PatsPropaganda

Positives: Solidly built and durable. Good two-year production. Nifty route runner. Gets his head around and works back to the quarterback. Has slot experience and will work the middle. Catches the ones he should. Good field awareness. Has special-teams experience. Solid character.

Negatives: Short arms. Needs to get stronger. Tight through his core. Average slot quickness. Gears down to cut. Struggles to separate vs. man coverage. Outmuscled in traffic — does not consistently haul in contested catches. Does not threaten vertically and struggles tracking over his shoulder. Production is inflated by short throws and bubble screens. Average burst and agility after the catch.

Summary: Productive, competitive, relatively monotone slot receiver lacking exceptional athletic traits. Needs room to operate and will have to stand out on special teams to stick.

STRENGTHS Dennard is a strong all-around player, who doesn’t shine with any particular skill, but that’s his main strength: There are few weaknesses in his game. He is a heady player who plays on top of receivers and understands how to turn and run to not get beat deep. He trusts his speed and footwork in man coverage and can fill nicely as a run defender in both run plays and in zone. He is a solid athlete who has fluid hips and can adjust to make ball plays in mid-air. He understands how to play with leverage and jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage, as he is a very balanced and strong player who rarely falls off his stance or gets pushed off coverage by bigger wideouts. Dennard has a lot of experience starting games at a high level and is NFL-ready.

Must read from Bedard, with his take on the defensive depth chart. I don’t even know how BB will start to sort all of this out. But it’s clear that the Patriots will have options on the defensive line.

[Bequette] stood up at times at Arkansas so he would seem a natural for the DE/OLB hybrid Elephant position for the Patriots. Considering his experience and pro-ready body, it wouldn’t surprise if he contributes more before than 21st overall pick Chandler Jones – if they play the same position. Doesn’t have great speed, but he’s a try-hard guy that chases after plays and has been productive. He had 10.5 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks and 5 forced fumbles as a senior. He was the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP with two sacks and a forced fumble.