PatsPropaganda

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Archives for March 29, 2016

Report: Patriots sign EJ Biggers

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Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that the Patriots will sign veteran cornerback EJ Biggers to a one year deal. We’ve been waiting for a depth signing at cornerback, and expected it might be Tarrell Brown, who looked like he might be a starter prior to re-injuring his foot early last season.

Biggers has some versatility, seeing time both in the slot and at safety in recent years with the Redskins and Eagles. He played 46 percent of the defensive snaps and 60 percent of the special teams snaps for the Eagles last year, starting three games at cornerback.

He’ll add some veteran depth at the corner position, but I’d still take Brown back as well. Last year we had remarkable health in the secondary. Usually that is one of the hardest hit positions for injuries. While I’d be fine rolling with Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler starting on the outside, with Justin Coleman in the slot for another season, you can never have too many guys for training camp.

This doesn’t affect my view of the draft need for a corner. There are quite a few corners who match up well with the Pats, but whether or not the Pats take them will depend on value not need.

Patriots sign EJ Biggers

2016 New England Patriots Draft Picks

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2016 New England Patriots Draft Picks

These are the official 2016 New England Patriots draft picks, as announced by the NFL today. I had been tracking them with each new trade that rolls in since there’s no easy way to officially get the draft order until the NFL releases it.

If you go by the draft value chart (which is admittedly just a rough guideline) the Patriots could package the 60th and 61st picks and get all the way to the top of the second round if they wanted to. However this draft seems to be like most drafts — not a lot of truly elite prospects — but this one has considerable depth, making the Pats four selections on day two carry a lot of power.

You can never make up for the loss of the first round pick, but with the number of selections that the Pats have, they should be able to mitigate the damage.

The big hole will come at the start of Day Three, when the Pats will have to wait almost 100 picks to make a selection. Expect #196, #204 and both of the seventh rounders to be trade bait for them to move up and make a pick somewhere in the fourth or fifth round.

The compensatory picks cannot be traded this year (that will change in 2017) so the 6th round is guaranteed to be busy with three selections within 13 slots. Hitting a sleeper pick in that group could very well make or break this draft. It’s too bad we don’t have pick #199.

As for Day One, PatsFans.com is organizing a Blackout Initiative for all Patriots fans. It’s a great idea but it will take all of us to make any kind of dent. Click on over and show some support for my favorite Pats messageboard on the web.

NFL Draft Needs: Patriots – Draft Analysis – Rotoworld.com

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NFL Draft Needs: Patriots – Rotoworld.com

1. Offensive Line

2. Running Back

3. Defensive Line

Source: NFL Draft Needs: Patriots – Draft Analysis – Rotoworld.com

You’re never going to get much complaining from me focusing on the offensive and defensive line. My extensive list of the Patriots needs can be found here, but the closer we get to the draft the less it’s about need and the more it’s about fit. So while this mock draft has the Pats going with an unpolished defensive end with their first pick, not something I’m really on board with, who can say it isn’t what they’ll do? That said, I don’t think Yannick Ngakoue is a great fit for the Pats.

However as for the rest of this mock draft, I have six of the nine picks on my big board, so there are quite a few good fits in this mock draft.

So many mock drafts are simply paint-by-numbers based on need, especially when they’re written by someone who doesn’t know the depth the team has. The Patriots rely on development as much as any team as we saw last year with the changing of the guard at cornerback. Those are always the kind of moves that make fans the most worried, handing the starter’s keys to the youngsters and hoping they can deliver. But that’s the only way to truly find out the potential of players like Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan.

I think it’s less important to look at immediate needs in the draft and more important to look at the long-term health of the franchise. That’s why I agree that tackle is the priority in this draft. It’s a critical position that isn’t easy to rebuild in free agency without overpaying, unlike cornerback where I think it’s a lot easier to plug someone in and get by with them.