Patriots Draft Thread

[HCYanks]

Who the **** is Tavon Wilson? He's got a 48.2 grade...

Could be a total bust, could be Sebastian vollmer part 2. Either way it's hilarious.

I'll take Bill's judgement over the people rating the draft picks any day. It is also good to remember that Bill is picking guys who he thinks will fit in perfectly into his 3-4 defense, and who are smart enough to adjust to widely varying game plans we use. Looking at the picks that he made, I think that Bill is planning on making running the ball against a us a VERY distant memory. These guys all seem to be hitters. Now we will have serious depth in the front seven, and hopefully he we will have a good secondary to pair with it.

It's fine for Belichick to be impressed with a lower round talent and "see" something in him that others don't, but at some point it's just bad draft strategy to be taking a player at at least four rounds ahead of where he would've gone. If nothing else, Belichick could've called around looking to see who wanted to trade up, asked for a fifth rounder and a 2013 second rounder, and still in all likelihood drafted Wilson with the fifth. Draft picks have an inherent value that Bill isn't taking advantage of when he reaches like this.

[reeDfense]

[quote="Joselo16"]They must have seen something in Wilson, since most projected him much lower, but what do we know. What about Bequette any views on him? I don't really follow much college ball, so I only have these so called pro opinions on espn and other outlets online.

Who will have that immediate impact on our team, just by looks I would have to say Hightower (love that name since it reminds me of Police Academy). Dude looks like a tank with good mobility and instincts. Wondering if he'll play middle with Mayo, or they see another position in mind.[/quote

I would think Hightower would play outside right? Spikes is decent isnt he? other than the playoffs i didnt watch many pats games so i couldnt give you a great evaluation of him or anything but it would make sense to throw Hightower outside.

[alwayslovetheceltics]

reeDfense,
Hightower said himself that he prefers playing inside. i expect him to be inside on early downs and lined up on the outside on third down. He can rush the passer from either spot.

I can't wait to see him, mayo and spikes on the same time- its been a long time since our D really brought PAIN

[alwayslovetheceltics]

where do you guys see Josh Barrett lining up? He got hurt during the middle of his best game last year (wk 9 vs the Giants)

I think he could play that hybrid lb/safety role that BB brought Tank Williams to play all those years ago. In that role, perhaps he can make me get over my disappointment for not taking Kendricks or David in the draft. (I know Kendricks gotten taken ahead of us in the 2nd round but I was hoping for a slight trade up. David we just could have had.)

[reeDfense]

reeDfense,
Hightower said himself that he prefers playing inside. i expect him to be inside on early downs and lined up on the outside on third down. He can rush the passer from either spot.

I can't wait to see him, mayo and spikes on the same time- its been a long time since our D really brought PAIN

ahh ok..just wasnt sure since they already have spikes and mayo..wasnt sure where he was gonna fit in.

[GreenDreamer]

I'll take Bill's judgement over the people rating the draft picks any day. It is also good to remember that Bill is picking guys who he thinks will fit in perfectly into his 3-4 defense, and who are smart enough to adjust to widely varying game plans we use. Looking at the picks that he made, I think that Bill is planning on making running the ball against a us a VERY distant memory. These guys all seem to be hitters. Now we will have serious depth in the front seven, and hopefully he we will have a good secondary to pair with it.

It's fine for Belichick to be impressed with a lower round talent and "see" something in him that others don't, but at some point it's just bad draft strategy to be taking a player at at least four rounds ahead of where he would've gone. If nothing else, Belichick could've called around looking to see who wanted to trade up, asked for a fifth rounder and a 2013 second rounder, and still in all likelihood drafted Wilson with the fifth. Draft picks have an inherent value that Bill isn't taking advantage of when he reaches like this.

You are assuming that Wilson would still be there at the spot because some yo-yo who is talking for a living instead of actually MAKING the picks says so. From what I understand there were other teams interested in Wilson as well, and Bill obviously wanted him here.

I think that Bill understands VALUE really well. After all, in an NFL era where good team can turn into garbage overnight because they lose their good players in free agency, Bill has had the Pats averaging 12 wins a season over the last 11 years. That is flat out incredible. He has done that with very different rosters, and with guys constantly coming in and out of the system. Hell, they still won 11 games the year that Brady blew his ACL. There is NO WAY that happens unless Bill was a great judge of value. After all, he has actually been working with the WORST average pick over that span of ANY team in the league.

The incredible thing is that this Patriot team is actually ON THE RISE, as crazy as that sounds. Bill hasn't been perfect, but he's been next door to it. No one else can say that they have had any where NEAR the success he has with personnel moves. He is the undisputed king there.

[GreenDreamer]

reeDfense,
Hightower said himself that he prefers playing inside. i expect him to be inside on early downs and lined up on the outside on third down. He can rush the passer from either spot.

I can't wait to see him, mayo and spikes on the same time- its been a long time since our D really brought PAIN

ahh ok..just wasnt sure since they already have spikes and mayo..wasnt sure where he was gonna fit in.

Use a three man rotation. Simple enough there. Back during the back to back Super Bowls we had 6 excellent linebackers all cycling in and out of Bill's 3-4 defense. It kept them fresh, and mitigated the effect of injuries. Spikes, after all, hasn't been the healthiest guy around.

[Geoffrey P]

They must see something in Wilson. He signed a 4 year deal worth $4 million and was the first draft pick to sign a contract. Others who were drafted may have gotten offers but haven't signed yet but still. He's got a $1.5 million signing bonus too. On Boston Herald there's a quote saying he's a film room junkie so that's a plus.