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Patriots Own Free Agents
LIKELY BACK
Dont'a Hightower Signed
By trading away Chandler Jones
and Collins, along with the lack of depth at linebacker, the Patriots will
likely do whatever it takes to keep the Alabama product in Foxboro.
The
Jets really, really wanted Hightower
... before his physical. Their offer was $1.25 million per year better
than what he wound up receiving from the Patriots. In the end, though,
the Jets wouldn't have signed him because of their concerns about the
physical.
Duron Harmon --
Signed
It's also worth noting playing
along side McCourty likely benefits him and would make it more appealing
for him to re-sign with the team.
Chris Long --
GONE If Long wants to play another season, which he says he does, New England
would be the perfect fit for him once again. Long seemed to enjoy his
first year with the team this past year and he would be in a similar role
again by being in a rotation at the defensive end spot. This seems like
another one-year contract for Long with the hope of winning another
championship.
LeGarrette Blount --Gone
Based on Blount's production this past season and with the team in the
past, New England would welcome him back for 2017 on another one-year
deal. There hasn't been much of a market for Blount in the past, and
even though he had a monster year this year, it's hard to see a team that
would want to make a hard run at the 30-year-old, but you never know.
Putting up 18 touchdowns this season could be enough for a team to give
Blount a multi-year offer, and if that is the case, the Patriots likely
would be out.
Editor's Note: 5/17/17
Patriots placing the “May
9 free-agent tender”was abou protecting their compensatory draft
picks while potentially directing him outside of the AFC.
Blount’s signed with the Philadelphia
Eagles helped the Patriots
keep the the currently expect fourth- and fifth-round compensatory draft
picks. It could potentially improve them depending on how things unfold
this season in the complex compensatory-pick formula.
James Develin --
The Brown product has built a great relationship with the organization
over the years and appears likely to return on a one or two-year deal
for short money. Develin's toughness is valued with the team and it
was shown in 2015 just how valuable he is when it comes to the running
game.
COULD GO EITHER WAY
Martellus Bennett
GONE --
Bennett had a great first season in New England, especially when it came
to displaying toughness. It's hard to predict what the market will be like
for the 29-year-old, but our best guess would be he will have a good
amount of money thrown his way. He certainly has value to the Patriots,
but if it costs them anymore than $5 million, which he got paid this year,
they likely are out.
Logan Ryan
Gone Signed with Tenn
--
This will be interesting, as Ryan is one of the most underrated defenders
in the NFL. The Patriots would love to have their No. 2 cornerback back in
2017, but the 26-year-old will likely have a good amount of money
thrown his way from other teams and it might be hard to refuse. If
Ryan gets paid like a top cornerback then he will be gone, but if he
doesn't get offered as much as many expect him to, he likely will come
back to New England, a place he loves.
Michael Floyd --
By all accounts, Floyd was a good member of the team for his two month
stay, but was it enough to get him a contract from the team for 2017? It
was noteworthy that he wasn't active for the final two playoff games.
That, along with spending 120 days in jail for his DUI arrest, could play
a role in whether or not the Patriots re-sign him. As of now, don't
expect Floyd to return to the Patriots next season.
Alan Branch Back--
This one depends on how much money Branch can get on the open market. The
team would love to have him return, but it certainly won't be willing
to give the 32-year-old a big-money deal. The defensive tackle also
appears to like playing in New England, so he would likely welcome a
return, as well. If the price is right, Branch certainly will be back.
Brandon Bolden --
Bolden is an interesting one, as he seemed to lose his value as a
running back this past season and how many strictly special teams
players can a team have? The 27-year-old could find himself on another
team next season just because of his lack of value to the Patriots besides
on special teams. Although it wouldn't be a complete shock to see
him return just because of how much Bill
Belichick values the
unit.
LIKELY WILL BE GONE
Jabaal Sheard GONE --
The defensive end will be a free agent after his two-year deal with the
Patriots that certainly had its ups and downs. Overall, it was a
productive two seasons as he was used in a rotation at the defensive end
spot. For Sheard, he likely will want to play for a team where he
wouldn't be part of a rotation and thus get more playing time. For
that reason, he likely will be playing elsewhere in 2017.
Barkevious Mingo Special
Teams GONE --
Mingo was strictly just a contributor on special teams after coming over
via trade from the Browns this year. It would seem the former
first-round pick will want to play somewhere else so he can be more
than just a special teams player. Being 26 years old, there will likely a
few teams out there that still believe they can get something out of the
former No. 6 overall pick.
Sebastian Vollmer --
Released The right tackle missed the entire 2016 season due to injury and
being 32 years old, it seems likely he will be retiring. It's also
worth nothing he was seen during Super
Bowl week and he lost a
signifiant amount of weight, another sign that he intends on
retiring.
Greg Scruggs --
Coming off a season-ending knee injury, it doesn't seem likely the
Patriots, or any team or that matter, will want to offer him a contract
until he can prove he's fully healthy.
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Pre Draft Draft Stuff
Daftr Related
Trades
WR
Cook
pats send
send
their No. 32 overall selection in this year's draft as well as their No.
103 choice to the Saints. In return, they'll acquire Cooks and the No. 118
pick from New Orleans.
DE
Ealy a 6’4, 275 pound
is 25 years old and was the
Panthers
2nd round pick in the 2014
NFL Draft.
The Patriots are
sending the
64th overall pick
to the Panthers in exchange for the 72nd overall pick in the third round,
per ESPN’s Field Yates. Play well in Super Bowl.They
They added an experienced pass-rusher at the bargain-basement salary of
$803,660 in exchange for an eight-spot move down the draft board.
Chris Long --
GONE,
Jabaal Sheard GONE
TE Dwayne
Allen in a
trade with the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for an undisclosed draft
selection. Allen, 27, originally entered the NFL as a third-round draft
pick (64th overall)
Pick 137, which went to Indianapolis in the deal for Dwayne Allen.
Martellus
Bennett GONE
2/18/17 comments
Mayock praised the overall
defensive back class ai deep,
saying starting-caliber cornerbacks will be available into the fourth
round. As for
safeties,
he said it's not "sexy" to talk about the position (Malik
Hooker or Jamal
Adams could
be top 10 picks), but there are a
lot of quality "matchup" players
at that position, as well. a
guy that would have to be interesting to New England is Obi
Melifonwu from
Connecticut. He's 6-foot-4, 219 [pounds], and he's probably going to run
sub-4.5, and if he runs in that range.
Lorenzo
Jerome of
Saint Francis. And what he runs this week is going to be important. But I
think he can play both safety positions, and he's really, really a good
football player. Des
King,
a corner from Iowa that I think is going to be a nickel or safety. I
like Kevin
King from
Washington, a corner that can play some free safety and I like Chidobe
Awuzie from
Colorado also a corner that who might be better off as a safety."
Linebacker Zach
Cunningham is
one of Vanderbilt’s top prospects, along with
offensive tackle Will
Holden.
Strength of Draft
Here is how some evaluators view this year's
draft crop:
Strong: Corner,
running back, wide receiver
Weak: Offensive
line, defensive tackle
Meanwhile, quarterback falls closer to the "weak" category,
while defensive end/outside linebackers are closer to the "strong."
Editor's Note: Did
Pat's trade up because line OL and DT positions were weak?
See
Patriots Draft Primer
Meet Patriots 2017 Draft Class
1. DE Derek
Rivers, Youngstown St. IR
Round 3, Pick 19 (83) (from Titans)
PAUL PERILLO, PATRIOTS FOOTBALL WEEKLY
"The 6-4, 248-pounder fills what many believed to be one of the team’s
rare needs as a pass rusher, and his speed could be welcome addition on
the edge if he develops." "...
Rivers also performed well at the Senior Bowl, which allowed talent
evaluators to assess his abilities against solid competition."
More
2. OT Antonio Garcia, Troy TS? Sick
Round 3, Pick 21 (85) (From Lions)
MIKE REISS, ESPN
"It was easy to see why the Patriots would see some desirable traits in
Garcia, who has length (6-foot-6 1/4), is athletic and plays with a nasty
mean streak. Left tackle is a premium position, and that also explains why
the Patriots would give up a late third-round pick (96) and fourth-rounder
(124) to move up to the 85th spot to select him. Garcia is another
small-school prospect who benefited from playing in the Senior Bowl,
similar to Rivers, whom the Patriots selected two picks before him." More
"Dan
Feeney, a guard/center from Indiana, went to Los Angeles with the 71st
overall pick in the draft. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots
were set to take
Feeney with the 72nd overall pick.
With Feeney off the board, the Patriots traded down, sending the 72nd pick
to Tennessee for the 83rd and 124th overall picks."
Round 4, Pick 25 (131) (From Seattle)
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema visited five years ago, the club
selectrd fourth rounders James
White (2014)
and defensive end Trey
Flowers (2015).
CIn 2017 Arkansas defensive end Deatrich
Wise (fourth
round, No. 113) was added to the mix. Trey
is a little more of an every-down thing. Deatrich, as a pure pass-rusher,
is as good as I’ve been around. Both
of those guys would have been straight-A students in football
classes
Arkansas coach Bielmien interview. Hurt game one of senior year not whole
for about six games. Long arms helped rush.
Did not red
shirt
as with Trey Flowers and James White.
LB Brook Ellis very bright,.TE Cody Holisterl has a
brother connected to Biemien.
4. Conor
McDermott
OT 6th round Waived
JOSH LISKIEWITZ, PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS
"Deatrich
Wise isn’t a top
athlete, but still cracked our top 100 prospects due to his play against
the run. He ranked second among draft-eligible SEC 4-3 defensive ends in
run-stop percentage, and 6his 82.4 run-defense grade ranked fifth among SEC
edge defenders." More
Round 6, Pick 28 (211) (From Cowboys)
JOSH LISKIEWITZ, PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS TS
"Conor
McDermott is a
massive offensive tackle who measured over 6-foot-8 at the combine and has
343/4-inch arms. His 97.4 overall pass-blocking efficiency score ranked
just 18th in the tackle class last year, but he gave up zero pressures on
7-step drops." More |
