Including his first draft (new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm) and his last (Cole Strange).
Which should be all the convincing you need that his approach to building a winner hasn’t changed much.
And possibly never in all that time has offensive tackle been a bigger priority than it is right now.
Brown was 4th in the league at his position in penalties with 13.
Wynn was only 18th with nine.
Together they were Wonder Twins of Holding.
The Dynamic Duo of False Starts.
Klemm comes here with a pretty empty fridge to cook with.
Wynn and Marcus Cannon have yet to sign anywhere,.and could possibly be back.
They added Riley Reiff.
It’d almost be a shame if he’s not drafted by the Bears.
Because he sounds like he should be lining up inside of Mike Ditka.
Or is the name of the Chris Farley character in the Da Bears skit talking about Ditka.
But he plays like one.
And, I hope, on my football team.
He’s a mid-1st round selection at the very least.
And I’m here for you.
Call me anytime you oughta talk about it.
That said, Jones - dare I say it - fits the Patriots mold.
And that is Jones' superlative among all the tackles in this draft.
The Pats were at Georgia’s Pro Day.
That’s analogous to a white suburban dad saying his wife went to Home Goods.
In his 42 career starts over three seasons, he switched from RT to LT and then back again.
He uses his hands effectively, especially in second effort/recovery pass protection situations.
And as a run blocker, he gets low for a big gentleman and produces power in drive blocks.
But he’s also got the functional strength to put down roots against a power rush.
(Just hopefully with better mobility.)
Which is less surprising when you find out he’s a multi-sport athlete who received several DI hoops scholarships.
The question is whether his lack of speed will be too much to make up against NFL competition.
But that question won’t keep him from dropping out of the 2nd round.
He’ll need to, to add the strength he was lacking against better competition.
His best assets are his speed, athleticism and fluid movement.
The downside, in addition to his lack of size is the fact he’s already 24 years old.
But for a team looking a year down the road a year, he’s a steal.
(Let me add, as predicted right here by me.)
Mauch won’t go off the board nearly as early as Solder.
But he’s a potential bargain as a guy with a ferocious attitude who tore up the FBS.
He’s big, powerfully built, and experienced, with over 2,500 reps under his mighty belt already.
But long before we had Patrice we had Tom on WBZ-TV, before he hit it big.
So what’s one more?
Freeland actually has more experience than even Bergeron, with an incredible 2,690 snaps.
Freeland’s problem isn’t his upper body; it’s all those skipped Leg Days.
He’ll have to add weight, preferably in his lower body.
Because all his power is coming from his chassis instead of his wheels, so he falls off blocks.
Still, he is a fascinating prospect with a high ceiling and a low floor.
You just become so accustomed to Nick Saban guys appearing at the top of their position rankings.
But Steen is mostly about 10th or so in his group.
He’s not the superior athlete some of these guys we’ve mentioned are.
But he’s strong, tough, aggressive, productive.
Given how cheaply he’ll come, it’s not hard to imagine Belichick taking a flyer on him.
He’s smart, with a good ability to process calls and respond to shifting fronts/assignments.
With a big body and thick frame.
But I’m going withJohnson.
Just because he comes factory equipped with all the extras they look for in a new model.
All of them standard.
Whom the Patriots Will Take:Johnson, assuming he’s still available with the 14th.
Plug him in and you’re set for the next five years, at least.
If he’s not still on the board,Jonesis an excellent consolation prize.
Then on Day 3, they takeSteen, just to see what they can do with him.
Earlier previews:
Wide receivers
