In keeping up with the offseason theme, most of the draft was dedicated to the defensive side of the ball. There will be 7 new starters on defense, plus two more changing to their more natural positions. It's time to go back to not being one of the worst defenses in the league.




1.14 C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama

Jon Bostic was a solid pick the previous season but faced a huge task of replacing Brian Urlacher. Also, Lance Briggs got even older. The linebacking corp needed retooled and we needed a new anchor. Enter C.J. Mosley, the top ranked linebacking prospect in the draft. High character, high performance, and spent a college career winning a lot of big games. This hopes to be the middle linebacker for the next decade (plus) and will project to start immediately. Bostic will move to OLB to join new acquisition Akeem Dent to complete the revamped starting linebackers.


2.51 Kareem Martin, DE, University of North Carolina

UNC has been pumping out pretty good defensive lineman lately, we are banking on that trend continuing. Martin will not be thrusted in as a starter right away, so that he can develop at an efficient pace. He will be counted on to rotate on the line as starter Corey Wootton will likely see some snaps at DT. Ultimately Martin will be tasked to start opposite Chris Long to provide a similar pass rush in the future, that the St. Louis Rams had with Long and Robert Quinn (also, a UNC product).


4.113 Dion Bailey, S, University of Southern California

Bailey was high on our list and it is very likely that we would have taken him in round 3 if we had a pick there. There was a black hole at safety for us, in fact, when the offseason began, we had zero safeties. We've managed to acquire a very solid veteran but the draft has produced two safeties that will compete for a starting position and an immediate backup position. USC has had a variety safeties enter the league, most of them big hitters and top notch tacklers. Bailey will immediately compete with the next draft pick for a starting safety spot.


6.166 Brock Vereen, S, Minnesota

We felt this to be a massive steal. Where Bailey brings playmaking ability and big hitting, Vereen brings speed and coverage skill. He gained a great deal of experience playing both corner and safety in college and may be more ready to play right away. Given his skill set, Vereen offers a lot of flexibility for scheming and packages and also may be a true corner in the future. His brother knows a lot about having to be flexible in the NFL, since Shane plays for the Patriots. He will immediately be in competition with Bailey for a starting safety spot.


6-C John Brown, WR, Pittsburgh State

We wanted a playmaker, a possible slot option, and also a special teams return man to lighten the load on Julian Edelman. With Brown's exceptional speed (4.34 - 40) and slight stature, we felt that he meets all of these needs we were looking at in a late round pick. He will be a project but he will immediately factor in on special teams return and defense.


7.205 Cassius Marsh, DE, UCLA

We dumped McClellin's contract and ineffectiveness to go a different route and address depth. With Martin drafted earlier as a heir appearent to DE, we went best value here. Marsh will provide immediate depth on the defensive line and given his non-stop motor, he might play more right away than Martin. His demeanor and attitude fit perfect in the rebuild on defense.



It wasn't a flashy draft with most of the attention on defense. But we are pretty excited that most all of the picks will be immediate contributers, with at least two being immediate starters and two others being immediate back ups. Brock Vereen was our biggest coup given the round he was taken, we feel he'll become a fantastic player (whether it's at safety or ultimately corner) for us in the near future.