Draft Central

I would be lying if I said I was an expert. My favorite part of the college football
season is actually not a part of the season at all. It’s the NFL Draft, and the two weeks
leading up to it. For an avid NFL fan like myself, it’s like Christmas in April (or perhaps
Hanukkah works better for me).

The Browns and Rams get to start off with a fresh slate, and fans are witness to one or
two moments of unintentional comedy/eye candy that make sitting around a bunch of
other dudes worthwhile.

We get to see the Jets screw up year after year (Vernon Gholston or Blair Thomas ring a
bell?), Belichick and the Pats outsmart everyone and moments like this and this that make
it the best non-sporting sporting event.

The names – Barron, Brockers, Poe, and Jones – meant little to nothing to me during the
college football season. During these last two weeks, however, I felt like I knew their
games inside and out.

Mark Barron (SS): The “quarterback” of an insanely talented national championship
Alabama defense. Strong inside the box and a sure tackler, his on-field presence is
uncanny. One perceived weakness is that he can be beat when asked to turn and run
down field.
Michael Brockers (DT/DE): Great athlete who really matured during his four years at
LSU. Has the ability to develop into an elite interior pass rusher from the tackle position,
as well as an exterior one from the end position. Unfortunately, is still raw and needs to
develop a sound technique.
Dontari Poe (DT): Compared to Haloti Ngata in terms of size and potential. Poe has the
body at 346 pounds, on top of the athletic ability and quickness, to anchor the nose tackle
position in a teams 3-4 scheme. Poe never really put forth his abilities during his time at
Memphis, and probably can’t play any other position in a 3-4.
Chandler Jones (DE): Look of a prototypical pass rusher at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds,
along with 35.5-inch arms. Jones has yet to develop, but has the opportunity to become
an elite pass rusher and a four-down player. Jones has been called a third round pick by
some scouts due to the numbers he put up at Syracuse, however, judging solely on his
abilities, Jones would certainly deserved first round consideration.

The reason I left off with Jones is because that is who my beloved Patriots selected in
Thursdays first round. While I initially fell in love with the notion of Barron teaming
with Patrick Chung and wreaking havoc in the defensive backfield, a la Ed Reed, New
England made two shrewd personnel decisions on Thursday.

First, they traded up to nab Jones, who already seems to have the all-coveted Bill Belichick seal of approval. Next, they traded up to draft Dont’a Hightower. Along with Barron, Hightower was one of the
leaders on that vaunted Alabama defense at linebacker, which so happens to be coached
by Belichick pal, Nick Saban.

Hightower possesses the rare ability to pop someone at the line of scrimmage, as well
as take on a receiver in space. At 260 pounds, Hightower can play a diverse set of
positions; from lining up at end in a 4-3 scheme, to playing inside or outside in a 4-3 or
3-4 scheme.

The way Belichick has set up his team thus far, it appears he is trending on
going back to his bread-and-butter 3-4 system. The “hooded one” loves versatile guys
who can contribute in multiple ways (see Ninkonvich, Hernandez, Edelman, Wilfork),
and it appears he has grabbed two blue-chippers with the potential to do some damage in
Foxboro for many years to come.