Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Absurd: Patriots' Drake Maye Disrespected by PFF—Where Should He REALLY Land?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Pro football focus ranks. Drake May as the ninth best quarterback in the NFL as we get ready for the upcoming season. And we are here to say that is absolutely absurd. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. It's happening. I am your host of Nick Cattles. Today's episode is brought to by O'Doo, great organization.

Starting point is 00:00:35 win because operations matter, and that's why you should get O-D-D-O-D-O-D-O-com slash lockdown. That's O-D-O-O-O-com slash lockdown. On today's show, looking at the veteran, that one Patriots writer, just highlighted as a possible camp surprise. In the second segment, we should all be ready for a big-time Christian Barmore season coming up. But first, how to appropriately rank Drake May for 2026. expectations. I believe he's going to be a better quarterback this year than he was last year.

Starting point is 00:01:11 I also believe that it's not very likely he's going to be as productive in certain categories. The Patriots are going to run the football more, tougher schedule, et cetera, et cetera. But today's question is, where does Drake May rank among all NFL quarterbacks? Pro football focus over the weekend came up with their rankings. This was done by Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick. Here's what they wrote. The rankings are built around three seasons of performance with PFF passing grade, wins above replacement, an EPA per dropback forming the foundation.

Starting point is 00:01:50 The 2026 PFF QB annual provided additional context through advanced passing splits, accuracy metrics, clutch performance, and other proprietary data that helped finalize each placement. Proprietary. Ooh, the secrets. And in this ranking, Drake May finished ninth. I want you to soak that it.

Starting point is 00:02:15 Pro football focus, getting us ready for 2026, is telling us that Drake May is the ninth best quarterback in football. Now, the first thing I will say, and this is an aside before where I would rank Drake May and why. I just want to make this point.

Starting point is 00:02:33 using a three-year model. If you are going to use a three-year model, then I'm not sure how you rank guys who have been in the league for only a couple of years. Because it's not the same sample size you're looking at. If that is the foundation of this, if it is a three-year model, again, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick write that the rankings are built around three seasons of performance. So you don't really have a great idea as to who Drake May is, Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams.

Starting point is 00:03:08 You don't really have a great idea as to who those quarterbacks are when specifically creating this type of ranking based on three seasons of play. You just don't. So if you're going to use three years, I would not even rank the guys who have been in the league only two years. I digress. If you are going to rank Drake May in Jaden Daniels, in Caleb Williams, if you're going to rank quarterbacks from last year's class,

Starting point is 00:03:41 if you are going to rank those guys, if you're ranking Cam Ward, then there is no way on God's Green Earth that Drake May should be ranked 9. Just shouldn't. I don't know what you should do. I don't know if you should take his 2024 and then his 2025. and find somewhere in the middle and say that will be as 2026 just for argument's sake to try to make this more reasonable. But there's just no way that Drake May should be the ninth ranked quarterback on any list.

Starting point is 00:04:16 If that's the case, throw the model out. Maybe you're looking for clicks. And if you are, congratulations, mission accomplished. But if there is any kind of ranking system, any kind of metrics or analytics or proprietary stuff that you're using where the result is Drake May is the ninth best quarterback in football when he was the runner up to the MVP last year. I would say throw those metrics, analytics, the proprietary stuff you're using, take it all in one big ball, roll it up.

Starting point is 00:04:48 I'm not going to go rock for you wrestling fans, and throw it in the garbage and light it on fire. That's what you should do. How in the world would you put Drake May behind Jordan Love? because that's what PFF does. How would you put him behind Dak Prescott? How would you put him behind Justin Herbert? Drake May had superior seasons,

Starting point is 00:05:13 a superior season compared to last year, what those guys did. How are those guys ranked ahead of Drake May heading into 2026? I just, I can't make it make sense. I would also, and I know some might disagree with this, especially those in Kansas City, I would have Drake May ahead of Patrick Mahomes.

Starting point is 00:05:34 I mean, even if you look at the last three seasons, Patrick Mahomes has not been a truly great quarterback since 2022. His last three seasons, and we can sit there and we can blame it on the lack of skill around him. We can blame it on offensive coordinator, Andy Reid, not running the football in a blah, blah, blah, we can blame it on all sorts of things. I'm just telling you that when you look at Patrick Mahomes in what he has done the last three seasons, 27 touchdowns, 26 touchdowns, 22 touchdowns. He has not eclipsed 30 touchdowns since 2022. His interceptions, double digits, 14, 11 and 11.

Starting point is 00:06:17 His passer rating has not eclipsed 93.5 over the last three years. His best completion percentage the last three years was 67.5. last year his completion percentage was under 63%. Patrick Mahomes right now, I'm not telling you he can't be great again. I'm not telling you that Kansas City can't win again. But Patrick Mahomes, when I look at all of these ratings and rankings, he's living off his history. He's living off based on what he once was,

Starting point is 00:06:52 not what he has been the past three years. if you are going to do a legitimate ranking, and especially if you're banking, your ranking on the last three years, Patrick Mahomes should not be ahead of Drake May. I think Mahomes was like fourth or fifth in this ranking. It's too high if you're going off the last three years. We're not talking about the best guy who's done it in the past 10 to 15 years.

Starting point is 00:07:18 We're talking about the last three years. And he has not been great. Now ESPN's fantasy football rankings, Mike Clay, he has Drake May ranked fourth. Warren Sharp posted this several weeks ago, 2026 QB rankings based on expected output. Drake May was fifth. And I think those two rankings are much more fair and justified than putting Drake May closer to 10 than five on any list of quarterback. You want to tell me Drake May is the fourth best quarterback in football?

Starting point is 00:07:59 I'll have the conversation. You want to tell me he's the fifth best quarterback in football? I'll have the conversation. If you try to tell me he's the ninth best quarterback in football, I'm not talking to you. With all due respect, I might talk to you about something else, but we are not going to have the conversation about quarterbacks rankings in the NFL. It's just not going to happen.

Starting point is 00:08:21 So what are my top five quarterbacks? I actually would have Drake May 5th. my quarterback rankings heading into 2026, Josh Allen number one, Matthew Stafford number two, Joe Burrow number three, Lamar Jackson number four, if he stays healthy, Drake May number five. Those are my top five quarterbacks. I have Drake May at five.

Starting point is 00:08:47 I think he could leapfrog Lamar Jackson this year if he has another tremendous season. Again, we're not basing this off of what a guy did in the past. about what he's going to be in 2026 and moving forward. To me, Drake May is a top five quarterback after last season. I just can't imagine anybody trying to fix their lips with any type of credibility to tell you that he's the ninth best quarterback walking into the year. I just don't see it. Just don't see it.

Starting point is 00:09:16 Coming up, I'm ready for a Christian Barmore explosion in 2026. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. The biggest stage in world soccer is here, and every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment. One goal can completely change the energy of a game, shift momentum, and alter the outcome in an instant. That's what makes tournament soccer so exciting,

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Starting point is 00:10:22 From the opening whistle to the very final kick, I say, let there be goals on fan Dole. Visit fandul.com. Again, it's fandul.com to get started right now. We talk about interior defensive line and when we do, the conversation starts with Milton Williams. And justifiably, Milton Williams is the best defensive lineman on this team. Williams was one of the best players on the defense last year. You could argue that Milton Williams was one of the three best players on the team last season. And I would make that argument. but in 2026, we are not going to be sleeping on Christian Barmore.

Starting point is 00:11:05 And I think the big man in the middle is about to have a game wrecking season. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an every day. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube. I never bought any of the Christian Barmore could be gone talk during this past off season. I did not buy any of it, especially after the charges. were dropped in March, right? Those charges that were filed going back towards the end of the 2025 season, we wanted to wait it out. What was going to happen with Christian Barmore? What was going to happen with Stefan Diggs? Well, Christian Barmore's charges were dropped.

Starting point is 00:11:45 And as soon as that happened, I said, I find it very unlikely that Christian Barmore will be playing football somewhere else in 2026. I was simply not going to trade Christian Barmore for a bag of Nichols. I had said, if you want to talk about maybe a second round pick, I might have that conversation. Second round pick and a late pick swap, I'd have that conversation. But if you are trying to peddle a third round pick or a fourth round pick to me, that would be much more difficult. That would be more difficult for me to jump in on. Because when Christian Bormor is on, he can wreck a game. He can impact. He can impact. impact the game from beginning to end.

Starting point is 00:12:31 We've seen it during his time in New England. It's the reason why he got that big fat contract extension that he got. This guy is one of the more talented defensive linemen in football when he's right, when he's playing consistently, when he's got that motor going. So I was not looking to get rid of Christian Barmore. Now the question is, how was his 2026? shaping up. Here was Zach Corr during mandatory minicamp talking about Barmore.

Starting point is 00:13:06 This is transcribed from Mike Reese of ESPN. Quote, I think he's come in this year with a great attitude to improve and want to get better. He's been a lot more active in the meetings. He's been really locked in. I believe some team success maybe ignited that, but also I think he truly wants to see how far he can go because he's extremely talented. Yes. Barmore is extremely talented. And I am expecting Christian Barmore to have his best season as a pro this year. Just thinking about his health, beginning there, because last year we saw that Barmore had to be managed by the Patriots.

Starting point is 00:13:52 They managed him during the practice weeks. I think they managed him sometimes during games. and they need to keep a close eye on how Barmore is feeling, but we also have to appreciate the fact that it has now been two years after Christian Barmore was diagnosed with those blood clots. It's been two years since then. So we're talking about another year of recovery. We're talking about another year of working out and working on the body, understanding a management plan better now than you might have even during last season,

Starting point is 00:14:33 you know, tweaking things, understanding how your body reacted to the plan last year, and what you might need to do to get even more out of that body and play, hopefully 17 regular season games and playoff games. You have more information at your fingertips as to how to handle what you went through a couple of years ago. So that's one thing. Just start foundationally with the man's health.

Starting point is 00:15:04 He should be healthier being further removed from what happened in 2024. But then there are other factors. Now, I'm not telling you the only reason why a player will have a great contract season is because the contract is coming up.

Starting point is 00:15:22 The guaranteed money has dried up. but I am also not naive. I have watched professional sports for a long time. I have seen plenty of athletes go out there and in a contract here just absolutely ball out. And Christian Barmore, he is well aware. If I'm aware, he is well aware that he has not a single cent of guaranteed money left on this contract beyond 2026. No more guaranteed money. So if you are Barmore and you're looking at the landscape and you're trying to figure out what your worth is going to be,

Starting point is 00:16:04 then you're looking at this saying, this is very likely my last shot to earn a huge deal. Now, I might be able to play for another five or six years if things go right. But if I want to make life changing money again, that's going to happen on my next contract. And so Barmore has to play some great football this year to maximize his value. Because even if the Patriots say, well, we want you to play for us in 2027, you're going to have that negotiation because again, there's no more guaranteed money. And the Patriots are very likely going to want to bring that cap number down in 2027. So then you have the negotiation. And at that point, even if he stays with the Patriots, Barmore is going to try to leverage into much, much more.

Starting point is 00:16:54 guaranteed money. Jeffrey Simmons of the Tennessee Titans, he just got $60 million fully guaranteed within the last couple of weeks. Sixty million fully guaranteed. Now, let's not get it twisted. As much as I think Christian Barmore is talented, as much as I think he's going to have his best pro season in 2026. Christian Barmore ain't Jeffrey Simmons. Christian Barmore knows he ain't Jeffrey Simmons. However, that doesn't mean Barmore can't earn tens of millions of guaranteed dollars. If he steps up, puts together a great season, the Patriots continue to win. He's in prime time a bunch. He's making plays. It's not outrageous to believe that Christian Barmore could end up getting 30, 35, 40 million guaranteed next year. That's not crazy whatsoever.

Starting point is 00:17:48 And so understanding his earning potential and how much this upcoming season plays a role in that, I would expect a highly motivated bar more. And when you wonder about his motor, I think that motor is going to be running more than it usually does. You worry about his consistency and that's all fair game. But I think he's going to be more consistent this year. And then when you get away from the non-financial fact, You know, this is the second year that Barmore will be working with this defensive coaching staff. The second year, he'll be working with defensive line coach Clint McMillan.

Starting point is 00:18:31 And he's going to be much more comfortable with the system. Hopefully, fingers crossed, hopefully you get 16 or 17 games from Milton Williams. Because as we've seen those guys say to each other on the sidelines, they can't double us both. they're going to have to pick one. And so if you've got a healthy Milton Williams, you will have a better Christian Barmore because offensive lines are not going to be able to handle both guys consistently well.

Starting point is 00:19:02 It's just not going to happen. And so I think you'll see less lulls with Christian Barmore individually, but I also think as long as Milton Williams is out there, you will see more production from Barmore. I mean, it's a guy who turns 27 years old, in three weeks. He is just walking into his prime. So if we see a game-wrecking Christian Barmore almost every single week this year, I would not be surprised. I am expecting a big season from him. The man who could surprise us at linebacker this camp season. We'll talk about that next.

Starting point is 00:19:42 This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. One app for accounting, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them talk to each other. That's where Odu comes in. Odu is an all-in-one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. From sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place, helping your team move faster, stay organized and focus on growing the business instead of managing software. The best organizations know that success isn't just about talent.

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Starting point is 00:20:45 do.com slash lockdown. That's ODOO.O.com slash lockdown. Sometimes guys get drafted and they just don't quite figure it out early in their career. You know, sometimes they need to find the right staff, the right fit. Well, one once highly touted talent could do just that, could do just that this summer in Foxborough. Thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Don't forget to like. comment and subscribe if you're watching us on YouTube. I appreciate every single one of you who invest your time into this content.

Starting point is 00:21:27 One of the most intriguing positions in camp this year is linebacker. I mean, we've talked about it since the draft. We've talked about it since free agency. The Patriots feel thin at linebacker. Robert Spillane is 30 coming off an injury. Christian Ellis is a solid number two guy, but he's walking into the final year of his contract. We have discussed KJ Britt in prior podcasts. But there are three other guys that I would keep my eye on as we get ready for camp just about three weeks away.

Starting point is 00:22:00 Three other guys at linebacker that could play a role once the season kicks off. Chad Muma, Namdi Obi, Zor, and Khalil Jacobs. Those three guys are sitting behind Spillane, Ellis, and Britt, on the current depth chart. But I do wonder, after reading Mike Reese over the weekend, could Chad Muma surprise some people? Could he make some moves and end up being the third linebacker on this football team? Here's what Mike Reese wrote at ESPN.com about Muma. The 6'3-239-pound Muma was signed off the Colts practice squad last December.

Starting point is 00:22:41 He played in the final three regular season games and four playoff games and carried that momentum into last spring, a six-year veteran out of Wyoming, who is now on his third NFL team. Muma was playing on the top punt protection unit this spring and in one mandatory minicamp practice was the first to rotate in on defense behind starters Roberts Bolane and Christian Ellis. So, Mike Reese saying, watch out for Chad Muma. Who is Chad Muma? And why should we be watching out for him in thinking that he could play a role on this

Starting point is 00:23:17 team? Well, first of all, he's a former third round pick. So top 75 pick, I think he was picked 70th, by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2022. And we always talk about relative athletic score on this pod. Chad Muma's RAS was 9.77 back in 2022. If you're wondering where that ranks, it ranks very high. At the time, Chad Muma's relative athletic score rank was 57th out of 2,419 linebackers who qualified for an RAS from 1987 to 2022. So at the time Chad Muma tested, he finished in the top 60 from 1987 to 22, big sample size, 57th out of

Starting point is 00:24:13 2419 linebackers who tested and qualified. So we are talking about a very good athlete. His scouting report, if you go back to Lance Zerlijn in 2022, Chad Mooma's scouting report, it does fit the profile of somebody who the Patriots would be interested in. Here are some of the strengths that Zerline posted back in 2022. Chad Muma gets to the ball carrier and finishes the job. I go back to Mike Vrable's first press conference in January of 2025,

Starting point is 00:24:52 telling us the two most important things, effort and finish. So when I read that somebody gets to the ball carrier and finishes the job, I think of a Mike Vrable football player. Lance Sirline also posted that Chad Muma explodes into targets, has decent straight line chase speed to the perimeter. So a little sideline to sideline keeps his pad level square working inside the box, drops in coverage, and reads the passer. So just a few things, right, that stand out.

Starting point is 00:25:25 The finish, the athleticism exploding into the targets you have tackling wines. The ability to drop in coverage. And we know the Patriots, this defense, they love to play games. They love the drop dudes in coverage. They drop Christian Barmore and Milton Williams and their interior defensive linemen into coverage. So there are some things there in Chad Muma's strengths going back to when he was drafted that you could say fit with the Patriots and what they like to do. Lance Zerlain had a second to third round grade on Muma back in 2022.

Starting point is 00:26:04 Dame Brugler of the Athletic and the Beast actually had Chad Muma as the fourth best linebacker in the class solidly with a second round grade. Again, he was drafted in the third round, towards the top of the third round. So this is not somebody who, oh, he was drafted by Jacksonville, and he was a reach back in 2022. No, this was a guy coming out of Wyoming that a lot of pundits thought was a second round pick,

Starting point is 00:26:31 at worst, third round pick, who had tremendous athleticism and really good productivity in college. Now, what are the weaknesses? Well, of course, the level of competition at Wyoming was a question. Some other weaknesses that were shared when Mooma came out for the draft. His lack of patience, his lack of discipline when diagnosing plays. His change of direction, not great, more kind of straight line guy instead of change of direction, which could obviously hurt you.

Starting point is 00:27:05 Shetting blocks was also an issue on the second level. at times during his college career. But even with those weaknesses, he was still seen as a top 75 to 100 prospect back in 2022. And so you go back and you look at the coaching staff that handled Muma after he was drafted. And Jacksonville head coach Doug Peterson didn't last too long. His defensive coordinators, Mike Caldwell and Ryan Nielsen.

Starting point is 00:27:34 Nobody is going to throw a parade for either of those two guys. as defensive coordinators. Now last year, when he was with Indianapolis, Lou Anarumo is a very, very praised defensive coordinator. He is somebody that is incredibly respected throughout the game of football. So Lou Anirumo was willing to say goodbye to Mumma. But that doesn't mean Mumma can't work out. Again, the fit, the coaching staff, you know, how he vibes,

Starting point is 00:28:06 what they're asking of him. And I look at Mike Vrable and I look at this defensive coaching staff. And I say, you know, a player has as good of a chance with this staff to unlock their ability than any other staff in football. I'm not telling you the Patriots have the best staff in football, but I do think they have one of the best staffs in football. And if you want to get something out of your career that you haven't gotten out of your career yet, you're Chad Muma. You were a second round, third round, graded player. You were picked near the top half of the third round, and you haven't really found your groove in the NFL?

Starting point is 00:28:41 Well, going to New England, working with this staff, will give you the best chance to find that group. And so we'll see if the staff can get more out of MoMA than prior staffs have gotten out of him. And I think there's a legitimate shot here that Chad Mooma ends up being your third linebacker in 2026. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots, out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube. Thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen. For your second listen, check out Lockdown NFL scouting. Kyle Crabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed

Starting point is 00:29:18 NFL fan this offseason. Find Lockdown NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. We will see you next time. We appreciate you.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Absurd: Patriots' Drake Maye Disrespected by PFF—Where Should He REALLY Land?

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