Fans of the New England Patriots were hoping that for once, the team would keep their first round pick. Well, that is exactly what they did, and some fans are still bitter over the selection that Patriots made at 29. Dominique Easley, a defensive lineman out of Florida, was the named called late on Thursday night. My initial reaction was the same as many others; why in the world would the Patriots draft ANOTHER injury-prone player. Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola are always hurt, Julian Edelman only just played his first full NFL season, and the anchors of the defensive line, Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, are both coming off season-ending injuries. They are supposed to be trying to win now, why chance that with an injury risk? Friday I thought about the pick all day. Yes, I’m that big of a draft nerd. I watch every second of the draft, watch film on prospects, and think about picks for hours on end. Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Easley is an exceptional player. If it had not been for those ACL tears, he would have no doubt been a top ten pick. That is the kind of risk I want to see the team take. When you get into the late first round, even in a draft as deep as this one was, there is a degree of risk being taken with any player anyway. If he is healthy, the Patriots may have landed an Ndamukong Suh-esque player. Suh was the second overall pick of the draft in 2010. I will take that talent any day. Easley may not been the super power that Suh was coming out of Nebraska, but he is a similar player. He is not your typical defensive lineman. At only 6’1”, 288 pounds, Easley is an undersized defensive tackle. However, he may represent the new norm at the position. With the league becoming a pass-happy league, players who can get after the quarterback are at a premium. If you can put pressure on the quarterback from the inside, as well as the edge, that is a formula for success on defense. Easley played 32 games in his career at Florida, recording 72 tackles, 18 of them for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. He led the team in sacks in 2012 and before a torn ACL ended his season, Easley was well on his way to becoming an All-American. He can havoc in the backfield, as proven in his short season in 2013. He recorded two tackles for losses in his three games and drew three holding penalties against the Miami Hurricanes. If Easley can stay healthy, he should continue his dominance at the next level.
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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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