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
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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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