An Independent Patriots Blog
“He’ll definitely be on the field this season,” Candelaria said. “There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be able to start right away. It depends how they want to bring him along. The Patriots do things the right way. “He’s functional to the point where if he had to play a football game today, he can. He’s definitely ready to go.”
Pats’ No. 1 pick Dominique Easley thrives on fire and passion | Boston Herald
Great must-read on Easley.
Why Dominique Easley is a risk who will reward the Patriots | theScore
Great read on Easley from Alen Dumonjic. Well-written and sums up exactly why I’m so excited to add him to the fold.
The thing with Dom is, when he tore his ACL the first time, I don’t think he was sure what it was all about,” Candelaria said. “When it was the second time, it didn’t faze him at all. He was like that because his performance level was the same if not better after the [first] ACL tear.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-thing-with-dom-is-when-he-tore-his-acl-the/
“In the eight years of doing this game, [Easley] was the most dominant defensive player aside from Da’Quan Bowers in 2008,” said Tucker, who is the director of player personnel for the Under Armour game.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/in-the-eight-years-of-doing-this-game-easley/
[T]here’s an inherent risk with every single pick that every team makes. The risk with Easley is not his talent, not what he can do, not his production. It’s whether he can stay healthy. And if he can, then they’ve got themselves a great player.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/theres-an-inherent-risk-with-every-single-pick/
After a big win at Florida State, he emerged from the locker room with a giant barrel of animal crackers under his arm and spoke of the afterlife. He carried around a Chucky doll at all times and treated it like an actual child. He made some vaguely sexual references about what he did to LSU’s offensive line two years ago. He constantly dances in between plays. He will start a fight with anybody on any opposing team at any time. He yelled something that cannot be printed here at the Tennessee band. I don’t know how he found it, but when he was a sophomore, before he had really accomplished anything, he came charging out of the tunnel with a tractor chain hanging from his neck.
Q&A: A reporter’s take on Dominique Easley – Sports – The Boston Globe
Looks like we might’ve found our Spikes replacement in the personality department.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/after-a-big-win-at-florida-state-he-emerged-from/
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.
It was a bit of a slow week here on the Prop, due to my very first experience with strep throat. It ended up costing me two of my three Bleacher Report columns as I recovered in a fevered state. Luckily the fever has broken, and the draft is just a little over three weeks […]