Big corners have become all the rage in the NFL in recent years.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

I have a huge problem.  This weekend the family and I made the 4 hour trip back to Iowa to watch the Iowa State Cyclones basketball team destroy Texas Tech and oh yeah, to visit friends and family as well. It was fun, but the whole time I kept thinking to myself how I kind of wished I was back home watching film.  Fast forward to now (3:30 am Monday morning) and here I am watching tape and writing up this report. Hopefully my blood shot eyes and bad attitude about not being able to sleep did not skew my opinion of today’s report on Jalen Collins. (more…)

Odighizuwa may be hard to pronounce, but it is not hard to see why scouts like him so much.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

I think I may have found my first “binkie” of this years draft class.  Most of you know what the terms means, but just in case, let me give you my version of what draft “binkie” means.  This is a player or players that you fall in love with and think are a perfect fit for your team.  “Binkies” can do no wrong and the team should do whatever they must to insure this player is on the team.  These players do not necessarily have to be early draft picks, in fact, most are later guys with crazy athleticism or size that you think your favorite team could develop into a star.  I got lucky last year as the Patriots did indeed draft one of my “binkies,” Dominique Easley.  I had him rated as the 4th best player in the entire draft and didn’t care about the health problems.  This year, another player with health concerns has entered “binkie” status, will I get lucky two years in a row? Let’s find out why I like Owamagbe Odighizuwa. (more…)

If the Patriots decide to draft offensive line early, A.J. Cann might be a nice option.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Anything exciting happen over the weekend? Oh yeah, that boring Super Bowl game that no one watched was on I guess.  What a snoozer, right?  I won’t lie, I rode an emotional roller coaster that I thought was going to kill me.  I was just glad the night could end with me doing snow angels out in the front yard just like in 2001.  Like Belichick probably has done already, we too must move on to next season (maybe not just yet, I have the Patriots marathon on the TV as I am typing this.) The ending to the Super Bowl was great, but the game was far from perfect and this team has plenty of areas it can improve upon, so today I went back and watched some more guard play.  A.J. Cann was a guy that jumped off the tape for me, so lets break him down. (more…)

Could the Patriots be in the market for a WR in these year’s draft?

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Could this week go any slower?  Waiting for the Super Bowl to get here while trying to avoid anymore “deflategate” talk has been exhausting.  Thankfully, there are hundreds of hours of film that still need to be watched and reports like this one to be written.  I will be honest, my intention was not to watch wide receivers today, and Hardy was certainly not the guy I thought I would be writing about tonight.  He was a guy I didn’t know a whole lot about, but I stumbled on some film of his, and then I decided I needed to watch more.  Next thing you know, I have notes from 7 games, so here is what I saw. (more…)

Where does this longhorn fit in the pecking order of DT’s and would he be a good fit for the Patriots?

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Did you see what I did there?  I figured I better pick a picture with an Iowa State player in it since the draftable prospects from my Alma Mater are slim.  Today, I continue the journey of watching and ranking the Defensive Tackles for this year’s draft, so without further ado, here is my thoughts on Malcom Brown. (more…)