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NFL Draft (Brown, Hicks, Thompson, Diggs & Swaim selected - details & stories)

Interesting...former Ag, Martellus Bennett hasn't shown up at any offseason workout & says he'd like a trade and an extension.

No Me-telllus for nothin'!

 
Just happy Big Malcom went in the 1st round.  He played great for UT, now he earns the big money for

himself and his family.  You earned it, Big Malcom, onward to success!  Best of luck to you in your career

in the NFL!

 
I am very disappointed in my Cowboys. We had Brown and let him go. I realize corner is a big need, but I think we needed to shore up the D line first. Good luck Malcom

 
Patriots go the safe route by picking Malcom Brown

FOXBOROUGH — Safe.

That’s the best way to characterize the Patriots’ selection Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft, taking Texas nose tackle Malcom Brown with the last pick of the night.

And many draftniks had Brown going higher than 32 (the Globe’s mock draft had him at No. 23 to the Lions). So, the Patriots’ favorite buzzword was being tossed around social media by the pundits immediately after the pick — “value.†The Patriots supposedly got good value on Brown.

But Brown looks like a safe pick off the field, which in the wake of the Aaron Hernandez tragedy is as important for the Patriots as his on-field prognosis.

Brown doesn’t appear to have any significant “red flags†on his résumé. In fact, for one of the youngest players in the draft — he’s still only 21, barely old enough to legally celebrate with an alcoholic beverage on Thursday night — Brown displays impressive maturity.

In Brown, the Patriots drafted a player who is married and supporting a young family. His one-year anniversary with his wife, Faith, is May 14. He adopted her 4-year-old stepdaughter, Rayna, and the couple had their first child last August, a daughter named Mayah.

“I’m playing to support my family,†Brown said in February at the Combine. “I can’t just think about myself when I make decisions. It just gives me more motives. I’m not just playing for myself anymore.â€

Texas defensive coordinator Vance Bedford called Brown a “man among boys,†and certainly that is the reason the Patriots tabbed Brown. He’s a beast in the middle and he can clog run lanes — 38 run stops in 2014, the most of any defensive tackle in this year’s draft.

But Brown’s maturity and character clinched the decision. You’ll notice they took the family man over any of the “red flag†players still available, such as Randy Gregory or the suddenly-undraftable La’el Collins.

In previous years, the Patriots perhaps would have tried to trade up and select a “red flag†guy such as Marcus Peters or Shane Ray, who both went off the board before No. 32.

But the Patriots are still smarting from the Hernandez disaster, and aren’t in the mood for taking chances on guys with questionable characters — especially with the No. 32 pick, with a whole universe of players available for the taking.

“No. 1, he’s a great character guy,†Bedford said recently in an interview with the Akron Beacon Journal. “He knows who he is. He’s settled. He has children, and he does the little things right. When we’re not around, we know what he’s doing. Why? Because it’s important to him. He’s a family man. On the football field, he’s another coach. He was a great leader for us.â€

After watching Brown and his wife support themselves and their two children last year — both were full-time students, Brown also played football, and neither had a job — the Patriots don’t have to worry too much about Brown getting into trouble or drifting aimlessly now that he’s away from the protective cocoon of college life.

“I think he did a lot of things that lend themselves to making good decisions, being loyal, committed, sticking with it, finishing the job, all that,†Belichick said. “I think that’s impressive.â€

We’ll see if Brown can adequately fill Wilfork’s shoes. The Patriots have enough depth at defensive tackle where they don’t need Brown to play 70 percent of snaps right away, like Wilfork did last year. Brown will likely be brought in on short-yardage situations to stop the run, and given an expanded role over time.

Should the Patriots have targeted a cornerback to replace Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner? Possibly, although there are still several good players left on the board, and the Patriots hold four of the next 69 picks. There are still plenty of offensive guards for them to take in Day 2.

Brown certainly wasn’t the sexiest pick for the Patriots. But it was a safe one, all the way around.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/04/30/patriots-safe-route-with-malcom-brown/kOLjpHsbQyRsjtPnefsgwN/story.html

 
From Grantland:

Least Confusing Pick

Patriots drafting Malcom Brown. How did the Patriots end up getting exactly what they needed without budging an inch? Despite rumors they were going to deal their pick at the end of the first round to the Texans, Bill Belichick’s team somehow came away with a player it could have justified grabbing 15 spots earlier. Although the Patriots were a respectable 13th against the run per DVOA last year, that was with Vince Wilfork, who was a cap casualty this offseason.

While the Patriots can expect to get more out of 2014 first-rounder Dominique Easley this season, the 290-pound defensive tackle simply doesn’t do the same things that Wilfork, nominally playing the same position, did for years and years. The 319-pound Brown can’t expect to play like Wilfork overnight, but he has the frame to hold up as a two-gapping tackle if Belichick wants to use him that way. Brown was regarded as arguably the best run defender in this class, and Belichick will be able to use him for 40 snaps a game to clog up the interior of the defense while Jamie Collins and Jerod Mayo run free behind him. We don’t know if Brown will be an above-average pro yet, so it’s impossible to say this is a great pick. Given pre-draft projections and analysis of where the Patriots are weakest, though, it sure seems like a logical one.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/welcome-to-the-2015-nfl-draft-awards/

 
Patriots' pick of Malcom Brown a throwback to early Bill Belichick years

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In the early years of Bill Belichick's head-coaching tenure with the New England Patriots, selecting a big, powerful defensive tackle was a given if the opportunity presented itself.

There was Richard Seymour in the 2001 first round (sixth overall). Then Ty Warren in the 2003 first round (13th overall). And finally, Vince Wilfork in the 2004 first round (21st overall).

Belichick once explained the approach by saying there simply aren't that many 300-pound-plus defenders who are athletic and powerful, noting that those types of players were usually the first to score big-money contracts in free agency. In those days, the Patriots played a two-gapping 3-4 defense, and building a sturdy wall at the line of scrimmage made players such as Seymour, Warren and Wilfork even more valuable.

The Patriots haven't used a first-round pick on that type of player since Wilfork, but after considering trade options Thursday night, they went back to their roots in drafting 6-foot-2⅜, 319-pound Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown 32nd overall. In what hardly seems like a coincidence, Brown will now be part of the group called upon help fill the void created by Wilfork's free-agent departure to the Houston Texans.

"We feel good about our selection of Malcom," coach Bill Belichick said in a late-night news conference. "A combination of his talent, work ethic, production, skill set relative to what we're looking for, we felt like he was the best [fit] for us."

Capturing the throwback feel of the pick, Belichick even referenced Seymour when asked about Brown's college statistics and how he projects to the team's scheme.

"[When] we took Seymour, it was a big crisis because he only had half a sack in college and he couldn't rush the passer. I don't think that's very accurate, but that was big [in the media], couldn't get over that," he said. "I worry more about what they [do] when they get in our uniform."

It was perfect synergy -- Seymour quickly became a star -- and a reminder that Belichick's memory remains a steel trap.

As for Brown, few media analysts projected he'd be available at No. 32. ESPN's Todd McShay had him going No. 23 to the Detroit Lions, as did McShay's colleague Mel Kiper Jr. NFL Network's Mike Mayock, meanwhile, had Brown going No. 21 to the Cincinnati Bengals.

So the Patriots someday might have a few thank-yous to send out to teams such as the Lions (they took guard Laken Tomlinson), the run-defense-challenged Indianapolis Colts (receiver Phillip Dorsett) and the New Orleans Saints (linebacker Stephone Anthony), even though Belichick said this is the type of draft in which one team might have a player rated 15th and another team might have the same player rated in the 60s.

"Just seems like there's a lot of spread on a lot of players in this draft," he noted.

Belichick described Brown as a versatile player who has played everywhere from a 5-technique (head up on the tackle) to nose (over the center). He also noted Brown's athleticism, saying it shows up on the field by the way he runs and plays on his feet, while making the point that Brown, at 320 pounds, is a completely different type of defensive tackle than last year's first-round pick, Dominique Easley, who is a lighter, penetrating presence at around 290 pounds.

Brown, who is married with two children, described his style of play as "relentless." On a late-night conference call, he struck a balance between humble and confident, saying he'll play anywhere, do whatever's asked of him and work hard, before relaying his message to Patriots fans: "You’re all about to get the best player y’all have ever drafted. So just be ready for when I take the field.â€

It'll be hard to top quarterback Tom Brady, of course, but if Brown can turn back the clock and follow in the footsteps of Seymour, Warren and Wilfork, that would be an ideal scenario for the Patriots.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4780861/patriots-pick-of-malcom-brown-a-throwback-to-early-bill-belichick-years

 
I love Big Malcom!  The best of luck Big Guy.

Hook 'em!

 
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