PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Archives for April 29, 2016

Patriots Draft Jacoby Brissett and Vincent Valentine

by

The Patriots wrapped up the second day of the NFL draft by selecting quarterback Jacoby Brissett from NC State and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine out of Nebraska.

Let’s start with Brissett. I didn’t get too in-depth on quarterbacks this year and I knew I should’ve.  It’s just good business to continually invest in the most important position in the game whether they ever play for you or not.

Brissett has the size you want (6’4″, 231 pounds) and the personality for the position. He was behind a shaky offensive line in college and will need some time to develop. That, of course, is what the Patriots can offer.

I’ll be taking a look at plenty of film on Brissett in the coming days and weeks to get an idea of what he can do.

The interesting question now is whether the Pats will need to add a fourth quarterback to potentially back up Jimmy Garoppolo the first four games of the season. Clearly, Brissett isn’t going to be ready for that.

Tom Brady still has a few more years, but the succession plan must be constant and comprehensive, that’s why if you care about the long-term stability of the franchise beyond #12, you should be okay with this pick.

Another Fatty for DT

Vincent Valentine‘s selection answers an interesting question for me — that the Pats don’t really see the value in a three-technique one-gap penetrator defensive tackle anymore after a brief flirtation with them (aka Dominique Easley).  Now they seem fully focused on size and strength above all else at the position. Granted Malcom Brown is especially athletic and a little more stout, but Alan Branch, Terrence Knighton and now Valentine are all tall and (at least) 320-plus.

This is essentially a 2-5 front now, with two space eaters inside freeing up space for five mobile and athletic players to make the plays.

I missed on Valentine because the red flags were injuries and desire questions. I can deal with injuries, but if it’s a guy who doesn’t work hard I usually reject him for the Patriots. Still, Valentine’s a big guy, and big guys who love to bust their ass are rare. Both Knighton and Branch have had issues with that in their careers.

Generally, I think this pick will be regarded as the biggest reach in a night where the Pats will get plenty heat for reaching. But Valentine’s body type clearly has a fit in this defense and it gives the Pats a developmental player to step in for Branch and/or Knighton when their contracts are up in 2017.

Overall, the names mostly weren’t the ones we thought they might be, but the positions (CB, OL, DT, QB) and traits all fit what the Patriots do. There’s always talent drafted up and down every round of the draft, so just because you draft a guy who the consensus ranked lower than where he was taken doesn’t really mean much.

Tom Brady was the 199th pick. If someone took him first overall in 1999 it would’ve been  monumental reach. So who’s to say what a reach is.

Back for more draft fun tomorrow when I bet the Pats take some of the more popular players we all saw as fits.

Patriots Draft Joe Thuney 78th overall

by

The Patriots addressed their offensive line with their second pick in the 2016 NFL draft, selecting Joe Thuney of NC State with the 78th overall selection. Thuney is 6′ 5″, 304 pounds and played all over the line, starting at every spot before spending his senior year at left tackle.

I missed on Thuney on my big board because he was often projected to guard, but obviously his versatility stands out so who knows exactly where he will end up with the Patriots. The fun part for me is now to take a long hard look at him and figure where I think he fits.

The biggest question is how athletic he is. I wanted an athletic tackle at the top of this draft but I’m not sure if we have one. If Thuney needs to go inside to guard he can certainly backup a number of positions, but the Pats already have good young depth at guard and center.

So for the second time tonight the concern is that Thuney, like Jones, is a bit redundant to what the Pats already have. But given what Dante Scarnecchia has done with far less in the past, Thuney could surprise his critics.

He also seems incredibly bright, solving Rubik’s cubes no prob and killing the Wonderlic:

There was an unquestionable need and if Thuney can fit in as a tackle, he could have an opportunity to start before long. Clearly the Pats see something in him that most other scouting outlets haven’t, at least ranking him higher than most, but I’ll go with the Pats opinion over all else. We’ll see how he fits in.

1 for 2 on my top 50 big board now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72Ocs21gl0

Patriots Draft Cyrus Jones 60th Overall

by

After sitting out the first round, the New England Patriots made their first selection of the 2016 NFL draft at 60th overall, taking cornerback Cyrus Jones out of Alabama. The Pats then flipped pick #61 for picks #78 and #112 to round out the gaps in their selections.

Most Patriots draft pundits were circling Jones this offseason, as he fits what the team wants out of their cornerbacks now — ability to play physical press man, good against the run, and also brings special teams experience as an excellent returner, with four punt returns for touchdowns this past season. He was formerly a wide receiver so he has skills to make plays on the ball which is always a plus in forcing turnovers, he also defended 20 passes over the last two seasons.

He’s only 5′ 10″, so it’s likely he’ll be a slot corner, and steps into competition with Justin Coleman, who performed well in that spot as a rookie. The big question is whether or not he could play outside, because the need for an outside starter next season (if Logan Ryan departs) could be significant. On the surface it doesn’t look like Jones will fit that potential need, which was why many (not me) were banging the cornerback drum as a major need.

I think this pick was a bit of a reach at this spot and I made no secret I far preferred to take an offensive tackle or defensive tackle here in the second round. Cornerback could be a need in 2017, but this is just could end up being a pick redundant to what the Pats got out of Coleman last season.

But Jones’ fit with the Patriots was obvious to everyone despite his limitations and any lack of perceived value at this spot, and I did indeed have him on my Top-50 big board, so we’re off to a pretty good start. The hope has to be that he upgrades Coleman immediately, but it will be up to training camp competition to determine that. Sounds like Jones will come in and compete hard, so you have to like that.