Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Bill Belichick Talks Patriots in ‘22; Nakobe Dean, Jameson Williams Among Monday’s Draft Musings — 3/28/22

Episode Date: March 29, 2022

As the NFL Annual Meetings kick off this week in Palm Beach, Florida, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media for the first time this offseason. Joining host Mike D’Abate to discuss Belichick’s remarks is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2GSports.com. The duo also discuss the Pats hosting of safety Jabril Peppers for a work out, as well as the musings of four 2022 Mock Drafts submitted by Locked On Patriots listeners.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQ Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 yearsupply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, happy 328 day, and what better way to celebrate than amusing of four amazing mock drafts submitted by you, our great listeners on Locked On Patriots. Also, Bill Belichick speaks with the media for the first time this offseason, and Jabril Pepper's on his way to Foxborough. I'm Mike DeBate, and you are about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, where you might be viewing this podcast this very moment. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports

Illustrated. So, if you want to reach out to me, let me know what's on your mind. Please be sure to follow me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. While you're out there doing some using of your own through that Monday Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account

as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And of course, folks, today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, more odds, and more lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts. Folks, it is hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. You can see that my good friend, the account of Murphy Fisto himself,

the legendary Green Wisdom and Counsel joins us here on the pod today. Thomas Murphy, my good friend, legendary columnist from E2GSports.com. Thank you for joining me today in friendship. Thank you for coming to me here on this episode of Locked On Patriots. Don Murphy. Always my pleasure, bud. Always my pleasure. Never anything to talk about in Patriots Nation.

Never anything to talk about at all. So I'm not really sure why we're here. I was Bill's press conference this morning. It was invigorating as usual, Murph. And I'm glad that you mentioned that because I think we'll dive right into that. It is Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Of course, you know, you're on Locked On Patriots, folks. We use the draft.

It's a part of our inspiration. It is our muse to be able to bring you the draft content that we know and love here on Locked On Patriots to all of you. We're going to muse the draft in just a moment. And boy, do we have some great drafts for you. Four. Count them up. Four spectacular mock drafts. And Murph and I will get into those in just a minute.

But as my good friend alluded to, Bill Belichick spoke with the media for the first time this offseason, the NFL annual meeting kicking off down at the Breakers. And anybody that's from the New England area, Murphy from the New England area, you know that in Newport, the Breakers mean something a little different than it means down in Palm Beach, Florida. But at the same time, no less posh. This is a very, very beautiful, exclusive resort down there in Palm Beach. All of the NFL's top brass, the owners, top decision makers in the building. Patriots contingent consisting of team owner Robert Kraft, team president Jonathan Kraft, Matt Patricia, and of course, your head coach, Bill Belichick.

And Bill had a couple of interesting things to say, Murph. Obviously, the big takeaway from Bill's press conference this morning is he doesn't anticipate any more hirings on the offensive coaching staff. There will not be a named offensive or defensive coordinator. I don't think that's a huge shock to anyone. You know, one kind of falls in line with the other. He will be taking on a much more active role in the development of Mac Jones, along with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, who he mentioned several times throughout this press conference. I wrote about a little bit this morning about this on Sports Illustrated.

But Murph, when you look at what Bill Belichick had to say this morning, what did you take away from Bill's remarks with the media? Happy to be here. Hope to help the football team. That's basically it. You could actually tell during during the press conference, they had a seat there for Bill and he wasn't sitting in it. He's like, you know, this is the way things are going to be of who is going to be the offensive play caller and the defensive play caller um is going to be this year whether or not they're going to be uh an oc and a dc and bill coming out and saying as you eloquently put it in your article that i'm not that much really into titles, you know, and that's just the way it is. You know, they're going to come together. They're going to come up with a game

plan and whoever's standing there on the sidelines on Sunday is going to be the guy that's standing there and he really doesn't care what you think about it. Yeah, he really doesn't. And I mean, this is not anything new for fans i know that a lot of the feedback initially when you see bill belichick not big on titles uh they look at that as snark and the fans are going to come back with snark and i get it i do i understand it is it is fun banter and i definitely can see that but bill belichick has always been the type of guy to dance to the beat of his own drum he's going to continue to do that uh one thing that i thought was very insightful was his mentioning of last year's free agent classmer as opposed to fielding questions about the patriots approach this year our good friend tommy curran of nbc sports boston had a

couple of good questions and tom really tried to press him on what the approach is this year because it is much different than it was last year but bill was very uh cautious very calculated in his response and basically reminded everyone that the team did spend a good amount in free agency last year and we're being honest some of those guys really paid dividends matthew judon obviously one of them uh kendrick bourne another hunter henry for another one that really came together and really played well. But there was still some guys that were signed last year that have yet to really reach that Belichickian level of expectation. We're talking Jonu Smith. I throw Devon Godchow into that mix. I thought Devon had a good year, but I think they expected a little more out of him in

the nose and trying to be that middle of the field run stopper. Nelson Aguilar, definitely in that category of guys that you want to see take that next step. So if these guys can make that move, you know, the Patriots might be in good shape. Yeah. Bill mentioned that, you know, what a lot of people out here in media land are trying to ignore the fact that, you know, they went out and signed guys to two, three year contracts, not just a one year deal the way a lot of the NFL attacked free agency last year. These guys grow into this system and need to get caught up to speed. This is not an easy system to learn. And they're also out there working with a, uh, a rookie quarterback

and, and that, that takes some time to build up that kind of chemistry. And some of the guys just weren't on the field enough in practice, in OTAs, uh, in training camp to, uh, to really get that bond going and that trust built up. So this year I'm expecting a lot more out of the guys that you mentioned and that Bill was probably alluding to that just did not maybe play up to the expectations that Patriots Nation had. Yeah, I think so. And you look at what this team is now going to look like in 2022, a lot of the same players coming back, a few defections,

no question about it. But this team is going to be predicated on the uh i guess the best way to put it is the the moving forward or the progression of a lot of the players that they've brought in and the veterans as well kind of bringing these guys up to speed with some complimentary sprinkles in of you know guys they've brought in newcomers to this team as well and there was a really good red shirt class last year in the draft people don't forget that they there were guys that did not see the field for injury reasons or everything else and this year's draft is is looking promising if of course bill listens to the folks that that sent their their mock drafts in

for us to muse today because we got some good ones yeah we definitely do and we will get to those mock drafts in just a moment because as Murph and I have both said several times here on these airwaves folks the Patriots are going to make that splash that everyone is expecting to make in the offseason likely through the draft not necessarily through free agency I'm not saying it's going to be a huge splash in the draft but I think you're going to see them start to build complementary pieces get younger and really build off a strong nucleus from 2021 into 2022 and there is depth in this draft to do just that but before we move on to musing the draft mark because as you know we have to hold it sacred we muse it we don't mock it or make fun of it um the patriots are not

completely done with free agent acquisitions and this this morning, ESPN's Field Yates, someone we know very well, reported that the Pats might be in the mix for safety Jabril Peppers. Obviously, Peppers coming in as part of the 2017 draft class, 25th pick overall, first couple of seasons in Cleveland. He's been with the New York Giants. Real polished, you know, dual threat type of player. Can be very effective in the defensive backfield. Great history in terms of prowess on special teams. I think this could be intriguing. This looks like a good Belichickian move. I know

you've loved Peppers for a while. What are your thoughts on their interest? Yeah, Peppers was on my wish list back in the day when he was coming out of Michigan. I really like this guy. He's a very versatile person, ball player. He's somebody that Bill can use in a myriad of ways. He's as quick as almost anybody on this team right now. And I think it's a good, solid depth piece. Now we talked last year that, you know, down the stretch and the Patriots breakdown after the great run that they went on, we talked a lot about depth.

This team was old and it was banged up at the end of the year. Having a depth piece like Peppers on this team right now would be a fantastic get, just fantastic get yeah it really would be and again the dual threat capability that he brings to the table not just in the defensive backfield but also that prowess on special teams and you really really love to see that in new england so who knows sometimes these workouts pan out with a contract offer i was very hopeful that they were going to sign ryan bates when he came in uh Didn't happen. So, you know, there's never a guarantee here, folks. But this one seems like a lot of the stars are aligned for this to really make sense for the New England Patriots. So, as I like to say, keep a sharp eye on Jabril Peppers over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours.

If he does become a Patriot, this could be a very good signing for the Pats defense. It's a W. Absolutely. And, folks, we've almost arrived at that time where we're going to start musing the draft. And we're going to start off with two first-time submitters here on Locked On Patriots. And we really cannot wait to get into these.

A couple of them I think you're really going to enjoy. So keep it right there, folks. But first, I do want to take a moment to speak to you about something that is very near and dear to my heart, and that is trying to find ways to gain energy but still be able to eat healthy. Well, our good friends at Built Bar are the wizards when it comes to this. They have figured out a way to go for quality taste with each and every product they put out, but also find a way to make it healthy.

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My wife loves the mint ones. She's on a mint one kick. The mint brownie, you know, it's Girl Scout cookie season. I don't know. I think it's still there. That's exactly what she said. I didn't want to give them any free time. Yeah, but the mint patty, yeah.

The mint brownie, folks, let me tell you, it really is. It's unbelievable, and we love them. Team Butchie loves them, everybody. And if they're endorsed by Team Butchie, folks, let me tell you, that is a very, very prominent endorsement in this area, so we'll take it. But, Murph, it's time. It is time to amuse the draft here on Locked On Patriots. We look forward to doing this every week, and I know that our listeners,

our viewers look forward to doing this every week, and I know that our listeners, our viewers, look forward to doing this every single week. And Murph, it's going to be fun to be able to break these down. Let's start right in. I don't know. I'm sure you knew over the weekend. Our favorite movie of all time. I don't think there's any question. It is The Godfather.

Right. 50th anniversary of the release. At the Oscars at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, the film was honored for its 50th anniversary. I know a few other things happened there, but, you know, we're not going to get into that. Really? What? There will be no violence between myself and Murph today.

At least I don't think so, anyway, folks. Stay tuned. You never know. No, I'm kidding. But all kidding aside, what better way to celebrate or pay homage to the great film than to have the fantasy godfather, Bob on the Border, here to break down our first mock draft of this session. And Bob joins us from Twitter. You can follow him at FantasyGodBob, F-A-T-H.

So FantasyGodFATH on Twitter. us from twitter you can follow him at fantasy god bob f-a-t-h so fantasy god f-a-t-h on twitter and his mock draft was an interesting mock draft um and i absolutely love his pick at number 21 and honestly murph this is gaining a lot more momentum in the coming days i'm seeing a lot more of this at number 21 than i have before wonder if maybe there's a little ground swelling there when guys like kuiper and stuff like that start putting this out there yeah he has the new england patriots getting obviously what would be their wide receiver of the future in jameson williams out of alabama at number 21 pff game an a plus on this i if the patriots can pull this off and get him in number 21,

even if Jamison has difficulty seeing the field this year, to me this is still a home run. Yeah, it really is. How can you go wrong here? If he's there and the Patriots don't select him, then I think we need to start looking around for pods hanging behind Bill Belichick in the war room because he's been replaced by somebody that just doesn't know anything about football. Yeah,

this has got to happen. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this does have to happen. You talk about all of the tools that you need. We've gushed several times over John Mechie, and I love the fit of Mechie in this system. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to publish a mock draft for Sports Illustrated. It's out there, folks. You can take a look at it. Mechie was a pick of mine at number 54 in the second round. And I got a little bit of pushback about, well, I think you're focusing too much on the Z. They need someone in the X. But when you have the opportunity to draft a generational talent like a Jamesameson williams um especially if you can do it at number 21 if his draft stock is dropping because of any type of injury concern

you take it with both hands and as much as we love guys like nicole dean and we love the cornerbacks in this draft uh that's one that i think i'll i'll wait to hear i i will i'll wait exactly the reason that mike and i haven't talked about this guy more is because we just can't imagine that he would not be there, especially with the fact that there are so many teams in this draft that have multiple picks in the first round. It's a 97% chance that this dude is gone by 15 at the, at the latest, at the latest people, but no fantastic.

He was there and the Godfather went out and snatched him because that's what Godfathers do. Absolutely. So Godfather, we come to you in friendship and we appreciate, you know, as long as your interests don't conflict with ours. And speaking of those interests,

I think he goes on to have a solid draft here. Oklahoma's Nick Bonito at the edge coming in at number 54 in the second round. This, in my opinion, is another home run. If this guy is there at 54 with the value he can bring, Patriots need pass rushing help. They need edge help. To me, this is a great, great move. The Patriots addressing the offensive line, the tackle position. Arizona State's Kellen Deash coming in.

This was graded at a B- for PFF. I think this one might be a little bit better. I think in terms of fit, I think the Patriots are looking for a guard a little bit more than a tackle, but there's some versatility there as well. And then another one that I think he hits out of the park is Zion McCollum getting him in the foreground at number 127 out of sam houston state uh you want to talk about a corner with a lot of potential upside i love this kid i i i do and i i started watching this kid's film and the wife came into the living room three hours later and said are you coming to bed

yeah honey just a little bit. I've got cornerback porn going on here, and it was fantastic to watch, man. Great pick. Another guy that I'm surprised that he was there at this moment, and I think that he would fit in here fantastic. Yeah, absolutely. And again, PFF graded him as a solid A- on this. Would have to definitely agree with that.

He does have the Patriots addressing a linebacker position. In the fifth round at number 170, amazing value here. Jack Sanborn out of Wisconsin. You know, versatility, I think, is always key for the New England Patriots. This kid, I think, would provide it. Yeah, we'd take a second on this. This is a physical downhill linebacker that I just really love, man. And he's, he's somebody we all talked about last

year that the, the, the inability to stop the run when everybody knew that they were going to run. This kid is an answer to that right there, man. He is a thumper that really loves to stuff things up in the run game he's just a fantastic uh talent and and i would love to see him here and you know he also gets after the the the quarterback this is a three down guy right and if you could get him here i would be all over it oh yeah without. Without any question. I think everybody would, and this would be a great value in the fifth round of all places. That number one, that number one 70 pick is going to be scrutinized because it's the value that came back for Shaq Mason. So Patriots are going to have to hit on that.

Otherwise, you know, what's going to happen, Murph. I can just see Bill grabbing, grabbing a, a lineman at that, at that spot, just to stick it in there and say, you know, I got, I got, I grabbing a lineman at that spot just to stick it in there and say, you know, I got another lineman. You really upset about Shaq going? No, okay, here you go. And the kid will end up being an all-pro. But, no, if this guy is here at this spot, the Patriots could do a lot worse. We're talking about the fifth round here,

so it's a diamond in the rough kind of thing.'s got some problems in in coverage from from what i've seen and looked looked at him but they're they're definitely uh fixable issues okay let me put that on the question absolutely and i think that they will be uh and who knows in in the right system, and hopefully the Patriots would be the right system, this could be a very, very good pick. So he rounds out the draft with a couple of six-rounders going defensive backfield, really focusing on the secondary. Jacoby Duran out of South Carolina State, cornerback going at number 200. And then rounding out the draft with the sixth round, 210, Brad Hawkins coming out of Michigan. And you know Murph is going to love it when you round out the draft with the sixth round, 2-10, Brad Hawkins coming out of Michigan. And you know Murph is going to love it when you round out the draft with a Michigan guy. Yeah, with the Michigan safety, hell yes, give it to me all day, all along, man. This is a fantastic grab here at this spot.

He's somebody that you folks will hear a lot about in camp, even if he does not, even if he does get the red shirt year, okay. The Patriots are super deep at safety and this, this kid, I think Bill, if he's there and Bill takes them, um, you're going to be surprised next season. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, you know what, um, he's a little done, Bob. Uh, not bad. I like this, uh, draft overall PFF gave him an a, um, I'm willing to do the same. I think that he did a good job. I like the, uh, I love the, uh, the aggression and getting Williams at that pick. Who knows? Maybe it'll be realistic. Maybe it won't, but if it's there, uh, I love that. But

Benito and, uh, McCcollum coming in in the fourth round to me and sanborn in the fifth round really i think we're very smart picks i like this draft a lot we were told that bob put in a serious draft and he's a man that should be treated with respect and we've done that here thank you absolutely so with respect we also now go to with respect of another first time submitter here the high school school legend himself, Murph, on Twitter at High School Ledge, L-E-G-E, and then the number four. And this draft was also interesting. No trades, much like, you know, the previous draft. But I thought, you know, some good solid picks. Coming in at number 21 out of the University of Georgia, someone who is developing a little bit

of a groundswell here in terms of being not only available at that point, but also a potential fit for the New England Patriots. On the defensive line, Devontae Wyatt. BFF gave this a B selection. What are your thoughts on Wyatt being the first pick by the high school legend here for the Patriots? I like it. I like the way he's attacking this draft. Build a juggernaut up front. This kid is a fantastic ball player that, once again, I won't be shocked if he's here because, for some reason, the tea kettle has cooled down a little bit since the combine.

But, you know, he has an unreal ability to shed blocks. He works well in small spaces. His three technique is really good, and he can two-gap. He's a versatile guy that you could play anywhere on the defensive line. I'd even stand the man up. Yeah, I mean, Wyatt does give you that ability. He gives you that versatility. He gives you that opportunity to play so many different options

on that defensive line. And look, the Patriots, I think, are going to mix in a lot more 4-3 this year than they did last year. But they're never going to go away from the 3-4. And you've talked about that. We've talked about that several times. It's Bill Belichick's bread and butter. He's going to continue to do it.

Wyatt is a very versatile lineman that can really give you a lot of options. And my good friend and colleague, Kevin Tame of Sports Illustrated wrote a really good draft preview. Thank you, folks. A good draft preview for him. So go and definitely check that out. You'll be interested in what he had to say about Devontae Wyatt and how he may fit

in this Patriots system. The high school legend goes on to continue the defensive mind on this Patriots mock draft. Chad Buma, who's really developing a lot of groundswell as being a potential fit here at linebacker, comes in at number 54. Versatility, big performance at the senior bowl.

A lot of people are looking at him as a potential patriot. Murph, your thoughts. PFF gave this one an A. I like Buma the more I watch him. Yeah, I do. This is a fantastic pick at this spot. You know, he's a physical big guy. He's that prototypical Bill 6'3", 240, 245 linebacker.

He's still going to keep growing into his body and get stronger as he progresses into a pro workout scheme. The only problem that you can find with Mooma is his lateral agility and his footwork. But those are also things that can be coached up. And who better to coach him up than Mayo? Yeah, absolutely. And having someone like a Gerard Mayo, who has played those roles here so many times, be able to give you not only the wisdom and the counsel that you need,

but also can get his hand down and show you exactly what needs to be done because he's done it here for so long. Again, I think a good opportunity, and I think Mooma could definitely benefit from that type of tutelage. Coming up here are two of the picks that I think solidify the high school legends as a pretty solid draft. In the third round at number 85 the patriots going with houston cornerback marcus jones and i think this could be a sleeper type pick for the patriots if they wait past the first two rounds to address the cornerback position i think jones could be a guy that could be a good fit here for a number of years what are your thoughts on jones yeah the thing that gives people pause

with Jones is his size. He's only five foot eight, 174, but he's the most athletic cornerback in this, in this draft. He is one of the fastest cornerbacks in this draft. His speed is elite people. We talked last year about, you know, finding somebody that, that is going to be able to run with some of the wide receivers that we have here in this draft. This is a kid that will do it. You can take him in. You can put him in the slot, and he can mirror anybody in this division right out of the gate.

I love this pick. Bravo. Yeah, absolutely. I really like the Jones pick, and I'm glad that you mentioned the size and whatnot. I know a lot of pick and I'm glad that you mentioned the size and whatnot. I know a lot of people are looking for that bigger type corner, but you know, smaller corners have been able to thrive here for a number of years. And the Patriots are all about what you can do on the field and your versatility and your ability to get into the spots that you need to,

uh, if they're going to play more zone this year, Jones may be a good fit there. And we need, and we need a punt and kick returner right now because we absolutely do yep pittsburgh made that man a gunner you know that man a gunner so you know they made that gunner a little bit richer and this kid can come in here and also do that man bravo pick well done definitely at uh the fourth round at number 127 uh the high school legend has them addressing the offensive line and this is a pick that i actually made in my mock draft over the weekend got a little flack for it but when you look at the fit that wake forest is zach tom can have here on the offensive line i'm not saying that this kid's going to come in and be a starter right away doesn't have the positional versatility

i think to be a solid guard but he's played tackle before and he's also played the center position. And let's face it. There is an injury history with David Andrews. He's been very solid the last year or so. He's been a solid presence there, but he's two years removed from having blood clots in his lungs. Those are always issues that have to be in the back of your mind. I think, and I'm very confident that he's put them behind him and no one is a bigger fan of David Andrews than I am, but without Ted Karras here now, now all of a sudden you're missing that ace in the hole that could slot in and play center if anything, you know, should happen to David and he wasn't able to suit up even for a game. So they're going to need to draft someone with versatility along the offensive line. And I think Zach Tom can provide that. What are your thoughts on this? Yeah, I think it's a good depth piece he'll come in here and be a rotational guy be able to

learn uh behind the uh the individuals that are already here and on the um on the uh the roster a solid rotational pick and when you're grabbing a guy here in the fourth round at 127 you you can't beat that yeah absolutely and there's no question about it so you look at the remainder of the high school legends draft i think he has some solid selections here bo melton coming in to shore up the other wide receiver position we all know how i feel about rutgers rutgers yeah yeah we know how bill belichick feels about rutgers too so you know this one may have a lot more legs than you think. We don't mean to poo-poo all over this.

My conspiracy theory is the fact that Bill Belichick, you know, keeps drafting Rutgers guys to pay off his kids' tuition. You know what, folks? Conspiracy theory Monday, next week here on Locked On Patriots. But the two sixth- rounders riding this out at wide receiver. This one I thought was an interesting pick. Danny Gray coming in on SMU at

number 200. And then Adam Anderson rounding out from the University of Georgia. Helping to shore up some of the edge. I like these two. Overall I think the high school legend did a pretty good job. I'll give him a solid B plus. Yeah, I'll give him an A minus on this because he came back and he gave me a Georgia guy

right down at the bottom here. He just bookend Georgia people. And when it comes to Georgia, I want all the ham. I want all the ham people. Give me everybody on this team and I will figure out something to do with them. So you know I will figure out something to do with them. So you know Bill will figure out something to do with them. Way to go, high school legend. You've been bumped up to Division III legend. There we go. See, that's it.

And you know what, folks? For some of our novice submitters here for Locked On Mock Draft Monday or Musing the Draft Monday, we always appreciate that. Two solid contributions. And here in just a moment, folks, we're going to go back to what we know and love, the Grizzled Veterans submitting some of our mock drafts and a couple of great ones here for you in just a moment. But first, today's episode is brought to you by the great folks at Athletic Greens

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again that's athleticgreens.com slash nfl network to take ownership over your health and pick up that ultimate in daily nutritional insurance. Patriots fans, it is almost time to wrap up the mock draft, musing the draft machine here on Locked On Patriots for the week. My good friend, Patriots columnist extraordinaire, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com joins me here today. And Murph, we had a couple of pretty, I think, impressive submissions coming from a couple of novice submitters here, the high school legend himself and also the fantasy godfather.

I was impressed by their output, and we reflected that in our grades. But the next two come from grizzled veterans here on Locked On Patriots, two guys we know and love, two of the great guys out there. We appreciate their support more than words can say. we'll start with our good friend sully jason sullivan at sully6827 on twitter follow him folks you definitely will not be disappointed i guarantee you a great opportunity to get some draft knowledge and also be entertained as well um jason worked the trade machine without any question um and he's trading with a couple of bitter rivals murph a couple of bitter rivals the chiefs and the colts yeah um

he started by shipping off uh the uh the 29th pick in the draft to the 60s excuse me he started by shipping off the 21st and the 210th pick in the draft to kansas city getting a pretty good haul back the 29th pick coming back to new england the 62nd pick pick in the draft to Kansas City, getting a pretty good haul back. The 29th pick coming back to New England, the 62nd pick coming in the second round, and then in round seven, which the Patriots currently do not have, a seventh round pick, number 233.

He then parlays that number 29 into trading down again. And this is more Belichickian maybe than you want to admit. The 29th pick goes to the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots' first selection then becomes the 42nd pick in the second round and number 122 in round four. So he has the Patriots addressing the cornerback position right off the bat. And a guy that I'm surprised is not mentioned more as a potential Patriots target, someone I targeted for the Patriots in terms of a fit at the cornerback position early on in some of my draft analysis, Auburn's Roger McCreary.

The Patriots are definitely going to need someone that's going to be able to hang with a lot of these speedy receivers. McCreary is someone that has been an outside corner pretty much his entire career. He can align in the slot a little bit, but he's primarily that type of target. What are your thoughts on McCreary being the guy? Is this something that New England may be able to snag him in the second round? Because some people have graded him as high as a low first rounder. I have, I haven't, but I think it's a fantastic pick here. He's a press man guy. He's that type of guy that

Bill wants to have on one side of the field. Only 5'11". He's a fantastic athlete. His reaction time is a tad bit slow, but other than that, this is a really good pick. He has all the speed to be able to run with the receivers that are in this class, not in this class, but in this division, and I think you could do a lot worse. Nice pick here. Yeah, I like McCreary, and the more I look at what he brings to the table, I really like watching the film on him. He was someone that I've been watching since the Senior Bowl, so he had a very good performance in that game to see him, you know, come in and be able to, you know, form a pretty good, I think, pro career that he has ahead of him. Maybe New England might be a good fit for him. So good job right off the bat. So I like the aggression. I like the trading for value and still

being able to come away with a big time position of need and number 54 round two murph what can we say about john mechi the third uh this you know he had this this is a i mean this to me right now uh you know in terms of value i think some people are saying it might be too high i heard that over the weekend because i have met you going at number 54 but take a look at what this guy can do, folks. I don't know why people are so reticent to invest draft capital. It's not 1975, people. The same doctors that were working on Bobby Orr are not reconstructing these now. It's ridiculous.

It's unfathomable and and when i look at the grade that he got for getting making this pick i have to wonder about the algorithm because this kid's the playmaker in the draft yeah and you know algorithms are always interesting when it comes to mock drafts it's part of the reason why you know we have so much fun i think the draft network our good friends over at the draft network do an do an amazing job of being able to hone in that algorithm. So definitely take a look at some of those. Submit them, folks. We definitely want to feature you

and your great work here on Locked On Patriots. But Sol, I think, turns in another good, solid performance here. Darian Kennard out of Kentucky at the tackle position going offensive line. I liked this pick. I my god yeah and especially with value at the 62nd pick if the Patriots are going to be wheeling and dealing

you want to come away with someone that could have an impact and I think this kid can do it on the line yeah a lot of people have this this kid ranked in their top 10 I have him ranked in my top five at the position you know he's a guard tackle that can, you know, you could probably teach this kid to play center if you had to. I love his lower half. His legs help move bodies and anchor down when he's in pass protection. His hips are just, you know, they're like spindly little hips. I don't know how a man that's this big can be as swively as this guy. Power is this man's name.

He punches like a heavyweight boxer, and that's something that you need here. His game needs refining, but what better place to be refined than here? I keep telling you folks that anybody that Bill selects tape is going to go to Dante Skarnackia, and Dante's going to come back with some notes on how to fix this, that, and the other bloody thing. This is a fantastic pick. Yeah, without any question. I really, really like this pick a lot.

Another pick that he has going into the third round, 85th pick, a pick that the Patriots currently still have, or they do have I should say um UTSA's Tariq woolen coming in and uh being a a solid uh cornerback depth piece uh this kid is not going to start right away but now in is someone that I noticed is popping up in a lot of Patriots mock drafts now again I don't know if that's algorithm I don't know if it's fit but I think there is something there in terms of someone that could be a solid depth piece, maybe a spot starter. I think the reaction is mixed on this for a lot of reasons. What are your thoughts on Woolen here in terms of what Sully did? You know, I like what Sully did here.

You know, this kid is massive. He's 6'4". Okay. A very tall drink of water at 200 pounds, though. He's a former wide receiver. I always liked that, uh, flipping a good wide out over to make a better cornerback. Uh, he's a freak athlete. He really is. Uh, you know, he played basketball and ran track in, in college, uh, fantastic ball skills. He's not the most physical guy on the planet, people. Like I said, 6'4", 200 pounds.

He's definitely a zone guy. Let's put it that way. And I could also see him getting switched over to safety at the next level. That could be the move here. It's worked out here before for people hasn't it absolutely worked out for pretty well for someone that uh who knows is definitely headed uh for a red jacket and uh you know i think the argument can be made that he might be in consideration for a gold one someday i know that's going to elicit a lot of eye rolls but uh you know

i have a lot of respect for devin mccourty and i know you do as well and i have a lot of respect for Devin McCourty and I know you do as well. And I got a lot of respect for Sully. This is, this is a ballsy pick here that could work out, you know, not this year, but, but down the road. Absolutely. Agreed. And I think right in that, you know, that wheelhouse of where he might go, I know a lot of big draft boards have him ranked a little bit lower, but you know, Bill Belichick's not worried about what's on the draft board. He's worried about what his team is going to be able to do. And I like the aggression here. A couple of late rounders here, Murph, that I know probably made you smile.

Cam Juergens coming in from Nebraska at fifth round. Center depth there. We talked about center depth earlier with David Andrews. I think this could be a good move for them. That to me was a decent pick, but the sixth round pick at number 200 Murph, I know is one that made you smile. The Patriots get some depth at the tackle position with a Yukon guy, Ryan Vandermark coming in from Yukon. Overall Murph, what are your thoughts on Sully's draft here? What was his performance? Yeah, I thought

Vandermark was a really smart pick, and no, Sully did not do this just to make me smile. The kid's got talent. Overall, this is a fantastic draft. Sully, well done again. A solid B-plus here. It might even be an A-minus. I just can't get over the algorithm just dragging people down for Mechie. He's just that good. There isn't a bad pick here. There's a solid B everywhere. And just ignore that D plus. Yeah, I give him a solid B, B plus here for his efforts.

I think he did a very good job, especially in the middle part of this draft, being able to bring in pieces that they know the Patriots need. for his efforts i think he did a a very good job especially in the middle part of this draft being able to bring in pieces that they know the and the bottom you know exactly grabbing jurgens at 170. oh my god and and everybody's favorite you know uh seventh round pick slate bolden yeah absolutely and when you can round it out with slade bolden i know patriots fans are clamoring to see this thing what he can do uh that next late round undrafted gem that Bill Belichick is going to turn into the next Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Damian Amendola. You got to love it. There is a lot to bite onto there.

Murph, in the interest of time, we are about to wrap things up here with Locked On Patriots, but I could not let this day go by without at least giving props to our man, Andrew Carraway, who submitted our last mock draft submission for the day here on Locked On Patriots. And Murphy did what you and I want him to do. He did what I predicted that the Patriots should do over the weekend in my mock draft, but you've been on this kid's bandwagon for quite some time.

Number 21 and Andrew Carraway's at Carraway six folks. Follow him on Twitter. Great draft mind. There's been a guest here on locked on Patriots because of the prowess he brings. And we'd like to have him on again before the draft as well. Number 21 linebacker, N'Kobe Dean from the university of Georgia. Murph, this one just makes too much sense. It really does. The more I look, this one just makes too much sense. It really does.

The more I look at it, it makes too much sense. Sideline to sideline. I know not the prototypical cookie-cutter fit, but for the type of defense these guys want to put out there and the type of defense they're going to need to with all that speed in the AFC, this kid, they need the RPO eraser, like you said. They really do, and this kid, they need the RPO eraser, like you said. They really do. And this kid is it.

Just imagine what Bill is going to be able to do with a talent like this, with also having the guys that he has at safety already. It's going to be fantastic. You know, you can line him up anywhere. I'm watching tape where Dean is lined up on the far hash mark on one side and making tackles on the other before anybody else is in the area. This kid is it, man. This kid is top-shelf booze.

Go get him. Go get him. People keep talking about how, well, Dean is playing behind that defensive line down there in Georgia. Who the hell do you think he's going to be behind here? Who do you think he's going to be behind at the pros? These are pros. These are pros.

These are guys that are going to be able to give Dean the space and what he needs to really excel at this level. N'Kobe Dean is the future. Go get him. Yeah, I agree with you. If he's sitting there at number 21 bar none he's the guy i'm taking and that includes some of the wide receivers as well i know we gushed over jameson williams generational talent i agree with you but those two guys are both sitting there i'll tell

you that's a tough selection for bill belichick and the patriots brass and we'll see uh we know the value that they place on wide receivers and they know the value that they place on linebackers so that could be interesting. Again, I think a great overall submission here for Andrew Carroll. All of these mock drafts will be out on Locked On Patriots. So go and take a look at it. I encourage you. Made a pretty good trade with

the Bears, you know, just giving up the 54th pick in round two and coming back with a third, a fifth, and a sixth rounder. Not too bad um wide receiver one before we uh we we take our leave today uh at round 385 a pick the patriots have uh khalil shaker out of uh boise state what are your thoughts on khalil coming in because again he's a player i'm starting to see attached to the patriots a little bit more than at the beginning

in recent days. Is there a reason for this groundswell, in your opinion? Straight out of Boise. You make it a little bit noisy. We really like this pick, man. You know, he's a fun, deep threat, man. He's a guy that gets down the field. He's going to drag coverages the way all of you people out there want.

You want that outside guy that's going to drag coverages. This kid is it, man. He's got room to grow. Right now, he's he's kind of you know his tree is a bit limited but other than that man he's going to see a lot of press man coverage because he has a lot of difficulties with that he's only 5 11 and 186 pounds but he's solid as it comes, man. He's got good release packages. I think this would be a good pick here. Yeah, I think it would be a good pick as well.

And look, I think that that's one of the reasons why I would definitely give this draft overall a solid B+. He gets an A-plus for the Kobe Dean selection, folks. But I think Andrew did, again, a solid job. And I like the trade. I like the aggression here. Good, solid draft knowledge. And that's something that again, a solid job. And I like the trade. I like the aggression here. Good, solid draft knowledge. And that's something that has been a real key, I think, in all of our submissions here, Murph, is the guys that have submitted and the people that have submitted their mock drafts here

for Locked On Patriots, hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. They know their draft. And we encourage you folks, if you want a mock draft shared here on Locked On Patriots, please go ahead and make sure to share that. You can reach out to Murph himself at TMurph207. You can definitely reach out to me at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L or share it on the Locked On Patriots page, which is the most preferable, at L-O underscore Patriots.

Give it a follow if you haven't already done so. Again, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making Locked On Patriots not just a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Murph, what can I say? I thank you

so much for your wisdom, your counsel. Folks, if you haven't checked out the great work done by my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, please do so at e2gsports.com he is not only a phenomenal patriots columnist with the green wisdom and counsel that only he can provide but when it comes to baseball there is second to none i don't believe it in the mlb if it doesn't come from murph his coverage of the red socks and everything major league baseball

is absolute point clickclick learn enrichment material. No, I don't think so, but I really, I completely stand by that, and I definitely encourage you folks to check out his great work. On behalf of Locked On Patriots, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy

for his time, his insight, and his appearance today on the pod, but most of all, again, we thank you so much for saying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Until tomorrow, folks, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.

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