Early Mockery

Hey, it's not like I've got the answers but I do have plenty of questions…

I took a second or third look at the Patriots Mock Tracker this morning and this is what I found…

Mel Kiper, Jr. – Devin Funchess, WR (Michigan)

Kiper's heart seems to be in the right place (e.g., Brady needs weapons!) but I'd expect he might go back to his previous mock selection of Sammie Coats, the WR from Auburn in his next update after Funchess' disastrous Combine. I think he'd be wrong on both counts as I'm not really sold on Coats, either. Funchess may develop into an Anquan Bolden-type receiver in 2-3 years so if you're making this pick for Jimmy Garoppolo it makes a little more sense. But not by much.

I really don't get the allure of a converted tight end who played in a mediocre college spread offense. I'm far more intrigued by what Tim Wright could be after a full year in the program. And to be clear, I'm not expecting Tim Wright to make the leap to something like Shannon Sharpe just because he's had a full year in the program. I only expect him to be a little bit better – okay, I'd like to see him double his numbers from 2014 – than what we saw last year. A gun to my head, I'd bet the mortgage on Tim Wright making the leap over Devin Funchess becoming a star in the NFL.

Unless the Patriots trade up to get Amari Cooper (or Dorial Green-Beckham falls to #32), don't look for a wide receiver in the 1st round.

Lance Zierlein and DraftTek also project Funchess to New England. All of these people (and that includes Mel Kiper, Jr.) are now dead to me.

Todd McShay – Carl Davis, DT (Iowa)

Inconsistent effort? Doesn't really sound like a prototypical Patriot. McShay notes Davis was a stud at the Senior Bowl and there is the Belichick connection to Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz so the Pats should know exactly what they'd be getting with Davis. I do like the Patriots to look at the defensive line here. Whether it's this year or the next, New England needs to make plans for life without Vince Wilfork. The elite d-linemen will likely be taken in the first 20-25 picks and it seems unlikely Davis – sputtering motor and all – will fall to #32.

As with wide receiver, unless someone unexpectedly falls to a point where Belichick would entertain a trade up, our best hope at defensive tackle for 2015 is for Wilfork to re-work his contract to a more cap-friendly number.

Rob Rang – Quinten Rollins, CB (Miami of Ohio)

Rollins was a basketball player (and no, he isn't 6' 6" or even 6' 1", he's 5' 11") who played one year of football in the MAC. He did intercept 7 passes and was "the most impressive defensive back at the Senior Bowl" but even if New England fails to strike a deal with Darrelle Revis, this is a head scratcher. Is Rollins really a better prospect than practice squadder Daxton Swanson?

Josh Norris also puts Rollins name on the Patriots 1st round card. Wait-What? A Quinten Rollins folie a deux?

Dane Brugler – A.J. Cann, OG (South Carolina)

A.J. Cann is becoming a familiar name to Pats' fans. He fits the need to upgrade the interior offensive line and we all know how much New England likes team captains so his name has been coming up a lot in pigskin pundits and bobbleheads "possible Patriots" posts. It's also been said that his only position is left guard which runs counter to the Patriots love of positional flexibility.

I wonder if the Patriots would be more likely to wait till rounds 2, 3, 4 and target one (or more) of Bryon Stork's former teammates from Florida State (like Tre' Jackson and/or Bobby Hart). Given the importance of communication on the offensive line, putting another former Seminole next to Stork has some inherent appeal.

If Dante Scarnecchia signs off on A.J. Cann then I'm all in.

Matt LaPan also has Cann playing in Foxborough next year.

Pat Kirwan – Arik Armstead, DE (Oregon)

Kirwan seems to believe Belichick is more likely to trade out of the 1st round for more picks in the 2nd and 3rd (really going out on a limb there). Armstead sounds a lot like Dion Jordan, another tall, athletic DE from Oregon who spent the last two years underperforming for the Miami Dolphins. With Zach Moore and Michael Buchanan already in the developmental pipeline, I don't know if  Armstead would even be on my big board. If the only choices are Armstead or trading down, I'd definitely trade down for more picks.

Bucky Brooks also projects Armstead to New England. I never really liked Brooks work. Now I'm sure I hate this pick!

Daniel Jeremiah – Cameron Erving, C (Florida State)

I like this pick, assuming Erving can play guard. Based on his profile, he seems to project best as a center in the pros and New England has that position covered with Stork and Ryan Wendell so does this pick make sense? Well, Erving did record the top time for offensive linemen in the 3-cone drill and we know Bill Belichick loves the 3-cone drill.

Chris Burke also has Erving joining the Patriots. Is Burke the guy who wrote that Belichick was able to cheat on coaches challenges because he could see some big screen TV out in the parking lot? What? Michael Rosenberg? That guy is an idiot.

Charles Davis – Trae Waynes, CB (Michigan State)

Another pick based on the assumption Darrelle Revis will be playing elsewhere in 2015. (Yeah. Right.) Waynes is a much better prospect than Quinten Rollins (above) but have we given up on Logan Ryan? Is Malcolm Butler a one-trick pony? (I'm saying No and No.) Besides, Davis' profile makes him sound like more of a replacement for Devin McCourty than for Revis and I'm not willing to go there quite yet.

Peter Schrager – Hau'oli Kikaha, DE (Washington)

An undersized pass-rush specialist with two ACL injuries! Okay, I can see why mockers could project a luxury pick like Kikaha to the Super Bowl champs and it isn't like Bill Belichick hasn't used a 1st round pick on a player with two ACL injuries before. Maybe Kikaha turns into a Von Miller-type player at the next level. Maybe he's on IR by Week 10 of his rookie year. 

Ourlads.com – Nate Orchard, DE/OLB (Utah)

A pro-sized pass-rush specialist without two ACL injuries! Orchard doesn't have a long and storied curriculum vitae (one-year starter) but he reportedly performed well at the Senior Bowl. His weakness as a run defender would be a big deal if anybody actually ran the ball in the NFL.

Before the combine, Orchard was a Day 3 pick. Now he's being taken by the Patriots at the end of the 1st round? I'm getting a strong Shea McClellin vibe here which is really harshing my buzz.

Scott Wright – Todd Gurley, RB (Georgia)

He's been compared to Marshawn Lynch as a game-changing workhorse if Marshawn Lynch was coming off an ACL injury. Gurley may not be 100% until 2016 at the earliest. Looks like a luxury pick with LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden and Tyler Gaffney already on the roster. If Gurley were to drop all the way to that #64 pick in the 2nd round I'd be delighted but at #32 I'd immediately be looking at who they could've drafted instead of Gurley.

Having said that…

My perception is that Belichick uses the draft for the future (and free agency for the here and now) so depending on what the New England medical staff has to say about Gurley's knee, this could turn out to be one of those predictably unpredictable draft picks by Belichick.

WalterFootball.com – Devin Smith, WR (Ohio State)

Intriguing. This pick would tell us everything we need to know about Aaron Dobson's future with the Patriots (as in, there is none). There's the Urban Meyer connection here so Belichick would certainly know what he's getting. Smith averaged 28.2 yards per catch in 2014. (Averaged!) NFL Comparison on his profile is DeSean Jackson. Yes, please!

I will say I'd feel better about Smith if he was taken in the middle of the 2nd round after Belichick trades out of the 1st.

It's just somebody's opinion, man, but that DeSean Jackson comp is hard to ignore.  

Lou Pickney – Dorial Green-Beckham, WR (Oklahoma)

Yeah, I'd do this. As with Smith, I'd feel better about the risk/reward ratio if Green-Beckham was picked with an extra 2nd round pick obtained in a trade out of the 1st but I'd hate to watch the Patriots let the next Dez Bryant get away if –

Wait a minute!

Okay.

Deep. Breath.

I'm getting caught up in that whole "Tom needs weapons" thing. Maybe I should consider the fit for players like Smith and Green-Beckham with Brady and Josh McDaniels' offense. I think Brady's issues with the deep ball are a bit overblown but it's obvious TB12's strength is his short game. I'm thinking here of my own critique of Miami signing WR Mike Wallace because he was such a poor compliment to QB Ryan Tannehill's skillset as a quarterback (again, pretty good short game but a little short off the tee) so perhaps I should heed my own advice.

There's also the obvious fact there must be a sub-sub-sub-paragraph in Belichick's deal with the Devil that specifies a high bust rate for wide receiver draft picks. Offensive guard? Not mentioned.

Jamie Newberg – Jordan Phillips, DT (Oklahoma)

Inconsistent effort? Limited as a pass rusher? Doesn't really sound like a replacement for Big Vince. Then again, any player who sounds like Vince Wilfork 2.0 won't be available at #32, either.

So…

For the moment I'm underwhelmed by the projections at #32. If these are the options available when New England is on the clock then I say trade up for a stud playmaker or trade down for as many offensive linemen from Florida State and Stanford as possible.