2018 Patriots/NFL offseason thread

I don't think Guise will be around at #63, but I think the other 3 are possible. I still think one or more of the first 4 picks gets traded down to pick up a 4th rounder. There is just no way BB will want to sit out the draft from round 3 to round 6. I think he picks an OT at #23 and then trades down with a team like Tampa Bay who might want to jump up to grab a RB like Guice, giving NE a 4th or 5th rounder to go along with their 2nd. I would love Evans at #43, or another EDGE or LB who is athletic and can run and cover.

I think NE has to get more athletic, younger and faster.

The Patriots are being linked to almost every QB. Same story about Mayfield, they love him and will trade up for him.  Then linked to Rudolph and Jackson. I won't rule anything out with Bill, just find it hard to believe he'd trade that much for a risky player. As one reporter put it, would they really trade multiple first round picks for a QB after trading Jimmy for pick number 43? In a way Rosen reminds me of Ryan Mallett and Jimmy Clausen in that he has character issues. He could very well drop in the draft. What his College coach said is almost unheard of. 

I know people rag on Walter Football, but there's still a lot of useful information there. This is their mock for the Pats:


Rd. 1, Pk. 23 D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland

The Patriots just acquired this pick in the Brandin Cooks trade - click the link for grades for each team - so they could use the selection to either trade for Odell Beckham Jr. or select a receiver. The rising D.J. Moore makes sense.

Pick change; previously Courtland Sutton, WR


Rd. 1, Pk. 31 Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

Nate Solder signed with the Giants. It wasn't a surprise that the Patriots opted not to keep him. Solder is obviously very talented, but he's had severe injury problems over the past several seasons, so he was too risky to give a big contract to, despite what the Giants just did. Regardless, the Patriots need a new blind-side protector.


Rd. 2, Pk. 11 Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida

Malcolm Butler is certainly gone after being inexplicably benched for the entire Super Bowl. Jason McCourty was brought in to replace him, but he's just a temporary solution.


Rd. 2, Pk. 31 Josey Jewell, OLB/ILB, Iowa

The Patriots desperately need help at linebacker, as the injury-prone Dont'a Hightower is their only viable starter at the position.


Rd. 3, Pk. 31 Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond

Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett are both gone, so the Patriots need a new young quarterback to eventually replace Tom Brady.


Rd. 6, Pk. 2 Chase Edmonds, RB, Fordham

The Patriots will likely be in the market for a new running back, as both Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead are set to hit free agency.


Rd. 6, Pk. 36 Joseph Noteboom, OT, TCU

The Patriots are going to lose multiple tackles in free agency, so a couple of new additions make sense.

Read more at www.walterfootball.com/mocks/nfl/2018/New-England-Patriots#svdZSjHiwlgpYQih.99

That PFF mock is very good for us, Goedert TE, Oliver CB, Evans LB, Lauletta QB and Miller OT. I won't complain about that. Just a long shot that Evans is there in the 2nd and almost no chance Miller is there end of third round unless he gets Red Flagged.

Miller is like Soldier from a size point of view. Had injury issues for two years, 2017 was his only healthy year, but he was very good. Then he set the combine on fire,testing off the charts. Basically he needs to add strength and stay healthy. First round seems high, too much risk for my taste, late third seems criminally low. Most likely a guy that gets overdrafted because it's a weak OT class and he tested off the charts.

I always watchout for those guys that have a huge swings after the combine, either up or down. My three draft magazine rate him 2nd, 3rd and 4th round, each one is different. So when I hear Kiper say he could go top 15 I shake my head. He's overvaluing the combine and overlooking that he only had one year where he stayed healthy and played at a high level. He's the exact opposite of Orlando Brown Jr. who was rated a first round pick by all three magazines, then had a horrible combine. Now he's a 2nd, 3rd, heck one mock had him in the 4th round. I just value a college players body of work over a workout without pads on.

Evans could go all over the place. He’s a fit guy so some teams won’t even draft him and the others could have bigger needs or another player they like more. Happens all the time with linebackers like him. Think Justin Houston his draft. Same goes for a guy like Miller. That’s why I don’t really care about rankings too much when guys get drafted. Comes down to fit and can he play at the end of the day. You never know when a guy will or won’t be taken.

If you have BR... check out the write up on Nic Shimonek the QB from Texas Tech... if they don’t get one of the guys we’ve already talked about in rounds 1 or 2, he’s an intriguing mid/late draft take. There’s an Iowa connection there too.

Deep group of guards, would be a perfect position to target later. Hence the trade down and get picks in the 3-5 rounds. They really like Karras, he's started games for us. They will most likely target a guard at some point. I wouldn't pay Mason 10-12 million, we don't even use him in a way for him to be worth that. We'd have to turn into a run first team to take full advantage of his strength. He's a mauler in the run game, yet were a pass first team.

I wasn’t comparing Houston to him as a player. I was just making the point of a linebacker who fell. They always do... or i should say there are always linebackers who fall that grade out higher.

Hightower is a fit guy. Sure he can play in almost any defense but he’s worth less in a lot of them. And by off their draft board i just mean in a high range. Virtually everyone with a high grade would fit on any team at the right price.

Forgot about his failed drug test. Evans can still go anywhere from mid first to mid second. I’d be fine if they took him anywhere in there and it wouldn’t surprise me if he were available for any of the picks nor would it shock me if he went top 15.

Jordan Matthews got only a million dollars for a contract. Which is very surprising, given his past production that he got basically what Niklas got. Which means we still have around 5-6 million from the savings of trading Cooks to spend. Lots of good free agents still available.

If your going OT in the first round and your choice is Miller or Williams, I'm going Williams. I like the buying low on Williams, rather than buying high on Miller. Williams also tested well at the combine.

www.nfl.com/prospects/connor-williams?id=32462018-0002-5600-1711-baf493b722cd

www.nfl.com/prospects/kolton-miller?id=32462018-0002-5602-2851-0259114994f8

www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/nate-solder?id=2495232

Solder was a top performer in the 40 yard, vertical jump, broad jump and 20 yard shuttle . Williams matches 40 time, beats his vertical and broad jump numbers, but is slower in the 20 yard shuttle. Williams also tops him in bench press. As you can see Miller numbers are very good, he's a great athlete for an OT.

Mayfield being 6' tall makes it a lot tougher for him to reach elite. He won't be getting any taller. Of course there are exceptions like Brees and Wilson, but it's just that much harder to get there. If he were 6'4", he'd be the biggest hyped QB since Luck.