New England Patriots Links 2/24/10 - NFL Scouting Combine Kicks Off Today

NFL.com - 2010 NFL Scouting Combine.

The 2010 Scouting Combine, which will be held from Feb. 24 to March 2, is the annual job fair for prospective new NFL players. For six days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, players are put through a series of drills, tests and interviews with more than 600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers and scouts.

Mike Reiss looks back to Bill Belichick's press conference following the 2009 Draft, with Belichick taking pride in how the team looked beyond the Combine in rating their prospects.

"I think it’s a little bit unusual that we ended up with all three [offensive] linemen who were non combine guys. The fact that they weren’t at the combine and kind of the way that we evaluated them in their private workouts and so forth, I think all of them are pretty impressive, all different."

Mike Reiss offers the Patriots portion of Draft analyst Mike Mayock's conference call with the media.

Mayock's assessment of what the Patriots might do with their first-round pick and three second-rounders: "I think what they do really well is they understand the players that fit what they want, what type of players fit the Patriots system. To me, they have to get younger and more athletic on the back end [in the secondary]. It started last year with [Pat] Chung and [Darius] Butler. They need somebody who can rush the quarterback, and I think that has to be a priority, you have to find an edge rusher who can get to the quarterback. So I think the evaluation of all these 3-4 edge rushers become really important to the New England Patriots.""I think what they do really well is they understand the players that fit what they want, what type of players fit the Patriots system. To me, they have to get younger and more athletic on the back end [in the secondary]. It started last year with [Pat] Chung and [Darius] Butler. They need somebody who can rush the quarterback, and I think that has to be a priority, you have to find an edge rusher who can get to the quarterback. So I think the evaluation of all these 3-4 edge rushers become really important to the New England Patriots."

Mayock explained how scouts can tell if a college defensive end that projects to outside linebacker is a good fit. "There are an awful lot of what I call the conversion guys this year, which is good for the 3-4 teams, because there are more 3-4 teams than ever. So a bunch of these college 4-3 defensive ends that need to stand up and show whether or not they can play, I believe you can see most of what you need to see, even in a pair of gym shorts. If you have determined that a kid is a tough kid, and a good football player with his hand in the dirt in the 4-3 system, and from a size and speed perspective you want to see if he can stand up and rush and can drop back in coverage – what it really comes down to is whether or not he is as comfortable going backwards as he is forwards.

"I’ll give you an example – Trent Cole from Cincinnati. Philadelphia drafted him. He was a 4-3 defensive end. As soon as I saw him at the Senior Bowl and combine, I knew he was too tight in the hips to open up and move and be able to drive backwards. But he was really effective coming forwards. So even though he was undersized, he was going to have to stay at defensive end. That’s what you can see with these kids – when you see them drop in pass coverage, they force them to open their hips in all these drills and it’s pretty easy to see the guys that are athletic enough that have the fluid movement skills to open their hips, to drive, to bend, to move, to catch the football, and the guys where you say ‘uh-uh, that is not going to work.’"

TEAM TALK

• Ask PFW: Wilfork's it.  Part I and Part II.
• Scott Barboza reports Patriots alumns participated in a roundtable discussion on racism for Black History Month.

LOCAL LINKS

• Tom E. Curran notes that Mosi Tatupu -- honored by fans who hung a banner entitled "Mosi's Mooses" in the end zone -- was always appreciative of the inspiration he received from fan support.
• Chris Gasper says it's a bit of a cheap shot to call the Patriots cheap.
• Albert Breer reports that the Texans will refrain from using the franchise tag on top CB Dunta Robinson. And that means Robinson and Leigh Bodden will hit the market together.
• Matt Chatham calls the NFL Combine 'the joke that's no longer funny'.
• WEEI Mocks the Draft: Pre-Combine edition.
• Ian Rapoport notes Patriots tackle Mark LeVoir just finished up the NFL's Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at the Wharton School of UPenn.
• Shalise Manza Young feels the Patriots and Wilfork appear to be on the path to conciliation.
• Mike Reiss views the Peppers-to-the-Patriots scenario as a long-shot.
• Mike Reiss notes Draft analyst Mike Mayock explains why Brandon Graham doesn't fit the Patriots' prototype, but offers some other possibilities at outside linebacker.
• Mike Reiss offers a few leftover draft nuggets from NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock's conference call today.
• Jeff Howe finds Stephen Gostkowski one of the few bright spots of the Patriots 2006 Draft.
• Mike Reiss projects some free agent possibilities for the Patriots: Defensive Line.
• Ian Rapoport offers a video clip of WR Randy Moss flashing his speed at Heath Evans' charity softball event. (1:17 min. video)
• Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag, with Patriots Nation checking the market for the next great acquisition.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Honolulu Star-Bulletin Mosi Tatupu ded at 54.  One of the greatest athletes in the history of Hawaii.
• Indy Star NFL Combine kicks off in Indianapolis for scouts, players.
• Mike Sando (ESPN) Quick look at Combine schedule.
• Len Pasquarelli (ESPN) Combine invite not essential: As Welker, Umenyiora and others can attest, Combine selection is inexact science.
• Tony Pauline (SI) Pre-Combine NFL Draft board. Heading into the gathering at Lucas Oil Stadium, here's a look at the top 50 prospects for April's draft.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Your AFC East pre-combine mocktacular.
• Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Draft prospects face weighty issues at NFL Combine.
• John Clayton (ESPN) Combine is big stage for McCoy.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB Tuesday edition: Parting with a legend is never easy, but Chargers did right by LT.
• Chris Chase (Yahoo! Sports) ESPN suspends Tony Kornheiser for criticizing Hannah Storm's wardrobe.
• Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) LaDainian Tomlinson: The old gray mare just ain't what she used to be.
• Michael Lombardi (Nat'l Football Post) It’s tough to say goodbye: LT must readjust his expectations if he hopes to keep playing.
• Andy Benoit (NY Times) Tomlinson is available, but how much does he have left?
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) I hear you, but I don’t believe you: The real meaning behind athlete's recent statements.