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

[Kontradiction]

1. DE
2. DT (preferably a sub-rusher like Easley)
3. TE
4. C
5. SS
6. LB
7. WR

 

[manxman2601]

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.

Agree with Big-T. Bolden is a jag and far from a lock. Vereen and Ridley are both out of contract at the end of the year and have to be question marks as re-signings. Vereen is barely a running back in that he doesn't get much of a load as a runner, he's mainly a receiver, and the coaching staff have so little faith in Ridley that they bench him as soon as he fumbles.

If Blount comes back I'm fine with a sixth or seventh Vereen backup pick up only. But if he doesn't (and he's in Pittsburgh today), they will need someone in the 2nd-4th range (or via a trade) because I don't think they'll want to rely on Ridley.

 

[Kontradiction]

Agree with Big-T. Bolden is a jag and far from a lock. Vereen and Ridley are both out of contract at the end of the year and have to be question marks as re-signings. Vereen is barely a running back in that he doesn't get much of a load as a runner, he's mainly a receiver, and the coaching staff have so little faith in Ridley that they bench him as soon as he fumbles.

If Blount comes back I'm fine with a sixth or seventh Vereen backup pick up only. But if he doesn't (and he's in Pittsburgh today), they will need someone in the 2nd-4th range (or via a trade) because I don't think they'll want to rely on Ridley.

I think Blount will be back and could be signed as soon as the end of the day today now that Moreno is off the market at 1YR, $3M. The Pats now have a better idea of what they could bring to the table as far as a contract goes with Blount.

 

[West Philly Patriot]

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.

Where do you see the talent for interior O-line dropping off Manx?

I see the reason why you have RB as a need. But I'm of the believe that of RB & OL, the former can be found more easily than the latter. That may play a part if BB views it the same way

 

[West Philly Patriot]

1. DE

2. DT (preferably a sub-rusher like Easley)

3. TE

4. C

5. SS

6. LB

7. WR

I think #2 is gonna be a definite get. We can't miss in that regard. Need to have an impact with that pick.

I think Easley slides due to injury history/size so he should be there assuming the infamous trade down.

 

[manxman2601]

Where do you see the talent for interior O-line dropping off Manx?

I see the reason why you have RB as a need. But I'm of the believe that of RB & OL, the former can be found more easily than the latter. That may play a part if BB views it the same way

It's difficult with the OL. BB has never made a serious investment at the interior OL spot aside from Mankins. The earliest he's ever drafted one not named Mankins was in the fourth round. Stephen Neal was a walk-on, Dan Connelly a FA pickup. So, history suggests we're not going to see a 2nd or 3rd round interior OL this year either. My guess would be that they'll bring back Wendell pre-draft and that they'll invest a 4th or 5th round pick on someone like John Urschel who fits both athletically and in terms of his intelligence. But that's a guess based upon BB's track record.

Edit: It might even be that they're happy with Kline, Barker and Cave. Maybe play one of them at RG (or Cannon) and shift Connelly inside to center.

 

[RIpats88]

I think tight end becomes a bigger need. and now you have the option to draft one in the first round. we need someone to compliment Gronk in the receiving role so BB can go back to his beloved 2 TE offense. Hooman while a good blocker doesnt cut it

 

[Brady6]

This is how I see it.

1. Offensive center
2. Offensive guard
3. Tight end
4. Defensive tackle
5. Linebacker
6. Defensive end
7. Running back
8. Wide receiver
9. Defensive back
10. Offensive tackle

 

[MassPats38]

1. DT
2. OL/C
3. TE
4. DE
5. SS
6. WR
7. LB

I still see DT as a major point of concern (I would also like to see future stability and development of tarter quality players, and am not sure what the Pats have now represents more than backup level performers). It remains unclear what Wilfork will be able to do the year after a major injury, and when he will be available. If Tommy Kelly returns to form immediately, then he represents a major upgrade from last season. I would agree if Wilfork and Kelly are in form and on the field together, it is a low concern. If that position is clicking, and draws double teams, the DEs become a lesser concern as the disruption aids the DEs.

 

[pencilneckgeek]

I suspect you'll get the most flak for where you rank DT. That one's tricky -- a major talent, especially of the penetrating variety, would be a serious upgrade to the defense. But "contributor" level they have plenty of. (Similar to the WR situation, in fact.)

Personally, I'd argue that LB is the position that deserves to get more attention. The depth is virtually nonexistent -- even DE is better off with Buchanan and Armstead as backups. And the roster fairly screams for a fast, agile cover LB.

I wholeheartedly agree with the premise, but Armstead is no 4-3 DE, which is where we are light in depth on the line. Still, I think Hightower is ready to work into the sub-defense DE mix alongside Buchanan and Carter/another FA).

The draft is enough of a crapshoot and projecting how working-class FAs fit on your team is no lock either. I think BB looks at the process much more as a long-term process of building depth and accumulating talent, knowing that success is a function of how well they take coaching, how hard they work at physical preparation, and how able they are to avoid injuries. That said, I'd put our needs as:

1. TE
2. LB
3. OL (Do we even have a backup center right now?)

Further Down the List
4. DE (I suspect a FA signing here, but a solid LB would )
5. DT (a 2015 impact player hopefully)

The rest of the acquisitions will depend on who is available. RB, DB, and WR have adequate depth, but a little competition never hurt.

With Mankins as the 3rd or 4th string LT and Cannon as a potential starting RG and backup RT, the OLman can be the best guy available. I'm not convinced that Kiline has that much upside, but perhaps Cave develops. At 295 and not particularly nimble, I don't know that Kline offers much beyond short-term security. Having a competent swing tackle and or C/G, like we did with Cannon last year, would go a long way to convincing me that we're not one ordinary injury away from coming-up short in the end. (We had 3 extraordinary injuries last year, and it took a 4th to put the AFC championship out-of-reach.) If we have a conspicuously weak link in our OL, that could do it by itself.

 

[manxman2601]

I think Blount will be back and could be signed as soon as the end of the day today now that Moreno is off the market at 1YR, $3M. The Pats now have a better idea of what they could bring to the table as far as a contract goes with Blount.

I agree that Blount coming back is the most likely option. I don't know if he'll sign today becauses he's on a visit to Pittsburgh but I think they'll be motivated to bring him back sooner rather than later.

 

[VrabelJr]

There's always that combination of need and how the draft board actually ends up shaking out. I imagine our draft going like this:

1. LB
2. Guard
3. TE
4. DE/DT

 

[IllegalContact]

I think the need is equal when it comes to LB/DE/TE, so grabbing the BPA out of those 3 is the safest bet while also understanding the potential availability in RD2

my sense is that it will come down to LB or DE in round 1 and probably come from the group of Ealy,Ford,Shazier,Mosley)

round 2 will pit TE against whatever doesn't get selected in RD1 as well as an interior OL maybe choose form Van Noy, Sefarian-Jenkins, or a C like Martin or Richburg)...the thing here is that LB quality drops off pretty quickly unless they are confident in someone like Tripp later in the draft.

if things work out well for RD1 and 2, RD3 could produce someone like QB Mcarron

 

[Froob]

This is how I see it.

1. Offensive center
2. Offensive guard
3. Tight end
4. Defensive tackle
5. Linebacker
6. Defensive end
7. Running back
8. Wide receiver
9. Defensive back
10. Offensive tackle

I like this list a lot. Need to bulk up on the inside on offense.

 

[TonyTucker]

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.

Yeah, Hooman should never be higher than third on the TE depth chart. I'd like to see them get two TE's, but it'll be hard to spend two picks when they have other needs as well, and I don't know if anybody decent is available in free agency.

 

[captain stone]

Most of these lists are pretty much what I want also:

4-3 DE (Armstead does NOT count; he's a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE)
Move TE
Coverage LB
C/G
SS
Pass-Rusher (a 3-4 OLB-type)
OT
Big WR

Sadly, Bill blew most of our remaining cap space re-signing Fat Vinnie, so whatever needs
are filled will have to come from the draft, if they are filled at all.

 

[JackBauer]

Most of these lists are pretty much what I want also:

4-3 DE (Armstead does NOT count; he's a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE)
Move TE
Coverage LB
C/G
SS
Pass-Rusher (a 3-4 OLB-type)
OT
Big WR

Sadly, Bill blew most of our remaining cap space re-signing Fat Vinnie, so whatever needs
are filled will have to come from the draft, if they are filled at all.

What's funny is that, had Wilfork not re-negotiated, DT would simply become another line item on your list.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Most of these lists are pretty much what I want also:

4-3 DE (Armstead does NOT count; he's a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE)
Move TE
Coverage LB
C/G
SS
Pass-Rusher (a 3-4 OLB-type)
OT
Big WR

Sadly, Bill blew most of our remaining cap space re-signing Fat Vinnie, so whatever needs
are filled will have to come from the draft, if they are filled at all.

According to Miguel the Pats have more than $9m available. Not bad.

 

[pencilneckgeek]

According to Miguel the Pats have more than $9m available. Not bad.

Yeah, but he has also estimated that $7M+ of that will go to rookies and in-season replacements/depth. Time to renegotiate McCourty's deal, so we can get another FA or three.

 

[ashley]

I think defensive tackle is still a need. I wouldn't be surprised with our first round pick that we pick either Hageman, Jernigan or Tuitt. I think it's the best value. The most likely option I think is for us to trade down a few picks. Possibly go for interior offensive line, tight end or maybe even safety.

I was hoping we would get a defensive end in free agency, but not too sure that is going to happen now, so perhaps we draft one in the middle rounds. Not a great draft for defensive ends though.

Top needs:

- tight end
- defensive end
- defensive tackle
- interior offensive line
- safety
- depth at linebacker