Jack City and I will break down every team's NFL draft grades in detail, but here is my first reaction to the Patriots' 2012 draft class.
Chandler Jones, DE / Syracuse (First Round, No. 21 Overall)
The Patriots possessed picks No. 27 and 31 in Thursday night's first round, but they played the aggressor this year by packaging third and fourth rounders to move up to No. 21 and 25. At No. 21, Bill Belichick got his guy — defensive end Chandler Jones from Syracuse, brother of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones. Athleticism runs in this family, and Chandler Jones is a freak athlete. His size is desirable for a player that New England will want to use in both the 4-3 DE and the 3-4 OLB positions. His freakishly long arms and strength on the pass rush provide incredible upside. He isn't polished just yet, but the raw talent is absolutely present here. An impressive athlete, to put it lightly. Jones has the potential to become the best pass rusher to come out of this draft. Whether he does or not, it was reassuring to see Belichick jump up six slots to grab a player who may be an elite pass rusher. Isn't this what we've been waiting for? Pick Grade: A-
I loved the Chandler Jones pick, and I really love the Dont'a Hightower pick. This was the moment where my giddiness as a Patriots fan went through the roof on Thursday night. It was truly a Pats fan's fantasy. Year after year, we see elite names go off the board, the Pats trading down, ultimately grabbing some player from a weak football conference. Grabbing one of the most valuable players on the incredible Alabama Crimson Tide defense is an absolutely brilliant move. Hightower was available at No. 25, and that was way too late for such a good player to be hanging around. Baltimore almost surely would have grabbed him at No. 29, so Belichick saw his chance and slid up six more spots from No. 31 to get the Nick Saban product. Hightower is an extremely dynamic linebacker who can play inside or outside in a number of complex schemes. He is a perfect fit for the Patriots. He played on a championship defense. There is some uncertainty with Chandler Jones along with the tremendous upside. I see very little uncertainty here. Hightower is a stud. He always has been, and he will be in Foxborough. Pick Grade: A
Tavon Wilson, S / Illinois (Second Round, No. 48 Overall)
Who? Who? Tavon Wilson? That was the reaction of most Pats fans — myself included — when Bill Belichick pulled the trigger on a guy who was hardly visible on any draft boards among analysts. Here's the bottom line, though. The analysts don't know what the teams do. Mel Kiper had Vontaze Burfict as one of his best available from about the fourth round forward. Well, there was something the teams didn't like. And on the flip side, there was something that teams liked about Tavon Wilson, who was a rock-solid safety and cornerback for Illinois over his college years. Despite not being invited to the combine, Wilson worked out with seven NFL teams and had private workouts with two of them, including New England. In other words, he was on some teams' radar. How do we know that he wasn't going to be taken in the next five picks? The truth is, we don't. So trust Belichick. He got himself a player with good size (6'0", 203 lbs.) who runs well. He had a clean bill of health throughout his time at Illinois. He is versatile, starting at both safety and corner in the past two seasons. And he has been well documented as doing whatever it takes to help his team. He sounds like a Patriot. We can question the value of this pick at No. 48 — Wilson might have been there in round seven. But we don't know that. I'll say Belichick sensed he might have been taken by another team somewhere along the line, and because of that, he gets a little slack. Pick Grade: B-
Jake Bequette, DE / Arkansas (Third Round, No. 90 Overall)
I've said many times in the past that I wish Belichick would opt for players out of good defensive systems more often than players out of no-name programs. I liked the pick of Jake Bequette out of Arkansas a lot at No. 90. He has the qualities of a Patriot that we always talk about — versatility, team football, extremely high effort, and a love for the game. Bequette finished his career as No. 3 on Arkansas's all-time sacks list. He racked up 10 of those sacks last season, playing in the toughest conference in college football. Getting an SEC defensive lineman late in the third round is fantastic value. That's almost enough value to make up for the questions raised back at No. 48. Getting a high motor player who can put his hand in the dirt in a 4-3 formation or stand up on the edge in a 3-4 is a great pick for the Pats. If Andre Carter doesn't return this year, we might even see Bequette and Jones lining up on each side of this front seven next season. Pick Grade: B+
Nate Ebner, S / Ohio State (Sixth Round, No. 197 Overall)
Again — who? I looked at one summary of Nate Ebner's draft profile, and the first line simply read: Ebner is an elite rugby player. It went on to say that he didn't play football in high school. He walked on to the Ohio State team, becoming a special teams guru. Many have said he was, hands-down, the best special teamer on the Buckeyes. Ebner played just three snaps defensively this past season, but I'll try to look past that fact. 12 years ago, at pick No. 199, we took a guy named Tom Brady with a somewhat unimpressive outlook. This time around, two picks earlier, we take a rugby player. But Nate Ebner is a very motivated kid, a kid who lost his father a few years back. He's a kid who loves throwing his body around and making sacrifices. He lays it all on the line, and one scout described him as a "bat out of hell" on kicks, gunning down the field on a beeline for the returner. He wants to prove people wrong, and Belichick will give him the chance. Pick Grade: B-
Alfonzo Dennard, CB / Nebraska (Seventh Round, No. 224 Overall)
Taking a chance. Trying to hit a home run. Belichick did it twice by trading up in the first round to select high-profile players. And it seems he had the same thing in mind when he moved his fifth-round pick back to Green Bay in exchange for a sixth and two sevenths. He wanted to take a stab at a high-risk, high-reward player. That's Alfonzo Dennard. This is a corner who has second-round talent. He excels in zone schemes. He has the potential to be a big-time cover guy in the secondary. But he was arrested last week for assaulting a cop, and in Nebraska's bowl game against South Carolina in 2011, he was ejected for getting in a fight with receiver Alshon Jeffery. There are definite character issues here, but Dennard worked out with the Patriots and met with Belichick before the draft. Belichick noted that New England investigated the incidents in Dennard's past, and they were "comfortable" taking a chance on him. When you have second-round talent sitting on the board in the seventh round, you take the chance and run with it. If any organization can fix character issues, it's the Patriots. I wanted them to try to grab Janoris Jenkins, and for the same reasons, I love the decision to grab Alfonzo Dennard. This guy could be a major piece in New England's secondary. Pick Grade: A
Jeremy Ebert, WR / Northwestern (Seventh Round, No. 235 Overall)
Ebert isn't a guy who will come in and contribute right now. The Patriots are loaded with bodies at receiver, and it would take some kind of effort for the rookie to break onto the scene over all of the existing targets in Tom Brady's arsenal. But as a slot guy who produced at a high level over the past two seasons, there is some potential here. Ebert may start out on the practice squad, but he could be a future replacement if the Wes Welker era (and the Julian Edelman era, moreover) were to, for whatever reason, come to an end. He can become an NFL slot receiver, but he doesn't address an immediate need. I'm okay with that at No. 235, given that Belichick addressed immediate needs with his previous five selections. Pick Grade: B-
