Odrick Isn't Seymour

The three months in between the end of the season and the draft always seem to drag out until you've done so much  research and seen so many mock drafts you tend to get attached to certain guys and lose sight of who the best player for your draft slot really is.

Lately most of Patriots Nation seems to be trending toward Penn State's Jared Odrick as good fit for the Patriots at the 22nd overall slot, especially with the departure of Jarvis Green to Denver. Odrick seems to have the size and intangibles to make a good 5-techinque, a position that Jarvis Green was ill fit for when he was thrust into it following the trade of Richard Seymour.

DE is a position of need and Odrick is by all accounts a great kid who loves football and competes on every down. Sounds like a perfect fit right? As recently as yesterday he was my number one target. However last night my opinion began to sway a bit.

I re-watched this year's Senior Bowl focusing solely on Odrick and I came away thinking he was just okay. Now yes, he was playing in a 4-3 defense in this game,  and his responsibilities were different than they would be playing in the Patriots 3-4, but to me Odrick didn't look like a first rounder.

Both Brandon Graham, and Dan Williams both looked like better players to me. Impact players who were constantly making plays. Odrick was blockable. Not to say he stood out in a bad way, but if you're thinking he's the next Richard Seymour you're going to be disappointed.

It's easy to look at Seymour's dimensions, see Odrick as a close fit, and pencil him into the starting lineup. But I think that far exceeds reality. In fact now I am starting to lean back towards Brandon Graham, Jerry Hughes and Dan Williams over Odrick, if only because it seems to me they bring more of what the Patriots lack most: playmakers.

Williams will probably be gone by #22 anyways, same with Graham, so the pick still could end up being Odrick or, as Patriots Nation fears, there could be yet another trade down. So that leaves me to take a closer look at Jerry Hughes.

By all accounts Hughes has the speed, strength and demeanor to translate to a 3-4 OLB. He might not have the ideal length for Bill Belichick's defense, but he could have an immediate impact in 2010 playing in the pass rush role that Derrick Burgess played in 2009. And he'd come a lot cheaper.

All things to consider as we close in on the final month before the draft. But just because Jared Odrick has the size doesn't make him the next Richard Seymour. For that the Patriots might have to wait until their expected top-10 pick from the Raiders in 2011.