Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Impact: New England Patriots Post-Combine Targets at Edge | A.J. Brown Latest

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pats of all but said they're going to draft at least one edge defender. Well, I've got three names, post-combine, that could be targets. 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. It's happening. I'm your host, Nick Cattels.

Starting point is 00:00:30 I've been covering the paths for 16 years. Also the co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast. Welcome to Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. On today's show, a Heisman finalist might be closer to becoming a Patriot after his combined performance. In the second segment, the latest intel tells us that A.J. Brown becoming wide receiver 1 for Drake May might depend on Brown himself.

Starting point is 00:01:00 But first, three defensive edge players that put themselves squarely in the crosshairs of the Pat's draft due to their performance at the combine. Today's episode is brought to by Fandul. Fandul is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a college basketball parlay profit boost. Head to Fandul.com to get started. I would be stunned, absolutely freaking stunned if the Pats don't use one of their top three picks in the upcoming draft on an edge defender.

Starting point is 00:01:34 Now, one of those picks could be used just drafting a player. Maybe one of those top three picks will be used in a trade for, say, Max Crosby. But I would be shocked if the Patriots did not use one of those top three picks, if not two of those top three picks on an edge. And there were guys, to me, that stood out at the combine. There were five or six cats that stood out at the edge position. I want to bring up three names. I think these three defensive edge players could absolutely be Patriots when we get to the draft weekend. Let's start with Deny Dennis Sutton from Penn State.

Starting point is 00:02:17 Now, he's a name we've brought up from time to time, but I want to drill down on what Deny Dennis Sutton did at the Combine and why I think it could fit with the Patriots. Deny Dennis Sutton's three cone drill, which is the test agility, change of direction, he finished at 6.9 seconds. Fran Duffy posted there were eight edges drafted in the last decade that have weighed 255 plus pounds and hit 6.90 or better in the three cone. Those edge defenders that hit 6.90 or better in the three cone in the last decade, Joey Bosa, pretty good football player, Max Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, Trayvon Walker,

Starting point is 00:03:02 Addafe O'A, Sam Hubbard, Jordan Willis, and Kylie Fitz. I would say five, six of those eight guys were good, if not really good edge defenders at the NFL level. As Fran Duffy points out, strong hit rate. So when you look at the three cone, I'm not telling you that Dennis Sutton is going to be any of those guys. But when you look at the three cone testing, that's the company he has over the past decade. More perspective about that three-cone drill. Dane Bruegler of the Athletic posted that eight prospects ran a sub-7.00 in the three-conn this year. Only eight prospects.

Starting point is 00:03:45 Jeremy Bernard, 6.71. He weighs 206 pounds. Vinnie Anthony ran a 6.86. He weighs 183. Haynes King, 6.89. He weighs 212 pounds. Jacob Rodriguez 6.90, which of course ties Dennis Sutton. Jacob Rodriguez weighs 231 pounds.

Starting point is 00:04:15 I'll say it one more time. Deny Dennis Sutton ran a 6.903 cone drill at 256 pounds. There is not any other prospect that ran a sub-7-3 cone at this combine that weighed, that weighed more than 231 pounds. Dennis Sutton outweighed the next guy by 25 pounds. The relative athletic score, which will bring up an awful lot as we get closer to the draft. Dennis Sutton scored an unofficial 9.96 out of a possible 10, which ranked 9th out of 2046 defensive ends from 1987 to 2026.

Starting point is 00:04:58 and he also met with the Patriots at the Senior Bowl. Great athleticism and agility. He's 6.6-256, which fits the size that Mike Vrable likes from his defensive ends. 33.5 inch arms. He's long enough. I think the question now is, we'll deny Dennis Sutton last until the Pat's second round pick. Another edge I want to bring up, Malachi Lawrence, from UCF. This is a guy who had a 40-inch vertical, a 10-10 broad jump.

Starting point is 00:05:32 He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5-2 seconds. And I just told you about Dennis Sutton's RAS score of 9.96. Malachi Lawrence, not far behind. 9.9 relative athletic score. This is somebody who is incredibly explosive. And you look at the size. Again, 40-inch vert, 10-10 broad jump. 45240-99 RAS, 6 foot 4, 253 pounds, 33 and 5-8 inch arm.

Starting point is 00:06:05 So just a little bit longer than Dennis Sutton. Lots of pass rush moves. You want to talk about somebody who has a lot in the bag? Malachi Lawrence has a lot in the bag. And I think if you're looking at explosive pass rushers, somebody who put together a very good combine that could be a Patriot target in the second round, I would keep in mind Malachi Lawrence from UCF. One last name, and this is somebody I actually talked about a week or so ago.

Starting point is 00:06:35 T.J. Parker of Clemson, there were a number of mock drafts as soon as mocks started to come out that had T.J. Parker from Clemson going to the Patriots at number 31. Clemson had a down year. Parker had a down year. The biggest question about T.J. Parker was his athleticism. And the last time we talked about him, I mentioned that at the senior bowl, he showed more juice. That was the word. He showed a little bit more juice than expected. Then he goes to the combine.

Starting point is 00:07:05 Now, he did not score as high as Dennis Sutton or Lawrence in the relative athletic score, but T.J. Parker still finished with a 9.33, which is really good, considering what many expected from Parker in his testing. He was great in the 40. When you look at the 10-yard split, the 20-yard split, he was really, really good in those split times. And when you watched Parker go through the drills, and we see this every year at the combine, some dudes look fluid, other guys don't look fluid.

Starting point is 00:07:39 Some guys look tight. Other guys don't look tight. And I thought T.J. Parker actually moved really well in the drills. And that is a surprise. That is a surprise for somebody who, when you, You watched him at Clemson. You just did not know how much explosiveness he had, how much agility he would show. And I thought he looked really good in pretty much every single drill he ran throughout the combine.

Starting point is 00:08:08 He checks the boxes from a size standpoint. He's 6 foot 3, 263 pounds. Some might say he might be a little bit heavy, 5 to 8 pounds heavier than the Pat's want. But 6.3, 263, good size played at a big time. program was very productive in 24 again, not as productive in 25, but the athleticism and what he showed during the combine, I think that Parker is absolutely somebody who could be picked in the first round by the Pats at number 31. The latest intel on A.J. Brown and why it could be good news for the Pats.

Starting point is 00:08:45 It's coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. It's tax time, but for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. Trying to book an appointment that's not the most convenient, sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers, emailing back and forth and wondering if they really get your situation. But this year, you're getting a major upgrade. Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide.

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Starting point is 00:09:44 Head to turbotax.com slash local. Again, that's turbotax.com slash local to find a store near you and book your appointment. Free agency is about a week away, and it's going to be here soon. Speaking of fear, we are here. Get one month free of the Everydayer Club with code free agency, no spaces now through March 15th. Go ad free and keep this conversation going on Discord. Join the club at lockdownpatriots.supercast.com or check the link in the show notes to learn even more. Don't forget, as you watch us on YouTube to help this podcast out, do a couple things for us.

Starting point is 00:10:24 Don't forget to click that thumbs up. Give us a like. Helps us with that algorithm. Don't forget to throw a comment in as well. Who stood out to you at the Combine at Defensive End? I gave you three names. Give me a couple names in those comments. And don't forget to subscribe.

Starting point is 00:10:42 Appreciate every single one of you. Of course, the next goal of subscribers is 10,000. I would love to get to that number. I don't know. The early portions of free agency. that would be great. All right. Every single day, it feels like we have new A.J. Brown information, new A.J. Brown intel.

Starting point is 00:11:03 Burt Breer of SI has the latest. Here's what Bert wrote. Brown's camp has done recon on potential landing spots and which have a genuine interest. So while Roseman quietly has had talks, Howie Roseman, the GM of the Eagles, Brown's side has gauged whether there's greener grass elsewhere. All right, let me first start here. The idea that AJ Brown in his camp, his representation, have been doing recon on potential landing spots

Starting point is 00:11:36 and which teams might have a genuine interest would lead you to believe that Brown's camp also thinks that there are teams that might not have genuine interest. I think the Patriots have genuine interest. And the fact that Brown and his representation, they're doing recon, it begs the question of whether or not Brown is going to end up requesting a trade. He hasn't done it to this point. The reporting so far says nothing about him going to, Howie Roseman or Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, asking for a trade. But doing this recon, sets you up.

Starting point is 00:12:17 doing this recon, set you up to go to the team and say, hey, we know there are, you know, the Patriots and maybe the Buffalo Bills and this team interested in AJ. And we would just like to move on. We would like to go to a different place, start over, start fresh. And we know that these teams have genuine interests. Can you please do whatever you can do to make that happen? because AJ would just rather move forward with a different organization.

Starting point is 00:12:51 Because if Brown goes to the Eagles and requests a trade, I think that changes the math. Because right now the Eagles, what they're pushing out there, and I don't know if I necessarily believe this, but what they're pushing out there as a narrative is that they don't have much urgency, that they don't have to get rid of Brown, that he's not a locker room,

Starting point is 00:13:14 problem. He's not really an attitude problem. They'll be able to, you know, roll him out there during camp, get him ready for the season, and they'll be just fine when they kick the football off week one. That's what the Eagles are trying to push because the Eagles obviously feel like they're being low-balled for A.J. Brown. But if Brown goes to the Eagles or Brown's representation makes it known to these teams that are quote unquote genuinely interested in Brown services, then that would put the pressure on the Eagles. Because then you're dealing with a little bit of a mess. Because if you don't trade Brown when he wants to be traded,

Starting point is 00:13:54 things can leak. And once things leak, you don't have control of the situation anymore. So if Brown wants to push, if he wants to push, I think it changes the math because the situation at that point would be deemed untenable. I mean, could you imagine the Eagles fan base, week one, if Brown is still on this team after requesting a trade? We know how tough the Philly crew is. Can you imagine that reaction?

Starting point is 00:14:23 I would just feel like Brown would be dead to them. And that's when you look at the Mike Vrable relationship. You look at Drake May being the quarterback. That stuff matters if Brown is going to eventually request a deal. because if he's going to request the trade and he wants out and he puts pressure on the Eagles, he's going to be, I would imagine, we all think, amenable going to New England because of the relationship with Vrable and because May's the quarterback. Another part of that report from Bert that stood out to me was the greener grass elsewhere.

Starting point is 00:15:04 Brown's side has gauged whether there's greener grass elsewhere. That feels like A.J. Brown and his representation are trying to figure out which teams are willing to pay maybe a little bit more money to Brown in what he's set to make. Because right now his contract is tough on the Eagles because of the cap hit and the dead cap and blah, blah, blah. But if you are a team acquiring A.J. Brown, he's on a two-year deal with, like, like $50 million left. That's a really manageable, reasonable contract. But maybe Brown wants to use this trade as one last shot to make even bigger money. And maybe that's what Brown and the representation mean by genuine interest. Maybe you only have genuine interest in Brown if you're willing to give him some new money. And I wonder how that

Starting point is 00:16:03 would fly. How would that fly? To continue this point, you know, you look at the Brown money and what he might be doing here, Bert Breer points out, Brown could use a trade to ask for a new deal from his new team and threatened not to report. And that's what I think might be happening here. Now, if Brown is going to do that, it inherently impacts the offer that you give. Because if you have to trade for Brown and then give him a new contract, you. that's the next step of commitment, which means I would be offering less because I'm going to have to pay him more money.

Starting point is 00:16:44 Now, of course, this also could be negotiating from Brown. Brown might not be necessarily requesting a trade, demanding a trade, but if he's contacting teams through back channels and he's talking contract numbers, that could put some pressure on the Eagles. It could also put some pressure on all. all the teams that are wanting Brown.

Starting point is 00:17:07 You know, maybe Brown wants to eliminate some teams that are genuinely interested by scaring them off regarding his contract situation. Maybe Brown would be more open to playing on his current deal if he was traded to New England, for example. I don't know, but it does create some leverage for Brown in this entire ordeal. and I do think it would impact what you would have to trade to Philly for Brown. And I don't think it's crazy to believe that Brown would use contract talks as leverage to guide himself where he actually wants to go. Lastly, I've talked about the analytics behind A.J. Brown's season.

Starting point is 00:17:54 And those analytics actually show well for Brown. He still is considered a top 10 receiver in a few of those categories. But what are people saying around the league regarding Brown? One last bit from Bert Breer. Those evaluating Brown say he did not quite look the same last year, but some concluded that the issue looked more like Brown was disinterested at times than father time catching up. That, of course, opens another set of questions

Starting point is 00:18:22 and emphasizes the importance of Brown himself being bought into whatever team he's going to and whoever is coaching him in 2026. Insert the Mike Vrable point here. Again, it matters. If Brown did not have the same type of film, and I would agree watching Brown this past year, he did not look as if he had the same amount of juice. Now, some people are worried about the knees.

Starting point is 00:18:50 Some others obviously feel like he just was not interested in what the Eagles were doing offensively. And we know that he wasn't because he voiced the frustrations. But some would tell you, according to Bert Breer, that those frustrations turned into, you know, disinterest. And the disinterest impacted the way he played. And that it's not necessarily father time or the knees. It was just his disinterest. And I've said this from day one.

Starting point is 00:19:21 If you are a team, say you're Buffalo and you want to trade for A.J. Brown. Do you trust A.J. Brown with a rookie head coach and Joe Brady. If you're Buffalo, do you think you want to put that on Joe Brady's plate? If you're the Patriots, you know. The Vrable Brown relationship is well known. So, again, that matters. Now, how much will A.J. Brown cost? I lied. One last thing from Bert.

Starting point is 00:19:51 I'd imagine if Howie Roseman does move off Brown, it'll be at a price between the Devante Adams and Diggs comp. of course, Defond Dix. Now, the Devante Adams trade was a conditional third round pick. You could pull that off after June 2nd. So you could draft do what you've got to do and then trade for Brown after June 2nd with a future conditional pick. The only thing is if you wait until June, you best have that move in the back pocket, knowing that you're going to land Brown because if not, what do you do at receiver?

Starting point is 00:20:22 Like your plans hinge on what goes on with A.J. Brown, right? The Stefan Diggs trade, we've talked about it. It was a 2024-6th round pick, 2025-fifth, along with Diggs going to Houston for a 2025 second. I'm sticking with my opinion. I think the Patriots are sitting on a third round pick this year or a second round pick next year. I think they're saying you either get a third this year or a second next year. You could add a condition to next year's pick to get it done if you wanted to. And if I'm the Patriots, I'm only trading that first round pick.

Starting point is 00:20:58 I'm only trading number 31 if I'm getting Philadelphia's second round pick back at 54, and I don't think Philly is going to do that. So I think the Patriots is sitting there saying, we'll give you a third this year, maybe we'll give you a second next year, not both. Take the third this year or a second next year or we don't have a deal. And maybe Philly tries to finagle a conditional pick. But I think that's where they're at. And if Brown forces it, it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Starting point is 00:21:28 All right. Coming up, three young linebackers who impressed at the Combine and could end up in New England. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumble. across your post. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes, less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut

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Starting point is 00:23:41 Play your game. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. All right. Robert Spillane is 30 years old. Christian Ellis, I thought improved throughout 2025 season, but I'm not sure if you can't upgrade when you're looking at him. He was fine. He was fine.

Starting point is 00:24:02 He got better. He was fine. Jack Gibbons, Dr. Gibby, he's depth. He's a depth linebacker. Now, Elliot Wolf, Combine Week, he admitted that the Patriots are looking at linebacker. As far as improving at that spot, Taylor Kyle's transcribed Wolf's comments, he said, quote, I think we'd like to maybe address that in the draft. We are happy with the group that we have, unquote.

Starting point is 00:24:27 So I would say the Patriots, they're not going to go out there and spend money on a linebacker. They did that last year with Spillane and Ellis. And I think, you know, worst case scenario, you go back into 2026 with the three guys you had last year, throw in Jolani Tavai, and you'll feel like you'll be okay. But again, with Spillane being 30, injured towards the end of the season, not the same guy in the Super Bowl, drafting somebody at that position makes an awful lot of sense. And I think the Patriots would be looking at linebacker mid to late, like mid to late pick.

Starting point is 00:25:04 You're looking at maybe second round, maybe mid to late, second round and on. If you can trade up a few spots, if you love somebody, I do not think the Patriots would draft a linebacker at number 31 could be wrong. But I think we're looking at more second round and on at linebacker. And if you want to find somebody who you think can eventually start,

Starting point is 00:25:24 then, you know, rounds two through four, maybe five, you get two fourth round picks. That would make sense at that position. So I'm going to give you three names. that stood out to me watching the combine. Again, I do not expect the 31st pick to be used on a linebacker.

Starting point is 00:25:40 That's the context here. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech. He had massive production in college. He was actually a finalist for the Heisman Trophy this year. And much like we talked about with T.J. Parker in the first segment, the questions surrounding Rodriguez had to do with athleticism. and he was very smooth in drills, very smooth in drills. And they actually measure the miles per hour for all these players while they're on the field doing these combine drills.

Starting point is 00:26:11 And Jacob Rodriguez ended up with like the fastest back pedal in the last three or four years, miles per hour wise. So when you look at that smooth and fluid work that he did in drills, the fact that much like denied Dennis Sutton, Jacob Rodriguez had a 6.903 cone drill at 231 pounds. That shows great agility and change of direction, which of course we know is critical at linebacker. 38 and a half inch vert, a 4.5740 yard dash. His relative athletic score was a 9.23. Again, that won't knock you over, but it is good, if not really good.

Starting point is 00:26:51 I think it's really good for Jacob Rodriguez. We're talking about somebody who had 13 forced fumbles in a college career. 13. Just this past year, he had four interceptions and 11 tackles for loss. He is a playmaker. He forces turnovers. And he showed much better athleticism than the league thought he had.

Starting point is 00:27:12 I'm keeping my eye on Jacob Rodriguez. Another guy I want to talk about, Kyle Lewis from Pitt. He ran a 4-5-340, so a little bit faster than Rodriguez. He had a 39-and-a-half-inch vert, a little bit better than Rodriguez. his relative athletic score when we look at Kyle Lewis was an 8.64, but that was hurt because of his size. He's 6 foot 220 pounds. And when you're looking at Kyle Lewis, you're probably looking at somebody who is more linebacker safety hybrid than pure linebacker. At the line of scrimmage, he plays a little too light. So he's not going to be taking on blockers, for example. So he's more of that, you know, that hybrid. guy, that Nick Eamon Worry, but not the athleticism of Eamon Worry. Again, he's a little Kyle Lewis, a little light at the line of scrimmage, but he is, he's good in coverage and he's a good football player.

Starting point is 00:28:12 Third guy, I want to talk about maybe a little bit off the radar, especially going into the combine, but he stood out to me big time. Caleb alarms ore from TCU. He's 6-2-234. I thought he was excellent in drills. I thought he was fantastic. Ran them fast, decisive, crisp. I thought he looked great in drills.

Starting point is 00:28:35 We ran a 44740, 40 inch vertical, 10-4 broad jump. We're talking about somebody who has supreme athleticism, 9.92 on the relative athletic score. If you want a linebacker who can go sideline to sideline, Caleb Alarms Orr is one of those guys. He can go sideline to sideline. at 6-2-234. And he also blitzes pretty darn well. And we know the Patriots, Mike Vrable, they enjoy blitzing their linebackers.

Starting point is 00:29:06 Now, the weaknesses, he doesn't always, you know, have his eyes, gets lost in the backfield from time to time, doesn't have the strongest instincts at linebacker. But he is a very interesting, I would say, more likely day three guy than second or third round. He's somebody you might be able to bring in.

Starting point is 00:29:27 special teams early on, starts to get some snaps, and then hopefully by 2027, you're relying on him more. Caleb Alarms Or. So Jacob Rodriguez, Kyle Lewis, Caleb Alarms Or, three linebackers that could fit, let's say day two, day three. You might draft two of them. Who knows? But I think those three guys stood out to me an awful lot. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots.

Starting point is 00:29:56 Thank you for making us your first listen for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel, hit that like button and subscribe. Also, you can get one month free of the Everydayer Club with Code Free Agency, No Spaces, now through March 15th. Join the club. Lockdownpatriots.com. You can check that out in the show notes as well. Have a great day, and we will see you tomorrow.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Impact: New England Patriots Post-Combine Targets at Edge | A.J. Brown Latest

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