Reiss: Patriots should think outside the system
Reiss finally has the numbers up for how much the Patriots were in the 3-4 and sub packages and the numbers aren’t too surprising (Sub Package: 57%, 3-4: 40%, Goaline: 3%).
This is all well charted territory in these parts. For the second year in a row the ultimate question is will the Pats be less rigid with their 3-down player rules when drafting in the 1st/2nd round. Last year he had visions of Jerry Hughes (who ended up not doing much for the Colts) and this year there are similar comparisons with Von Miller (who will probably be long gone by 17).
What can be maddening is that this seems like a no brainer. The DPR position in sub packages was a rotating door with Jermaine Cunningham and Shawn Crable before Eric Moore was picked up in early December and made the biggest impact of them all. Like a third corner the DPR should be considered effectively a starter and it seems like a slam dunk for the Pats to use a high pick on someone who might not have the physical size that BB prefers, but someone in the 6’ 2" range that can fly off the edge.
One player that I like right now in this area is Jeremy Beal from Oklahoma, who’s just a shade shorter than Cunningham, but still looked solid against the run in the Senior Bowl. He might not be 6’ 4" but he explodes off the line like no current Patriots do.
Beal could still project as an eventual OLB in the 3-4, as you can see in the video below he played in space at OU.