Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Latest BUZZ On The New England Patriots’ 2025 NFL Draft Plans

Episode Date: April 24, 2025

The New England Patriots draft fourth in tonight’s NFL Draft. We dig into the latest from the insiders.Also, we give you three bold Patriots predictions for this weekend and three of our most undervalued prospects in this year’s draft.Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOPatriots?sid=YouTubeLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL#patriots #newenglandpatriotsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

We've got the latest from some of the top NFL insiders on the Patriots plans tonight. That's where we start on this episode of Locked On Patriots. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Patriots fans? I'm your host, Nick Cattles, born and raised in New England, your New England Patriots expert, host of the Everything Pats podcast,

co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles and also a sports talk show host veteran. On today's episode, three bold draft predictions for the Patriots draft weekend and my three favorite undervalued prospects in the 2025 NFL draft. But first we've got the latest buzz surrounding team Vrabel. We appreciate you joining the show making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. The Lockdown Patriots podcast is a proud partner of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn. LinkedIn jobs helps you find the

qualified candidates you want to talk to faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL terms and conditions apply. Tonight, we have been waiting for it. Finally, the draft is here. The Patriots, of course, will be on the clock with the fourth pick in the first round tonight. And this is the most important phase of Mike Vrabel's takeover of this program. Don't get it twisted. We talked about free agency. We talked about the coaching staff. But starting tonight, this is the most critical phase of everything. The way that you get sustained success in the NFL is by drafting well.

As we've seen over the past few years, the reason why the Patriots have had back-to-back four-win seasons can be directly connected to their terrible drafting for way too long. And tonight they have to stop the bleeding. This weekend, they have to stop the bleeding. So what's the latest buzz? Todd McShay wrote about Will Campbell and the Patriots.

This is what he wrote. Mike Vrabel quote unquote, fell in love with Campbell during the pre-draft process. Campbell's football, intelligence, and leadership qualities are what sold Vrabel. Let me start here. The number one reason why you draft Will Campbell is not because of his football intelligence,

it's not because of his leadership qualities, and it's not because Mike Vrabel quote-unquote Fell in love with the young man the number one reason why you should be drafting Campbell tonight if you decide to do that at number four is because you believe That the 21 year old is a left tackle He's a left tackle right now and you are committed to the idea that he's going to be a left tackle For many years down the road. he's going to be a left tackle for many years down the road.

That's why you draft Campbell fourth overall. Now you might end up being wrong. Teams get evaluations wrong all the time. You might end up being wrong about Campbell. He might end up that guard. But you don't make this pick. If this is the pick that you're going to make tonight, you do not make the pick unless you feel like Campbell is a left tackle. And if you end up being wrong, you end up being wrong, but you have to feel great to

your core about his potential at left tackle at the NFL level. We've all heard it, love is blind. Mike Frabel can't allow himself to be blinded by his love for Will Campbell the person, for Will Campbell the leader, for Will Campbell the smart football player. Don't let the love get in the way. Please don't get the love. Let the love get in the way, Mike. You have to draft Will Campbell at four

if you feel like he is a left tackle for your program. And yes, we have to mention the history, the history of Mike Vrabel when it comes to drafting tackles. Now, he didn't have the final call in Tennessee, we know that, but he was there. And I can guarantee you, there's nothing about Mike Vrabel's approach

that tells us he would be wallpaper in that NFL draft room of the Tennessee Titans. And you look back and they drafted Peter Skowronski. As we know, Vrabel said, oh, he's gonna be a tackle. He ended up being a guard, just like that. They drafted Isaiah Wilson in the first round and that was an absolute debacle. You could argue one of the three worst draft picks

in the first round over the past at least 10 years. Isaiah Wilson played one game for Tennessee. So the history of Mike Vrabel in his evaluating of the tackle position, whether he was making the call or not, and again in Tennessee he wasn't, I believe he's making the call here in New England, his history tells us he has not done a great job evaluating left tackles. Taylor LaWann was in Tennessee. He was very good. That was not a variable guy. Vrable did not pick him. He did not evaluate him. So you look at Wilson, you look at Skowronski, and you can get a little bit nervous. But let's give you more buzz. Jeremy Fowler, VSPN, wrote this about the Patriots. Several industry sources believe the Patriots have an affection

for Campbell. What is this? What Mike Ravel has fallen in love for Campbell. And now we have several industry sources telling us that the Patriots have an affection towards Will Campbell get him a hallmark card. What are we doing here? Back to Fowler, assuming Hunter and Carter are off the board, Campbell would represent a safe pick for New England at number four, where his new coach Mike Vrabel is high on him.

I mentioned during the whole superlative segment that I believe Will Campbell is the safest pick because even if he doesn't work out at left tackle, you can pretty much bank on him as long as he stays healthy. You can bank on him being a very good left guard for the next decade. So high floor, high floor, maybe not the highest ceiling, but a high floor.

Diana Rusini on the Patriots, while the prospect of trading up to draft Hunter or Penn State edge Carter is appealing, New England understands the importance of building a solid foundation. Expect Elliot Wolf Vrabel and company to use their top selection to beef up their offensive line, offensive line, offensive line, offensive line. Let me ask you this. Why would the Patriots leak this

information? Because there's a lot of smoke about Will Campbell. There has been a ton of smoke since the beginning of the process. And it has just continued to build and build and build over the past couple of weeks. I can't find one insider, one pundit, one analyst that's saying the Patriots, as long as the national people go, that would sit there and say the Patriots are going to draft somebody else other than Will Campbell. It's all over the joint. So who's leaking this? Why would New

England leak this to gain trust with people around the league to make you believe that you know what they say is what they stand by and live by and that you can trust them in the dealings? That's tough to believe. Would the Patriots leak this to try to build Will Campbell's value? So maybe people look at it and say, oh, well, we got to move up and draft Will Campbell. We got to give the Patriots an offer that they can't refuse. That's tough to believe because I don't think a lot of teams see Will Campbell as a fourth pick in this draft.

So that's tough to believe. Are you trying to build up Will Campbell's value to the fan base? You could do that after you pick him. So I don't know why the Patriots would be leaking this. It's tough to believe that they are. So maybe it's Will Campbell's reps pumping the tires of their guy. Maybe it's trying to solidify his draft position and get him into the top five or six. Maybe the agents feel like, hey, if Campbell doesn't go for to the Patriots, if we keep pumping this out there that Mike Vrabel loves him and he's great at this and he's great

at that, then maybe just maybe if the Pats pass, we'll get our guy in the top six or seven to be taken. It could just be people around the NFL just yapping, flapping their gums, just connecting the dots. Let's continue. Diana Rusini said, the Browns, Giants and Patriots are fielding calls for the picks that they have number two, three and four. The majority of teams looking to move up to grab Travis Hunter as their target. Brier on the Patriots says the Patriots are open and moving down, but to this point there haven't been a ton of teams looking to move up. Breyer says he thinks that Ashton Gentey standing as a prospect makes him logical

as a potential target for someone. The number four value of that pick right there, right? The value of the fourth pick in this draft is inherently tied to Ashton Gentile. If there are two, three, four teams that love themselves some Ashton Gentile and want him badly, then the Patriots can take advantage of that. The Patriots can pit Jacksonville, Vegas in Chicago against each other and take the best trade offer. If the Patriots make a trade tonight, I believe it's going to be with a team that wants to come up and draft Ashton

Gentry. If one of Carter or Hunter fall, and that's not going to happen, especially with Hunter, if Carter falls, I think the Patriots would draft Abdul Carter. So if a deal is going to happen, I believe that deal happens because that team wants Ashton Gentry. They love him. And they don't want to let him go to Jacksonville at five, if that's what the Jaguars are now thinking. The question is, is the front office capable of pitting those three or four teams against

each other and getting the best deal possible? We'll see how it unfolds tonight. We've got three bold predictions for the Patriots draft coming up next as we continue with today's episode of Locked On Patriots, part of the Locked On Podcast network, your team every day. ["Locked On!" theme music plays.] Ever check your bank account and wonder,

where did all the money go? Between dining out, online online shopping and entertainment? It's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch money comes in your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances Monarch money isn't just a budgeting act. It's a complete financial command center You can track all your accounts investments and spending in one single solitary place So you stop just managing your money and start building wealth? Managing money with your partner smoother than ever you can track shared and personal accounts set goals and stay on the same page Without the stress does that not sound good?

It sounds good to me take control of your finances with Monarch money use code locked on NFL at Monarch money finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's MonarchMoney.com code LOCKEDONNFL for half off your first year. This episode is also brought to you by our friends at Game Time. There's nothing like the atmosphere of an NBA playoff game. I just watched the Celtics earlier tonight. They won game two every bucket, every defensive stop. Every moment feels huge. Don't you want to be there with game time? You can be a part of it without the stress of last minute ticket hunting.

Game time makes it fast and easy to get playoff tickets even when demand is sky high. Prices on the app actually go down as tip off gets closer. And their last minute deals can save you up to 60%. Oh, and the all in pricing means no surprise fees at checkout. What you see is what you pay. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use code LOCKDOWNNFL for $20 off your first purchase, terms apply, again, create an account and redeem that code locked on loc k ed o n

nfl for twenty dollars off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed Bold I'll give you the definition of bold showing an ability to take risks This is not going to be about simple predictions my friends we are going to give you three bold predictions for this Patriots draft weekend and I could just feel the aggregators getting all excited to pick the bold prediction and try to make it sound like I guaranteed this was going to happen. No, this is going to be bold, the ability to take risk. Let's start with this. My first bold prediction for this Patriots weekend, we start with round one tonight. Not just one, but two day one trades. That's

right. I said it. Not just one, but two day one trades. I just mentioned in the last segment that I believe if a trade down is going to happen for the Patriots, it's going to happen because there's a specific team that is in love, more in love with Ashton Gentry than Mike Vrabel is reportedly in love with Will Campbell. And the Patriots take advantage of that. The Patriots move down. Whether it's moving down one spot to Jacksonville, because Jacksonville believes the Patriots are going to trade with another team and they're going to lose out on Gentie.

Whether it's to the Raiders, who everybody has been linking Gentie to. Maybe Vegas, Tom Brady, they get on the horn. Brady talks to Vrabel. They work a little deal out. Patriots slide back to six. Raiders slide up to four. Maybe it's with Chicago at number 10, multiple reports that Chicago really wants Genty badly.

And Ben Johnson, offensive mind, running that Chicago program now. Gentie is the final piece to that offensive puzzle. They've got wide receivers. They addressed offensive line and free agency. They drafted their quarterback at number one overall last year with Caleb Williams. They've got a tight end, Cole C comment, shout out Notre Dame football. And the last piece of the puzzle would be Ashton Gentry. Imagine all of those weapons at the fingertips of Ben Johnson's play calling. So I think the Patriots, bold prediction, they move down. Somebody moves up for Ashton Gentry, but the Patriots are not done. What makes this bold is that they have a second trade up their sleeve.

And I believe the Patriots trade back into the first round and they trade with the Minnesota Vikings. I've been talking about the Vikings the last couple of weeks as a possible trade partner. And as we get closer to this draft, there are more reports pointing fingers at Minnesota as a team that wants to get out of the first round or at least move back in the first round because they only have four draft picks in this year's draft. They don't have enough picks. They want more picks.

Patriots work out a deal. They slide up to 24. So they end up trading down, utilizing Genti and the desire to draft him by other teams. And then they move back into the first round, taking advantage of Minnesota and the fact that they only have four picks in this draft. And I think the Patriots go left tackle and wide receiver with those picks. I mean, I just gave you like three bold predictions in one, but I've got two more for you. Second bold prediction for the Patriots in this draft. The first four picks, the first four picks, all offense.

They go offense, offense, offense, offense. When you look at the needs for this team, as we get ready for tonight's first round, left tackle is the obvious one. Left tackle is so obvious. You could argue left guard. Now, I think they could survive with what they have at left guard,

but I don't think they can thrive with what they have at left guard. So left tackle, left guard, you could argue, you could argue that right tackle is a need but I won't go there. Morgan Moses is older and if you're concerned about him falling off a cliff then you might be able to fight and say that right tackle is a top need but I'm not gonna go there. I will say wide receiver is an obvious one. So left tackle, left guard,

wide receiver, three offensive positions that are either at or near the top of your needs list. Offense, offense, offense, and then offense. Aside from the needs that I just talked about, we also have the running back talk. Mike Vrabel came out at the owner's meetings and told everybody, we're going to draft a running back. Robert Kraft, after Vrabel spoke, said, we need a speed running back. The owner of the New England Patriots is not coming out and just randomly telling us that we need a speed running back.

That has been a conversation that he's had with somebody on the staff. Maybe Josh McDaniels. That's not just being blurted out there. And for the Patriots, if you look defensively, you have a lot of depth in this draft, that defensive line on the interior, even at the edge. Now you've got top edge players, about six or seven of those guys,

but you still have some pretty good depth. As a Roku's out there. A bunch of guys. I don't need to go through all the litany of names, but because of that depth, I think the Patriots would be willing to wait until the fourth round to draft a defensive player. So that's my bold prediction. Number two, the first four picks of this draft offense, offense, offense, say it with me, offense. Here's my final bold prediction. And this might be the most bold of all. The Patriots will actually hit, they will actually hit on a wide receiver. I know if you're listening to this in your car, please don't drive off the road. If you're watching, don't shut this off. It's bold prediction.

The definition again, showing an ability to take risks. I'm taking a risk here by predicting that the Patriots will actually hit on a walking, running, breathing, wide receiver in this draft. Josh McDaniels has his list of names, and he's combing through that list, and he knows who he wants. And I believe that Josh McDaniels will have an impact. But Nick, Josh was here when the Patriots swung and missed on other receivers. I'm well aware. But Bill Belichick had the call then. And maybe, just maybe, Mike Vrebel will lean into McDaniels and his thought process and his evaluation of these players. Maybe McDaniels will have a louder voice in that room when it comes to skill

position players and what he can do with those guys that he has on the board. So the McDaniels impact, I think the Patriots will learn from last year and they will not trade down and then draft the receiver. I think they're going to trade up and go after a receiver. They're going to be more aggressive this year to address the wide receiver need that they have clearly had for a number of years. You want to talk bold. I don't know if it gets more bold than predicting the Patriots actually drafting a wide receiver who ends up being a hit.

And I'm not just talking about a hit in 2027. I'm talking about being a hit this year in 2025 out on that football field making plays in September for Drake May. So those are my three bold predictions. Not one, but two day one trades. You move down, take advantage of Gentie. You move back in, take advantage of Minnesota and their lack of picks. Go tackle wide receiver.

Then bold prediction number two, the first four picks, say it with me, offense, offense, offense, and offense. In bold prediction number three, the Patriots actually hit on a wide receiver. All right. I'll give you three names of undervalued prospects that I love in this draft. That's coming up next as we continue with today's episode of Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. As a small business owner, your work doesn't end when the clock hits five, you know that your business is always on your mind, which means when it's time to

hire, you need a partner that works just as hard as you do. That's where LinkedIn jobs comes in. When you clock out, LinkedIn clocks in. LinkedIn makes it easy to post your job for free, share it with your network, and get qualified candidates all in one place. Here's how it works. Post your job.

LinkedIn's new feature can help you write job descriptions and then quickly get your job in front of the right people with deep candidate insights. And here's a pro tip, add the hashtag hiring frame to your profile picture to double your reach to qualified candidates. No wonder 72% of small businesses say LinkedIn helps them find quality hires and not just quality, high quality hires. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. So I'm going to have some guidelines here. I want to give you three undervalued prospects in this year's draft.

Undervalued, what does that mean? Here are the guidelines. I'm not going to give you one name that is a consensus top 20 guy, and I use the mock draft database for this. I'm not going to give you one single name that is considered a top 20 consensus pick because that's just too easy. I can't tell you that a guy who's in the top 20 is undervalued. Mostly these guys are the eye test guys. I watch a lot of college football and this isn't me pouring over film and breaking down every scintilla of information.

These are guys that I just enjoy watching play football and that I think have slid down the board a little bit, maybe in one case a lot because of certain circumstances. And I believe that these three guys, all three of them will be under drafted in this year's draft. So undervalued prospects, I'll give you three names. Let me start with a wide receiver that I absolutely love. A Mecca Ibuka from Ohio State. Absolutely freaking love this guy. You want to talk about dependability, a wide receiver that a quarterback knows is going to be there for him, play in and play

out somebody that he can count on. Don't you want that for Drake May? Drake May gets back into the pocket and he knows that somebody's going to be there for him. That's a Mecca Abouka. He is so super dependable. He's got great hands. He's got impeccable body control. He makes some catches at crazy angles. I have no idea how he makes some catches that he makes. He's been unbelievably productive at Ohio State. We're talking Big Ten football at the highest level. We're talking playoff games. We're talking bowl games, everything.

Incredibly productive throughout his career at Ohio State. His football IQ is off the charts. A lot of people talking about Will Campbell's football intelligence and other players football intelligence. Abouka is that guy. Abouka has crazy football IQ. I could see him picking up Josh McDaniel's offense in like a day. And then he's super sharp. He gets the game and he not only gets the game with his mind going through the playbook and understanding the concepts and all of that.

He also can execute at a high level. His execution shows his IQ as well. A savvy route runner. He's not the fastest. He's not the fastest. He's not the biggest. He's not the sexiest wide receiver prospect in this draft. But I think he is a darn good wide receiver prospect in this draft. And he also brings versatility to that position. You can line him up outside. You can line him up inside. We know that McDaniels loves moving guys around the line of scrimmage to get the most out of them. If the Patriots, to go back to my bold prediction last segment, if the Patriots

can trade back into the first round with Minnesota and they find themselves a buka at 24, I will be doing cartwheels, cartwheels for the next week. And I've had a bad back for like the last 10 or 11 days. I don't want to do cartwheels, but I would force myself to bust out a cartwheels, cartwheels for the next week. And I've had a bad back for like the last 10 or 11 days. I don't want to do cartwheels, but I would force myself to bust out a cartwheel if the Patriots find a way to draft a Mecca Abouka. I love the guy. Here's a second name. And for those who know that I'm a Notre Dame fan, you might say, oh yeah, of course, Nick,

you had to squeeze in a Notre Dame guy. You had a shoehorn, a Notre Dame player in here. Maybe But Benjamin Morrison is awesome Cornerback now, let me first address the issue. I mentioned circumstances Creating a bit of a fall for a number of these guys and Morrison He has had some hip issues multiple times coming off a surgery. So I don't know how healthy he is. And that's the risk and that's why he has fallen.

But that is also what makes him undervalued in this draft. Morrison might fall to the third round. If he falls to the third round, you are getting a legitimate top tier corner, if healthy, but that's when you take the swing, right? Benjamin Morrison, I've seen him play a bunch of games, a bunch of games at Notre Dame, and he is a sticky man corner. Notre Dame with Al Golden, who is now the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator, they relied on a lot of press man coverage. And I'll tell you what, Benjamin Morrison

is not afraid of playing man press coverage. And you could put him on the opposite. I know you're Carlton Davis, but long term, Benjamin Morrison, Christian Gonzalez on the outside, that is an explosive duo. And Carlton Davis, a little bit older, has some injuries as we know, but you could also slide Benjamin Morrison inside. He's got a little versatility on that side of the ball. He's great downfield, makes plays on the football. He's a hard worker, great character. Benjamin Morrison is another name that I love in this draft. He checks out health-wise. If your medical team gives you the thumbs up, Benjamin Morrison would be a great pick

somewhere in that third round range. Let me finish it up with a tight end. I'm not going to talk about Fannin because a lot of people have talked about him. How about Terrence Ferguson? Tight end out of Oregon. I always talk about positional versatility and that has come up an awful lot over the past couple of weeks when we talk about what the Patriots might do in the first round. Ferguson has positional versatility.

At Oregon, he played 42% of his snaps out of the slot. And you think about the McDaniels offense, you think about how he utilizes tight ends, lining tight ends up in the slot, getting them down the seam. And Ferguson, with his ability to play out of the slot, and the fact that he's got some really good athleticism, he's a Yak machine.

Now, he's not a Yak machine because he's super agile and makes guys miss. He can improve in that category. But if you give him some space to work with his athleticism, allow him to catch the football on the run. He's dangerous. And he's also a willing blocker. He needs to improve in blocking, but he's willing to block. And I think with good coaching, he can get there and be at least a pretty good blocking tight end. So Terrence Ferguson, tight end from Oregon, versatility, athleticism, willing to block. Those are my three guys, undervalued.

That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. On tomorrow's show, our round one reaction, of course. Let me know your thoughts on today's topics. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C Radio. And don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. And thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen today.

For your second listen, check out the Lockdown NFL Draft with Damian Parson and Keith Sanchez. Right before the draft tonight, you get the latest draft rankings and rumors Sanchez right before the draft tonight. You get the latest draft rankings and rumors, the news that is out there. Check it out. Just can't miss stuff. Have a great day.

We'll see you tomorrow to talk about round number one of the NFL draft.