DRAFT Atonio Mafi - Round 5 - 144th overall

[50-yard-line]

Don't pay any attention to @State he's doing his impersonation of Capt. Stone.. He's not very good at it.

Godchaux's a little small for what the Pats asked him to do, but I never heard his toughness questioned before (exactly the opposite).

 

[State]

The kid has learned and changed his eating habits.

I agree with you. He says himself he has become more intentional about eating. That means limiting carbs—the food pyramid released in 1979 turned a lot of Americans into fatsos. Five to 7 servings of bread and grains, which was put at the bottom of the chart? Just disastrous—and avoiding the WORST thing: fried food.

I bet he ate a lot of that growing up.

If you don’t believe me, look at photos of Americans from before that. Rare to spot the obesity so prevalent today. Like the Woodstock photos.

Did you really call Godchaux "prissy"?

Not the word I'd use.

Yeah, in hindsight not a good idea. He’s stout. I was thinking of these new breed of D linemen that are out there. Calijah Kancey is a poster child of a guy who Mafi or Onwenu could obliterate in the run game.

But here’s a thought. Our army of offensive linemen could wear down our defensive linemen in training camp. Aren’t there 16 guys?

I love Lawrence Guy. But he is on the tail end of his career.

 

[State]

107 - RT Dawand Jones. Why not? None of our current RTs will or at least should be here next season; and while I Never would've drafted him before I drafted a LT, that first need has now been addressed, so why not also grab our Right Tackle of the Future who also happens to be the Best Player Available Regardless of Position? Jake the hopefully not Newest Fake Andrews was way, WAY over-drafted here.

This is CS’s explanation on DJ in his brilliant redraft. There are vanishingly few humans who can play the tackle position well in the NFL. With that massive wingspan and physical demeanor, Dawand would have looked great in a Patriots uniform.

Back in the day you said the same thing about Onwenu.

Not me. I know you’re talking about Captain Stone. I was shocked Onwenu went so low. He started three years for one of the best college lines and was stellar doing it.

Wait a minute, weren't you clamoring for Dawand Jones, who showed no discipline with his weight when his draft location ($$$$$$) was on the line?

Again, I can’t speak for Captain Stone, but guards aren’t as coveted as tackles. And Mafi has much less experience than Onwenu had at this point. He’s a converted NT as we all should know.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Not me. I know you’re talking about Captain Stone. I was shocked Onwenu went so low. He started three years for one of the best college lines and was stellar doing it.

Dawand Jones dropped too like Onwenu. I think it is the weight thing. A lot of overweight guys don't work out. That is why Onwenu should make sure he gets paid next year. Not sure the Pats should pay him if Hines, Mafi, or Sow work out.

 

[captain stone]

Back in the day you said the same thing about Onwenu. The Pats are good at picking OL, so we should probably wait and see before the Onwenu negative comments are rehashed with a new draft pick.

Onwenu was taken a Full Round later than Fat Tony; and...

We Already Have Onwenu Now! We Don't Need Another One!

 

[captain stone]

Wait a minute, weren't you clamoring for Dawand Jones, who showed no discipline with his weight when his draft location ($$$$$$) was on the line?

Correct; if Little Billy & Al Groh's kid had traded 14 for 17 AND #80, then traded 80 for 93 & 132, I would've drafted Chocolate Gronk at 76, BYU OT Blake Freeland at 93, and I'll take my chances on Dawand Jones at 107.

 

[upstater1]

I agree with you. He says himself he has become more intentional about eating. That means limiting carbs—the food pyramid released in 1979 turned a lot of Americans into fatsos. Five to 7 servings of bread and grains, which was put at the bottom of the chart? Just disastrous—and avoiding the WORST thing: fried food.

I bet he ate a lot of that growing up.

If you don’t believe me, look at photos of Americans from before that. Rare to spot the obesity so prevalent today. Like the Woodstock photos.

Yeah, in hindsight not a good idea. He’s stout. I was thinking of these new breed of D linemen that are out there. Calijah Kancey is a poster child of a guy who Mafi or Onwenu could obliterate in the run game.

But here’s a thought. Our army of offensive linemen could wear down our defensive linemen in training camp. Aren’t there 16 guys?

I love Lawrence Guy. But he is on the tail end of his career.

Sugar is in all cheap processed foods. You can look at Patriots games from the 80s and see a lot of thin reeds smoking cigarettes in the stands.

The high fructose explosion changed everything.

Had a long talk with a retired DuPont chemist this morning. Amazing insight into where we are today and why.

 

[Zuma]

I wish there was a way to force a team to make a trade...but there isn't. We all have binkies we wanted but if teams don't want to trade...there is nothing we can do about it except complain for the next 20 years.

 

[DaBruinz]

Mafi isn't a "BLOB" he's a kid who ballooned to 411 and then busted his ass to get to 324 by eating right. Having established that Self-Control gives him a leg up when it comes to the S&C that will happen with the Patriots.
People who don't understand this are the ones attacking the pick and pining for players that aren't here.

 

[50-yard-line]

Correct; if Little Billy & Al Groh's kid had traded 14 for 17 AND #80, then traded 80 for 93 & 132, I would've drafted Chocolate Gronk at 76, BYU OT Blake Freeland at 93, and I'll take my chances on Dawand Jones at 107.

What in the world makes you think that Pittsburgh would have given up 80? You don't think the Pats tried to get that?

 

[UrbanCowboy]

Well, he may not be a great overall player, but it would sure be fun to see him flatten some people!

 

[State]

What in the world makes you think that Pittsburgh would have given up 80? You don't think the Pats tried to get that?

Because they really really wanted that athletic Georgia LT. As usual, Cap’n is right. We didn’t demand enough.

 

[DaBruinz]

Because they really really wanted that athletic Georgia LT. As usual, Cap’n is right. We didn’t demand enough.

Neither you nor he know wtf you are talking about. You're both a pair of whiners who need to just disappear. It's gotten ridiculous how bad you two are.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Neither you nor he know wtf you are talking about. You're both a pair of whiners who need to just disappear. It's gotten ridiculous how bad you two are.

15 years from now:

*Gonzalez is widely considered the greatest CB in league history, and arguably the greatest defender of all time.

*White's career rivaled that of Richard Seymour.

*Mapu routinely lead the league in tackles and was top 5 in forced fumbles most years.

*Sow moved to OT, and along with Andrews and Mafi, was voted to the pro bowl more years than not.

*Ryland became the Pats all time leading scorer, and is top 5 for career FG pct.

*Boutte and Douglas ended their careers #1 and #2 in catches by a Patriots WR.

*Baringer is the new record holder for career net punting avg.

*Speed replaced Slater as the annual ST all pro.

*Bolden is the new NFL record holder for career kick return TDs, and developed as a CB into a faster Brandon Browner that paired perfectly with Gonzalez.

*The 2023 Pats draft class is unanimously considered the greatest of all time, and most experts believe the Jets missing on Jones at OT cost them a chance at winning a Super Bowl with Rodgers.

Even after all that, Captain would still have a problem, because "if Little Billy had demanded #80 from Pittsburgh, we could have drafted [most successful player taken between picks 80 and 106]."

And State would agree with him.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Dawand Jones dropped too like Onwenu. I think it is the weight thing. A lot of overweight guys don't work out. That is why Onwenu should make sure he gets paid next year. Not sure the Pats should pay him if Hines, Mafi, or Sow work out.

It’s not just the weight thing with D Jones. If it were, he would of been drafted earlier. A lot NFL coaches and scouts followed this guy and they all passed. When you go from 359 to 376 between your last game and the combine that raises eyebrows. When you dont step on the scale at your pro day and you have skeptics wondering if he now weighs 400+, there is now concern about your commitment to football and yourself. There were definitely discussions about this player in the rooms we’re not allowed to be in with a lot of NFL teams, I’m guessing it wasn’t all good either.

He landed in a great situation though, Bill Callahan is one of the best oline coaches in the league who also got Wypler, another freefaller in the 6th to work with. Nice combo for that coach.

Not to the one I’m replying to,“one if” But the usuals can argue the Pats picks all day long if that’s their thing, but imo he was drafted accordingly due to his choices from the end of his college career up until draft day, regardless of how his career pans out.

 

[Kasmir]

The cheapest game in all of draft-dumb is to celebrate the picking of players who fell from the consensus boards and whine about those who rose.

 

[TomPatriot]

It’s not just the weight thing with D Jones. If it were, he would of been drafted earlier. A lot NFL coaches and scouts followed this guy and they all passed. When you go from 359 to 376 between your last game and the combine that raises eyebrows. When you dont step on the scale at your pro day and you have skeptics wondering if he now weighs 400+, there is now concern about your commitment to football and yourself. There were definitely discussions about this player in the rooms we’re not allowed to be in with a lot of NFL teams, I’m guessing it wasn’t all good either.

He landed in a great situation though, Bill Callahan is one of the best oline coaches in the league who also got Wypler, another freefaller in the 6th to work with. Nice combo for that coach.

Not to the one I’m replying to,“one if” But the usuals can argue the Pats picks all day long if that’s their thing, but imo he was drafted accordingly due to his choices from the end of his college career up until draft day, regardless of how his career pans out.

Motivating an unmotivated football player is really difficult. That’s especially true for an offensive lineman. Motivating one with weight issues is even harder, especially an OL. Being an OL is a trash job in the football hierarchy, so what player wants to do it if he doesn’t love football?

I agree on Callahan.

 

[50-yard-line]

Because they really really wanted that athletic Georgia LT. As usual, Cap’n is right. We didn’t demand enough.

That's not how negotiations work. The Patriots were on the clock, not the Steelers, who probably had a couple of guys (Porter?) penciled in if they lost Jones. They were lucky to get Porter (on a trade-up) in round 2, and he could have easily been the Commanders' pick, or the Pats pick if the Commanders had taken Gonzo.


In this negotiation, the team with the final say was the Patriots, of course, as they were the ones on the clock - so do they take that last offer, mess up a team in their division, add a 4th, AND still get one of the guys they wanted in the mid-first? Or do they harumph and pick Gonzo at 14?