I think this draft will be come to be known as the lineman draft. Over half of the 32 first picks in this years first round will be lineman. Offensive and Defensive Lineman are the infantry of fottball, and you can’t win a war without infantry. They do the dirty work. They fight for every square inch of territory on the field, hand to hand in the trenches. They are they blood sweat and tears of our teams. Okay, enough of the war metaphor, it’s just hard not to think about our boys on the ground in Iraq, while we sit here on our butts studying the draft. God bless our boy on the ground!
If your Defensive Line dominates you will probably win the game. If your Offensive Line dominates you will probably win the game. If both your lines dominate you all but can’t lose. With that in mind, the Patriots biggest need is at Defensive Tackle, and luckily for them there are five DT in this draft who could have the impact Seymour had on this team two years ago (and yes I’m implying Super Bowl;-). Here is a quick look at the Big Five:
1. Dewayne Robertson 6-2 324 4.84, Had 48 tackles, and 5 sacks.
Quick and powerful. He was considered the 2nd or 3rd best DT in this draft, and then he ran a 4.84 forty at his Pro Day. He can hold up the line in the running game, and shoot the gap rushing the passer. Has been compared to Warren Sapp, only bigger. He has moved into the number one DT slot, and is a warrior on the field. The Vikings have designated him as their top priority, and they may have to trade up to the 3rd pick in the draft to get. Gil Bryant on Robertson's Pro Day, "Robertson measured 6-1 5/8, 324 pounds. Ran the 40 in 4.88 and 4.84, the short shuttle in 4.46 and the three-cone drill in 7.76. He had a 29½-inch vertical jump, 8-foot-5 long jump and threw up the bar 30 times."
2. Jimmy Kennedy 6-4 322 had 87 tackles, 5.2 16 TFL’s, and 5.5 sacks.
Kennedy is a huge two-gap tackle. He is a weight room fanatic. He has not given consistent effort through his career, and that may cost him in this draft. Showed up as a freshman and weighed 400 pounds. He has worked off 78 pounds! So accusations that he doesn't give consistent effort may be overrated. He will struggle with change of direction and a shifty back in the back field, and is not going to pursue well from behind. But is that really a concern for a man of his size? When he wants to he can dominate the line of scrimmage, and he showed more of that desire his senior season. He will struggle with his weight, but I think would look great right in the middle of the Pats line, and may be the best two-gap player in this draft. Gil Bryant on Kennedy's Pro Day, "Kennedy (6-4, 323 pounds) ran the 40 three times: 5.2, 5.22 and 5.25 seconds each. He had a 30-inch vertical and a 8-foot-3 long jump. He ran the short shuttle in 4.72 seconds and the three-cone drill in 8.06 seconds. He also did 23 bench-presses."
3. Kevin Williams 6-5 317 4.85, had 61 tackles, 14 TFL’s, and 7 sacks.
Williams made himself a lot of money at the Senior Bowl, where many observers felt he was the best D-Linemen there. Then he added nearly 20 pounds of muscle since the end of last season. It appears that fact has moved him ahead of the Patriots pick at 14. He has great speed and quickness, and is a hard worker and leader. He may have the speed to play D-End. Len Pasquarelle on William's at the combine, "In a year when the defensive tackle position is very deep, one player who hadn't gotten nearly enough attention was Kevin Williams of Oklahoma State, but that is no longer a problem. Not after his performance over the weekend (at combine). Weighing in at 317 pounds, Williams was clocked by some scouts at about 4.85 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is a long-armed defender with terrific initial explosiveness and, when he gets his pads down, he can be very disruptive. Since several of the better known tackles are going to go off the board early, Williams' stock is going to rise, and he could get into the first round."
4. Jonathan Sullivan 6-3 312 4.92, had 74 tackles, 15.5 TFL’s, and 4 sacks.
Most athletic of the five. Has a great combination of size, speed, strength, and quickness. Has added 15 pounds of muscle since the end of last season. Richard Seymour has been lobbying for the Pats to take him. He is a 60-minute player whose greatest asset, like Seymour, is his down-to-down consistency. He is not as big and strong as Seymour, but is faster and quicker. He may be able to play D-End in Belichicks 3-4, which would leave Seymour at Nose Tackle. I think he will be on the board at 14 and the Pats will take him. Gil Bryant on Sullivan's Pro Day, "Sullivan stood in at 6-3 3/8 and weighed 312 pounds. He ran the 40 in 4.92 and 5.02 seconds, had a 29½-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 4-inch broad jump, and lifted the 225-pound bar 24 times."
He was considered a top five pick at the beginning of the season. He is a terrific run stuffer, and had 15 sacks in the past two seasons. He has a thin lower body which concerns a lot of people. But he also has 37 inch arms, which will help him keep linemen off of his body if he plays NT. He has moved into fifth on the DT depth chart, and may be the only on of the big five left when the Pats pick, or he could be the third Tackle taken off the board by Seattle or Baltimore. There are concerns about his play-to-play effort, but he is instinctive, quick, powerful, and disruptive inside player. Is also an on the field leader. Has a lot of experience winning. Gil Bryant on Joseph's Pro Day, "William Joseph ran 4.99 and 5.11 and had a 30-inch vertical jump. He did not lift weights since he threw the bar up 29 times at the Combine."
So it appears that one or two of the big five will still on the board when the Pats pick at 14. I think it is imperative that the Pats come away with at least one of the Big Five. Marcus Trufant, Kwame Harris, or Boss Bailey might still be on the board at 14, but I think they have to pass on all other players, even those three special players, and take one of the Big Five Defensive tackles, and work on the rest of the teams needs later.