During the NFL Scouting Combine, a lot of predictions are made about players careers and some prove to be wildly incorrect. Just look at the New England Patriots roster.
The NFL Scouting Combine has descended upon Indianapolis, Indiana as some of the brightest stars in college football show off their skills before the NFL Draft. During this time scouts make a lot of presumptions about a player’s skill in a short span of time. Most are wrong and the New England Patriots roster proves just that.
The New England Patriots have a ton of great players who were looked at to be terrible NFL players. Our amazing quarterback, Tom Brady was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. Now he is the greatest quarterback of all time and has won 6 Super Bowls.
Even though he isn’t with the team anymore, Malcolm Butler will always be remembered by Patriots fans for his amazing interception in the Super Bowl.
For a period of time, Butler was one of the top corners in the NFL and he was picked up by New England as an undrafted free agent.
So you will hear a lot about the 2019 NFL draft class over the next few days, but take it with a grain of salt. You never know what a player can do once he is on an NFL field.
So let’s take a look at some of the great performers of the New England Patriots 2018 season, and see what scouts had to say about them.
Trey Flowers
Trey Flowers has proved to be an incredible pass rusher. In 2018 he once again led the New England Patriots in sacks.
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Flowers had a decent performance at the Scouting Combine. He was a top performer in the vertical jump, broad jump, and 60-yard shuttle.
Scouts worried about his athleticism but believed he had a chance to become a starter with his 5.6 combine grade.
I would say Flowers has proven he is much better than that. In 3 seasons he has racked up 164 tackles, 21 sacks, 59 QB hits, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Flowers is a one-man pass rush. He was one of the main reasons that the New England Patriots defense was so successful.
Scouts compared Flowers to his now teammate Adrian Clayborn. These two proved to be a dangerous duo for opposing offensive lines.
NFL scouts were on the right track but Flowers has definitely exceeded expectations.
Sony Michel
Sony Michel was one of the best running backs the New England Patriots have had in a while. Even in his rookie year he already proved that the New England Patriots made the right decision.
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Michel pushed the Patriots offense. He was a quality back who could run over guys and breakthrough for some big gains.
Michel did struggle early on and had to deal with injuries, but once he got going he was amazing. In 13 games Michel had 931 yards and 6 touchdowns. In the postseason he continued to play well totaling 336 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Michel’s Combine grade was a bit higher than Flowers and he was expected to get a shot at a starting job. He was projected to get picked in the 2nd round (which he basically was) and was viewed as a strong back who could succeed when playing north-south.
If Michel keeps playing as he did in his rookie season he will prove that he was rather underrated coming out of Georgia.
Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore was the lockdown corner that the New England Patriots needed in 2019. He definitely proved that the Patriots made the right decision moving on from Malcolm Butler.
Gilmore held some of the best receivers in the NFL in check. in 2018 he had 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 20 passes defended and 45 tackles.
Coming out of the Combine, Gilmore was looked at as a player who could become a starter right away. Some scouts even thought that he might make a move to safety.
Gilmore was looked at to be a playmaker and one of the best corners to come out of the SEC in his draft class. The scouts gave Gilmore a pretty high grade and they have been proven right. he is one of the top corners in the NFL today.
Hopefully we will be seeing some quality players find their way to New England in the 2019 NFL Draft.