Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - East Meets West: Patriots/49ers Crossover - 5/4/2020

Episode Date: May 4, 2020

It’s AFC East/NFC West Divisional Crossover Week across the Locked On Podcast Network.  Joining host Mike D’Abate is Brian Peacock of Locked On 49ers to discuss both teams’ 2020 NFL Draft hauls, their potential rosters and the quarterback matchup of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jarrett Stidham.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough football faithful. It is AFC East, NFC West crossover week. Right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your

six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. 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 to ensure that you do not miss a single episode of Locked On Patriots, please be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, and listen to us via your preferred podcast provider. Today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by Built Bar.

And folks, over the weekend, I tried the Double Chocolate Mousse Built Bar. One word, amazing. I know you'll love them as much as I do. And remember, promo code LOCKEDON gets you $10 off your first box at BuiltBar.com. And of course, send all of your Locked On Patriots questions, comments, and feedback to me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C, as well as the Locked On Patriots account at L-O underscore Patriots.

Patriots fans with the 2020 NFL Draft now in the books and starting to shrink a bit in the view of your rearview mirror, we here at the Locked On Podcast Network, specifically the NFL channel, are turning our attention to the 2020 NFL schedule. And although it is still unclear as to when exactly that NFL season is going to begin, we live in hope that it will indeed begin. And there is still reason to believe that we will see a full season of NFL football in 2020. I'm not saying for sure it's going to happen, folks, but the hope is definitely there.

And here on the Locked On Podcast Network, all week long, all 32 NFL shows will be participating in intra-divisional crossover week. And because your New England Patriots proudly represent the AFC East as the reigning AFC East champions, that's right, folks, don't let the fans of the Bills and the Dolphins and the Jets fool you. The Patriots are still the champs in this division. And whether they are at this point next year is still a matter of debate. The road to the division title still runs through Foxborough. But the Patriots are not just playing teams within the AFC East this year.

In fact, the 2020 NFL schedule, when it comes to your New England Patriots, will have a distinctive West Coast flavor. And this week here on Locked On Patriots, we will be taking a deep dive into our counterparts in the NFC West. And starting Monday, today through Thursday, I will be welcoming in my colleagues from the NFC West to give you a little closer insight on the teams the Patriots will be playing this year in that division. And kicking things off today on this May the 4th be with you Star Wars Day episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast is one of the two last teams to play a game in the 2019 NFL

season. That's right, folks. The San Francisco 49ers, led by former Patriots quarterback and my paisan Jimmy Garoppolo, along with George Kittle, a 1-2 combination at the running game that's as good as anyone in the NFL in Telvin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, Dee2 combination at the running game that's as good as anyone in the NFL, in Telvin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel at the wide receiver position, and of course that ferocious 49er defense led by Nick Bosa.

And the Niners are once again primed to be the team to beat in the NFC. Joining me today to help me break down that football team in Frisco is my colleague Brian Peacock, the host of Locked On 49ers, as well as the co-host of Locked On NFL with scout Matt Williamson. Brian is one of the leading NFL analysts when it comes to all things Niners Nation. And today we'll talk a little bit about Jimmy G, how Niners fans feel about him in San Francisco. We'll talk the Niners 2020 NFL Draft Hall and how it will help to position them for a repeat conference title.

And to close it all out, we'll flip the script and Brian will put me on the Patriots hot seat. So settle in, folks, an action-packed Locked On Patriots pod for you today, and I have no doubt that you'll have as much fun absorbing Brian's wisdom and counsel as I did speaking with him. And one of the topics you'll hear us discuss today is quarterbacks. I will ask Brian some questions on Jimmy Garoppolo, but he also had some questions for me when it came to your new quarterback in New England, Jarrett Stidham.

And on Friday, Zach Blackerby of Lockdown Auburn joined me right here on the Lockdown Patriots pod to talk about what we could look forward to with Jarrett as the primary option taking snaps under center. And despite a lot of the background noise that you're going to hear out there, folks, the Patriots are just fine with that, and they plan on winning with Jarrett. Again, as I've said so many times here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, the New England Patriots are not tanking. Now, are they a far-gone conclusion for a Super Bowl title,

a conference title, or even a division title? Probably not. They're quite satisfied with the guy they have under center. And even though all the Twitter scouts out there are not impressed with the name, they'll be impressed with the game. Patriots are not going with Stidham by default. Unless Tom Brady was walking back through that door, folks, Jarrett Stidham was the quarterback they've chosen. And for those of you thinking that they might still bring in a veteran quarterback to try to challenge Jarrett,

those options are getting fewer by the day. Andy Dalton, who was often rumored to be a Patriots target, signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth $7 million. So in this case, folks, the Patriots will not be substituting their Minuteman musket for a red rifle. For better or for worse, Jarrett Stidham is highly likely to be the starter in 2020. And as we continue to inch our way closer to the season, we will continue to take a deeper dive into Jarrett's command of this offense, including how that offense might be suited to take on some formidable defenses like that of the San Francisco 49ers. And in just a moment, Brian Peacock of Locked On 49ers will join me here

for day one of this AFC East-NFC West divisional crossover week right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. But first, as we continue to adjust to our new normal, finding the energy to complete daily tasks, folks, is not exactly easy. And neither is finding a healthy, low- tasks, folks, is not exactly easy. And neither is finding a healthy, low-calorie treat that is just as delicious. Well, your search for a protein bar that gives you everything you need and everything you want is over. Because Built Bar is that tasty treat that you've been looking for. So make it your go-to bar today. I'll be honest,

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and get $10 off your first box at BuiltBar.com. That's B-U-I-L-T-B-A-R.com and promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off your first box. So you too can eat healthy while indulging in a delicious treat. Patriots fans, once again, today kicks off AFC East-NFC West crossover week here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And when it comes to your New England Patriots, there will be a distinct West Coast presence on the Pat schedule in 2020. And to begin our divisional crossover week here on Locked On, we begin with a team with whom we are quite familiar, at least we're pretty familiar with their man under center,

and that is the reigning NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers. And who better to break down all things Niners Nation with us than the host of Locked On 49ers himself, who is also the co-host of Locked On NFL alongside Matt Williamson. Joining me here on this crossover episode today is my colleague, Brian Peacock. Brian, thank you for sharing the microphone with me today, and welcome to this crossover edition of Locked On Patriots and Locked On 49ers. Oh, Michael, the pleasure's all on this side of the table. Yeah, it's always great to talk to the other fine hosts across the network, and it kind of snuck up on me, man.

I was in full post-draft mode, and it was like, oh, man, yeah, we got to check in with some other teams around the network, and it kind of snuck up on me, man. I was in full post-draft mode, and it was like, oh, man, yeah, we got to check in with some other teams around the league, and it's going to be a fun schedule, I think, for the 49ers this year, taking on some teams in the AFC East in a very new-look Patriots squad. Absolutely, and I share your curiosity, and I share your anticipation, and it is pretty good to be able to talk about a forward-looking schedule and I think we both agree that football returns to the field sooner rather than later but whenever they do return to the gridiron these two teams are scheduled to lock horns in 2020 and I think it's

still going to be an amazing matchup albeit a maybe a different matchup than people thought when they first saw this matchup on the schedule for the 2020 season. And you know what, Ryan? Let's get right into that. From a Patriots perspective, I often speak about synergy when it comes to these fan bases and these organizations. And outside of New England, synergy with other fan bases usually means a steeped in hatred. But there is an affinity for your hometown team in San Francisco here in New England because your quarterback

is still very much a fan favorite here in New England. And that is Jimmy GQ himself. My Paisan, Jimmy Garoppolo. And Jimmy had a pretty good season in 2019, to say the least. But some continue to support the theory that Jimmy might have been more of a passenger than a conductor of the offense last season in fact it led to rumors that they were considering

pursuing Tom Brady which I thought was a little odd seeing that Jimmy did help lead them to a Super Bowl berth but the lore of the hometown boy I think was pretty prominent when it came to those rumors although Jimmy is still largely loved in new england brian what does niners nation think of him moving forward as their main man in 2020 and have they fully embraced him yeah i think all you need to know about how they feel about garoppolo internally is that they said no to tom brady who is the second best quarterback of all time to Joe Montana, right? So I know there's – My jury might still be out on that one a little bit. You know what?

That to me is the most realistic argument that I can think of when it comes to the GOAT argument and the only one that I think holds any type of merit. But please continue, my friend. I don't mean to steal your thunder and i think here at one point in time joe had the rings uh it's tom brady now so you know it tom brady's i think the goat and it might be hard for some 49ers fans to hear it but yeah and the fact that the 49ers said no to that and they said you know what we like our younger quarterback who in a lot of ways had a better season in 2019 in his first season as a full-time starter led his team to the Super Bowl how are you going to walk away from that uh for a short-term answer in Grop or in Tom Brady even if he and that's if he would still even be better in

2020 which is I don't know if that's necessarily the case so I think there's going to be a big step forward for Jimmy Garoppolo last year coming off an ACL most quarterbacks coming off an ACL their first season don't show out very good and then Kyle Shanahan quarterbacks notoriously take a while and Matt Ryan's the one everyone points to his second full season with Kyle Shanahan he had that MVP Super Bowl type run that I don't know if you're going to see that type of a jump between Garoppolo in his first year as a starter to his second year full-time as a starter, because he did have some time previously with Kyle Shanahan, even though it wasn't a full preseason and regular season until 2019. are the ones that drive the Garoppolo argument why some people might be sleeping on him. And a lot of people maybe didn't watch how well he played against teams like the Saints during the regular season and some really great performances he had

and might have seen some playoff matchups against the Vikings and the Packers where the Niners were just blowing those teams out, running all over them, and Garoppolo didn't need to throw the ball more than eight times, which is kind of crazy. So people thought, oh, well, they don't trust him. They don't like him. He's not very't need to throw the ball you know more than eight times which is kind of crazy so people thought oh well they don't trust him they don't like him he's not very good because they ran the ball so much it was like no that's how that's how much the 49ers dominated

those football games and they were going to light it up with the passing game if they needed to against the Vikings that's how that game started but when you can win on the ground so easily why would you go to anything else and you know he did miss a throw in the Super Bowl even though he was very good for most of that game which is pretty much you know par for the entire team you know the defense was great for most of that game and Garoppolo was great for most of that game and the line was great for most of that game but just because they lost the Super Bowl doesn't mean that sours anything that the 49ers thought about Garoppolo when they traded for him from New England or what he did last year.

And I think the expectations are that he's going to be even better in 2020. And maybe if he's not, and maybe if he takes a step back next year at this time, those conversations will get a little bit more difficult. But right now, it's a no-brainer. Garoppolo is the guy uh and it's the best argument for how good garoppolo is is what was the 49ers record what did that team look like since 2010 since 2017 when he showed up at the trade deadline they could not win a football game he walks in there with a couple of weeks to prepare and they win five games they literally could not win they were the worst team weeks to prepare, and they win five games.

They literally could not win. They were the worst team in the NFL, and they win five games down the stretch. Comes out in 2018. They have all the expectations. Very similar roster with the addition of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford to the 2019 team. And again, he gets hurt. Terrence Day's yell.

They're terrible again. They win five games. And then they're the the four games they're the the number two pick in the draft and then they come back in 2019 he's healthy plays a full season and they go to the Super Bowl so that's the difference Jimmy Garoppolo makes to the 49ers offense versus a replacement level quarterback and it just you can't really screw with anything like that so the the 49ers are all in on Jimmy Garoppolo and they should be because he's earned it and I know there's a lot of Patriots fans out there that were maybe hoping something could go down where the Niners pick up Brady and

then the Patriots maybe end up with Jimmy Garoppolo again I don't know how real that would have been from Bill Belichick's side he seems like the type of you know pragmatic dude where it's like okay I traded away Jimmy he's done he's dead to me now. We're going to move on with our young quarterback and Jared Stidham that we drafted last year. I'm so glad that you mentioned a few of those. First of all, your praise of Jimmy Garoppolo is earning you a lot of fans in New England. I can guarantee you that my friend, uh, it warms our hearts here to hear good things about Jimmy, because look, I had the pleasure and the good fortune of being able to cover him for a couple of years while he was here before he was traded

away to San Francisco class act up and down and one of the hardest workers I've ever seen in practice now were there some mistakes that he made in practice yes there were I know he gets a knock for maybe not being the complete practice player that a lot of other quarterbacks had been but Jimmy worked as hard if not, than anyone on the field. And that's the reason why he's experiencing such great success in San Francisco. Albeit, he's in a great situation. Kyle Shanahan, obviously, he's got a great running game around him, pretty stout offensive line, and great players at the offensive skill position.

But Jimmy does help drive that bus. He makes things go. And I'm glad to hear that in a lot of respects. players at the offensive skill position, but Jimmy does help drive that bus. He makes things go. And I'm glad to hear that in a lot of respects. I think what you've said about Bill Belichick is very accurate as well. I don't believe there were a whole lot of truth to the rumors, although I'll be very honest. When I first heard that, I said, what more of a Belichickian move would it be than to have to trade a guy that you really felt confident in have your star your franchise quarterback the guy that you won six rings with depart go to the team you traded his backup to and then pull his backup back in and continue the dynasty that would have

been the ultimate Belichickian move but again I don't think a whole lot of realism when it comes to that my friend so all all in all I do lot of realism when it comes to that, my friend. So all in all, I do agree with you when it comes to Jimmy. And I think he's in a great situation. And I think the Niners are going to be a very formidable team. And I still think, and I know it's going to anger some Patriots fans when I say this, but I still think the San Francisco 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC. And I believe that the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC is still going to go through road to the Super Bowl in the NFC is still going to go through San Francisco and it's still going to go through that Niners team. And speaking of that Niners team, Brian, we here in New England know a thing or two about

unpopular decisions when it comes to the NFL draft. The first draft choice for the Patriots this year, Kyle Duggar, largely panned, even though most of us that know the team well realize that his selection was actually quite smart. And I see a lot of similarities in the Niners draft this year, particularly their first pick in Javon Kinlaw. And they brought him in in hopes of filling the shoes left behind by DeForest Buckner. Now, obviously, injury is a concern with Kinlaw, but some feel that he might have been taken too high. I happen to think this pick may pay dividends for them based on my research of Kinlaw. But you know the Niners better than anyone. What was your reaction to the Kinlaw pick?

And specifically, what is your reaction to the Niners draft overall as they help this core of veterans that they have on this team? Yeah, overall, you can't be anything but very pleased and excited about the 49ers draft class when you consider that they moved a fifth and a future third to replace Joe Staley and get Trent Williams in there and replace an all-pro with an all-pro. Just a fantastic move,

plugged really the two biggest holes on the team. Right guard was somewhat plugged by the fact that they got themselves a left tackle too so you know it was right guard wide receiver and defensive tackle were the only three positions that you could even envision a rookie would be able to come in and play for the 49ers in 2020 early and we'll see if you know wide receivers is a tough position to come in and play week one in the NFL so we'll see where Brandon Ayuk was at but but obviously he's a, he's a complete Shanahan type. I had tweeted out in February that there's a three wide receivers that I

would be willing to bet. Shanahan had a gold star next to you on the board. And, and Brandon Iuke was one of those, just a perfect fit, catch and run guy run after catch. And they're, they're,

they're calling San Francisco yak city now with the, the yards after catch that already, I mean, you know, it's hard as heck to tackle george kittle and debo samuel and then you add maybe one of the best yards after catch if not the best yards after catch wide receiver in this draft in brandon iuk so fantastic fit there he's a good athlete we'll see how early he can get on the field and contribute to the 49ers there's a

lot of wide receivers in that uh in that room anders are going to have a nice little competition in training camp whenever this season gets rolling to see who wins that job. It might be a little bit more difficult in this season for rookies to jump in at some tougher positions like wide receiver early in their careers, but we'll see how that goes. And then the Kinlaw pick is obvious because the length, the power, being able to replace one of of the best players if not the best player on the defensive side of the ball for the last four years into forrest buckner with a

guy who uh has the best chance to to be that sort of an impact player inside and both iuk and kinlaw are high upside players uh if i had to quibble with it i might have gone a different direction and go with one of those top wide receivers at 14 just because positional value a defensive tackle isn't something I would be as worried about and I'd be trying to put resources more in defensive ends than defensive tackles but again with what they were given what they had on the current roster it's hard not to just say I mean if before the draft if you said hey the 49ers gonna end up with Kinlaw Brandon Iuke and Trent Williams it would be like done. Like, I don't even care if they have any day three picks left. Like that's that's a home run draft.

So the 49ers draft went about as good as you could. About as good as you could hope for a 49ers fan when you factor in that they were able to replace Joe Staley as well with Trent Taylor. And then they've got some day three guys that might be able to come in and compete for some spots. Colton McKivitt's at tackle or guard. Charlie Warner is a block first tight end that has a role as a backup and special teamer early in his career, so he should make the team. And then a guy that has the most difficult challenge in making the team

because of that deep wide receiver group I talked about was Jawan Jennings, who's a bigger slot receiver, who is Jalen Hurd insurance, who missed all of his rookie year with an injury. That was a seventh-round pick, so he's got a long road in front of him, maybe more of a practice squad situation for Juwan Jennings. But that's the 49ers draft, and it was a home run. I mean, John Lynch is competitive. You saw how hard they were working.

They didn't have any picks on day two of the draft and he lined up three trades on day three so he's always competing always trying to make his roster better and i think the 49ers plugged as many holes in are as good coming out of the draft in 2020 as you could have hoped excellent excellent insight and i'm glad that you brought up guys like Kinlaw and the deep parts of the draft especially Ayuk who really I have always liked this kid all of last year the yards after the catch to me always seemed to be one of his best attributes and something that I thought would have really endeared him to New England I did mock him to New England on several occasions so when the 49ers used that type of capital to select him, I didn't necessarily bat an eyelash. I know

a lot of people did, but I happen to like that pick and I think it's going to pay off dividends for them in the long run. So we shall see, but I'm glad that you provided that type of insight for Patriots fans when it comes to the 2020 NFL draft and what this means for the Niners current roster. But it wouldn't be a true crossover unless we talked a little bit about some of the Patriots' additions and what it means for their 2020 roster. In just a moment, folks, my colleague Brian Peacock and I will talk about what the Patriots' additions might mean for this potential matchup

as the Niners and the Patriots prepare to do battle this season in Foxborough when this crossover episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast and the Locked On Niners podcast continues. Michael, by the way, when it comes to the 49ers draft and it's sort of tied into the Patriots and there's lots of interesting ties with the Niners and Patriots, which is kind of fun when we're doing a crossover like this. And I can't wait to see these two, these two teams play in Foxborough, but something we heard from Tony Pauline,

who's an NFL draft insider. And I know that one of the big things, the 49ers leaned on here with the selection of Brandon. Iuke was the relationship with Herm Edwards and they really trust him. And there are some whispers that the 49ers don't trust Nick Saban in the same way they feel like they might have gotten burnt by Saban in the past with um the Reuben Foster selection and not getting the accurate depiction of what kind of a guy he was going to be off the field in the trouble that

that he could potentially cause for the 49ers and it's interesting because the 49ers weren't that high on Jerry Judy and there there was talk that uh there that the 49ers just don't want to go that way and and and in this in this day and age where we're at with this draft I think it's probably smart for teams to lean on people and coaches and college you know sources that they trust to get the right background on a player when they're not able to do their own background this year. So I think that's a big part of it with Herm Edwards and trusting him and the information they were able to get about Brandon Ayoub. But what's interesting about what I heard from Tony Pauline is that last year, the 49ers similarly had a pretty high grade on Nikhil Harry and might have drafted Nikhil Harry

over Debo Samuel if they have had a shot last year so that's an interesting nugget that I ran across that that I thought I'd drop your way I don't know if you've heard anything like that but how different would things look if Nikhil Harry ended up in San Francisco and Debo Samuel was in New England well it could have looked a lot different I mean obviously Samuel had health on his side and was able to be a huge contributor to the 49ers offense last year. And Debo was actually another guy that I had looked at as a very good potential fit in the Patriots offense because we knew last year that the Patriots were likely looking

wide receiver early on. And a lot of the rumors surrounding that surrounded a guy like Debo Samuel. And he was someone that I thought could be a good fit. Again, yards after the catch, speed, ability to run routes, his ability to find the ball, the open spot, and get into that open spot and have the opportunity to receive passes from Tom Brady obviously could have been a huge thing for Debo. I really like the addition of Nikhil Harry.

If Nikhil Harry ended up in San Francisco, obviously, I mean, you don't know what was going to happen with his injury history. I mean, there's always a chance that he may not have seen the field, and the Niners offense may have lost a big part of their production last year. But ultimately, I really do like the way Nikhil goes about his business. His ability to go up and make contested catches makes him the perfect fit in Foxborough for the type of wide receiver they were hoping to get last year. Don't forget, they had just lost Rob Gronkowski, and that type of a loss, when it comes to your offensive production, will stay with a team, and we saw the Patriots struggle as a result

of that last year. To me, one of the biggest reasons why the Patriots often struggled so badly is not necessarily because of Tom Brady, you know, losing a step or Tom Brady falling off a cliff, folks, which I think you'll see in Tampa this year is not the case. But it was because they never did an adequate job of replacing the production that Rob Gronkowski gave. Akil Harry obviously is a wide receiver. He's not a tight end, folks. He was not going to be the blocker or even the formidable strength character that Rob

Gronkowski was. But what Rob did better than anyone on the team was go up and make contested catches. Nikhil Harry has that availability and that capability. So I think you're going to see a lot of that this year in New England. I think he could have added another dimension to San Francisco last year. But again, it's hard to argue with the type of fit that Debo went in and made. His type of game really suited himself well for the style of play that the 49ers put last year. Being able to run with the ball out of the backfield, being able to extend plays,

and just that unpredictability that he provided, I think was a tailor-made fit for San Francisco. So I do see what they saw, what the Patriots saw in him because of that contested catchability. But I think in the long run, I think San Francisco was going to be glad that they went with Debo. And I think that the Patriots are going to be glad that they went with Harry because I expect big things out of him in 2020.

And this ties in really well with the 2020 Patriots draft as well because I think both teams rely on relationships, and we've seen it with the 49ers time and time again, whether it's bringing in coaches or veterans that have been coached by the current coaching staff before or how they draft players. And Debo Samuel was with the 49ers at the Senior Bowl last year, and there's a number of Senior Bowl guys on the Patriots roster this year

following the draft. And I know that Bill Belichick's a big fan of Nick Saban, and there's always some closeness there. And a lot of Alabama players find their way over to the New England Patriots. But let's talk about that Patriots draft. And it's interesting because one of the questions I was going to have for you here, and we can tie this in as well,

was I'm wondering who is going to be selling all the jerseys right now in New England because it's almost become this no-name squad. And there's obviously still some recognizable players and recognizable talent there on the New England Patriots, but it seems the bigger names are falling off and they're not replacing them with new bigger names so i'm wondering what jersey numbers we're going to see out there that are the new hottest sellers for the patriots but i really

love kyle duggar the safety out of lenore ryan senior bull guy he has so much speed and raw ability i actually compared him to 49ers safety jacoski tart who's also a surprise second round pick for the 49ers a few years back. Absolutely. Yeah, he was my number two safety on the board, so I love what they did with him. A perfect fit with a stand-up rusher in Josh Uche. He was also at the Senior Bowl out of Michigan.

Anthony Jennings, another pass-rushing outside linebacker. And then they went back-to-back tight ends in round three, which I thought was interesting. Two players at tight end, the 49ers, had brought in pre-draft. Those were guys that were frequently in mock drafts for the 49ers. So can you talk about those day one and day two picks? They didn't have a day one pick, but those five day two picks for the Patriots and how they might fit in if we might see some of those guys play early in New England? Absolutely. And we'll start with Duggar because he's probably the most polarizing of the day two picks.

And look, maybe it wasn't the most popular decision among the New England fan base, but I think it has the potential to pay dividends. I love the blend of speed, length and size that Duggar is bringing to Foxborough. He can cover a lot of ground in the backfield. He has the tools to match up with tight ends and coverage. And believe it or not, this actually does tie into a game preview that we might be doing down the line here for the Locked On Podcast Network. Patriots had a lot of difficulty covering tight ends,

especially prolific tight ends last year. Duggar has the ability to do that. So we might see Kyle Duggar matched up a little bit on George Kittle when these two teams do hook up. So something to keep an eye on there. But Duggar to me. He's a good tackler. He's capable of making key stops in key situations.

Plus he's a playmaker. He intercepted 10 passes. Returned 6 punts for touchdowns at Lenoir Rhine. I know it's a Division 2 school folks. But look at the tape on this kid. He was a man among men. And really stood head and shoulders above his competition. And you got Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung each turning 33 in August.

They're not getting any younger at that position. They need a type of safety that's going to be able to come in, learn from two of the best that have ever put on a Patriots uniform and be able to build on that. And I think Duggar is the type of player that's willing to learn, willing to adapt, but has the capabilities and the physical opportunity to be able to come in and play in a lot of those guys' image. So I really liked the pick. I know some people are still a little squeamish on it,

feeling they went too high for him, but this is Bill Belichick's style. He targets a player. If he likes a player and he feels he's getting adequate value for the player drafting him at that position, he's going to go for it and he's not going to think twice about it. Round two, as far as the selection of Joshua Uche, to me, this was one of the sleeper moves that the Patriots made in the draft. I think he's one of the most underrated pass rushers in the 2020 NFL draft. Undersized edge defender, he's got long arms. I think he's got the skill set to make an immediate impact rushing the passer. Good combination of initial quickness, bend, closing speed.

This kid can do it all. I spoke to one of our colleagues earlier this month, Isaiah Hull, who hosts Locked On Wolverines, and he couldn't say enough to praise Joshua Uche. To me, I think he fits right in with this Patriots defensive mindset. I love the fact that with Kyle Vannoy and Jamie Collins going now, Uche fits that classic profile. He's well coached, disciplined, and I think he's going to be a very good outside rusher and could even be a pretty good interior blitzer as well. And I love the fact that they may be pairing him a little bit with Chase Winovich, former teammate of his in Michigan.

There's definitely a little bit of a Michigan flavor in the Patriots' defensive front this year. Anthony Jennings, again, another pick that I think really works wonders for them, could end up being very good. Obviously, the knee injury in 2018, that did lessen his athleticism but all in all I think he's a strong defender he plays his assignments well that's something that should earn him a lot of praise in Bill Belichick's handbook so I look for Jennings to come in and make an impact as well maybe not as early as Uche or Duggar but I think Jennings has the ability to make this team and of course you mentioned the tight ends.

Asi Asi, a lot of people were surprised that they didn't go Adam Trotman in this case. I was one of them, but it's hard to argue with his value. Asi Asi brings a good blend of size, speed, length. He's a pretty athletic guy and he dumps out of every center. I really like the way he's able to play. And then Dalton Keene is a guy that a lot of people roll their eyes on. But when you look at the fact that James Devlin has now been, uh, has now retired, this pick makes a lot of, a lot of, uh, sense because

he can play that type of an H back role. He did it a lot at Virginia tech. I think you may see him play some of that, maybe giving a guy like Danny Vitale, who they just signed, a little bit of a hand at the fullback position. So I think there's a good opportunity to utilize all of these guys, and I think they can all make an impact on the team this year. Looking at the outlook for 2020 in the short term for the Patriots, a lot of folks I'm seeing out there are saying, you know what? This is Bill, classic Bill. He's going to play chess.

They're going to lose a bunch of games, draft Trevor Lawrence, number one overall this year. Then he's going to be back to it another 15-year dynastic run for the Patriots. And I'm like, yeah, no way. No way in heck Bill Belichick coach team is going to be bad enough to earn the first pick in the draft. Maybe they'll be within range to make a trade or something if that happens.

But I bet this is an eight-win team, even if you don't recognize all the names on the back of the jerseys. But really it all comes down to the quarterback, right, Jared Stidham. So what have you seen in the short time Stidham's been around that might make you think, okay, maybe this is the guy for Bill Belichick long-term? Accuracy. Accuracy, pinpoint control, and maturity, I think, is something that really, to me, has endeared me to Jared Stidham.

I had the opportunity to watch him in practice last year, had a great preseason. He's capable of stepping up and making the throws, folks, and he can put it on a receiver or a tight end almost to the dime i mean this this kid does have great control you would like to see better decision making in the initial point of contact that to me is where jared is going to have to trial by fire in a lot of situations i would probably have said in an ideal world he was maybe a year away from making that jump maybe learning a little bit more under Tom Brady, who was arguably the best to ever do it at his position, being able to get rid of the football in a

short amount of time, make things accurate, or have the wherewithal to be able to take the sack when he knows it's beneficial for his team. Jarrett's not quite at that level yet. So if the Patriots struggle at the quarterback position, that's where it's going to be. But as far as being able to make the throws, as far as having the physical capabilities of extending plays with his legs and also being able to step up and make plays in the pocket, Jarrett's ready for it. And the Patriots saw this.

One of the big reasons why they chose not to draft a signal caller in 2020, and they shied away from the trade options and even the free agent options, excuse me, that were available to them. The Patriots liked what they saw in Jarrett Stidham. And it's that maturity, it's that ability to play within the Patriots system and be willing to learn and adapt as Tom Brady did so many years ago.

Am I saying that Jarrett is going to be equal to what Brady did up here? There's no way I i saying that jarrett is going to be equal to what brady did up here there's no way i'm saying that no i mean that's an unfair expectation to put on anybody and let's face it there's one tom brady there always will be but at the same time i think jarrett's capable of being able to make plays when he needs to and i think he's going to turn some heads doing it this year fascinating team to follow in the 2020 season is the New England Patriots I can't wait to see how the 49ers and Patriots stack up later this season and Mike I guess we'll have to talk again then we'll get a little bit more

into the X's and O's we'll know a little bit more about how these teams are taking shape when the 49ers meet the Patriots in 2020. I'm looking forward to chatting again about these two teams. I am as well, Brian. It's always a pleasure to join you on the microphone here to do our crossovers. Hopefully we've given each fan base a little bit of something to take away about the other. And again, I look forward to doing these down the line when the two teams finally do hook it up in Gillette, in Foxborough. Mi casa es su casa this time,

my friend, and we'll definitely enjoy that discussion because there's a lot to like about these two teams and, again, a lot of synergy between these two fan bases. So this is one circled on my calendar for a good reason. I'm looking forward to it. Absolutely. Tell your friends, 49ers fans,

that if they're a Patriots fan, their team is covered daily by Michael DeBate at LockedOnPatriots. You can find him on Twitter at MDebateFPC. You can find me on Twitter at BDPeacock. Michael, a pleasure, and we'll talk to you in the fall. Pleasure was all mine, my friend. Stay safe, stay well, and look forward to talking to you in the fall. All right, take care.

And so, Patriots fans, our look inside Niners Nation with Brian Peacock may have come to an end, but we will see Brian and those San Francisco 49ers when these two teams meet in Foxborough during the 2020 regular season. But AFC East, NFC West crossover week continues tomorrow here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And it is my honor to be joined by the host of Locked On Seahawks, Corbin Smith. And we will break down some of the personnel moves that each team has made. And who knows, folks, I might even sneak in some Super Bowl XLIX references. So be sure to catch this and every episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast

by following us on Spotify, subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts. And remember, you can always play Locked On Patriots right on your own smart device. And it's so simple to do so. Simply ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL, who just happens to be co-hosted by the same gentleman that I shared the microphone with today, Brian Peacock. Once again, I am Mike DeBate.

I thank Brian for his time, his insight, and his appearance today, but most of all, I thank you all so much for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great day, everyone.