Patriots, QBs & the draft

Mike,

Do you think Tyler Lorenzen is being looked at by the Patriots as a QB? I read reports saying Belichick asked him to work out as a DB at the UConn pro day and in general, scouts thinks his NFL position would not be QB.

Hi Dennis. I think that report was from the Hartford Courant and it was Belichick asking UConn head coach Randy Edsall to have Lorenzen run some drills as a safety. I don't think that necessarily rules him out at QB.
--Mike

Mike,

What about Graham Harrell from Texas Tech? He comes from the same offense that Wes Welker comes from, and has impressed some from his pro day. He's pretty much off the radar and likely a late round pick, kinda like Brady was. Your thoughts?

McGee had an outstanding combine - he was 2nd fastest QB, and had near the top vertical leap. Also, scouts have been touting his strong arm and accuracy.

Like Brady, he's smart. He's graduating with his Masters...and he is a solid citizen - won the Bobby Bowden Award for Christian Student Athlete.

They're not necessarily looking for "another O'Connell" although they'd be glad to have one. The model for both Brady and Cassel is 6 foot 5, not gunshy, smart, a leader, workaholic, inexperienced (Cassel !!), can't make any long throws (Brady), and dirt cheap (6th and 7th rounders).

PaulK, I think your analysis of the Pats QB model is a little off. Brady has worked for years on improving his long ball, when he first became the starter in '01 he did not have the arm he has now. Likewise, I don't recall Cassell being particularly effective at the long ball last season either. I also disagree with the "not gunshy" trait. If you watched Cassel early on last season he was extremely reined in - the offense ran mostly on dink and dunks. The same with Brady when he first took over - and as he improved the reins came off and they let him take those risks. So, I would say the Pats look for (as you said), young, 6'5, smart, WORKAHOLIC (the work ethic obviously is key). Not gunshy brings to mind people like Favre

The Pats looked at Pat White as well. He'd be a good pick in my opinion. I like him a lot.

Pat White would be a horrible pick and he will never be a starter in the NFL. No chance in hell.

Liam Coen would be awesome from a home-state perspective.

Speed, quickness, and size are nice to have in a QB and certainly benefits the player. But those are just minor concerns. You want a player who will quickly make the right decisions. So I'd look for someone who makes quick decisions, has a good feel around the pocket, throws accurately, and is humble. If they have a huge arm, that's nice. Most QBs have a good enough arm at this level to make any of the throws normally asked to make.

Picking a QB before the 5th round, with the exception of maybe White in the 3rd, would be a waste. O'Connell has 2 more years before he has to play or move on. The Pats can coach a QB up with no real timetable. The team has far more pressing needs than worrying about a long term backup that would never play, unless the unthinkable happens again this year and Tom goes down. I say draft defense and O-line. What I say doesn't matter though because BB is waaay smarter than me and will continue to build his team his way.
In Bill We Trust
Go Pats!!!

Mike,
We have a lot of draft picks this year. If we use them all & let's say we draft a QB we have to cut from the roster, what are our options to keep him? Are players on the practice squad protected? Can other teams scoop them up? Matt G was off and on last year.

What about all these guys we've signed or re-signed? Surely not all will make the final cut. Can we hold onto them? What's the deal on length of contract and guaranteed vs non-guaranteed money? How does that affect the salary cap. What about the injury list or IR?

In a slow news period, could you address the ins & outs of the rules on this

I do think the the patriots will draft a QB at the end of the draft and the name to remember is Tom Brandstater from Fresno State he is projected to go between rounds 6 & 7 he is big 6-5 220 with a strong arm and good mobility and has been compared to Kevin O'connell & Joe Flacco.

After reading all of your positional draft takes... I have come to the conclusion that you must be in love with UCONN or something. In many of the possible draft choices, you chose many UCONN players. Are they all that impressive? I highly doubt it.

I think Graham Harrell would be a great pick up late Day 2. He reminds me of a smaller Tom Brady, who I really think could blossom with time and bulking up. He has that same mix of pocket presence, vision and lack of athleticism that I really think would make him a steal.