Search Results for: mock draft

It’s hard to believe that in just a little over two months training camp will open. Since the Pats bowed out to the Ravens in the AFC Championship game we’ve written plenty on where we thought the team should go, how they should evolve schematically and the kind of weapons needed to take them to the next level.

Here’s our review of the things we prescribed and what the team has done regarding those prescriptions.

1. Let Wes Welker Walk

Obviously this was not an easy conclusion to come to. Wes was an outstanding player, but ultimately it came down to:

It’s time for the Patriots to evolve their offense again. We’ve seen the peak of the Welker-based attack, and it was great, especially in the regular season against teams that were ill-equipped to defend it. But if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse, and making another large investment in Welker will only delay the inevitable—at a detriment to the long-term viability of the team.

It’s unfortunate that Welker ended up with Peyton Manning, but it was the right move for the Patriots.

2. Rookies I Liked – Mock Draft Number One (2/4/2013) &  Mock Draft #2 (2/27/2013)

This might make me re-think all the draft research I do because in this first mock I nailed two of the Pats picks:

Aaron Dobson

On paper, Dobson seems to be the wide receiver the Patriots have been missing for both his ability to take the top off a defense as well as his size. 

Josh Boyce:

If the Patriots let Wes Welker walk they should likely bring back Julian Edelman for the slot receiver role, but with his injury history it would be smart to have some insurance for him. Boyce is a quick and physical wide receiver, and unlike Edelman or Welker, weighs over 200 pounds, so he should have the frame to hold up. Again, the biggest thing with the Patriots and receivers is whether or not they’re smart enough to play in the system, but Boyce is described as “competitive and a savvy route runner.”

We got progressively worse with our three mock drafts, but still nailed Logan Ryan in our second one.

Logan Ryan

Ryan excelled in a few of the events the Patriots like most. While his 4.56 40-yard-dash was average, he had the second-best defensive back time in the three cone drill and 60-yard shuttle, and the fourth-best defensive back time in the 20-yard shuttle. Couple those standout stats with his physical play, intelligence and association with one of Bill Belichick’s favorite college programs, and you have a prime Patriots draft target.

3. Improve pass rush on base downs

In one of the pieces I’m most proud of this offseason, I made the case that upgrading the starting defensive tackle spot next to Vince Wilfork with a better pass rushing presence would make the quickest impact on the defense.

The Patriots shifted to more of a traditional 4-3 end in Ninkovich this year, so why not switch to a more traditional 4-3 defensive tackle next to Wilfork?  They might give up something in run defense with such a player, but it’s not the run defense that is lighting them up in the middle of the field. The defensive tackles have the shortest path to the quarterback, so a real get-upfield disruptor would have a positive impact against quick passes to the flat on early downs.

Now with the release of Kyle Love it is certain that the Patriots will have a new defensive tackle starting. While some might just blame this on cold-hearted Bill Belichick and Love’s diabetes, it seems likely it’s also related to the scheme shift I prescribed.

From CSNNE:

The Patriots have signed Armond Armstead and former Raider Tommy Kelly this offseason. Additionally, they have Marcus Fortson back. All those players are leaner and faster than either Love or Deaderick. The Patriots are transitioning defensively from a team that plays a base 3-4 defense to a 4-3 team. They first made the switches on the outside last season. Now it appears they are working on the interior defensive line.

The other issue with the defense we saw was their inability to cover the middle of the field:

It’s also fair to consider if Brandon Spikes is really the right fit at middle linebacker.  There’s no doubt Spikes is a dominating presence against the run and brings an intimidating attitude to the defense. The Patriots had their best run defense of the last decade in 2012, but the trade-off was the coverage in the middle of the field against tight ends and slot receivers was atrocious and has been for the the last two seasons.

This leads us to number five:

4. Finding a coverage linebacker

When the Pats drafted Jamie Collins, most assumed he was a defensive end, but when Bill Belichick said he’d start out as a linebacker, it seemed to make sense they could use Collins’ freaky athleticism in pass coverage.

Chris Price of WEEI.com had this great piece, with this quote from Collins’ coach:

“I’ve seen him cover running backs and tight ends and wide receivers in the slot,” Duggan said of Collins, who 18 passes defensed and three picks (two returned for touchdowns) over the course of his career at USM. “He understands pass coverage assignments, and he’s so strong that when he gets his hands on you, you aren’t moving. But he also has really good speed and good bend, and he can cover with the best of them. Tight ends, he can match up with them. He’s really fast and really athletic and really strong.“I think that when he gets to the NFL, he’ll be able to match up with the tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Heck, he spent a lot of time matched up on wide receivers when he was here at Southern Miss.”

5. Drafting an X-receiver

I was never a fan of bringing Mike Wallace in for a huge amount of money, nor was I really even that high on the Emmanuel Sanders potential move. I thought all along the Pats had to bite the bullet and draft an X.

There are a number of players who seem to fit the physical mold you’d look for in an X-receiver and should be available in the late first round and into the second round, such as Justin Hunter, Da’Rick Rogers or Aaron Dobson. It might be risky because none are the slam dunk that Jones and Green were, but it’s the only way they can get a potential X-receiver in the system without taking a huge financial risk on a veteran who may or may not work out.

Overall, I’m extremely impressed with what the Patriots have done this offseason. They have addressed every area I believe they needed to this offseason. They weren’t all easy decisions, losing Welker and letting go of Love and Deaderick will challenge the team’s depth and new players.

But when it comes down to what they struggled with most last season, they’ve taken aggressive steps in each area to address each area.