Nice upside pickup today for BB/NC, 6-5 300 DE Armond Armstead... I remember posting about this kid pre-draft last year... his medicals must've been awful due to the hear issue, because this kid is a very good package of size/length/athleticism... believe I remember him rushing out off the edge out of a 2-point stance while at SC.

Very good low rish, high upside pickup.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/

In response to PatsLifer's comment:

Love and deaderick are decent depth players....not good enough to start on ouR DL. I am with you PatsEng on the DT choices. I think we would need to move up in round 2 to have a chance at Rhodes, but I like him if we are adding depth to the defensive backfield. A lot depends upon Talib. We need to resign him. Finding a starting caliber cb is going to be hard to do, and I want a guy like Talib back there that has size, experience and an edge. 

Personally, I would like to see some more speed at lb, but lower on my priority list. 

Given we were successful converting mccourty to safety, what are the chances we do the same with Arrington or dowling? Arrington plays a physical game, and he can blitz, play in the box, and is a solid tackler. Not as fast as mccourty but maybe he plays best with the ball in front of him. 

Ras has the better chance of converting imo. Just a better player at breaking down plays. Arrington I could let go and not even think about it. His time here is marked by lucky games. Sometimes he looks like a starter and others completely lost. He's made the same mistakes over and over again while getting the same essential production down the middle. I'm not even sure I'd want him as a 3rd CB if there is a better option available

In response to PatsEng's comment:

In response to PatsLifer's comment:

Love and deaderick are decent depth players....not good enough to start on ouR DL. I am with you PatsEng on the DT choices. I think we would need to move up in round 2 to have a chance at Rhodes, but I like him if we are adding depth to the defensive backfield. A lot depends upon Talib. We need to resign him. Finding a starting caliber cb is going to be hard to do, and I want a guy like Talib back there that has size, experience and an edge. 

Personally, I would like to see some more speed at lb, but lower on my priority list. 

Given we were successful converting mccourty to safety, what are the chances we do the same with Arrington or dowling? Arrington plays a physical game, and he can blitz, play in the box, and is a solid tackler. Not as fast as mccourty but maybe he plays best with the ball in front of him. 

Ras has the better chance of converting imo. Just a better player at breaking down plays. Arrington I could let go and not even think about it. His time here is marked by lucky games. Sometimes he looks like a starter and others completely lost. He's made the same mistakes over and over again while getting the same essential production down the middle. I'm not even sure I'd want him as a 3rd CB if there is a better option available

This will be a make or break offseason for a lot of pats players. Arrington included. I don't think he is horrible, just horrible on the outside and not a starting ca liber cb...but he is not a bad 4th option, solely a slot cover guy, and decent on ST's. he has some value. Sadly, we probably need 2 good cb's if Talib isn't resigned and dowling doesn't stay healthy and progress. The problem is we won't know on dowling until after the draft and maybe not until the start of the season. 

In response to PatsLifer's comment:

In response to PatsEng's comment:

In response to PatsLifer's comment:

Love and deaderick are decent depth players....not good enough to start on ouR DL. I am with you PatsEng on the DT choices. I think we would need to move up in round 2 to have a chance at Rhodes, but I like him if we are adding depth to the defensive backfield. A lot depends upon Talib. We need to resign him. Finding a starting caliber cb is going to be hard to do, and I want a guy like Talib back there that has size, experience and an edge. 

Personally, I would like to see some more speed at lb, but lower on my priority list. 

Given we were successful converting mccourty to safety, what are the chances we do the same with Arrington or dowling? Arrington plays a physical game, and he can blitz, play in the box, and is a solid tackler. Not as fast as mccourty but maybe he plays best with the ball in front of him. 

Ras has the better chance of converting imo. Just a better player at breaking down plays. Arrington I could let go and not even think about it. His time here is marked by lucky games. Sometimes he looks like a starter and others completely lost. He's made the same mistakes over and over again while getting the same essential production down the middle. I'm not even sure I'd want him as a 3rd CB if there is a better option available

This will be a make or break offseason for a lot of pats players. Arrington included. I don't think he is horrible, just horrible on the outside and not a starting ca liber cb...but he is not a bad 4th option, solely a slot cover guy, and decent on ST's. he has some value. Sadly, we probably need 2 good cb's if Talib isn't resigned and dowling doesn't stay healthy and progress. The problem is we won't know on dowling until after the draft and maybe not until the start of the season. 

Well I'm looking at Ras at the 4th option at this point which would push Arrington to the 5th spot as I don't want him to be the primary backup. Dennard has a good handle as the #2 CB which leaves spots open in the #1 and #3 CB roles. Ideally I'd like to resign Talib for the #1 spot and draft a kid in the 2nd/3rd and put him into that slot #3 role where there is less pressure. If Ras stays healthy he becomes the primary backup to Talib and Dennard, if not then the corner you draft takes on that role. But, I don't want to see Arrington on the outside and I think he'll get a halfway decent contract from someone, more than what I'd want to pay for a 5th CB. Though, statiscally this year Arrington ranked in the bottom 5% of the league for CB's so who knows maybe he'll take a min contract which at that point I'd take him back as the #5 CB

PatsEng..

do you put Arrington over cole? I think Arrington has more st value, but I think both are decent in the slot. 

i am going to make some assumptions On defense 

1. Assuming they resign talib

cb...Talib, Dennard, (draft Poyer, round 2), Ras, Arrington, cole ,,...in that order 

Yeah I'd agree I'd put them in that order but it depends what Arrington commands on the market. Anything more then min contract and I don't think there is a huge difference in Cole vs Arrington for that 5th spot

dl...Vince, (draft kawann short or Sheldon Richardson round 1), jones, nink 

Not sure I like the picks but I like the idea

lb...Hightower, spikes, mayo, fletcher, Wilson on passing downs

I'm not sure Fletcher can last a season so I'd be looking for a replacement but I like using Wilson as the hybrid SS/LB on passing downs

safety....mccourty, (get Byrd, delmas or goldson), Wilson, (draft ti McDonald round 3)

Honestly I don't think the FA's this year are going to be worth what they command on the market. Additionally I don't want to draft a S just to draft a S and that's what I think the McDonald pick would end up being in the end. I'd be happy with McCourty, Gregory, Ebner, Wilson provided they fix the pass rush and fix the CB's

2. Assuming they don't resign talib

cb...Dennard (draft Rhodes round 1), Ras, Arrington, cole, Williams ...in that order. They could also go the FA route and grab grimes, cromartie from Philly ..but if you do that , why not just sign Talib?

If they don't resign Talib then I agree they have to get a CB early and Rhodes seems like the natural pick. However I don't think going into a season with Rhodes and Dennard followed by that list of players is any better then what we had before Talib. I think one way or another they have to find a #3 or better CB on the FA market

DL...Vince, (draft Jesse Williams round 2), jones, nink

J Williams could be a good pick but he's still raw. I don't think I'd be comfortable starting him with the above secondary. If the above secondary is the case I'd rather they spend some cash for Melton or Starks and let Williams develop

others same as above...

offense....they don't resign welker...

rb...Ridley, Vereen, bolden, demps (let woody walk unless fair money signing)

Woodhead isn't going anyway because I don't think he'll command anymore than $1-2mil per year and his value to this team on 3rd downs was appearent even in the Ravens game. Bolden though could be the odd man out. Since coming off of suspension he was rarely used and when he was to mop up he didn't have the same explosiveness or strength as before the suspension. 

wr...Bowe/Wallace/sign FA, Lloyd, Hern, Edelman, (sign another FA like Gibson or ginn to add depth and return kicks)...demps can also or Vereen on punts in place of Wes.

No on Wallace. He's going to command more money than Welker and he's an unknown in this system. I'd rather spend less or just resign Welker. I like adding Bowe though or replacing Welker with Amendola or Heartline

te...Gronk, Ballard, Hooman (fells walks), Hern 

Agree I think Fells is odd man out here

ol...same, vollmer resigned

I'd like to add depth but unless and upgrade falls into their laps in FA I think the starters are good to go

A Safety posibility mid-round: Senior Bowl Notes

Florida International’s Jonathan Cyprien continues to impress. Even though he’s big and muscled up, his hips are loose and his ankle flexion is outstanding. He gets from single high position to the sideline faster than any safety here on either squad, but he’s not out of control when doing so

In line drills, Texas defensive end Alex Okafor continued his strong week.  At one point he got into Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher’s chest and drove him back several yards, drawing “ooohs” from onlookers.  Later, Fisher had to tackle Okafor to keep him from getting by.  Okafor also proved to be a nightmare matchup for Wisconsin tackle Ricky Wagner.  In fact, there hasn’t been a lineman down here who has been able to handle Okafor consistently.  

Do we have enough under the cap to franchise welker and reasonably sign Talib At The same time? What about adding a Melton or Starks to that list as well? Brady, mayo, vw restructure contracts? 

Do we have enough under the cap to franchise welker and reasonably sign Talib At The same time? What about adding a Melton or Starks to that list as well? Brady, mayo, vw restructure contracts? 

Do we have enough under the cap to franchise welker and reasonably sign Talib At The same time? What about adding a Melton or Starks to that list as well? Brady, mayo, vw restructure contracts? 

Here are a few FA that I'd like for us to take a look at in addition to hopefully resigning Welker/Talib/Vollmer, etc.

WR Brian Hartline, MIA - I don't think really think we nessacarily need a 6'3" burner on the outside. Our offense isn't really made for that. What we need is someone who can consistently win outside the numbers with precise routes but also has the ability to threaten deep, and create after the catch. Brandon Lloyd was miscast as a deep threat, he isn't that. He is a glorified possession WR who can never create after the catch because he is always on the ground. Hartline isn't a burner, but he runs good routes and can win outside the numbers. We aren't getting a Bowe/Wallace type, Hartline would be a good potential add.

I like Heartline a lot but he is very inconsistent. If he's to replace Welker I don't think there will be a huge drop off but he's not a #1 WR imo. The problem I see is that we don't have people who can out fight aggressive DB's at the line. Minus Gronk we have no one who can out fight for a ball. For that I'd like a bigger WR to mismatch against aggressive CB's but I agree that I don't think we need a burner. Just someone with a larger catch radius. Heartline at 6'2" 200lb might be able to do that if the match S's and LB's against Hern and Gronk

DT Henry Melton, CHI or DT Randy Starks, MIA - Both these guys could command big money but I think would fill a huge hole, but it remains to be seen if we would spend the money to get one of them. They are both similar, but MUCH better players compared to someone like Jonathan Fanene who we tried to get for that penetrating DT role last offseason. I really feel like Armond Armstead could make an impact, for a fraction of the cost. But I'd still like to see them take a look at these guys.

 Melton I think is going to get franchised but Starks I'm all for if the market doesn't go crazy. Starks would be that typical in division FA BB likes to pick up because of the history and similarity in game plan between the teams

LB Paul Kruger, BAL - He may price himself out of our price range, but for reasons mentioned above, he'd be someone to take a look at.

LB Dannell Ellerbe, BAL - Similar to Kruger in the fact that he may be priced out of our price range, but Ellerbe could be another nice add to our D. Can he be a cover LB we need? That I am not so sure of, but he is a good player.

 I wouldn't look at either one honestly. They'd be to replace Nink and for the cost compared to increase in performance just isn't worth it.I'd love to find a 4th LB with coverage ability though

FS Ed Reed, BAL - We all know BB has loved him for a long time. If he finally gets to the open market, does BB take a dip? I'd love it. Would add instant credibility, leadership, and a veteran on the backend to go along with McCourty. Reed has lost a step for sure, but is still an instinctual player who can make players.

 I'm good with McCourty at FS as I think Reeds abilities are in decline. I wouldn't mind finding a 3rd CB or a SS though, but the market seems kind of thin. Honestly keeping the S core we have (minus Chung), resigning Talib, and adding a 3rd CB in the draft seems like the best option

Just some of the guys that I like. Most have been mentioned at some point on the thread already, but I think all could be valuable additions to the team.

Good thinking and I like your detail. Any OL you are looking at for RG or depth?

Hey sports welcome back. My response is in bold:

In response to sportslover21's comment:

Here are a few FA that I'd like for us to take a look at in addition to hopefully resigning Welker/Talib/Vollmer, etc.

WR Brian Hartline, MIA - I don't think really think we nessacarily need a 6'3" burner on the outside. Our offense isn't really made for that. What we need is someone who can consistently win outside the numbers with precise routes but also has the ability to threaten deep, and create after the catch. Brandon Lloyd was miscast as a deep threat, he isn't that. He is a glorified possession WR who can never create after the catch because he is always on the ground. Hartline isn't a burner, but he runs good routes and can win outside the numbers. We aren't getting a Bowe/Wallace type, Hartline would be a good potential add.

I like Heartline a lot but he is very inconsistent. If he's to replace Welker I don't think there will be a huge drop off but he's not a #1 WR imo. The problem I see is that we don't have people who can out fight aggressive DB's at the line. Minus Gronk we have no one who can out fight for a ball. For that I'd like a bigger WR to mismatch against aggressive CB's but I agree that I don't think we need a burner. Just someone with a larger catch radius. Heartline at 6'2" 200lb might be able to do that if the match S's and LB's against Hern and Gronk

DT Henry Melton, CHI or DT Randy Starks, MIA - Both these guys could command big money but I think would fill a huge hole, but it remains to be seen if we would spend the money to get one of them. They are both similar, but MUCH better players compared to someone like Jonathan Fanene who we tried to get for that penetrating DT role last offseason. I really feel like Armond Armstead could make an impact, for a fraction of the cost. But I'd still like to see them take a look at these guys.

 Melton I think is going to get franchised but Starks I'm all for if the market doesn't go crazy. Starks would be that typical in division FA BB likes to pick up because of the history and similarity in game plan between the teams

LB Paul Kruger, BAL - He may price himself out of our price range, but for reasons mentioned above, he'd be someone to take a look at.

LB Dannell Ellerbe, BAL - Similar to Kruger in the fact that he may be priced out of our price range, but Ellerbe could be another nice add to our D. Can he be a cover LB we need? That I am not so sure of, but he is a good player.

 I wouldn't look at either one honestly. They'd be to replace Nink and for the cost compared to increase in performance just isn't worth it.I'd love to find a 4th LB with coverage ability though

FS Ed Reed, BAL - We all know BB has loved him for a long time. If he finally gets to the open market, does BB take a dip? I'd love it. Would add instant credibility, leadership, and a veteran on the backend to go along with McCourty. Reed has lost a step for sure, but is still an instinctual player who can make players.

 I'm good with McCourty at FS as I think Reeds abilities are in decline. I wouldn't mind finding a 3rd CB or a SS though, but the market seems kind of thin. Honestly keeping the S core we have (minus Chung), resigning Talib, and adding a 3rd CB in the draft seems like the best option

Just some of the guys that I like. Most have been mentioned at some point on the thread already, but I think all could be valuable additions to the team.

Good thinking and I like your detail. Any OL you are looking at for RG or depth?

looks like margus hunt isn't what i and some others thought he was. projected to be taken around the 4th round. same with ansah.. guess that's why i don't get paid to do this stuff lol.

http://football.realgm.com/src_article/2244/20130124/project_pass_rush/

DE's alex okafor and datone jones getting rave reviews so far at the senior bowl practices

http://football.realgm.com/src_article/2243/20130123/senior_bowl_notes_tuesday/

In response to mbeaulieu07's comment:
[QUOTE]

http://www.pigskinheaven.com/content.php/1156-Johnathan-Cyprien

Here is a link to an article and video on Cyprien.  He is impressive. Good size, COD, anticipation, keeps the plays in front of him and can legally hit well.  There maybe questions about his competition, but love the effort.  He may be a late 2nd when it is all said and done. I am moving him up my draft board