A Glance at Patriots Rookies At Camp
Handcuffed with the lack of first round picks due to the aftermath of the nationwide epidemic known as Deflategate, the draft picks made by the New England Patriots was always going to be an intriguing watch. Bill Belichick is renowned around the league as the type of general manager who is very aggressive with his moves in the draft, a microcosm of his personality.
Belichick seeks to soak out every last value with every draft pick he possesses. Trading up, trading down, using picks to obtain established, troubled players. Mock drafts are practically useless when trying to predict the types of moves that Belichick will make in a certain draft position. The fact that the Patriots were making their first pick in the second round was a source of concern for fans all across the New England area as Belichick is recognized for taking gambles in the second. For every Gronkowski and Matt Light who became bonafide franchise cornerstones, there are seven Ras-I-Dowling, Terrance Wheatley, Chad Jackson, Darius Butler’s, to mention a few.
While pundits around the league panned the Patriots draft for making a number of head scratching decisions and reaching to grab talent, the rookies have gone into camp and are quickly performing to prove the draftniks wrong and prove that this is one of the best Patriot draft classes in recent years.
Pick 60- Cyrus Jones, CB: With their first pick in the draft, the Patriots grabbed undersized corner, Cyrus Jones out of Alabama. Belichick and Alabama head coach, Nick Saban are very good friends and they both run very similar defenses with Belichick showing a liking towards defensive players who played for Alabama under Nick Saban illustrated by Donta Hightower, Vinnie Sunseri, Xzavier Dickson and Brandon Deadrick being players Belichick has snapped up who also sported Crimson Tide colours. One of the traits Belichick admires is versatility and versatility is the name of the game for Cyrus Jones who came into Alabama as a 4-star wide receiver before switching to cornerback in his sophomore campaign, he is also an excellent return man as shown by his four punt return touchdowns in college. Jones projects to be the No. 3 cornerback behind Superbowl hero, Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan and has done a good job in camp of jamming receivers at the line and knocking players off their routes. Jones’ competitiveness has already stood out at camp to teammate Logan Ryan who was quoted as saying “I’m not one to grade people, I’m not Coach Belichick, but I can just tell, the kid’s an athlete, the kid’s a competitor. You see that in the locker room. You see that on the field. He fits right in with what we’re trying to do, and I think the whole bunch of rookies and Justin Coleman and all those guys are doing a great job of just competing every day.”
Pick 78- Joe Thuney, OL: Another prime example of a player with versatility who is a perfect player for the Patriots system. Joe Thuney played all positions on the offensive line for North Carolina State and fits a need and under the guidance of legendary offensive line coach, Dante Scarnecchia, Thuney is definitely in good hands. Joe Thuney is a very good athlete, who looks like a tight end on the offensive line, very intelligent scoring a 39 on the Wonderlic and the Patriots are hoping that his pass blocking ability, one of the best in all of college football translates to the professional game. In camp, Thuney is already working at guard with the first team offense and has looked very good in 1 on 1 blocking drills. He projects to be the starting left guard.
Pick 91- Jacoby Brissett, QB: The Patriots are good for one or two surprises in the draft but this one was very shocking. While Brissett doesn’t seem like the prototypical Patriots quarterback, he is very accurate in the intermediate area and possesses an NFL caliber arm. His supporting cast was not ideal at North Carolina state as they lost numerous starters due to injuries, dismissal or transfer. His high work ethic and experience in a pro-style offense in college will ease the transition. At camp, Brissett has struggled with his accuracy and thrown balls high to receivers which is inviting turnovers. Expect the Patriots to carry him as a 3rd QB.
Pick 96- Vincent Valentine, DT: Valentine is a big body in the mold of Vince Wilfork who clogs up running lanes with his 330-pound frame. He flashed good motor at Nebraska and is able to eat up double teams. His lack of conditioning and effort has being put into question as he was been pushed around in some games for a player his size and caliber. Valentine has missed training camp flying back to Lincoln, Nebraska to mourn the death of his former teammate, Sam Foltz who died in a car crash.
Pick 112- Malcolm Mitchell, WR: Belichick does not possess a good track record in drafting wide receivers but Malcolm Mitchell just feels different from the typical Belichick wide receiver draft pick. For one, he is a perfect Patriot player. A very savvy man off the field shown by his recently authored children’s book and a perfect fit for the system on the field. While Belichick drafts athletic football players out of spread systems who possess very little football IQ and awareness like Chad Jackson, Taylor Price and Aaron Dobson have proven to mention but a few, the 4th round pick out of Georgia displayed good route running and reliable hands during his time in college. While he doesn’t possess the long speed to burn corners like some other receivers taken in the class like a Will Fuller or Braxton Miller, he is a very polished route runner and can make the NFL catches on a consistent basis. Mitchell has especially stood out in camp, not losing a 1 on 1 drill yet and displaying good chemistry on timing routes with Tom Brady. He’ll be a No. 4 or No.5 wide receiver.
Pick 208- Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB/S: Kamu Grugier-Hill is a hybrid safety-linebacker in the mold of a Deone Bucannon. He needs to pack on some weight as he was listed at 215 pounds during his time at Eastern Illinois. He is a very athletic player who is projected to be a special teams star.
Pick 214- Elandon Roberts, LB: Elandon Roberts was a captain at Houston whose coaches raved about his work ethic and leadership abilities. He is a two down linebacker who is a good run stuffer and while he lacks the athletic ability to cover players in space, he has a nose for the football. He will likely be used in sub packages and he’ll be a core special teamer.
Pick 221-Ted Karras, OG: Ted Karras was a four-year starter at Illinois and is part of the Karras family lineage who have all went on to play in the NFL. He has very good upper body strength and destroyed defenders as soon as he got a hand on them. He struggles with quicker defenders and is stiff in the lower body. Karras has been working with the first team offense replacing the injured Jonathan Cooper.
Pick 225- Devin Lucien, WR: UCLA transfer, Devin Lucien is a size-speed wide receiver who possesses reliable hands with only five drops in the past two seasons. He bounces off would-be tacklers and has the ability to pick up yards after the catch. He has a uphill battle to make the roster with the loaded competition at wide receiver and he will likely be a practice squad stash.