New England Patriots Rundown: Johnthan Banks, Darrelle Revis
1. The New England Patriots could go for a wide receiver, cornerback, safety, or even a defensive tackle with the 29th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and there are just so many different players experts have been mocking to the Pats. In his latest mock draft on NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah has the Patriots going corner with Mississippi State’s Johnthan Banks.
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A bigger corner with plenty of strength and excellent run support, Banks has traits that the Patriots value in a CB. However, he had a disappointing 4.61 forty time, and Banks did get burned more often than he should have last season. Still, Banks is good value with the 29th pick and fell too far as a result of the forty time. I don’t mind this pick for the Patriots.
2. Contrary to what Seattle Seahawks corner Richard Sherman thinks, New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis is not “irrelevant” and is still the league’s premier shutdown corner until proven otherwise. ACL tears are much easier than they used to be to come back from, and the only major concern I have with Revis is what type of a contract he wants. In case you didn’t see it yet, the New York Daily News had a picture of Revis in a Patriots uniform. Click here to see the pic and thoughts on Revis from Masshole Sports.
3. Missouri Tigers defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson showed off an impressive motor and great penetrating ability against some tough SEC programs last season at Mizzou. Richardson, who is expected to go to the Carolina Panthers, would certainly be on the Patriots radar if he fell all the way down to 29. Even though I can’t see that happening, WEEI’s article on Richardson and the potential of him being selected by the New England Patriots is an interesting read.
4. I’ve started a new gig frequently covering news on our general NFL site NFL Spin Zone, and I wrote an article yesterday about the Cincinnati Bengals decision to franchise Michael Johnson (before the news of the franchise became official). Now this is notable from a Pats perspective, because Johnson was expected to be a free agent on the Pats radar if he made the market. Johnson didn’t, and writers such as Greg Bedard tweeted about how Johnson could have been a target for New England. Johnson reminds me a little of Rob Ninkovich, because they are both mostly run-stopping DEs who get quick, rather than consistent, pressure. Johnson is the better player due to his athleticism and better pass rushing ability, but Ninkovich and Johnson seem too similar. If the Patriots are going to get a DE, I would prefer a speedy edge rusher in the rotation who can consistently add pressure.
5. Steve Young is one of my favorite quarterbacks of all-time, but I can’t believe he thinks Joe Flacco deserved the record-breaking deal he received from the Baltimore Ravens. Flacco’s contract will make it extremely difficult for the Ravens to keep guys like Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones in 2013.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.