New England’s Future Stars

What a better time to talk about the future of Boston than now. We know the Jackie Bradley Jr’s and the Chandler Jones’ of the sports scene. The first round draft picks and the late round draft steals. The 3 homer game by sophomore Will Middlebrooks and the defensive mastermind of third year guard Avery Bradley. We place special importance on the emergence of young players while continuing our praise for veterans whom our teams rely on for consistent difference making. All too often we’re caught off guard by a surprise appearance from a young player whose stock has risen to the point where starting on their team is the only place that would feel right. These five players aren’t in MVP consideration but may soon be leaders for their respective teams.

Xander Bogaerts – Portland Sea Dogs (SS)

The past two seasons, Bogaerts has batted over .300 and had seasons of both 16 and 20 home runs. Acquired in 2009 as an international free agent, Xander Bogaerts has been overshadowed by names like Jackie Bradley Jr, Matt Barnes and Jose Iglesias. So far this year he hasn’t had an explosive offensive year, partly due to his move from AA to AAA but his ceiling is still very high. With the Sox’s depth at shortstop (Drew, Iglesias, Bogaerts, and recent first round pick Devin Marrero) the infield for the Red Sox should be solid for the next few years. With such a crowded position, don’t be surprised to see Bogaerts develop into a utility player similar to Pedro Ciriaco.

Malcolm Subban – Belleville Bulls (OHL) Goalie

Going into the 2012 NHL draft, Subban was ranked as the top goaltender in North America. He fell to the Bruins at the 24th pick and was the second goalie drafted only to Andrei Vasilevski. As Subban leads his team into the Eastern Conference Finals of the OHL playoffs, he stands with a 1.31 GAA (2.14 in the regular season) with an 8-2 record. This year the Bruins have a solid duo of Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin. Malcolm will most likely start in Providence but based on the trading block (along with the health of both Rask and Khudobin), Subban could very likely see playing time in the next few years.

Jared Sullinger - Boston Celtics PF

Jared Sullinger isn’t an unknown name around Boston. He’s the 2012 draft steal that was injured after playing phenomenally at the beginning of the NBA season. The rookie averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds per game, numbers that seem small when you watched him play. His contribution to the Celtics horrendous rebounding was huge and helped spark both the offense and defense. At one point Sullinger was among the rookie leaders in rebounding albeit going 21st in the 2012 NBA draft. Sullingers surgery should have fixed his back problem which was what may of caused him to slip during the drafting process. The soon to be sophomore out of Ohio State will have a lot to prove next year but should be a welcome, youthful addition into the Celtics lineup.

Ras-I Dowling - New England Patriots CB

As if the word “bust” wasn’t thrown around enough with young players, the injury filled two years that Dowling has spent in Foxboro has been labeled a bust by countless fans. The tag “physical corner” comes with baggage in the NFL and in Dowling’s case it’s turned into injuries. He has appeared in just 9 games the last two seasons and has 10 tackles. With NE’s secondary situation, the draft is certainly one way to recover and the 2013 draft has capable corners. If Ras-I can recover and play a full season at about the same level he should have his rookie year, he could make a similar impact as Patriots rookie Alfonzo Dennard did. With Talib at one side, the Patriots are looking for another corner to step up to his talent level and whether or not Dowling is capable of doing this depends on his health. When he’s healthy and ready to play, he could play like the second round pick he was.

Andrew Farrell – New England Revolution Defender

When the Revolution traded up to get the number one overall pick in the 2013 MLS draft, they chose Louisville’s Andrew Ferrell and it’s a good thing they did. Although New England has had incredible trouble scoring, they’ve been the best defensive team in the league, allowing just two goals in five games played. Farrell is a defender with great speed and superb defensive ability. He often initiates attacks and has the on ball skills of a midfielder. His bursts of speed and ball handling skills show why he was chosen first overall and he looks to be a player for the future. Along with 24 year old outside back Kevin Alston, Farrell brings a young defender to the Revolution, a team already stacked with youth like 18 year old Diego Fagundez and 21 year old Kelyn Rowe.

Patriots First Round Mock Draft Choices (New Years edition)

With the lack of changes between most mocks, there’s only two new contenders. Some dark horse players include:

WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson

CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

(Two additions courtesty of DraftTek)

Matt Elam (SS, Florida) 

Elam, like most Florida safeties, is a beast. Imagine Brandon Spikes with more skill in coverage. When he hits someone, they feel it. At 5-10, he’s fast and delivers hits like Spikes does with a lot less body mass. He was an All-American this year and his best game came against Tennessee when he finished with 10 tackles, an interception, a pass defended and a sack.

Instead of posting a regular highlight video, just watch this:

Keenan Allen (WR, California) 

Allen is quick, athletic, and just an all-around great WR. He’s going to be a beast at the combine and wherever he gets drafted, he’ll make an impact. It’s clear that between him and Tavon Austin, teams with receiving needs will look to these two over guys around the same time like Justin Hunter of Tennessee and Baylor WR Terrence Williams (although I’m not sure Williams should be taken over Allen). Had 166 yards against Washington State and caught two touchdowns against UCLA.

(Matt Elam suggestion from Rob Rang, CBS Sports)

(Keenan Allen from NESN’s Luke Hughes)

Otto Porter (Georgetown) vs. Texas 12/4/12

Pros:

• Shoots the ball well
• Plays above average defense
• Able to block shots
• Decent size

Cons:

• Appears to not move around well without the ball. Lethargic unless the pass is inevitable.
• Doesn’t look to be overpowering athletically.

Only a day after USA Today’s Nicole Auerbach published an inside look at his journey to Georgetown, Otto Porter is playing on ESPN against Texas. My initial reaction was one of confusion when he looked to be slow off the ball, standing relatively still outside of the three point line. This happened for a few possessions and then he started to look like the prospect he’s known to be. He was getting the ball mid range and converting turn around jumpers. He was showing transition hustle and getting in positions to score. On defense he looks good. He can rebound and unbeknownst to me, block shots. He’s projected as a potential lottery pick and it’s easy to see why.

Post game thoughts: This was a forgettable game for Otto. The 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks are nice but both Porter and Georgetown sleepwalked through this game for an easy win. Otto is definitely a player to watch but there wasn’t much to see in this game.

Celtics mock draft picks (December edition)

C.J Leslie (Foward, N.C State)

CJ Leslie plays like Jeff Green without an outside game. He’s athletic, has above average quickness and can surprise you on defense. Obviously the lack of an outside game is a problem but he’s gotten to this point without it so that’s good news if the Celtics are looking to truly develop a player. Inside he’s great and can get to the free throw line a lot. Free throw shooting isn’t a strong point for him but his ability to draw fouls is well known in the NCAA. He’s quick of the dribble and although he has an odd running form, he can go coast to coast quickly. He uses his athleticism to get lose rebounds and to contest shots but he sometimes over gambles defensively even though it usually pays off. CJ is 6’8 so he’s between the taller Jeff Green and Paul Pierce, although he’s a lot smaller physically than those two which might be a problem in the NBA (see JaJuan Johnson). I wouldn’t mind having Leslie as a future backup for Jeff Green but if the Celtics are looking into the immediate future, they might look for a big man.

Mason Plumlee (PF/C, Duke)

Ignoring the fact that Duke is lame, Mason Plumlee is pretty good. He’s like an athletic Sullinger who can pass. He’s got the Sully rebounding and scoring ability along with the occasional touch of defense. He’s a guy I could totally see KG mentoring into an above average pro talent. My best advice for learning more about him is to just watch him play. Watch something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Q1f-ntvfU and you’ll see that the kid’s obviously talented. His biggest flaw seems to be his post game, which  the Celtics can help correct with players like KG and Sullinger.

 

Week 11 Patriots Mock Draft choices (First round)

With the 27th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select….

From the CBS Sports mock draft we have two options.

Barrett Jones (OG, Alabama)

Barrett Jones is just an all-around awesome player. He’s great on the field and even better off the field. No glaring character issues, blocks for one of the best teams in the country. Could bolster the already above average New England offensive line. Not 100% sure the Pats would use their first round pick on him (or on anyone for that matter) but he would definitely improve the line for years.

He can even play center:

Tavon Austin (WR, West Virginia)

I’d assume the Patriots would bite on a player like this rather than Jones. Austin is a 5’9″ receiver out of WVU. He’s had Geno Smith throwing to him so having Brady throw to him would be a nice welcome into the NFL. He’s got speed and can make cuts similar to Welker if not better. I’d love to have both him and Welker on the field together but if Welker plays somewhere other than New England, Austin would be a nice player to target in years to come.

Next up is walterfootball.com

Kawann Short (DT, Purdue)

I can’t agree with this guys argument for picking Kawann for the Patriots. He says Wilfork’s not having a good season and is declining and that Kevin Love is a non-factor. Obviously this guy’s Patriots knowledge is in question after watching Vince demolish the Jets on Thanksgiving. So far this year he has a decent 6 sacks which ties him for 56th. Not the greatest DT in the draft obviously. You can do a lot worse than Short but I’d like the Patriots to tackle a different problem than replacing Vince. As you can see, he’s pretty good at shedding the offensive linemen.

To close out the Week 11 edition, here’s mynfldraft.com’s take

Johnthan Banks (CB, Mississippi State)

Well he can run fast and tackle. Coverage seems to be a problem for him which is exactly the opposite of what the Patriots want. He seems lost sometimes and gives up big plays, similar to the usually ineffective Kyle Arrington. He can make plays but is all too often caught on the wrong side of a play. I’d say wait until the second round if you’re going to draft a CB like Banks.

10/11 Arizona State vs. Colorado: Potential Patriots

Rashad Ross (ASU) – Rashad is FAST. At the beginning of the season, New England picked up Jeff Demps for a return specialist. While Demps won’t play this year, the Patriots should see him next year as he tries to give the Patriots a kick return game they haven’t had in a quite a few seasons. While having a KR/RB is great, the Pats also need some receivers to line up in 2013 for what could be a Welker-less season. Need some speed? Ross is deadly and is still pretty small for a receiver (6-0), so putting him as a slot receiver wouldn’t be absurd. Against Colorado, he returned a kick for an 100 yard TD but only caught two passes for 23 yards. Potential: Late rounder.

Brice Schwab (ASU) – Another potential late round pickup. The Patriots need some offensive line depth and Brice is a very overlooked prospect. 300 lbs,  6’6″ you can’t go wrong with his size. Projected as a draft day free agent, don’t be surprised if the Patriots pick him up.

As you can see this game was pretty unexciting with not many players jumping out as possible future Patriots. Well tomorrow is Friday so soon to be Pats will be all over the playing fields. Hopefully I’ll have a few players to post up here. Until then, go Pats!

Bolden’s Golden

Prior to last Sunday’s game against the Bills the only people who knew anything about undrafted rookie Brandon Bolden where Patriot fans, Ole Miss fans and draft experts. Coming into the week pretty low in the depth chart, probably behind Ridley, Vereen and possibly Woodhead, he outran all three of the halfbacks projected to play better than him.

It was fine not to expect this kind of performance from him. In his four years in college he only ran for more than 137 yards once and that was for a whopping 228 against Fresno State in 2010.

Green-Ellis who?