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There seems to be little doubt that the New England Patriots will use the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 draft to address their needs either at DE or OLB. This pick, if the Patriots choose to use it, will definitely be made to add a big time piece to their front seven.
Now we have to look into how the Patriots conduct their draft to get an understanding of what the pick will be. Bill Belichick does not run a full draft board, like many of the other teams. He has a list of the players he wants for his team, and runs them on a mini draft board. In some draft years he has had as little as 25 players on his Patriots board.
With that in mind we have to take a big guess at which players are on Belichick’s board. It seems pretty likely that OLB Ricky Sapp of Clemson is on that board and that DE Jared Odrick will also be on that board.
Sergio Kindle is also likely on his board, but we can debate forever if he will fall that far. At the moment the Patriots fans seem to be pulling for Odrick. He has been the selection in many mock draft of late. However, if Kindle is there, he is the most likely pick.
Since the Patriots need help at both DE and OLB I like Sapp who played both positions in College. While he was more effective as an OLB, the Patriots could use him in multiple sets, and to me that makes him more valuable.
Of course we have to consider the fact that the Patriots may just trade out of this pick. They are wheelers and dealers on draft day and are not afraid to trade down pick up multiple picks in later rounds. The trick is using those picks to select quality players that fit their system. Only draft week will now be able to tell us which way the Patriots wind will blow.
Related Links:
• 2010 NFL team’s first round draft plans
• New England Patriots news and notes
• 2010 NFL team needs
• MTR Football.com
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