Draft Predictions Gone Horribly Wrong.
Drama! Talk about wow. I look away from the board, and everybody has gone crazy. The Patriots acquire the 21st pick from the Bengals and the 25th from the Broncos. They have two remaining picks, both their second rounders. They give their 3rd to Cincy, and 4th to Denver.
Belichick finally trades up to get a pass rusher. He gets one of the most versatile ends in the draft. Belichick siezed the opportunity to get a guy that can do it all. Chandler Jones (at 21) will be constant threat to QBs because of his unpredictability. Since he projects to be proficient in all three aspects of his game (pass rush, pass coverage, and run defense). Oh yeah, at 6'5" 250 lbs, he is just the right size to fill some Seymour-sized shoes.
Also, Dont'a Hightower (at 25) managed to slip past the Steelers, and Belichick grabs the next best defensive player on the board. Hightower's place on the defense will probably be ever-expanding, but he will contribute immediately in a variety of roles. I think the passing league puts a premium on solid linebacker play versus the run and the pass. Hightower grades highly as a two-way player, and brings explosive potential when blitzing. He's too good to pass up because he can play inside and outside.
The front seven is so versatile right now, it will be very difficult to identify pressure packages. This should help the secondary to look less foolish. Some young blood couldn't hurt.
Unfortunately, the Vikings grabbed Harrison Smith at #29. I would have loved to see the Patriots get some top talent help on the back end of the defense too, but I am pleased with the picks that were made. I expect them to take a CB in the second round, and make another trade. We shall see.
Belichick finally trades up to get a pass rusher. He gets one of the most versatile ends in the draft. Belichick siezed the opportunity to get a guy that can do it all. Chandler Jones (at 21) will be constant threat to QBs because of his unpredictability. Since he projects to be proficient in all three aspects of his game (pass rush, pass coverage, and run defense). Oh yeah, at 6'5" 250 lbs, he is just the right size to fill some Seymour-sized shoes.
Also, Dont'a Hightower (at 25) managed to slip past the Steelers, and Belichick grabs the next best defensive player on the board. Hightower's place on the defense will probably be ever-expanding, but he will contribute immediately in a variety of roles. I think the passing league puts a premium on solid linebacker play versus the run and the pass. Hightower grades highly as a two-way player, and brings explosive potential when blitzing. He's too good to pass up because he can play inside and outside.
The front seven is so versatile right now, it will be very difficult to identify pressure packages. This should help the secondary to look less foolish. Some young blood couldn't hurt.
Unfortunately, the Vikings grabbed Harrison Smith at #29. I would have loved to see the Patriots get some top talent help on the back end of the defense too, but I am pleased with the picks that were made. I expect them to take a CB in the second round, and make another trade. We shall see.
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ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, a rushing front 7 will obliquely take the emphasis off of the secondary, but I'm inclined to think that the pass rush--while necessary--has become slightly overrated; when analysts reference teams with tepid defenses, the idea of "getting a pass rusher" usually means the stopgap to fix the defense in the short term without fully restructuring the secondary.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the Patriots' secondary does look good (when healthy). It's a shame about Harrison Smith, but I don't think it's that great a loss: if signing Steve Gregory meant anything, it's that the natural secondary configuration with a tight/pass rush front 7 would be a pair of free safeties who can roam as they read the offense.
I see Bill going for a SS/FS who isn't well-known later in the draft so he can groom him as necessary. While it's cool to see him trade up for day 1 impact players (so the Bills think they have a great DL?), I'm just surprised that he would do so in a draft where he has fewer picks than he's had in the past, i.e. times when it's made the most sense to trade up. It's possible he's just going for broke this draft and trading to get what he wants instead of testing the waters (which would make sense, as this FA period seems to have followed 2006/7's FA period of win now, just look at Donte Stallworth).
The real shame about the first round is Bruce Irvin. Not because he's a bad payer, so much as it's what happens when you put Pete Carroll in the driver's seat.