New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – Jeremiah Poutasi, T/G Utah
 Jeremiah Poutasi was a tackle for Utah but will probably move to guard in the next level and could be a nice mid-to-late round pickup for the Patriots.(USA Today Image) |
As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer we’ll profile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar. Some of these players have already been linked to New England as possible targets others, we feel would be a great fit.
Check out our earlier 2015 NFL Draft profiles on PatsFans.com:
DE/OLB Nate Orchard from Utah
WR Tyrell Williams from Western Oregon
DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma
DT Carl Davis from Iowa
RB David Johnson from Northern Iowa
CB Steven Nelson from Oregon State
OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard
CB Ronald Darby from FSU
WR Devin Funchess from Michigan
OG A.J. Cann from South Carolina
RB Mike Davis from South Carolina
ILB Benadrick McKinney from Mississippi State
OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington
The Patriots have some pressing needs going into the 2015 season and one of the main ones remains the interior of the offensive line. Long-time Patriot Dan Connolly is a free agent and even if he is brought back will be 33 this year. Bryan Stork was drafted and played well at center, while at right guard Ryan Wendell moved over from center and played better than expected.
The team really could use an influx of youth and physicality inside. The Pats looked to make a deal with Philadelphia for guard Evan Mathis, but nothing came to fruition and Mathis is also 33, so it would have been a one to two-year stop gap measure. The Patriots also brought in former Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski who is a free agent and he left without a deal. But the 26 year old is in demand right now and is testing the waters. He played guard in his rookie NFL season and would probably need to make the switch back if he were to sign with the Patriots.
So the Patriots will look to bolster the roster from the NFL draft and several names have been linked to them including A.J. Cann, Laken Tomlinson, Tre Jackson and Cameron Erving. All of those players will go fairly early in the draft, if they look to also add depth deeper in the draft some interesting names may surface.
Jeremiah Poutasi from Utah is a junior who was a two-year starter at left tackle, and one at right tackle but his future at the next level may be either as a swing tackle or …in the Patriots case, kicking inside to guard. Utah actually experimented with moving him inside prior to the 2014 season.
Has a huge wingspan at 6’5, 335 with massive legs that generate plenty of power in the running game, something Utah was known for last season. Can drive defenders back with ease with his size and strength,… plays with a bit of a mean streak.
Poutasi has excellent straight line speed for a man his size and get to the second level quickly. Doesn’t have the lateral speed to play left tackle in the NFL, and struggles with speed rushers off the edge.
Pros:
- Big man, strong and powerful, can fire out in the running game
- Huge wingspan to catch and latch on to defenders
- Fast for a big man and can quickly get to the second level
Cons:
- Struggled with edge rushers with speed, probably move inside to guard
- Leaves his feet too much in blocking, tends to reach at times
- Hand technique is sloppy at times
Where can the Patriots can get him?: Poutasi should around in Round 4 or later of the draft if the Patriots have him on their radar. He’s going to be limited as a tackle in the NFL but with a move inside, he could become a valuable interior lineman.
Playing a lot from a two-point stance, Poutasi is a mauler in the run game and if the Patriots pick him up, he’d be a nice addition to the running game with his size and strength.
Poutasi’s deficiencies in dealing with speed rushers on the edge would be minimized inside and his wingspan will serve him well in dealing with pass protection. He has some things that need to be corrected but with proper coaching could be a very nice mid-round addition to the Patriots offensive line.
Here are some highlight films of Poutasi vs Washington:
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