I (along with several others) commented in the draft day threads that the new OL the Pats drafted (Bryan Stork from Florida State, Cameron Fleming from Stanford, and Jon Halapio from Florida) are different than the players the Patriots traditionally draft, especially for the interior OL. Guys like Mankins, Koppen, Wendell, Steve Neal, Connolly, Donald Thomas, etc. have typically been between 6'2" and 6'4" and between 295 and 310 pounds, towards the small size for OL. They've typically been athletic though, posting good stats in Combine drills like the vertical leap, 3-cone, and short shuttle.
The new guys are different. Stork was the second-heaviest C at the Combine at 315 pounds, and one of the taller ones at 6'4". He didn't do many Combine drills, but his Pro Day 40-time (5.44) and short shuttle (5.02) would have been worst, and his 26" vertical was also towards the low end. Fleming is massive at 6'5" 323 pounds, and his vertical (23.5"), 3-cone (8.24) and short shuttle (5.00) were all worst among OT at the combine. Halapio is another mountain at 6'3" 323, and his 21.5" vert and and 8.26 3-cone were worst among all OL at the Combine. They're definitely different players than we're used to seeing.
Why? I can think of a few explanations (see poll):
The new guys are different. Stork was the second-heaviest C at the Combine at 315 pounds, and one of the taller ones at 6'4". He didn't do many Combine drills, but his Pro Day 40-time (5.44) and short shuttle (5.02) would have been worst, and his 26" vertical was also towards the low end. Fleming is massive at 6'5" 323 pounds, and his vertical (23.5"), 3-cone (8.24) and short shuttle (5.00) were all worst among OT at the combine. Halapio is another mountain at 6'3" 323, and his 21.5" vert and and 8.26 3-cone were worst among all OL at the Combine. They're definitely different players than we're used to seeing.
Why? I can think of a few explanations (see poll):
- New OL coach Dave Deguglielmo prefers a different type of OL to the departed Dante Scarnecchia. This ties into:
- A switch to man / power blocking scheme. Like with everything else the Pats do, it's an oversimplification to call them a zone blocking team, as they use man / power concepts and plays at times. But the athleticism they're traditionally looked for is ideal for ZBS. Deguglielmo has mostly run man / power, so that might be part of the plan. Halapio definitely fits the part of a man/power guard and not a ZBS one, and Fleming comes from Stanford, which is famous for its man / power scheme.
- It could be more passing-game related. We all know that when the Pats' offense has looked worse, it's been because of middle pressure on Brady. They may feel that bigger guys will hold up better in pass protection.
- It could be a "Moneyball" play. More teams seem to be looking for quickness and athleticism in the OL, so Belichick may see throwback OL like Stork, Fleming, and Halapio as an undervalued asset nowadays. By zigging while other teams zag, they may be able to build an effective offensive line on the cheap (in this case, without using any day 1 or 2 draft picks).
- It could be experimentation. In his chat, Matt Waldman noted that the Pats seemed to be trying to "cast a wide net" at WR last offseason, drafting / signing dissimilar players in Dobson, Thompkins, and Boyce (and T.J. Moe and Mark Harrison) and seeing what worked. They could be trying the same at OL. They already have smaller / quicker guys in Connolly, Wendell, and second-year players Josh Kline and Chris Barker; they might be looking to add another style of player to the mix to see what works.