Spikes is a Patriot

by Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News

Finally - a Patriot pick I can be proud of.

I'm no longer at Gillette. I know, it's unfortunate, and it sucks. And while New England has had a relatively nice second round, grabbing a tight end and an outside backer - Spikes was someone I'd been eyeing all draft.

I love Spikes. I love how he plays, I love his passion, I love his emotion, and I love him on the Patriots. New England needed a guy like this - they don't have it anymore in Bruschi, they lost it when Rodney left, and now they have it back.

Check it out. This guy is out of his mind:

It's important to note one of his knocks - the reason he's fallen from the first round all the way to the late second - his speed. He ran a five even 40-yard dash. That's not terribly fast for a linebacker - but it's not awful. Most backers run somewhere in the 4.6-4.7 range, so he's a tad bit slower than the higher-end guys coming out this year.

But there are a few things you cant question. His toughness. His drive. His hands, his tackling, his size, and his god given ability to lay clowns out. Overall, scouts gave this kid an "A+" as far as linebacker instincts go. If that doesn't give you the shivers, I don't know what will.

Bottom line is, this guy brings a ferocity to New England's defense that they haven't had in a while. He was CBS Sport's third ranked inside linebacker before the draft, and New England's quest to "get value mid-way through this draft" continues to be met with this particular selection.

In taking Gronkowski, New England added a terrifically talented - and amazingly huge - tight end, and someone many were referring to as "Todd Heap 2.0." Not a bad comparison. Then, the selection of Jermaine Cunningham really helps add some depth to a very weak linebacking core. But it was still lacking more.

Until now.

A great pick here. I love this guy, and I love what he brings to this team.

And if you don't believe me, check out with first round pick (told you so) Tim Tebow had to say about his defensive anchor. He starts talking about Spikes at :53. The guy is out of his mind - and Tebow knows it.

And I love it.

Oh, and one more thing: kid's dating Doc Rivers' daughter. And Doc loves him.

So what we have here is a psychotic, dreadlocked force of nature, a teammate who would run through the wall for his men, vouched for by Tebow and backed by the Doc?

Yeah; I'm sold. Welcome to New England Brandon. Glad to have you.