New England Football Journal®

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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….

By John Sarianides The Patriots traded away their first and second round selections for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Kony Ealy. Barring a pre-draft trade, they won’t start picking until the end of day two. The Patriots have two third round picks (#72, #96), a fourth round pick (#131), a fifth round pick (#183), a sixth round pick (#200) and a seventh round pick (#239). There is a…

The rest of the AFC has a ways to go before they bridge the gap with bill Belichick and the Patriots.  By John Sarianides Its a race to keep up with the New England Patriots in the AFC. Here is what each team needs in order to get better and bridge the gap between them and the Patriots. AFC EAST Buffalo Bills: WR, CB, ILB, S, TE The Bills should…