By John Sarianides The Patriots announced that they will be picking up the fifth year option of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The decision makes a lot of sense for a variety of reasons. For starters, it means that Cooks will now be in a Patriots uniform for the next two seasons. It gives Bill Belichick an opportunity to see how Cooks fits into the Patriots offense and if he produces…
2017 NFL Draft: Team by Team Draft Grades
By John Sarianides The 2017 NFL is officially in the books. Here are my team by team grades. Arizona Cardinals 1 (13) Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple 2 (36) Budda Baker, SS, Washington 3 (98) Chad Williams, WR, Grambling State 4 (115) Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh 5 (157) Will Holden, OT, Vanderbilt 5 (179) T.J. Logan, RB, North Carolina 6 (208) Rudy Ford, FS, Auburn Grade B: Haason Reddick and Budda Baker…
Patriots Pulse Blog: Conor McDermott Scouting Report
By John Sarianides The Patriots drafted UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott with the 216th pick in the sixth round. Here is my scouting report on McDermott. Conor McDermott, OT, 6-8 3/4 307, UCLA Initial Quickness: McDermott is decent out of his stance but he comes up too high. He is a waist bender and that could be a byproduct of the fact that he is 6-8. McDermott needs to work on…
Patriots Pulse Blog: Deatrich Wise Jr. Scouting Report
By John Sarianides The Patriots drafted Arkansas defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. with pick the 131st in the fourth round. Here is my scouting report on Wise. Deatrich Wise Jr. DE, 6-5 274, Arkansas Vs. Run: Wise is a one gap, nine technique defensive end. Has long arms and shows an ability to stack a tackle and shed him. Strong at the point of attack and can anchor down against…
2017 NFL Draft: Day Two Thoughts
By John Sarianides Day two of the NFL Draft had just as much drama and intrigue as day one did. Here are my thoughts on some of the picks. 1. Dalvin Cook could end up being the steal of this draft for the Vikings. To get a back of his caliber in the second round is a tremendous value. 2. The Green Bay Packers bolstered their beleaguered secondary big time…
Patriots Pulse Blog: Scouting Reports on Derek Rivers and Antonio Garcia
By John Sarianides The Patriots selected defensive end Derek Rivers (3rd Round #83) out of Youngstown State and offensive tackle Antonio Garcia (3rd Round #85) out of Troy. Here are my scouting reports on each player. 1. Derek Rivers, DE, 6-4 248, Youngstown State Vs. Run: Rivers is a one gap penetrator who has long arms. Rivers can extend, stack and shed single blocks. Controls gaps with speed rather than…
2017 NFL Draft: Round 2 Best Picks
By John Sarianides There is plenty of talent still on the board as the NFL Draft commences tonight. Here are the best available prospects in round 2. 1. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State: Cook is the best player available. Top 15 prospects don’t often fall into the second. Thanks to off field issues, Cook is available. 2. Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky: I can’t believe Lamp is still on the…
2017 NFL Draft: Some Thoughts on the First Round
Yeah. Sorry. I like what the Browns. By John Sarianides The first round of the 2017 NFL draft was pretty eventful. Between the early run on quarterbacks and receivers and the six trades that went down, it was the most unpredictable first round in recent memory. Here are some of my observations of the first round. 1.Most observers felt that this year’s quarterback class was above average at best. Well,…
2017 NFL Draft: Round One Instant Reaction
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images By John Sarianides We will give you instant reaction on each pick in the first round. 1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M: No brainer. People can talk about effort with Garrett all they want. The bottom line is, he is the best player in this draft and the Browns took him. 2. Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina: The Bears traded up with the…
2017 NFL Draft: Mock Draft 5.0
By John Sarianides Here it is folks. My final mock draft before tonight’s first round. Here you goes! 1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M: Forget about the quarterback talk. Garrett is the best player in this draft and the Browns are going to draft him. 2. San Francisco 49ers: Jamal Adams, FS, LSU: I’ve gone back and forth with Adams to the Niners in my previous mock drafts….