Pats work out Gholston

I, for one, will be surprised if Gholston is still available at #7. It seems like ALL of the teams picking ahead of the Pats could use someone with his capabilities.

I think he ultimately winds up in Oakland.

If he gets past Oakland,the Pats should trade up with KC & get Gholston ahead of the RAT&the Jets,therefore KC can take Ryan at 7.

If Seymour is going to be able to return to form then you can have he and Thomas on that side of the line which would be fine. They need ILB and CB help in a big way. I could see them trading down if he's available and picking up DB and LB in later round 1 (teens) and perhaps an extra second pick.

This team needs some speed and there's plenty of that in this draft.

I like Adalius Thomas on the inside, actually. Yeah, he did a pretty respectable job coming off the edge after Rosie went down, but I think his loss was felt in the middle. Remember that in the 3-4 the ILBs are often assigned the task of downfield coverage in the middle of the field and down the seam, and I think that was compromised when Thomas moved outside. Sure, occasionally you see the OLBs put in man coverage against the slot receiver, but their primary duty in New England's defense is more of a zone coverage in the flat -- especially when you consider how deep the corners usually play. With Adalius's rare mixture of size and speed, he's really the perfect fit for ILB in this scheme. He can take on blockers on the strong side against runs, cover TEs in the middle of the field, or drop into deep coverage in the middle.

Reiss, Not sure I agree with your analysis. I don't think this report "most accuratly indicates" anything. Though, I do believe the Patriots could take Gholston. NFL clubs have limited amount of private workouts (30?) , but you should know of the patriots historic, smoke screen, workout techniques (most notably D'Wayne Robertson and Jonathan Sullivan) Making any indication you're interested in someone compromises your negotiating leverage on draft day.
I knowing nothing about Gholston, outside of his size and combine results , but would love the pats to take him, if he's really their guy. If he's a total beast out of the gate, like a Willis or Merriman they wont pass him up, and he will change the entire complex of the defense

In a way I'd love to see us get Gholston, but I agree with Rob - I'd rather see us drop back and get a starting CB and ILB in this draft, and quality backups at those same positions. Agree with Mike's previous assessments too, wondering if 1-10 are really worth the $$$ they get. Would be nice to have 2 young LBs learning and sharing reps this year - instead of starting Bruschi and Seau and any young guys only getting reps on Special Teams.

The DB positions are a little more tenuous. I thought Hobbs was going to b something, and mostly he seems to get hurt. To his credit he does not complain, but he is the weak link. Now without Asante he is the only link. We need a starter here, and someone who can push Hobbs to either excel or off the roster.

Hears to Spygate NOT erupting before the draft ( stealing more picks and suspending our coach ), and an awesome April Draft for the Pats!!!

The Patriots won't trade up. If Gholston is available at #7 it would be a real surprise to me. Even if he is available, I beleive the Patriots first choice will be a trade down. If they can't trade down and Gholston is available, they'd then likely draft him (slim odds, for sure!)
The #7 money is HUGE, and it would be hard to justify that large sum on a project player (trying to convert positions). Suppose the Patriots draft Gholston, he would have a limited role in 2008 as he learns how to cover RBs and TEs and learns the complex defensive playbook. All-the-while his hit on the cap prevents the team from bringing in someone to help in 2008.

In response to geeblaun--You don't think the Patriots had any interest in Robertson or Sullivan during those offseasons? I don't think those were smoke screens at all. The Patriots proved that by acquiring Sullivan several years later in the Bethel Johnson trade. Their interest was legitimate in both cases.

Have the pats ever traded up in the first round since Belichick and Pioli have been in charge? I know they've bounced up a few spots now and again in later rounds but I honestly can't see them moving up, particularly in the top 10, particularly for a linebacker. They rely almost exclusively on vet linebackers due to their system, and they hate paying the $$ for unproven high draft picks.

Joe,

They traded up in 2002 to get Daniel Graham.

Frankly Gholston is the only player I would take in this top ten for the patriots and I would hope they trade up for him at the 5th spot, because I like Cromartie and Rivers but not at # 7.

Gholston is the only player woth taking at the 7th ( or 5th pick ) He is the type of player who could have a 20 sack season blitzing behing Seymour/Warren/Wilfork

37 Bench press reps (Vince Wilfork did 36)
41inch vertical ---> wow explosion
4.5 forty adds speed to the defense.