I'm not big on grades. If I don't like a prospect I'll tell you why and be specific. If I like a prospect I'll tell you why and be specific.
The draft is a crapshoot, there's a thousand things that could go wrong that could derail a guy's career, some within their power to change and some completely out of it. A player has a debilitating car crash that nearly takes his life, a cancer or illness diagnosis, or even an injury to his neck, back, or wheels that can't be recovered from.... years from now it will be remembered as a bad draft pick or a "bust" but very often it wasn't... it just had a bad result. Other players like some famous high round WR's we brought in failed on their own accord, those were bad draft picks in hindsight... it wasn't because they lacked the athleticism to be great... they lacked the will, smarts or mental toughness. That was a true bust. There's no way to measure this, if there were... the draft would be a mistake free process and filtering out bad players would be simple.
Everything I write below is based on a draft prospect... the name describes them perfectly... prospect. Any player comparisons are comparison in body and athleticism alone. I'm not saying player x is Randy Moss, I'm saying they're tall, long and fast like Moss. We use player comparisons because that's all we have... don't be a douche in your response and say
"Wozzy said Christian Gonzalez was Deion Sanders or Gilmore" because that's not what I said, I compared a 6'1" CB to a similar sized and similarly athletic player from the past for context. What that player does with that athleticism is usually up to them, it takes more than being a great athlete.
1-17 CB Christian Gonzalez:
The criticism that keeps floating around him is he doesn’t hit, that he might not be tough enough. That’s not what I see. Sure, there’s players like Ty Law and prospects like Devon Witherspoon who arrive in run support like a freight train and lay the hardest hit they can. CG doesn’t do that, but he doesn’t miss many tackles either. He uses his athleticism to make the easy tackle. He upends a big TE by submarining their ankles, he grabs a WR by the foot and lifts him off the ground… low impact tackles yes, but sure tackling nonetheless. There have been wildly successful players like this before, Deion Sanders the most famous, but Eric Allen and Stephon Gilmore weren’t high impact hitters either. These guys health and not getting concussed for the next play was more important than sending a message on a single hit. They cover opponents like a paint job so you live with it. They control one side of the field or take the opponents biggest tallest stud WR out of the game. I didn’t think he’d be there at 14, anywhere beyond that was gold.
2-46 DE Keion White:
He’s a defensive end with outside linebacker athleticism, that’s why he was worth a 2nd round pick. Guy’s a no-nonsense player, he didn’t crack a smile on draft night… I question whether he smiles at all. Deatrich Wise size, Trey Flowers strength, Chris Slade speed… it’s a good combination on the edge.
3-76 SS Marte Mapu:
Who? There will always be small school guys who nobody but scouts know. These guys get invited to the Senior or Shrine Bowls or some other camp and it quickly becomes clear playing against the best of the best from college who belongs and who doesn’t. Yes, Duggar will be a free agent next year, but so will Peppers who only signed a one-year deal. This pick was made in preparation for next offseason, they can possibly afford to sign one of those guys, but probably not both.
4-107 C Jake Andrews:
Good athlete, productive career, strong… they need a center so that means they need someone on the bench that can play there as well. It’s not just David Andrews (31 in 23’) who is long in tooth, James Ferentz will be 33 years old. That means the Pats need two centers, Russey and Andrews… let the best man win the starting job.
4-112 K Chad Ryland:
Booming leg, accurate from distance, good in cold weather, his holder at the Senior Bowl where they both shined is also the Pat’s new punter. Belichick went off script Saturday and did something an NFL team hadn't in 30 years; selecting a kicker and a punter in the same draft.
4-117 G/T Sidy Sow:
At 6-5 323 he has some real size to him, and among the three rookies he also has the most length. His 81” wingspan and 33 5/8’s arms are decent, if he was a good athlete, he could possibly relearn OT which he played as a true freshman. He is a good athlete. His 32” vertical leap is the highest among offensive linemen on the Patriots, he has good speed, agility and strength. Add that all together and he reminds me a little of Marcus Cannon once he lost some weight. Probably should and will play guard, but possibly might be able to play at RT because he’s a dancing bear.
5-144 G Atonio Mafi:
Massive guard (6-3, 329) with no measurables, but looks mean and athletic on tape. Hard to judge without knowing but he sure pancakes a lot of players at a high level of college competition.
6-187 WR Kayshon Boutte:
Maybe his foot was broken at his pro day, maybe not. He was slow, not agile, not explosive, not anything except a headcase according to his reputation. No talent and a bad reputation won’t last for a second in Foxboro, so unless the Pats have some medical knowledge the rest don’t this was probably a wasted pick.
6-192 P Bryce Baringer:
"Former Michigan State football punter Bryce Baringer has launched his NFL stock into the stratosphere at the Combine. A few short months ago, Michigan State football fans were incensed at the fact that Bryce Baringer was passed up for the Ray Guy Award. Adam Korsak from Rutgers was able to win the award over Baringer which didn’t make much sense because the latter was named Big Ten Punter of the Year. How could the Big Ten’s best punter finish second for the Ray Guy Award behind another Big Ten punter? It made no sense. Snub would be the perfect term to use regarding this situation and it seems to have only motivated Baringer to get even better. Baringer was the special teams practice player of the week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and he was invited to the NFL Combine this week. And he showed out in a big way. According to some results from the combine workouts, Baringer was the best punter of the day with both incredible hangtimes and impressive leg strength. He dominated the rest of the punters. The Michigan State football star led all punters in terms of average punt distance and hangtime which is impressive when you consider just how far his punts are traveling in the air. He averaged over seven more yards and 0.7 more seconds of hangtime than the Ray Guy Award winner on open field punts. He also dominated the direction punts category with over 50 yards per punt and over 5.0 seconds of hangtime. And his pooch/pin punts had the most hangtime by a wide margin. If you’re an NFL team looking for a punter of the future, Baringer seems to be that guy. He’s dominating all of the workouts and drills and he’s proving just why he may have been the biggest awards snub of the year. Baringer will be playing on Sundays next year."
www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/michigan_state_football_bryce_baringer_dominates_at_nfl_combine/s1_17162_38539809
6-210 WR Demario Douglas:
At 5-8, 180 pounds he has to get stronger, he’s similar to Wan’Dale Robinson and Calvin Austin drafted last year, similar sized to Josh Downs, Tank Dell, Derius Davis, Zay Flowers this year. Short, small but fast (4.4) and explosive. His agility is not as amazing as some of these guys, but it’s still good. He’s as explosive as any of them, maybe more. His vertical was tied 3rd highest among WR’s at the combine, his broad jump sat alone at 2nd best, 4th best among all positions at the combine. He catches well, finds soft spots in zone, has some escape ability and excels at stop and go routes. He returns kicks and punts and plays special teams, he’ll play anywhere. The coaching staff handled him at the Shrine Bowl, they have firsthand knowledge of his skillset and smarts. That gives me a small sense of confidence.
6-214 CB Ameer Speed:
You know that guy that has prototypical height (6-2, 209), weight, speed (4.3), mobility (6.99/4.26 cone/shuttle) to be a big tall NFL CB… but has no explosion? That’s this kid, he has all the tools but is always a step behind in coverage. He’s not fluid, he looks like he’s fighting the turf when he runs, choppy, the opposite of Gonzalez who glides. This guy is watching the receiver catch the ball, and making the tackle. He needs to improve his agility by improving his efficiency of movement, take fewer steps and loosen up... I’d suggest meditation and plyometrics. One thing about having the talent, he could take coaching and improve, or learn to play well facing the offense at safety if he’s a smart and sure tackler. The talent is there, that's more than most of the prospects who fail have.
7-245 CB Isaiah Bolden:
What would a player look like if he could play gunner like Brandon King, but also return kicks… perhaps really well? With safety size (6-3, 210), 4.3 forty is really fast, he’s explosive. His agility is terrible and we’ll probably never see him on defense, but wouldn’t you rather have a gunner who could possibly take kickoffs to the house rather than fade into the background like special team’s players otherwise do? It could take some of the burden off Marcus Jones and spread it around to fresh legs. He’s a long shot to make the roster unless he’s a special team’s ace, so he’d better become a special team’s ace.
bnbfootball.com
