PatsPropaganda

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marcus cannon

Patriots hit their needs in NFL draft

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Most of the NFL draft grades are in, and as always the Patriots ran the gamut from A+ (Jamie Dukes/NFLN) all the way down to a C- (Adam Schein/FoxSports). Of course as anyone who reads this blog knows, I tend to side with Dukes, but allow me to explain why blind homerism isn’t just the reason why.

This is possibly the first draft in Bill Belichick’s run that’s he’s actually hit on every major need that the team had, they just might not have been in the exact order of what they needed most. But the fact is that value rarely ever matches up exactly with need so you have to take what the board gives you.

While outside linebacker was the biggest need in a lot of people’s minds the fact is that the offensive line is on the verge of a nearly complete transformation. Failure to restock a left tackle of the future, a guard to replace Stephen Neal, and eventually a center to take over for Koppen had to be the highest priority, especially when you consider Tom Brady is hitting the twilight of his career.

You are not beating anyone if your quarterback is not protected, and the Light-Mankins-Koppen-Neal-Kaczur group that won a lot of games from 2005-2010 (discounting injuries of course) should be almost completely overhauled by 2012.

Now with Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer, Dan Connolly, Marcus Cannon, as well as the slew of developmental guys like Ryan Wendell and Rich Ohrnberger, the Patriots look like they have some major pieces of the next O-line in place.

Another need that many were ignorant to was at the Free Safety position. Now while Mike Reiss said on our podcast that he thinks BB likes Brandon Meriweather more than the fans do, there’s no assurance that the Pats will be able to re-sign him after this season even if they want to.

While pass rush is of course a huge part of getting off the field on third down, you can’t discount the effect that a dominant ball hawking free safety could have as well.

While Ras-I Dowling will start off as a cornerback, I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that he could be an eventual free safety candidate. Many draft publications thought that position might be his best fit, and we’ve seen a similar transition before with Eugene Wilson who moved from corner in college to a starting FS for the Pats in his rookie year.

Like the tight ends last year, this year’s draft class was extremely strong in running backs in the second-to-third round range, so the Patriots took advantage and snapped up two of them. Now the Patriots have one of the deepest, most diverse and formidable backfields in the NFL.

Better late than never the Pats finally added an outside linebacker prospect in the late rounds. While Markell Carter wasn’t one of the flashy names, his skill set and demeanor seem to match exactly what BB looks for. There will be a long road before we know if Carter is anything more than a special teams guy in the Pierre Woods mold, but if he’s getting time early on as a designated pass rusher his future could look very bright indeed.

While those five picks hit on the biggest needs, the other three were simply cases of too great of value to pass up, or the kind of unsung grinders that all teams need. Ryan Mallett, Lee Smith, and Malcolm Williams all could end up being significant contributors down the line, but if they’re not it won’t be a big deal. That’s the advantage of having a boatload of picks every year, you’re not beholden to your needs, you can take the best value where the talent is deepest in the draft.

Overall I’m having a hard time this year more than any other with draft grades like Schein’s C-. What needs were not hit on? The only possible one might be wide receiver, but even there they have three young players who deserve more time to improve and show what they’ve got.

Some might say defensive end as well, but there’s almost a surplus of players at that position when you count Ty Warren, Marcus Stroud, Brandon Deaderick, Ron Brace and Kade Weston among other guys who have been behind the scenes. Could they use a talent upgrade there? Probably. But it doesn’t appear they thought any of the available defensive ends in this draft were an actual upgrade.

I believe the one and only reason the pundits will criticize the Patriots 2011 draft class was that they did not address their perceived #1 need with their highest pick. Meanwhile I’m just shocked that they actually did address all their needs.

Boston Globe: Weight lifted for Marcus Cannon

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Boston Globe: Weight lifted for Marcus Cannon

Great stuff from Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe about Marcus Cannon and his battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Cannon might get a little bit of a late start this season, but it looks like he should eventually be fine, and really what rookie isn’t going to get a late start this year. An optimistic projection would have a Solder-Mankins-TBD Kopper replacement-Cannon-Vollmer offensive line for the next 5-7 years. What a big, nasty group. Love it.

Here’s the video of Cannon doing a flip off a barge that was mentioned in the article. Crazy stuff.

PatsPropaganda’s Patriots Draft Research Self Evaluation

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This was our most extensive year researching and discussing the draft, and like all good teams/bloggers you must be critical with your self-evaluation if you want to improve.

This is the sixth draft that I obsessed over from a Patriots perspective. Prior to that I just looked at the list of draftees and tried to make sense of it. But the five previous drafts have definitely been an education, so I was hoping that this year I could get 75% of the Patriots picks on my Patriots-only Big Board.

This will be a review of how I did, and why I missed who I did. This will include reflections on my Patriots-only Big Board and Patriots-only Mock Draft.

17. Nate Solder

Patriots-only Big Board Rank: 12

Solder was definitely one of my favorite Patriots prospects. I mentioned him in every non-PatsProp article I wrote for other sites, and I had him as 33rd overall pick in my Pats-only mock. Had him a little lower than he actually went, but otherwise I nailed this one. Solder stood out to me as a Vollmer clone, and I thought the Patriots could allow him a year to develop. He has great size and athleticism and that is always tempting for BB given what the Pats ask their OL to do.

33. Ras-I Dowling

Patriots-Only Big Board Rank: 28

I also nailed Ras-I in my Patriots-only mock, albeit having him in the 74th overall slot. He seemed to me the classic guy who falls because of injury ala Brandon Tate, thus setting him up to be an excellent value pick. Dowling fit the exact need I’ve talked about most of the spring… a rookie DB who can play some sub packages in year one, but eventually projects to Free Safety where he could replace Brandon Meriweather and/or James Sanders since both of their contracts are up after 2011. Going two for two, though much higher than I predicted, was a pretty solid start out of the gates.

56. Shane Vereen

Patriots-Only Big Board Rank: 36

I thought the Patriots would definitely tap a running back in the second or third round, however I chose Johnny White at 92 instead of Vereen who was ranked 5 spots higher on the big board. I went with White because he was a similar situation to Dowling in that he battled injuries this past season, thus dropping his ranking. 3 for 3 on the big board, 2 for 3 on the Pats-only mock.

73. Stevan Ridley

Patriots-Only Big Board Rank: 53

Nobody saw back to back running backs here, but Ridley was definitely a guy on our radar that we saw as a fit. Tough to nail this pick in the mock but it would’ve been a disappointing miss if he had not been on the big board.

74. Ryan Mallett

Patriots-Only Big Board Rank: UNRANKED

We didn’t have any quarterbacks on our big board, not because we didn’t like any of them, because we just figured it’d be a shocker if they took one. Would we have had Mallett on there even if we included QBs? Probably not. So our first miss.

138. Marcus Cannon

Patriots-Only Big Board Ranking: UNRANKED

I wrote off Cannon early in the process for reasons I’m still not entirely sure of, but there’s a nice little X next to him in my PFW draft guide. But looking back now his unique frame and set of abilities should have pinged my Patriots radar more than it did. I consider Cannon my biggest miss of the draft.

159. Lee Smith

Patriots-Only Big Board Ranking: UNRANKED

I’m frustrated that I missed Smith because I included another Tight End Luke Stocker for the same reasons that made Smith appealing. I put him on based on this: has the frame, tenacity and strength to develop into a powerful run blocker. Stocker is a blue collar-type player. Sounds just like Smith’s description, huh?

194: Markell Carter & 219: Malcolm Williams

Patriots-Only Big Board Ranking: UNRANKED ON BOTH (OBVIOUSLY)

I’m putting the last two picks together, because clearly they were outside of the box for everyone. I mean if Williams himself didn’t even think he’d get drafted how would I have any clue he’d get drafted. Neither are listed or ranked in any of the places I did all my research. So it’s a pass in that I’m not frustrated that I missed them, but nonetheless, I missed them.

Final Stats

Patriots-Only Mock: 2 of 9 draftees

Patriots-Only Big Board: 4 of 9 draftees ranked

Positions Drafted: 5 of 9 correctly projected (missed TE, QB, 2nd DB, 2nd RB)

The numbers don’t jump off the page exactly, and I believe that Cannon, Smith and even Mallett should’ve potentially be hits for me. It really should’ve been 6 out of 9. Nailing Solder and Dowling in the Patriots-only mock was surprising to even myself, and is definitely something to build on.

Each year I feel like I learn a little more and that was taken to a new level this year. Watch out in 2012!

New England Patriots select OL Marcus Cannon

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Wow. The Patriots offensive line just got even bigger. Cannon is the first player the Patriots selected that I had discounted early in the draft research process. But now as I get to know him more I am very excited.

He’s 363 pounds and, in the words of PFW, “bends effortlessly and is seldom on the ground” and “can block out the sun with sheer mass and create a surge in the run game”. He played tackle but scouts seem to think he could kick inside to guard, which is exactly what the Patriots need.

The Pats are taking what the board gives them as they always do, and they are ending up with some special, gifted players. They might not have been able to fill all their needs just yet, but with 3 more picks and all of free agency there’s still time to fill those spots.

And what kind of a Patriot doesn’t love a Cannon?