Through the first four picks in the Pats Pulpit flag football draft, I’ve had a heavy focus on the offensive side of the ball. I’ve added big time playmakers in Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, and Josh Boyce.
Those three playmakers will give me all the ammunition that I need on that side of the football. It is really tough to see anyone stopping me. And while I haven’t had a focus on the defensive side of the ball, it is about time that I pay some attention to that area. All of that being said, I’ve decided to select cornerback Kyle Arrington with my fifth pick.
There are a lot of reasons I really like this pick. To tell you the truth, I’m very surprised Arrington fell this far, as I had him on my radar in each of the past two rounds. Simply put, Arrington is a shutdown slot cornerback.
We’ve discussed how flag football is a game of quickness and open space, and over the past two seasons, Kyle Arrington has shown an ability to lock down the “shifty” receivers. According to ProFootballFocus.com, in the final nine games of the season, (while playing primarily in the slot) Arrington allowed just 19 of 39 passes his way to be completed, breaking up seven passes and allowing just one touchdown. In 2011, Arrington played 164 snaps in the slot, allowing 16 completions on 29 throws and played over 10 snaps in coverage per reception allowed.
I’ll have Arrington match up against my opponent’s quickest player, whether that’s Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen, or Mark Harrison.
On offense, Arrington won’t be expected to do much, but he’s still a guy you need to pay attention to. His seven interceptions from 2011 show that he has ball skills. And he’s also had some nice returns so he can move with the ball (see: Green Bay Packers, 2010).
Let’s also not forget that already have the Patriots’ best cover player in the fold in Aqib Talib. Talib compliments Arrington very well, and will give me an inside/out cover game. In terms of versatility, remember Arrington playing defensive end at times in 2010? I sure do. Using him as a blitzer could also be a nice wrinkle for my defense.
So that’s five picks down, one to go. And I couldn’t imagine my team turning out any better than it has.