Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots April 16, 2018 - Mock Monday

Episode Date: April 16, 2018

Mark Schofield breaks down another mock draft with just over a week to go until the 2018 NFL Draft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good morning, welcome into Lockdown Patriots for Monday, April 16th, 2018. It is Patriots Day in Boston, arguably the best day on the calendar every year in the Boston area. You get Boston Marathon, You get the traditional early start. The Red Sox. 11-0-5 start against the Baltimore Oreos. I was wondering if we would get a double dip as well with playoff games. But Celtics game is Sunday night.

Bruins are playing tonight. That game though in Toronto. Game 3. The Eastern Conference playoffs. But we're going to do a little mock draft Monday here on Locked On Patriots. Reminder though, follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield. Follow the work over at InsideThePylon.com. Pro Football Weekly as well as various other outlets.

New video up over at our YouTube page for InsideThePylon.com. YouTube.com backslash InsideThePylon. Look at our quarterback, Alex Magoo of Florida International. Also, massive thank you to Bob Sochi, the play-by-play, the voice of the New England Patriots on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He was kind enough to have me on his Sunday NFL Draft Preview show that came out yesterday. Talked some quarterbacks in this class, including Logan Woodside, as well as Chad Knopf, as well as some of the other bigger names that we all know about. So check that out as well. But as I said, Mock Draft Monday here.

We're going to have two final mock drafts before the draft. This one, and then one more, one final mock draft Monday next week. And if you question perhaps the reason for mock drafts, if you wonder about why people do them, look no further than Bill Belichick himself who in his remarks Friday, his sort of draft press conference, he said, look, the Patriots do mock drafts themselves to see different scenarios and how the board might play out. And that's what we're going to be doing today. As always, these are done via Fanspeak, fanspeak.com, which allows you to simulate any draft you want to do for any team using different boards. Today's draft, we're going to use the insidethepylon.com board that we put together as part of our draft guide.

As far as an approach for this one, I feel like my recent ones over at DailyMockDraft.com have been defense heavy. I'm going to try to go offense heavy if possible. But the Patriots are now on the clock at 23. Some big names available on the offensive side of the ball. Sonny Michel, who we just talked about. The running back from Georgia. James Daniels, center from Iowa.

Billy Price, center from Ohio State. Ronald Jones, the running back from USC. Nick Chubb, running back from Georgia. Defensive side of the ball, you have some players as well. Mike Hughes, the corner from UCF. Rashawn Evans, the backer from Alabama. Jair Alexander, the corner from Louisville. Marcus Davenport, an edge from University of Texas, San Antonio, who's been linked to the Patriots

throughout this draft process. But we are going to go offense. We're going to go offensive tackle. We're going to go Connor Williams, the offensive tackle from the University of Texas. Williams is a bit of an interesting player in that he's slid down boards a little bit. People might be looking at him as potentially, potentially a guard convert in the NFL, but I think he still can play offensive tackle in the National Football League. And I know the Patriots just got some good news

with Antonio Garcia and his health, but I still think they need to add a lineman or two in this draft. And with Connor Williams falling to 23, I like the value there. Patriots back on the clock now at 31. Some of the same names are available. Sonny Michel, Billy Price, Ronald Jones, Nick Chubb.

Wide receivers are on the spot here as well. DJ Moore is available. Calvin Ridley is available. But I want to address edge here. I'm looking down the sort of draft board right now. There are some players still on the board that I think we can get early in the second including Leighton Vander Esch, a linebacker from

Boise State. So I'm going to keep my eyes there. I'm going to cross the fingers make the pick here. Sam Hubbard from Ohio State. I picked 31. A player we've talked about a ton here on Locked On Patriots. The Edge defender from Ohio State, a pick 31. A player we've talked about a ton here on Locked On Patriots. The edge defender from Ohio State. I think he makes a lot of sense for the New England Patriots.

I think Belichick is going to like the schematic fit, the versatility that he brings. So we're going to go with Sam Hubbard here with the 31st overall selection on this Mock Draft Monday. As we continue now into the second round of this mock draft Monday, Patriots back on the clock. And wouldn't you know it, Leighton Van Der Esch is still available. This is kind of a,

I love this spot here for Leighton Van Der Esch. He's got a lot of sort of top 10, top 15 talk. Again, this is using ITP's board. We didn't view him as highly as other people have. But look, if he's on the clock here at this first pick in the second round, pick 43, sign me up. So the Patriots here at this 43rd pick, they go Leighton Vander Esch, the athletic one-year starter at linebacker from Boise State. And now we go to pick 63, That's second of their two picks in

the second round and there are some really interesting names here available for the New England Patriots. You could go Christian Kirk, wide receiver from Texas A&M. You could go Royce Freeman, the running back who we talked about on last Thursday's show, the running back from Oregon. Mike Giusecchi, the tight end from Penn State who I love. He's on the board here. You also wonder about quarterback. Mason Rudolph and Kyle Laul. He's on the board here. You also wonder about quarterback. Mason Rudolph and Kyle LaLetta are still on the board here at this 63rd pick. You do wonder about, look, Mason Rudolph falling into your lap. This would be a nice spot to get him, right? Don't you think?

I'm going to go a different direction though. Again, just gaming out how this scenario could play out. There's some really nice players here that have fallen. Even some more wide receivers. Dante Pettis from Washington. Aquemenius St. Brown from Notre Dame has fallen as well. You look again on the defensive side of the ball. Jesse Bates, the safety from Wake Forest, is on the board. A player that's caught some recent buzz here as well. Then you look maybe at defensive linemen. Tim Settle. Tim Settle had some fantastic tape a couple of seasons ago.

Didn't put it together last year. You wonder about him, but he's a possibility here with this pick. So a bunch of different directions the Patriots could go, including addressing quarterback. But we're going to go with the tight end. Mike Giusecchi from Penn State. I just think that's incredible value here at this point at the end of the second round. Tight end is a position of need.

I think they need to address it. I think you get in Giusecchi a nice move type tight end who fits with today's NFL game. So that's why he's the pick here with the second pick in the second round. Up next, we're going to get into some more of the third round, potentially address quarterback, and then the later rounds. That's ahead on this Mock Draft Monday episode of Locked on Patriots. Mark Schofield now back with you on this Mock Draft Monday episode of Locked on Patriots. Patriots haven't made their four picks in the first two rounds on this mock.

In case you missed it, Connor Williams, offensive tackle from Texas. Sam Hubbard, the edge defender from Ohio State. Leighton Vendor-Esch, linebacker from Boise State. And Mike Giusecchi, the tight end from Penn State, rounding out those four picks. But the Patriots now looking to be on the clock here with that 95th pick at the end of the third round. Watching the board sort of fall. Dante Pettis just came off the board to the New Orleans Saints at 91. Mason Rudolph doesn't make it back to us, at least in this situation. You wait, Mason Rudolph comes off the board at 93,

a couple of picks ahead of the New England Patriots, picking at 95. But who is still here for the New England Patriots? Kyle Oletta, the quarterback that has been linked to the New England Patriots early and often throughout this draft process, the quarterback that has been linked to the New England Patriots early and often throughout this draft process, a player that I do like. I think he would be a good fit in New England. I think there are some offenses, perhaps, where he might even be a better fit. Recently at Pro Football Weekly, I wrote that he might be a good fit in Cincinnati for what they do.

Found some examples of him running basically the same stuff Andy Dalton was running. I think he'd be a good fit in Cincinnati for what they do. Found some examples of him running basically the same stuff Andy Dalton was running. I think he'd be a good fit. I'd say what Kyle Shanahan wants to do with some boot action stuff. I don't think the 49ers go quarterback. I also think he might be a good fit in Atlanta. But the link to New England is strong. It's real. I think there's something to it.

And so, look, that's the pick right here. Kyle Lolleta at 95 to the New England Patriots. So now we wait. New England Patriots again. This is the interesting part of this draft. And when push comes to shove, I do think that Belichick does something to get up, you know, maybe into that fourth round. Dave Archibald over at Inside the Pylon has an article about why Bill Belichick perhaps hates fifth round picks. So I don't expect him to get there because Dave's research has shown that Belichick just hates fifth-round picks, so I don't expect him to get there because Dave's research has shown that Belichick just doesn't like using fifth-round picks.

It's a fantastic piece that you should check out, and you should be following Dave Archibald on Twitter, at Dave Archie on Twitter, the driving force behind the Inside the Pylon draft guide this year, along with Ryan Dukarm. But the Patriots will have to wait until they have two picks in the sixth round at 198

and at 210. That's the 24th and 36th pick in that sixth round. Patriots now on the clock. And this is sort of that area of the draft with these three last picks, which I expect to see some interesting names maybe come off the ball, both wide receiver, running back, maybe corner, positions that aren't really of need, but you might want to add some youth. And right now, when I look at some of the wide receivers available here at this spot on the ITP board, you know, I see Traquan Smith from UCF, Alan Lazard, who might even be a tight end position conversion from Ohio State, Marcel Aitman from Oklahoma State.

You know, but then you see near the end, near the end of this list, Braxton Berrios, who I just keep coming back to. It seems like every mock I do, that first pick in the seventh round is Braxton Berrios. So we'll wait on wide receivers, see how that shakes out. You look at the corners. This is starting to get a little thin. Tony Brown from Alabama, Perry Nickerson from Tulane.

Tavares McFadden from Florida State. Levi Wallace from Alabama. Those are some interesting names. And the running back group as well. You look at Mark Walton from Miami. Phillip Lindsey from Colorado. Darrell Williams from LSU. He's more of a thumper style guy when I studied him.

You look at Justin Jackson from Northwestern. So there are some interesting names here. I think we're going to go... of a thumper style guy when I studied him. You look at Justin Jackson from Northwestern. So there are some interesting names here. I think we're going to go with Jalen Samuels from North Carolina State. A lot of people sort of look at his teammate Naeem Hines as perhaps the guy that the Patriots might draft later on in this draft. But ITP, we were high on him, so he's already come off the board. So we're going to go with Jalen Samuels, his teammate, the running back from North Dakota State,

here with pick 198 on this mock draft Monday. Now the Patriots back on the clock again with that 210 pick, that pick 210 here, that 36th pick in the sixth round. Some of the players we talked about still available. Some interesting edge guys still on the board here too. Kylie Fitz

from Utah is an extremely interesting edge prospect. Might be higher on some other boards. But I think, look, you do want to address corner I think at some point. Maybe safety, but I don't see too many safety options here that I'd feel comfortable with. So we're going to go with Levi Wallace, the corner from Alabama. I think there some point, you know, maybe safety, but I don't see too many safety options here that I'd feel comfortable with. So we're going to go with Levi Wallace, the corner from Alabama.

I think there's a schematic fit there, which is nice. He's going to have some familiarity with what Belichick wants to do on the defensive side of the ball. So Levi Wallace, the corner from Alabama, comes off the board to the New England Patriots here with that 36th pick in the sixth round. Pick 210 overall. Up next, is it going to be Braxton Barrios time?

That's ahead with me, Mark Schofield, in Locked on Patriots. Mark Schofield, back with you on this mock draft Monday for a Patriots Day Monday in the Boston area. Again, hope you're listening to this on your way downtown, whether to watch the marathon, get into town for that Sox game, maybe you're headed to Heartbreak Hill.

Also, shout out to my boy Jason Burke running the Boston Marathon doing the Boston Double this year as he has often done also to my boy Sean Feeney running the Boston Marathon

raising money for neurofibromatosis Northeast if you haven't check out a check with me piece I wrote reevaluating the

2016 quarterback rankings I put together. There's a link in there. Click on it. You can see what Sean's doing, what he's raising money for. This is an aggressive sort of genetic disorder that grows tumors on nerves all over the body. It's a really difficult, difficult condition that people suffer from. Sean's doing a great thing raising money for it. It's a tremendous cause. Please check it out. Give what you can. He's running the marathon today.

If you're going, look for Sean Feeney, my boy. Give him a chair when you see him coming over Heartbreak Hill or something like that. Patriots now back on the clock here with their final pick on this mock draft Monday episode of Locked On Patriots. If you've missed the start, that'd be interesting because this is a podcast, not a live radio show. But just in case, the picks so far, Connor Williams, offensive tackle from Texas, Sam Hubbard, the edge from Ohio State, Leighton Vander Esch, the linebacker from Boise State, Mike Giusecchi, tight end from Penn State, Kyle Lolleta, the quarterback from Richmond, Jalen Samuels, running back from North Carolina State, and Levi Wallace, cornerback from Alabama. Now before the little pause there, I said, look, is it Braxton Berrios time?

I seem to keep coming back to back to back. Back to back Braxton Berrios. And yes it is. It is Braxton Berrios time yet again. Pick 219, the first pick in the seventh round, will be Braxton Berrios, the wide receiver out of Miami. And look, you can make the easy comparisons, small, shifty slot receiver, right? But I think he's got some lawn speed to him as well. I think he would be a tremendous fit for New England's offense. Really smart kid,

was a valedictorian, had a really difficult major down at the University of Miami. Got to see him down at the Senior Bowl. Thought he was a really good talent down there. And so Braxton Burrows, a player that I started talking about coming back from Mobile. The show I did after the Senior Bowl talked about him. I've been talking about him a ton. I've been mocking him a lot to New England. And we do it again here

with that first pick of the seventh round. So there you have it. There's your second to last Mock Draft Monday episode of Locked On Patriots. Recapping the picks. Connor Williams, offensive tackle from Texas. That's at pick 23 overall, that first pick in this first round.

Then Sam Hubbard, the edge from Ohio State, at pick 31. Leighton Vander Esch, the linebacker from Boise State, that's the first of their two second-round picks. He comes off the board at 43. Mike Jacecki, tight end from Penn State, off the board at 63. Kyle Lawletter, quarterback, University of Richmond, off the board at 95, their one third round pick. Then the big pause, the big wait. I anticipate Belichick doing something to move into this area, maybe to go up and get a guy. Maybe you see somebody you like falling a little bit. I wouldn't expect them to wait through the entire fourth and fifth round.

But if they do, players you could expect to see at least as far as the InsideThePylon.com board fell. Jalen Samuels running back North Carolina State. That was a pick 198 overall. 24th pick in the sixth round. Levi Wallace, corner from Alabama at pick 210. That's the 36th pick of the sixth round. And finally, Braxton Berrios, wide receiver, University of Miami. He comes off the board with that first pick in the seventh round or pick 219 overall.

As far as team needs fulfilled, looking at least at fan speak, that's the team needs that I used for this simulation, that impacts how the board falls, given every team's team needs as identified by fan speak, every position we needed was addressed except for safety and defensive line, that's a position that again, they're going to need to address,

the board didn't quite fall the way I wanted it to fall, probably because at ITP we were high on a lot of the defensive linemen. They came off the board early when I was addressing other positions. I expect the draft, again, just gaming out some scenarios here, but I expect the draft to be a little bit different. I do expect New England to hit a defensive lineman in this draft. My final mock draft Monday, the one that will come out next week, we'll take this more of a realistic approach. We'll probably be using a more realistic, not that inside the pylons board isn't realistic,

but one more in tune with what the NFL is thinking to give us a better games plan scenario of what to expect over the three days of the NFL draft. That will do it for today's mock draft Monday. For those of you enjoying Patriots Day, have a blast. Just one of the best days in the year in Boston. Enjoy the marathon. Enjoy the Sox game.

Good luck to the Bruins tonight. Maybe some of you might even make the trip up to Toronto for that. Who knows? Enjoy a blast of that game. If you're going to the marathon, look for Jason Burke. Look for Sean Fede. Go to Sean's link that I have up on Inside the Pylon. Donate if you can.

It's a tremendous cause that he's raising money for again that will do it for today's show we'll be back on Tuesday looking at more of these draft fits for each spot in the draft for New England by position we're going to talk some offensive tackles that's ahead

on Tuesday's show but until then, keep it locked right here to me Mark Schofield, and Locked on Paper.