Congratulations on predicting the Easley pick. I was right there with you in hoping for a DL/pass rush double-dip. Questions: can he make an impact in his first year? Who is likely to be a 3-down D-lineman, who will likely be pushed into a more specialized role on the current depth chart, and what does your ideal 3rd down personnel grouping look like?

Thanks, I definitely wasn’t alone in thinking he was a good fit, though I thought it might’ve just been wishful thinking. I do think his selection represents a bit of a departure for the Patriots.

Simply, he is not a 3-4 defensive linemen, not that 3-4 or 4-3 matters, but it’s doubtful he’s ever going to be asked to two-gap. But I’m all for it. He’s specialized, but specialized in an area they desperately need.

Is he a three-down DL? I doubt it. But he’ll play plenty and really, that makes it easier to bring him along slowly in his rookie year. As I wrote earlier, year two is where we should really expect him to wow us.

The Pats have options. For an all out pass rush front they could go Ninkovich-Easley-Chandler-Buchanan (or another DPR DE). Or they could put Wilfork/Chris Jones in there for the DPR for more run protection or a different twist.

Easley played all over the line at Florida and had success against every kind of offensive linemen. The Pats will move their DL/DEs all around and take advantage of whatever weaknesses they perceive. It’s an excellent mix to play any kind of game.