<![CDATA[The 2014 NFL draft has (sadly) come to an end, despite my frequent letters to Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for football 365 days a year! (You have to give the people what they want, Commish!) All that aside, the New England Patriots drafted a grand total of seven players in rounds four through seven, giving them a total of 9 picks on the draft including Easley and Garoppolo. But let us examine the last seven men New England selected, in the order in which they were selected.
Round: 4 / Pick: 105: Bryan Stork, Center, Florida State
| Ht.: 6 ft 4 in | Wt. 315 lb |
According to Rivals.com, Stork came out of high school as the No. 26 recruit at his position, — tight end that was. After red shirting his initial year at Florida State, Stork was moved into a role as an interior offensive lineman due to his size and skill set. Stork won the Rimington Trophy in 2013, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding center. Stork will compete with Ryan Wendell for the starting job at center, and should be a positional battle to watch for come mini camp.
Round: 4 / Pick: 130: James White, Running Back, Wisconsin
| Ht.: 5 ft 9 in | Wt.: 204 lb |
James White went to high school with another NFL RB, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Giovani Bernard, White and Bernard were part of the 2009 St. Thomas Aquinas high school “National Championship” team. The two of them gave defenses a ton to worry about with the amount of talent they possessed. Similarly to Bernard, White is also a smaller guy (5’9”) who doesn’t run with much power, largely due to his size. White fell partially due to the fact that he has never been a feature back role (Monte Ball in 2012 and the more talented Melvin Gordon in 2013) and probably only has use as a situational back in most systems.
Round: 4 / Pick: 140: Cameron Fleming, Offensive Tackle, Stanford
| Ht.: 6 ft 5 in | Wt.: 328 lb |
Fleming has the body and intelligence to be incorporated into a “power/slide-protection” scheme, but he needs to make some improvements with his situational power, finesse and aggression. Fleming will be around talented veteran O-linemen like Logan Mankins, Sebastian Volmer and even youngster Nate Solder, so hopefully if Fleming cracks the 53 man roster, he can learn from these greats.
Round: 6 / Pick: 179: Jon Halapio, Offensive Guard, Florida
| Ht.: 6 ft 4 in | Wt.: 323 lb |
Halapio played in 51 games for the Florida Gators, where he was a starter in 38 of those games at right guard. Halapio showed some serious grit and toughness, as he played 10 of those games with a torn pectoral. If Halapio is able to step up in camp, he could save New England a ton of money. If the Pats could replace current guard Dan Connolly with Halapio, New England could avoid a $4 million salary cap hit in 2014.
Round: 6 / Pick: 198: Zach Moore, Defensive End, Concordia
Ht.: 6 ft 5 in Wt.: 269 lb
Moore is a ‘raw, physically gifted, Division II standout’ with untapped ability due to his mixture of big body, length and agility/quickness. Moore, as stated, comes from a D2 school, so his experience with high level football coaching is minimal. With the right coaching, Moore could be molded into the player that he has the potential to become. Due to his athletic ability, we could see Patriots Defensive Coach Matt Patricia switch him between DE and linebacker, as Patricia did last year with LB Jamie Collins from time to time.
Round: 6 / Pick: 206: Jemea Thomas, Defensive Back, Georgia Tech
Ht.: 5 ft 8 in Wt.: 192 lb
Thomas might be marked down as a DB on the roster sheet, but don’t let that fool you; Jemea Thomas is capable of much more than just covering receivers. In his four years of college, Thomas recorded 13.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks and nine interceptions. Thomas also saw time as a returner and in special team coverage units. Thomas could have a shot at making 53 man roster, considering DB Brandon Browner will be unable to play week’s one through four due to a PED violation.
Round: 7 / Pick: 244: Jeremy Gallon, Wide Receiver, Michigan
| H.t: 5 ft 7 in | Wt.: 185 lb |
In the 2014 draft, New England took three players at 5’9” or shorter (White, Thomas, and Gallon.) One of these smaller guys, Jimmy Gallon racked up 1,373 receiving yards, nine touchdowns on 89 catches last year for Michigan. Gallon certainly poses elusiveness, good eyes and hands to succeed in the league. Gallon will struggle to make the roster, as New England is incredibly deep at the slot receiver role. Gallon would have to beat out veteran slot WR’s Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, along with the young but talented Josh Boyce.
That does is for the draft! Follow me on twitter (@gavroydavis) for my analysis of the Patriots Undrafted Free Agents and any and all things New England!!!!!!
[Photo: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports]]]>Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
