS, and no depth behind him and McCourty?

 

[TB=TD]

Tight End is the #1 need.

We know we can't rely on Gronk to be healthy. Injured 3 years in a row.

We have so much depth at WR (assuming Dobson and Boyce progress as expected), but almost no depth at TE where we know we will be thin when Gronk likely goes down again.

Gronk's injuries were a bit freakish.
Pollard rolled his ankle while Gronk's arm snaps on an extra point, then his knee gets torpedoed by an illegal hit. Odds are he will be healthy.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Gronk's injuries were a bit freakish.
Pollard rolled his ankle while Gronk's arm snaps on an extra point, then his knee gets torpedoed by an illegal hit. Odds are he will be healthy.

Odds are he won't.

He's 3 for 3 with injuries in the past 3 years.

Forearm, Back, Ankle, Knee. His style of play leads to injuries (ie. dragging Pollard on his back). That one in particular was anything but freakish.

 

[supafly]

Tight End is the #1 need.

We know we can't rely on Gronk to be healthy. Injured 3 years in a row.

We have so much depth at WR (assuming Dobson and Boyce progress as expected), but almost no depth at TE where we know we will be thin when Gronk likely goes down again.

The position of TE needs to be upgraded immediately. That is without question.

A guy like Hooman should NOT be our TE2. He has no business being considered a lock to make the team come August. He offers 3rd TE level blocking that's better than most 3rd TE and serves his purpose as a JAG, but he does not offer anything to the passing game whatsoever.

I wouldn't necessarily choose to pin everything on whether or not Gronk stays healthy for the reasons the poster above me mentioned, although I can see why you may feel that way just the same.

Either way, adding an excellent TE2 would allow us to continue to run the hurry up by using the same personnel in 2 TE sets for both pass/run, and it could potentially even add an improvement over Hernandez's blocking skills just as well. As you mention, it could also protect us from having a bare cupboard once again should #87 go down. I think we've learned enough from that lesson at this point. TE is a huge need, and should be taken in the first 2-3 rounds...max.

One of CJ Fiedoriwicz, ASJ, or Troy Niklas should be taken without hesitation.

 

[Huckleberry1]

The position of TE needs to be upgraded immediately. That is without question.

A guy like Hooman should NOT be our TE2. He has no business being considered a lock to make the team come August. He offers 3rd TE level blocking that's better than most 3rd TE and serves his purpose as a JAG, but he does not offer anything to the passing game whatsoever.

I wouldn't necessarily choose to pin everything on whether or not Gronk stays healthy for the reasons the poster above me mentioned, although I can see why you may feel that way just the same.

Either way, adding an excellent TE2 would allow us to continue to run the hurry up by using the same personnel in 2 TE sets for both pass/run, and it could potentially even add an improvement over Hernandez's blocking skills just as well. As you mention, it could also protect us from having a bare cupboard once again should #87 go down. I think we've learned enough from that lesson at this point. TE is a huge need, and should be taken in the first 2-3 rounds...max.

One of CJ Fiedoriwicz, ASJ, or Troy Niklas should be taken without hesitation.

Sup, I pretty much agree but the more i think about it the more credence I am giving to the idea that LaFell was brought in to potentially run many of the plays they used to run for Hernadez, and the recent information about how good he is as a blocker lends even more credibility to the idea imo. Hernandez was never a real TE, he was a big receiver who played inside and used his athleticism to make plays. I don't think Lafell is as good an athlete as Hernandez was but if he even puts on 10 lbs. he will be in the same ballpark in terms of size and he is a good enough receiver to play that role if they want him to. I can see them going empty backfield with Gronk, Lafell, Amendola, Edelman and Dobson and think teams would have a tough time with that group. I would still like to see them treat TE as a draft priority and would be fine with those you named as well as ASJ. I have my doubts about Amaro but it may be an overreaction to his performance at the combine, however if they have a prospect they like better at another position or if someone like Donald unexpectedly falls to them then I would be fine with a later round TE with LaFell playing some of that hybrid TE role, especially if they add a really good WR in the draft.

Overall i think they have reached a point in this offseason where the only glaring hole is at C, and it needs to be addressed, but other than that Belichick has shored up this roster in such a way that they can go into the draft with a best player available approach. I'm not saying they wouldn't still have priorities but in all likelihood there is going to be at least one big surprise among prospects dropping in the draft and it could be more than one. This draft is loaded and there's a real possibility that teams have a number of players who aren't really viewed as first rounders on their board and possible first round picks. So while I would not expect Donald, or Dennard, or Evans to fall to them in the first, i do think that there will be a number of guys who currently seem out of range available as their pick approaches. Now it could fall in such a way that it is guys like Bridgewater and Manziel who drop, and that won't help them, but if it is Donald, or Barr, or Evans et al... then I am all for them taking the blue chip player whether it is the top priority or not. And if their top prospects are pretty much gone as 29 approaches then trade out.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I would go with best player available, or at least the player who will have the biggest impact on our team next year.

Someone like Jace Amaro might not be the BPA when we pick, but he would probably have a much bigger impact on our team than a DE, WR, DT, who would almost certainly be sitting on the bench behind the starters we already have.


If the right Safety is sitting their at our pick, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Gregory is gone and Tavon Wilson should be cut soon. Adrian Wilson cant be counted on. He's flat out old and missed all of last year.

Do we really want to go into the season with Duron Harmon as our only SS, and no depth behind him and McCourty?

I don't think they see it this way at all. Imo they are looking at it in terms of moving Ryan to safety and having Browner as another option, so really their top 6 DB's are Revis, McCourty, Browner, Dennard, Ryan, Arrington/Harmon, and the rest are actually just fighting for roster spots. Basically 7 spots are taken in their secondary, so what you are concerned about is their 8th and 9th defensive backs.

 

[manxman2601]

Until Blount is re-signed, I think we need two more RBs in the draft.

My prediction right now for how the draft unfolds would be:

1. DE/DT
2. DE/DT
3. TE
4a. RB
4B. OL
6a. LB
6b. LB
7. RB

With trades one could improve where linebacker is taken and throw in a WR or even two and maybe even a safety.

 

[Marinlik]

Until Blount is re-signed, I think we need two more RBs in the draft.

My prediction right now for how the draft unfolds would be:

1. DE/DT
2. DE/DT
3. TE
4a. RB
4B. OL
6a. LB
6b. LB
7. RB

With trades one could improve where linebacker is taken and throw in a WR or even two and maybe even a safety.

I would say that RB is a pretty low need. C and G is higher for me, as is a starting DT and backup DE as you seem to have very high as well. Then a back up TE too. Then a back up linebacker. Somewhere after that I would put RB. So at the end of the draft if anywhere.

 

[manxman2601]

I would say that RB is a pretty low need. C and G is higher for me, as is a starting DT and backup DE as you seem to have very high as well. Then a back up TE too. Then a back up linebacker. Somewhere after that I would put RB. So at the end of the draft if anywhere.

I disagree. As things stand, there will be zero RBs on the roster after this season. BB will not want to go into negotiations with Ridley and Vereen with no backup plan already in place. They are also scouting RBs pretty aggressively in the run up to the draft. Now if they re-sign Blount, the need drops off but as things stand, Bolden is a jag, Vereen is pretty much a receiver only and the coaches don't have that much faith in Ridley.

 

[patfanken]

Until Blount is re-signed, I think we need two more RBs in the draft.

My prediction right now for how the draft unfolds would be:

1. DE/DT
2. DE/DT
3. TE
4a. RB
4B. OL
6a. LB
6b. LB
7. RB

With trades one could improve where linebacker is taken and throw in a WR or even two and maybe even a safety.

WHOA, Maxy. Take a breath. TWO RB's?! What about the 4 we already have on the roster. Perhaps, and I mean perhaps, the Pats draft a late round RB if Blount doesn't return. But you seem to forget that the Pats have gone into several season's with only 4 RB's on the roster.

Boldin, Ridley, and Vareen are locks. So is Devlin, who not only proved to be a solid blocker and effective short yardage RB; he surprised us all with decent receiving skills. Skills which may be used more this season.

The only reason to add more RB's this off season is to have some bodies in TC to take some of the load off the 4 existing guys, and to have a guy ready on the PS in case of injuries. If Blount does return, the need becomes even less. I know I'll be pissed if the Pats use a pick above a 7th for a RB.

 

[Big-T]

WHOA, Maxy. Take a breath. TWO RB's?! What about the 4 we already have on the roster. Perhaps, and I mean perhaps, the Pats draft a late round RB if Blount doesn't return. But you seem to forget that the Pats have gone into several season's with only 4 RB's on the roster.

Boldin, Ridley, and Vareen are locks. So is Devlin, who not only proved to be a solid blocker and effective short yardage RB; he surprised us all with decent receiving skills. Skills which may be used more this season.

The only reason to add more RB's this off season is to have some bodies in TC to take some of the load off the 4 existing guys, and to have a guy ready on the PS in case of injuries. If Blount does return, the need becomes even less. I know I'll be pissed if the Pats use a pick above a 7th for a RB.

Bolden is a lock? What?

He's not that good and can be improved straight away by someone like Lache Seastrunk then add in Ridley & Vereen are in contract years and Ridley is probably allowed to leave because he can't keep hold of the ball.