Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - DeVante-Mac…No Matter What; Mac Jones, DeVante Parker and New England Patriots 2022 Draft Prospects — 4/22/22

Episode Date: April 23, 2022

With less than one week until the start of the 2022 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots continue to scout their potential stars of the future. However, it may be a new quarterback-receiver combination that may turn some heads in Foxboro. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Mark Schofield of USA Today. The duo discuss the combination of quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVante Parker. They also provide their thoughts on the best fits for the Patriots in the upcoming NFL Draft.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-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: 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.Shady RaysEXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK. Blue NileThis Mother’s Day give mom something she’ll treasure forever with fine jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKEDON SPORTS listeners get $50 off $500. Use code LOCKEDON at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devante Parker meets the Patriots press and we are less than one week away from the 2022 NFL draft draft analysis and insight that only sensei skull can provide on my debate. And you're about to be locked into the locked 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 welcome to this Friday weekend episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast.

I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Sports Illustrated's Patriots Country. I am also your host of Lockdown, which which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Folks, I thank you for each and every day making Locked On Patriots not just your first listen every day, but also a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And as you can see here today, folks, weekends are always special here on Locked On Patriots. And for this Friday, we definitely went to the well, the great golden well of Locked On Patriots. I feel like I'm being joined by Locked On Patriots royalty here today.

And I really do mean that from the bottom of my heart. The greatest of all time in my estimation. Folks, you know he's no stranger to you and the fans of Locked On Patriots, the longtime listeners of Locked On. He needs no introduction, but I'm going to give him one anyway, just because I love doing it. The host emeritus here on Locked On Patriots, an amazing writer, analyst for platforms such as Inside the Pylon, Big Blue View, Bleeding Green Nation, Pat's Pulpit, and of course, USA Today's Touchdown Wire,

just to name a few. His podcast, The Scosho, always, always a must listen. Definitely check out any episode that comes out. You definitely will be far more entertained and far more informed than you were going into it. That's right, folks. Today we are blessing the reins and welcoming back my predecessor, my mentor, my sensei, my good friend, Mark Schofield. Mark, thanks for coming back today. Welcome back to the pod, bud.

It's great to be back, Michael. Thank you for the kind words, the kind introduction. And the time had worked out because I just fought off like three different sneezes there. And so, you know, we love allergy season. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. It's brutal right now. It is great to be back with you, buddy.

I always love catching up. I say it every time I come on. It's just, it's so awesome to me to see, you know, where you've taken the show. I mean, the professional intros. I mean, this, this, this is, this is legitimate stuff here. I don't know if I'm even worthy at this point of returning, but it's great to be back. Excited to be with you. Well, thank you for the compliment.

I appreciate it. Hey, you know what they, you know, Michael Cole, my own set in five years, the Cole, your own family is going to be completely you. Well, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. Hey, you know what they, you know, Michael Coleon said, in five years, the Coleon family is going to be completely legitimate. That's what we're aiming for here on Locked On Patriots, legitimacy. Hopefully it works out better for us than it did for Michael Coleon. That wasn't really, yeah, that wasn't really a good outcome, my friend, but no, all kidding aside, anytime we get a chance to talk ball, whether it's professionally, personally, some of my favorite conversations. And I always learn something from you. That's why I call you my sensei.

Of course, got to throw in some Cobra Kai message, you know, some Cobra Kai thoughts there. You know, I really, you know, our listeners here on Lockdown Patriots are the true heroes because they put up with my penchant for puns. And Mark, as you'll see when the show is posted, I'm titling today's show Devante Mack No Matter What. If anybody's a draft day fan out there, you know what I'm getting at. I don't have a chartreuse colored sticky note to put up, but you know what I'm getting at. And look, bottom line, the draft is less than a week away and we're going to talk heavily on the draft today without any question. But Devante Parker met the patriots media yesterday on on thursday and very affable uh very good very uh you know great conversation big smile you can tell he's really happy to be here in new england

davante is a man of few words i think he'd be the first to tell you that but those words definitely caught on with uh the media members that were in but those words definitely caught on with the media members that were in attendance, and they also caught on with the fans. Two things particularly that stood out to me. One, he actually wanted to come here. This was his choice. He really went to Chris Greer and the Dolphins Brass and said, I want to be in New England, all things being equal. That's where I want to go, and everything came together quite nicely for that. But the other that really stood out to me is something that should make Patriots fans, I think, feel a little excited for this season. And that was the praise that he had for Mac Jones. Right off the bat, complimented his arm. It was the first thing that he thought about. And that's

usually not the first thing that people will say about Mac. He's got a nice arm, got a nice control, nice throw on the ball. It's a catchable ball. It's not tough. Very complimentary in those regards and said he's very much looking forward to the season. We know he worked out with Mac down in Tampa earlier this month. They're going through off-season workouts right now. Mark, you see things us mere mortals don't when it comes to quarterbacks. And you've been

very honest in your assessment with Mac from day one. When you look at the potential pairing of these two, is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? I certainly hope so, and I do believe that the foundation is there. My biggest takeaway from Devontae Parker's comments, perhaps more than anything else, was just showed sort of how plugged in he is to not just the fan base but to the league overall. I thought, you know, not just only the talk about Mack. And this isn't your new receiver coming in saying good things about his quarterback.

There's a basis for that. Obviously, like you just said, he had worked out with Mack. He had spent time with him. So when he says he throws a very catchable ball when he talks about his arm it's first person knowledge it's not him you know sneaking peeks at the at the jumbotron when the patriots offense is on the field and the dolphins offense is on the sideline he's on the other end of throws now so he's got that basis of knowledge and first-hand experience catching passes for mac jones that has put him in a position to give that sort of commentary

on what Matt Jones can do as a thrower of the football. The other thing that I really sort of love to hear, and as you know, I had a very fascinating discussion last Friday with somebody, with Jeff Warren, who hosts the Philadelphia Sports Talk podcast. Jeff and I have been doing shows together for a long time, and he was actually down in the D.C. area, and we got a chance to actually meet in person. It was one of these weird things where it's like you've been doing shows

with somebody forever, and then you get to actually sit down and break bread with them. And we talked about that. The difficulty we have sometimes, those of us, and I'm sure you've experienced something similar, trying to divorce the fan from the analyst and trying to like keep a clear-headed approach and not let the fanhood creep in absolutely devonte parker mentioned the patriots fans as a reason why he wanted to come to new england it's hard to ignore

that from my perspective and again i think that goes to how plugged in that he is into this fan base because he probably understands it. Look, Patriots fans are looking around. They're seeing Tyree kill now in Miami. They're seeing obviously what the Buffalo Bills have put together. They're looking at mock drafts that have the Jets with five picks in the top 70 of this draft. And they're wondering, man, what's going on? And so I thought Parker's admission in that comment that he came here in part because of the fans

and that's part of the reason he wanted to be here, I thought, was an extremely astute comment from him. I think it's certainly a way to sort of warm himself and endear himself to the Patriots fan base. But I do think, you know, the first person knowledge of Matt Jones as a quarterback is the biggest part here. And in terms of this becoming the start of a great friendship, I think there's that potential. When you look at somebody with his experience, with his size, with his frame, with the way he plays the position, in talking to other quarterbacks around the league or via the draft,

in talking to some prospects, for example, Alec Pierce, the Cincinnati wide receiver who is a bigger X-type receiver. I got a chance to interview him, and he talked about his catch radius and how he wants to be a quarterback security blanket. He wants to be a quarterback's best friend. When you have that ability as a quarterback to put a throw in the direction of somebody and know that it doesn't have to be perfect, but he's going to be able to get there, he's going to be able to adjust to it,

he's going to be able to use his catch radius, his reaction skills, his body control to get to the football no matter where you put it. That's a huge confidence boost for a quarterback. And so Parker offers that potential for this offense. Now, I certainly hope they're not done addressing, say, the offensive skill positions. And I know we're going to talk about offensive skill players in this draft class, but I think Parker's addition gives them some wiggle room in the draft it gives them some wiggle

room at 21 where if the value isn't there at receiver and it may be or it may not be they don't have to force a pick they can go in a different direction if there's a run on receivers say you know you've got teams right above them that might address address receiver whether it's you know houston at 13, Philly at 15, New Orleans with their picks at 16 and 19, the Chargers at 17. Actually, it's New Orleans at 16 and 19, Philly at 15 and 18. I mean, those are positions, those are spots of the draft where receivers could come off the board, and the value might be at a different position at 21 when the Patriots are on the

clock. Having Parker in the fold gives them some wiggle room where they don't have to force a pick if they don't feel the value is there. So there's a lot of benefits to this position. Now, of course, the Miami Dolphins traded him within the division. That tells you what Miami thinks about him. Now, of course, having added Tyree Kill, there's a reason why they're freed up to do that. And so it's not like you're – this isn't a scenario where it's like, yeah, we just added Randy Moss via trade.

This is not that. But it's a nice addition that I hope is the start of a week or so of added talent around Mac Jones. Yeah, and I completely agree with you on that. I think that's something that the fan base, and for the most part, the fans that I've interacted with have been very level-headed when it comes to the acquisition of Devontae Parkerer i don't think anybody's looking at this as saying oh okay we just got like you said a randy moss that next level hall of fame surefire receiver

that's going to be you know the best guy in the league uh i think they're understanding what davante is brought here for and look one of the big things that i think is going to really help jones this year when it comes to the addition of someone like Devontae is a viable red zone presence, which, you know, arguably they haven't really had at the position in quite a while. I agree with you. I think they will continue to address this position and I think they will in the draft. We'll get to that in a moment. But the other thing is Devontae's ability to gain yak, to gain yards after the catch uh nod to my guy Murph over there who loves using the term yak and you know I'll just I'll use it for

him today in your honor my friend but uh I think in that regard you look at what Devante's done 14 yards per reception throughout his career he's added after the catch that's a pretty good average for a receiver and someone that is known to be able to fight for yardage afterwards. Some of the photos that you go through when you look at highlights of Devontae Parker are of him breaking tackles, are of him getting past his secondary defenders to be able to get what he needs. So he's never averaged fewer than 11 yards per reception. We know Mack likes the yak in his receivers. Let's see if he's going to be able to do that.

So, Mark, again, spot on analysis. Great stuff. I can't thank you enough for that. And, my friend, we are just scratching the surface, folks, here on Locked On Patriots, because in just a moment, the draft guru himself will give us his thoughts on what the Patriots are going to do on that draft day or those draft days, I should say. Are they going to target the wide receiver position early on? Does Devontae Parker's acquisition change their thought process that much?

And the best of the rest when it comes to the offensive draft prospects here on Locked On Patriots in just a moment. But folks, Mother's Day is approaching. And at BlueNile.com, you can celebrate all of life's special moments, whether it's creating the custom engagement ring of her dreams or that significant other, or to gifting mom a classic and timeless jewelry piece at all prices you won't find at a traditional jeweler. Whether she prefers a statement piece or an everyday subtle elegance piece, BlueNile.com has that fine jewelry option for every mom. Shop high-quality classic diamond earrings, elegant tennis bracelets, or gemstone pendant necklaces.

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Go to BlueNile.com today. Patriots fans, it is always an honor to be joined by the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, my good friend Mark Schofield of USA Today. Mark, we talked a little bit about the Patriots and their acquisition of Devontae Parker, what it may mean for Mac Jones in the long run. Obviously, Patriots fans want to see Mac take that sophomore leap rather than the sophomore slump, want to see him get better and build on a strong rookie season. Parker is going to help him to do that, but it's not going to be the only

answer that they need. The Patriots do have some holes on offense that need to be filled, and with the draft less than a week away, you have to think that that is going to be their primary focus. They're not flush with a lot of cap space right now, so they're going to take a temperate approach to what's going on here with the Patriots and how they're going to build this roster, and the draft is the best way to do it. Guard position, offensive line, really, I think you can make the argument that they can target going to to build this roster and the draft is the best way to do it guard position offensive line really I think you can make the argument that they can target any of those positions but obviously guard with one glaring hole at least at left guard left behind by Ted Karras's departure looks like Michael Wainu is probably going to be the replacement for Shaq Mason but we don't have

confirmation of that yet we won't until probably training camp. Wide receiver is a position we talked about in the last segment. Third down running back, James White getting a little long in the tooth. Do you want to go in that area? Try to replace that. Mark, when you look at offensive prospects in this draft, who do you believe is the best fit for the Patriots? Not necessarily the top guys on the board,

but when you look at what the Patriots bring to the table and how they want to build this roster, who would make the best Patriot in Foxborough for 2022 and beyond? Yeah, I mean, there are a number of players that I think would make fantastic Patriots that would be great from a scheme fit perspective, from a roster construction perspective. I mean, you look at interior offensive line, I do think that Zion Johnson would make a lot of sense for this team. The problem with that is are you going to draft him at 21,

give him some other needs? And Daniel Jeremiah on his pre-draft conference call on Wednesday, or I think Thursday of this week, talked about, look, if you're a team in the 20s or early 30s of this draft that wants to address offensive line, the value might be better if you wait. Because, you know, maybe Zion Johnson is available when you're on the clock, maybe not. But when you get to, say second third round range you're talking about guys like Ed Ingram from LSU from Derry, Kinnard at Kentucky, Jamari Slayer from Georgia, Cole Strange from

Chattanooga like you're going to find very good interior offensive linemen that can be week one starters in the NFL on days two and even early on day three in this draft and so I know that there's been a sort of link with, you know, Zion Johnson or some of the other Kenyon green, for example, I think is a very, very good interior offensive lineman from Texas A&M. You can, you can wait, you know, and you can also make that case about wide receiver to wide receivers, perhaps the deepest position in this draft class.

And you were going to find players that come off the board on day three, maybe midway through day three, there are going to be starters. A guy like Kyle Phillips at UCLA that is a tremendous slot receiver. I compared him to Braxton Berrios after his third band energy drink of the day because of his footwork, because of the stuff that he does as a route runner. He's going to be available, you know, perhaps when the Patriots are on the clock really late in this draft. I mean, he might be there when they're on the clock at 201 or even at 170s and so you know now he's more

of a slot type receiver and so maybe there isn't really the need there but as far as a Patriot that a guy that I keep coming back to is John Meche from Alabama you know and he mentioned it at the combine he told us that look you know I've been aware of this growing trend in the National Football League to pair quarterbacks and receivers together again at the National Football level. You've seen it, whether it's Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith, whether it's Tua and Jalen Waddell. Like you're seeing this trend towards adding a receiver via the draft

that a quarterback has already played with because the chemistry part is so important. Heck, we just saw the Las Vegas Raiders trade for Devontae Adams to reunite Adams with Derek Carr. And immediately myself and Doug Farrar at USA Today, we went back and we were pulling up old school Fresno State footage and you're seeing them throw back shoulders to each other. And it's like that chemistry between quarterback and receiver is so critical. And when you get to the idea of sort of reunited Mechie with Matt

Jones and you talk about oh you know what the Patriots are looking for at the wide receiver position well you touched on a lot of it yardage after the catch right the ability to sort of you know give you extra and we all know that that the ability to create yardage after the catch is a core foundational tenant of the Patriots' offense, particularly with Matt Jones. I know all the questions about arm talent and pushing the ball vertically and all that stuff, and I think he's in the process mechanically and working with potentially Tom House.

You know, we've seen those rumblings that he's going to add some velocity, and maybe that part comes comes but we all know the patriots want to be a quick throw yardage after the catch you know the passing game is an extension of the run game that's where they want to be philosophically mechi's one of his best traits is after the catch you know what he creates after the catch the explosiveness the ability to stop and start the ability to quickly change directions yes, he's coming off of the knee injury, but we've seen players, you know, Jameson Williams, his teammate, who's going to go early in this draft, he's coming off an ACL tear,

and he expects to be ready for training camp. You know, the ability to rehab quickly after ACL injuries, the medical marvel that it is now, there's no real concern about where he's going to be, John Meche, or Jameson Williams, really, when they get ready for training camp and rookie minicamp and things like that. And so I look at Mechie as sort of a quintessential guy that the Patriots should target. Now, when would you have to do that? I don't think you'd have to do it at 21, which frees up positions we'll talk about, I think, in the third segment.

But I think when you get to 54 and he's staring you in the face, I'm completely fine with that at 54. I think it makes a lot of sense for a number of different reasons. The chemistry between the quarterback, the ability, and the quarterback and receiver, the ability after the catch, the fact that that is what the Patriots traditionally need out of their wide receivers to get you extra yardage to turn three-yard throws

into 15-yard gains on a continued basis. That's what he offers, and that's what I think you can get with him if you draft him at 54. Yeah, completely, completely agreed on Mechie, and I've done, you know, several mock drafts, as you have, as so many analysts throughout the league and throughout Patriots media have, and I've mocked Mechie to the Patriots at least a couple of times, if not more, at number 54. And I, like a lot of my colleagues, have been accused of double dipping in that regard. But he really is an ideal fit for the Patriots offense for all of the reasons that you've mentioned.

Yards after the catch, definitely. But the size, the quickness, I think people forget that he has that versatility, too, to line up in the Z-roll. He can line up in the slot. There really is a lot of versatility and people will scoff at the idea about him being a college teammate of Mac Jones and having that reuniting that does count for something folks, synergy and chemistry does count for a lot when it comes to receivers and their quarterback. We saw the greatest in the world here for a number of years develop chemistry

with guys and some very talented players just did not get on the same page with Tom Brady it's very difficult to be able to manufacture that it can be done it's not definitely impossible but it is difficult to do that when it's not there I think you already have that type of synergy between Jones and between Mechie. I would love to see him come in here at 54. I agree with you. I think the Parker acquisition does allow them the flexibility of not having to jump at the best available receiver at 21, whereas before that, I think they may have been under some pressure, whether Belichick and the Patriots Brain Trust wanted to admit it or not. They may have been under a little

bit of pressure in order to bring in that big play threat, someone that could really help Mack. I think they can do it a little bit more subtly now, and maybe Mechie is the guy at 54. Offensive line all of a sudden becomes a possibility, and then if you're going to go offense, I think that's the way to go, and there are talented guys. You mentioned Kenyon Green out of Texas A&M came in for a top 30 visit. The Patriots obviously have interest in his services. Trevor Penning is a guy that is a tackle.

It could be a lineman that may be a swing lineman in his first year, but I think he's got starter capabilities. There's definitely an argument to be made there. And my favorite lineman in this class is Zion Johnson out of Boston College. I love the BC guys, Mark, but at the same time, there's a lot to like in his game. So folks, I want to interject you for one quick second here, because, you know, when you talk about, you know, people might sort of shrug their shoulders at that connection between a quarterback and receiver. I'd like to offer a reading from the gospel according to Joe Montana, who prior to Tom Brady was arguably

the greatest quarterback that ever played the position. And back in January, I wrote a piece about Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase and this idea of that chemistry between quarterback and receiver. And I pulled a quote from Montana's book, The Art and Magic of Quarterbacking, and quoted from Montana here, practice and playing together is key for a quarterback and his receivers. After a while, you will be able to just feel things.

You can tell by the way a receiver runs, for instance, where he's going to break or how sharp he's going to be coming out of it. That's an edge for you. The last thing you should be doing is taking too long to think about what is happening. Obviously, there is a certain amount of information processing taking place, but with enough patience and practice, it should become second nature. That's what you're getting if you add John Meche into Mac Jones. You're getting ahead of that curve.

You're getting ahead of that process where it becomes second nature, where you just know, oh, he's running this route. The defender's playing inside leverage, so he's going to cut it a little bit differently than if the defender was playing him head up or outside leverage. I don't have to think about it too much. It's just feel and second nature. And I talk all the time about expanding the decision-making window

for a quarterback, particularly a younger quarterback, right? The more time they have to think about things, to process things, and to make the right decision with the football, the better that decision is going to be. And for a quarterback like Matt Jones, where the arm talent isn't say on par with a Josh Allen or a Patrick Mahomes. And I think we can all sort of agree that right now it's not, and maybe Jones improves in that area, but the more time he has to get ahead of decisions, it's going to lead to better throws, more anticipation on throws and yardage after the

catch isn't part of quarterback stat. If you put the ball out on time in rhythm, you can maximize the separation of the catch point between receiver and defender. And those five yard throws, 10 yard throws become 20, 15, 18, 25 yard gains as a result.

And so this idea of chemistry between receiver and quarterback is huge. Don't take it just for me. I'm just a dude with a hat and a quarter zip on. Take it from Joe Montana. So that's why I wanted to sort of interject that in there because if you think it's overrated, Montana says it's not. Absolutely. So well said.

I couldn't have said it better myself, and that's why I left it to your good volition to do that. No, kidding aside, excellent drop in and interjection, and I'm glad that you mentioned that because it is something that does count, and when you listen to guys that have played the game, especially someone who played the game as at high level as Joe Montana had throughout his career, when he talks, he's one of those guys. He's another EF Hutton. When it comes to quarterbacks, you listen to what Joe Montana has to say. And I think that's excellent information and excellent insight the way only

Sensei Scope can provide it, folks. But we're not done yet, because if offense gets the headlines, defense wins championships. And there are defensive prospects that the Patriots should be eyeing as well in this draft. Who does Mark have his sharp eye on? Stay tuned in just a moment, and we'll discuss that when this Friday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But when you have a guest that shines as bright as Mark Schofield, sometimes you have to wear your sunglasses indoors. That's how bright your future is when you're talking football with this man. Corey Hart's got nothing on us, bud.

We're going to wear our sunglasses at night. We're going to do it anytime we want to because the great folks over at Shady Rays are putting out a phenomenal product. Shady Rays is an independent sunglass company that gives you the features of $200 sunglasses for a fraction of the price. That means polarized lenses, well-constructed durable frames, and premium high-end finishes. Also, something that you won't find anywhere else is Shady Ray's Insane Protection Program. Shady Ray's includes lost, broken protection on every single pair. They'll send you a brand new pair if you lose them, no matter what happened. So folks, give them a try. And if you don't love them,

you'll pay nothing. It's as simple as that. Plus, when you do business with the great folks over at Shady Ray's, 10 meals are donated to fight hunger in America. When you shop with Shady Rays exclusively for our listeners, head to ShadyRays.com and use promo code LOCKEDON to get 50% off two or more pairs of polarized sunglasses. That's code LOCKEDON for the best deal of the season. 50% off two or more pairs of Shady Rays sunglasses backed by over 150,000 verified five-star reviews. ShadyRays.com. Patriots fans, once again, we are graced by the host emeritus here in Lockdown Patriots, my good friend Mark Schofield.

Mark, it's always a blast talking football with you. The wisdom and counsel and knowledge meter, the needle broke off a long time ago, but you are absolutely giving us a true masterclass in what Patriots fans should be looking for in the draft and out of the quarterback-wide receiver relationship. But we're going to flip over to the opposite side of the ball right now, my friend. We're going to talk a little defense. Obviously, the loss of J.C. Jackson was a big hit for this team. Cornerback position is one that a lot of Patriots fans expect will be addressed at some point in the 2022 NFL

draft. Obviously, the bringing in of Malcolm Butler mitigates that a little bit, but there's still a need there. Linebacker is a position that's very curious right now because patriots we're all being honest and i've said this several times here on the on the pod looked a little slow a little long in the tooth last year at that position patriots looking to get faster and we've even heard gerard mayle talk about that uh in interviews uh recent interviews and interviews right up until last year defensive line always an option the patriots looked a little bit difficult against the run. Do you bring in a solid nose tackle? There's all different types of ways that the Patriots can upgrade the defense. Mark, looking at the Patriots deficiencies, looking at their losses in free

agency, the players they've added, because it hasn't all been losses, they've added Mack Wilson, they've added Jabril Peppers. I mentioned the addition of Malcolm Butler. Where do you see the Patriots going? What should they be targeting heading into this draft? I mean, there's a number of different positions they could look at on the defensive side of the ball. You could certainly look at linebacker. I mentioned Daniel Jeremiah's conference call when he was talking about the Patriots.

He talked about getting more dynamic and athletic on both sides of the ball, but particularly mentioned linebacker as an area of need. I mentioned a player that I know we're going to talk about in a few minutes here that might be able to add that at 21 in the draft. I do think corner is a position where, you know, you might see a double dip, you know, they might address it early, whether it's 21-54, and then you might get later into the draft, on day three, 170-201, you know, there's depth at the corner position as well. You will find some players that will play in that range that will have talent, that will have some of the components you're looking for at the position, whether it's

zone coverage, eyes and awareness, whether it's press coverage, chops, you know, you might not get a well-rounded complete player, but you'll find somebody in that area of the draft that I think has talent and is, you know, a capable NFL player. And so, and, and historically the Patriots have done a very good job at identifying talent later in the draft or even priority free agents, Malcolm Butler, for example, at the cornerback position. So I think, you know, those are two positions I think obviously they will want to address linebacker and corner. I do think added a defensive tackle at some point makes a lot of sense.

And because of the way defensive tackle has been revalued, so to speak, you'll find guys on day three. And, you know, some names to sort of mention there. I like Mathis, the kid from Alabama. Obviously pairing him with Christian Barnmore in the interior might make a lot of sense. A player that I like as well is Matthew Butler from Tennessee. You know, he kind of slid under the radar a little bit.

I think I'm a little bit higher on him than consensus, but I think he was like my D tackle six in this class. I'm excited by him. If you're looking for somebody that's more of that nose and that sort of like two gap ability, if you want to play odd fronts, you know, the John Ridgeway from Arkansas, he's kind of moved himself into that sort of late day to early day three conversation.

He's a player to watch at that position. Matt Henningensen is a player that I just saw I was getting some top 30 visits he's from Wisconsin he was more of a five technique but you know you could see him move around a little bit on the offensive line um you know he could be a defensive end in some odd fronts or maybe a you know a three technique and some four-man surfaces so he's a player sort of watch so there's depth of the defensive tackle position. But, you know, I think at 21, again, given the addition of Devontae Parker, there doesn't need to be a reach at receiver unless, look, if a Jameson Williams or somebody of that caliber is staring me in the face,

then sure, yeah, you know, you'll run to the podium. But with the expectation, you know, I think the number with Vegas is 5.5, or maybe even yeah i think it's five and a half right now with respect to wide receivers in the first round there's an opportunity for belichick to do his old you know zig while everybody's zagging if there's this run at receivers and i mentioned the teams that might address receiver before them you know they could get a very good defensive player at a position of need whether it's linebacker or corner and so you, there are names to watch there.

I mean, I just dropped on Friday what I would do mock draft, and at 21 it was Devin Lloyd. I am fascinated by Devin Lloyd. I think he's a quintessential Belichick pick. He's somebody that can impact the passing game due to his length and athleticism and awareness. You know, he's almost a walk-in case for spot droppin' because he's an experienced linebacker who can read out concepts.

He had a great play against BYU, breaking out to the boundary, up the hash, up the seams, and break up a throw on a seam route that was wide open. They used him off of the edge in some sub-packages. That's where you see that length show up as well. So he can play sort of an edge linebacker hybrid role, very similar schematically at least to Micah Parsons and how the Cowboys used him last year.

When you had him as an off-ball guy, but they had a needed edge, they could drop him down at edge, and a lot of people said his best role was as a pass rusher off the edge. So I really like Devin Lloyd. I know off-ball linebacker tends to be a bit devalued, but I look at what he offers, and I think with a need at linebacker, to be a bit devalued but i i look at what he offers and i think with a need at linebacker that makes a lot of sense i know a lot of people are very excited about the kobe dean from georgia the very smart player got a chance to talk to him as well on a

show and he talked about run fits and fitting against zone and stack track and fall back and all sorts of fun run fit stuff and then he talked to me about nfts and explained those to me i mean really smart kid a fun conversation yeah yes i know there's sort of this idea that he's slow which i don't understand at all i think it's because you know he hasn't tested because he's been dealing with some injuries i watch a guy on that pick six against florida or that play against michigan where he tracks the wide the back all the way across the formation on a designed orbit swing and tackles him for a loss on that play. I don't see a kid that's slow at all. I think the concerns from a Patriots perspective would be he's undersized at the position. At Belichick and company, they're probably not going to draft a linebacker

that's really the size of a safety, a 21 overall. So, you know, I think Lloyd makes more sense. If they decide to wait on linebacker. Linebackers are another position where you're going to find depth. You know, I like Christian Harris from Alabama. You know, opinions vary on him. Other people really like the other two Georgia kids, whether it's Quay Walker or Channing Tindall. Tindall reminds me a lot of Kyle Van Noy or Jamie Collins, like athletic.

You can use them to spy the quarterback um chanel from wisconsin you know he's more of a throwback type of player that like downhill thumper type between the tackles sort of a juwan bentley type feel to him but other people really sort of like him then he gets sort of deeper into the draft the defensive tasem hill is in this draft class. And that's Troy Anderson from Montana State, who recently became a linebacker. He was a quarterback in high school, played linebacker as a freshman at Montana State. And then when the quarterback was ruled ineligible, he switched back to quarterback. He still has single game rushing records at Montana State, flips back to linebacker for the past two seasons.

He's still learning the position. There are times where he guesses and guesses wrong, so it's a bit tough for him, but a very athletic player that you might want to add later on day two, early on day three. So there is depth at linebacker, and there's also depth at corner. And this cornerback class, whether it's Booth at 21, whether it's Trent McDuffie at 21, Kyer Elam at 21. I really like Roger McCreary from Auburn. I know people are worried about him from an arm length perspective, and I get it. He's an outlier, like first percentile arm length.

They're very short. I get it. But then you see him covering guys like Jamar Chase in the SEC as a younger player in the SEC. I think you say you throw that out the window. You know, you throw it out the window. I think cornerback is another position they could address at 21. Those are some names at 21.

But certainly if they want to double dip, you look later in the draft, right? Cam Taylor Britt from Nebraska, I really like him. I really like him. Alonte Taylor from Tennessee, I like him a lot too. Kobe Bryant from Cincinnati, he's a very interesting study because he had Sauce Gardner on one side, so they basically put him to the boundary. So he was over the three – to the field, excuse me.

He was over the three-receiver side of a lot of three-by-one concepts. Had to read a lot of stuff out, had to process a lot of stuff, had to work through route coverages and how they unfolded in front of him. And I think he handled it extremely well extremely well and so I really like him so there's depth at these two positions linebacker and corner if they address one at 21 they will have great options for them later in the draft to address the other position yeah great points absolutely great points and I'm glad that you mentioned Lloyd because I've been a N'Kobe Dean guy anybody that's listening to the ultimate mock

draft knows that I mocked N'Kobe to the Patriots at number 21 for a lot of the reasons that you said. And I agree with you. I basically think that N'Kobe possesses a tremendous amount of football speed, maybe not necessarily 40 speed, but he does have that football sideline, the sideline ability to cover.

And the chances that he has of being able to be that RPO type of racer defender really intrigued me with N'Kobi Dean then I started to really take a closer look at Devin Lloyd and Devin Lloyd you want to talk about defensive deception this guy really I think fits that Belichickian mold so well especially when you're going to have two teams in your division that are going to be running outside zone quite often I think that that's something that the Patriots may give him a look at because there is a lot of ability and things that he can do. He can shoot upfield.

He can take down backs. I really like Devin Lloyd in that role as well. The thing that I really love about Lloyd is his length. I know the idea that Emory Hunt's size is not a skill, and I get that. He is so long. I mean, I wrote a piece about Dean and Lloyd at USA Today talking about the different ways, how they both impact the passing game, which you need to be as an off-wall linebacker.

You need to be that player that can impact the passing game because otherwise, if you're just a two down between the tackle and stumper, the value isn't there. But if you're going to draft a linebacker in the first round, you have to be able to impact the passing game. They do it differently. Dean with speed and athleticism, Lloyd with that length. And as we got into the later part of this draft cycle

and we're doing player comparisons and scouting profiles, I tend to get a little punchy. And so part of my comparison for Devin Lloyd, and this is for all you video game players out there, I just got done playing Elden Ring, that brand new game, and it was brutally punishing. And anybody that's played that has come across the Erdtree avatars. It's this, like, boss that you see in the open world,

and they just have this punishing, like, huge, like, hammer-type thing, and you can think you're on your horse, and you're, like, 700 yards away from the thing and it can still reach you in one shot kill you that length reminded me of devin lloyd and i like i said i get punchy with my comps late in the draft season but that's part of who i compared him to because that length shows up it shows up when he's past rushing off the edge and he can on a he had a pick a pick on a screen a tunnel screen because he got a hand up and tipped it tipped him to himself and intercepted it that play against byu runs up the seam a

deflection that length shows up on film and it helps them be disruptive against the passing game and that's part of the reason why i absolutely love him he was my linebacker one i think it'd be a great fit for new england i love dean too i love both of these kids i think they're both first round talents but i like lloyd a. Yeah. And you know, I could definitely understand that. And for someone that was, you know, team Dean for quite some time, I really have warmed to the idea of Devin Lloyd at that position as well. And I don't think they can go wrong with either one. You look at the type of player that they are and what the Patriots are looking to do, get a little younger, get a little quicker and get a little more aggressive at linebacker.

These guys can do it. And they're quality human beings. Like you said, they're smart guys. They're great leadership guys. They really take that role very seriously, even at a young age. And that's something that is so important to a New England Patriots team, where you look at camaraderie, you look at synergy and you look at leadership. That linebacker position has always been one to carry for the New England Patriots team where you look at camaraderie, you look at synergy, and you look at leadership. That linebacker position has always been one to carry for the New England Patriots. And if Dante Hightower has played his final down in New England,

which we don't know yet, they're going to be looking for those high quality guys in the locker room that can take that unit on its shoulders and say, follow me. I know what I'm doing. I'm going to lead you to the promised land. That's a big, big part of that as well. And of course, I think you made some great, you know, details about corner. We hear about, you know, Booth, we hear about Elam, we hear about Roger McCreary and we hear about McDuffie. Those are the guys that right now, if the Patriots did take them in the first round, like you said, they're definitely there.

And there's a reason for any one of them. But I like some of the mid roundround additions that you mentioned as well. Cordell Flott is a lot of, you know, light on him recently. I think it was Mel Kuyper and Todd McShay who had mentioned him as a possibility mid to late rounds. He's been getting some light on him lately. And we talked about him earlier here on Locked On Patriots, a very common mid-round addition to some mock drafts. So there's a lot of options, folks, coming up in the 2022 NFL draft. And then Wingman Patriots definitely have their work cut out for them.

But this is a deep draft where the Patriots need players. And at those positions, they're going to have a good amount of talent to choose from. So we'll see what happens next week, my friend. You're right more often than not. You came on these airwaves last year at this time and said you would be fine with the Patriots going with Christian Barmore in the first round, and if they could somehow walk away with a quarterback in Barmore, that they'd be doing something special. And lo and behold, the quarterback whisperer, the sensei here on Locked On Patriots was absolutely correct, and they did

just that, not just once, but twice. But what can I say? It's always, always an honor whenever you drop by here to the pod. That total poster, you can't see it up here on the wall right now because the thing's blocking it, but it is affixed on the wall in front of me, and it never, ever comes down in your honor.

Really, I feel like I've definitely welcomed back the host emeritus here uh this is always your seat and we always always thank you for that uh i thank you for providing such a great seat for me to fall into because each and every day i still try to get this right in your honor and i'm still trying to do it maybe one day i'll get there but uh for the most part it seems like it'll always be one step away before i let you go my friend please let everyone know where they can find you,

your amazing work, and what we can look forward to on draft week from the great pen, the great voice of Mark Schofield. Well, Michael, it's always an honor to come back, and you're closer to that perfection status than I ever was. So, again, you're just doing tremendous work, and I'm incredibly proud of you, buddy. As for the Lickers, you can follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield, USA Today's Touchdown Wire, and a bunch of different places.

But on Twitter is the easiest, at MarkSchoolField. Absolutely. And folks, thank you. Once again, I can't recommend highly enough the work Mark does, whether it's pen to paper, voice to microphone, as I always say here on Locked On, point, click, learn, enrich. You'll be a better football fan.

You'll be a better human being. And you'll be entertained as well because Mark is not just football, but all different great things by following him on the Bird app. You'll see us occasionally going back and forth with movie quotes. We love to do it.

But I love having you on here. And it's been too long. We got to have you back on here again soon. Maybe post-draft to wrap up all of the action from next week. But folks, in the meantime, thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots not just a part

of your daily Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. And definitely check out some of the great work that we're doing

with the Ultimate Mock Draft available on all platforms as well. All 32 NFL teams giving their opinion on what's going to happen in the 2022 NFL draft. Definitely go ahead and check that out. But until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of Mark Schofield of USA Today, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great weekend, everyone.