VJCPatriot
Pro Bowl Player
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- Apr 28, 2006
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So one of the big things that didn't happen in the draft - the Patriots didn't take a single linebacker. So to me that signals, they believe the answer is already on the roster.
A few weeks ago the Patriots traded Chase Winovich for Mack Wilson. So who is this guy? Just a 5th round linebacker from Alabama.
But when you look at this numbers, you begin to think, wait a minute, are the Patriots counting on Mack Wilson to hold down one of the starting linebacker spots?
Let's start with this size - at 6'1 240 lbs, Mack Wilson isn't the usual 'big thumper' type that BB loves to run in his defenses. In the 2019 draft, Mack Wilson was projected as high as round 2 but fell to round 5. Was it because of his pedestrian 4.71 40 time?
But if you looked at his rookie season in Cleveland, he put up pretty good numbers for a first year player: 86 combined tackles, 7 pass deflections, 4 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 FF, and 1 sack in 14 games started.
But starting in year 2 and 3, his snaps and games started declined, as did his numbers. What explains this? Who knows. Was Cleveland moving away from an older system and Mack Wilson no longer fit their plans? Or did he suffer from nagging injuries that didn't allow him to play 100%?
If there's one thing BB excels in its reclamation projects. Most notably in 2016 the Pats sent a 6th round pick to Detroit for Kyle Van Noy. He became a staple player of the Pats defense for the next 4 years.
What does Mack Wilson offer that our previous linebackers didn't? Well he makes plays in the passing game for one. 7 pass deflections shows that he knows how to get his hands on the ball in the passing lanes. If he can continue to improve as a player, and he's only 24 at the time of the trade, Mack Wilson might be a guy BB has penciled in as his 'new generation' of linebacker. A lighter smaller guy who could possibly make some plays sideline to sideline as well as in the passing game. And considering where he went to school there's always that Alabama connection.
Am I reading too much into this, or does the Patriots not drafting a single linebacker mean they think they already have the answer for the position, and is that answer Mack Wilson? Thoughts or alternative answers?
The 2019 scouting report on Mack Wilson.
A few weeks ago the Patriots traded Chase Winovich for Mack Wilson. So who is this guy? Just a 5th round linebacker from Alabama.
But when you look at this numbers, you begin to think, wait a minute, are the Patriots counting on Mack Wilson to hold down one of the starting linebacker spots?
Let's start with this size - at 6'1 240 lbs, Mack Wilson isn't the usual 'big thumper' type that BB loves to run in his defenses. In the 2019 draft, Mack Wilson was projected as high as round 2 but fell to round 5. Was it because of his pedestrian 4.71 40 time?
But if you looked at his rookie season in Cleveland, he put up pretty good numbers for a first year player: 86 combined tackles, 7 pass deflections, 4 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 FF, and 1 sack in 14 games started.
But starting in year 2 and 3, his snaps and games started declined, as did his numbers. What explains this? Who knows. Was Cleveland moving away from an older system and Mack Wilson no longer fit their plans? Or did he suffer from nagging injuries that didn't allow him to play 100%?
If there's one thing BB excels in its reclamation projects. Most notably in 2016 the Pats sent a 6th round pick to Detroit for Kyle Van Noy. He became a staple player of the Pats defense for the next 4 years.
What does Mack Wilson offer that our previous linebackers didn't? Well he makes plays in the passing game for one. 7 pass deflections shows that he knows how to get his hands on the ball in the passing lanes. If he can continue to improve as a player, and he's only 24 at the time of the trade, Mack Wilson might be a guy BB has penciled in as his 'new generation' of linebacker. A lighter smaller guy who could possibly make some plays sideline to sideline as well as in the passing game. And considering where he went to school there's always that Alabama connection.
Am I reading too much into this, or does the Patriots not drafting a single linebacker mean they think they already have the answer for the position, and is that answer Mack Wilson? Thoughts or alternative answers?
The 2019 scouting report on Mack Wilson.