2011 NFL Draft: Why New England Shouldn't Look for the Next Richard Seymour

Throughout the months and weeks leading up to the 2011 NFL Draft, fans and analysts will try to compare their favorite prospects to past Patriots greats.

Names like Willie McGinest and Richard Seymour will be thrown around like rag dolls, describing the potential, size, athleticism et al of every prospect from the top dogs to the run-of-the-mill mid-rounders.

The fans will try in vain to make these comparisons, but don't blame the players if they don't try to live up to them.

Seymour and McGinest did their jobs very well. Plenty of guys in this draft may not do the exact same things or be the exact same player, but can still do their own jobs well.

These guys are their own men.

I'm not saying the Patriots shouldn't be looking for guys who fit their system, but it's time to drop the idea of finding "the perfect fit."

In fact, McGinest wasn't exactly a "perfect fit" for Belichick at first, but was eventually molded into that "elephant" role we so often hear discussed.

What does that mean anyway?

McGinest explains it to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, saying, "You have to be talented, you have to be tough, because you have to be able to take on the linemen and fullbacks and tight ends and play in the trenches vs. the run game...you have to be sturdy and strong enough and tough enough to handle that, but you also have to be agile, and smart enough to be able to read coverages and drop back into coverages and understand different receiver sets and motions and be able to read different formations. It’s not easy."

No, Willie. Clearly, it's not.

Who knows, maybe the Patriots will find a guy who can do all those things.

But New England have been stuck in the trap before of trying to find someone who fits the mold. McGinest himself says, "I was small, as in having the right weight for a defensive end. But I was a big, big linebacker. So you’re kind of an undersized D-end, but a big, big linebacker."

There are some of those in the draft—and some talented ones at that.

But maybe it's just time that the Patriots stopped looking for "the next" or "the heir" and start looking for the most physical, athletic football players who love and understand the game itself.

If they have those things, Belichick is a good enough coach to figure out the rest.