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2014 Patriots Draft: C Travis Swanson

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Name: Travis Swanson

School: Arkansas

Stats

Combine #s

Size: 6'5 , 312 lbs

Expected Round: Mid-Late 2nd

Game Footage

Strengths: Emotional and schematic leader of stud Arkansas line, directing players at the snap and during the play. Voted team captain two straight years. Experienced vs NFL caliber linemen, starting 50 games in college. Assertions that he is too weak (mostly based off bench press) are a bit overstated; held his own vs top SEC lines, making up for it with good reaction and instincts, especially in pass protections. Strong lower body. Great awareness/pocket presence. Worked well with other linemen: Executed combo blocks well, often shifting mid-play to assist guards in pass protection. Has experience pulling as a blocker in the run game.

Additional strengths (Per nfldrafscout.com)

The Kingwood, Texas, native led an offensive line that blocked as Alex Collins became the 10th true freshman in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards and as Collins and Jonathan Williams became the second Razorback duo to each reach at least 900 rushing yards in one season. The offensive line, which featured two true freshmen starting the final eight games, also broke the single-season school record by only allowing 8.0 sacks. Arkansas leads the SEC and is tied for second in the NCAA with an average of 0.67 sacks allowed per game. The Razorbacks' average of one sack allowed for every 37.63 pass attempts is the best in the conference and seventh in the nation.

Weaknesses: Lacks elite athleticism which could limit potential. Could bulk up his upper body a bit to adjust to the strength of NFL tackles. Doesn't have the elite lateral quickness of a Nick Mangold to explode off the line for pulls (supported by combine #'s) but has the straight line quickness to move laterally in a power scheme. Didn't consistently dominate players in the run game....needs to improve hand usage--sometimes he will anchor and drive, and other times he will lose his balance and find himself on the ground, preventing him from getting to second level.

What is his role? In terms of Belichick's alleged draft "tiers" I would put Swanson somewhere between "potential starter" and "starter". With the sub-par play of Wendell and Connolly as well as the inconstancy of Mankins, Swanson is a plug and play candidate at center and depth at guard.

Will it change from year 1 to year 2? In the event that Wendell isn't retained, Swanson could be thrust into a starting role from day 1. He has a ton of experience, so his main hurdle will be adjusting to larger and quicker NFL linemen. Basically, he will have to prove that his 20 reps in the BP is just a number and not indicative of his playing strength.

How many downs can he play? Swanson is an every down player. Nothing out of the ordinary in this regard.

Which current player will he beat out? He could overtake Wendell, though I would be surprised if the Pats took a pure center like Swanson after already resigning Wendell. If Wendell isn't brought back I can see them drafting Swanson as a direct replacement.

What’s his ST value? Punt team/field goal blocker, wedge blocker.

Does he have positional versatility? Swanson played exclusively at center, so his versatility is questionable at best. Projects as an average depth option at guard at this point.

Why the Patriots? Ryan Wendell's main weakness was pass blocking (#1 in sacks allowed, #2 in hurries and hits allowed among centers, -14.8 PFF pass block grade). Interior pressure really hurt the passing attack last year, which was already suffering due to a lack of experienced playmakers. It's pretty tough for Brady, or any QB for that matter, to get the ball downfield when facing interior pressure so quickly. Still not convinced of the Pats' interior line woes? Brady was sacked in under 2.5 seconds a whopping 10 times, twice as much as the second place QB.

Meanwhile, Travis Swanson hangs his hat on protecting the quarterback. This is the most obvious reason to select Swanson, but why him and not someone with higher upside like Weston Richburg or Marcus Martin (who is currently rising on a lot of boards)? One reason for this (I admit I might be reaching with this): With the retirement of Dante Scarnecchia, I think the Pats could look for a player that is more NFL ready rather than someone whose skills need to be honed. In addition, Swanson fits the Patriots man-to-man blocking scheme.

Why not the Patriots? The Patriots could shy away from Swanson because his ceiling isn't as high as some of his counterparts. He is also less versatile than Richburg and Martin. I can't think of much else in this regard simply because of the need the Pats have at the position. It's also possible that another center needy team could reach for him before the Pats have a chance to take him at good value.

Verdict: The Patriots should take at least one interior lineman in this year's draft whether it is Swanson or another player in range (Assuming a starting level IL isn't signed). Personally, I'm sold on Swanson being a capable NFL starter while some analysts disagree, citing his lack of top flight athleticism.

Evaluating linemen is extremely difficult through film because it's hard to see the nuances that define a player's skillset. It gets to the point where you're rewatching "Power O" 5 times trying to see how he used his hands or why he ended up on the ground that play (don't get me wrong--I love it).

The bottom line with Swanson is this--he is an experienced, durable leader that consistently produced vs. top flight competition. This is why I project him to be in BB's "starter" tier, worthy of a 3rd round pick.

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References

1. https://www.profootballfocus.com

2. http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=3661309&

3. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/travis-swanson?id=2543506

4. http://www.patspulpit.com/2014/3/6/5476326/bill-belichick-scout-grades

5. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/travis-swanson-vs-alabama-2013/

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