RD1/#29: Makin' it look Easley!

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axx

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Per Reiss, Easley had two torn ACLs while at Florida. That's pretty scary for a first round pick.
 
jsinger121

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axx said:
Per Reiss, Easley had two torn ACLs while at Florida. That's pretty scary for a first round pick.
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No kidding. Big time risk to use a first on a player with that type of injury history.
 
soxhop411

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Mike Loyko ‏@NEPD_Loyko  51s
People can look at it two ways.. "the Patriots took an injured player" or "the Patriots wouldn't have even sniffed Easley if healthy"
 
Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyedNESN  1m
Easley was medically cleared at the combine recheck two weeks ago. He said he was 80 percent healthy at his pro day.
 
Mike Loyko ‏@NEPD_Loyko  1m
I can tell you right now Easley was "at the top of the board" for the Patriots. They love his versatility. Would have picked him earlier too
 
Kliq

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I'm taking the simple approach in that BB and company wouldn't draft Easley if they didn't feel like he was worth the risk. Pats have been really good drafters recently, and I think we can all agree that they know what they are doing here.
 
Super Nomario

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soxhop411 said:
Mike Loyko ‏@NEPD_Loyko  51s
People can look at it two ways.. "the Patriots took an injured player" or "the Patriots wouldn't have even sniffed Easley if healthy"
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This is exactly right. Here's Doug Farrar's take: http://nfl.si.com/2014/04/09/2014-nfl-draft-top-64-scott-crichton/
 
Easley’s most prominent attribute is that he can play convincingly and at a starter level in so many gaps. There are multiple examples of him blowing up protections everywhere from 1-tech (between the center and guard) to 3-tech (between the guard and tackle) to end. He even has the speed and turn to disrupt from a wide-nine stance.

...

Put simply, a totally healthy Dominique Easley would be a lock for a top-five pick in the 2014 draft, and in my opinion, people would be talking about him as they talk about Jadeveon Clowney — he’s that good on tape.
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Gash Prex

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Seems like the perfect 29th pick - some risk, but huge upside. Sounds like a beast to me
 
ragnarok725

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Even if we could do it all over, would anyone NOT take Gronk? Even WITH the injuries?
 
I like rolling the dice on the uber-talented injury-history guys. They don't have enormous glaring holes on the roster that can't be addressed in rounds 2 or 3 (an interior OL would be nice), and Easley could be the elusive interior pass rush presence that this team has been missing since Richard Seymour left and Ty Warren fell off a cliff.
 
RoDaddy

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Gotta like his versatility, and we know how much BB values that.  DE on running plays, moving to DT on passing downs.
 
Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I like the pick although I'm interested to know what they turned down.

I think it makes sense to gamble on getting a game changing player on the interior that can disrupt plays in many different ways. The Pats, more than most teams, can afford to whiff.
 
DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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How do you not like this pick at this point in the draft?  I mean, all these guys carry a lot of risk including injuries.  Its a fair bet that several of the guys selected ahead of him will get injured before the season starts.  This guy is a high-upside gamble versus a safe pick that yields a safe return.
 
SeoulSoxFan

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[Mod note: added RD1/#29 to denote round & pick # to the title]
 
To be honest I didn't spend as much time looking into him as I did the more popular choices, but the more I see more I like. Not too concerned with ACLs. 
 
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If this was 1985 the knees would worry me a lot more then they do in 2014. We have the technology we can rebuild him. Hell Dennis Siedenberg is on the verge of plays hockey 4/5 months after tearing an ACL. Yes it's a serious injury but the turn around time for guys comes back seems to be shrinking and shrinking. And when they come back more often then not they seem the same to me as they were pre-injury.

He is young, extremely talented and fills a huge need for the Pats. For a team with few obvious,desperate holes this is a great bet to make.
 
Super Nomario

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Eck'sSneakyCheese said:
Talent without health is nothing. If he's Ras-I-Dowling or Pat Chung, how much does his "talent " matter?
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I'm surprised you don't like this - it's a bold, home run swing. Usually that's your bread-and-butter.
 
Hendu for Kutch

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For those saying he's injury prone, are ACL tears something you really worry about going forward?  Did he just get unlucky twice?  Any other history of injuries that we'd be more concerned about as potentially chronic or habitual?
 
RedOctober3829

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Deathofthebambino said:
I think what bothers me the most is we just spent a season watching our defensive line get decimated by injuries, and it's hard to know what these guys are going to have in the tank when they get back (Wilfork, Kelly, etc.), and we just picked up another guy with an injury history, in Will Smith.  I get that Easley  could be the stud to end all studs if he's on the field, but if he's not, we could be doing a replay of last season.  Durability means a lot in this league, and the Pats defensive line is the opposite of that, and this pick did nothing to help in that department.  I hope I eat my words.  I really do.
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I know what you mean, Death. I would've been happy with Tuitt there. But with Easley, if he's on the field, he blows the ceiling off him, Jernigan, etc. Young players are crapshoots when it comes to immediate productions but man is Easley intriguing. I keep flashing back to Seattle in the SB getting pressure up the middle on Peyton and can't help but seeing Easley helping a lot in that regards. Stick him next to Wilfork and he gets single teamed. Him, Jones, Kelly, and Nink with Collins in a blitzing situation? Tons of speedy rushers there.
 
soxfan121

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Deathofthebambino said:
I think what bothers me the most is we just spent a season watching our defensive line get decimated by injuries, and it's hard to know what these guys are going to have in the tank when they get back (Wilfork, Kelly, etc.), and we just picked up another guy with an injury history, in Will Smith.  I get that Easley  could be the stud to end all studs if he's on the field, but if he's not, we could be doing a replay of last season.  Durability means a lot in this league, and the Pats defensive line is the opposite of that, and this pick did nothing to help in that department.  I hope I eat my words.  I really do.
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Well, they still have the guys who filled in for the injured guys and the injured guys. And while the non-injured guys weren't great, they were replacement level enough to be competitive at the end. If you figure in that there will be improvements in both the LB group - due to experience and health - and sizable improvements in the secondary - because Revis - then making a BOOM or bust pick on the DL to generate a pass rush makes sense. 
 
I don't follow college ball and I did little reading on prospects this year but the Pats are trying to upgrade their low-ceiling, known-floor guys with a guy who could explode out the ceiling. It is a risk but isn't it the kind of risk people ask for when 'they' reference "Brady's window"? A guy who, if healthy, is on the Clowney/Donald tier of talent?
 
Deathofthebambino

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Red, I agree 100%.  If he's healthy, there is absolutely no doubt that I love the pick.  I just think the Pats need to be in a bit of a "Win now" mode over the next 2-3 years, and I think you take more of a guaranteed return in that respect.
 
I also don't know that he wouldn't have been available at 60 either.  If there wasn't so much talent left, and as we just saw with Bridgewater, there were teams looking to trade up, I feel like they could have had Easley later than they picked him, if not at 60, but definitely somewhere in the mid 30's.
 
Ed Hillel

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Deathofthebambino said:
Red, I agree 100%.  If he's healthy, there is absolutely no doubt that I love the pick.  I just think the Pats need to be in a bit of a "Win now" mode over the next 2-3 years, and I think you take more of a guaranteed return in that respect.
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If you're in win-now, wouldn't you rather have the potential superstar at a position of need? They need playmakers on D, especially that can get to the QB. I understand this kid may end up as a nothing, but I appreciate the gamble.
 
DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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MarcSullivaFan said:
This is the Pats in GFIN mode. If he's healthy and a force for a couple seasons, and they win a Super Bowl, no one is going to complain.

This defense could be really, really good.
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Holy shit.  I just remembered that the Patriots have Revis.  A (fingers crossed) healthy Easley, Collins, Revis... holy shit.
 
bowiac

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MarcSullivaFan said:
This is the Pats in GFIN mode. If he's healthy and a force for a couple seasons, and they win a Super Bowl, no one is going to complain.

This defense could be really, really good.
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I don't see the GFIN nature of this pick to be honest. It's sacrificing the future in exchange for results now?
 
ragnarok725

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bowiac said:
I don't see the GFIN nature of this pick to be honest. It's sacrificing the future in exchange for results now?
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Yeah I'm not sure how much of a GFIN move it is either. It's a high-variance move, which I think is always a good idea when you're drafting in the late 20s.
 
But a solid upgrade at OG to a guy with a low floor (XSF for instance) could also be considered a GFIN move. Any guy that isn't a complete project that you're not expecting to get anything out of year 1 is a GFIN move, they just address different needs.
 
Phragle

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DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Holy shit.  I just remembered that the Patriots have Revis.  A (fingers crossed) healthy Easley, Collins, Revis... holy shit.
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soxhop411 said:
Mike Loyko ‏@NEPD_Loyko  4s
Just got it confirmed to me "Seattle got their guy stolen from them" "They packed up shop after that pick".
 
Thats why SEA traded their pick
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Kenny F'ing Powers said:
That makes me happy in my pants.
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HomeRunBaker

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MarcSullivaFan said:
He's a high upside player who seems like a good candidate for a short career.
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Aren't most 29th picks candidates for a short career? This one just so happens to have Top-5 talent when he's healthy.
 
Klostrophobic

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Why does anyone care if a guy has a ten year career? As long as he makes it four years through his contract that's all that matters, right? If he bolts in free agency and plays for another seven years it shouldn't have any bearing on the value of using a pick on him.

Are guys with two ACL injuries more likely to be injured in the future than other players who haven't been injured yet? Are injuries predictive of other injuries?
 
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