BRISTOL, Conn. -- Just as teams have been busy signing free agents this offseason, ESPN has been as well.
The latest NFL Insider is former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik, who can be seen on NFL Insiders and read on ESPN Insider on ESPN.com.
We had the chance to catch up with Dominik to pick his brain on new Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis, a player he acquired via trade during the 2013 offseason.
Below are some of his thoughts.
On what makes Revis an elite CB:
"Revis to me, in spending time around him, has unique anticipation. Elite anticipation is probably the right way to use it. He has a way of feeling it, understanding routes, reading the hops of players, reading the eyes, [the] general feel and he's exceptional with ball skills. He knows how to break on the ball, where to use his hands to avoid penalties, and he obviously has soft hands for interceptions. His ball awareness and ball skills, and then again anticipation, are what make him an elite corner."
On Revis' size and speed, which some people might underrate:
"You know, he's bigger than you think. With Darelle, because of his quickness and he has no wasted motion in his transitions, there's not an extra step, and so, you think Darelle is going to be this 5-10, 5-11, 195-pound corner, he's every bit of 6 foot and change, and he's a 205-pound corner. So he's a big, thick corner, which I think makes him physical enough against the run and certainly gives him a chance to match up against those more physical receivers."
On whether he could be used in the slot:
"You could, but I think you'd waste him in the slot. I don't see that being a strength of Darrelle. I think he's always going to be a perimeter guy because of the crossing patterns you run out of the slot. I think he's better up at the line of scrimmage, using his hands, and then allow him to just play with anticipation."
On Revis as a person:
"Darrelle is very low maintenance, very down to earth. Not full of himself, a really good dude, soft spoken, but will speak when he feels like he needs to. He's a great teammate that way. And really, he's a good man. He comes from a good family, his mother is a wonderful lady, and Darrelle's a unique person, and I think he doesn't usually talk much unless he's provoked. And Darrelle just lets his play talk."
On whether he believes Revis' knee, which was surgically repaired following a 2012 ACL tear, is an issue anymore:
"No. I think Darrelle played last year a little cautious throughout most of the year, just because he wasn't quite sure. And I don't blame him. Coming off an ACL as a cornerback, a lot of guys have made that transition, and sometimes it takes more than a year. I think Darrelle still played at a very high level, we put him in some tough spots in terms of coverage, but at the end of the day he still was what I thought was the elite corner that we traded for. That's why I think it's a great acquisition for the New England Patriots."
We also had the chance to tap into Dominik for some thoughts on a pair of other Patriots cornerbacks that have drawn interest this offseason
On Brandon Browner:
"Brandon Browner is a huge corner. Just really long from his ankle to knee and then his knee to his arms. I mean that's what his advantage is. He's going to be a little bit tighter in space, short-area quickness, [those are] the things he's going to struggle with. He's going to come up and maul you at the line of scrimmage, beat you up, and he'll tackle you. They have big corners, thick corners, and that's obviously what coach Belichick is looking for."
On Logan Ryan:
"Very smart football player, extremely smart. Understands angle, good positioning. Again, good with his hands, and he has enough speed. His big thing that everybody talks about is the top-end speed, but again, if you get a pass rush and you get a guy who understands early stuff and uses his hands well, you can eliminate some of that speed deficiency, and I think Logan can do that."