According to The Boston Globe, the Patriots went to work out Perdue linebacker Stanford Keglar. While it's easy to say that the Patriots are just doing their homework, Keglar is the second LB I heard linked to the Pats. Earlier I heard they are interested in Vanderbilt's Jonathan Goff.
While many people believe New England will draft a corner if they don't trade down, I disagreed. Sure they lost two corners in Asante Samuel and Randall Gay, as well as safety Eugene Wilson, but I found it hard to ignore the age factor as well as the lack of depth at the linebacker position.
So far the Patriots added competition in the secondary by adding corners Jason Webster and Lewis Sanders as well as safety Tank Williams, the only free agent linebacker I've heard New England bring in for a visit was Carolina's Adam Seward.
It's clear that the Patriots will draft a linebacker, maybe two, or even more. Goff and Keglar sound like later round options that project to play inside. And with the seventh pick overall NE is in position to draft Ohio State's Vernon Gholston if Oakland and the New York Jets pass on the Buckeye. He would become a rush linebacker and likely spend his rookie year learning the intricacies of the defense while playing a situational role during passing downs.
What I found interesting is that Gholston has spent time working with Mike Vrabel. Mike is a former Buckeye as well and he returns to the school to train. It wouldn't surprise me if Vrabel took Gholston under his wing and gave him pointers since they played the same position at Ohio State. Scouts can make all the evaluations they want, but I'm sure the scouting staff asked Vrabel for his opinion on Gholston. Besides witnessing Vernon's potential, Vrabel witnessed Gholston's work ethic and ability to learn on a first hand basis. If Mike gives Vernon a thumbs up, then the Patriots will take note of Vrabel's opinion.
The other possibility is the Pats trade down and nab Auburn's Quentin Groves. He too would play OLB in the Patriots' defensive scheme and cost the team much less, which is always on the mind of the front office. Though Groves' numbers reflect that his production took a step back, it's hard to ignore his measurables.
The second line of the Patriots' defense is guarded by 30-year olds. Junior Seau is 39, Tedy Bruschi is 34, and Adalius Thomas is 30. They cut Rosevelt Colvin during the off-season, though the Patriots could bring him back.
But there's not much behind them. ILB Eric Alexander has one start and very little in-game experience. OLB Pierre Woods is a special teamer who never started and in his limited time hasn't distinguished himself. They added two LBs in the draft last year, but Justin Rogers didn't make the final cut and Oscar Lua spent the year on the injured list and was released to start free agency.
And that's not including the numerous late-round failures that preceeded them. Remember Jeremy Mincey? How about Ryan Claridge? Exactly.
New England will take at least one linebacker on the first day. They can't afford to roll the dice on a fringe player or project that has a 50-50 or less chance to make the team.
Keywords: Asante Samuel, Auburn, Buckeye, Eugene Wilson, Jonathan Goff, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, New England, Ohio State, Patriots, Perdue, Quentin Groves, Randall Gay, Rosevelt Colvin, Stanford Keglar, Tedy Bruschi, Vanderbilt, Vernon Gholston
