2011 NFL Mock Draft: The New England Patriots Select...

With the twenty-eighth pick of the 2011 CSC Community Mock Draft, the New England Patriots (represented by FriarBob) select...

Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri

As I detailed in the previous pick for the Patriots, they were still a very good team -- they did go 14-2 after all -- but they did have some help from a weak division and a weak schedule.  The Bills were a joke and the Dolphins couldn't win a game at home to save their lives for most of the year.  They also played the AFC South (which wasn't exactly a bunch of superstars as the Colts won the division at 10-6 though it felt more like 8-8) and the AFC West (which was even more wacko than usual).  So the schedule did help.  They're still a very good team, but the way the Jets manhandled them in the playoffs shows that both sides of their lines need some serious help.

Having addressed the offensive line earlier in the round, what might arguably be an even greater need now must be fixed.  The Jets are also a very good (and improving) team, but it's not like Mark Sanchez is some sort of elite superstar at this point.  But they barely put any pressure on him (if any at all) and that sort of situation gets you beat in the playoffs every single time, almost as much as a rash of injuries or suddenly having no secondary will.  And they just couldn't generate a pass rush that game to save their lives.  They could stand to upgrade the line itself as well, but in a 3-4 that's not where the pass rush usually comes from, and even though they played a fair bit of 4-3 (mostly out of desperation) I really doubt Bill Bellichick intends to switch to that full-time.  Assuming that's true, then the DE spot doesn't have quite the same degree of urgency, as they should expect to get Ty Warren back to allow Gerard Warren to take up space on the bench (or even off the team) instead of the field.  That will help.  But the OLB situation needs another pass rusher.  Jermaine Cunningham was at least semi-tolerable last year, and he was a rookie, and they usually get at least one mulligan there.  But they need somebody who can pass rush and preferably also cover in space on the other side.

Enter Aldon Smith.  Though he did have a rather mediocre Combine, he reportedly really shined at his Pro Day.  He's projected as the #3 rush linebacker in the draft, and has been rated as a mid-first or even top-15 pick, so this certainly seems to represent a value pick as well.  This guy has a history of getting to the quarterback going all the way back to his high school days, and while theNFL is obviously a much higher competition level, he also wasn't as good back then as he is now.  With proper coaching, that natural ability should shine through, and nobody in their right mind thinks the Patriots lack "proper coaching".  Some people also feel he will be good at run support as well because of his good balance and backfield awareness.  He also has at least some experience playing standing up and dropping into coverage as well, which is something any NFL player really needs to at least be "passable" at (and preferably much better).  While he's still a bit raw as well, Bellichick is pretty good at finding a way to coach up his guys and use them where they can best contribute.  I don't imagine that will be a detraction for them.    

Pick	Team	Selection	Team Representative	Approval Rating
1	Carolina Panthers	QB Cam Newton - Auburn	DatFan	35%
2	Denver Broncos	DT Marcell Dareus - Alabama	Jeff.l.b	71%
3	Buffalo Bills	QB Blaine Gabbert - Missouri	SpreeGoogs	52%
4	Cincinnati Bengals	DE Da'Quan Bowers - Clemson	coldpizza	73%
5	Arizona Cardinals	CB Patrick Peterson - LSU	GRIZZ	61%
6	Cleveland Browns	DE Cameron Jordan - Cal	theprogrammerman	11%
7	San Francisco 49ers	LB Von Miller - Texas A&M	who dat patate	68%
8	Tennessee Titans	WR A.J. Green - Georgia	shipgoalie05	48%
9	Dallas Cowboys	CB Prince Amukamara - Nebraska	saints fan in cowboyland!	67%
10	Washington Redskins	WR Julio Jones - Alabama	VAsaintsfan	56%
11	Houston Texans	DE/OLB Robert Quinn - UNC	Jon Banks	62%
12	Minnesota Vikings	OT Tyron Smith - USC	HansDat	46%
13	Detroit Lions	OT Anthony Castonzo - BC	NorthFan	48%
14	St. Louis rams	DT Nick Fairley - Auburn	hakimdropstheball	54%
15	Miami Dolphins	RB Mark Ingram - Alabama	SpreeGoogs	48%
16	Jacksonville Jaguars	DE J.J.Watt - Wisconsin	Jay Preece	41%
17	New England Patriots	OT Derek Sherrod - Mississippi St.	FriarBob	27%
18	San Diego Chargers	DT Muhammad Wilkerson - Temple	DrewBreesManCrush	39%
19	New York Giants	OL Mike Pouncey - Florida	mknkachow	64%
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	DE Adrian Clayborn - Iowa	iori125883	45%
21	Kansas City Chiefs	DT Phil Taylor - Baylor	YESSaints/iori125883	63%
22	Indianapolis Colts	DT Corey Liuget - Illinois	MobileSaint	48%
23	Philadelphia Eagles	OT Nate Solder - Colorado	DeuceisLoose926	43%
24	New Orleans Saints	DE Ryan Kerrigan - Purdue	Dave Cariello	70%
25	Seattle Seahawks	QB Colin Kaepernick - Nevada	natde1016	20%
26	Baltimore Ravens	CB Jimmy Smith - Colorado	Dave Cariello
27	Atlanta Falcons	DE/OLB Justin Houston - Georgia	Dave Choate
28	New England Patriots	DE Aldon Smith - Missouri	FriarBob

Poll

Do you approve of this pick?

54%

Yes

40 votes

39%

No

29 votes

6%

Indifferent

5 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed