1 Day to the Draft: Penn State DE/DT, Jared Odrick

With the Draft fast approaching, it's time to start looking at some potential players for the Patriots. I'm going to put profiles of 2 players a day- one offense, one defensive- and gain a better understanding of the players in the draft.

Penn State's Jared Odrick is a prospect known to all Patriots fan who have followed the draft. While players like Jermaine Gresham, Brandon Graham and Sergio Kindle were early front runners for our #22 overall pick, as the draft has inched closer, one name has emerged. Odrick. There's a general understanding that the Patriots need to upgrade their defensive front 7 in order to increase pressure on opposing quarterbacks and to allow our cornerbacks to make more plays on forced passes. Odrick has a Richard Seymour type body and has shown the ability to get into the backfield at the college level. While Odrick has played the DT position in a 4-3 defense, he has the bulk and skill to become a 3-4 DE. Odrick has room to grow and potential to become the rock of our defense for the next decade. Is he our #22 overall selection?

His measurements and some quotes after the jump.

Walterfootball.com Scouting

Height: 6-5. Weight: 304.
Projected 40 Time: 5.09.
Combine 40 Time: 4.98.
Benchx225: 26

Player Comparison: Tony Brown. Brown is a one-gap penetrator in Tennessee; he is very quick, has great hands, but struggles when teams run at him.

Click the link for a more in-depth player review!

CBSSports.com Scouting

03/12/2010 - TOP RATED NFL DRAFT SCOUT DEFENSIVE TACKLES: Jared Odrick: Penn State, 6-5, 301, 1-2: Odrick is a tenacious team leader who was named 2009 Big Ten defensive player and defensive lineman of the year. His strength is strength itself, which could serve him as a tackle in a four-man line or even at nose tackle in a 3-4. Over the past two seasons Odrick has steadily improved to the point that NFL teams believe he has the potential to be an outstanding pro. He has the quickness that demands immediate attention from blockers, and he can follow up with a persistent bull rush. He is not agile but used his big, strong hands to control college blockers and might need to learn more tricks to remain consistently successful in the NFL. - Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com/CBS Sports/USA TODAY

NFL.com Scouting

Odrick has a good combination of size and strength. He is more of a run-stopper with power to hold the point but needs to utilize his hands more consistently to separate to the ball. Odrick shows power to collapse the pocket as a pass rusher but again needs to expand his pass rush package with more moves and counters to contribute at the next level. He feels pad pressure well and constricts running lanes effectively. He has some limitations (lateral agility and speed) but plays with a good motor and often wins with effort. Odrick could be considered a versatile prospect as an end in a 3-4 front or tackle in 4-3 schemes. Odrick has upside if he can improve his overall technique at the next level.

Click the link for a more in-depth player review!

Verdict: No. What? Yeah. Not Odrick. While Odrick has the body type to excel in the 3-4 defense, he'd just be another project to take on. While we love projects, I don't think that Odrick would see much of the field with Mike Wright and Myron Pryor vying for playing time. Odrick has the potential to make some team extremely happy with his versatility- I'd be very happy if he was our pick- but I don't think the Patriots are interested. Looking at a list of the players the Patriots have had visits with, the lack of a private workout or visit with Odrick is very glaring. I say that the Patriots go OLB in the first round, if they don't trade their pick. While Odrick is a great looking pick, I don't think the Patriots think his value is high enough to warrant a first round pick. I have no real knocks against Odrick as our first round pick- I just don't think he is going to be it.