Last year, I came up with a list of 50 or so prospects that I thought would be solid fits with the New England Patriots, as well as some other players who didn't really fit, but they were held in high regard. I'm going to try and do the same thing this draft season as well, but I would like some input. I have a basic idea of who I want to preview, but I want you guys to throw out some names of players you want more information about. There's plenty of information about how great of a defensive end Cameron Jordan projects to be and why Ryan Kerrigan might not have the athleticism to drop into coverage.
I want some players that you believe would fit well with the Patriots that some people might not know too much about.
A list of some of the players that I plan on reviewing:
DE: Cameron Jordan, Cameron Heyward, J.J. Watt, Phil Taylor, etc
OLB: Von Miller, Aldon Smith, Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Akeem Ayers, etc
OT: Anthony Castonzo, Tyron Smith, Nate Solder, Gabe Carimi, Derek Sherrod, etc
OG: Mike Pouncey, Rodney Hudson, Danny Watkins, etc
C: Stefen Wisniewski, Tim Barnes, etc
WR: Julio Jons, A.J. Green, Titus Young, etc
RB: Mark Ingram, Mikel Leshoure, Jordan Todman, etc
and many, many more!
My hope from you guys is that you can propose a few additional names of mid-rounders that might fit well with the Patriots. One player that I'm researching that I'm really liking is Mississippi State's OLB K.J. Wright. He's a projected 3rd round player who has great skill and versatility. He plays in the 4-3 as an OLB, which traditionally makes him a 3-4 ILB, but he has the size, speed, and strength to play the 3-4 OLB at the next level. These are the kinds of players that I want you to post so I can review and post the results!
Read some of my prospect posts from last year after the jump!
Brandon Spikes - Projected Spikes to be the complete opposite player as Gary Guyton and that the Patriots should take them at the end of the second round.
Aaron Hernandez - Said that the Patriots should leave Hernandez on the board in the second round and that they should instead grab a tight end who can actually block on the line. I called him a luxury pick. Well, with the Rob Gronkowski pick, Herndo was a pretty solid luxury.
Rob Gronkowski - Called Gronkowski the best fit tight end in the entire draft for the Patriots and that he would be a great second round pick if he passed his healthy exams. It seems to have worked out pretty well.
Devin McCourty - I called McCourty the perfect Patriot, but I underestimated his production level. I said he would be the best pick at #44, but clearly the Patriots thought more highly of him.
Here's some more light reading for everyone: The Patriots, the Draft, and Developing Prospects. It's a brief history of all the draft picks over the past decade and how the Patriots best draft to maximize a player's future success. It's directly related to the idea of "passing the torch." Each piece also follows some draft trends, such as the reason why the Patriots are now drafting OLB prospects early in the draft.
Enjoy and start posting those prospects!