Despite their reputation for drafting gritty, smart, blue-collar players who bring a “lunch pail” to work every day, the New England Patriots value athleticism as much, and more at certain positions, than any other NFL team.
NESN.com took a new approach at guessing potential Patriots draft picks this season. We looked at the testing numbers of past draft picks, determined typical standards at each position and applied them to this year’s prospects.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick discussed testing numbers during his post-draft news conference.
“From a testing standpoint you want to be aware of how those players will physically math up to your players,” Belichick said Saturday. “Sometimes, you see a player that plays well on film but when you look at him and you look at him physically relative to the other players at your position and it’s not very competitive, that gives you a lot of concern about, ‘Well, he played well but when we put him up against our guys who are significantly better, then is that really going to translate to being good at our level?’ Maybe, but I’d say a lot of times, the answer is ‘I just don’t think so.’ I think it’s relevant but if a guy doesn’t play good on film, there are plenty of guys who go and work out and vertical jump and be a work out warrior and not necessarily be a good football player.”
So, can you predict which players the Patriots will draft based on their testing numbers? It appears, for the most part, yes.
Let’s go pick by pick:
— Alabama’s Cyrus Jones, selected 60th overall in the second round, fits six of the Patriots’ typical standards at cornerback: weight, arm length, hand size, 10-yard split, 40-yard dash and three-cone. He didn’t meet their marks with his bench press, vertical leap, broad jump and short shuttle. Running a 40-yard dash under 4.5 second and a three-cone under 7 seconds seems important for a Patriots cornerback. Jones did both.
— It’s unclear if North Carolina State offensive lineman Joe Thuney — drafted in the third round — will play offensive tackle or on the interior with the Patriots. He fits six of the Patriots’ typical standards at tackle: 10-yard split, 40-yard dash, bench press, broad jump, three-cone and short shuttle. He fits 10 of their standards at interior line, including all of the above plus height, weight, hand size and vertical leap. His arm length doesn’t fit their standards in either role.
— North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett, also taken in the third round, fits five of their standards at quarterback: weight, hand size, 40-yard dash, vertical leap and broad jump. There’s not a great consensus on testing numbers for Patriots drafted quarterbacks, who range from being as athletic as Kevin O’Connell to as immobile as Ryan Mallett. Brissett falls in between.
— Nebraska’s Vincent Valentine, also a third-rounder, fits seven typical testing standards at defensive tackle: height, weight, arm length, 10-yard split, vertical leap, broad jump and short shuttle. His 5.19-second 40-yard dash was also impressive for his 329-pound frame. He didn’t fit their typical standards with his hand size, bench press and three-cone.
— Georgia’s Malcolm Mitchell, a fourth-rounder, fits seven of the Patriots’ typical standards at wide receiver: height, arm length, hand size, 10-yard split, 40-yard dash, vertical leap and broad jump. His three-cone and short shuttle fit the Patriots’ typical standards for an outside receiver, and his weight and bench press reps fit for an inside receiver.
— Eastern Illinois’ Kamu Grugier-Hill played linebacker in college but could project as safety in the NFL after being selected in the sixth round. He fit six of the Patriots’ typical standards at linebacker: 10-yard split, 40-yard dash, vertical leap, broad jump, three-cone and short shuttle. He fit 10 of their standards at safety, including height, weight, hand size and bench reps.
— Houston’s Elandon Roberts isn’t as big as most Patriots linebackers, but he fit six standards: 40-yard dash, bench reps, vertical leap, broad jump, three-cone and short shuttle. He was drafted in the sixth round.
— Illinois’ Ted Karras, another sixth-round pick, fit seven standards at guard: height, weight, arm length, hand size, bench reps, vertical leap and short shuttle.
— Arizona State wide receiver and seventh-round pick Devin Lucien fit five standards for an outside receiver: arm length, hand size, 10-yard split, three-cone and short shuttle. He also ran a sub 4.5-second 40-yard dash, which seems important for a Patriots receiver.
All Patriots draft picks hit at least five of their typical measurables. Thuney and Grugier-Hill were the best athletes at their positions, while Jones, Mitchell, Grugier-Hill and Lucien all ran sub 4.5-second 40-yard dashes with sub seven-second three-cone drills. It’s difficult to predict a Patriots quarterback based on measureables, since they’re all over the place at the position. Guards can be similarly hard to predict, since the Patriots take both great athletes and bigger, more powerful players. Thuney fits the first criteria, while Karras is the latter.
Thumbnail photo via Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports Images
