Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Draft Weekend Recap: New England Patriots 2021 Draft Grades — 5/3/2021

Episode Date: May 3, 2021

The New England Patriots are getting mostly rave reviews for their performance in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, as always, some picks are being held in higher regard than others. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the Patriots’ selection on Day Two and Day Three; highlighting their favorites, as well as voicing their concerns.Support 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.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.NugenixText now, and they’ll include a bottle of Nugenix Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator ever with key ingredients to help you get back in shape, absolutely free! Text DRAFT to 2-3-1-2-3-1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Monday, May 3rd, 2021. The 2021 NFL Draft is now in the books, folks, and the performance of your New England Patriots will be put under the microscope here today on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion

on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And today's episode of Locked on Patriots is brought to you by Bilt Bar. Go to BiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. Pats fans, I hope you all enjoyed 2021 NFL Draft Weekend, and I thank you for joining me here on this Monday episode of the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback

are always welcomed, Very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there doing some Monday meandering through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, throughout the course of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Pats added eight new members to the club. Started on Thursday night with the 15th pick in the first round,

of course, quarterback Mac Jones of Alabama joins the New England Patriots. And on Friday's episode of the pod, Steve Balistrieri and I gave our thoughts on Mac and how he may fit in here in New England. But the Pats still had two days to go at the time. And over the course of Friday into Saturday, the Patriots added seven additional players through the draft. And it all started on Friday night when the Patriots, who were scheduled to pick 46th

in the second round, moving on up a little bit, trading that number 46 pick along with two fourth rounders, the 122nd pick, the 139th overall pick, to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 38th overall choice. And with that 38th pick, the Patriots select defensive lineman Christian Barmore out of Alabama. Their second pick on day two, round three, number 96, Ronnie Perkins, defensive end out of the University of Oklahoma. A defensive duo for the Pats on day two, but as all other 31 NFL teams, the Patriots were not done on day two. They had five picks to make on day three, and they made all of them, starting in the fourth round, 120th overall, running back Ramondre Stevenson out of the University of Oklahoma. Into the fifth round, the Patriots

using pick number 177 to select linebacker Cam McGrone out of Michigan. Two six-rounders for the Pats on Saturday, 188 overall, Joshua Bledsoe, safety out of the University of Missouri. And also in the sixth round, number 197 overall, William Sherman, offensive tackle out of Colorado. Bringing it all home was the elusive wide receiver that Patriots fans have been clamoring for. 242nd overall, Trey Nixon, wide receiver out of the University of Central Florida. So very briefly, Pats Nation, that is your 2021 NFL draft class. And some of you were pretty happy with most of the picks. Some of the picks weren't necessarily met with a lot of positive reaction across the fan base, but then again, that's to be expected. Overall, I think the Patriots had a solid draft.

They addressed a lot of positions of need, and the players they brought in really do fit the mold here in New England. Some of these picks may not have been the names that you were expecting, but I think every one of these picks has a chance to be a contributor here in New England. Whether they actually will be is a conversation for another day. Way too early to determine that. But overall, I give the Patriots a solid B-plus for their 2021 NFL draft. I think they had a very good one. And over the weekend, across social media and Twitter,

you may have seen my instant reaction videos giving pick-by-pick analysis. I want to thank so many of you over the weekend for checking those out. If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, my instant reaction of each of the Patriots picks is available on the Locked On Patriots Twitter account, also at Locked On Pods. Even check out the Locked On NFL YouTube channel. All 32 teams, all of our great hosts across the network, each of our local experts keeping you updated on all the information you need on all 32 NFL teams. Folks, I tell you every day, stay locked in to Locked On.

All of the coverage you need for all of the NFL teams is right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And I'm so proud to be a part of this great team we have here at Locked On NFL. But seeing that you've heard and seen my thoughts on the Patriots draft haul, you knew that because it's Monday, someone would be joining me to lend his green wisdom and counsel. That's right, folks. It's hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. So my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy, occupies the hot seat today.

And if you followed Murph's Twitter account over the weekend, you know he has some strong opinions on this draft. We'll discuss the picks of Christian Barmore and Ronnie Perkins. Murph loves one, not so much on the other. And we'll discuss why in just a bit. But Murph will also give us his thoughts on Day 3. Who were the picks that he liked? Who were the picks that he would avoid?

And who among them might make the best Patriot? Folks, a ton of action to get to here today on the pod. My good friend, the counter Murphy Fisto himself is chomping at the bit to join me here today, and I will welcome him into the Lockdown Patriot studios in just a moment. But first, as exciting as the NFL Draft weekend has been, a common question that I've gotten a lot here over the weekend is, why aren't the Patriots signing any undrafted rookie free agents? Bill Belichick loves undrafted rookies. So many of them have come through and made impacts on the Patriots roster throughout the years. Malcolm Butler,

Jonathan Jones, JC Jackson, David Andrews, all good examples of that. And at the time I'm recording this podcast, the Patriots still haven't made an undrafted rookie free agent signing. Biggest question on all of your minds is why? Well, folks, only Bill Belichick and the Patriots Brain Trust really know that for sure. But there are a couple of reasons why the Patriots might be taking their time signing undrafted rookie free agents. First, the pool of talent that the Patriots have to choose from, and really any NFL team has to choose from, is a lot less this year than it

has been in previous years. Only 657 prospects were eligible for the draft this year. 259 of them got drafted. Last year, a total of 1,932 players declared for the NFL draft. So COVID-19 having an impact on the college football season may make the Patriots a little less eager to sign undrafted rookie free agents. Another big reason why? Patriots already have a very deep roster. They drafted eight players, meaning that at the time I'm recording this, the Patriots have six open spots on their roster.

So basically what that means is that this is a very deep roster with undrafted rookie free agents having only an outside chance of making an impact and maybe making it to the roster. So the Patriots may be looking at this saying, there may be other free agents out there, veteran free agents that we may want to bring in. Why fill those open roster spots right away? So at the end of the day, the Patriots have a lot of roster decisions to make. Bill and the team are definitely going over their options, determining which veteran players might be cut loose,

if there are any free agents available or could become available that the Patriots might want to bring in, and they're definitely looking at the undrafted rookie free agent pool. They're not ignoring it by any stretch of the imagination. But especially this year with the limitations on rookie minicamp and only being able to bring in five rookie free agents to work out per league regulations, Patriots are being a lot more selective this year than they have been in years past.

Doesn't mean they can't find or won't find a potential diamond in the rough among this year's undrafted rookie free agent class, just means that the Patriots may have to take a little more time in selecting players to add to their 90-man roster. As always, we'll continue to monitor the undrafted rookie free agent wire, and we'll keep you updated right here on Locked On Patriots as the Pats continue to make updates to their roster. But as for the eight players drafted by the Patriots over the weekend, my good buddy Murph and I are about to give you our thoughts on Day 2 and Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft when

the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Patriots fans, listen up. Nugenix, the number one selling free testosterone booster at GNC, is offering a complimentary bottle to all football fans in America. To get your complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T, text DRAFT to 231231. This unique man-boosting formula is powered by testofen, which helps boost free testosterone and total testosterone levels and increase energy and lean muscle mass.

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Don't delay. Do it today. Head over to betonline.ag today, sign up, and receive your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit when you use the promo code LOCKEDON. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Patriots fans, the 2021 NFL draft is now in the books and your New England Patriots are getting mostly rave reviews for their performance over the weekend. And some picks are rated higher than others, but overall, this looks like a solid draft for the Pats or is it? Well, we've heard

analysis. We've seen the grades, but what about green wisdom and counsel? That's right, folks. It is that time again. He's here. He's ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the only guest on the pod with his very own branded hashtag, the count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. As always, thank you for coming to me in friendship and for joining me today, Don Murph. Always a pleasure, especially on this fantastic Monday.

You know, just, it was a good weekend. It was, it was a good weekend. There was nothing to be irate over. There was nothing to get the gamma up over. And with the exception of my reaction to this draft, which wasn't as high as some people's, man, I gave this draft a solid B and I'm essentially getting dragged for it like Indiana Jones behind a Nazi truck trying to catch up to the lost ark. Just remind everybody, Murph, it's not the years, it's the mileage.

If you're going to go with an Indiana Jones reference, that may be one of my favorites. But no, all kidding aside, it is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday here, folks. And, you know, no more musings. You know, of course, no mocking. There was never any mocking. Murph does not mock the draft. He can mock me, but he can't mock the draft. Those are the rules here on Locked On, Patriots.

Bud, you hit the nail right on the head. There is a lot of, how shall I say, curiosity in Patriots fandom right now about how all of these new selections will fit into the Foxborough fold here. The Patriots adding eight new members to the club over the weekend, starting with Mac Jones on Thursday, concluding with Trey Nixon on Saturday. And oddly enough, no undrafted free agents yet. That really is a little surprising to me, at least at the time Murph and I are speaking, folks.

And you heard my thoughts on that to open the show. And we'll see. We will continue to monitor that here on Locked On Patriots. But, buddy, you're here today to lend some wisdom and counsel regarding the new Patriots that will find their way to Foxborough, at least over the summer. We'll start off with day one. I know Steve and I joined me here on Friday. We talked a lot about Mac and his selection,

how he'll fit into New England. Quickly, my friend, because we definitely want to get to your day two and day three thoughts, your thoughts on Mac Jones in a Patriots uniform. Love it, dislike it, or middle of the road on this one? I'm living with it. I said all along that there were two quarterbacks in this draft that I had a first-round grade on. I mean, everybody else be damned and you're scrambling for the next guy and somebody's upside. But I said all along, if Mac Jones was there at 15, I would be happy with it. And I would be more than satisfied. I think Mac is a good quarterback.

I think he's going to fit in here really well. And it was a good quarterback. I think he's going to fit in here really well. And it was a good pick. Let's just get this out there. Mack Jones did not fall to the Patriots. That's not what happened. Mack Jones was not seen as somebody with the ceiling as high as some of the bigger dice rolls in this thing. But in my estimation right now, today, the Patriots got the second best quarterback in this,

in this draft class. Yeah. I think that's a great way to put it. And I put it over the weekend when I spoke to a couple of my colleagues here at locked on off the record saying that he may not be the perfect quarterback, but he might end up being the perfect quarterback in new England. The way he's able to pick up pre-snap reads, go through progressions, read a defense, make

throws when he needs to. I think a lot of people forget that Mack may not be the most athletically gifted quarterback in this draft, but don't let it be said that he's not athletic. He can move up in the pocket. He can move around, deliver a strike on time exactly where it needs to go. And at the end of the day, Josh McDaniels loves that. Bill Belichick loves that. And it may end up being a pretty good fit here.

So we'll see how the dice fall with regard to the Patriots, in regard to Mack, and how he's going to fit in with Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham. We're going to be talking a lot about that for weeks to come here on Locked On Patriots, but I appreciate your information on Mac, and thank you very much, and also thank you for the kind words over the weekend, and kind of pumping my tires a little bit, because I've been on the Mac attack for a good period

of time, and it was nice to see that Bill Belichick listened to me. He watched my mock draft, and I like to think I had something to do with it kidding folks kidding no you hold on you hold on to that for a very long time i've been i've been you know holding on to the three draft picks that i've gotten right over the past 20 years and built an entire career over it so now you go ahead but do that well thank you yeah not only mock the correct player but also mock mocked him at the correct slot as well. Mocking him at 15, not trading up and just waiting to see how the board, you know, went.

And it was pretty amazing that that's actually how it ended up going down, especially with all of the speculation prior. So good stuff, bud. But you know what? You're in a good mood. We're going to keep you in a good mood. Yeah, because day two, the New England Patriots start the night by swinging a deal to move up. They dealt the number 46 selection, along with two fourth-rounders, the 122nd pick and the 139th pick. Overall, sending those to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 38th choice. And it's the only trade that the Pats made during this draft, which, again, that was a little surprising to me. But you know what? Bill Belichick had a plan, and he obviously stuck to it. With that 38th pick, buddy, they select defensive lineman Christian Barmore, another Alabama product.

And Murph, I really liked this pick. I know some say they gave up capital to get him, but Barmore fits this 3-4 scheme that the Pats look poised to run this year. He did it so well in Alabama, and I know that this was a pick that you liked, so I'm not going to step on your thunder. Floor is yours. Why should the Patriots fan base be excited about Christian Barmore? I loved this. I loved Barmore at 15.

I would have been happy with him there. So did Mark Schofield, by the way. You're in good company. When Mark joined me last week, he mentioned Christian as a possibility at 15, and I think that's great. I think we both talked about him a tad bit during the entire process, and it's always great that you know you're on the right path when Mark agrees with you or says something that you agree with and um what what they were able to do the the two

fourth round picks yes the the patriots could have done some damage with that but not as much damage as barrymore is going to be able to do here i mean roll pats uh these two first picks, the first two picks were fantastic. Yes, I said it first, Fitzy, roll pets. It's fantastic. I love this pick right down to my soul. This is a Bill Belichick guy. This is somebody that's going to come in here. And all last year, we talked about the fact that the Patriots had difficulty stopping the run. They found somebody to do that with this pick.

We talked last year at Nauseam about getting to the quarterback from the interior of this defensive line. They fixed that with this pick. I don't give a hang what they gave up to get this. I would have been happy. A lot of people have given up a lot more in this draft to take a dice roll on guys that are going to be, you know, had spent their career throwing against guys that are going to be selling Cuisinarts at Sears in a couple of weeks. And this is, this is just beautiful. Barrymore is the most talented defensive tackle in this draft.

He's young. He's moldable. He's a little bit immature, sure. But bringing him in here, I think that is going to shake it all out of him and bring exactly what this Patriots team needs to this front seven. I love it. I love the pick. Absolutely.

Could not agree more. Look, you want to talk about a blend of strength and power. Christian Barmore provides that, folks. We mentioned how well he played in the 3-4 setting when he was at Alabama. I think he's going to be a factor in the interior of this Pats defensive line sooner rather than later. He's Chris Jones. Yeah, I think he really can come in here and change the complexity.

I think he plays with good leverage. He's got the strength to take on the double teams, and you know that's going to happen. They're going to try to challenge this kid a little bit, but he locates the ball quickly, great range for his size, and he's got pretty quick hands too. So I think he can be an eventual three-down player for this team, and I really love this, and I will continue to love it. Christian Barmore in a Patriots uniform. Sign me up. And obviously

the Patriots agreed. Well, the era of good feelings can't last forever, though. No, can it? You're pretty satisfied with Mac. You'll love Christian Barmore. Well, I'm going to unleash the inner Luca Brazzi of my good buddy here today. Maybe even push him to the brink of Sonny Corleone firing a broom handle at Carlo Rizzi tight Madden today. So we're going to talk about the other day to selection now, if that pleases you, Don Murph. Ronnie Perkins. Sur surprising that he fell to the third round. I think we can both agree on that one. A lot of draft boards had him graded as a second rounder. I even saw some with a first round grade on him.

I think that's overaggressive, but I was surprised that Perkins kept falling through the second round and into the third. So this was a surprise that kind of dropped on the Patriots lap. Um, folks, in case you missed it, and if you did, please go back and look at Murph's late Friday night tweets. You know what? That might be good for a podcast name here, right on the podcast network, right on the podcast.

Folks, how about it? Friday night tweets with Mike and Murph. Let's hear it. You know, you want to see it? Send your feedback to the internet on that one, folks. We look forward to it. But anyway, back to Perkins. Murph was not a fan of this pick and again i don't want to steal your thunder here which is the proper way

to say it folks i think i said step on murph's thunder i don't know how you do that but i'm not going to steal your thunder again have at it bud uh why should patriots fans be weary of ronnie perkins well i it's not weary of the talent. I don't mind the talent. I enjoy the fact that he fell this far, but there's a reason that he fell this far. And it's not just, you know, the fact that he got caught smoking a little weed. Nobody cares. Nobody in the NFL cares anymore. There's two weeks out of the year that they test for herb. They shouldn't even do that. That's probably going to be out the window in a month or two. But my point is the redundancy of this pick.

The Patriots now have six edge rushers, six. They could have used this pick on somebody else, a position of need. If you don't understand, folks, this time next year, the Patriots might be without both their starting left and right tackle. They might be without both of their starting cornerbacks. They could be gone. There were people at this spot that the Patriots could have gone to that went right off the board right afterwards that could have come in here and contributed not only now but in the future.

On top of that, Perkins is undersized for his position. He's probably going to have to get kicked somewhere else. He didn't test really well when it came to the numbers that the Patriots really love. He's only 6'3", 253 pounds. It's a gamble that they didn't have to take with the people that are already on this roster. I don't like the way he sets an edge.

I think that was a serious problem. I think he'll be playing behind other people that do that in a more profound and better way. But it was just the people that went off the board right after him that really upset me. And it really got my gamma up. Elijah Molden came up right after that. Infantu Melefanyu went right off the board right after that. Ambry Thomas, the cornerbacks, these are all cornerbacks, folks. Ernst Jones, a fantastic linebacker that we talked about earlier in the draft process. Brandon Stevens

went off right after that. And Baron Bloody Browning, somebody that I would have really loved. Do you know how good you have to be to come from Ohio State and have me say, yeah, let's draft that guy? That's how good Browning is. he fell to 105 my point is that it's where you're going to use him okay whose job is this going to cost um somewhere else you know and not not on the edge and not on the defensive line or the linebackers but where else where who is this going to thin out in this roster when we put it together? Because Bill's got some tough decisions that he's going to have to make. And he made his job harder drafting this kid in the third round.

Yeah, and in a lot of ways, I appreciate your clarifying, because I think a lot of what we saw over the weekend was a rush to judgment or maybe an incorrect assumption that you were attacking what this kid can do, what he feels, his potential. And that's certainly not the case, and I'm so glad that you clarified that. And I'm glad, and I wanted to clarify that as well, because Murph in no way demeaned what Ronnie Perkins brings to the table from a talent perspective.

Fantastic kid, great person. He's got a good motor. I like the way he gets after the quarterback. Believe me, you folks are all going to be throwing this in my face when he is chasing down these mobile quarterbacks that we have to face. I understand what he can do, and I appreciate it, and I like it. It's just that I thought this capital could have been spent elsewhere, especially when the Pats gave up those two fourth- round picks. Yeah, and it's a valid point. Keegan Staple

joined me here on the pod last week, and we talked about a little bit what the Patriots might do on the defensive side of the ball and where they might look to attack. And look, one of the points that we both talked about offline is that the team has a lot of depth at these positions like you said they have a 3-4 defensive tackle and Devon Godchow uh through a free agency adding him they have 4-3 defensive tackles and guys like Lawrence Guy Henry Anderson uh the defensive end position is an area where they have a good amount of depth as well yeah Monty Adams came in as a free agent he aligns well in the 3-4 so does Dietrich Wise. If they switch over and they want to run a 4-3, Matthew Judon is great at doing that. Anthony Jennings can do it as well.

And that 3-4 outside linebacker, which I think is where the Patriots may look to employ Ronnie Perkins, I think that's where he fits best in this system. You already have Josh Uche. You've got Chase Winovich. So you've got guys that can get after the quarterback. But I think what Bill was thinking here when he looked at Ronnie Perkins was potential and best player available. I agree with you. There are some inconsistencies when setting the edge, which is why I think the Pats are going to kick him out

to an outside linebacker rather than that traditional edge rush. It allows him to play upright. I think that's going to be more conducive to his size, more conducive to his style. And ultimately, this is probably going to be seen as a solid depth piece with maybe a chance to provide more value than his pick at number 96 would indicate. So good stuff, Murph. You know, I'm glad that you were able to, you know, get that out there. He was too talented to pass up, but I still would have passed up. Yeah. You know, that's it.

Yep. And a fair and valid point. That's why you lend your wisdom and counsel like no others. But, you know, even when we disagree a little bit like we did today, I still respect your opinion. You know, as the great Don would say, I congratulate you on your opinions. And I know you do very well. But best that your opinions don't conflict with mine. You know, because after all, I am the host your opinions, and I know you do very well, but best that your opinions don't conflict with mine.

You know, because after all, I am the host here. Just kidding, folks. But Pats fans, we are not done yet, because the Patriots weren't done. Saving five selections for the third and final day of the 2021 NFL Draft. Hear my good friend's thoughts on the Pats' Day 3 performance when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Lockdown listeners, we've all heard the phrase often imitated but never duplicated to use so often in professional sports.

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So who won? Who lost? That is the question of the day. Get more of the sports news you need in less time with the Locked On Today podcast. Follow Locked On Today on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Pats fans, Thomas Murphy joins me here on the pod today. Hashtag Locked On Murph Monday on this post-draft 2021 episode, breaking down the Patriots' 2021 NFL draft performance. But on Saturday, the Patriots did not make a trade. Once again, that surprised me a little bit.

But, you know, we're coming to embrace a new normal here with the New England Patriots, I think. And they entered the day with five selections they made all five of them um the fan base seemed both pleased and displeased uh and we heard a lot about weapons with a z all over social media you gotta add the z murph you gotta you gotta adapt the new lexicon here i'm trying i'm trying to trying to trying to connect with uh with the youth even though I'm not that old, I act a lot older on the radio. But bottom line, folks, a lot of fans were disappointed about not getting a wide receiver. But the Patriots did get a wide receiver, folks. One that I happen to think might be a little better than some people are giving them credit for. But again, Bud, a lot of

mixed reactions across the board for the final day of the draft with new england patriots what say you my friend first so that way we can end on a high note uh what did you not like about the pat state three performance any picks that you look at left you shaking your head or they could have done better uh how would you have attacked this day a little bit different than bill belichick and obviously Nike Belichick did well I I've got to say that I I probably I want to understand why Bill Belichick has a fetish for guys who have blown knees um Cam McGrone is a fantastic ball player I've really enjoyed everybody knows that that I love Michigan football. I've been a fan of Michigan football for decades,

going back before Tom Brady became a Patriot. We're talking the early 80s and whatnot. It left me scratching my head a little bit, again, with other people that were on the board, and this guy who is probably not going to suit up this year at all. There was a lot of high risk, high reward with this day three that Bill put together, whether it was his vertical board, his horizontal board, and what colors matched up with who. In the end, to me, it seemed like he was thinking more about grabbing the best athletes that he possibly could. But my thing with McGroan is, you know, the guy has knee issues.

And you know how I am when it comes to knee issues and people coming out of college. I give great pause. I also thought, you know, Joshua Bledsoe is a tad bit small. I wanted the other safety from Missouri. I think we've all gone, you know, possibly become a swing tackle. But right now, I'm really not sure where he's going to fit in this year. Once again, we didn't get the help this year that we're going to need in the depth in the defensive backfield or next year in guys that I think that we're going to really going to have to start depending on. Trey Nixon was a good pick in the seventh round, folks.

I'm not going to completely trash it, what the Patriots did, because I think they got kind of a steal here. Another guy that is going to come in, make the practice squad, and see what happens. Yeah, and I mean, if that's going to be the final pick submitted by Ernie Adams in his Patriots draft repertoire, you've got to be rooting for Trey Nixon. And we're going to get into Nixon, I think, in a little bit, because I don't want to steal the thunder of what you did like about the final day of day three. But I can see where you're coming from on McGrone. And again, we talked about McGrone a couple of weeks ago. He was mocked with several of our mock drafts that were submitted here to Locked On Patriots.

And I had mentioned him as a possibility, someone that I was trying to keep a little bit more of a sharp eye on, especially knowing his medical history. I agree with you. This has got 2022 at the earliest written all over it. Bill Belichick acknowledged that almost the night of the draft. As a matter of fact, he did. In Saturday's press conference, he did advise that the team remains unsure if Cam's going to be ready to go this year.

Cam McGrone, folks. Calm down. I didn't mean Cam Newton. I meant Cam McGrone. And that he's going to be ready to go this year, Cam McGrone, folks. Calm down. I didn't mean Cam Newton. I meant Cam McGrone. And that he's going to be ready to go this year. They still have the jury out on that one. Prepared for him to possibly be more of a 2022 consideration. I think he's got the potential to be a three-downer.

Here's a tidbit on McGrone. Cam McGrone was born two months after Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots. And everybody just instantly started feeling very old. Oh, you want to feel old. Especially us. Especially us. But, you know, if you were a young whippersnapper when Tom was drafted or if you were a young kid or maybe even. No, I really wasn't.

You were. No, I wasn't. I was a college kid when Tom was drafted, but a young college kid at the time. But, yeah, that definitely makes you feel a little bit old. But with McGrone, there's upside. This has got upside written all over it. Potential to be a three-down player, I think, in the NFL. He fits that Mike role, I think, in the NFL.

He fits that Mike role, the Mike linebacker role. So I think that may be where the Patriots are looking to try to employ him. But, you know, he's got toughness. He's got great range. But, again, the jury's going to be out on this one. And I think a lot of people are weary about drafting guys that have strong medical histories like this that uh, that come in with future potential written all over them. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't,

but Bill rolled the dice as well. Three years in a row, Bill went to Michigan. Yep. Absolutely. The three straight years. He's liking what they're doing out there and bringing them in here. And,

and like I said, we'll see what, what he does in 2022. I'm not, I'm not really counting on anything out of him this season and that's fine because he's he's going to be on pup and not cost anybody a job yeah absolutely and uh something in the water up there in ann arbor uh that bill belichick is liking an awful lot for all the you know the the role you know the the bammer and the

sooners over the weekend, Michigan's been a well that he's dipped into one too many times. Not too many times, but many times. I'm excited about Stevenson. I'll tell you that much. We'll just go back a little bit. Well, let's talk about that. Yeah, let's talk about that in terms of what you liked about day three.

Take it all home today, bud. What excited you about the Patriots' picks on day three of the 2021 NFL draft? Stevenson is my big upside. I had him ranked a lot higher than other people. I honestly didn't think he was going to be there where they grabbed him. He was just outside, say, the top 100. But this is a guy that plays a game that you don't see all that often.

He's a big bruising back that makes people miss, and that can be a detriment in trying to make people miss because you could look at it as he doesn't play a physical game, even though he has a physical skill set or body type. But he does also do that. I really, really enjoyed this pick. I thought Bill hit it out of the park. A lot of people say that this is the end of Sonny Michel. That's not true. It doesn't have to be.

I love Sonny. I think healthy. He is a fantastic back. But I think that when the Patriots drafted him, they thought it was just going to be a single contract situation. I think he's shown, though, that if he wants to sign an extension here, there would still be a place for him in this offense. We all know the way Bill rotates through running backs. And this kid could very well end up seeing a redshirt season the way they do with most running backs here under Bill over the years. Also, he catches the ball out of the backfield, which I really like.

I don't think he did it enough. But that's basically what I loved about day three was that pick. Other than that, they were guys with a lot of upside. It was a big risk-reward day three for the Patriots. Yeah, without question. And I'm glad that you mentioned Stevenson because he's definitely a player we wanted to talk about. A little polarizing. People were upset that they went this high on a running back when they needed a wide receiver and everybody was thinking, oh, well, they're not going to get the wide out now. All these guys are there. Why do you go with

Stevenson in this situation? It's because he is that physical runner that the Patriots like to employ with the potential of being able to catch the ball out of the backfield. I agree with you. I think they are going to redshirt him this season unless there's an injury to Sony, which it's good. You know, it's definitely good insurance to have a guy like this on your roster. And look, we say injury to Sony. Damian Harris spent some time on the DL. We're really dating ourselves by calling it the DL now

But he spent some time on injured reserve last year as well So keep in mind, folks, that injuries can happen to any player at any time The Patriots are really beefing up their roster To make sure that any of the players that they have on this roster Can come in and make an immediate impact And I think Stevenson is one of those guys He runs with a physical style, like you said can come in and make an immediate impact. And I think Stevenson is one of those guys. He runs with a physical style.

Like you said, he's got bruising back. Got a really good stiff arm, folks. If you haven't had a chance to check out any film on him, go to YouTube, check out some of the clips. I'm not saying that you have to watch extensive film over and over again, but watch some of the stiff arms that he provides. He's really, really good at it. And bottom line, he's got power in his run style but he's got athleticism to make tacklers miss and short you've got a derrick henry kind of stiff arm when you get him out to the out to the edge

there i really like it yeah absolutely without any question and that's drawing him comparisons to lagarrett blunt and i think that's a decent comparison i also think he's got a little bit of James White in him. And a lot of people raise their eyebrows. But when you talk about catching the ball out of the backfield, if he can redshirt in season one and learn that art and add that to his repertoire, this kid could be something special. So we'll see. The jury's still out on Ramondre Stevenson.

I'm not anointing him the savior of this running back core but i like this pick a lot more than most people did and i like trey nixon i really did i was one of the very few that liked this from the beginning um vertical deep threat uh he's got nfl level speed he ran the 40 at a 4.43 which you know tells you that right now he would have gone much higher if he hadn't if he hadn't broken his collarbone. He wouldn't have been there. Yeah, without question. And this has Ernie Adams written all over it. This is a sneaky good pick, folks.

This kid's fast. On the way out the door. Exactly. Not bad. And on a high note, kind of like George Costanza, you know, just like waving to the crowd. And I ended on a high note, folks. But he can use his speed to shed defenders at the line uh I would like to see him get a little more physical uh maybe you know in training camp and things like that mix it up with some of the uh the defensive backs out there toughen him

up a little bit but he's physical enough to make catches in tight coverage and we've seen that so I think a promising project in the slot here folks keep in mind Julian Edelman was a seventh round pick as well so So you know what? We'll take a look, and we'll take whatever we can from some of these guys. But overall, I think the Patriots did a pretty good job this weekend. Some picks may pan out later rather than sooner. But, yeah, I had them at a solid B-plus for this because I think I like the Perkins pick maybe a little bit more than you did.

But I think a B is a decent grade. I'm not going to argue with that or say that you're off base. I could never say that you're off base, bud, because you always lend the wisdom and counsel like no other. You are the Don here on Locked On Patriots, and we love having you on.

Folks, you should already be following this, man. I know most of you are, but for the benefit of our new listeners joining us for our post-draft coverage, please follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself on Twitter at TeamMurph207. Never miss Murph's monster

keys, whether it be the Perfect Patriots columns leading up to the draft, Murph's big draft board, or anything the man does during the offseason or into the regular season, they're always point, click, learn, and enrichment material. Proudly found on diehardbostonsportsfans.com. And, of course, never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place starring Murph,

our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and, of course, the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Cooper. Buddy, what can I say? Always honored, always humbled by your presence. Thanks so much for joining me today. No, thank you. Thank you. And folks, go back and listen again to those cornerbacks that came off the board right

after we leave that pick in the third round and see what they do. Oh, man, I like the kid. It's just that there was, oh, God. All right, man, you have a great day. Always my pleasure to be here. Locked on Murph Mondays is the reason I get out of bed. Absolutely. And you know what?

It's the reason we all love Mondays, bud. That hashtag is well-deserved. And you've earned it, and you deserve it. And we can't wait to talk ball with you again here next weekend, next week, I should say, next Monday, right here on Locked On Patriots. Thanks a ton, my friend. Aaron Browning could have had him. And so, Patriots fans, the 2021 NFL Draft might be in the books, but we are just getting

warmed up for our coverage of post-draft Patriots reaction, all the comings and goings when it comes to roster moves and undrafted free agent signings, and of course, the burning question of all of you, the great listeners out there. So, to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's

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