dhunt2402 Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Each day between now and the draft I'll be doing a quick rundown of the Patriots positions of greatest need with an early round target, player(s) to avoid, and some sleepers. We'll begin with:Offensive Tackle I think OT is the spot that many have pegged for one of our first round picks. The loss of Nate Solder (and to a lesser extent Cameron Fleming) stretches our current crop of tackles pretty thin. Obviously it's tough to know what the coaching staff views each player as, I think Marcus Cannon is pretty firmly entrenched at RT, but there's much still to find out on how they view La'Adrian Waddle (backup swing tackle or potential starting LT?) and what they expect of Antonio Garcia after essentially a lost year of development. That said, looking at the draft, I would submit the following: -- Early target: None I really don't see it with the so-called top tier of tackle prospects. You have the obvious flaws, too raw (Brian O'Neill), too short (Isaiah Wynn, though if they take him with an eye toward moving him to guard that I could get behind), T-Rex arms (Connor Williams). And then you get to the guys like Mike McGlinchey and Kolton Miller who I just don't see as sure things, they're really tall (which I'd argue is more of a negative than a positive when trying to combat leverage, but obviously can be overcome) and while they both showed out at the Combine, they don't look quite as athletic on tape. Obviously with Scar in the fold I wouldn't bet against turning either into quality starters, but I don't think either has sky high potential and I just don't see the value in taking players that are such projections with the most valuable draft capital we have. Player(s) to avoid: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma Yeah. Horrific combine aside, this just isn't a guy that I think will be able to hack it at left tackle against the best pass rushers in the world. His pedigree is mostly based on how massive he is, not necessarily that he's a road grading beast on the field, and that is something edge rushers are all too capable of exploiting at the next level. Hard pass. Late round sleeper: Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T I think the value at the tackle position is much further down the draft than most seem to, in large part because I don't see a surefire Day 1 starter anywhere in this draft and that's about the only thing that could impact our 2018 season, almost anyone else would have to work their way up and beat out Garcia and Waddle to earn a spot. Brandon Parker is another tall guy but has the long arms to help offset the leverage disadvantage. Had a great week at the Senior Bowl against better competition than he'd seen in his life, definitely a guy I'd take a flier on to see if he can rise up and win the job against the rest of the competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 10 minutes ago, dhunt2402 said: Player(s) to avoid: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma I like Brown as a RT prospect. He isnt gifted athletically, but the guy has a very good motor and understands the game. His biggest issues are extremely coachable IE leg bends, hand placement, form in and out of stance, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoleINGout Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 I'm not very high on Orlando Brown but could see the Patriots going against the grain and picking him for his long arms and value depending on if he's available in the second round. Anybody think Marcus Cannon could cut it as a guard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD696 Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 I don't think Connor Williams has T-rex arms. Sure, 33" is just at the cutoff value (for me, at least), but not Robert Gallery bad. 18 minutes ago, DoleINGout said: Anybody think Marcus Cannon could cut it as a guard? Why would you move your elite RT to a position he never played before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ForTheThumb Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 I want nothing to do with Miller. He's a third round prospect on tape, the guy kills the combine and all of sudden he's pegged as a lock to the Patriots in the first round. Ton of potential, but needs a lot of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donut Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 5 hours ago, LD696 said: I don't think Connor Williams has T-rex arms. Sure, 33" is just at the cutoff value (for me, at least), but not Robert Gallery bad. Why would you move your elite RT to a position he never played before? He played LG and was bad at it. I remember because I like many thought he was going to move inside and he wasn't cut out for it. Though I don't really like evaluating OL because imo its least interesting to watch but O'Neill's athleticism in 2nd is interesting as well as Desmond Howard and Greg Senat as a late rounders. Edit Desmond Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoleINGout Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 2 hours ago, LD696 said: I don't think Connor Williams has T-rex arms. Sure, 33" is just at the cutoff value (for me, at least), but not Robert Gallery bad. Why would you move your elite RT to a position he never played before? That is not answering the question and besides the point. How do you think Cannon would do at RG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoleINGout Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 49 minutes ago, Donut said: He played LG and was bad at it. I remember because I like many thought he was going to move inside and he wasn't cut out for it. Though I don't really like evaluating OL because imo its least interesting to watch but O'Neill's athleticism in 2nd is interesting as well as Desmond Howard and Greg Senat as a late rounders. I remember Cannon struggled at a couple of positions before Scarrnechia unretired and then all of a sudden Cannon could pass protect and hold his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhunt2402 Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 Yeah Cannon at guard did not work, though who knows if he's just flat out a better player now and could handle the transition with ease. Either way, I'd err on the side of keep him at the position we know he can play well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ForTheThumb Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 I feel like Williams is someone they'd love. He's super versatile. I agree with your overall class assessment @dhunt2402 ; it's weak. And I think the Patriots will surprise us and possibly not even draft a tackle until later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlNFL19 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I like Williams but I wouldn't take him at 23. Maybe 31 if it's BPA too. I really don't like Miller for us. He's a project but has great athleticism - we already have an athletic "project" OT in Tony Garcia. If we take an OT early it will be a guy who can contribute early. Good assessment I guess. I think NE has bigger holes to fill and I believe in Tony Garcia (and, more importantly, Dante Scarrnechia). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soko Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Tackle at 23 would be a mistake IYAM. Depends on who’s available obviously, but I’m expecting a couple solid front 7 players to be there. I like O’Neil with the late 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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