2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Pick 44
by Dan Kadar on Apr 8, 2010 9:00 PM EDT
in SB Nation Writers Mock Draft
Email
PrintThe second round of the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft rolls along. We're having each SB Nation blogger make selections for their respective teams. MaPatsFan, lead blogger at SB Nation's New England Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit, checks in to make the No. 44 overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!
With the No. 44 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the New England Patriots have selected Ricky Sapp, OLB/DE, Clemson
MaPatsFan says: This pick came between Koa Misi of Utah and Ricky Sapp of Clemson. While I was surprised that Buffalo took Eric Norwood so quickly, it makes sense since they're a new 3-4 team that needs true 3-4 OLBs. Other than that, my prediction came true and none of the second round rated OLBs were off the board. Between Misi and Sapp, the choice had to be Sapp. Misi put up better combine scores, almost across the board, and is more of a rush OLB, a skill which the Patriots need, but Misi seems to be a one trick pony; he never had to play in coverage- just rush the passer. Sapp, on the other hand, can do it all. He has the athleticism to drop back into coverage, he knows how to rush the QB, he's self-motivated and he has great instincts. Sapp represents what the Patriots want in their OLBs. He's a versatile player, who is driven to succeed and is willing to do whatever it takes to do well.
Oh, and did I mention that he's 6-4, 252 and runs a 4.61? Yeah, Sapp represents the perfect Patriots player and a player that Coach Belichick will actually pursue. Sapp, in my opinion, has as high of a ceiling as Kindle and is more athletic than his Texan counterpart. Sapp led his team in tackles for loss and has been a defensive fiend for three years- although his Junior year was cut short by an injury. As one of the top defensive players for Clemson, teams had to plan against him to limit his production, but he still put up fair numbers. With our defensive line opening holes for Sapp, expect big numbers as he contributes as a Rookie pass rusher and learns coverage. Sapps fills a position of need and is the BPA at the position. Expect him to do well.
Mocking Dan reacts: Love this pick. Sapp is on a completely different level than Misi. The Utah player is solid, but how much did anyone really hear about him until the offseason? Sapp, although inconsistent earlier in his career, was sort of a man playing out of position at Clemson. He looks natural as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He could be an instant starter for the Patriots.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Jonathan Dwyer/RB/Georgia Tech, 2 - Damian Williams/WR/USC, 3 - Rob Gronkowski/TE/Arizona, 4 - Brandon Spikes/LB/Florida, 5 - Chad Jones, S, LSU
Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of the Patriots' selection of Sapp? Please be sure to check out Pats Pulpit for all of your Patriots needs.
33 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Definitely see this happening on Draft Day, and it’s a perfect fit. With the addition of Sapp and a little luck with the players’ health (oh hi, Shawn Crable and Tyrone McKenzie), the Patriots’ linebacker group could actually grow into a strength.
Agreed.
Mayo needs to step into the leadership role, Guyton has a year of experience, McKenzie is back for depth and I can see us picking up a veteran MLB who gets cut at some point during the off-season.
Banta-Cain is just an average OLB who benefited from playing against the Bills, but he has another year of experience. If we gab Sapp, he can learn his role. If Crable is healthy and Woods steps up his game, we could have a pretty good LB core.
I still think we need two OLBs in this draft, so expect us to pick one up in the 6th round.
by Richard Hill on Apr 8, 2010 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
But I guess Norwood is such an experienced 3-4 OLB, I can’t blame the Bills for grabbing him.
by Richard Hill on Apr 8, 2010 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions
A+++++ In My Book
If we drafted these two with our top 2 picks I automatically give our draft an A. We could draft Tebow with the next pick and I would still love the outcome. Id prefer a WR with one of the next two and theres a pretty good shot at that happening. NICE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With the Patriots?
Yeah.
Everyone talks about how “Belichick loves versatile players” and how he can “find a spot for Tebow.” That’s bogus, in my opinion. Belichick loves players who fit the Patriots. Tebow doesn’t have a spot on the Patriots. Long term QB? His rookie contract should be up before Brady retires- if he can play QB at all. HB/TE? Why not grab an actual player who knows the role and can play it better than Tebow ever could? Wildcat? Belichick doesn’t believe in that. If Tebow was available in the 7th round- maybe. But definitely not in the 2nd round.
by Richard Hill on Apr 8, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank you
My sentiments exactly. What BB says before the draft is a complete smoke screen. He’s hoping some other team wastes an early draft pick on Tebow…
With Saffold still on the board, I would've gone with him and still grabbed Sapp with the 47th/48th.
However, this would solve our needs on defense immediately. B+, if I had it my way.
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
Well looking at the teams drafting after this pick...
…you have:
Broncos – Have Clady and picked Pouncey in the 1st. They’ll probably go a different direction.
Giants – Need help on defense, especially with their once formidable D-Line disappearing.
Us – I can grab Saffold here
Carolina – First pick in the draft, need WR the most.
San Francisco – Picked Trent Williams in the 1st.
Kansas City – Spent all off-season upgrading their O-Line, won’t pick an LT here when they have Brandon Alberts.
Houston – Grabbed Dan Williams in the 1st, still need to replace Dunta Robinson.
Pittsburgh – Grabbed Iupati in the 1st, doubt they’ll double dip the O-Line.
Us – Could even grab Saffold here!
by Richard Hill on Apr 8, 2010 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions
OK you got me.
I can definitely work with this idea. Who else could be doable along with Saffold? Bowman, maybe?
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
don't let em fool ya...
after getting Derrick Morgan in round one, Roger Saffold’s a candidate for the Giants.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 8, 2010 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Even though they drafted Beatty last year?
Unless the team is rebuilding, or the player they drafted is already a bust (hard to prove this early with a lineman), I don’t see them drafting a potential starting tackle this early two years in a row.
And yes, I’m including the Patriots in the “rebuilding” category due to the tremendous age of our O-Line.
by Richard Hill on Apr 9, 2010 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions
They could draft a OT in the first round this year
Beatty is the future LT hopefully.
Depends on what they wanna do with Diehl, who should be at LG. McKenzie’s getting old, and they could use that other bookend for the next 5-8 years.
Saffold seems like he’s better off for OG or RT…which is perfect for the Giants, that’s what they need!
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 9, 2010 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I know...
…but I’m basing my picks in this mock off of what’s already been played out. They already have Snee at LG, who I’m pretty sure is still extremely good. While they could use an OT, I don’t think teams successfully develop two OTs at the same time.
I think the Giants will grab an OT in the middle rounds, but I think they will let Beatty develop and utilize the players they have to take care of the RT position for this season.
by Richard Hill on Apr 9, 2010 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Whoops, Snee is RG.
I see your point now!
by Richard Hill on Apr 9, 2010 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions
not saying its a given...I think a MLB would be looked at first, but if there's none worthy they won't reach for one
just I wouldn’t count them out
Especially if Saffold is a borderline first rounder, similar to what Beatty was last year.
I dunno how getting a 2nd OT, given an aging OL and also given you still need 2 OT’s, means they’re rebuilding either?
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 9, 2010 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm saying the Patriots are a rebuilding team...
…which, from my perspective as a fan, is what’s happening with twelve 2009 draft picks returning and with another potential 12 this year. Our O-Line is old so we need to start building again by grabbing another OT while Matt Light still has half a season left in the tank so they can step in in the middle of the year.
But I guess I see your point. If Diehl should be the LG, they need to pick an OT. If they keep Diehl at tackle, then they don’t draft an OT this year, but wait until next year.
I’m going to cross my fingers and hope the Giants don’t grab Saffold!
by Richard Hill on Apr 9, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, looking at my draft board...
…I still have Kareem Jackson, Rodger Saffold and Damian Williams as top 45 picks, which means that any of them would be a great value pick with our next pick.
By taking Odrick and Sapp, I think we cover all of our needs. Now we can address depth and potential top players. We have two CBs in Bodden and Butler, but perhaps a player like Jackson could push Butler and make our secondary even stronger. We already have Vollmer, Light and Kaczur, but perhaps Saffold could push for playing time. We have Moss, Welker, Tate and Edelman, but maybe Williams could make a push with Tate for the #3 slot when Welker’s healthy.
We have a lot of directions we can go. Gronkowski’s still on the board, as is Brandon Spikes, Jared Veldheer, Sean Lee, Brandon LaFell and Brandon Ghee. There is still depth in the positions that we don’t need. There is little depth directly behind Sapp at OLB/DE. That’s why I grabbed him.
by Richard Hill on Apr 8, 2010 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions
This guy is so underrated
Its ridiculous. He’s better than at least 3 OLBs taken ahead of him because he can do anything, and will be a beast in kick coverage if needed
IMO
Here's how I look at the OLBs drafted so far:
Highest Floor:
1. Graham
2. Kindle
3. Norwood
4. Sapp
Highest Ceiling:
1. Graham
2. Sapp
3. Kindle
4. Norwood
Ranking:
1. Graham (1)
2. Kindle (2.5)
3. Sapp (3)
4. Norwood (3.5)
And I think that’s a fair representation on the order they’ll be drafted.
I think Sapp is better than all 3 of them because he's versatile and tackles very well
But what do I know. When I said the same thing about Mathews last year I just got flamed. I guess you could argue that the Rack looked like a bigger beast in his rookie year, but I would still take Mathews as my edge guy because he can do everything.
IMO
But when you look at a 3-4 OLB...
…you need to ask how well they perform in pass coverage. The other three have done well, which is why I have them with higher floors. Sapp has a much higher chance of ending up as “just” a pass rush specialist. That could be great if he’s a Demarcus Ware type talent. But looking at a player’s floor, he has the lowest since he has unproven versatility.
I have his ceiling higher than Kindle because I think Sapp’s more athletic.
With all due respect I dont care for your complicated system
I just watch the game and look how the player moves in space, if he does that well, rushers the passer with a good burst, and tackles correctly.
I consider that a good outside OLB. If you want to have all this terminology and numbers thats on you, but I personally think its worthless
IMO
What's worthless?
Thinking about a player’s potential? Thinking about if a player has the capability to play the entirety of the OLB position and not just be a pass rusher? You say you only look at what the player does- that’s all I’m doing to. Except that I’m comparing him to other players. How does he move in comparison to Sergio Kindle? How experience is he in comparison to Brandon Graham? How does he drop into coverage in comparison to Eric Norwood? They’re all legitimate questions.
You think Ricky Sapp will be a good OLB based upon your criteria. I’m comparing him to the other OLBs based upon the same exact criteria.
by Richard Hill on Apr 10, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I just can't think like that, it confuses me; it wasnt meant as a slight to you
The the questions you ask are valid and I understand your point. My point is I just look for the guy that tackles the best and moves well when considering edge rushers. What I mean by that, is you know how the best pass rusher can get a sack by just hitting a ankle or grabbing a little jersey? Thats my definition of a good tackler, is the guy that makes tackles that others usually can not.
Its my opinion that almost everything football (with respect to rush linebacker) can be evaluated by only analyzing this. Because a guy that is a superb tackler, usually understands the game (so is harder to block) and moves well in space (so can be taught a little zone), has the quickness (to burst off the eadge), and is versatile by default (can play STs maybe a little inside in a emergency, and contribute right away as a DE in nickel)
IMO
I like Sapp
I watched a lot of Clemson games and Sapp would get plenty of pressure on the QB. His pressures didn’t always translate into sacks. He’ll have a bit of a learning curve switching to the 3-4 but I really don’t see it being a problem. As for the pick, I hate the Patriots so I don’t want to see him go there but they’d be getting a very good player.
Love the pick
I’ve said on Patspulpit a couple times I love this guy. With him and Odrick I think this is working out as a stellar Patriots draft..can’t wait for the last two picks.
F
He will never be healthy
Scientific research has proven that you lose exactly 5.37 billion brain cells every time you listen to Todd McShay.
by TheRealSlimShady on Apr 11, 2010 12:23 PM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
