Patriots to host Barwin on pre-draft visit

I think because of his versatility in being able to play three positions DE/TE/OLB that Barwin will be picked by the Pats with the 23 pick. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Pat White QB/WR be picked with one of the three second round selections. BB would probably love to throw a wild cat formation next season at Miami.

I think it's also worth considering that virtually every single Patriots 1st round pick was brought in on a pre-draft visit.

Mayo, Meriweather, Maroney, Mankins, etc, were all pre-draft visits.

If Rey Maualuga drops to 23, it will be very interesting to see what the Pats do with the first round pick.

Anyways, this is great news! I love this kid. His speed and ability to play TE is very impressive, and he's very intelligent too. I would not be dissapointed at all if we took him at 23... on the contrary. Granted, 34th might be ideal, but Barwin's stock has been rising and rising everyday and I think he's almost perfect for our scheme. Oh, and NYPat, totally agree on Pat White. Another guy I think the Pats would look at if he fell to 34 is Louis Delmas out of Western Michigan. His versatility and aggresiveness would really be of use to us at the safety position.

Mike,
Are you aware of any other pre-draft visits the Patriots already had this year or have scheduled?

Taking a pass rusher at 23 makes sense. Then a DB at 34 if they still have it. Don't know if Barwin is the best available, however, but he's in the mix.

Barwin seems to be a player the Pats could use but I beleive they could get him in the second round.....I would very much like to have one of the three U.S.C. linebackers
with the 1rst round pick....I just hope they address the offensive line ....particularly the right side a couple of second round draft picks would be great !!!

Give me William Beatty at 23 and Barwin at 34 and I'll be pretty happy. The Pats have the picks to move up and get guys they want, so I hope these two are in their sights.

I met this kid in Mobile at the Senior Bowl -- seemed like a real nice guy and seemed confident yet humble -- Patriots kind of guy

If Maualuga is there at 23, he's the pick. He projects at ILB and would make a scary combination in the middle with Mayo. If the Patriots keep the 23 and 34 picks, do not be shocked by 2 LBs taken. Or for that matter, it could easily be TE and OL. What knowledge have mortals of the minds of football gods?

I love this kid, he'd be who i'd like to see most, but would also would go for laurainitis, english, matthews or clint sintim early in the draft. id love to deepen the heck out of our linebackers. OT would be nice too.

Barwin's last name does not begin with a M or a W so he will not be picked in the first round. Clay Matthews on the other hand...

I don't understand the love fest for Maualuga.

His stock is falling, his wonderlic was low and he faced team discipline multiple times at USC. Does not seem to fit in with Bill's mantra.

And an OLB is a much bigger need. A rotation of Mayo, Bruschi and Guyton got it done pretty good last year against the run. Bring in an edge presence and you will watch the pass defense improve dramatically.

Patriots will NOT take Barwin at 23. They should take an ILB in the first, hopefully Mauluga, Laurnaitas or Cushing. By the 34th Clint Sintim, or Barwin will be available for the steal. The Pats need to go linebacker with these 2 picks unless Peppers comes. They can not let those 3 ILB get by them because most certainly Barwin or Sintim will still be available by the 34th

I don't know but this guy just has bust written all over him. Hasn't he only had 1 year of DE experience at the college level? His pass rushing moves definetely won't be up to scratch, and he'll need them in the NFL where he can't just rely on his physical ability all the time. I'd rather a guy who can come in and contribute early with my 1st round pick, ala Jerod Mayo.

Hi Dennis. I'm a bit behind after being off for two-plus weeks. This is the first visit I am aware of. 29 to go.
--Mike

Barwin will be a star. Guys who become busts usually lack intangibles. Barwin's got them all. If he is drafted by the Patriots, Barwin will be racking up sacks at a rate we haven't seen in a while. Seriously, he's just a beast.

Barwin has a vertical leap of 40.5", ran the 40 in 4.47s, and has a high football IQ to play multiple positions. The last LB we looked at with similar stats had a Wonderlic score of 26 and was able to pick up the Pats defense with ease. It was the 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo.

Maualuga had a crummy combine and his Wonderlic score came in at a very concerning 15 for an ILB. He also has some character issues in his past.

Matthews stock has risen to the the teens and probably won't be available. Cushing will probably be gone too. Both don't come anyway near the athletic ability of Barwin. Plus Matthews and Cushing haven't had a single private work out with the Pats. Connor Barwin is going on 3.

Barwin is probably the 23rd pick. If you look at the Pats history, from Seymour to Mayo, the first rounder always is a large contributor to the team. The only bust has been Maroney.

If Barwin had played another year at the defensive side of the ball and put up the same numbers as his first year; he would be a top ten pick.

In Bill We Trust.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM TAKE LAURINITUS WITH THEIR 23RD PICK AND CONNOR BARWIN WITH 2ND OVERALL PICK OF THE SECOND ROUND. DONT FORGET WE HAVE SHAWN CRABLE WHO FLASHED POTENTIAL AT DE/OLB UNTIL HE WAS INJURED LIKE FELLOW ROOKIE TERRANCE WHEATLEY.

THE PATRIOTS WILL ALSO HOST LOUIS DELMAS AND ANDRE BROWN RB NC STATE......28 TO GO!!!!

Thanks Mike. Hope you enjoyed your time off. Great to have you make

See, Brian, that's the thing I am wondering too. Guyton is an exciting young prospect, is he not? I don't know if he can start though. Heck, I don't really know if Maualuga could start either (I think he would), whereas I think Barwin would. I heard Mike Mayock say the other day that there was "no way" he would have Barwin do anything more than come off the bench and play special teams in his first year. I think that's ludacris. I realize that he's inexperienced but the "he's gotta be NFL ready NOW" concencus is a little ridiculous, as Mel Kiper can certainly attest to. That's why we have coaches, GOOD coaches, and that's why the Patriots draft so well. They scout well and they coach these guys up superiorly.

I love Barwin, and if we signed him with our #1, I'd be ecstatic. He's got all the tools to be a star, and he's got a Patriot-esque mentality, judging from interviews I've seen with him.

As good of an athlete Barwin is, I still believe that BB will take Larry English with the 23rd pick and can possible grab James Laurinaitis with the 34th if he slips that far. This obviously all depends on wether or not we sign someone like Taylor or Peppers prior to the draft.

I won't pretend to follow college prospects during their careers, and I only know what I read leading up to the draft....but the Pats can look at film. They can see if he used power exclusively or if he actually had some moves. They can project him to do whatever they want. I do think that they didn't spend a 3rd rounder on Crable just to sit him on the bench or have him come on for a snap here or there...but again, they know better than any of us if he has the physical and mental tools to actually compete.

Also, I think the Pats bringing in Banta-Cain is to create more of a rotation. If they have Thomas, Crable, Banta-Cain, Pierre Woods, and Mystery Player X (is it Barwin? Is it Jason Taylor? Peppers? Matthews? Someone else entirely?), that creates a good rotation....but I'd be surprised if they used a high pick on an OLB AND signed Jason Taylor. It just seems like a lot of guys to carry at the position....and I don't know, I feel like they might just sign Jason Taylor. It'd be great if he'd "Seau" for us, and sit in reserve incase someone gets injured, but I think the odds of that are slim at best.

Let's look at a base year or two. In 2005, they had Banta-Cain, Rosie, Willie-Mac, Mike Vrabel...and that's it. 4 guys, 3 of them legit starters (although Willie was on his way out). In 2004, it was the same group. 4 Guys.

If they went forward this season as is, they'd have....4 guys. I'd say it's likely that they draft somebody or sign Taylor....but based on past history, I'd say it's unlikely that they do both. If they do, then who do they cut? I doubt they cut Woods...he's made some progress. Crable? Well he's only been here a year and that's a little too early to admit you made a mistake on a 3rd rounder (Chad Jackson got 2 years and an additional offseason to prove himself). Banta-Cain was just signed, but it was for small money with almost no bonus, so he might be the odd man out. If the Pats sign Jason Taylor AND bring in a draft pick, say goodbye to Banta-Cain, and even if they do an either/or...you still might be seeing him leave (again).

WEEI reported that the Pats brought in FSU linebacker Derek Nicholson, so two down, 28 to go

Al,

The Pats have missed on a lot of first round draft picks. Have you heard of Ben W, Lawrence M, Chad Jackson(I know he was a 2nd), and I'd say Merryweather has not acted like a first rounder.

I think Merriweather has done pretty well. The guy is only entering his third year, and while he had a little bit of a rough first season. He had 11 starts in '08 vs 0 in '07, he led the team in INTs (4) versus 0 in '07 (including a bunch bouncing off his chest, hands, head or any other body part you can imagine), he had 3 times as many passes defended in '08 as '07 (9 vs 3), he had 2 sacks versus 0 in '07, 2 FF versus 1 in '07, and 83 tackles in '08 versus 27 in '07. The guy has become a legitimate starter. Maybe not quite a "star" yet (key word: yet), and maybe he'll never be Ed Reed...but if he can continue to improve this year, he could really be a huge contributor. If he has another year like '08, I'd say he might have been chosen a bit high, but is still a guy I'd like on the team. If he has another season like '07, I'd say he was taken way too high, and probably shouldn't even be on the team, but if he continues to improve like he did from year 1 to year 2 (which is what I expect), I'd say he was taken just right.

I met this kid in Mobile at the Senior Bowl -- seemed like a real nice guy and seemed confident yet humble -- Patriots kind of guy

Ryan,

First you have to learn how to spell Merriweather.

Than you have to go see that he led the team in INTs last year. Than you have to look at the history of young DBs on the Pats. The only exception is Eugene Wilson and he was a flash in the pan. But Sanders, Asante, Hobbs all took 2-3 years before they established themselves as legit starters (and we are still waiting on Hobbbs!). the point is young DBs in the Pats defensive backfield need time. Merriweather has improved every year so there is no reason to doubt his improvements are done.

You have to be realistic

Of that list, only Maroney has been a disappointment, and primarily due to his inability to stay healthy. Meriweather and Watson aren't all-pro, but they are solid starters with upside. You can't expect much more from late 1st rounders, when some of the guys taken before them are complete busts or even out of the league. Watson was the 32nd pick in 2004 and has 2 more career TDs than the #3 overall that season, Kellen Winslow. The only TE that I'd consider having in Watson's place from that draft is Chris Cooley, and every team missed on him. Meriweather has only been a full time starter for one full season at that.

ryan, that's a bit harsh don't you think? Both Ben and Maroney have been hit by multiple injuries, and I think Watson will actually be a star in years to come. I'll give you Jackson, but Merriweather?! The guy contributed from the begining of last season, and has steadily improved since...

I like what I see with Barwin, but doesn't it worry anybody he couldn't start at TE for Cincinatti? I would think that a 1st round draft pick would start based on pure physical ability alone at a position that fits his measurable perfectly. Belichick probably knows a lot more about these guys than we do (see Mayo last year. How many predicted that?) so I'm not too worried all the speculation.

Brian and Urico,

Well said, my friends. =) MERRIWEATHER was only a starter for us last year... not a big deal, right? And Jerod Mayo, Seymour... uh, Warren, Mankins... not to mention all the other guys we didn't draft in the first round who are huge. I won't even list them, it would take forever... all right, I'll list one, Tom Brady. Heard of him? ;)

Barwin. Most of you posters never heard of Barwin just ten weeks ago. The Pat's have too many draft picks for their current needs. I'm hoping Raji is available at 12. The Pat's can send 23 and 34 to Denver for the 12th pick. Remember what Parcells said many years ago...there are only so many guys on the Planet over 300lbs who are in shape. When you find one...take him! And I also expect the Pat's to draft a couple of QB's on the second day(not Pat White). Thereby making O'Connell first round trade bait for next years draft.

Rob, a lot of the guys you list are really depth guys. I really don't want to see the Pats enter the season with Woods or Banta-Cain starting. Crable's lack of progress last season (even before the injury) probably means he's a bit of a long shot to be the answer at OLB. And on the inside, the Guyton/Bruschi rotation is passable, but far from ideal if they want to field a strong defense. Really, I think they could use two linebackers from this draft.

But honestly, if the next nose tackle was sitting there at 23, I think I'd take him instead. Wilfork is going to cost a LOT of money. As good as he is, I doubt he'll be worth Haynesworth money (which is what he'll probably be looking for). If they could replace his $10M/yr with a good player for $1.5M/yr, then I think that would be a great use of the #23.

Don't you just love agent talk? "The Patriots are a team we have kept track of because of Connor's versatility, who he is as a person, and who he is as an athlete."

I see...so, in following this logic, if Connor Barwin were a different person...say, a Slovak circus clown or a Cameroonian barmaid...we would not be keeping track of the Patriots. Instead,"

I root for the small handful of players who represent themselves, rather than having one of these overdressed MBAs with the vocabulary of an unemployed probation officer counting their change.

Don't you just love agent talk? "The Patriots are a team we have kept track of because of Connor's versatility, who he is as a person, and who he is as an athlete."

I see...so, in following this logic, if Connor Barwin were a different person...say, a Slovak circus clown or a Cameroonian barmaid...we would not be keeping track of the Patriots. Instead, we would be keeping track of the Paraguayan National Swimming team."

I root for the small handful of players who represent themselves, rather than having one of these overdressed MBAs with the vocabulary of an unemployed probation officer counting their change.

Mark, I agree that most of the guys I listed aren't starting quality.....as far as we know. Obviously, I don't think the Pats are going to start the season with a rotation at OLB that Bellichick isn't comfortable with. My point was that they have too many guys at the position relative to years past and that someone will be the odd man out. Granted, I think based on who they have right now, they could fit one more in. The Patriots (and all teams) are known to switch up who they carry at positions from year to year...so a jump from 4 OLBs to 5 OLBs isn't a huge stretch. A jump from 4 to 6? That's a little less believable. Now, if they could get a guy (like an Aaron Curry) who can play inside OR outside, I think that could really shift the dynamic. Do I think they'll get Curry? Of course not. I would be extremely surprised if the Pats traded up into the top 5 to grab him....but still.

Like I said before, I don't know enough about the guys in the draft to speak intelligently about them, but there have to be some guys who can play inside or outside and if the Pats grab one, they have a lot of flexibility with regards to who they take into the season.

My point was that if people think that they'll take Barwin (or a guy who doesn't fit at OLB AND ILB [ I don't know if Barwin would, but based on what I've read, it doesn't sound like it]), they shouldn't expect them to take Jason Taylor. It seems more like an either/or situation....OR, if they do, Banta-Cain is probably on his way out.

Bill, is simply trying to replace Vrabel...a versatile, quick, OLB who can be another threat in the red zone. 6'4" 260 lbs is a pretty big target especially with Randy on the other side and Welker dragging across. Not to mention, the potential interceptions he could have in coverage. Also the kid may have switched to DE because his TEAM needed him there...sounds a lot like a Belichik protege in the making to me. And don't forget Cincy was not a bad team last year, they won the Big East, losing only 3 games. But I agree with the lot of you "In Bill We Trust." If he does find another rookie of the year in this draft...we are golden.

I would be ecstatic if the Pats drafted either Matthews or Barwin. I feel a little "iffy" about Cushing or Laurinitus. Barwin is 100% a Belichik type of player.... Verstile, smart, huge motor, high character and very athletic. He has huge upside. I'm not sure his best value is at 23, but it definitely is at 34. The Pats have to find a way to get one of these guys and also address the secondary and O line in the first 3 rounds. Wide out could also be addressed here. If they play their cards right, they could fill most of their wholes in this draft and get a couple of stud players in the process.