Could Runningback be the Patriots biggest need when the draft roles around?

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

You will have to excuse the randomness of my posts for the time being. My wife is due this week with baby #2 and it has been chaos in this house for awhile now. Speaking of chaos, that could also describe the Patriots backfield as we inch closer to week one of the season. With the news that Dion Lewis will need additional surgery on his knee, that creates a big question mark out of the backfield. I have made it known that I am not a huge fan of LeGarrette Blount’s, but it seems he will be called upon again this year to be the teams lead Runningback. Tyler Gaffney has made a push for reps in the backfield as well, and if he can prove he can stay healthy, he may end up the teams best all around back this year. I thought the Patriots would bring in a back in the 2016 NFL Draft, but they completely ignored the position once again. With the uncertainty at the position, hopefully that decision does not come back to bite them. The good news is that the upcoming Runningback class should be the deepest it has been in awhile. There is going to be some real talent available at the position after round 1 and teams are going to find quality starters in the later rounds. Here are the Seniors I will be keeping my eye on this season.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

With college football right around the corner, it is time to take a look at the players who will be looking to hear their name called in the 2017 NFL Draft. Obviously this list is far from complete. Some players on this list will not live up to expectations while others will pop up throughout the college season to make a name for themselves. This should serve as a guide for any of you who want to get a head start on scouting some of these players. I like to do this exercise so I can plan out which games I want to fill the DVR with and watch as the season progresses. Today, I start with the most important position on the football field, the Quarterbacks.

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Hi all, we are just 15 minutes until kickoff, what/who are you looking forward to seeing tonight?

I will try and chime in as much as I can as the action unfolds and hopefully we can get some good discussion going on here.

Looking back at the 2013 NFL Draft has been a humbling exercise for me.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

After listening to the Draft Breakdown podcast with Justin Higdon and Seth Cox (great podcast and 2 must follows on twitter) regarding their hits, misses and what they learned when they looked back at the 2013 draft class, I decided to do the same thing. I was not writing for anyone at that time and twitter was something I thought would never make it(another bad take by me) so my work was not seen by many. Except for a handful of my buddies who used draft weekend as an excuse to get together after college and make some bad decisions, the work I put into the draft was primarily for my eyes only. I was able to find several old emails I sent to these friends of mine, including a top 100 list. So today, I pull back the curtain and reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly of my 2013 draft evaluation.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Today marks the day of the NFL supplemental draft. While it has been awhile since we had a player make an impact from the supplemental draft, this day always brings at least a little bit of excitement. Perhaps it is the unknown or the interesting back stories that these players have, but if your team happens to grab one of these players, you get that sense of excitement you felt way back on draft day. Here are 5 players that have a chance to get picked in today’s supplemental draft.

Tee Shepard, CB-Mississippi

HT: 6’1″

WT: 195 Lbs.

Shepard has had an interesting road to this point. He started out at Notre Dame after being a highly recruited prospect out of high school. He transferred to a community college for a year and then ended up at Ole Miss after committing to Mississippi. He was set to transfer again, but decided to try his hand at the pro level instead. He has only played in 5 games at the FBS level and he does have a hearing issue that may have led to his lack of playing time. He has good measurables, but the lack of experience will hurt his chances.

Rashaun Simonise, WR-Calgary

HT: 6’5″

WT: 201 LBS

I don’t know much about Simonise, but he had a great pro day and very intriguing size. I have not seen much of him in terms of his route running or his hands except for some highlights, so that has to be taken with a grain of salt. He could get drafted based on his athletic traits and his size.

Jalen Overstreet, RB-Sam Houston State

HT: 6’1″

WT: 212 LBS

Overstreet originally played at Texas before he was dismissed for what has been reported as “multiple team violations.” He has good size for the position, but the he has continued to get into trouble even after his time at Texas and probably will not get taken today.

Ra’Zahn Howard, DT-Purdue

HT: 6’3″

WT: 325 LBS

Another player with some off field issues. He has good size and athleticism, but his career at Purdue has been relatively quiet. He has the size that the Patriots look for and could be a player teams feel his best football is ahead of him.

Cameron Walton, DE-Concordia College (Alabama)

HT: 6’4″

WT: 225 LBS

Not a whole lot is known about Walton. He attended community college before transferring to Concordia, only to have Concordia cancel their football program. While he put up very good stats at the community college level, he will be trying to make the near impossible jump from the lowest of levels to the NFL. He has intriguing size, but not sure any team will actually use a pick on him, but he should get a camp invite somewhere.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

I just wanted to write a short post letting you all know that I will be back with new content regarding the 2016 Patriots and the 2017 NFL draft very soon. I was hoping and still hope to get into some different type of pieces that are team/draft related but are not just focused on next year’s prospects. We shall see if my summer schedule allows for it, but I am making an effort to do so. Thanks for all your patience and I look forward to interacting with all of you again real soon.

Does a 7th round pick at a very crowded position have a chance to make the final roster?

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

We reach the final scouting report for the 2016 draft. I apologize for dragging this out so long, but an unexpected work trip has kept me from finishing this up until now. Way back when, before the draft, I said in one of my reports that the Patriots could surprise us and double dip at Wide Receiver, and that is exactly what they did. Now, when I made that statement, I was thinking that it was a real possibility that Danny Amendola could be released. Either way, a seventh round pick is going to struggle to make the final 53 man roster, but Lucien should enough in college that he might just have what it takes to surprise us all and force his way onto the roster.

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