Alright so I did two mock drafts. I really liked both and parts of them are similar but they're at the same time very different, really because of one pick. Both were once again done with fanspeak.com's On The Clock tool and Bleacher Reports' Matt Miller's draft board.
Pick 1:23 Mock #1 - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville The Patriots are rumored to love Jackson, he has played in a similar system to the one the Patriots play, and, as Belichick once so famously said, we all know Brady's contract and age. Imagine the rumors and news that hit if the Patriots do indeed draft the former Heisman trophy winner. Mock #2 - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA It is no secret that left tackle is a need after Nate Solder jumped on the Fung Wah bus to NYC. Kolton Miller is considered one of the top tackles in this draft and the Patriots are clearly interested, as he has visited Foxboro to meet with the team. Pick 1:31 Mock #1 - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA Why would I write something about Miller when I already did. Scroll up a smidge. Mock #2 - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State As I said in a previous mock draft, Vander Esch fills up the box score. He can do it all and the Pats are in desperate need of a LB, especially one with the skill set of Vander Esch. Pick 2:11 Mock #1 - Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M Kirk is the best slot receiver in the draft. Edelman is a year older and coming off a serious injury. And Danny Amendola is in Miami. Kirk is another guy who the Patriots have met with. If he's available in the second round they should pounce. Mock #2 - Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M Like I said, if he's there they need to take him. Pick 2:31 Mock #1 - Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina Who knows what's happening with Rob Gronkowski. Even if he's prepared to come back and play five more seasons for the Patriots, there are questions about his ability to stay healthy and the Patriots offense was at its best with two tight ends. Dwayne Allen is not the answer as the second tight end. Mock #2 - Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina I told you there were a lot of similarities in these mock drafts. Pick 3:31 Mock #1 - Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State Oddly enough it took until the fifth pick for the Patriots to address their defense. Since we missed out on Vander Esch in this mock, we have to grab our LB a few rounds later. One scouting report I saw used Wesley Woodyard as the comparison for Leonard. That's someone the Patriots would take every day and twice on Sunday's, which is good since that's when they play. Mock #2 - Duke Ejiofor, Edge, Wake Forest Ejiofor is another guy who visited with the Patriots. While they do have some good young talent on the line, including Derek Rivers who is coming back from injury, you can never have enough talent rushing the passer. Pick 6:24 Mock #1 - Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB, Alabama Hamilton seems to be a very talented player who will see his stock drop because of injuries. At this point in the draft you take a shot on someone who has injury problems if you believe they can help out when healthy. He was also a top prospect coming out of high school. The talent is there, he just needs to stay healthy. He's also smart as he was the valedictorian of his high school class, which he graduated a year early from. Mock #2 - Christian Sam, LB, Arizona Another LB. It's a need. They visited with Sam. Not much else to say here. Pick 6:36 Mock #1 - Joe Ostman, Edge, Central Michigan Similar to what I said about Ejiofor, you can never have enough pass rushers. Ostman Mock #2 - Damon Webb, S, Ohio State At first, I didn't think safety was a huge need. Then I thought about it a little more. Devin McCourty is wildly overrated and overpaid. They love Patrick Chung. Duron Harmon just got caught smuggling weed into Costa Rica. And after that you have Jordan Richards and a bunch of other slobs or special team specialists. May as well at least get another safety as a backup so Jordan Richards isn't your best option. Pick 7:1 Mock #1 - Tre Flowers, S, Oklahoma State Flowers was the pick for two reasons here. One, exactly what I stated above with Webb. Two, his name, obviously. How could they pass on another Tre(y) Flowers on defense? Mock #2 - Darrel Williams, RB, LSU Williams was not the guy at LSU, as Derrius Guice was the work horse (and a first round pick in this mock) for the Tigers. The Patriots lost their main guy to the Titans and usually find their running backs after the first day of the draft. May as well take a flyer since two of the backs on the roster (Hill and Gilislee) have struggled mightily recently. View mock draft #1 in its entirety here. View mock draft #2 in its entirety here.
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FanSpeak.com's "On the Clock 2018" tool is the best there is for doing team mock drafts. It'll be different every time and you can't predict the picks, just like the real draft. For this draft, I used Matt Miller's rankings, so if you have issue with some of the guys who were or weren't available, take that up with him.
Pick 1:23 - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State The Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year filled up the box score. 141 tackles, 8.5 of which were for a loss, four sacks and four forced fumbles. Vander Esch is also supposed to be very good in coverage. We haven't had a linebacker who is good in coverage in a long time. Pick 1:31 - Marcus Davenport, Edge, Texas San Antonio A guy who some believe could be an early first round pick fell to the Patriots at the end of the first. Davenport had 8.5 sacks as a senior to go along with three forced fumbles. At 6'7", 265 lbs., he looks the part. Mel Kiper Jr. has labeled him as the second beset pass rusher in the draft. Pick 2:11 - Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M The Patriots have showed interest in Kirk. Kirk said at his pro day that he had a visit with the team lined up. Having lost Danny Amendola to free agency, and you don't know how Julian Edelman will be in his first season back from a torn ACL, especially as he is going to be 32 for the season and has taken a lot of big hits, a slot guy like Kirk could be the next guy in a long line of valuable slot receivers in New England Pick 2:31 - Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Really, what this comes down to is depth more than anything. Kolton Miller and Mike McGlinchey went before pick 23 in the first. O'Neill was the best tackle left on the board and the Patriots, after losing Nate Solder and Cam Fleming to the NFC East, need to add a body at the position. Pick 3:31 - Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn This feels like the part part of the draft when the Patriots take a running back. They lost Dion Lewis to Tennessee. James White, while very valuable at it, is just a receiving back. Mike Gillislee is no guarantee to get a lot of carries after being a healthy scratch as often as he was in 2017. Red Burkhead is the best of the bunch and has never been a featured guy. The Patriots don't usually go with one featured back, so they may look to add another guy to the mix. Note: I totally forgot the Patriots signed Jeremy Hill when I made this pick and wrote about it. But Hill is not very good and no guarantee to make the team anyway so I'm ok with this. Pick 6:24 - Isaac Yiadom, CB, Boston College Eric Rowe is set to be a UFA after the season. Jason McCourty is another year old. Who knows what they'll get out of the two Jones'. He also can play on special teams, which we all know Bill LOVES. Pick 6:36 - Cole Madison, OT, Washington St. The team lost two tackles so we're going to add two tackles. It's that simple. Pick 7:1 - Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt When you get to this point in the draft (really, we go there a few picks ago), it's a crap shoot. Burks has coverage skills and the team is week in that department so may as well take a shot on a guy at a position of weakness. Click here to view the entire draft. NBA Trade Machine blogs are ridiculous, simple, and downright dumb. Some people live by "you should never say never," but I am very confident when I say that the trades I put together in ESPN's Trade Machine would NEVER happen. That's because I don't use it for its true purpose, which is "hey, I've heard rumors about this guy getting moved. What would it take to bring him here?" What I do is send a text out to some friends that reads "Who are your favorite non Celtics players?" And that is why these always get out of hand. Let's get started...I'll lead off why my guests this time. What did Thundah have to say? Trade #1: Thundah's ThreeBY FAR the easiest group to bring to Boston. Only one guy who is a very high salary in The Greek Freak. Draymond has a salary that could've been a little tougher once eating Antetokounmpo's salary, but I was able to make it work without giving Golden State much in return. Starting 5: Kris Dunn (but really Kyrie Irving), Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green Two points here...first of all, Hayward is making the starting five because everybody is healthy in this scenario. Also, Brown is starting over Jayson Tatum only because I know Thundah would've included Brown in his favorite players if I allowed Celtics. Trade #2: Mugsy's MenThis is where it started to get more difficult. I could not trade for Steph or Russ because they can't be traded for a certain amount of time after signing an extension blah blah blah. Classic ESPN trying to screw Boston. Mugs is going to get two trades because, in an attempt to make him happy, I held onto Al Horford in this original deal but only came away with Embiid and Dunn. I didn't have much problem trading Kyrie because Mugsy is not his biggest fan. Starting 5: Kris Dunn, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid. And here we come down with everyone Mugsy Lopez wanted, but he had to part with Lou Merloni's favorite max contract guy "Average Al." Starting 5: Kris Dunn, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid. Trade #3" Austin's AthletesOk, first I have a few things to say about this Austin character. Where to start? How about the fact that Thundah and Mugsy responded in seconds. Austin didn't respond until the next day. When Thundah and Mugsy responded it came through blue as iMessages do. Austin text, which came through the next day, is that gross green color of non-iPhone users. Ugh why did I even ask him. Especially when, without any of you knowing this was a competition (hell, I didn't know it was a competition until maybe seven minutes ago) Austin is OF COURSE going to win. Thunds bought the Celtics 10 wins. Mugsy, in his best case scenario, cost the team two wins, and SMARTY PANTS AUSTIN OBVIOUSLY GETS THE TEAM 21 WINS. And on top of all of that, he gave me the most difficult players to work with. Can I get Harden? Nope, designated player. Steph? Designated player. Old man Dirk? No-trade clause. Paul George? Contract over. As I mentioned, he bought the Celtics 21 wins. But at what cost? He had to give up his boo, Al Horford, along with one of the two youngins, the whole freakin' bench, and he still comes away +21. Well, I guess while he lost a lot of the current bench players, he shifted Hayward to the bench so there's that. Starting 5: Kyrie Irving, Victor Oladipo, Gary Harris, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic *Is Gary Harris better than Gordon Hayward? Helllllll no. But Austin wanted him so I added him in the starting lineup. Trade #4: Sam's Stacked SquadNow it's my turn. And for me it's not about getting players I love. Gordon Hayward would have been on that list but now I don't need to go get him. No, for me it's about beating Austin. I need to find a trade that gets me +22 wins. I'll be back, give me a few minutes... That's right, baby!!! Pulled off the unthinkable! USA upsetting the Soviet Union! UMBC smashing Virginia! You can take your 21 wins and shove 'em, Aus! And I've got Hayward coming off the bench, too. AND I didn't deal Brown or Tatum!!
Starting 5: Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns *Fun fact, I actually got the Celtics up to +27. Instead of moving that load for Davis, I subbed in Hayward. But I wanted to keep Hayward because he's been my favorite player since he looked like a 12 year old in the National Championship. Seriously, though. Look at how Hayward has changed. Brady-esque. Guess who's back? Writing on here for the first time in almost exactly two years...let's get to it... When the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo they made it clear that they were prioritizing winning with Brady for next handful of years over extending this incredible run of excellence for possibly another decade plus. Now that the decision has been made, they cannot half-ass it. The Patriots have to do everything in their power to put the absolute best team around Brady, even if it means bad contracts that will hurt them in the long run. Nate Solder and Malcolm Butler are the two biggest names that are free agents this offseason. Butler will never play another snap for the New England Patriots. Nate Solder, on the other hand, will probably be a priority. When a 41 year old quarterback is dropping back to pass over 36 times a game, you need to make sure you have a solid offensive line to keep him upright. I am not a big fan of Solder. I view him as one of the most overrated players on the team, but the Pats probably would like him back, especially with LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming both free agents as well. Aside from Solder, you have to assume they will look to bring back one of those two swing tackles, Nate Ebner, Matthew Slater, Danny Amendola, and hopefully at least one of Dion Lewis and Sexy Rexy Burkhead. Now let's get into the fun stuff. There are going to be some big names that are most likely going to be cap casualties that the Patriots should target. We'll start with a replacement for Malcolm Butler. The Super Bowl made it pretty clear that despite being the fifth ranked scoring defense in the regular season, they were not a great defense, especially with Butler off the field. Stephon Gilmore had a very good season, but he needs somebody opposite him in the secondary. The two guys the Patriots MUST look to are old friend Aqib Talib or old foe Richard Sherman. Pair one of these guys with Gilmore and they should have the secondary they thought they were going to have last season with Butler. The next position to address, actually probably a bigger story than cornerback, is tight end. Will Rob Gronkowski be back next year? I think so. Regardless of the answer, though, I'm giving Jimmy Graham a call. While the offense had little problems last year, they are at best when there are two capable tight ends, something they haven't had since Aaron Hernandez was playing alongside Gronk. Graham would add a second high redzone threat for Brady. The defensive line actually is in better shape than many may think. Trey Flowers is excellent. Deatrich Wise looked good at times in 2017. Derek Rivers, who didn't play a snap in the regular season due to injury, looked good in preseason and should be back. On the interior of the line, Malcom Brown and Lawrence Guy both played well while Ricky Jean Francois even played meaningful snaps late in the year. However, you can never have enough talent on the line. Muhammad Wilkerson has been cut by the Jets and while he seems like the anti-Patriots, they should take a look at him. This is what I meant when I said the need to go all in and not half-ass it. Go after the best players available. Win another for Brady. Another name they could look at is Vinny Curry who would most likely come cheaper than Wilkerson. Basically what this comes down to is the Patriots need to spend some money. Yes, they spent money last offseason with the Gilmore splash, but they cannot stop there and overtime a big name is released, the Patriots must be linked to them. They need to be in win now mode and spend the money to do so. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news With the Patriots getting a second round pick in the trade with the Arizona Cardinals, it looks like it is time to do another mock draft! Let's jump right in... *Disclaimer: I do not expect the Patriots to make all 11 picks, but since there are no trades in this version of Fanspeak's On the Clock, we will select 11 players. Pick 2:29 (60) - Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame What a fantastic pick. Fuller is one of the best receivers in the draft. The only knock I have on him is that I wish he was a few inches taller. Fuller can be the outside receiver that the Patriots still lack. He is the fastest guy in the draft, can go deep, and create separation. Teach him to catch more with the hands than the body and you could have a great receiver. Pick 2:30 (61) - Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama The Heisman Trophy winner comes to New England with the pick that the team got back in return for Jones. Henry is a big back that can take a little time to get going, something we've grown sick of seeing with LeGarrette Blount. However, I have been down on Alabama running backs in the past and it's tough to complain about what Eddie Lacy and Mark Ingram have done in the NFL. Trent Richardson, not so much. Pick 3:29 (92) - Austin Hooper, TE, Stanford Stanford and Notre Dame pump out tight ends like nobody's business. Hooper will just be the next one to be drafted early in the NFL draft. Hooper can be the move TE that the Patriots have lacked since Hernandez...you know...killed three people. He has good hands, is a good route runner, and is very good after the catch. HEY BILL I LIKE THIS GUY DRAFT HIM. Pick 3:34 (97) - C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame I believe Prosise has the chance to be the best running back in this draft. Ok, Zek Elliot is a damn good back, but Prosise is a wicked sleeper. He can catch the ball (was a wide receiver at Notre Dame) and can run between the tackles. For those who know me, what I'm about to say is pretty big. Prosise could become the new Gio Bernard for me. Not that Gio is going anywhere. He's always going to be one of my favorite players. But Prosise could join him in my heart. Pick 4:29 (128) - Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota Murray may be one of the more underrated defensive backs in this draft. He's got good speed, can play press coverage, off, and zone. If he develops correctly, he can take over opposite Malcolm Butler and push Logan Ryan to the slot. He is a physical defensive back and loves to hit the ball carrier, something we have seen out of Butler as well. Not all corners like to tackle. Bill could have two very good tacklers at corner. Murray is absolutely a guy I would like to see in New England. Pick 6:21 (197) - D.J. Reader, DT, Clemson The Patriots lost both Sealver Siliga and Akiem Hicks this offseason. While they still have Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Dominique Easley, they could use another depth piece. Reader is described as a very athletic player who did not break out at Clemson. If Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia could get him to his peak, they could have a steal late in the draft. Pick 6:33 (209) - Fahn Cooper, T, Ole Miss The longer we go in the offseason the more I'm convinced that both Marcus Cannon and Cameron Fleming will be here next year. Fleming at least is making peanuts. Cannon needs to at least take a haircut. Anyway, with them sticking around, it becomes slightly less likely that a tackle is drafted (even though I believe they do still draft one). Cooper has good size and scouts believe that he can jump inside to guard if needed. Bill loves versatility. Pick 6:39 (215) - Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio St.
"WHAT?! Cardale Jones?!?! The Patriots don't need a quarterback!!" Or do they? Tom Brady got his extension which actually has him under contract longer than Jimmy Garoppolo. So, Garoppolo could become expendable. If he is dealt, they would need a backup quarterback. Jones showed some potential as a third stringer thrust into action when he led his team to the National Championship two years ago. He's got a great arm. Could he be legit in the NFL? Who knows, but this late in the draft, why not take a shot on him. But he'd have to change his number. Hope he's cool with that. Pick 6:46 (222) - Nick Kwiatkoski, ILB, West Virginia With Mayo retiring, the Patriots could use a little depth at linebacker. Kwiatkoski used to be a safety, so we once again have versatility. He is a solid tackler and has good coverage skills, probably developed in time at safety. A very instinctive linebacker, Kwiatkoski could be Belichick's kind of guy. Pick 7:22 (244) - Glenn Gronkowski, FB, Kansas St. I'm looking at Gronk as a flexible player more than just a fullback. The Patriots just re-signed James Develin so the fullback position is not currently hiring. But the Gronkowski family is full of athletes, so I'm sure they could find a spot for Baby Gronk. Pick 7:29 (251) - Keenan Reynolds, RB, Navy I would prefer to list Reynolds as "athlete" instead of a "running back." He was a quarterback at Navy and is enough of an athlete to take a flyer on late in the draft. Plus, with Belichick's ties to Navy, it is extremely possible that he actually is brought into New England. Click here to view the draft in its entirety. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news While talking with Austin and Thundah about the Boston Celtics and what they could do at the trade deadline, the word "dink" was thrown around a lot. It was warranted, as we were talking about Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins, but that got us thinking...who are the top five dinks in the NBA. This quickly turned into a All-Dink starting five. Here's what we came up with... PG - Rajon Rondo This was so easy. Rondo did the impossible and made the assist a selfish stat. He also grew so hated in his short time in Dallas that the Mavs made up an injury so he would not participate in the playoffs. They got sick of him really quickly. SG - Carmelo Anthony When a player hits free agency, they usually have two options. They can stay with their current team and make as much money as possible, or they can go elsewhere, take less money, and if they do that it is usually because they want to be on a winning team. Anthony stayed with the Knicks, a dismal team, but did not even take the full max contract. He took less money to stay with the Knicks. It comes down to he just loves New York and would rather stay there, on a terrible team, than go somewhere and win. SF - Josh Smith Here is a timeline I found to explain how loved Josh Smith is...
PF - DeMarcus Cousins Dink? Yes. Dink that I want to play for the Celtics? Absolutely. Let's start with a quick timeline for Cousins as well...
C - Dwight Howard It was like watching a game on ping pong when following Howard's preferences when in Orlando. One day he wanted to be traded, the next day he wanted to stay with the Magic. Then he'd want to be moved again. Then he'd say he loves Orlando. When he was in Los Angeles, on an absolutely stacked team, he was upset that he wasn't getting the ball enough because some guy named Kobe was shooting too much. He has seen eight coaches fired on teams that he's been a part of. And some of those teams were absolutely filthy, like the Lakers team he got Mike D'Antonio fired from. They had a starting five of Steve Nash, Kobe, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, and Howard. That's insane. They made the playoffs but were immediately swept by the Spurs. Is there anybody else you would have included on the All-Dink Team? Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news Alright, now that I have your attention, let's play a little game. I am going to take a story that recently was released that did not get any national attention and make a few minor changes in it. Actually, the only change that I'm going to make will be the name of the person who the story is about. Then try to imagine what the national media would be saying...
According to a report, Tom Brady had HGH shipments addressed to his wife sent to his house in 2011. HGH can help those suffering from injuries to recover faster. Its use is illegal in the NFL. That is the same year that Brady missed the entire season due to multiple neck surgeries that he was told may keep him out of football for the remainder of his career. Charlie Sly of the Guyer Institute was captured on hidden camera saying that the Brady household was sent shipments of HGH. Ari Fleischer was hired by Brady to help with the public relations. He confirmed that drugs were sent to Brady's house from the Guyer Institute. After these allegations, Brady hired private investigators to pay a visit to the house of Charlie Sly. These two men showed up at Sly's parent's house and falsely identified themselves as law enforcement, as reported in the 911 call that Sly's sister placed while these two men were speaking with her parents. Let's step back and take a quick look at this. It looks as if Brady has 1) had an illegal substance sent to his house, 2) tried to cover it up by having it sent to his house under his wife's name, and 3) sent a pair of men to Sly's house to intimidate him and his family. Wow. That's a crazy story. Now, I'm sure you all know this is actually the story that ties Peyton Manning to HGH. If you compare it to all of the Deflategate news that came out, it is actually quite similar. Brady/the Patriots were suspected of doing something that is banned by the NFL. They attempted to hide it by sneakily doing it in the bathroom and Brady destroying his phone. They didn't intimidate anybody, though. So the Manning camp took it a step further. Furthermore, HGH is more so getting a competitive advantage than taking some air out of the footballs. Now let's tackle a few more points. First, can we compare HGH to ball deflation and the integrity of the game? Well, apparently we can, as it was actually Roger Goodell who ridiculously compared the two while trying to bury Brady. Second, is having a banned substance shipped to your house enough evidence to come down on a guy? Again, apparently so. Rodney Harrison was suspended after it was discovered that shipments were sent to his house. Just because Manning used his wife's name doesn't mean that it wasn't for him. And the date that it was sent is the same time he was having all these surgeries. A little suspicious. The NFL and the national media are doing everything they can to ignore the facts. The facts point to Manning having taken HGH to come back from a serious injury. There is actually more evidence than there was against Brady and the Patriots. However, Brady is still getting buried. He was booed during his introduction as Super Bowl MVP at Super Bowl 50. That was supposed to be a celebration of the history of the game. Nobody should have been booed. He wasn't even in the game. Manning, on the other hand, has continued to skate. It's not about the fact that Manning probably took HGH. It's the media attention that it is getting, or lack there of. I don't care if he took them. I don't care if the Patriots stuck a needle in a football. I just want people to look at it as an unbiased observer and realize that what happened to Brady and what is not happening to Manning is absolutely absurd. If you try to tell me that if these HGH allegations were against Brady that the media attention would be the same, then you are totally delusional. Disclaimer: This was written prior to the New York Daily News article that came out this past weekend. However, nothing has changed. Actually, my point is more clear than ever. There hasn't been much reported on the story, at least compared to the deflation of footballs.
Alright, so here's the deal. I love doing mock drafts. If you have an idea of what positions you'd like to see the Patriots draft, and how early you'd like to see them drafted, please leave a comment, tweet me @SamPericolo and I will create a mock draft for the Patriots, or any team that you'd like to see, custom to what you want to see. In this situation, Jeff Kane (@BostonFatGuy -- check him out on ESPN New Hampshire) requested a mock that would have the Patriots grab two running backs, a wide receiver, a tackle, a cornerback, and a tight end. I was not told which positions to draft early, so I just went with it. It would have been nice to grab a tackle earlier than the 7th round, but there were not a ton of prospects that were worth the earlier pick at the time.
Pick 2:29 - Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama I'm not too sure about Henry. He had a monster season, winning the Heisman Trophy, but I am not sold. Plus, as we have seen in the past, Heisman winners do not always translate to the NFL. He is a bigger back, and I do not mean bigger like LeGarrette Blount (who CBS Sports used as a comparison to Henry...ewwwww), I mean bigger as in he's 6'2". He looks like he runs upright to me, but that could just be because he is so tall. Pick 3:29 - CJ Prosise, RB, Notre Dame LOVE LOVE LOVE Promise. He's a very versatile back; he actually played wide receiver before making the switch to back for his senior season. That means he could truly be a pass catching back. However, he also has the power to get through contact and speed to get downfield. He could be a serious sleeper in this draft. CHEER CHEER FOR OLD NOTRE DAME. Pick 4:29 - Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State Excuse me...THE Ohio State University. Miller is another guy who changed positions. He was a quarterback before becoming a wide receiver, and a damn good one at that, for his senior year. He did not put up huge numbers (26/341/3), but has impressed scouts recently. Will he be there late in the fourth? Probably not. But he is here, so the Patriots will take him, thank you very much.
Pick 6:21 - Deiondre Hall, CB, Northern Iowa
Hall is projected to go in the second or third round by CBS Sports, but there are plenty of guys that just keep falling come draft day. Maybe Hall slips a few rounds. At 6'2", Hall would be the biggest cornerback on the field for the Patriots. He has excellent ball skills and, like just about everybody else in this draft, is versatile. He played both safety and corner during his time at Northern Iowa. Pick 7:22 - Glenn Gronkowski, FB, Kansas State Alright, so I cheated a little big. But hey, Gronk can probably play tight end. In addition to his ground game, he's a very good receiver and blocker, something the Patriots love (and need). Plus, everybody say it with me now, He's a versatile player! Pick 7:29 - Pearce Slater, OT, San Diego State Ugh, I know. I didn't want to wait until the 7th to take a tackle, either. However, I didn't see any great value picks at tackle while every other pick looked like very good value at a position of need. With only six draft picks (for now), the Patriots can have some fun with undrafted free agents. Tackle isn't usually a position that you see people come into the league undrafted and have a good career, but not many quarterbacks are drafted in the 6th round and go onto win four Super Bowls. Not many quarterbacks are drafted in the 7th round and go onto be Pro Bowl wide receivers. Catch my drift? Bill can find a diamond in the rough. Tweet me @SamPericolo with any positions or players you'd like to see any team target and I'll do a mock draft for that team. For the entire mock draft, click here. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news Alright, so in the past week, I have not avoided sports talk radio. Yes, I'm upset that the Pats lost, but it has been bearable to listen to. That is, when the smart people are on the radio. There have been some callers who are just so dumb that I wonder if they have calendar alerts to remind them to breathe. Here are some of the worst things I've heard said in the past week.
Stephen Gostkowski is not to blame. Ummmmm, what? Yes, the extra point was missed early in the game and they had plenty of time to overcome it. However, this was a defensive battle, so every point matters. And if I missed the memo that said first half points are unimportant, can somebody please send that to me? While I am not saying that Gostkowski is entirely to blame, to give him a pass because he missed it early in the game is idiotic. If he made that extra point, the Patriots would not have needed to go for two and a point after would have tied it up. And I don't know about you guys, but if that game went to overtime, I was confident that the Patriots would pull off the W. Speaking of Gostkowski, there was more idiocy being spewed about the kicking game. There are some people that believe Bill Belichick did not send Gostkowski out there to kick on 4th and one with six minutes to go because he did not trust him. Did those people watch the game? Bill sent him out there for two field goals after the missed point after, including a 46 yarder. The missed PAT had nothing to do with that decision. They were just not sure if they were going to get down the field again. Let's stick to with the kicking game. That seems to be the area where everybody went full blown stupid on us. I said at the six minute mark that the team should take the points. I understand their reasoning, but I would have kicked the field goal. However, people have said if they kicked all field goals on all three trips down the field they would have won. I would have kicked on 4th and one. Even if he made it, I am not sure I would have kicked it with two minutes to go. That very well could be your last time down the field. With six minutes to go, you should have another possession. With two minutes, you just don't know. There was no way they could have expected to be down there again. Short, not so sweet, and to the point. The people who have said these things give Patriots fans a bad name. It's tough being so knowledgeable about the sport and having to educate the rest of the world. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news What has it been, seven days since the season ended? Well, I'm still sick thinking about that game, so let's all summon our inner Bill Belichick...we're onto next season. Now, as you may know, I LOVE the NFL Draft. Reading about the prospects, making my own mock drafts, all of it. It is one of my favorite events of the year. So, in my opinion, it is never too early to start doing mock drafts. For this mock draft, I am using Fanspeak.com's On the Clock draft tool. It's an awesome application that I would highly suggest checking out. (And those are actually my thoughts on it...I am not on their payroll or anything.) I used Bleacher Report's Matt Miller's big board for this one. You'll see me use the On the Clock draft tool a lot during draft season. Ok, here we go... Pick 2:29 - Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh We all know the Patriots lost their first round pick after the league took it away because they do not understand science. Had there been a first round pick to play with, I would have taken a look at OT Shon Coleman, WRs Will Fuller, Josh Doctson, and Corey Coleman, and even an OLB in Noah Spence. Well, there wasn't. No need to cry over spilled air, time to move on. The Patriots take a 6'2" receiver. There's a lot to like about Boyd. He has good speed, is very versatile as he can line up anywhere, and he catches with his hands, not his body, which is a huge plus in my book. There are some negatives...he was charged with a DUI last year and, a football negative, at least for the Patriots, he is not a proven downfield threat. However, with his speed and athleticism, that could be something that he learns in New England. Pick 3:29 - Kyle Murphy, OT, Stanford The Patriots need another tackle. Sebastian Vollmer is no spring chicken, Marcus Cannon and Cam Fleming will likely soon be unemployed, and LaAdrian Waddle is a free agent, although I expect them to retain him. Murphy has very good size, played at one of the best teams in the country, and is very good in pass protection, which is what the Patriots would be looking for out of the tackle position. The interior line looks like it could be pretty good for many years to come, but tackle needs some work. Murphy would step in as the third tackle, and might even work his way up the depth chart to further the youth movement on the line. Pick 4:29 - Max Tuerk, C, USC Yes, I know I just said that the interior line looks like it is pretty good. However, you can never have enough offensive line help, as we saw this year. Plus, Ryan Wendell is a free agent and will be 30 for the 2016 season. Offensive linemen don't play forever. Tuerk can come in as depth help on the interior line, but has the size to play tackle as well. Can he play tackle? Who knows, but it's not like you're wasting a first round pick on a guy that might be able to play tackle. End of the fourth round seems like a good time to take a very good center, and perhaps another tackle if the Patriots would like to try him out there. Pick 6:21 - Cyrus Jones, CB, Alabama The biggest knock against Jones is his size. Can he play at the next level at 5'9"? Well, Chris Harris is 5'10" and is a great cornerback. If Jones can make the transition, he is exactly what the Patriots need on defense. A slot cornerback is really all they are missing. Justin Coleman played well at times, but did not stand out. Jones was the best cornerback on one of the best defenses in the country. If he drops because of his size, the Patriots should absolutely scoop him up and work him in as their third corner. If Logan Ryan can carry his exceptional play over to next season, they will have a very good secondary with those two, and clear number one corner Malcolm Butler. Pick 7:22 - Glenn Gronkowski, FB, Kansas St. Don't you want to see this again? I do. Pick 7:29 - Antonio Morrison, OLB, Florida Morrison is an interesting prospect. CBS Sports' scouting report has him projected to go in the sixth round, but says he is top 40 talent if he is healthy and his medical records are positive. He suffered a knee injury that had a timetable of 10-12 months for recovery. He came back in six months. That's insane. So he clearly is a physical freak and has the work ethic that every team desires. If he could come into Foxboro and remain healthy, he would be a great replacement for Mayo and add to an already impressive linebacking team with Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower. But if he is healthy, he won't make it this far. However, if he's still available, he's well worth the risk late in the seventh round. Click here to view the entire mock draft. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest sports talk and news |
SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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