Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

I’ve been rooting hard for the Redskins to trade down to get Ole’ Miss MLB Patrick Willis for awhile now. I know a lot of people know that he is projected to be the first linebacker taken in the draft, somewhere in the middle of the first round. But, I think a lot of people do not know his “story;” one that is very inspirational.

In short, Patrick Willis was abandoned by his mother when he was a small child and left in his father’s care. By age 6, Willis was cooking breakfast for his younger siblings. By age 10, Willis was picking cotton to pay the electric bills. Patrick’s father was an alcoholic who abused Patrick and his siblings until police and social workers removed Patrick and his siblings and placed them in foster care. Last year, Patrick’s brother, Detris, whom Willis helped raise, died in a freak swimming accident.

But, despite the personal tragedies in his life, Willis has gone on to become the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Dick Butkus Award winner for the nation’s top college linebacker, a First Team All-SEC player, and a First-Team AP All-American. He’s a hard-hitting Mike linebacker who is a born leader on the field and is a role model off of it. Although he is not blazing fast (4.65 40-time), he has excellent instincts and is very stout against the run and has all of the tools to excel in coverage.

In short, IMHO, Patrick Willis is precisely the kind of player we want. He is versatile, has great instincts, is a vocal leader, likes to play the role of "enforcer" in hitting opponents, is a model citizen and team player, and plays at a position of need. Although help along the D-line is a high priority, I think our best move would be to trade down to grab Willis and use the additional draft pick to draft someone at safety or along the D-line.

Here are some links about the guy.

[url]http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9857361/1?SPID=737&SPSID=12787&DB_OEM_ID=2600[/url]
[url]http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=17257[/url]
[url]http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/prospects/patrick_willis.html[/url]
[url]http://football.about.com/od/nflplayerprofiles/p/patrickwillis.htm[/url]
[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=11281&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfldraft%2fdraft%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fid%3d11281[/url]

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

I've always been fond of him and any scenario that would end up with us taking him and getting an additional pick is fine by me. This draft, there are a number of players and scenarios I'd be happy with. I just hope we don't take Gaines Adams.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

I just read a review of the Senior Bowl on SI or ESPN earlier today and Willis was listed as one of the big disappointments. He may fall back a little.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;272865]I've always been fond of him and any scenario that would end up with us taking him and getting an additional pick is fine by me. This draft, there are a number of players and scenarios I'd be happy with. I just hope we don't take Gaines Adams.[/quote]
i totally agree we should not get adams, i prefer anderson personally, but he is around we need to go with the safe pick alan branch if hes still around

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

Anderson would be my guy too.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

what a great story. it just proves that there are 2 roads. the high one, where you go and get what you want, you work for it. and the low one. laying around, making excuses, and blaming everyone but your self. i hope this kid succeeds, even if its with another team

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=wilsowilso;272872]I just read a review of the Senior Bowl on SI or ESPN earlier today and Willis was listed as one of the big disappointments. He may fall back a little.[/QUOTE]

I hadn't heard anything bad about his Senior Bowl practice performances.

Plus, I don't care how well they fare in a few practices, 1 game that is all out of wack, or at the combine. Players seem to plummet or ascend based on silly things (e.g., Wonderlic, 40 time) when scouts should be looking at their performances throughout their college careers.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

i wanted him at first but after reading some scouting reports on him i dont know if he is good enough in coverage for our scheme, where our MLB has to cover quite often. he seems more of a jerimiah trotter type player, a run stopper...we know how that worked out. i may be wrong about his style but from what ive read it seems he may be similar

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=Big C;272910]i wanted him at first but after reading some scouting reports on him i dont know if he is good enough in coverage for our scheme, where our MLB has to cover quite often. he seems more of a jerimiah trotter type player, a run stopper...we know how that worked out. i may be wrong about his style but from what ive read it seems he may be similar[/QUOTE]

He's not a Jeremiah Trotter clone at all as Willis can cover, just not as well as he can stuff the run. He's got the ability to cover though, he just needs some "coaching up."

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;272911]He's not a Jeremiah Trotter clone at all as Willis can cover, just not as well as he can stuff the run. He's got the ability to cover though, he just needs some "coaching up."[/QUOTE]

as long as he can cover he would be a good pick to me

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Big C;272910]i wanted him at first but after reading some scouting reports on him i dont know if he is good enough in coverage for our scheme, where our MLB has to cover quite often. he seems more of a jerimiah trotter type player, a run stopper...we know how that worked out. i may be wrong about his style but from what ive read it seems he may be similar[/quote]

Of course you want an LB who can cover but they need a tackler. They need a guy in the middle who will eat up ball carriers and short receivers all day long. I will take a guy who can fight through a block and either make the play or stall it until the Grim Reaper comes along and makes his weekly appearance on jacked up.

Let the OLBs and secondary cover. If I get 120-130 tackles out of the guy in the middle I don't care if he can cover a lick.

The problem with taking a rookie MLB is whether he can run G-dub's offense. They can't take a guy anywhere in the first round who is going to sit like Rocky did. I think that Rocky pick was the worst pick they have had in years not because Rocky is a bad player but because they didn't put him on the field until week 16. If you can't find playing time for top 5 pick in the second round, you have no business trading up to get them.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

trotter got tons of tackles but sucked for us. we would be fine at mlb if marshall had some protection, in that case we'd get a new DT. really either way IMO we either need to upgrade the MLB or the DT, not both necessarily

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Big C;272930]trotter got tons of tackles but sucked for us. we would be fine at mlb if marshall had some protection, in that case we'd get a new DT. really either way IMO we either need to upgrade the MLB or the DT, not both necessarily[/quote]

I don't think Marshall is big enough to take the pounding that the MLB has to deal with.

Strengthening the middle of your line is always a good move and it seems that they need to move Marshall outside. They have to at least bring a starting quality MLB to compete for the spot.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;272902]I hadn't heard anything bad about his Senior Bowl practice performances.

Plus, I don't care how well they fare in a few practices, 1 game that is all out of wack, or at the combine. Players seem to plummet or ascend based on silly things (e.g., Wonderlic, 40 time) when scouts should be looking at their performances throughout their college careers.[/quote]Agreed. Scouts with all their experience do really questionable things sometimes. Of course, on the other side of the coin you have Pete Prisco, who makes one draft-eligible player rankings list in March and refuses to adjust it no matter what new information flys his way.

Obviously, the best way to "solve the mystery of the draft" lies somewhere in the middle. I believe there is something to be learned from all the pre draft analysis scouts do, but ultimately when you have 3 sometimes 4 entire seasons of film and statistics on each player, its tough to completely discredit what a guy has done over that much time in actual football situations.

Although I have to say that theres a good deal of experienced scouts out there who probably don't know as much as their teams think they do. Maybe they just never learned what qualities in a college player transfer well to the pros. More accurately, I think a lot of scouts refuse to learn from their mistakes. But for many teams, the draft is still a 50-50 proposition, and to me that ultimately represents poor player evalulation.

Still, scouts in general are improving. The last time a 1st round QB busted was Kyle Boller in 2003. Granted the jury is still out on the 2005 and 2006 guys, but theres no reason to believe any of those QBs can't be the starter on their own team for the next few seasons at least and do a solid job (Theres the Leftwich situation, but he's not a bad QB as much as Jacksonville just has no idea that Garrard isn't really that good). QB's, in theroy, should be the position that busts the least as scouts have more college tape on them then any other position, and it appears the trend is moving that way.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Grim21Reaper;272940]I don't think Marshall is big enough to take the pounding that the MLB has to deal with.

Strengthening the middle of your line is always a good move and it seems that they need to move Marshall outside. They have to at least bring a starting quality MLB to compete for the spot.[/quote]Yeah, I've been saying for awhile that Marshall needs to be moved back outside. Undersized MLBs can be effective. Antonio Pierce and Jonathon Vilma are prime examples. I don't think Marshall is physical enough to take on the interior lineman that scrape to the MLB. He and Rocky can compete for Holdman's vacated spot on the weakside, where Lemar excelled in place of Lavar back in 2004.

The linebacker play has to be shored up, and I think Patrick Willis could be a very fitting solution. But I think that Alan Branch could do more for this team than Willis and another player could and if hes there at 6, thats where we have to go. MLB can be fixed, at least temporarily, through free agency provided we get the right guy.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

BTW, Patrick Willis led all defenders (from North and South squads) in the Senior Bowl in tackles with 11. Willis was also named the South's defensive player of the game. He looked good overall. I only saw him look bad once where he got pancaked by a fullback and I saw him make a bunch of nice tackles.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

I would love to see us pick Pat Willis, even if we didnt trade down. Hes a monster and I cant believe that many sites have him outside of the top ten, I think hes atleast a top 5 player in this draft. He dominated in a losing effort in the senior bowl, wreaking havoc all over the field. He could be a force with Rocky for years and may solve alot of the problems we have on defense.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

How often do the Skins do what we want when it comes to the draft?...I still can't believe they took Sean over Kellen Winslow.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=GiantsSuck703;273081]I would love to see us pick Pat Willis, even if we didnt trade down. Hes a monster and I cant believe that many sites have him outside of the top ten, I think hes atleast a top 5 player in this draft. He dominated in a losing effort in the senior bowl, wreaking havoc all over the field. He could be a force with Rocky for years and may solve alot of the problems we have on defense.[/QUOTE]

As much as I love him, I think he'd be a stretch at #6. I think he's worth about the 12th overall pick. He's not in the same class as Demarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman, but he's definately the best LB in the draft and he could develop into a Pro Bowl MLB. If we can trade down, I would love to get him. If we can't trade down, I think we'd probably get the most value from DTs Branch or Okoye.

I think the two reasons why he's no projected as a top 10 pick are: (1) he's simply average in coverage (but has the potential to be above average); (2) he's had a few injury problems (but he's willing to play through injury); and (3) he doesn't have the "measureables" (which, IMHO, are overrated) that guys like Merriman or Arrington had. I'm still a huge fan and would love to get him and another 2nd or 3rd round pick.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=_bM4sEmaFLQ"]Nice!!![/URL]

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=Skins_4_Lyfe;273084][URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=_bM4sEmaFLQ"]Nice!!![/URL][/QUOTE]

That's a beautiful, Sean Taylor-esque tackle. Thanks!

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;273083]As much as I love him, I think he'd be a stretch at #6. I think he's worth about the 12th overall pick. He's not in the same class as Demarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman, but he's definately the best LB in the draft and he could develop into a Pro Bowl MLB. If we can trade down, I would love to get him. If we can't trade down, I think we'd probably get the most value from DTs Branch or Okoye.

I think the two reasons why he's no projected as a top 10 pick are: (1) he's simply average in coverage (but has the potential to be above average); (2) he's had a few injury problems (but he's willing to play through injury); and (3) he doesn't have the "measureables" (which, IMHO, are overrated) that guys like Merriman or Arrington had. I'm still a huge fan and would love to get him and another 2nd or 3rd round pick.[/quote]

I understand it would be a stretch to just take him at 6 right now, but alot of things could change come draft day, although I would love for us to pick him, I think were either going to pick Branch or Adams, and I wouldnt be disappointed with either one of those guys rocking the burgundy and gold next year, although I secretly wish our D was great last year so we could pick Calvin Johnson .LOL

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

What do you think about Brian Leonard? I dont know if we can get him in the 5th, he may fall though, he was not used that well his senior season.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Skins_4_Lyfe;273082]How often do the Skins do what we want when it comes to the draft?...I still can't believe they took Sean over Kellen Winslow.[/quote]
man, do i hope you are joking

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=dmek25;273097]man, do i hope you are joking[/quote]
I meant that I was surprised when they picked who I wanted (Sean Taylor) because they usually don't...If they did we'd have Merriman instead of "Almost" Rogers.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Skins_4_Lyfe;273084][URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=_bM4sEmaFLQ"]Nice!!![/URL][/quote]
Did you hear them say Joseph Addai just went limping to the sideline the previous play...talk about being at the right place at the right time.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=GiantsSuck703;273093]What do you think about Brian Leonard? I dont know if we can get him in the 5th, he may fall though, he was not used that well his senior season.[/QUOTE]

To be perfectly honest, I know very little about him. I know that he's a load and is projected as an early 1st day pick (mid 2nd round). But, I haven't been paying too much attention to FBs since we have Sellers and we need DTs, DEs, LBs, and DBs.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=GiantsSuck703;273093]What do you think about Brian Leonard? I dont know if we can get him in the 5th, he may fall though, he was not used that well his senior season.[/quote]Brian Leonard seems like a weapon taylor made for a Gibbs offense. There's no way he's getting out of the second round, and could even slide up into the lower part of the first for a team like the Jets or Eagles who have few offensive needs. This is a guy who could play a power runningback, fullback, H-back, slot reciever, or maybe even TE. I would absoultely love to have him.

Sadly, our only chance to get him would be to trade down, and we have many more pressing needs. It's too bad, because rarely do you get a shot at an offensive player this versatile. If we do aquire a second rounder and he's there when we pick, I think the front office should at least look long and hard at this guy. Any guy who can help us decrease our dependancy on our second, third, and fourth receivers is a great help to our team.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=GTripp0012;273138]Brian Leonard seems like a weapon taylor made for a Gibbs offense. There's no way he's getting out of the second round, and could even slide up into the lower part of the first for a team like the Jets or Eagles who have few offensive needs. This is a guy who could play a power runningback, fullback, H-back, slot reciever, or maybe even TE. I would absoultely love to have him.

Sadly, our only chance to get him would be to trade down, and we have many more pressing needs. It's too bad, because rarely do you get a shot at an offensive player this versatile. If we do aquire a second rounder and he's there when we pick, I think the front office should at least look long and hard at this guy. Any guy who can help us decrease our dependancy on our second, third, and fourth receivers is a great help to our team.[/QUOTE]

To be honest, I thought we underutilized Sellers on 3rd down. Even if Leonard is great, and all indications suggest that he is or will be, I'd like to see more of Cooley and Sellers on 3rd down.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;273142]To be honest, I thought we underutilized Sellers on 3rd down. Even if Leonard is great, and all indications suggest that he is or will be, I'd like to see more of Cooley and Sellers on 3rd down.[/quote]I agree. What makes this past offseason so disappointing is that not only did we break the bank 4 seperate times, but we didn't actually solve any of our needs in doing so. I think it's important that next year we use our secondary recievers less, and use guys like Cooley and Sellers more in the passing game.

Imagine where we'd be had we not signed either Andre Carter or traded for Brandon Lloyd and Duckett. (Archuleta, Fauria, Randle El, and Collins would have been our only pre June signings). It's safe to assume that if we had the 3rd round selection in 2006, we would have traded up with that instead of our 2007 second rounder with Rocky. Now just like this year, Prioleau tears his ACL three strides into the season, and Archuleta struggles in coverage as we end up losing 11 games in a dissapointing year, one in which we use the final 7 games to break in Jason Campbell.

Fast foward to Sunday, January 28, 2007. We are 4 million under the cap. We return David Patten for 2007 as the third reciever, and receiver while certainly not a strength of this team, is still no weakness, and we can easily account for this by giving more looks to Cooley and Sellers. Randle El is still capable of catching 30-35 balls a year and producing scores in the punt return game. Archuleta is still the highest paid safety in NFL history, and so far has been a horrible bust. But now we head into the draft with all of our picks, and the ability to draft defensively without trading down. We grab an impact D lineman, maybe Brian Leonard, or Patrick Willis in the 2nd, a starting caliber safety in the 3rd, and more line help (either side of the ball in the 4th).

All of a sudden, we are in great shape for 2007, and we are in a much better position despite still making the Archuleta move.

The reason why I left the Archuleta move in this scenario is because I didn't think it was a bad move at the time (Nor has it hurt as much as any of the three moves I'm about to discuss). No film or stat study could have told us that his play would drop off this much. The Lloyd, Duckett and Carter moves were bad moves even at the time. None of those guys underachieved here, we just got exactly what was advertised. We costed ourselves our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round selections to get those 3, and we then proceded to break the bank with Carter (who disallows us to take a pure pass rusher like Adams [a guy who is likely better than Carter] in the draft because they play the exact same position) and Lloyd, who was by all accounts an average WR, and Duckett (a career tip toe runner) wasn't even extended...which was a pretty good decision considering now we aren't stuck with him.

Frusterating.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=GTripp0012;273145]I agree. What makes this past offseason so disappointing is that not only did we break the bank 4 seperate times, but we didn't actually solve any of our needs in doing so.[/QUOTE]

Definately. I would have been fine with breaking the bank had all of the players produced. ARE could be a decent addition, Carter seems to have come on in pass rush situations but is a liability in run defense, Arch is a total bust (whether for lack of football skills or some personal dispute with Williams), and I absolutely detest Brandon "The Overpaid Jerk" Lloyd.

And, yes, I am still in shock that we go from the 6th overall pick to the 5th round. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;273208]Definately. I would have been fine with breaking the bank had all of the players produced. ARE could be a decent addition, Carter seems to have come on in pass rush situations but is a liability in run defense, Arch is a total bust (whether for lack of football skills or some personal dispute with Williams), and I absolutely detest Brandon "The Overpaid Jerk" Lloyd.

And, yes, I am still in shock that we go from the 6th overall pick to the 5th round. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.[/quote]

And while we're not picking everyone else in the league is getting more depth, adding young talent. Kind of ticks me off. Maybe we'll give up all of next years draft for a couple more picks this year. I really think that the FO realizes this, though. I don't think you'll see the skins trading away draft picks like they are nothing anymore. Our team has the potential to become old quick.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

April is getting closer...

I'm starting to hope more and more that we trade down and grab a handful of prospects. It's really looking we're in good shape on offense, and w/ some extra depth @ the secondary and d-line, we'll be much more consistent.

Watching the play-offs this year really shows how bad of a team we we're last year, but it was almost as if our problems began to disappear towards the end. We've got some nice momentum the players can take into camp, and barring any major set-backs... I'm cautiously optimistic.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

Sheriff:

You are absolutely right. Patrick Willis can play.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[QUOTE=sportscurmudgeon;273409]Sheriff:

You are absolutely right. Patrick Willis can play.[/QUOTE]

Did you follow him in school too? A friend showed me a highlight last year of him and I started following him. I love his attitude, leadership qualities, hitting power, and instincts. He's not as sexy as some LBs who run faster, but he'd be a great addition if we trade down.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

I saw Ole Miss play twice this year (once in person) and one time last year. He's a fine linebacker. I'm not sure he fits the Gregg Williams mold because speed is not his main asset, but he can play. If he gets with a team that uses his skills well in their scheme, he will have a fine NFL career.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;273208]Definately. I would have been fine with breaking the bank had all of the players produced. ARE could be a decent addition, Carter seems to have come on in pass rush situations but is a liability in run defense, Arch is a total bust (whether for lack of football skills or some personal dispute with Williams), and I absolutely detest Brandon "The Overpaid Jerk" Lloyd.

And, yes, I am still in shock that we go from the 6th overall pick to the 5th round. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.[/quote]I still don't understand why we'd go after two WRs in one offseason. I wanted Randle El myself, and was hoping we'd get him in free agency. So I was really depressed after we gave up 2 picks to get Lloyd, who in my opinion is an inferior player. I was wondering what was wrong with just outbidding everyone for Randle El, and calling it a day in Free Agency.

After we did overpay for Randle El, I went from depressed to utterly confused. Yeah, Randle El is more valuble than Lloyd, but once you trade for Lloyd you have to pull the offer to Randle El. Thats just common sense.

I know that we honestly didn't NEED either of them, but that Randle El brought PR skills that we could use and he could be the 2nd receiver in this offense.

I voiced that here when everyone was saying that Lloyd was going to be the no. 2. I thought Randle El fit the offense better and I was surprised that no one else saw this. Then we had the whole Rexi situation, he was obviously harsh on Lloyd, but he didn't offer any opinions that weren't substanciated by something. Lloyd's got a rep for making a circus catch one play and dropping an easy ball the next. He's been everything that was advertised here. I don't know what we as fans, or what the front office was expecting to get from the guy.

To me, the inexcusible move this offseason was spending 24 mil in guarenteed money and 2 mid round picks on two wide recievers who really aren't better at the position than the incumbent (Patten).

When GW asked for Archuleta and Carter, I can at least see what he was trying to do. The Carter signing goes against the philosophy that GW had used his first two years here, but I have to say that the concept of trying to change a defensive philosophy that was successful before it becomes stale and predictable is admirable, and shows a guy who is humble and values success. I think Grilliams is trying to move away from being so blitz dependant, and Carter helps with that Philosophy. Obviously his new scheme failed miserably, and it cost us a season. 10 months later, I still can't understand why we gave up so much for some mediocre offensive talent, and in that mind, that makes the move far worse.

End Receiver Rant.

Re: Ole Miss MLB Patrick Willis
 

Love the guy, great player but.........we need a run stuffer! Alan Branch fa sho!