The draft has officially ended. The Patriots drafted a total of seven players, one of the leanest draft classes they've had in the Belichick era. Overall, I would say the theme of their picks was versatility. Nearly every player selected has the ability to play multiple positions. Many fans are excited that the Patriots took an aggressive strategy this year addressing the teams obvious weak point, the defense. All of the picks were on the defensive side of the ball with the lone exception being their last pick, a wide receiver out of Northwestern. I would say depth along both the offensive and defensive line, safety, and return specialist are the three areas that they should address in free agency.
2. Pick By Pick Grading:
When applying these grades I'm trying to balance a few things: the skill of the player, the value of the pick, the need on the team/the fit, and what other players were available.
Round 1, Pick #21 Overall:
Chandler Jones - Defensive End, Syracuse
The Patriots traded up from #27 to select Jones, giving up their original third round pick (#93 overall). As I mentioned in the previous post, Jones looks like a great addition to the team and he fills the biggest need on the team, a pass rushing outside linebacker/defensive end when in a 3-4/4-3 respectively. He even has the size, 6'5" 265lbs, to play defensive end in a 3-3-5 nickel defense. My issue with the pick is the price and the other available players. It is exciting to know the Patriots are confident enough in him to move up to get him, but I didn't see much of a difference between him and Nick Perry who was selected #28 overall by the Packers. The third round selection was a pretty steep price to pay and I think that effected their decisions later in the draft.
Grade: B
Round 1, Pick #25 Overall:
Donta Hightower - Inside Linebacker, Alabama
Again the Patriots traded up from #31 to select Hightower, giving up their original fourth round pick (#126 overall). Contrary to Jones, I think this was a great trade. A fourth rounder to move up 6 spots in the first round is great value. Like Jones, they got a great defensive player who can dominate in the run game and get after the quarterback on third down. My major issues with the pick are the fit and Hightower's pass coverage abilities. Hightower looks very similar to Brandon Spikes, one of the young stars on the defense, including his liability in coverage. If Hightower brought something more to the table in that area, I might be higher on the pick, but looking at who else was available I would have supported trading back at this point, ideally into the late second or third with a first in next years draft.
Grade: C+
Round 2, Pick #48 Overall:
Tavon Wilson - Defensive Back, Illinois
A pick that had almost everyone following the draft say, "who?". In terms of a need and skill set, I love this pick. The value, however, I think is poor. This was the exact kind of player when I was highlighting the safety position in my Needs post. "I think the FS prospect needs to be good to great in coverage" Wilson played safety for most of his time at Illinois, but his senior year he was moved to cornerback where he regularly lined up against tight ends and slot receivers. After watching what little film is available on him he shows some promise, but I really feel like this was an overdraft because he was on practically no one elses radar. At the time the Patriots only had this pick and #62 overall. If they were having difficulty, finding a viable trade partner they may have had to take Wilson while they were here. After watching some of his tape, he seems to be decent in coverage, but has poor tackling form. He needs to learn to wrap up the ball carrier instead of just thrusting at him with his shoulder.
Grade: B-
Round 3, Pick #90 Overall:
Jake Bequette - Defensive End, Arkansas
My second favorite pick of their entire draft. I think they hit on all points: skill, value, and fit. Bequette doesn't have the flashiest tape but he is consistent and relentless. He played at both left and right defensive end in Arkansas' 4-3 defense. He is someone I see as replacing Mark Anderson's situational pass rushing position. He spent most of his time with his hand in the dirt, but I think he actually looked a little better standing up. In my opinion, he doesn't have the strength to be consistent against the run in a four lineman front, but he's at his best sprinting into the backfield.
Grade: A
Round 6, Pick #197 Overall:
Nate Ebner - Defensive Back, Ohio State
Ebner was a walk on at Ohio State who also played rugby. He predominantly played safety and contributed on special teams. He had a good relationship with former Patriot Mike Vrabel, who stressed the importance of special teams. Ebner's play on special teams and added depth to the safety position make this a good pick. The only complaint I have I think there might have been a few other players out there, particularly along the defensive line, which may have helped the team more.
Grade: B+
Round 7, Pick #224 Overall:
Alfonzo Dennard - Cornerback, Nebraska
My favorite pick in the Pats draft. Dennard is a player that has second round talent that fell this far because of an incident a week ago at a bar fight where he was arrested for assaulting a police officer. This is the ultimate low risk, high reward pick. Either he gets his act together and plays well, or he continues to be a headache and the Pats lose essentially nothing. He was never considered to be a number one corner, but instead projected to be a solid starter in the slot. Similar to wide receiver, the Pats are getting a lot of depth at corner which will inspire competition in training camp and allow them to be robust to injuries.
Grade: A+
Round 7, Pick #235 Overall:
Jeremy Ebert - Wide Receiver, Northwestern
Julian Edelmen 2.0. On a side note: I am a big fan of Edelman, not only for his play and willingness to do anything (read: play cornerback), but also for his love of Boston and the other Boston sports teams. Ebert was a high school quarterback who converted to a slot receiver in college. He is similar height and build to Wes Welker and Edelman and will likely back them up. He is the eleventh wide receiver on the team and is unlikely to make the roster this year, but learning from Welker will be a great situation for him. He provides youth to a receiving corps that is distinctly lacking in that area.
Grade: B+
Undrafted:
Brad Herman - Tight End, Iowa
A strong tight end that has some athleticism, but never was able to achieve success in college. Most likely considered to be a blocking tight end for run plays although he is a little small for that. A solid practice squad player.
Grade: B
Undrafted:
Markus Zusevics - Offensive Tackle, Iowa
A polished slightly undersized tackle (in girth not height) who would likely play guard due to his trouble against speed rushers. Zusevics doesn't have as much upside as other undrafted lineman, but he shows good technique and is known for his hard working attitude. He injured himself at the combine.
Grade: B+
Undrafted:
Jeremiah Warren - Offensive Guard, South Florida
I mentioned in the Needs post that depth at guard is necessary due to the uncertainty at the position. I thought a raw prospect that has intriguing upside would be the best target. On paper, Warren looks like that player. He is someone who used his considerable size and strength to make up for his poor technique. However, watching him play makes me think otherwise. There are several plays where he blatantly gives up and stops trying. He is decent in pass protection, but doesn't have the speed to pull in the run game effectively.
Grade: C+
Undrafted:
Marcus Forston - Defensive Tackle, Miami
Forston played at the 3 technique on a 4 man front for the Hurricanes. He seemed more comfortable playing as a penetrating one gap lineman versus a read react two gap lineman that the Patriots usually play. He is a little short at 6'1", but he has the weight to play as a 5 technique defensive end. He is strong against the run and adds depth the front line rotation.
Grade: A-
3. Undrafted Free Agents:
Below is a list of undrafted free agents and a few quick thoughts about them.
DaJohn Harris - Defensive Tackle, USC: A skilled able bodied defensive tackle.
Mark Rodgers - Running Back, Cal Poly: Small quick back with experience as a return specialist.
Dorian Graham - Wide Receiver, Syracuse: Small, fast return specialist.
Isaiah Jackson - Running Back, Central Arkansas: Return specialist.
4. AFC East Draft Grades
New York Jets:
The Jets had an up and down draft. I am in the common school of thought that defensive end/outside linebacker Quinton Coples, their first round pick, will be a bust. He openly admitted to quitting on his team in college. The Jets don't have the most stable of locker rooms right now and I see him following in Vernon Gholston's footsteps. On the other hand, Stephen Hill, a wide receiver out of Georgia Tech, looks like an absolute stud. I do not look forward to matching up against him twice a season. Their third round selection, Demario Davis, is an outside linebacker with tremendous speed, most likely due to his lighter frame. He weighs 230 lbs, which is small for his position. Outside of their top three picks, they added depth to some needed positions, including safety and running back.
Grade: B-
Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins could have had a great draft, but because of the Ryan Tannehill pick in the first round I have to downgrade it. They were able to improve their offensive line with Jonathan Martin and got great value drafting a pass rusher, Olivier Vernon, to pair with Cameron Wake. They also got a speedy running back in Lamar Miller who seems to have a redundant skill set with Reggie Bush on the roster. However, he was good value in the fourth round.
Grade: B+
Buffalo Bills:
I thought the Bills had probably the best draft in the AFC East. I think they hit it big with their first two picks, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and offensive tackle Cordy Gleen. They also added a deep threat, T.J. Graham, to pair with Stevie Johnson. Graham also has value as a return specialist. In the later rounds, they added depth to their offensive line and their defense.
Grade: A
5. Free Agents
Below is a list of non-rookie free agents who the Pats could consider targeting.
Cedric Benson - Running Back
Ryan Grant - Running Back
Yeremiah Bell - Safety
James Ihedigbo - Safety
Oshiomogho Atogwe - Safety
Andre Carter - Defensive End
6. Thoughts on the Rest of the League
After browsing the other teams' drafts, here are the teams that I think did the best overall (in no particular order).
Pittsburgh Steelers:
A team that is known for not getting very fancy on draft day, but that consistently makes good decisions. This year seems to be no different. They start out by getting the biggest steal of Day 1, David DeCastro, offensive guard from Stanford, at #24 overall. Then follow that up with another offensive lineman, Mike Adams from Ohio State. Offensive line just went from a big weakness to a solid strength on this team. In the third and fourth round, they add a linebacker, Sean Spence from Miami (FL), and a nose tackle, Alameda Ta'amu from Washington, respectively. Spence adds youth to an aging linebacking corps that is depleted due to cuts they made to get under cap. Ta'amu is a MASSIVE nose tackle who will replace Casey Hampton who is coming off a knee surgery and is 34.
Grade: A+
Cincinnati Bengals:
The Bengals had a lot of picks this year, thanks to good management and the Carson Palmer trade. They went out and got a lot of play makers on defense. They selected two of the players I highlighted for the Pats in the first and second round respectively, Dre Kirkpatrick (CB Alabama) and Devon Still (DT Penn State). On top of that they added a great run block guard, Kevin Zeitler from Wisconsin, in the first. They had two selections in the third, Mohamed Sanu, a wide receiver from Rutgers, and Brandon Thompson, a defensive tackle from Clemson. After losing a few pieces along the defensive line (including Jonathan Fanene to the Patriots), the Bengals add two quality players to their rotation. They replace Jonathan Joseph, who they lost last year at corner, with Kirkpatrick, who is tall, physical and shows excellent tackling. Then on the offensive side of the ball, they add a powerful guard who will be blocking for the Law Firm and a big wide receiver to line up opposite their stud, AJ Green. Finally, they get great value in selecting George Iloka, free safety out of Boise State, in the fifth to boost their secondary. He was considered a late second round/early third round pick. They addressed nearly all of their needs, with the exception of linebacker, got great value from several of their picks (Sanu and Iloka), and made very smart decision in the early rounds.
Grade: A+
Houston Texans:
The Texans had a solid draft, addressing most of their needs. They added an outstanding pass rusher in Whitney Mercilus, defensive end from Illinois, but their are concerns of him being a one year wonder. They beefed up their offensive line with Brandon Brooks from Miami (OH) and Ben Jones from Georgia, which was thin due to cuts for cap space. They added depth in the third and fourth rounds to a potent receiving corps with DeVier Posey from Ohio State and Keshawn Martin from Michigan State. Posey is a bigger receiver, who doesn't have great speed, but will benefit from having Andre Johnson on the other side of the field. Martin is a smaller possession receiver who will likely line up almost exclusively in the slot. I think their best pick was Jared Crick, defensive tackle from Nebraska, in the fourth round. He had a high second round grade and fell due to a pectoral muscle injury. The one position that could still be addressed for them is linebacker.
Grade: A-
Green Bay Packers:
Like the Steeler, the Packers are known for building through the draft. Like the Pats, the Packers went almost exclusively defense. They started things off with a player who I thought looked very similar to Chandler Jones, in USC's Nick Perry. A big defensive end in a four man front, who will now be standing up opposite Clay Matthews. In the second and fourth, they added two defensive tackles, Jerel Worthy from Michigan State and Mike Daniels from Iowa, in the hope of replacing Cullen Jenkins who they lost to the Eagles last year. Also in the second and fourth, they added depth to their secondary with defensive backs, Casey Hayward from Vanderbilt and Jerron McMillian from Maine. The Packers were last in the NFL in total defense and passing defense (the Pats were right behind them at 31st). Their draft was clearly trying to remedy this. They added a monster pass rusher, boosted their defensive line with players who can collapse the pocket, and added depth to their secondary. I expect them to look for a running back among the undrafted free agents, as the running back position has become increasingly devalued and they can definitely still find a solid player.
Grade: A
Philadelphia Eagles:
Similar to the Pats and Packers, the Eagles focused mostly on defense. They traded up in the first round to select the top defensive tackle, Fletcher Cox from Mississippi St. The Eagles play in a 4-3 defense, where their defensive ends line up at the wide 9 technique. Which means they line up on the outside shoulder of the tight end. This makes them incredibly difficult to block on passing downs and they provide great pressure to the quarterback, but this strategy has a huge weakness against the run. In order to run this defense effectively, they need dominant play from their defensive tackles and linebackers. The Eagles were regularly gashed for big run plays due to their weaknesses at those positions. But thanks to free agency and drafting Cox and then Mychal Kendricks, an inside linebacker from Cal, in the second, their defense has been significantly improved. Also in the second round, they selected Vinny Curry, a defensive end from Marshall, who is considered to be one of the better pure pass rushers in the draft. Last year the Eagles led the league in sacks with 50. By adding Curry to their already potent pass rushing attack, they become a scary team to face. I think they are learning from their division rival Giants, that if you want to win in the playoffs you need to be able to rush the passer. I also liked two of their later round picks, Brandon Boykin, cornerback from Georgia, and Brandon Washington, guard from Miami (FL). Both were players I had my eye on for the Pats, but I think the key was they selected them exactly where I had them valued, in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively. Finally, one of their key signings was an undrafted free agent Chris Polk, a running back from Washington. A second round talent who inexplicably fell out of the draft completely, he is a wrecking ball type running back who will help the Eagles with their short yardage woes from last year.
Grade: A+
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