PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Updated Patriots Top 50 Draft Board

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Here’s the latest with some re-jiggering after the Easley pick – six guys are off because they were taken or are no longer a need. For tonight I’m hoping offensive guard and tight end. Wild cards would be linebacker or defensive end.

  1. *Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, UCLA: Experienced and powerful, instant starter at right guard for Pats? Probably gone in the early second.
  2. *Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington:  Prototypical Y-TE who is a solid red-zone threat and blocks with aggression. Another good Gronk compliment and maybe my favorite TE for the Pats.
  3. *David Yankey, OG, Stanford:  Versatile captain with very good size could be immediate starter inside.
  4. Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada: Outstanding playing personality and dedication to football. Very versatile, shot up draft boards near the end.
  5. Marquise Lee, WR, USC:  Dynamic receiver who might be too good to pass up despite the presence of Aaron Dobson.
  6. Trent Murphy, DE/OLB, Stanford: Good instincts, motor and toughness. Bit of a tweener in Pats system, but plays the way they like.
  7. *Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina: Good strength and burst. Could slip inside on passing downs. Captain.
  8. *C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa: Willing blocker with slippery ability to get open. Another solid TE prospect that could play the Y.
  9. Troy Niklas, Y-TE, Notre Dame: Huge target in the mold of Gronk with the potential to be an every-down tight end almost immediately.
  10. Jace Amaro, F-TE, Texas Tech: Still a bit raw but knows how to get open in the passing game with ideal tight end size. He’d be a good compliment to Gronk and able to play the Y or F spots.
  11. *Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State: Good size and productivity in Bill O’Brien’s offense that would translate to pros.
  12. *Gabe Jackson, OG, Miss State: Excellent size with nimble feet. Can be over-aggressive at times. Two-time captain. Very SEC experienced.
  13. Travis Swanson, C, Arkansas:  Would give the Pats a huge size bump at the center spot. Familiarity with Arkansas offese will help transition. Two-time captain, football junkie.
  14. Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State: Durable vocal leader with good size.
  15. *Russell Bodine, C, North Carolina: Short-armed, but aggressive and great knee bend. Good size too.
  16. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU: Undersized but competitive, likely best to fit in the slot.
  17. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State: Good all-around running back who runs hard downhill, welcomes contact.
  18. Andre Williams, RB, Boston College:  Smart, powerful back would be good insurance on Ridley/Vereen.
  19. Christian Jones, ILB, Florida State: Great athlete with ideal size who could play multiple LB positions. Awareness an issue? Sounds like Mayo.
  20. Dakota Dozier, OG, Furman: Outstanding size with powerful build. Experienced and light on feet.
  21. Jonotthan Harrison, C, Florida: Size, strength and intangibles. Could play any interior position.
  22. *Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech: Elite athleticism and size, would need time but could develop to challenge Brady in 2-3 years.
  23. Bryan Stork, C, Florida State: Athletic with excellent size. Hard worker, the game is important to him.
  24. Brock Vereen, FS, Minnesota: Shane’s brother is a smart, rangy free safety who is a leader.
  25. Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville: Hybrid defender who could play multiple spots and roles. HS QB.
  26. Ed Stinson, DE, Alabama: Great frame with impressive size and strength. Would be an interesting developmental tool in BB’s defense. Two-gapper, maybe any spot in 34 DL.
  27. Crockett Gilmore, TE, Colorado State: Good size for a Y tight end, maybe not the best receiving threat but could be a good Gronk insurance type in later rounds.
  28. Vinnie Sunseri, SS, Alabama: Instinctive, physical and a leader. Coming off injury.
  29. Max Bullough, ILB, Michigan State: Big, tough, experienced, durable, competitive Mike linebacker with good speed.
  30. Trey Burton, F-TE, Florida: Versatile and competitive. Player multiple spots, incl. QB. McDaniels’ Swiss Army Knife?
  31. Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood: Great size, outside press man potential, but from small school.
  32. Tyler Gaffney, RB, Stanford: Good size and versatility, runs downhill. Good compliment to the current NE backs.
  33. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU: Determined, tough and aggressive. Not ideal size but plays hard. Captain.
  34. TJ Jones, WR, Notre Dame: Experienced captain who would be a slot receiver with some versatility (special teams) on Pats.
  35. Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin: Smart, hardworking receiver who has all the intangibles. Ran many Patriots-like routes.
  36. Quincy Enunwa, WR, Nebraska: Good size and excellent intangibles. Could play outside.
  37. Brandon Linder, OG, Miami: Great size, durability, and intangibles. Aggressive. Versatile – played all along line, incl. TE.
  38. *Jeremy Gallon, WR, Michigan: Good coverage recognition, smooth. Quick, good explosion, nice hands. Undersized.
  39. Ladarius Perkins, RB, Miss. St: Captain with great agility and vision. Underrated catcher, good acceleration. 
  40. *Jordan Tripp, OLB, Montana State: Instinctive and tough.
  41. Travis Carrie, CB, Ohio: Good size and awareness with special teams experience. Student of the game, leadership.
  42. Josh Mauro, DE, Stanford: Good size and versatility,not a ton of pass rush presence but could develop.
  43. Tom Savage, QB, Pittsburgh: Inconsistent pocket passer.
  44. Rob Blanchflower, Y-TE, UMass: Good size and experience. Developmental #3 Y-TE.

In defense of the Easley pick (not that I think it really needs defending)…

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I’ve had my head in the clouds from the moment the Pats announced their pick of Dominique Easley last night. I really should have known there’d be plenty of people who hated the pick – in fact I had made the joke when discussing him in early April that “an injury-prone, undersized defensive tackle” would not go over well.

I’m not here to talk anyone off the ledge. If you believe the only players worth drafting are those with clean injury histories, that’s your choice. But if you hate the pick I certainly hope you’re not in the “Patriots need pass rush” crowd. I also hope you’re not in the “Patriots need to trade up” crowd either.

Here’s the problem, it’s hard to find really elite (as much as I hate that term) talent when you’re consistently drafting near the bottom of the first round like the Pats do. Your only options are to hit on someone who comes out of nowhere like Richard Sherman or pay big bucks for a free agent. Neither are consistently reliable options. 

There’s also the third option. The potential star who fought injuries in college. Guys like Gronk, Ras-I Dowling and now Easley. Ras-I was a bust. Gronk is the best tight end in the game, but injuries have derailed him since January 2012. How will Easley turn out? No one knows.

As much as I think “injury prone” is thrown around far too loosely, there’s no denying that wear and tear and surgeries add up. But it’s also true that surgery and rehab are far different today than the days when an ACL tear meant you were completely out of commission for the next calendar year.

The Pats need impact front seven players. That’s an absolute fact. Their pass defense has STUNK in three out of the last four years and last year it was just below average. What’s stopping them from another Super Bowl? Pass defense. They can’t get off the field on third down. 

So now with Easley there is some risk, but there is risk with every pick. Whether or not Easley pans out will not make or break the Pats. But if he does pan out, he could absolutely be the player that puts them over the top to win a Super Bowl.

It’s a swing for the fences selection and I’m all for swings for the fences moves by a team that has usually taken the fairly safe road, especially in the first round.  They didn’t have to cash in a ton of draft picks to move up, they only have to hope Easley can overcome an injury he’s already overcome once and that plenty of NFL players have overcome and gone on to stellar seasons after.

Watch Easley on YouTube, even if you’ve never “watched film” in your life. His quickness smacks you in the face. Not saying he will be a Hall of Famer, but he has that kind of jump.

Not to mention the Seahawks, you know, the defense that everyone has been fawning over for the last two years, were ready to take Easley at 32nd overall. Isn’t that some kind of sign that the Pats weren’t “reaching” on him? 

The Pats have made plenty of safe picks over the years and they’ve taken their share of chances as well. But not a single player in the last decade has had the kind of upside Easley has.

So is it worth it? For a guy who could potentially be one of the best players to come out of this draft? A very real top-5 talent? I say yes. Yes. YES.

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Bill Belichick’s Patriots are the only team to exist outside of these rules. Their middle rounds were littered with guys who did nothing, or next to nothing, in the NFL. Their draft success ranked in the bottom third of the league during these seasons. But even in 2009, those guys made up a large chunk of the roster. Nearly a third of the roster was made up of guys who were never drafted at all; the Patriots signed them for cheap and plugged them right in. The rest of us mortals are confined by the oppression of common logic, our feet held to the ground by laws that stood for millions of years before anyone came around to write them. Bill Belichick is confined by none of them. He is a wizard whose command of elements real and abstract stretches beyond time, space, or any other dimension that the universe fecklessly tosses at his feet, like a single sandbag against a high tide.

NFL daft: A partial history of draft day’s terrible decisions and total failures – SBNation.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/bill-belichicks-patriots-are-the-only-team-to/

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Easley shows exceptional instincts to time the snap and a ferocious, balanced first step. He plays with wildly active hands, using them to fight and club in pass rush. He has powerful punches when anchoring against an offensive lineman in defending the run. Easley has a diverse pass-rush arsenal that involves his ability to beat you with quickness, speed, the ability to slither and find space, work you with his hands and in pursuit.

Breaking down tape of Dominique Easley – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/easley-shows-exceptional-instincts-to-time-the/

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He is a smaller defensive lineman (6-foot-1 ¾, 288 pounds), at the opposite end of the spectrum of past Patriots No. 1 picks like Richard Seymour (6-6, 317) in 2001, Ty Warren (6-5, 300) in 2003 and Vince Wilfork (6-2, 325) in 2004. If we went back in time to ‘01, ’03 or ’04, I don’t think Easley would have been viewed as a first-round value or ideal system fit. But playing defense in the spread-it-out NFL requires a different type of player, especially when the Patriots are in their sub packages between 65-70 percent of the time as they have been in recent years. When healthy, Easley can potentially create havoc as an interior rusher and that type of profile now carries added value.

New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/he-is-a-smaller-defensive-lineman-6-foot-1-%c2%be-288/