Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Draft Demands: New England Patriots' Top Draft Priorities Revealed

Episode Date: March 22, 2026

New England Patriots face a pivotal draft as pressing needs emerge across the roster—can strategic picks solidify their 2026 playoff aspirations? Nick Cattles ranks the Patriots’ top priorities, s...potlighting edge rusher as the most urgent concern amid uncertainty around Harold Landry’s health and depth behind Dre’Mont Jones. Wide receiver remains a key question, with Romeo Doubs’ upside and the search for a true boundary alpha still defining the offense’s ceiling. Offensive tackle, safety, and tight end also come under the microscope, with veteran aging and short-term contracts driving urgency for fresh talent. Nick Cattles highlights Dre’Mont Jones’s pass rush prowess, analyzing how his addition transforms the defensive line’s havoc potential. Plus, a surprise top-30 visit by standout safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren hints at New England’s possible best-player-available draft strategy. Will Mike Vrabel’s personnel decisions set the Patriots up for long-term success? Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-patriots/ Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nfl/ #patriots #newenglandpatriots Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. During the tournament FanDuel is offering $300 back in Bonus Bets every day for ten days. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. 5-Hour ENERGY Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It's party time. Order Now at 5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon. Home Chef For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off your first box, free shipping, and free dessert for life. Go to http://HomeChef.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Two weeks of free agency has come and gone and the paths still have some significant needs to fill. Let's rank those needs heading into the draft. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked-on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host, Nick Cattels. Today's episode is brought to by Fandall.
Starting point is 00:00:31 During the tournament, Fandall is offering $300 back. back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. Head to Fandul.com to get started. On today's show, a surprising and exciting top 30 visit to Gillette comes to light. In the second segment, one critical stat will tell you why the Pats decided to sign Draymont Jones at the beginning of free agency. But first, let's rank the needs of this football team heading into the draft. The brunt of free agency work is done.
Starting point is 00:01:03 Yes, guys are still. available. Many of those guys are going to play the waiting game. You see where the market goes. You get closer to the draft. You see what teams do in the draft. What needs those teams have coming out of the draft. Where can you get more opportunity? And then you sign. So right now, we're kind of in that waiting period of free agency. And so right now what we need to focus on is the draft in what needs the Patriots have going into the draft. Now, all of you know, I gave the Patriots, Free Agency, A, B, great. I feel good about what they've done. But of course, they have needs. There's no doubt they have needs. And there is going to be,
Starting point is 00:01:44 I think, a splitting of the hairs when we talk about how I rank each and every position, right? When we look at these needs, there's not a significant difference between some of these needs, especially when you look at the top two or three, really not a huge difference. But I still believe, I still believe at the tippity top is X. I think that is your number one need, just from a simple out and in kind of approach here. Caleb-on-Chesson, Anthony Jennings, both out. Both those guys, by the end of the season because of Harold Landry's injury, both of those guys were playing significant snaps for you.
Starting point is 00:02:21 Anthony Jennings went from almost an afterthought to being the guy replacing Harold Landry towards the end of the season. So you have two guys out. you have one guy and Draymont Jones in. So just simple math tells you. And yes, you could talk about Jesse Lakita, but I look at him as more of a fringe roster guy than solidified edge that is going to play some snaps.
Starting point is 00:02:46 Now, maybe he'll surprise us. Maybe he will exceed expectations. He'll do more than we thought when he initially signed. But right now I'm looking at two out, one in. You still have the questions about Harold Landry's health. I mean, this is somebody who has a torn ACL on the resume. He hurt his knee last season. He was not the same guy after that injury.
Starting point is 00:03:06 He talked to the media after the Super Bowl and mentioned that he was going to get some work done, which leads us to believe he had surgery on that knee. So all questions about Harold Landry, he's closer to 30 than he is, you know, 29. So a lot of questions about Harold Landry and how he's going to look. And, you know, will he have juice when he gets back to camp? We'll have to wait and see. I thought Elijah Ponder, he showed some flashes last season, especially as a UDFA guy, right? Undrafted free agent walks out there, plays for a team that guts the Super Bowl, and he made some plays.
Starting point is 00:03:44 But how much do you want to put on Elijah Ponder year two? Now, maybe he'll make that leap. Maybe all of a sudden he's somebody that can play 65, 70% of the snaps and make a number of plays. But you have to go by what you saw and what you believe will be the case. in 2026. And I'm not necessarily ready to just hand the keys to Elijah Potter and say, you're going to be our number three edge behind Draymont Jones and Harold Landry. I would not be super confident in that at this point. Now, maybe Braden Swinson, your draft pick from last year, can be a sneaky contributor. But again, he really did not
Starting point is 00:04:25 make any difference whatsoever in 2025. So I'm not going to go into 2026, believing that he's just going to be a difference maker or he's going to be some kind of significant role player. I'm not banking on any of it. I'm not banking on Landry's health. I'm not banking on a year two leap from Elijah Ponder. I'm not banking on Swinson doing much of anything. So because I'm not banking on any of that, I think the Patriots should absolutely draft at least one, if not two edges. And if they don't sign a veteran edge, I would like them to draft two defensive edges. in this draft. The second need for me.
Starting point is 00:05:05 And we've talked about this, and we're going to continue to talk about this until the Patriots find that guy, and maybe they find that guy after the draft. Maybe they find him, I don't know, around June 1st or June 2nd. But the alpha wide receiver, Romeo Dobbs helps.
Starting point is 00:05:20 And I think Romeo Dobbs is going to be better in this offense than many people would expect him to be. I don't think it's crazy talk to say he might be as good if not better than Stefan Diggs was in 2025. I think he could bring you that type of juice to this offense the way he fits. But you still have questions after Romeo Dobbs. Kyle Williams, is he going to make the second year leap? Because if he does, he gives you that speed on the boundary that this team really needs.
Starting point is 00:05:50 I mean, Kishon Booty can play on the boundary. Mack Hollins can play on the boundary. But they don't have that speed element. Kyle Williams, 4-4-40, he's got that speed element. So if he can make the leap, that would be pretty huge for this team. But the Patriots, they still need that boundary X guy with the catch radius. Mack Hollins gives you some of that, but he's going to be what? He's 33, 34 years old.
Starting point is 00:06:15 How much are you going to ask him to do? You look at Kishon Booty, got off to the great start in 25, faded. Yes, he made an unbelievable catch against the Texans in the playoffs. Shout out to him for that. but when you look at the final tally of his statistics, he kind of took a step back, really. I mean, especially from the first month, month and a half of the season.
Starting point is 00:06:36 And when we look at the alpha receiver on the boundary, the guy who is going to make those contested catches, it falls perfectly with what your quarterback likes to do. Drake May, his ability and his play style tells you getting one of those boundary X guys, getting one of those types, actually hitting on one of those types in the draft if you decide to draft one of them. It is pivotal for this offense because Drake May is going to take deep shots.
Starting point is 00:07:09 This offense is going to rely, like a lot of offenses in the league, rely on explosive plays. Third need, offensive tackle. Morgan Moses, 35 years old. Now, I will say Morgan Moses, he's missed only six games in his prior 11 seasons. He posts, as they say. He plays, he gets out there. Now, I can't predict the future. I can only tell you what Moses has done throughout his career,
Starting point is 00:07:34 and he's been out there. And 35 for an offensive lineman is not necessarily 35 for a receiver or a running back or a tight end. I mean, there are offensive linemen that can play through their mid to late 30s. I mean, Trent Williams is in his late 30s, and he's still playing at a very, very high level. But again, Morgan Moses, 35 years old, you could start looking towards the future.
Starting point is 00:07:59 Fedarian Lowe, no longer on the team, signed with the 49ers. Reportedly from Mass Live, you go back to the Combine. Patriots reportedly wanted to keep Vedarian Lowe. So they lost them. They lost them in free agency. Theramunford is a guy who is also a free agent. Now, reportedly, he got some work done, and, you know, we'll see how he looks after getting that work done.
Starting point is 00:08:24 And he's been kind of up and down when out there. on the field. And he's been known as a guy that doesn't necessarily always give you top-notch effort play in and play out. But you could bring Thayer Munford in. He knows the system. He played last year. So you could do that. I don't think he's a top-notch backup. Marcus Bryant is somebody who reportedly the team feels good about, but they also believe that he's still raw and he has work to do. So I don't think you want to lean in on the Marcus Bryant situation in 2026. So the Patriots absolutely need a young offensive tackle. They need to draft a tackle that you feel might be able to contribute in 2026 if he
Starting point is 00:09:05 has to, but will absolutely step in 2027 and be that guy of the future. And then you have a number of other needs that I think they're all pretty similar. Interior offensive line, safety, tight end, linebacker, off ball linebacker, all pretty similar, right? you feel like you're okay for 2026. Like you're okay with Elijah Verit Tucker, Ben Brown backing him up, and Michael Wenow on the right side. You feel okay about that. You feel okay about safety with Craig Woodson and Kevin Byard.
Starting point is 00:09:38 You feel okay at tight end with Hunter Henry and Julian Hill. Now, you would like to add another element to that. But again, you could survive. And you feel okay with offball linebacker with Roberts, Palin and Christian Ellis, because those are the guys that started for you, the vast majority of 2025. But in all those cases, you're looking, you're looking at age, you're looking at contract status.
Starting point is 00:09:58 So while you feel like you'd be okay to put a team on the field right now at those positions, you are banking on a number of guys who are 28 to 30 years old and Kevin Byard's case, you know, 33 years old in August. So you really want to start addressing those positions. And it's the same thing that I just mentioned with Tackle, where if you need somebody to contribute, in 2026. Maybe they can do that, but really it's an eye towards 2027. So interior O line, safety, tight end, off ball linebacker, I think those four positions fall behind tackle alpha wide receiver
Starting point is 00:10:38 boundary guy. And for me, the number one is of course edge. All right, coming up, the stat that NFL defenses will dread when they face the pads in 2026 after the addition of Dremont Jones. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the lockdown podcast network. Now, the number one, One Sports Podcast Network, your team every day. The tournament is here. One of the best times of the year. Brackets, buzzer beaters, upsets. It's nonstop action from tip to final cutdown.
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Starting point is 00:13:39 Don't forget to throw a comment in. I want to know how you would rank the Patriots needs as we get ready for the draft. And don't forget to subscribe. All right, Draymont Jones was the first signing in free agency for the Patriots on the first day of free agency. Right. again, Jesse Lakeeta was signed beforehand, but, you know, Dremont Jones was the first one. He's the first one. On that day, we woke up. We were waiting all morning long. And then right around noont time, we found out that Dremont Jones was a New England Patriot.
Starting point is 00:14:11 And you go back to last season, the Patriots had interest in Dremont Jones before the trading deadline. So there's no doubt the Patriots were hot, hot after Dremont Jones. And there was one specific stat that caught my eyes over the past couple of days that I think tells you why the Patriots were that interested in Draymont Jones. Because this one specific stat could cause utter chaos for opposing offenses. NFL researcher posted most quarterback pressures when blocked one-on-one in 2025, this is per next-gen stats. So number one in the NFL, most quarterback pressures when blocked one-on-one last season, Aidan Hutchinson from Detroit with 70. Will Anderson Jr. was second with 65.
Starting point is 00:15:03 Nick Benito was third with 61. And then you drop down to number nine on the list. And there are two guys tied ninth with 46 quarterback pressures when blocked one-on-one. Zach Allen. And the other is Draymont Jones. So Draymont Jones was in the top 10 last year, most quarterback pressures when blocked one-on-one. He eats dudes up one-on-one. That's what that statistic would tell you.
Starting point is 00:15:38 And so I want you to think about that for a minute. I want you to think about Draymont Jones and his incredible success last season getting to the quarterback when going. going one on one against the tackle. I want you to think about that. I want you to think about the rest of the defensive line for the Patriots. Because what this does is it absolutely sets up a pick-your-poison scenario for any offense. If you think about Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Draymont Jones, if Harold Landry, again, it's a big if, and I'm not banking on it, But if Harold Landry looks like the Harold Landry from the first month or so of 2025,
Starting point is 00:16:22 then you can put him on this list as well. But when you're looking at the defensive line of the Patriots, if an offense wants to double one of those guys up front, it's going to create all sorts of issues. Because what you should get is one-on-one opportunities for Jones in Landry. And I just told you, Jones top 10, one-on-one quarterback. pressures last season. So you want him to feast against these one-on-ones. You want Landry to feast against the one-on-ones. And you got those two guys in the middle with Williams and Barmore
Starting point is 00:16:59 creating all sorts of havoc for an offensive line. And remember, when we talked about Christian Barmore, I think it was last week, one of the numbers that we got, you know, Barmore was like top three in pressures after being doubled and chipped, right? one of the best interior defensive lineman when being doubled and chipped, still getting pressures on the quarterback. If I remember correctly, Christian Barmore was only behind Jeffrey Simmons in that statistic. So we start to put these different elements together. We put these stats, these analytics together.
Starting point is 00:17:34 And what we create is a defensive line that is so difficult to block. Because if you try to double or chip Barmore, he still gets home. If you try to double or chip Milton Williams, he still gets home. If you go one-on-one with any of those guys, they can eat your lunch. But if you feel like you've got a double one of them, then somebody on the edge is going one-on-one. And you don't necessarily want to deal with Draymont Jones one-on-one. So you've got Milton Williams, the monster, Christian Barmore, a handful when he's going. and then you add Jones to this mix,
Starting point is 00:18:15 and now you see why the Patriots might have been really interested and intrigued by Draymont Jones. Because this defensive line, they are going to create the one-on-ones. And no matter where you look, whether it's Williams or Barmore or Jones and hopefully Landry,
Starting point is 00:18:32 no matter where you look, you can lose the one-on-one at any time against that defensive line. And that's how you create. the four-man pass rush. That's how you create problems. That's how you create those problems. So yes, you can double and leave one-on-ones if you'd like.
Starting point is 00:18:52 That's going to be an issue. That is going to be an issue for many, many offenses. And you also include the fact that Jones, as we have discussed a little bit, not a ton, but he can move inside, his ability to move inside. creates flexibility along this defensive line for Zach Corr, Terrell Williams, Mike Vrable to play some games. Jones is also very good at stunting, which is something the Patriots want to do. So when you start to put all of this together, you start to put the one-on-one success, you start to build the interior defensive line success against chips and double teams,
Starting point is 00:19:34 and then you start to think about guys who can move inside, outside, positional flexibility, versatility, and the idea of throwing different stunts with the secondary they have now built with Kevin Beyer. And you just start to put these pieces of the puzzle together and you get excited. And we saw what the defense was doing in the playoffs. You have a lot of things that you can do with this defensive line. And now imagine you add an edge or two via the draft. It's chaos.
Starting point is 00:20:04 If you can roll in three or four different pass rushes, on the edge. I mean, it is chaos for an offensive line and a quarterback to deal with. Oh, and by the way, they should also be better against the run because Jones is better than Caleban Chase on against the run. Now, Jones is not great, but he's better than what Chaseon gave you. I still think the Patriots could replace Kyrie's Tonga. They need to find, you know, a bigger interior defensive lineman to kind of eat up the run on
Starting point is 00:20:37 early downs. Maybe that will be a signing of a vet-free agent eventually. Maybe it'll come through the draft once you get to the fourth, fifth, sixth round. But you start to see this pass rush and you get a true feel for what they're trying to create just off that one statistic. Dremont Jones, top 10 when it comes to one-on-one blocked pressures last season. He had 46 of them. A surprising prospect reportedly visits Gillette before the draft. We'll get to that next. This is Lockdown Patriots. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to by five-hour energy. It is time for the five-hour energy flavor draft. We have a deep class of 18 flavors to choose from. The clock is ticking, and I've made my
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Starting point is 00:22:38 We appreciate every single one of you. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your, tell your, fellow Patriots fans. All right. So I love the Kevin Byard signing. We've talked about it. But the fact is he's going to be turning 33 in August. And I think this was a statement by the Patriots, a one year deal for Kevin Byard. Obviously, they do not feel like Del Pettis is an option to be a full-time starter. If they felt that way, then he might have been more in the mix. But you go out and you sign Byard because you feel like you need somebody in that spot. Drafting a safety to me is more likely now than if you signed Jalen Hawkins to a two-year deal because it's just
Starting point is 00:23:17 kind of common sense. If you gave yourself a two-year cushion with a two-year contract, then you wouldn't have as much urgency in this year's draft. But now you've got Bayard on a one-year deal. You know, of course you can sign him again, but he's only got a one-year deal. So it's more likely you're looking safety in this year's draft than we might have thought going back a month ago. So a very interesting name took a top 30 visit to Gillette Stadium. And this was, according to the man himself, on Up and Adams, Emmanuel McNeill Warren mentioned that he made a top 30 visit to Gillette. He visited the Patriots. Now, of course, top 30 visits, a lot of guys have top 30 visits. And it doesn't necessarily mean the team is going to draft that player.
Starting point is 00:24:10 but it's a very fascinating nugget because if you look at Emmanuel McNeil Warren, he really would be like a best player available scenario for the Patriots at the end of the first round. Patriots, of course, they draft 31st in the first round. And McNeil Warren is seen as a top three safety in this draft. Caleb Downs, no doubt, will go number one at that position. And then you've got Dylan Thineman and McNeil Warren, battling for that like two slash three spat. Some people like Dylan Thineman more than they like McNeil Warren.
Starting point is 00:24:48 Some people like McNeil Warren more than they like Thineman. But there's no doubt that Emmanuel McNeil Warren is a top three safety in this draft. And if you look at a lot of mock drafts, he's going to be going somewhere in the mid-20s, mid-to-late 20s. Some people might even have them, you know, in the lower 20s, high teens. So this really would be a best player available, which I find fascinating. Now, of course, you look under every rock, you do the homework on a bunch of people, but to have one of these top 30 visits on a guy who might go top 25 at the safety position, which is not your number one need, then it might lead us to believe the Patriots are just looking at trying to draft the best player there at 31.
Starting point is 00:25:34 And if that's the case, we've got to expand our thought process about who could be the pick. Now, McNeil Warren himself, I'll tell you a little bit about him. He's six foot three, two hundred and five pounds. He's got good length. His relative athletic score unofficially was a 9.13, which put him 106th overall. Doesn't sound great. But then you figure out that since 1987, when we talk about relative athletic score, there have been 1,213 free safeties.
Starting point is 00:26:07 And then you'll look at McNeil. Warren and say, well, he was 106 out of 1213. So he's got good athleticism, explosive type football player. He's versatile. He's got good range on the back end. He can play sideline to sideline. He creates turnovers. We talked about it when the Patriots signed Byrd.
Starting point is 00:26:28 That was one of the biggest aspects of what Byrd brings to the table is he creates turnovers. You know, he leads the league in interceptions since I think it was, what, 2018? He obviously led the league last year with seven picks. And that was a weakness of the Patriots. They didn't have a lot of takeaways until they got to the playoffs, thanks to C.J. Stroud. But when you look at McNeill Warren, in his final three years of college football, he has five interceptions and eight forced fumbles.
Starting point is 00:26:58 So he's been able to create turnovers. You also look at what he does against the run. He is aggressive downhill against the run. He is not afraid to come screaming downhill. and blow up a running back. So you start to see what McNeil Warren brings, and it's pretty obvious that, yeah, I mean, he would be a pretty fun weapon to use in this defense.
Starting point is 00:27:22 And then you put him under the learning tree of Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson, and then all of a sudden in 2027, you have McNeil Warren and Woodson as you're starting safeties. Now, that's an exciting thought. Again, it would be best player available. and if you used number 31 on a safety, you're really putting yourself in a bind if you're looking at offensive tackle
Starting point is 00:27:45 and defensive end and those edge players and who will be there in the second round and if you got to pick a tackle in the second round, if you feel like you have to pick a tackle there, now you're talking about the third round for an edge and we can play that game. But Emmanuel McNeil Warren is a very interesting guy.
Starting point is 00:28:02 The Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network, the Daniel Jeremiah top 50 write up, it really reads like a perfect, Vrable safety. Jeremiah wrote on McNeil Warren, every game I examined was littered with big hits, plays on the ball, and high, all in caps, energy.
Starting point is 00:28:19 He's a very explosive player. When we think about a Mike Vrable safety, we think about versatility, we think about big hits, we think about plays on the ball, like ball hawk. We think about high energy. You think about Kevin Byard, really.
Starting point is 00:28:32 And you look at that McNeil Warren RAS and his exceptional. explosiveness on the field, which Byer doesn't have as much of anymore because he's going to be 33. And you could easily see the fit for Emmanuel McNeil Warren within this defense. Now, is he going to get drafted by the Patriots? I would say mostly it's unlikely, but still a very interesting name visiting Gillette as we get ready for this draft. All right. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being in every dayer reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. And don't forget to throw a comment in on the
Starting point is 00:29:12 YouTube channel, hit that like button and subscribe. And if you never miss an episode, the Everydayer Club is built for you. Get Lockdown Patriots, ad free, plus members only discord access and more. Head to Lockdownpatriots.com or check the link in the show notes to learn even more. Have a great day. And we will see you next time.

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