First Round
27—Andre Branch, DE, Clemson. This is a perfect fit for the Patriots’ 3-4, a player they had highlighted in hopes that he would fall to them. They have Branch rated higher than Whitney Marcilus.
31—Looking to trade down, but not offered sufficient value they pull a rabbit out of the hat and pick Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma. They’ve studied him a lot and understand his skills match very well with what they like to do: press zone CB. A perfect fit. And he’s got good size, too. And they heard rumblings about him going early in the second round. They’ve got to shore up that woeful secondary.
Second Round
48—George Iloka, FS, Boise State, is their highest rated free safety—they like him better than SS Harrison Smith, the Mike Mamula of this draft—who can also play strong safety This continues the height movement in the defensive backfield began in earnest last year with CB Ras-I Dowling. Iloka, 6’3”, ran a 4.49 on his pro day, eclipsing his mediocre Combine of 4.63.
62—Some guys in the Patriots war room are beating their chests to go for Jonathan Massaquoi, OLB from Troy, whom many scouts think has untapped potential. But this is too early. The mistake with Ron Brace, the cartoon-loving NT taken out of BC in the second round, still irritates & worries them. They know if Vince goes down, they’re screwed. They need insurance. A can’t miss prospect in the second round. A guy who knows the system. A tough, hard-nosed football player. Josh Chapman, NT, Alabama. And they don’t think he makes it out of the second unpicked.
Third Round
93—Competition at the RB spot, where they know rookies have the easiest transition. Fumbling troubles by Ridley—just as he was separating himself from the pack last year—and the injury that plagued talented Shane Vereen, the 56th pick makes BB antsy. They really like the ridiculous 4.3 speed and deceptive toughness of Cincinnati’s Isaiah Pead, who showed up big in a Senior Bowl, garnering MVP. Just like another Patriot, Deion Branch. He’s got the speed to be the homerun hitter they wished they had since Baltimore took the Rutgers RB, Ray Rice just ahead of them. And who knows what the Navy will do with Eric Kettani or if elder statesman Kevin Faulk will retire or not. This is a nice pickup at a position they need to replenish.
Fourth Round
126—Finally, one of my pets. The tremendous WR out of Arizona with bigger hands than Blackmon, a vertical leap of 39”—which means at his height of 6’3” his elbows are near the basketball rim—Juron Criner. He is a TD waiting to happen. Welker and the TEs are no longer the only go-to guys in the red zone when we’ve got a bigger, taller, stronger, more talented David Givens. Got to keep Tommie “touchdown” Brady happy. He should have been drafted in the third, but there are just so many talented guys at this position this year. He gets pushed down.
