Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Draft Day: Will the New England Patriots Go Offense or Defense? — 4/27/22

Episode Date: April 28, 2022

As the late, great Gorilla Monsoon would say, ‘the time for the talk is just about over.’ With hours remaining until the start of the 2022 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots are looking to maximize the return on their Draft investment. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of Pats Propaganda. The duo discuss the chances of wide receiver N’Keal Harry being traded, whether the team will look at a backup quarterback in the late rounds, and the Pats favoring offense or defense in this year’s 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 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.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

That's fans. The time for the talk has just about ended. The 2022 NFL draft is just over 24 hours away. Which way are the Patriots going to go in the first round? Will Nikhil Harry be moved? And are the Patriots possibly targeting a quarterback in later rounds? Yeah, don't adjust your sound folks. I just said it.

We're going to discuss it today. I'm Mike debate and you're about to be locked in to 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 thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but most of all, for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but most of all, for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms.

And, of course, today's episode of Locked On Patriots brought to you by the good folks over at Blue Nile. This Mother's Day, give mom something she'll treasure forever with fine jewelry from BlueNile.com. And Locked On Patriots listeners get $50 off a $500 purchase use the promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. Pats fans

thank you once again it is Wednesday it is the midway point in the week virtue lies in the middle and who else would we welcome today on this virtuous Wednesday then my esteemed co-host before we get to the laundry list of her nicknames all of of them well-deserved, by the way, I am your host, Mike DeBate.

I cover your New England Patriots for Pat's Country of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of Locked On Patriots, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Smash the subscribe button on YouTube, folks. Follow, download, subscribe to Locked On Patriots on all platforms once again free and available on all platforms but Wednesdays here on Locked On Patriots

belong to the resident lady of Locked On and I am always honored always privileged to have her join me on the microphone each and every Wednesday columnist extraordinaire for patspropaganda.com want to give her a special shout out in addition to what I usually give her each and every week here on the show. The draft work that she has done for Pats Prop and some of the draft prep articles that Claire has put out, top notch. Please, folks, go ahead, check them out. It will definitely inform

you and keep you up to date on all the latest that you need for the draft she is also a podcast host extraordinaire of a claire perspective a patriots podcast one of my favorite listens in any realm of media but definitely if you're a patriots fan you want to check this out claire's insights second to none top-notch guests some of the best in the business and why wouldn't they visit the countess of Clas herself? They should, and they do. She is the Empress of Tight Ended. She is the Queen of TE. She is the Baroness of Blockers. She is my good friend and colleague, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper.

Claire, thanks for joining me from across the pond today. Happy Draft Week. Oh, yeah, happy Draft Week. Not very long now, thank goodness. Let's just get this draft rolling, shall we, really? Absolutely. I've already been told several times this week that I'm looking a little sleep-deprived. And yeah, there is no secret to that, folks.

It is not an exact science to predict the draft. The minute you mention a player's name that a fan doesn't like, you are the devil incarnate. The minute you mention someone that they love you are deified as a god um the draft week is always always the best time of year i don't care i take the good with the bad the criticism with the positivity because at the end of the day it's about what bill belichick is going to do it's not about what mike debate wants them to do not about what any of my other colleagues in the Boston media want them to do, not even about what the Countess wants them to do. Although I think Bill's listening to the Countess.

I really do believe he's got a pipeline in to the West Midlands, and I think he's really keeping a sharp eye on you, my friend. No, all kidding aside, it really is, I think, a great opportunity for all of us to play armchair GM. And look, we do it just along with fans, you know, themselves. Any journalist that tells you, oh, I'm not a fan is lying to you. Maybe they're not a fan of the team they cover, but they're a football fan. They wouldn't be in this business unless you're not. And the draft is really, I think, a great time to be a fan. It just truly is. And I love it. It is one of my favorite times of the year. Claire, we're going to talk about the Patriots' strategy for the draft,

whether or not they might be in the market for a position that's getting virtually no coverage throughout this draft cycle. And there's a reason for that. They addressed it very well last year. But could the Patriots throw their hat into the ring? It's a possibility. We haven't discussed it much yet, but we're going to here today, folks. We're also going to talk about the number 21 pick and how the new england patriots may look to utilize that are they locked into that 21st pick see what i did there folks um they might

uh they might be but you know if they are which direction are they going to go into but we're going to start with you know what claire we're going to dive right in i'm in the mood to take on the haters today and we're going to dive right into this nikhil harry uh just the name just mentioning the name nikhil harry sends shivers up the spine of about 95 of the patriots fan base i think with the exception of me you murph and matt chatham and steve balrieri, I think we're the only ones that still have any faith left in Nakheel. Mine is waning. I'll be very honest with you.

I'm starting to labor as well. Nakheel, obviously, not in Foxborough for the start of organized training workouts last week. The off-season workout program, I shouldn't say that. OTAs don't start for another couple of weeks. But the off-season workout program kicked off. Nakheel, nowhere to be found. Was not at the throwing sessions that were hosted by Mac Jones down in Tampa. It's looking obvious that these two sides are just looking for, they're heading for a parting of the ways. And I can't really argue against it anymore.

I think it's going to be the best for McKeel. I think it's going to be the best for the Patriots um but the fact of the matter is is that they have a finite amount of time where they're going to be actually be able to move him um draft weekend is a weekend that crazy things can happen and things come together trades are discussed general managers and you know uh team executives are shuffling all around all over the place this year it's in Vegas Things could get really crazy, you know, personally and professionally, I guess. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, who knows now?

With camera phones and social media, we never know what's going to stay and what's going to go. But in any case, I'm staying here, so I don't have to worry about that side of it. It's good. You stay at Tribble. I'm'm trying i'm trying to stay respectable uh but uh i i do it for you countess um but uh when it comes to nikhil uh obviously there is going to be a parting of the ways i would say 95 percent yes five percent no at this point do you think that there is a chance and how good of a chance if so that Nikhil Harry has moved this weekend during the draft well as I've mentioned on this show before and you alluded to I'm not a huge Nikhil Harry fan but I haven't necessarily slated him particularly either I mean

yeah sometimes I've been frustrated by his lack of production and such like that but I've tried to give him as you mentioned the benefits of the doubts I feel that the weight of a first round pick can be heavy on a player's shoulders and I think that has also been a big issue for the fan base if Harry had have been taken in maybe like the second round of the draft I'm wondering if we wouldn't really be having anywhere near as much negativity in regards to his when saying his name and that is kind of unfortunate really i mean what else is unfortunate is the media hype up um and that's that his agent caused uh giving it the kind of the big trade request talks last year and the patriots reporting nothing of the sort it just didn't really sit well with

fans because i mean it's a bit of the look if you don't want to be on our team then maybe you should just leave it's kind of one of those you know it more silly it kind of was even more silly defied when he wasn't performing to the standard as expected at all so it kind of sticks in a fan's craw when you weren't really giving us what we expected you to. And then you're kind of being a little bit slightly disrespectful at the same time, because as a fan, obviously, like you're a fanatic about the team. You've got this love. You've got this emotion for the team. And although I know that not every player will sort of have that kind of love for his own team and that sort of thing,

at the end of the day, when you've got a player that's kind of very openly like I kind of want to leave it does it doesn't feel nice as a fan you kind of well you don't want guys that aren't really happy to be here you want to see that positivity and I think that's a lot of sort of um the pull towards Kendrick Bourne he's just such a happy-go-lucky guy who just seems so happy to be a patriot it's like you you want to cheer for those guys because they want to be here and then when you've got an individual that just doesn't really seem like he wants to be here it's then difficult to sort of well why do we want if you don't want to be here why do we want you here really and it was compounded by the fact that he

wasn't really performing the way that we expected him to. Now, all of this isn't to say that Harry isn't a good receiver. You know, I'm sure he could be, but he isn't a decent Patriots receiver. And whoever may be to kind of like blame for that, if you like his agent,

his coaches, the system, you know, himself, it just isn't, it just doesn't really seem that it's been a fit over these last few years as a patriot so whichever box you kind of want to tick on the exit interview i mean that's fine but i think maybe as you said it's time to move along from the kill harry and i think it's all about getting the most value that you can for him whilst you do now obviously for over this the

weekend that if that value may be in the form of draft picks that is something that we can only really know by also what the other side are willing to pay so there's reports that there's positive dialogue in regards to harry and a trade and i think you even wrote about this recently for sports illustrated i mean ultimately i think it's a good idea for the patriots to trade harry and to be honest right now draft picks is probably what is of the most value sure bill has already made some moves and some people don't like it already trading back um from the fifth to get a sixth and a seventh but you know coach knows that there are plenty of holes to fill i mean heck we keep

banging on about it so maybe he is listening just slightly. But if he's going to do that kind of package, I don't know. The whole Izzo thing, I mean, we're not discussing it, but me and Coach, not on the same wavelength after the whole Izzo thing. I'm not really sure that he's listening. The lines of communication, really fell apart.

Stay tuned, folks, for the Ryan Izzo anthology coming soon on Lockdown Patriot there each and every Wednesday. I'm sorry. I had to. I couldn't help it. So the lines of communication between me and Coach, you know, they're not so great. So I'm not really sure if he is listening.

But everybody kind of keeps banging on about the hole. Plenty of holes to fill anyway. So he's probably listening to somebody. So if he's going to do that package up of lots of picks and get three first round guys that i mentioned last week you know this might be the way of going throwing in nikhil harry in there as well plenty of picks and nikhil harry move up into the first round you know crazy things have happened you never know but i suppose you know bottom line in all seriousness my personal opinion is kind of yeah it's maybe it's time to sort of release Harry into the world kind of it's it's not really best as easy as a patriot so

and it's all about getting the most that you can for him and I don't think it'd be shocking to anyone in Patriots Nation if we did see him move on from the Patriots this year in one way or another and if this weekend is kind of the pinnacle time when you're going to get the best value for money if you like for want of a better phrase then yeah I think the weekend is if it's going to be kind of a picks and a trade um a package of picks and a player sorry in a trade then yeah it's to me it's all about getting the most value for him and if that's this weekend then that the optimal time for him to be kind of utilized in that respect good point very good point uh and i know i had a little fun at your expense on the iso stuff but um but you do i try i try you know we keep the we

keep the mood light here countess we try to do that um but no all kidding aside uh really i think what you have the point that you've made about harry and the fact that it is really i think the perfect time to move on for both the patriots and nikhil himself is really i think the essence of the argument here now whether or not this comes together at the draft or slightly after uh this could be uh you know up for debate at this point i think there is a chance he does get moved this weekend and i'm not so sure it's going to be a part of a major package to move up we're hearing that a lot of teams would rather trade back and trade out of the first round it kind of brings up

an interesting scenario and ryan spagnoli if that's pulpit joined me yesterday here on the pod and we talked about this scenario does it make it likely now that the patriots if they do see other teams trying to move back that they give a call and say hey you know what we're gonna move up we that really have targeted someone that we like this week last week absolutely and they and if they do that then i think that there is a chance and you did bring this up last week and i'm glad that you didn't i'm glad that you reiterated it in a crazy way but crazy no you did happen and and it is it is definitely a possibility I will say this I will give you all the credit in the world I think there will be a parade held in your honor if you were the one to correctly predict that the Patriots somehow took Nikhil Harry and a package of picks

and were able to improve the Patriots first round draft status as a result of that if Patriots fans feel that Nikhil brought back an additional first rounder or increased their ability to get the first round player that they want people are going to absolutely love this but it's clear that the two sides are moving on New England seems very set in their receiving core I don't know why Nikhil was not down in Tampa. It didn't look like a situation where he was called out or saying, Nikhil, wish you were down here, buddy. We're doing this, but we'll see you next week.

There was none of that. So it looked like these two sides have made the decision to move on. Nikhil is already posting on social media that he's outside interest, but he is keeping himself in top physical condition. You wish both sides well, and who knows? Maybe Nikhil Harry does have a bright future elsewhere. It just for any reason just did not work out here in New England. And it is a blemish on Bill Belichick's draft record.

But one of the great points on Bill Belichick's draft record, excuse me, folks, was last year at number 15, New England getting their potential quarterback of the future. I think they've done it, but some still a little skeptical, but I think he's going to put those questions to rest this year. And that is Mac Jones. Could the Patriots dip into the quarterback? Well, for the second time in as many years, well,

there's not really a need for it. And it's not a very deep quarterback draft, but Claire and I will discuss that point in just a moment, the wisdom and counsel from the countess of class on this subject subject when this Wednesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But as you can see on Wednesdays, we always add a little sparkle. We always add a little clas to the show. We actually add a lot of clas to the show, folks, whenever Claire is here. And it's always my honor to join her on the microphone but one thing that you can always count on is adding a

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This podcast exclusive is only good through Mother's Day. So use the promo code LOCKEDON. That's code LOCKEDON, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N. Plus, every order is insured. It ships free, and it arrives in discreet packaging that won't give away what's inside. Shop stress-free and find your forever peace. Go to BlueNile.com today. Patriots fans, the esteemed Empress of Tight Endage, the Countess of Clas herself.

We're a little tight on time, so I'm not going to go through the whole list, but you can find that volumes one through seven on Lockdown Patriots Twitter feed. It never ceases to not make her laugh, folks. The esteemed Claire Clasie Claire Cooper is joining me today, as she always does here on Wednesdays. You can tell we're having lots of fun already. We always do when she joins me on the microphone. Claire, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about Nikhil Harry and the fact that he has probably played his final down in New England. That collective cheer that you can hear, I'm sure you can hear it in West Midlands, is the New England fan base

listening to that and cheering that on. But all kidding aside, that's three all kidding asides, folks, for those of you scoring at home. new england patriots are heading into this draft with different draft needs than they had last year without question uh last year it was quarterback really i think everyone was expecting the patriots to address the quarterback position there was some question as to whether or not they might address it in the first round but i think everybody agreed this team was ready to select the quarterback and they did they selected i think the best quarterback in this draft class and that is mac jones maybe a little bit of a steal at number 15 who knows but i think mac is the right guy for this system and i think he's doing a fine job team decided to re-sign brian hoyer in the offseason really brian becomes the de facto

quarterbacks coach i think if we're really being honest but yeah still a decent backup i know some people are going to throw a lot of uh you know vitriol in his direction but this is a guy that can still play the position i don't think the patriots would have just signed him up for no reason jared stidham remains the primary backup i think Jarrett is someone that can come into his own and can be a decent quarterback in this league, but the Patriots have not been talked about as a team that could possibly be in the market for a quarterback, really for the reasons that I just said. I don't think there's anybody that is looking at the Patriots right now and saying, oh, this team needs a quarterback, but there are interesting options available. I know it's not a quarterback-rich draft, but there are still some options that they could pursue just because they could pursue

them doesn't necessarily mean that they will pursue the player in your expert opinion what would you think oh don't don't laugh when i say that i meant that when i said that in your opinion what would you think of the Patriots possibly targeting the quarterback and do you think they might well I gotta say Mike a backup quarterback in this draft for me I'm sorry I have to say no I fully appreciate others feel differently and that's fine and dandy should as Manchester pointing at you here. But for a start, it just, it isn't, as you mentioned,

as many people have mentioned, it isn't a strong quarterback class. Saying that, it could mean that the QBs fall into the later rounds. And, you know, coach has got plenty of picks in this. But the Patriots have such significant need in so many of the areas that I would like to see all of them addressed in this draft if picks so allow it where the Patriots kind of would or even should consider picking up a quarterback you know would they possibly get anyone that could be any better than Gerrard Stidham now I know that he's not an epically great quarterback of course you know we

know this that's why he's a backup now but we don't know if any if there's any epically great quarterbacks in this draft either particularly ones where the Patriots might look at in the later rounds we all know that they've got higher significant need so to use kind of a more higher round pick an earlier round pick sorry it's utilize that for a quarterback would just seem crazy I mean Stidham at least knows the playbook he knows the system he knows the team and he knows Matt Jones I think bringing in a drafted rookie quarterback this year to me personally a clear perspective my opinion it just feels like it's a waste of time I'm obviously sorry if anybody disagrees I'm simply stating my own opinion this

is just my own perspective of the matter. And you're entitled to yours completely. It's just with all the holes, with all the needs this year, setting up a future around Matt Jones, a quarterback just seems such a waste of a pick. Now, if they had an undrafted guy come in for some workouts or whatever, okay. But genuinely, I still feel that the time spent on that is pointless. Stidham has a year left on his contract, and okay,

so after this year, it might not be worth keeping him around as he may begin to become costly for just a backup, that sort of thing. But he has several years in the Patriots system, as I mentioned, and I just think that that in itself is way more positive than any of these kind of late, particularly later round draft picks of quarterbacks this year. So sorry, it has to be. Unfortunately for this year, no offense to any of the quarterbacks.

I'm sure you're great. That kind of thing. It's a hard no. Hard no. See, there you go, folks. Claire hits it head on. She's not going gonna mince words here um i happen to agree with you i don't think the patriots are going to spend a draft pick on

a quarterback now that being said i don't think it's impossible i agree with you in your opinion and i think your opinion is absolutely valid um but i don't think it's impossible if there is someone that they're going to target it probably would be in the later rounds and it's impossible if there is someone that they're going to target it probably would be in the later rounds and it's interesting now that the patriots have picked up a seventh rounder um they didn't have one prior to the trade that they made with the houston texans sending number 170 to houston getting back number 183 and also getting back number 245 which is the seventh rounder we're talking about uh late round gems can always be a possibility we've heard about slade bolden uh i think that is definitely a possibility now in the seventh round i know a lot of fans are really

liking him and the close relationship he has with mac could that be something that the patriots could utilize uh we've talked about matt arisa the punter out of san diego state i think he's going to go earlier than the seventh i think there is a lot of hype around him. I think the Patriots would have to pony up, maybe use a sixth rounder on him. Fifth, I don't know. It might be a little early at 158, but if he's got a lot of draft capitals surrounding him and a lot of buzz, the Patriots may have no choice if they want to secure his services. One guy that really kind of raises my eyebrow a little bit and i'm not so sure that he's a fit for the new england patriots but ej perry quarterback out of the out of brown university right in my neck of the woods brown university is literally a stone's throw from

where i live in providence and ivy league school you know it's it's a situation where he comes in with a little bit of pedigree his coach james James Perry, who coached at Bryant University in Smithfield, which is another stone's throw from where I live, was actually a Brown quarterback in his earlier years. It's actually EJ's uncle, believe it or not. James is someone that's very well-versed in up-tempo quarterback styles that allow quarterbacks to use dual threat. And I know that's not the system that the New England Patriots run,

but if you're looking for someone that can switch things up a little bit, maybe give you an additional RPO threat, which by the way, folks, for everyone that says that Mac Jones can't run the RPO, I encourage you to go back, take a look at some of the footage from him when he quarterbacked Alabama. I assure you, folks, he can do it. He might not be the quickest guy in the world, but he's savvy enough to be able to do it thank you for coming to my TED talk I'll get back to Perry now Perry completed 66.5 percent of his passes last year

threw for over 3,000 yards 23 touchdowns combined to 14 picks but he also ran for 402 yards and seven rushing touchdowns first team all All-Ivy League honors, Offensive Player of the Year award in the conference. To me, I think this kid represents something of an interesting prospect, best way for me to put it, at the quarterback position. Patriots are well-stocked, but if he ends up in that latter part and the Patriots are struggling to fill that seventh round slot, don't be a bit surprised to hear E.J. Perry's name. They had him in for a visit.

There is close ties between the organization and the region, obviously, in New England. I would love to see a guy who went to college in Rhode Island quarterbacking for the New England Patriots, even if it isn't a backup role or a practice squad role. But that upside could be intriguing i'm not saying the patriots do it folks don't misconstrue here but he could be a name to watch because there is some light on him and he had a very good showing in the east west shrine bowl game earlier this year so that may help to make him a pick this weekend rather than go the undrafted free agent route so just something to keep an eye on folks you never know what the pats are going to do and claire we never know what the pats are going to do but the one thing that we do know is as we sit here right now here in the wingman patriots hold the rights to the 21st pick in the

first round of the 2022 nfl draft a lot of speculation on trading up trading down but if the patriots are locked into that position what are they going to do with that pick are they going to go offense are they going to go defense folks Claire has looked into her Belichickian crystal ball and she's going to share her thoughts on the subject in just a moment but first folks in order to get ready for the NFL draft you have to have all of your notes set you have to have all of your research done and you have to be in tip-top physical condition. You've got to be able to stay up around the clock and absorb all of the analysis and watch your team build its roster for the 2022 season. Best way to do that is to increase your protein with a delicious treat that is not only delicious but

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There is a line of Bilt granola bars that are now fresh on the site, so definitely be sure to go and check those out. Some of the great flavors there, obviously chocolate coconut, chocolate peanut butter, definitely try these out. Don't delay, folks. Do it today. Visit Bilt.com and enter the promo code LOCK15 for 15% off your next order. Again, for that delicious treat that has more protein, less sugar, but more taste than any candy bar you'll have, definitely go and check out the great folks over at Bilt Bar. Visit Bilt.com, enter the promo code LOCK15 for 15% off your next order at built.com patriots fans it is almost time to wrap

things up here on wednesday the resident lady of locked on's day here on locked on patriots always adding some class and pizzazz to the show uh we always love having claire on claire cooper of pets propaganda and of a clairepective, a Patriots podcast. My good friend, my esteemed colleague, and my de facto co-host here every day, every Wednesday. And Claire, we've had a blast so far. We've talked to Kiel Harry. We've talked quarterbacks. I think we've upset the fan base enough right now.

I think we'll go into a subject that may make them a little bit more palatable, and that is the Patriots' plans for the number 21 pick coming up on Thursday night. No guarantee that the Patriots are going to hold on to this, but the more we're hearing, it looks like they're, I don't want to say they're kind of resigning themselves to be, you know, picking picking at this selection. But at the same time, it's looking likely like 21 will be where they're going to make their first pick. We've talked about it all week long.

We've speculated. Do they go offense? Do they go defense? Who are the prospects? What are the needs? Where do they need to target? What position do they need to get at claire in your wisdom and counsel doing the draft you know research that you've done and you've done a great job with these pieces out

on pat's propaganda folks some of the best draft coverage you'll read i highly encourage you to go check it out you're phil belichick you're the new england patriots you're on the clock number 21 you have to hand that card over to Roger Goodell. Whose name? I shouldn't say whose name, but which direction are you going in? Is it an offensive player or is it a defensive player? What's that crumpled up post-it note going to say when it opens up? It's going to say Vontae Mack no matter what.

He'll draft a reference there. Well, Mike, you said we have the the the million dollar question here don't we and the answer is as much of Patriots Nation undivided and it's twofold as well the bats have such a list of significant needs and also the draft has some quality depth uh you know at several positions I think not to be a cop-out but it's all just going to depend on who is there. The top or maybe the most popular, I think, in Patriots Nation is kind of cornerback wide receiver, you know, with a lot of people knowing that they need an offensive lineman, but just loathing the fact that whilst all the other teams are going to get all these hot, flashy new weapons that the Patriots scoop up alignment.

You know, some folks just don't think it's sexy I have to disagree I kind of like me some o-line to be honest and I'm and I am in perpetual turmoil with what position I want filling at that 21st spot cornerback or tackle so yeah offense or defense or offense I suppose you just say and it all depends upon which day of the week you ask me as well but i mean right now i still seriously don't know because i want a cornerback i do but i want one of those fantabulous shiny new offensive linemen as well one of those top really super duper ones so i'm starting to get more and more on board with my crazy idea and and putting in from from last week that coach should

just pull the later round picks especially now he's moved and got even more he needs to pull them and move up to get a couple of top guys in the first round then i don't have to choose between the cornerback and the lovely offensive lineman so now it's a cop out i know it's a cop out because i know what you're going to say and and I'm very known to be indecisive I think kind of most people know me as that now and I guess I just hope that the Patriots select a really talented guy at 21 and I know it's a bit old and cliche and so many teams kind of have made picks that have been a bust but as we mentioned the whole Nikhil Harry thing it's left that kind of smudge that mark that bad tasting

amount of Patriots fans you know it's not great to have so much negativity but I see why people are unhappy first round picks can be expensive and you don't want to waste them and it genuinely feels like that first round pick from that year has been wasted which is why as we aforementioned earlier in the show it would be good if he could be utilized to gain something within this draft okay maybe it's not going to be a first round pick maybe it helps get another first round pick that kind of thing um so you know maybe have the value of him in in that regard but i know that fans will be unhappy if the selection is made and it's kind of not the top corner or top wide receiver.

And because I think what's been assessed as the most expensive, in all fairness, and taking a tackle to replace Shaq Mason could be something that sits really ickly for fans because it's the whole coach made a hole when maybe there wasn't a hole and now he's had to waste the kind of first round pick on a guard or a tackle that kind of thing and even me who has the big love for the offensive guys as I said I can see how that can sting particularly because as I said he's he's sort of made the situation that he didn't need to make and I don't deny it you know there's always a fact

that the o-line is significant and a talented wide receiver isn't the one thing that can that will make a team isn't the only thing that will make a team I get how it can help make a team but it isn't that one thing so getting that one top wide receiver isn't going to make the whole team fantastic I think overall I kind of hope the selection I think really I hope it's kind of for cornerback because I think it's it's a position of need and it's a place in the draft where there's some serious talent at the top um and I know that it'll make a lot of Patriots Nation happy and I like my fellow Patriots Nation fans happy I like everybody to be happy it's all good

fun when we're kind of happy and it doesn't have to be really negative let's all be lovely kind of thing but i mean i never claim to know what the paint shorts will do i don't claim to know anything in all fairness particularly most days i claim to know nothing but let's say i think i hope that they take a cornerback however if all the really kind of good top cornerbacks have all flown off the board and the kind of like you've got like the Trevor Pennings of the draft sitting there at 21 I'm sorry but I've got to say you've got to pick up one of those really good offensive linemen and I know everybody as I said doesn't think it's sexy but if the if the top cornerbacks have gone I think that's in regards to position of need I think they're both kind of very equal they feel very equal to me they're both sort of up there but I appreciate the kind of the talent aspect of a cornerback is ranking sort of higher so that's why I'm saying really I think 21 you've got to go defence cornerback that's the pick

however there is a but there is a plan b there is a there is a on the sideline if all the top ones have gone because they've just flown off the board and they're sitting there at 21 and you haven't got those top guys you you then sort of looking in the maybe the third round for the kind of kobe bryant type guys who still look really good as a cornerback but he isn't he isn't up there with the elites as they like to say so if you're kind of looking at him then great Let's grab him in the third round and let's utilize number 21 for that really big, really epic, really great offensive line guy. Like your Trevor Penning, like the pronounce his surname, Raymond. Bernard Ryman.

Bernard Ryman. Ryman, that's sorry, better. Who used to be, he played tight end. So he ticks lots of boxes for me when it comes to offensive. I know she'd like that. Oh, yeah. I always like me a bit of tight end, as we all know. No, there's a lot of reasons to like Bernard Ryman.

Very, very good. Very personal. He's more than one, of course. But I know, that one's got the highlighter, you know, circle. He's got a little extra brownie point, there's a little extra column exactly and tight end tick oh then you little star by his name yeah yeah little star by his name moves up i got it i got it if you've got one of those guys sitting there at 21 and as i said all the top

cornerbacks have kind of flown off the board i think you you read your goal and you kind of put offensive line as that 21 pick and then you you kind of you move your cornerback thing down to pick up one of those kind of second level guys or whatever you'd want to call it so it really depends on what's happened to the board um obviously because it depends on that anyway regardless but i think if you're asking me to make a decision of picking defense and offense it it only pushes out by a little bit, but I'm going cornerback, so I'm going that defensive position is more significant of need. However, I can't say that that's what they should definitely take at 21, because it depends on what is there on the

board. It's all about player, it's not about position. And I know that's really cliche, and a lot of people will groan, but that's kind of how it is you want the best player at that pick so my opinion it should be the defensive guy it should be that cornerback guy but if those top ones aren't there then you should prioritize the offensive line you shouldn't just look at it as we're only going to take a cornerback at 21 you should take the best guy at the position in all fairness absolutely great great points and that's something that I think Bill Belichick has always done here in New England whether fans want to admit it or whether they don't Bill is always going to go for the top player that he feels can be the biggest asset to his team does it hit yeah there are a lot of times

where it does he'll go and he'll make these moves in the first round not too long long ago, Dante Hightower, Chandler Jones coming back in the first round in these drafts, and they were both home runs as far as I'm concerned, even though Chandler didn't evolve into the superstar that he is now in the league. He was a very good pass rusher here for a number of years and deserves a lot of credit for the work that he did. Hightower, you don't win Super Bowl 51 without Dante Hightower. I stand by that and I always will. He's been a cornerstone of this defense.

But for every pick that you have, you have a first-rounder like Dominic Easley that just did not work out here in New England for a lot of reasons, most of which had to do with injury. But when you look at what… And you have a Nikhil Hemi. Sorry. I know. I know. I know. I know it is it's tough it's it's relatable though it is I know it is very relatable it's the it's the first round pick that a lot of fans think excuse my language a bit of a crapshoot so yeah exactly it is kind of true you're absolutely

right and that's that's exactly why it really is important to go for player value as opposed to always just going for position of need. And the Patriots have several positions of need right now where they need dynamic talent. It's a deep draft. We've said this all week long. I've said it all month long, really here on Locked On Patriots. This is a very deep draft. It is.

It's a deep draft for what the Patriots need. You want offensive line talent. There's a lot of great prospects. You mentioned Ryman. You mentioned guys like a Trevor Penning. Kenyon Green, I think, would be an excellent fit here from Texas A&M as a guard. Zion Johnson is probably my favorite out of all of those guys. Is he necessarily the biggest name on the board when it comes to these talents? No, but I think Zion has the opportunity to really come in here especially his skill set and what he can bring to the patriots and thrive in this system so you go with him in the first round i don't think you make a bad move cornerback obviously

everybody does want the shiny new toy the problem is is these cornerbacks are rising in the ranks and yeah it's not a guarantee that an andrew booth it's not a guarantee that an Andrew Booth, it's not a guarantee that a Trent McDuffie, obviously Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley, those guys are going to be off the board by 21. No one questions that. Can you imagine if they're not though? Sorry, can you imagine if one of those guys is sitting there at 21? Exactly.

If there is a slip, just like Jameson Williams at the wide receiver position, even though you may have added pieces in the offseason that may not necessitate you using a first round pick on this position dynamic talent like that comes along once in a lifetime and you do not let that type of talent sit there on the board for no apparent reason and then there are times where the patriots go against the grain as well and dax hill was a player whose name came up yesterday uh heavily criticized uh by some of the listeners and i get it i understand where they're coming from um he did uh he does have some uh prowess playing a little bit of outside corner and it does project as a free

safety at this level uh but you can make the argument that the patriots don't need that i completely understand that i think it's a valid argument. But at the same time, the Patriots value these Swiss Army type players that just have an ability to fit in. Troy Anderson was a guy that I wrote about. He was a guy that you wrote about earlier this week as a defensive Swiss Army knife player that can really play a number of roles. So the Patriots are going to dance to the beat of their own drum. They're going to go in the direction that they feel is best for the football team. And ultimately, I mean, that's why it is a guessing game. That's why they make the decisions. We make the prognostications.

They make the decisions in one Patriots place. And with the trophies that are sitting in that case, it's kind of hard to argue with their logic. Despite of what you'll hear on terrestrial radio, Patriots usually do a pretty good job with this more often than not. So Claire, we're going to be glued to the sets tomorrow night here in New England, all over. With you, it's going to be a late, late night.

I know you're going to be hanging in there with us. So rest up. But all kidding aside, folks, there's five. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate you joining me today. You always add that class pizzazz, and you always add wisdom and counsel to our Wednesday being here. I appreciate you joining me today. You always add that class pizzazz and you always add wisdom and counsel to our Wednesdays here. And that's why we always love having you.

And we will continue to have you each and every Wednesday here on lockdown Patriots. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can find you, all of your great work and what we can look forward to in terms of draft coverage and beyond from the great pen and the great voice of claire clazy claire cooper well thank you very much for having me again mike and thank you everybody for listening as mike did mention i put out a few pieces of recent draft articles for pat's propaganda

so there were eight of those over the weekend so friday to sunday they were actually stepped out so you can now kind of go back and check out all eight before you hit the draft and kind of grab a cup of coffee sit back relax read a few bits and pieces about cornerbacks and linebackers and edgers and things like that yeah do a mic sit back relax and have a bit of a read but i mean if you if you don't fancy reading that's fine a clear perspective the mailbag episode went out the end of last week as well and that's very much draft it was very much draft orientated a lot of questions did come in about about the draft and things like that so if you fancy a bit more draftiness then you know catch that episode 30 of a clear perspective brought to you by full press coverage that is out now most places that you download your podcast for free also don't forget every single week we are

there for you on e2g sports at one patriot's place. Myself, Steve Balistrieri, and Thomas Murphy. So we recorded on Tuesday. So that's out on kind of like YouTube and all the places that you get your podcasts with the lovely Ryan Spagnoli. So we had him on yesterday as well. He was hardworking yesterday. Very hardworking chap. Very hardworking.

Absolutely. Hard-working man in the biz. He was definitely one of, definitely one of. So if you want to go and check out. But we are here for you each and every week, as I said, on E2G Sports. So we'll be back next Tuesday and keep an eye out. There will be an after the draft Eclair perspective.

So don't worry. There will be some just after the draft coverage. So yeah, make sure you keep your ears and eyes peeled for Eclair perspective, the podcast episode 31. How could you refuse that request folks? I don't know how you do it. And yes, bags was a guest on one Patriots place yesterday for all your wrestling fans.

Spags was like the equivalent of Rick rude yesterday. He showed up on raw and nitro on the same day. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's dedication. Now, Ryan is a great friend,

great analyst. And we were thrilled to have him here on Locked On Patriots, as I know you were on one Patriots place. But all kidding aside, folks, definitely go ahead and check out all of the great work that Claire has done. Her draft coverage for Pat's Propaganda is second to none. I highly encourage you to take a look at it, especially over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours. Some interesting insight, things you'll find only on Pat's Propaganda and only from the great pen of my good friend,

the Empress of Tight Endage herself, Claire Klazik, Claire Cooper. Claire, what can I say? It's a blast. It has been a lot of fun covering the draft with you this year. We look forward to continuing to cover the Patriots, roster building their offseason workout program as they march toward the 2022 season. So we'll continue to do that each and every Wednesday here on Locked On Patriots. In the meantime, we continue to bring you draft coverage here on the Locked On Patriots podcast and really all over the Locked On podcast network.

This is definitely one of our favorite times of year, and we always thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. But, folks, as we've alluded to all show long, the NFL Draft is here. We know fans are dying to know who their team is going to take. Locked On and Odyssey present the ultimate mock draft. It's the biggest mock draft on the planet,

featuring 70 Lockedon local experts, my esteemed colleagues, and also NFL insiders, including Michael Urban, Jason LaConfora. Over six episodes, they'll provide you with their thoughts on our selections for our upcoming teams. The NFL Mock Draft,

free and available now on the NFL, on the Locked On NFL podcast, on Odyssey, wherever you get your podcasts. Definitely make sure to stay locked in to the Locked On Podcast Network. And, wherever you get your podcast. Definitely make sure to stay locked into the Locked On podcast network. And of course, as a personal favor, stay locked into Locked On Patriots podcast. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, on behalf of my esteemed friend and co-host, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate.

Stay safe. Stay well. Have a great day, everyone. And we look forward to talking more draft with you here tomorrow on Draft Day on Locked on Patriots.