Bill Belichick went to Alabama’s Pro Day on March 29th to see Safety Mark Barron and OLB Courtney Upshaw run through some drills, as they both had been linked to the Pats, and were not able to see them at the combine due to injuries. They performed very well during the 40-yard dash and agility drills. The Patriots felt both would fill a need as the secondary needed some help, as did the pass rush.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the draft. Mark Barron got drafted a lot sooner than anyone expected for a safety, #7 to Tampa Bay. Then the Pats did something not once, but twice in trading up to pick two players who will help a defense that ranked next to last in yards per game, passing yards per game, and showed at times why the pressure was so heavily on the shoulders of Tom Brady and the offense. The Patriots moved up swapping picks with Cincinnati and giving them their 3rd round pick to select DE Chandler Jones from Syracuse.
The second scenario really surprised p...
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May 01, 2012
