Tag Archives: Draft Profile

Potential Patriots: AJ Brown

1996 was the last time the Patriots drafted a receiver in the first round.

Terry Glenn, a 5’11, 195 pound, Ohio State prospect, was selected with the seventh pick in the 1996 draft and went on to catch 90 passes for 1132 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Mutual Interest

Now, the Patriots are reportedly eyeing an Ole Miss prospect and he is eyeing them right back.

AJ Brown, a 6’0, 226 pound receiver of Ole Miss has already met with the Patriots and has briefly referenced his wish to land in New England on his Twitter account.

Brown communicating his interest in playing in New England with none other than Tom Brady himself.

Combine and Traits

Brown ran a 4.49 forty-yard dash, benched 19 reps on the bench and had a 36.5 inch vertical leap in the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

His good athletic ability and good size is just a small part of the picture with AJ Brown.

Brown demonstrated that he is not only a talented big slot receiver at Ole Miss but also an excellent playmaker.

When watching AJ play, it is not hard to realize that he was actually the best receiver at Ole Miss.

However, he constantly found himself overshadowed by this mystical creature of sorts named DK Metcalf.

Metcalf will be long gone before our 32nd pick in the draft, however, Brown should be available.

If this is the case, the Patriots should immediately jump to pick a receiver in the first round for the first time in 23 years.

The Kind of Player He Is

He may not exactly be the best at getting separation at the next level, which is something Belichick looks for. However, Brown’s physicality and pretty good speed allow him to win battles for the ball when covered.

Brown is a quick processor, has a high football IQ, and should have the smarts to grasp a playbook that others have struggled with in the past.

Could Help Heal Some Wounds Caused By Gronk’s Departure

Having a smart target on the field will be beneficial to the Patriots offense with Gronk leaving for retirement. Gronk’s smarts was one of his most valuable traits and drafting a young, big, chain-mover would help alleviate that pain.

Best Receiver in the Draft

After extensive research, I am convinced that AJ Brown has the potential to be the best receiver in this draft.

AJ’s real competition will be Hakeem Butler out of Iowa State. A familiar face to Brown, DK Metcalf out of Ole Miss, will also challenge this title.

Evaluation

Brown has a proven track record to as a powerful runner with great vision, great blocking, and good elusiveness.

Brown can easily adjust to the football on the ground or in the air. He can catch in traffic. He can run good routes.

Brown really does not possess many weaknesses in game film.

Besides the questions of being able to consistently separate, Brown is a very strong prospect.

He could end up being either the second or third receiver in the Patriots offense. A trio of Edelman, Brown and hopefully Josh Gordon would be very strong.

Boldin Comparison

Comparisons to Anquan Boldin are pretty reasonable and realistic. Those who have said so made sure every knew Brown has more speed than Boldin ever did.

AJ Brown is a safe pick. He can be a leader for the team and a primary target for Brady and predecessor quarterbacks. Cross your fingers that AJ Brown slips to the 32nd spot in this month’s draft.

Draft Profile: M.J. Stewart, CB at North Carolina

This year’s Draft Class is brimming with talent. Just about every position has a few players that have been in the limelight since the end of the 2017-2018 college football season. Lately, as mock draft season has come into fruition undervalued players are on the rise. Senior North Carolina cornerback M.J. Stewart recently became a name to consider two months before draft day.

Analysts have begun to look into Stewart’s draft stock after he appeared in the first round of Todd McShay’s most recent Mock Draft for ESPN. McShay listed the Patriots as a possible team to select the 6’0″ and 205 pound cornerback with the 31st pick in April. This came after Stewart’s exceptional play during the Senior Bowl in late January.

“Given his Super Bowl controversy, it certainly appears New England will part ways with Malcolm Butler. Spending an early pick on a CB makes sense, especially with Stephon Gilmore on the other side. Stewart is underrated and an experienced player, with adequate height (5-10) and very good top-end speed. He’ll also support the run” writes McShay.

Stewart’s Stats

Before the Senior Bowl M.J. Stewart ranked 31st in cornerbacks in the 2018 Draft Class by Walter Football.com. He was ranked low due to failing to intercept any passes in his senior season. In Stewart’s four year stint at North Carolina he racked up 199 tackles, three sacks, three fumbles, six interceptions, and 44 passes defended. He did not pick passes off frequently but he did well with defending them. In his senior season alone Stewart recorded 12 pass breakups, 45 tackles (five for a loss), and two sacks. He finished the 2017-2018 season as the top ranked player at UNC, as well as earning All-ACC First Team reps.

Playstyle

The highlight of M.J. Stewart’s play is his press coverage. Stewart locks down receivers from the line of scrimmage to ten yards behind him. Stewart keeps pace with every assignment. He might not have the height, but he can use his strength and speed to muscle his way ahead of a receiver to make a play. Even when it seems like he is beaten on a play Stewart uses his quick hands to pull passes out of the receiver’s hands for an incompletion. Upon watching his highlights, I think it’s insane that Stewart hasn’t been more highly touted. His stats might not jump out at analysts and scouts, but he does not fail at single coverage whatsoever.

Player Comparison

If I were to compare M.J. to two star cornerbacks in the NFL they’d be Richard Sherman and Josh Norman. Like Sherman, he thrives at taking receivers out of plays right out of the gate. In press coverage they both do an exceptional job at keeping receivers at the line of scrimmage, and they both punish quarterbacks if they force a pass toward them. They both ballhawk in deep routes as well. Stewart also can hit like Josh Norman. In the event that he lets up a completion he will let the receiver feel his frustration. He is able to bring players down extremely well despite his size and frame.

M.J. might not be too exciting on paper, but his film makes up for it. To me he is a viable option for the Patriots, maybe just not in the first round. Whatever team he lands on he has the potential to make a splash as one of the NFL’s next premier defensive backs.

Draft Profile: Quinton Flowers, QB at USF

Quinton Flowers might be the most overlooked quarterback in the 2018 Draft Class. Flowers has been regarded as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country during his college career. That being said he still has to fight to be selected in the draft in April. Flowers recently completed his four-year career with the University of South Florida Bulls. The team struggled for the majority of his collegiate career, but he was able to lead the team to be nationally ranked this year.

Early Years

The Miami native became noticed by Division I teams while playing at Miami Jackson High School. There Flowers posted video game-like stats, passing for 6,042 yards and 32 touchdowns, along with 2,002 rushing yards. His exemplary play came through emotional hardship off the field. When Quinton was seven his father was a victim of a drive-by shooting. In 2012 he also lost his mother to cancer. Flowers was heavily affected by his mother’s death, telling Sports Illustrated, “It was a time where I felt like football wasn’t the same, because I lost the main woman in my life”.

Flowers heavily considered quitting football during his sophomore year in high school. However, the overwhelming support he received from his family and mentors after his mother passed kept him going. His high school coach, former NFL receiver Antonio Brown, urged him to continue playing.

Credit to canesinsight.com

College

Quinton was recruited by Alabama as a receiver, South Carolina as a defensive back, and Miami as a running back. He was adamant about being a quarterback, and South Florida agreed. Toward the end of his freshman year he claimed the starting job and he never looked back. At USF Flowers claimed 37 school records, and led the school to be nationally ranked twice in the The American East. In 41 games, Flowers threw for 7,819 yards and 67 touchdowns and ran for 3,566 yards along with 40 scores.

His team appeared in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl and the past two Birmingham Bowls. He earned MVP titles in his last two bowl games, along with AAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC in 2016. He also was named CFPA National Performer of the Year and was ranked #2 in QBR according to ESPN in 2016. His career highs came this season against UCF, where he had 605 total yards and 5 touchdowns.

Draft Stock

Quinton Flowers has the mobility and arm strength to gain the attention of NFL scouts. However, his size of 6’0 and 200 pounds does not help him. Scouts are also turned off by his inconsistent throwing motion. Early into the draft season, Flowers is projected to be ushered into the third day of the draft, and possibly go undrafted. He will need to show his pocket-passing ability to climb and avoid talk of changing positions. He will have the East-West Shrine game and the Combine to prove himself to scouts in those areas.

At his current draft position I see him as a severely underrated prospect. His collegiate career exhibited that he has talent and I could see his draft stock rising before April. He is shrouded by the big names at QB that the 2018 Draft class has to offer. In my opinion he is not a prospect to be overlooked. I would like to see him become a backup for a team to gauge how he transitions into the NFL. Drafting him late would be low risk high reward in my opinion if he were to stay as a 7th round prospect.

In my wildest dreams the team I’d like to see him on is the Redskins. Pending Kirk Cousins’s departure from Washington I would like to see the Redskins experiment with more of a West Coast offense. Quinton Flowers would flourish in a mobile scheme like that. The most realistic fit for him in my opinion might be in Buffalo. The NFL is an ever-changing machine however, so we will see where Quinton Flowers lands.

Credit to USF Athletics.

Credit to herosports.com for the featured image.