New England Patriots – Mock Draft 5.0 The Defense Never Rests
 Marcus Peters has some elite skills at the cornerback position and will immediately upgrade the New England secondary. (USA Today, Image) |
Risers and fallers mark the mid-April mock draft
Now that mid-April is here, there are a lot of players rising and falling in many of the mock drafts that are out there. But many of the players remain right where we’d figure they should be and the draft simulator here played it pretty closely. This particular mock was fairly balanced with five picks on the defensive side and four on the offensive side of the ball.
There is a fascinating tool to use for doing a mock draft made possible by the guys over at Fanspeak.com that we touted last year and is even more fun to use in 2015.
In their “On the Clock” simulator, you are the GM for any NFL team. You can choose how many rounds you’d like to draft for (1-7), and pick one of nine different big boards to choose from.
All of the big boards differ and the site has a random selection process that picks for the other 31 teams based upon the best player available and team needs that are constantly updated until it is your time to pick.
Here is our previous mock from last week - Mock Draft 4.0:
For this opening mock draft, I used the big board of Composite of OTC Big Boards
Here is our Patriots Mock Draft 5.0:
Round 1, Pick #32 – Marcus Peters, CB Washington:
Peters has the size, length and speed to be an excellent NFL cornerback. At 6’0, 198 pounds, he can stand up physically against any competition. Peters has excellent ball skills, is aggressive in playing receivers and is a very physical tackler.
Peters is an intimidator and his physical play and athleticism stand out. He has excellent play recognition, having the innate ability to know when to turn around while the ball is in the air to knock it away or intercept it.
Was dismissed from the Huskies for clashing with coaches, but was invited back for Pro Day and in prep for the draft so it shows what they still think of him as a player. He is one of the top 2-3 corners in terms of ability that are out there and is well worth the gamble.
He will instantly improve the New England secondary and will start on Day 1.
Round 2, Pick #64 – Tre Jackson, G Florida State:
Jackson is a big, 6’4, 323 body in the middle of the offensive line. He’s got good burst in the running game and can get to the second level and seal off linebackers. He’s also durable, having played in 42 straight games for the Seminoles and is a road grader in the run game.
He can struggle against speed rushers, especially A-gap blitzers and will have to improve his technique at the NFL level.
He was scouted heavily by former Pats OL Coach Dante Scarnecchia who has a close relationship with FSU’s OL Rick Trickett. The same pipeline brought the Pats C Bryan Stork in 2014.
Round 3, Pick #96 – Jay Ajayi, RB Boise State:
Ajayi is a good sized (6’0,216), running back who can excel in both running and catching the football out of the backfield. He runs low to the ground and cuts explosively and can get into daylight in a hurry. He has very good functional but not great speed.
Ajayi is a very experienced pass catcher with outstanding hands. He was at times split out wide like Shane Vereen and created mismatches with linebackers. Ajayi at times likes to bounce too much to the outside and some ball security issues. He can get into trouble with that with Belichick. But with good coaching he should fix that issue quickly.
Ajayi should compete immediately for third down reps.
*Round 3, Pick #97 – Sammie Coates, WR Auburn: **Compensatory Pick
Coates is a big WR, (6’2, 213) who has big play potential every time he catches the ball, with a 21.5 yards per reception in 2013 and a 21.8 average last season.
Coates has the freakish athletic qualities that teams drool over, being a guy with track speed and size who can frequently run in the 4.3 range. Has explosive speed to run by corners and excellent leaping ability for jump balls. He tracks the deep balls very well and catches the ball away from his body.
Coates ran a limited route tree for Auburn and needs to polish his route running skills as well as working on his hands. He had too many dropped passes that were the result of focus, all are correctable with coaching.
But with a starting trio of WRs in place, Coates can be that deep threat guy that will open up things for the other Patriots receivers underneath, keeping the defenses honest.
Round 4, Pick #101 – Marcus Hardison, DT Arizona State:
Hardison is a late bloomer, not starting until his senior year but has the size (6’3,311), length and burst that teams are looking for as an interior pass rusher. Hardison had an excellent senior season with 53 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and six turnovers.
A former defensive end, he has the quickness and agility to shoot the gaps. Wide a wide wing-span and a quickness that belies his size, he is a diamond in the rough. Still somewhat raw on the interior, he has very good agility and flexibility.
Not a Wilfork-type run stuff, but more of a penetrator and disruptor inside like Dominique Easley. He could leave the early down run stuffing to Sealver Siliga, Alan Branch and Antonio Johnson and provide at least initially some interior pocket pushing presence.
He’s a late riser and is just beginning to realize his full potential.
Round 4, Pick #131 – Taiwan Jones, ILB Michigan State:
With so many guys being a tad undersized at the linebacker position, Jones is a big guy at 6’3, 260 who is a thumper in the run game similar to Brandon Spikes.
Jones plays downhill with quick inside moves and hits a ton. He’s a football junkie and studies his playbook and the opponent hard…a Belichick type favorite. He had a very productive final season with 60 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, two passes defensed, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Jones can be overaggressive at times and may struggle in coverage a bit with more athletic tight ends but played safety before moving to ILB and should be a solid addition to the defense.
Round 6, Pick #177– Arie Kouandjio, G Alabama:
Kouandjio is a big (6’5,318) guard with NFL bloodlines, his brother Cyrus was a 2nd round pick of the Bills in 2014. He’s another road grader in the run game. Long and thick, Kouandjio has excellent leverage and plays with a bit of a mean streak.
Kouandjio has decent quickness combined with a strong physical push at the line. He played in 27 straight games for the Tide and is an intelligent, coachable player. He’s a steal at this point of the draft and it was more than a mild surprise to see him fall this far.
His red-flag is medical based, he’s had surgeries on both knees and is because of that his durability is a question mark.
Round 7, Pick #219 – Nick Marshall, CB Auburn:
Marshall is an intriguing pick, he started out as a cornerback in Georgia, was released from school as a result of an off-field incident and ended up as the quarterback for the Auburn.
He may need time to develop as an NFL corner, but has the intangibles; he’s 6’2, 205 and the speed to succeed at the next level. Marshall played in the Senior Bowl as a corner and showed good skills, a nice quick, low back pedal and the ability to turn and run with receivers.
Bottom line, Marshall is a little bit of a gamble but on a 7th round flier for a guy athletically that is already NFL-caliber, it is definitely worth it. Marshall could be a sleeper in a year.
*Round 7, Pick #253 – Xavier Williams, DT Northern Iowa:
Williams is a big, 6’2, 325 defensive tackle who has quick feet and a great motor. Played mainly one-technique but is versatile enough to play DT in a 4-3 or slide outside to a DE in a 3-4.
Williams is a hard worker and great teammate, who improved every season. He’s athletic for his size and plays with a relentless motor.
Williams can use some time in the weight room to build up his strength at the next level. Eight blocked kicks on special teams.
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