When it involves evaluating the Patriots’ draft, it’s robust to search out anybody with a greater credential than a former scout.
Jim Nagy, government director on the Senior Bowl and a former scout with the Patriots and Seahawks, has studied a number of hundred prospects over the previous 12 months, together with many of the gamers the Pats drafted final week. Nagy didn’t scout first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez or sixth-round receiver Kayshon Boutte, each true juniors, too closely. But their different drafted rookies, from second-round move rusher Keion White to new punter Bryce Baringer, have been all on his radar.
Nagy just lately spoke with the Herald concerning the Patriots’ draft class. The following Q&A has been edited for readability and brevity.
Q: What is your total impression of the Patriots’ draft class?
Nagy: “They addressed special teams, they got a couple of really versatile pieces on defense, they got a guy (Troy offensive lineman Jake Andrews) they feel like is gonna be the heir apparent at center. And they got competition on the interior offensive line and a couple core (special) teams players at the end of the draft. So they addressed their needs, and that’s what you want going into a draft.”
Q: Keion White performed on the Senior Bowl. What strikes you about his recreation that makes him a slot in New England?
Nagy: “He’s nearly like a jumbo exterior linebacker. We obtained some good background with him as a result of there’s a man the Giants drafted, Oshane Ximines, a former third-round choose from Old Dominion who we had three or 4 years in the past. When we have been doing Oshane’s tape, Keion saved flashing. And I used to be like, ‘what year is this kid?’ And our scouts regarded him up, and he was solely a sophomore on the time. So I’m like, rattling.’ And that 12 months he had transformed from tight finish and had 19 tackles for loss, which tells you he can discover the soccer and has obtained some disruptive quickness.
“And this guy can really, really run. He’s got versatility to play up and down the front. He played standing up, he played with his hand in the dirt. And what I like about him is, as a pass rusher, I think where he can improve is just having a plan. He already gets some second-effort and third-effort pressures, and he plays hard. He’s what they look for in guys that have positional versatility. And that expression when he got drafted, that was the look on his face the entire week in Mobile.”
Q: The Patriots’ third-round choose, Marte Mapu, was a late addition to the Senior Bowl. What did you see from his tape that satisfied you he belonged, and the place do you see him becoming in New England?
Nagy: “He was a straightforward man for us. He’s obtained straight-line closing velocity, fairly distinctive pop on contact for his physique kind. He’s obtained lots of explosion in there. He jogged my memory of (former Jaguars linebacker) Telvin Smith, who was a rattling good participant. He has a superb feeling in protection, he’s lengthy. … He had two actually good days of follow right here and obtained damage on the finish of the second day, however did sufficient in these two days to assist himself.
“And now that the draft is already over, I’ll say I was standing on the field with (Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin during one of the 9-on-7 periods, and I’ve posted this clip online, Mapu came down and just buckled this fullback behind the line of scrimmage. And Mike looks at me with wide eyes, and we look at each other like that, holy (expletive) look. And he was like, ‘This boy’s making some money right now.’ So he definitely stood out.”
Q: Can Mapu keep on the second stage as full-time linebacker or will he be a field security?
Nagy: “I feel he can keep on the second stage as a result of he hits like a man who’s 240 or 250 (kilos). This man’s obtained severe explosion on contact. So if he’s 220 (kilos) on the Senior Bowl, and so they may get him to 226 or 228, he may simply have sufficient dimension. He may very well be a dime linebacker proper off the bat. The man’s gonna have a task. You don’t take a man 76th total with out considering you’re gonna have a task for the man’s first 12 months.
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“He’s different than (Patriots safety) Kyle Dugger, to me at least. Dugger’s a little more fluid of an athlete, a better change-of-direction athlete than Mapu. But he’s not as explosive as Mapu on contact. So a little bit different, but you’re talking about a hybrid type player.”
Q: What was your learn on the Patriots choosing three offensive linemen on Day 3, together with Senior Bowl alum Jake Andrews?
Nagy: “I do not know what their scenario’s like on the offensive line. To me, after I scouted them, they have been all depth-level gamers and – I feel (fourth-round choose) Sity (Sow) has an opportunity to turn into a starter – they went within the fourth spherical. I feel that is the place you begin taking depth-level offensive lineman, however fourth or fifth-round guys all the time have an opportunity to hit starters. And Jake’s a man that they clearly focused at 107. They most likely had motion to commerce out of there, so the truth that they stayed and took Jake tells you what they suppose. And it looks as if a extremely good succession plan.
“It’s weird because I scouted David Andrews when he came out, and I was still in the league. And they’re pretty similar guys, similar body types. I’ve learned this enough from speaking with offensive line coaches that you have to have different teaching techniques for different body types. And those guys are built very similarly. So a lot of things that have worked for David are going to work for Jake, and not always the case.”
Q: Any considerations about Andrews’ common athletic testing numbers for his place?
Nagy: “He’s more than athletic enough. He’s strong like an ox, he’s got enough initial quickness, he’s got enough mobility. He’s got everything he needs athletically to do it. And then you look into the makeup of the player, and he was a good high school wrestler. So there’s everything that goes along with that, just the coordination and the balance and the leverage you know, the grittiness of that sport. It’s a pretty cool makeup for an offensive lineman.”
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Q: Lastly, fourth-round kicker Chad Ryland and sixth-round punter Bryce Baringer each competed on the Senior Bowl. What did they present you?
Nagy: “Talking to guys across the league, and particular groups coaches, they felt like Bryce had the most effective leg of any of the punters. He had a few days down right here the place he was completely booming the ball. And with a few of the Zebra Technology now we have, with the (monitoring) chip balls and all the things, his grasp time, distance, I feel he hit a 70-yarder. He was form of the discuss of the week.
“And then Ryland, as we were going through the selection process, it was either him or (Michigan’s) Jake Moody as the top two kickers in the draft. And he lived up to that, so it doesn’t surprise me that he went in the fourth.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com