Patriots Draft Thread-Pats take Solder

[hiphop1]

I really hope Ridley can get some play love the bulldozer back and from what ive seen and read this guy runs over lb's

[wetsthebed]

I have to say...despite the fact that we didn't really pick for need positions so much, I do like the players we drafted. (Except Mallett. I still don't like Mallett.)

[Icness]

I love the Dowling pick. He's better than Prince Amukamara...if he can stay healthy, which is a big if. He can comfortably move to safety too.

I'm higher on Ridley than Vereen. He's not a very sharp tool but he's a natural runner, good power/balance. His legs are pretty fresh too. Vereen likes to run almost into his blockers and then burst out, which is one of those traits that works in college but turns you into Laurence Maroney in the NFL.

Solder is more developmental than advertsied, but then again so was Vollmer. IMO he's a right tackle but could be a very good one in a year or two. I would have gone DL or OLB there myself.

Honestly I don't see any of the other players making the active game-day roster in 2011. Cannon is a steal once/if he beats cancer. He was going to be a 1st round pick before that news came out. There's a reason why QB-desperate teams passed on Mallett...twice. Aside from him being a hickbilly drug addict, he's a complete mess when he can't make his long stride into his throw.

[TheCelticTruth]

Nate Solder
6'8 319. Considered one of the most impressive athletes tested by Sports Science. A relative newcomer to the position still, coaches stated they felt he was really coming on towards the end of last year. Obviously a developmental pick, but a huge vote of confidence from Belichick and Scarnecchia to select him where they did. If they loved the player but didn't have him graded high enough they would have traded down and attempted to select him. They drafted him higher than Mankins. He has all the athletic tools you could hope for. I read a scout state he has the greatest desire to improve himself in the draft class. That was just one man's opinion but the pieces if the puzzle are easy to put together. Solder may not be a guaranteed star, but all likelihood is there he can be as good as he wants to be based on his tools. If he takes the coaching and continues to adapt well to the position, he could be a franchise quality player at LT. He may not be. The Pats obviously seem to like the chances of the former.

Ras-I Dowling
6'2 200. I don't see the safety talk. This is a Gronkowski pick all over. Dowling would have been a top player in this draft had it not been for his injury woes. I doubt he'd have made it to Peterson's level, but it is hard to say, and he is probably better than Amukamara. I have always seen Dowling as a top notch corner prospect, and his stellar college career proves it out despite his bumpy last chapter. Coaches rave about his play, leadership, and character. He may not have elite speed and quickness but is certainly above average in these categories and an excellent athlete all around. His 40 at the combine exceeded expectations and if he had worked out further he may have landed in the first round. He came thisclose. One thing few have mentioned is that any serious concern on Dowling (not that I have any) is lessened by the fact he will be playing second fiddle to Devin McCourty and possibly even Leigh Bodden. That is a nice group of corners to start your pass defense with. Possible long term starters in McCourty and Dowling together. Dowling also happens to play the game you want a big corner to play. He uses his height and length well, can lay a big hit, is solid in run support, and has excellent ball skills that may show themselves more in NE (again, McCourty) than they ever did at UVA.

Shane Vereen
5'10 210. You want to take what a player's college coach says with a grain of salt. Well, two. One, they love their guys usually. Two, they do know these players the best at this point. We have heard many comparisons already to Kevin Faulk in regards to the style of Vereen. A Cal coach compared his style to another, more famous Faulk,... Trev. Kidding, obviously the comparison was Marshall Faulk. This is bold, but a lot more true if you look at game play instead of pure talent. I liked Shane Vereen long before he was a Pats draft pick. The only backs I thought graded higher were Ingram and Leshoure. Vereen is a much better fit due to his overall game. We can honestly say those two players were definitely not better all around backs. Vereen is more athletic and powerful than he usually gets credit for and he may have slipped due to the fact that he doesn't look as impressive on film as he probably should. What I mean by that is that it doesn't always look as impressive as it is. He basically did the same thing Jahvid Best did, but garnered far less attention. Vereen has the talent to be an every down back, but won't have to be. He is a good enough blocker an receiver to play on third downs, he is a good enough inside and outside runner to play early downs. Let's say his style is somewhere between Marshall and the player Kevin became. Actually, more like the player Kevin Faulk's college hype said he could be with the skills he learned as a vet. That might be more fair.

Stevan Ridley
5'11 225. I loved this pick when it happened. Stevan Ridley is, now, the player BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been working to become. He is a player I became very much impressed with during the draft process. Why was he a surprise as a third round pick? He left school too early. He is not a perfect back, but he would likely have been a first rounder in my eyes with another season like he had. He only had one shot as the main man. Despite this, he was a captain before this year. That says a lot. He can play on special teams. He can catch well enough to be a concern out of the back field, but isn't a threat like Vereen. He can block and will block better with coaching. He is a a good athlete. Oh, and he can run with power. He is a natural inside runner who will pair with Green-Ellis to grind opposing defenses down. Why draft two running backs? The luck of the draw gave a shot to retool the backfield into a game control machine, that's why. Adding Vereen and Ridley to Green-Ellis means the Pats can run over teams this year and still throw a little bit of Woodhead out there. Put all this behind your three tight end set? Pain. More below.

Ryan Mallett.
6'7 253. What else can I say? He has been over analyzed already. Not a big fan personally, but what an arm. Character concerns aside, he has a chance to reinvent himself here. He can work towards unseating Hoyer, learn from Tom and Bill, rehabilitate his image and turn his career around. Or he could continue down the same path that could be either troubled or misunderstood. Either way, not a great path, right? He could be Drew Bledsoe II, and if he truly studies Manning and Brady like he says, his natural arm talent gives him a legit shot to be the best QB out of the draft. If he can rehab his career, and put his other tools (decent athlete if slow, ability to use his size, passion for the game, competitive streak) behind himself, he could be better than Bledsoe. Or a complete bust if he is as bad as many think.

Marcus Cannon
6'5 358. Another pick I am in love with. count me on board with the group that thinks 1.) Cannon has first round talent and 2.) Cannon will be healthy enough to play this season (at least a decent amount) if there is football. His stock was on the way up before the injury news. One thing that really stood out to me in my work on (coincidentally both Solder and) Cannon was how often a different configuration of the phrase "you don't find many guys who move like that at that size" was tossed around. One scout absolutely gushed over Cannon being "a top 15 talent" who while "inconsistent" and guilty of "playing down to the competition" had great balance, was never knocked off his feet by other players and called him (a huge compliment in draftspeak for the unfamiliar) a dancing bear. As many have said, Cannon could play tackle or guard. He must put his health first for now, but this man has a bright future as a probable starter for NE.

Lee Smith
6'6 266. Smith is interesting. The worst thing I heard said about him in most cases was he was not a game breaker. Most players aren't. No one would say he wasn't a good receiver, which means he is at least decent. No one would say he wasn't a good athlete, which means he is (just not real fast/explosive) A few scouts think he has quite the upside to potentially make a Solder switch to OT. To me it sounds like a guy who is truly a replacement for Alge Crumpler. Crumpler was quite the big time receiver in his day, and Smith does not seem likely to be, but certainly Smith has the skills for the short and mid range passing game. He certainly has the attitude and power to dominate as an in line blocker. I also get the feeling that he will help the Pats utilize the TEs more because they had three last year, but Hernandez frequently impacts the game only as a receiver and doesn't line up as much as a TE. Smith in rotation with Gronkowski and Crumpler would allow for more utilization of the Y, and again, a more powerful offense. Tie this in with the running game and the overhaul on the OL, specifically the athletic motion blockers both Solder and Cannon can be and it seems some of what Belichick was seeing become more clear to us. One more note on Smith, was considered the TE positional sleeper by a few scouts, for what its worth.

Markell Carter
6'4 252. Carter was, admittedly, nowhere on my radar. I expected my depth of knowledge to thin out around the sixth this year due to time constraints and lack of interest with what I caught on early to as a weaker class than billed. I still know most drafted players names at least, so Carter sent me scrambling. Obviously, he doesn't have the pedigree we would like to see, either in sacks or competition. He does have the frame, and seems to have the motor from what film I have been able to see. His workout numbers are good, he seems to be a good athlete. One thing I heard which was interesting was that, in addition to playing standing up some, he also had some experience as a 5 technique. Now I doubt that is what the Pats are expecting out of him, but thinking about him having the natural power to line up as a "5" is certainly a promising thought for this developmental player. Players not having the proper combo of length, size, power, and athleticism has led to the Pats skipping over many touted propspects, and Carter may seemingly not have much going for him, but he has all of those base attributes.

Malcolm Williams
5'11 200. Special Teams ace. Could supplant Slater/Lockett etc. If there's more here I'm missing it as of now.