By now I think I must’ve changed my mind about
Jace Amaro somewhere in the low 90s. Is he a star waiting to happen? Is he just a poor man’s Mike Evans? And I wonder why the pigskin
cognoscenti seem to believe Bill Belichick would give up a 1st round
pick for Ra’Shede Hageman, aka Albert Haynesworth 2.0? Do they all hate the
Patriots that much? Is this wishful thinking on their part? God I hope
Belichick trades down.
So, it’s a deep draft. Maybe you heard. The deepest in a decade.
Hard to miss in a target-rich environment. Can you imagine if you’re the GM who
doesn’t kill this draft? Man, that would be a junk punch from the big right
hand of fate. And not just for you. Who’s the GM in Cleveland? I’ve got my
money on him, whoever he is, because Cleveland is built on an Indian grave
yard. Or there’s a gypsy curse involved somehow. Or a goat. Anyway, I can’t
stop reading mock drafts. And thanks to Matt Miller’s NFL Draft Big Board 2014 on Bleacher
Report, I’m going to put my wish list together one more time…
Unless something clinically insane happens in the
1st round and Teddy Bridgewater is available at #29 – What am I
saying? Even if Bridgewater is available at #29, I’d rather give up a 7th
round pick for Cornell’s 6’4” QB Jeff
Mathews. Why? Because he’s 6’4” and because he was smart enough to go to
Cornell. (I am troubled by the lack of the second t in Mathews but that’s
probably just me.) Mathews will be cheap and the Patriots will have a year
(with Ryan Mallet backing up Brady in 2014) to see if he’ll be ready when Brady
retires.
If Johnny Manziel is available at #29, I would
expect Belichick to get five picks in a trade.
You Need to Run the
Football…
I’ve toyed with the possibility that Belichick
would go widdershins and take RB Carlos Hyde at #29. A good running
game only makes Tom Brady better. If Belichick does pick Hyde at #29 I will nod
slowly and mutter “Bill Fuckin’ Belichick. Genius. Pigskin Genius.” I will
imagine Hyde as a combination of Curtis Martin and Corey Dillon. My inner child
will be weeping, of course, as he imagines Hyde as the next Trent Richardson.
But that’s not going to happen.
I like Stanford RB Tyler
Gaffney with a Day 3 pick. He played in a pro set in college so he should
have some blitz pick-up and pass catching skills. He’s a big boy, too, weighing
in at 220 pounds.
Ninja Tom Needs More
Throwing Stars…
Sadly even one as delusional as I cannot imagine a
scenario in which Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans fall to #29. So I need to let
that go. I do. I will. I’ve been telling myself the Patriots have plenty of
talent on the roster with Edelman, Amendola, Dobson, Thompkins and Boyce. And
they have more pressing needs. Still, after Devin
McCourty’s endorsement of his fellow Rutgers alum WR Brandon Coleman I couldn’t help but take a
look. The first thing I noticed was the fact that Coleman’s head wouldn’t be in
the frame if he took a group picture with the current Patriots receiving corps.
You can’t coach 6’6”. And, yeah, he’s tall. Okay, that and Rutgers is all I
got.
I’d be pretty happy with Penn State WR Allen Robinson, even if he is only 6’2”.
Robinson played for former Pats OC Bill O’Brien so there’s a good chance he
won’t have a problem with the playbook. He does have tiny hands.
And yes, I’m still irrationally attached to
Florida State wideout Kelvin Benjamin. Huge upside. Which is
code for “bust potential.” As big as a tight end, Benjamin could be a better
bet as the replacement for Aaron Hernandez than Jace Amaro.
Gronk Insurance…
I’m not as worried about replacing Aaron Hernandez
(unless it’s with Kelvin Benjamin) as much as I’m worried about the lack of a
credible backup for Rob Gronkowski. Admittedly, Gronk is sui generis; there’s
no one exactly like him. But maybe
the Patriots can find a player who’s somewhat
like him.
I’d be happy with either Troy
Niklas or C.J.
Fiedorowicz but I don’t think Belichick will reach for either one of them
at #29 and they may not be around at #60. Perhaps Belichick trades out of the 1st
round (shocking, I know) and picks up one of these two early in the 2nd.
Taking Offense…
I’m hoping Ryan Wendell and Dan Connolly return to
their 2012 form but based on their 2013 performance and Logan Mankins age, a
G/C pick on Day 2 (if not Day 1) seems likely. Let’s face it, most of us have no
idea who these guys are; I’ve got to take the word of the draft gurus on these
guys. If pressed, I’m going to look for a kid from Wisconsin
or an SEC
school.
I’ve already said I’d be happy with the safe if unsexy
pick of Xavier
Su’a-Filo at #29 if Trader Bill stays put. I’d probably be even happier
with David
Yankey in the 2nd round.
Odds and Ends…
Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich need some help
and recent free agent pickup Will Smith is hardly a long-term solution. 33 and coming
off ACL surgery, Smith may not even be the short-term solution. I’m hoping
Michael Buchanan can build on his uneven rookie season and put together some
productive snaps in 2014 and maybe that happens. But if Kony Ealy
or Dee
Ford is available at #29 I hope I hear their name called by Roger Goodell.
Ealy had the best 3-Cone Drill time – and Bill Belichick loves him some 3-Cone
Drill. He may be a bit undersized for the prototypical Belichick DE but I look
at Ford and can’t help but think of Terrell Suggs.
I’ve seen small school phenom Larry
Webster (upside!) mocked to the Pats in the 7th round but part
of me hopes New England picks up Stanford’s Ben
Gardner as an undrafted free agent and Gardner makes the final 53 so every
time I see him on the field I can say, “That’s Ben Gardner’s
boat!”
That’s probably just me.
Outliers…
Ryan
Shazier, anyone? I suppose you could do a lot worse than the Big 10’s
leading tackler. Seems to fit that hybrid Strong Safety/Linebacker spot that
Belichick has been trying to fill – unsuccessfully – for years. Depending on
the recommendation from FOB Urban Meyer and how the 1st round plays
out, Shazier could go to the Pats at #29.
Meh.
Maybe.
I thought this was supposed to be a deep draft?
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