Patriots Draft Preview: Offensive Tackles (Jerry Thornton)

cadmonkey

I have nothing useful to say....
Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Messages
19,260
Reaction score
611
Points
113
Location
Swampscott, Ma
http://boston.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/patriots-draft-preview-offensive-tackles/

Patriots Draft Preview: Offensive Tackles

Pats-O-line.jpg


Patriots current roster/ needs: At the moment, offensive tackle is the most uncertain position on the Patriots roster. And it all hinges on whether or not they bring Matt Light back. If they do, they can take a flyer on some project pick in the late rounds, like they do practically every year. Some Thomas Welch/ George Bussey/ Clint Oldenburg type that needs a lot of work but they take to see if they can develop him into a player. If they don’t sign Light, then tackle becomes one of their top priorities and at the very least they’ll need to use one of their five in the top 74 to grab someone who can step in right away and protect the World’s Most Important Surgically Repaired ACL.


When it comes to all O-lineman, the Patriots have a definite type. They pass on the big, heavy Jersey Barrier types and sacrifice size for athleticism. The premium is on guys who can take a quick first step, get around the edge fast and throw blocks for their quick passes, smoke routes and bubble screens. Which is why they struck gold with Sebastian Vollmer. He’s huge, but the most impressive part of of his game is how solid his footwork is. Seabass is never caught off balance and rarely gets beaten to the outside by a quick twitch move. And he’s got the versatility to switch back over to the left side if the Pats decide 10 years with Light is enough and they’re going with a rookie RT. Nick Kaczur is probably gone since pre-lockout, he refused to accept a pay cut. So again, at this point no one knows they’re thinking, so we’re all just spitballing.


Positional overview: Offensive tackle is supposed to be one of the strengths in this draft class. Sporting News gave the position an A+. NFP lists 5 OT’s that they see as rookie or 2nd year starters. CBS Sports has 8 coming off the board by the time the Pats make their 5th pick at #74. So this is a good year to be looking reload. Again, if that’s what they’re trying to do.


The consensus best tackle in the draft: Tyron Smith, USC. 6-5, 285, 5.08

Everyone likes his strength, his athleticism, the way he finishes blocks and the program he comes from. Though as Pee Wee told Simone when they were talking about their dreams, “Everybody has a big ‘but’…” But… Smith is a little undersized. He’s been adding bulk, hoping to get up to 300 lbs by the time he’s playing, but there’s some worry it’s too much weight too fast. And but… he projects as a LT in the pros but he’s been playing RT in college. It doesn’t make a lot of sense that you move him to a tougher position at the next level. Still, the Patriots could keep him on the right and move Seabass, but someone’s going to take Smith off the board way before they’re on the clock.


The latest in a long line of solid linemen who are no strangers to Mary Ann’s: Anthony Castonzo. BC. 6-7, 305, 5.21.

anthony-castonzo.jpg


BC has become Trench University. Every other year they turn out another solid 10 year starter at offensive or defensive line. Damien Woody, Dan Koppen, Chris Snee, BJ Raji. And now Castonzo, who’s as NFL ready as any OT in this draft. He started 50+ games at the Heights and has been at LT for the last 3 seasons. A few rank him at the No. 1 or 2 in this draft class. And even the worst anyone has said is that he won’t be a spectacular pro, but he’ll be solid. I’m guessing he’ll be Joe Thomasish.


Best college resume: Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin. 6-7, 314, 5.40

As Carimi is fond of pointing out, in school he regularly faced four different guys who are expected to go in the 1st round: Adrian Clayborn of Iowa, Cameron Jordan from Cal, Ryan Kerrigan of Perdue and his own teammate in practice, JJ Watt. So he keeps saying he’s the best tackle in the draft. Plenty of scouts though think he’s just a big, immoblile load. And the riskiest pick in the group.


Fruit from the Belichick coaching tree:

Marcus Gilbert, Florida. 6-6, 329, 5.41.

Fun fact: Gilbert’s father was a Secret Service agent who protected Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Marcus though, comes from a Spread Offense and it’s damn near impossible to project these guys who spent their whole college careers up in a 2-point stance into a pro system. It’s one thing to protect the president, or God’s Own Son Tim Tebow. But this is Tom Brady we’re talking about and we don’t need any trainees on his blind side, thanks.


James Carpenter, Alabama. 6-4, 320, 5.22

He’s played in an NFL ready offense, was All SEC at LT and is tough and strong. But he’s not super agile and is seen as more of a RT in the NFL.


Small school sleeper: Ben Ijalana, Villanova. 6-3, 320, 5.37

ijalana_576.jpg


A lot of scouts are smitten with Ijalana. But as you’d expect of a guy his size playing in Villanova, he stands out on film. I just have doubts the Pats would take a guy who hasn’t faced elite competition and a behemoth like him doesn’t fit their M.O.


The ideal Patriot: Nate Solder, Colorado. 6-8, 314, 4.90

nate-solder-21.jpg


The knock on Solder (rhymes with Boulder) is that he only did 21 bench presses at the Combine, where, by comparison, Gilbert did 30. But there’s no question he’s the most versatile/ athletic tackle in the group. He’s a converted tight end. He’s still learning the position but he’s already worked his way into the top of a talented group. He won a couple of different awards for work ethic and leadership and had a 3.93 GPA in college. And I think because he still needs to develop and his Spongebob like performance on the weight bench, he’d be a steal in the late 2nd-early 3rd. Anyway, I’d love to see what Dante Scarnecchia could do with this kid.


Guy the Pats have held a workout with: Solder.


The Pats will take:

If they keep Light: Solder.

If they let Light go: Castonzo.
 
[Solder would] "be a steal in the late 2nd-early 3rd."

Yes he would.

I don't remember any mock dropping him out of the first round.
 
Ahhhhh! Solder's my "throw stuff at the TV" pick this year. Didn't anyone see the Cal/Colorado game in Sept '10 or the Senior Bowl?
 
Ahhhhh! Solder's my "throw stuff at the TV" pick this year. Didn't anyone see the Cal/Colorado game in Sept '10 or the Senior Bowl?
Yep, I saw Cal/Colorado, and I still don't know what Bunting and his ilk are downplaying from that game. I saw a kid who's a bit raw, but looks like another Sebastian Vollmer. The Senior Bowl was more disappointing when he was getting beaten on the inside moves, still I saw good things and heard Mayock talking about his technique being pretty good - certainly he looked better than Castonzo to me and I've never had Carimi on my list. The only other LT prospect I thought might be good for NE at the Senior Bowl was Carpenter - Scar has looked closely at both and Castonzo and Smith, I still lean towards Solder overall.
 
Gotta love Barstools obligatory shot at BC (Mary Anne's comment). This is why I dont bother reading that garbage website.
 
Just back from checking out Patriots.com for any news items and took the time to reread the announcement for Coach Cabera's hiring. It's interesting to note a bit of the incestuous nature of football:
-- Fresno State and Pat Hill's ties to BB, the NE roster, and the coaching staff.
-- U of Colorado where Cabera was an asst. coach last season.
-- Nate Solder's O-line coach last season was the same O-line coach who transformed Tom Ashworth from TE to starting LT.

One of the things I've learned to never discount around draft time is the coach's network, as we saw when BB raided Florida last season and went to Rutgers for his top pick. U of Colorado now has a former asst. S&C coach on the NE staff, which certainly opens some behind the scenes windows into Nate Solder's development (In the spring of 2009, he was awarded the John Wooten Award for outstanding work ethic and the offensive line's Iron Buffalo Award for hard work, dedication, toughness and total poundage lifted in the weight room.) and makes things interesting when assessing the two top CBs they have in this draft class - Jimmy Smith (rd. 1 projection) and Jalil Brown (day two-three). Insight into the work ethic and coachability of a prospect is what helped sell BB on those Florida kids and McCourty.

On a related note, one of my later round targets at OT has been Central Florida's Jah Reid. NE's newly hired offensive assistant comes from UCF where he was most recently RB's coach, and was QB's coach when Reid first won the starting RT slot at UCF. He also started his coaching journey while on staff with his current OC at Georgia Tech.

Incest is best as the NFL always says!
 
Yep, I saw Cal/Colorado, and I still don't know what Bunting and his ilk are downplaying from that game. I saw a kid who's a bit raw, but looks like another Sebastian Vollmer. The Senior Bowl was more disappointing when he was getting beaten on the inside moves, still I saw good things and heard Mayock talking about his technique being pretty good - certainly he looked better than Castonzo to me and I've never had Carimi on my list. The only other LT prospect I thought might be good for NE at the Senior Bowl was Carpenter - Scar has looked closely at both and Castonzo and Smith, I still lean towards Solder overall.

We disagree on Solder, but I'm not here to pick an argument about the topic. My take, to reiterate, is that Solder doesn't seem to have the core strength of Vollmer (few do) and can be both bulled and submarined. He is very agile and should get stronger, but we've already got a superb LT prospect on the roster where a much less expensive pick could fill the job at RT. Vollmer is far more likely to move over than Light is to be replaced with a rookie top prospect.

It just makes sense to me. I think the greater need is at interior OL and expect we will draft two of them to develop behind the incumbents, but outside of Pouncey (I still like him) and to a lesser extent Watkins (only because of his age) I can't see a real premium pick going to the OL.

This still leaves question marks at the top, but the more I think the more I believe we move back and focus on rounds 2-4 and roll picks to the future if the price is right. Business as usual. If you put a gun to my head I might say Watkins in the 30's or so gives us a swing G/RT. If they don't like Watkins then Carpenter could give them similar versatility and a better track record at a cheaper price.

Then, we grab one of Fusco/Bartholomew/Kowalski much later.

Kowalski made 22 career starts at RG and 25 at C at the same school which gave us Kaczur. Fusco gets a lot of props, but Bartholomew is a pretty good prospect that might make Dante happy.

I'm not sold on Wendel, Orhnberger or Bussey and with Mankin's status and Koppen getting up there I see this issue being addressed this year.
 
Yep, I saw Cal/Colorado, and I still don't know what Bunting and his ilk are downplaying from that game. I saw a kid who's a bit raw, but looks like another Sebastian Vollmer. The Senior Bowl was more disappointing when he was getting beaten on the inside moves, still I saw good things and heard Mayock talking about his technique being pretty good - certainly he looked better than Castonzo to me and I've never had Carimi on my list. The only other LT prospect I thought might be good for NE at the Senior Bowl was Carpenter - Scar has looked closely at both and Castonzo and Smith, I still lean towards Solder overall.
What? Tall and white?
 
We disagree on Solder, but I'm not here to pick an argument about the topic. My take, to reiterate, is that Solder doesn't seem to have the core strength of Vollmer (few do) and can be both bulled and submarined. He is very agile and should get stronger, but we've already got a superb LT prospect on the roster where a much less expensive pick could fill the job at RT. Vollmer is far more likely to move over than Light is to be replaced with a rookie top prospect.

It just makes sense to me. I think the greater need is at interior OL and expect we will draft two of them to develop behind the incumbents, but outside of Pouncey (I still like him) and to a lesser extent Watkins (only because of his age) I can't see a real premium pick going to the OL.

This still leaves question marks at the top, but the more I think the more I believe we move back and focus on rounds 2-4 and roll picks to the future if the price is right. Business as usual. If you put a gun to my head I might say Watkins in the 30's or so gives us a swing G/RT. If they don't like Watkins then Carpenter could give them similar versatility and a better track record at a cheaper price.

Then, we grab one of Fusco/Bartholomew/Kowalski much later.

Kowalski made 22 career starts at RG and 25 at C at the same school which gave us Kaczur. Fusco gets a lot of props, but Bartholomew is a pretty good prospect that might make Dante happy.

I'm not sold on Wendel, Orhnberger or Bussey and with Mankin's status and Koppen getting up there I see this issue being addressed this year.
Well, the odds of you being satisfied with NE 'not' taking Solder are much better than those in my case. ;)

(Bussey was released with an injury settlement back in September, one third of your problem is already cleared up.)

As far as interior OL the first place to look for anyone but Center using the template of prior NE drafting practices is at left tackle. NE OL have to be the most athletic in the NFL, or as I like to phrase it - agile, mobile, and hostile.

NE OL spend too much of their time working in space to be anything else, not just second level blockers targeting linebackers between the tackles, but true dancing bears who in an instant become stampeding wildebeest out in front of running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers in space. By definition, those are left tackles for most college teams.

Notably on the 2010 roster Light, Mankins, Connolly, and Vollmer were former college left tackles. Kaczur went to IR, but he's another.

When looking at college left tackles who might kick inside to guard, your lad Watkins tops the list, followed by Carpenter, Ijalana, etc. The unfortunate problem is finding one who meets all the apparent NE criteria.

NE has never been a pure system blocking team, they use a hybrid of zone and man and with Green-Ellis' role as primary back on early downs, they have moved back towards the more blended blocking of the SB years and away from the greater zone emphasis of the Maroney years. So a player needs to have some decent drive blocking skills, yet still be quick enough to execute zone assignments.

Short of being a professional O-line coach who can dissect a lineman's technique at a glance, I'm limited to more easily digested data, like his Combine numbers.

NE's starters have, for the most part, been kids who could generate enough leg drive to get 300 lbs over 30 inches in the air. Mankins, Vollmer, and Kaczur all had that on their resumes (there is no jump data for Light's Combine or Pro-Day, and no data on Klemm at all).

The other thing to look for, change of direction numbers in the 4.5 second short shuttle range and 7.5 second 3-cone range. Light, Mankins, Vollmer - all 4.5/7.5 or better.

The later you get in the draft the greater those standards are relaxed, but round one and two, the successful guys have all had that pop and agility as measured during workouts. Which leaves us hosed before round three as I read the tea leaves of drill numbers. Watkins is a 4.6/7.6 kid with only 26" of leg drive (Koppen was 28.5"). Carpenter is a 4.8/7.6 kid, with 28.5". Both are projected in round two, well before the example of Kaczur, he's a 4.8/7.7 kid good for 31.5" or Connolly 4.5/7.7 28.5" undrafted via JAX. Great leg drive and agility isn't critical to be successful as a reserve for NE - Hochstein was 4.6/7.9, 26.5" 5th rd. via Tampa - but for starters there seems a clear bias.

(An aside: Vollmer had 36.5" leg drive at his Pro-Day, which is why I'd expect him to stay at RT where that core power you talked about will be so critical ... Solder only got 32", clearly one of those finesse blocking LT types. :p Vollmer turned 25 in his rookie training camp, Solder just turned 23 last week, so he's still filling out, that's about the time I went from toothpick to, well, exactly.)

All hope is not lost, it's just not there in the early projections. There are a number of kids projected to Day Three and UDFA who do come close to what NE OL in the past have demonstrated in drills: Mike Person, Tim Barnes, Julian Vendervelde, Greg Niland, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Kilgore, Justin Boren, Byron Stingily, Kris O'Dowd, Brandon Fusco, Kevin Kowalski, Jake Kirkpatrick, Jason Kelce, Zach Williams, Bo Thran, Colin Miller ... some tackle only kids are Jah Reid, Lee Ziemba, Jarriel King, Rob McGill, Pete Hendrickson. The bolded kids all got closer looks from NE, and if a Fresno State OL didn't I'd be surprised.

I think the primary competition for your friends Wendell and Orhnberger are coming from the same places in the draft they were found. Which is why I'm looking at Solder, and expecting Mankins to stay and/or Light to get offered $6-7M for a couple seasons to kick inside.

Your man Pouncey: 25" vertical. :shake:
 
Just for comparisons sake Hawgie, which one is Solder and which Vollmer based on their NFL Draft Scout profiles? I never watched Vollmer before he came to NE, but I can sure see the similarities on my TV and in these profiles. >)

A:
-- Prototypical height and length for the tackle position.
-- Plenty of upside, and could gain another 10-15 pounds of muscle.
-- Good strength to get into the defender's jersey and walk him off the line.
-- Catches and locks onto pass rushers using his size and long arms, rarely getting ripped off initially.
-- Uses his length and footwork to prevent speed rushers from getting his outside shoulder.
-- Fair initial punch that knocks smaller ends off their path.
-- Has quick enough feet to get inside the shoulder of his man on runs away from his side.
-- Picks up inside blitzes well.
-- Adequate getting to linebackers when he can line them up.
-- Still a bit raw due to inexperience.
-- Played left tackle, but is best on the right side in the NFL because he lacks the requisite lateral movement and recovery speed.
-- His pad level is too high on most plays.
-- Will lose the leverage battle and get pushed into the quarterback by stronger pro defensive ends unless he bends his knees and uses his hands effectively.
-- Does not stay with his man if his quarterback scrambles.
-- Could sustain blocks better by moving his feet, as he tends to simply push the defender and lose his balance.
-- Struggles to adjust quickly to late blitzes and at the second level.
-- Must learn to explode from his stance in short-yardage situations.

B:
-- Length and athleticism makes him a prototypical pass protector on the blind side.
-- Very difficult to get around when he bends his knees and is smooth in his lateral movement.
-- Resets his hands quickly after initial contact, manages to anchor after a strong initial bull rush.
-- Agile and long enough to combo block down and still push blitzing linebackers around the pocket.
-- Also handles twists and stunts well.
-- Cuts quickly to allow bubble screens to his side.
-- Plays with a narrow base at times, which causes him to lose balance or cross his feet when engaged on outside rushes.
-- Takes short, choppy steps after kick slide, has trouble cutting off quick ends from turning the corner and resorts to diving at their legs.
-- Also gives up the inside lane too frequently.
-- NFL-caliber ends can get under his pads and drive him back on occasion because of his height and inconsistent knee-bend.
-- Very willing and able run blocker on the edge with exceptional mobility for his size.
-- Good get-off and upper-body strength allows him to latch onto defensive ends and stand-up defenders and take them out of the play.
-- Despite his height, he plays with leverage at the point of attack and can widen his base to anchor.
-- Nimble and quick, he seals his edge easily, gets out in front of screens well, and can block multiple defenders to wall off the back side.
-- Quicker defenders can get under his pads, however, and disengage to move down the line and stop inside runs.
-- Does not work behind the line very often from the left tackle spot, but his combination of size and mobility should allow him to do so at the next level.
-- Effective getting around the tight end to take out targets on the outside.
-- Can drop his hips to negate defenders at the second level.
-- Has flexibility to get his hands on the inside defender, though his height can make it difficult to stay with smaller, quicker defenders when he doesn't first lock on.
-- Gets off the snap fairly well for his size, but is inconsistent with his kick-slide and hand quickness, which could cause problems for him against better NFL ends.
-- Able to deliver a pop as a drive blocker, stopping defensive ends in their tracks or even pushing his man off the line of scrimmage.
-- Exceptional feet and agility make him a threat to take out defenders in space.
-- Very quick getting to the second and third levels.
-- Locates targets well downfield, keeps his feet moving to gain the correct angle and hands strong and active to latch onto linebackers and move them out of the play.
-- Will throw a shoulder into a defender at times instead of sustaining the block.
 
Go play with midgar, we're talking football here. :coffee:
So was I. Everytime I've watched Solder play he's getting tossed around like a rag doll. Vollmer on the other hand seems to be a legitimate franchise tackle. Hence my confusion on the comparison, other than both being incredibly tall and pale.
 
So was I. Everytime I've watched Solder play he's getting tossed around like a rag doll. Vollmer on the other hand seems to be a legitimate franchise tackle. Hence my confusion on the comparison, other than both being incredibly tall and pale.
We've noted your confusion for quite some time ... I here THC damage is cumulative, or it could just be corn pollen, or being downwind of Polian ...

Anyway, my lying eyes tell me he still needs some refinement and more weight room development, probably a better diet, but when I watch him, I see some of Vollmer's strengths and some of his vulnerabilities. Of the projected top prospects in this draft class, I see Solder's run blocking as a positive. Vollmer in 2010 was a much more dominating force at the line of scrimmage then Vollmer in 2009, some people struggle with that. As I said, I didn't watch Vollmer in college, I first saw him in action as a rookie, he's growing into his game, I think Solder has that same opportunity.

I may have mentioned that watching USC I came away with no love for Smith, nothing specific against him, he just didn't seem to be that effective, not compared to the other bookend. The same with Castonzo, who looks okay in pass protection, but in the run game ... let's just say I don't see the power I'm looking for to move people. Sherrod, I see it to a greater extent than Castonzo, but not to the extent I see it in Solder. Carpenter I'd move inside to guard.

Solder's been getting ripped since the California game, while Cam Jordan is everyone's hero. But I watched that game, I recorded it on the DVR and used slo-mo and frame advance. Cam Jordan spent the game working against a redshirt freshman RT. The couple times he went against Jordan I saw nothing exceptional. For all the people ripping on Solder, I saw him pretty consistently keep his QB clean despite his QB's penchant for stepping into the pass rush - talk about the kind of pocket presence I wish for Polian to draft! Yeh Solder struggled with short, quick, fast edge rushers, but even your boy Mathis started in the 245 range, Cal was using a third string DE in the 5-11/215 range, and their starting OLB was 5-11/230 (he was pretty good, don't tell Polian).

Solder needs to get better with his hands, be a little more patient sitting into his stance and letting his length work for him, trying to "reach" he gets away from his footwork. He needs to get stronger, fill out a bit more, but going from 245 to 315 in three years he's done pretty well, give him a bit more time, I'd expect him to be playing around 325 this fall, with no loss of quickness.
 
Solder needs to get better with his hands, be a little more patient sitting into his stance and letting his length work for him, trying to "reach" he gets away from his footwork. He needs to get stronger, fill out a bit more, but going from 245 to 315 in three years he's done pretty well, give him a bit more time, I'd expect him to be playing around 325 this fall, with no loss of quickness.
That's a fairly bold prediction Box. That's a lot of weight to add in a little time without expecting to lose any quickness.

Considering that most mocks I've seen have us drafting Solder, I hope you're right, but he's about 4th or so on my list of tackles I'd like to see us draft.

I actually think we might want to go gaurd first, but getting a left tackle would let us move Charlie Johnson to right tackle and pack Ryan Diem's bags and get him the **** out of dodge.

I'm curious as to which interior linemen will be available in round 2.
 
Charlie Casserly did a piece on on NFL Network comparing last years tackles to this years group. He came away thoroughly unimpressed with this years group. R.Okung, T.Williams, A.Davis, B. Bulaga and R.Saffold were the top 5 last year. This year he discussed; Carimi, T.Smith, Costanzo, Solder and Sherrod. Had all 5 last year rated ahead of everyone in this years group. Solder looks like what we look for in a T. I'd be ok with him at 28 or 33.
 
That's a fairly bold prediction Box. That's a lot of weight to add in a little time without expecting to lose any quickness.

Considering that most mocks I've seen have us drafting Solder, I hope you're right, but he's about 4th or so on my list of tackles I'd like to see us draft.

I actually think we might want to go gaurd first, but getting a left tackle would let us move Charlie Johnson to right tackle and pack Ryan Diem's bags and get him the **** out of dodge.

I'm curious as to which interior linemen will be available in round 2.
10 lbs? Smith just put on 22 since December. Ten is easy, it's adding the strength while your at it.
 
Charlie Casserly did a piece on on NFL Network comparing last years tackles to this years group. He came away thoroughly unimpressed with this years group. R.Okung, T.Williams, A.Davis, B. Bulaga and R.Saffold were the top 5 last year. This year he discussed; Carimi, T.Smith, Costanzo, Solder and Sherrod. Had all 5 last year rated ahead of everyone in this years group. Solder looks like what we look for in a T. I'd be ok with him at 28 or 33.
Charlie Casserly? Former GM of Houston? Houston, didn't they have David Carr for their QB? Casserly, Carr, seems there's just something about that connection ...

10passer.1.600.jpg

gal_nfl_draft_04.jpg


I agree, last year's tackle class was pretty good, I do like them better, but the question isn't the class, it's the individual and his "fit" for whichever team drafts him. I choose to guess wrong with Solder, it's in my contract when predicting NE draft picks. :)
 
10 lbs? Smith just put on 22 since December. Ten is easy, it's adding the strength while your at it.
Last time I looked at his profile he was listed at 289. Which on a 6'8" frame is damn near skinny for an offensive linemen. I see he's listed now at 319 on NFLdraftcountdown so yeah that's a less dramatic jump.

Charlie Casserly? Former GM of Houston? Houston, didn't they have David Carr for their QB? Casserly, Carr, seems there's just something about that connection ...

10passer.1.600.jpg

gal_nfl_draft_04.jpg


I agree, last year's tackle class was pretty good, I do like them better, but the question isn't the class, it's the individual and his "fit" for whichever team drafts him. I choose to guess wrong with Solder, it's in my contract when predicting NE draft picks. :)
Anytime I find myself agreeing with Charlie Casserly, I immediately rethink my original position.
 
Back
Top