New England Patriots Draft Thread 1.0

I've noticed a fair amount of Pulpiteers who have taken a nose for the drafting process. Here's a Front Page thread for all of you to compile your ideas together, learn more about the draft and perhaps get a new perspective on Patriots needs. While it may seem a little early for predictions, with franchise tagging still continuing, as well as the free agency period still occurring before the draft, it's never to early to learn more about the drafting process and to throw out potential ideas!

Here's a list of our 2010 NFL Draft Picks (not including compensatory picks):

1st Round: 22nd Overall
2nd Round: 42nd/44th Overall (decided by coin flip)
2nd Round: 47th/48th Overall (decided by coin flip)
2nd Round: 53rd Overall
4th Round: Currently 118th Overall (will be shifted due to compensatory picks)
6th Round: Currently 193rd Overall (will be shifted due to compensatory picks)
7th Round: Currently 214th Overall (will be shifted due to compensatory picks)
7th Round: Currently 216th Overall (will be shifted due to compensatory picks)

So feel free to jump on in, post predictions, ask questions and start thinking about this off-season!

The Hill's List of Patriots' Needs:

1. OLB

2. DE

3. CB

4. OT

5. RB

6. WR

7. TE

8. ILB

9. DT (assuming we work out a deal with Wilfork)

No Need: Safety, Quarterback, Interior O-Line

---

List of players that fulfill these needs

1. OLB – Sergio Kindle, Brandon Graham, Navorro Bowman, Eric Norwood, Ricky Sapp, Jerry Hughes

2. DE – Jared Odrick, Tyson Alualu, Everson Griffen, Corey Wootton.

3. CB – Patrick Robinson, Kyle Wilson, Dominique Franks

4. OT – Trent Williams, Anthony Davis, Bruce Campbell, Charles Brown

5. RB – Jonathan Dwyer, Ryan Matthews, Jahvid Best, Anthony Dixon

6. WR – Golden Tate, Brandon LaFell, (sleeper: Danario Alexander in the 4th round)

7. TE - Jermaine Gresham, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez

8. ILB - Brandon Spikes, Daryl Washington

9. DT - Dan Williams, Terrence Cody

10. (Unlisted quality Players) - Mike Iupati (G), Taylor Mays (S)

---

Here’s my BPA ranking, assuming we don’t trade up:

Possible 1st Round Picks

1a. Sergio Kindle – We address our first real possible pick in Kindle. He’s played extremely well the past couple of seasons and has shown it on the football field. He has a high motor and I think he’d do well as a rushing OLB.

1b. Brandon Graham – Just like Kindle, he’s a high quality prospect. For some reason, I think Graham is just a little riskier as a pick than Kindle. Both have high ceilings (Graham maybe a little higher), but I feel like Kindle is more of a sure thing.

3. Jared Odrick - He's versatile on the D-Line, which is a bonus, he can penetrate, stop the run and rush the passer. He'd be a great fit.

4. Anthony Davis - He'd be the best of the OTs to drop to this position. A replacement for Matt Light and would give us an impressive O-Line bookend in Davis and Vollmer.

5. Bruce Campbell - Another great OT prospect if he drops this far.

6. Trent Williams – Yeah, an OT. Although we have greater needs, if the above players are taken, he’s a talent that we can’t pass over.

7. Mike Iupati - He's a guard, a position we revamped last season, but he's a talent that would make our O-Line infinitely better.

8. Dan Williams - A DT/NT. He's a beast and, should things with Wilfork fall through, he'd be a great talent on our young D-Line.

9. Jonathan Dwyer – An RB with huge potential. I’d put him this low, though, because GT ran a weird offense that the Patriots would probably not use- an offense that displayed Dwyer. It was a run offense, so I don’t know how Dwyer would fit in. He’s a big back, though, so I’d take the risk.

Trade Down to the Bottom of the First Round

10. Everson Griffen – DE from USC who can play. We need a DE, but I can’t see us taking him at our initial pick.

11. Golden Tate – WR with some of the best hands that I’ve seen. He’s produced in an NFL-style offense, under Charlie Weis. He’d be a great addition to our offense.

12. Charles Brown – Another OT to take Matt Light’s spot down the line.

Trade Down to the Top of the Second Round

13. Kyle Wilson – CB who has potential to be a shut down guy. We need a CB to shore up our offense.

14. Taylor Mays - Safety. A lot has been made of his dropping rank, but when he's on the field in the right scheme, he can produce. Imagine him sharing a backfield with Meriweather.

Regular 1st Second Round Pick (42nd/44th overall)

15. Ryan Matthews – I think he’s one of the best prospects with a ton of potential. I think that he’d be a great fit into our committee, or even if he and Maroney formed a tandem.

16. Ricky Sapp – I have him this low because, although he’ll be switching from DE to OLB like the first round players, I don’t think he’ll be able to make the switch as well.

17. Jerry Hughes – Same as Sapp.

Regular 2nd Second Round Pick (47th/48th overall)

18. Patrick Robinson – A DB who has shown he can play. He’s excelled on the field and I think he’d do well as at LEAST a #2 at the start of the season.

19. Dominique Franks - Another quality DB.

20. Brandon Spikes - If he falls this far, and his character issues are overlooked, I think he'd be a monster next to Mayo in the middle.

21. Jahvid Best – Light and injured product, I think he’ll either be the next Chris Johnson, or a bust.

22. Tyson Alualu - Another DE with a high motor.

23. Terrence Cody - He's a mountain of a man, but we should only take him if his weight drops to something more reasonable. He can handle his weight well, as proven in the Senior Bowl- imagine him if he was lighter and more mobile.

24. Eric Norwood – He’s a quality OLB who has played well his entire college career.

Regular 3rd Second Round Pick (53rd Overall)

25. Daryl Washington - An ILB who would be great on the inside next to Mayo- we could use Guyton as the spell ILB, coming off the bench, or perhaps alter Guyton's role and utilize his speed to get him at the QB?

26. Navorro Bowman – OLB who can play. Great coaching and I’m sure he’d fit right in.

27. Corey Wootton – A DE with potential who could possibly step right in and contribute.

28. Brandon LaFell - He's a big target with potential. He'd be a great weapon in our arsenal and could potentially be a solid #2 for years to come.

29. Jermaine Gresham - Yeah, he'll probably be off the board now. I'm just low because he's been injured. If he's here, though, he's too good of a player to look over.

30 Rob Gronkowski - Another injured player, just like Gresham. Not sure how much faith I'd have in him since he's only lifting at the combine. Perhaps his injuries are more seroius?

31. Aaron Hernandez - He's a proven commodity at TE and would be a great player on our offense.

32. Anthony Dixon – A humongous RB would could perfectly complement Maroney. I can see him in a Brandon Jacobs kind of role, or at least be a short yardage/goal line guy that we need.

And Sleeper with our 4th Round Pick: Danario Alexander. Built like a truck, hands like guy with really good hands.

---

This is my basic rundown of players we could be interested in during the first two rounds. My prediction?

1st Round: 22nd Overall - Jared Odrick (DE/DT). While I think that OLB is the more essential of the positions, I believe that Odrick's versatility and skill set make him a quality pick for our defense. I have Kindle ranked higher, and I think he'll be on the board, but I can see us going for a top tier D-Liner in a Linebacker rich draft. I also believe Graham will be off the board at this point.

Alternate Picks: Sergio Kindle, Dan Williams

2nd Round: 42nd/44th Overall (decided by coin flip) - Kyle Wilson (CB). I know I have him as "top of the second round" and that's because I have him as that type of talent. However, I DO think that he has the potential to drop down to our first 2nd round pick.

Alternate Picks: Taylor Mays, Golden Tate

2nd Round: 47th/48th Overall (decided by coin flip) - Jerry Hughes (OLB). Here is where we grab our OLB. While he may be a step or two behind Kindle, I think the defense benefits much greater from an Odrick/Hughes combo than from a Kindle/Alualu or Kindle/Wootton combo.

Alternate Picks: Ryan Matthews, Brandon Spikes

2nd Round: 53rd Overall - Aaron Hernandez (TE). We could go RB here, but I think that with Watson potentially leaving and Baker being wholly unproven, snagging a top flight TE could do wonders for our offense. I'm picking Hernandez over Gresham because I don't believe Gresham will still be on the board. I'm picking Hernandez over Gronkowski because Gronkowski's been injured and he's been having red flags go up with his healing process (or lack thereof). Some people are afraid of Hernadez's height- he's just an inch shorter than Dallas Clark. He has game and he's healthy.

Alternate Pick: Daryl Washington, Rob Gronkowski, Anthony Dixon

What are your thoughts?