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As I mentioned yesterday Patriots fans have been clamoring for a new “Elephant” since Willie McGinest left. Here’s what Willie himself has to say about what it takes to play the position.

“You have to be talented, you have to be tough, because you have to be able to take on the linemen and fullbacks and tight ends and play in the trenches vs. the run game,” McGinest said. “So you have to be sturdy and strong enough and tough enough to handle that, but you also have to be agile, and smart enough to be able to read coverages and drop back into coverages and understand different receiver sets and motions and be able to read different formations. It’s not easy.”

That would seem obvious since that the Pats haven’t really found anyone that’s had the same impact as McGinest at the position, save for Mike Vrabel.

But let’s backpedal a bit. At 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, McGinest fit the physical prototype for the elephant, which basically is a linebacker/defensive end hybrid.

“When I came out (of college), I was a ’tweener,” McGinest said. “I was small, as in having the right weight for a defensive end. But I was a big, big linebacker. So you’re kind of an undersized D-end, but a big, big linebacker. Charles Haley (Dallas and San Francisco) was another in that so-called elephant mold where you rush like a D-end, and you also drop into coverage and play linebacker.”

“There’s guys out there who have come out of college and done it in the past, like Shawne Merriman and Mike Vrabel. Vrabel was an example of an end who came off the edge, and then he came to us, and did a lot of different things. It’s just a matter of finding the right guy and having them play the way you want in your system.”

We’ve already made some tweaks to our big board since posting it on Friday, there’s been a lot of great input so thanks to all those who emailed or discussed it on various messageboards. We’re planning on another update later this afternoon so check back for that.

Also we’ve been lining up some great guests for the PatsPropaganda & Frenz podcast so stay tuned over the next few weeks as we’ll be welcoming some of the foremost Patriots experts on the internet.

In the meantime we wanted to just touch on a few different draft items that we’ve been meaning to discuss.

– In Path to the Draft last night Michael Lombardi pegged Aldon Smith as a guy the Pats could target if he slipped through the cracks. There’s no arguing that Smith looks the part but the biggest concern for me, and it’s truly an x-factor that no one really knows for sure, is how smart Smith is. Quotes like “the more I learn about the 3-4 the more I like it” tell you all you need to know. So I like him, but playing OLB in NE requires a high level of FBI, and no one in the media can truly tell us how bright these guys are unless they’ve been in a room with them and put them up on a board and grilled them.

– I’m kind of sick of hearing how the Pats need to find the next Willie McGinest. Guess what guys, there will never be another Willie, so stop trying to find someone with similar physical dimensions and project him as the next Patriots legend. Willie and Richard Seymour were physical freaks, and while it’s always nice to have those guys, they don’t come around very often. Especially when you factor in how great of leaders they were. It’s futile to try and replace someone who can’t be replaced.

– I’m really torn on how big the need at DE is compared to OLB. Originally I thought that getting a DE at 17 like Watt because big guys are always safer. But lately I’ve been thinking what this team really needs more is athletic playmakers at the second level. They might be more of a project, but perhaps instead of going the safe route it’s time to start getting more athletic, even if it’s raw athleticism.

– As the organization formerly known as the NFLPA is encouraging rookies not to attend the draft in April, I will also encourage fans not to attend either. Especially now that the draft is in “primetime” I think it would be an effective message to both sides that fans are not happy if it’s like a funeral instead of the usual raucous atmosphere. Since the Jets always send a large, rowdy contingent I’m really asking a lot of our rival fan base here. Don’t disappoint me fellas.