Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots April 29, 2019 - Grading the Draft

Episode Date: April 29, 2019

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Hey there everybody, welcome to what is not a Mock Draft Monday here at the Locked On Patriots Podcast. Mark Schofield back in the big chair for today, Monday, April 29th, 2019. Yes, no more Mock Drafts to do. I know some of you might be sad about that, but what we're going to do today, we're going to have sort of what the experts are saying about the Patriots 2019 draft class. We'll do that first and then a little later, I'm going to have three drafts from other teams that I liked, three drafts from other teams that have me scratching my head a little bit. Now, bear in mind that it's easy to sort of give a grade on a draft

the Monday after or so, but we really don't know how this draft will pan out until two, three, four years down the road. It's easy to sit here and crush some picks right now. Conversely, it's easy to say that, look, these guys nailed it. These guys really did a fantastic job drafting, but until these players hit the field and we see what they do between the lines and not just on film and on paper, we just can't know for sure. Matt Waldman's rookie scouting portfolio. And of course, a trio of SB Nation websites, Big Blue View, Bleeding Green Nation, where I am the co-host of the QB Sko Show with the one and only Michael J. Kist, and of course, Pat's Pulpit. Let's dive into what some of the experts are saying about the Patriots and their draft class. Basically, get an almost universal good grades by some of the experts. For example, it's an insider article, so I can't sort of pull through

it, but Mel Kiper Jr., the one and only Mel Kiper Jr. who started the whole mock draft mania that we go through every year now, gives it an A-. Chad Reuter from NFL.com. He wrote up all the teams, graded them by day, gave them a day one grade of an A, a day two grade of an A-, a day three grade of an A-, and an overall A. And his analysis reads as follows. When Rob Gronkowski had to move outside in the playoffs this past season, it was pretty clear that New England needed a reliable big receiver to win downfield. Harry should meet that need quite well. And then on day two, the Patriots' interest in Williams was not a well-kept secret. He had the versatility they needed in the secondary.

Giving up a third-round pick to go get him was not a Belichickian-type move, but if they had a first-round grade on him, I won't blame them for making the deal. They found a steal in Chase Winovich in the third round. He's the type of high-motor, versatile lineman who will be a factor early on. Damian Harris is an all-around talent who is worthy of a selection 20 pikes earlier than his drafting spot. Kajus has injury issues and doesn't have the greatest feet, but he can work his way into starting that right tackle. Verholt is an athletic and tough-minded Dane who fits the Patriots' way.

Bill Belichick hopes he can work Stidham into another strong-armed pocket passer, For Holt is an athletic and tough-minded Dane who fits the Patriots' way. Bill Belichick hopes he can work Stidham into another strong-armed pocket passer, choosing him with solid value in the fourth round. Coward and Webster add depth to the defense. And also, Ryan Allen had the 19th-ranked net punting average in the league last year, so his days are now numbered with Bailey in the fold. Let's now look at Dan Kadar, the head draft writer over at SB Nation. His main headline, final 2019 NFL draft grades for all 32 teams,

the Broncos, Jaguars, and Washington were big winners. Sam can't be safe for the Giants and the Raiders. There's a bit of a teaser for what we'll talk about in a little bit. But let's talk about what he said for the New England Patriots. Given the Patriots, he gave a grade of a b plus new england surprised some people by using the number 32 pick on arizona state wide receiver nikhil harry he's a big outside target who was physical at the catch point and the second round the patriots made a rare trade-up they got a versatile quarterback joe wan williams who could be an outside corner or a safety michigan's chase one of which taken

at 77 has a good first step and good handwork he can be used outside corner or a safety. Michigan's Chase Winovich, taken at 77, has a good first step and good handwork. He can be used standing up or with his hand down. Fifth round pick Brian Cowart bounced around schools and positions with Bill Belichick and moved the former blue chip recruit around the defensive line. The Patriots also drafted a quarterback, Jared Stidham of Auburn, with the number 133 pick. He could be molded, but he was inconsistent in college. Watch the Patriots turn offensive lineman Yanni Kajus and Helde Froholt into good starters. Grade B+.

Then there's Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated, who at times is sort of, I don't want to say mocked, but his takes sometimes garner some reaction. But he gives the Patriots in his write-up a grade of an A. Bill Belichick typically does not draft wide receivers early, and the fact that he took one with so many others on the board suggests he absolutely adores Harry. The former Arizona State Sun Devil often played inside,

but in this system where shiftiness and quickness are demanded of slot receivers, he'll almost always align his frame outside. This means the Patriots are not dependent on veteran free agent pickup Demaryius Thomas bouncing back from a late-season Achilles tear, or on talented but troubled ex-Brown Josh Gordon getting back and staying on the field. Williams in round two seems like the better pick the more you think about it. The Patriots are fine in the secondary, and they've taken other second-round corners in recent years who didn't play much,

but Williams could see action sooner rather than later, considering that at 6'4", he's uniquely built to match up against receivers, bigger receivers, and here we go, even tight ends. I think that's where we're going with this. We talked about that after the pick with David Archibald, John Lemarakis, and others in the Locked On Patriots Slack channel saying that was a possibility. Undrafted second-year pro JC Jackson fills that role in quite well, but Williams provides more options.

Belichick can get very detailed in deciding which corners match on certain receivers. Plus, you must consider that Patrick Shun's big nickel slot job could soon come open. Right after Williams came Chase Winovich, a high-effort edge defender whose playing time in this scheme will depend on his physical stoutness. I think he's good physically. Then it was Damian Harris, who was featured at Alabama but will struggle to find a role in a backfield that already has an effective base down runner in 2018 first rounder Sonny Michel. Harris is a serviceable receiver, but there's no way he'll take passing down snaps from Rex Burkhead or especially James White. The rest of the draft was focused on finding depth at O-line and quarterback.

And out of sheer principle, we should bump the Patriots up a half-letter grade for not looking for Tom Brady's replacement. That six-time world champion horse is worth riding to the very, very end. I kind of think they maybe did do that, so I would quibble with that a little bit. But for the most part, I think Andy's write-up is pretty spot on. Then there's pro football focus now what they did was they sort of used their stats and they gave everybody sort of average above average that's kind of how they looked at it and for the patriots they gave him a overall of above average for day one harry wasn't loved by pff in the pre-draft process as he

finished at number 61 overall in the top 250, largely because of his inability to separate on deeper routes. He was, however, one of the toughest receivers to bring down in college football, racking up 38 broken tackles in his three seasons. He fits that offense in that he wins on the underneath route tree, whether it's whip routes or shake routes, get an open and an after the catch. He struggled to separate deep. He's just not that explosive in and out of his cuts down the field, but what he can

bring to the table after the catch is rare for a man his size. Patriots love Yak. Love that yardage after the catch. As for Day 2, masterful Day 2 trade sitting Winkler up to add significant value in rounds 2 and 3. Former Michigan Edge defender Chase Winovich, PFF's number 28

overall player in this class, fell into the laps of Belichick and company at pick 77 on Friday. More than just a high effort player, Winovich is PFF's number 28 overall player in this class, fell into the laps of Belichick and company at pick 77 on Friday. More than just a high-effort player, Winovich is coming off back-to-back season with grades over 90 overall, the only such qualifying Power 5 player in the draft class that can boast that. A torn quad likely pushed Yannick Jus down draft boards, but New England was smart to end his day two skid at pick 101. He is one of college football's most accomplished pass protectors. On 885 pass blocking snaps the

past two seasons, he only allowed 25 pressures. Hilde Froholt, a Danish guard that thrived in pass protection, was a steal for New England to pick 118. He played both center and guard during his tenure with the Razorbacks this past season. He was one of the nation's best pass protectors, allowing five pressures all season long. He finished the pre-draft process ranked 55th on PFF's final big board, a draft grade of above average. And there you go. Some other grades, I'm not going to go through the write-ups, but Nate Davis of USA Today, give it an A. Matt Miller of Bleach Report, I'll skim through this one a bit because Matt, always good, gives the Patriots

an A+. And then Mark Maskey, Washington Post, a B+. So there you have it. Some of the grades from some of these draft experts that are out there. Up next, I want to talk about three teams whose drafts I really liked and then three teams that drafts I wasn't that big of a fan on. That's

coming up on this Monday installment of Locked on Patriots. Mark Schofield back with you now on this Monday installment of the Locked on Patriots podcast. We are now going to talk about three teams, three other drafts that I really liked in this Patriots draft class. What we're going to do tomorrow on Tuesday's show

is I'm going to go through deeper onto the New England Patriots draft and talk about all of the picks more in depth. But I wanted to do tomorrow on Tuesday's show is I'm going to go through deeper onto the New England Patriots draft and talk about all of the picks more in depth. But I wanted to do some big picture recap stuff today. Now going through some of the other drafts and there were some teams that I think did a very good job. I want to start

with the Denver Broncos. I think the Denver Broncos did a fantastic job with their selections throughout this entire draft. Pretty much top to bottom no fat a 20 huge fan of him as a player athletic tight end maybe he's not the complete package that hawkinson was but i think he's going to fit ideally into what we're going to expect from this offense it's going to be an offshoot of the shanahan system then they also had remember they

had picked 10 they had traded down to 20 so they picked up an extra 6th round pick this year at 52. And a 20-23rd round selection. Now they passed on Devin Bush, who might have been a good pick for them. And they also didn't take a quarterback at 10. But then what did they do? They draft Dalton Risner at 41 and Drew Locke at 42. So they get an offensive lineman that can play outside, that can play inside.

That could be fantastic. And then you get Locke, who many people thought they were drafting a 10 at 42, which I think is a very good pick. Then they add Ohio State defensive tackle Draymond Jones at 71. A lot of people thought that

he was going to be potentially an early day two pick. They get him at 71, a five technique guy. They needed some depth there. Justin Holland's outside linebacker, 156 from Oregon. He's another player that people really liked. Backup pass rusher. He can play in coverage.

And finally, Juwan Winfrey, wide receiver from Colorado, 187. I thought that was a very good draft. The Chargers loved their draft. There might be more than three teams now that I'm looking at this. Jerry Tillery at 28 I think is a perfect pick for them. His Stanford tape was fantastic. There's a shoulder injury, but I think this is good, a very good pick for them.

I think putting him on the inside and then with the guys they have on the outside, I think it's perfect for them. Nasir Adderley at 60. I've said it earlier on this show. I am just ecstatic just as a fan of football, a fan of the safety position. For Derwin James and Nasir Adderley being a 1-2 safety combo for the Chargers for the foreseeable future.

I think he does a fantastic job. They get Trey Pipkins from Sioux Falls at 91. Not somebody a lot of people have expected, but a nice pick for them. Drew Tranquil at 131. Love that selection. I think he's a very good linebacker. Very sort of character, heavy-laden type guy. I think that's a great pick.

Easton Stick at 166. I think it's a nice fit for him. Ameke I Ogbule, the outside linebacker from Houston, and Cortez Brodin, the defensive tackle from Cincinnati to round it out. I thought those were some very good picks. Washington. I really like what

Washington did. Dwayne Haskins and Montez Sweat in the first round, two fantastic picks. Then they had Terry McLaurin behind it, the wide receiver. Bryce Love, the Stanford running back, probably earlier than we expected, but still I think he's a nice little fit. He might not be able to play next year. There's a question about injury, but still, if his burst can come back,

he's a strong contributor for the run game. Wes Martin, the Indiana interior offensive lineman. Ross Persparker, the Alabama center, some interior offensive line help. Kelvin Harmon at 206 is fantastic. Jimmy Moreland at 227, the corner from James Madison. A lot of people really liked him, so getting him at 277, I think, is a great selection.

Let's talk about some other drafts that I like since we still got some time here. You look at what Minnesota did. I think Minnesota should get credit for going Garrett Bradbury at 18, Irv Smith at 52. Those were two players a lot of people thought might be first-round picks. They got him at 18 and 50, respectively. Alexander Madison, the running back from Boise State at 102. I love him.

He's a very tough runner. Obviously, when I'm watching as much Brett Rippon as I did, yeah. I got to see a lot of them. Really liked them. Drew Samia, the offensive guard, at 114. So they got a lot of offensive line help out of their first four picks. Then into the end of the draft, I think the Elon offensive tackle, Ole Odu, that's a nice pick at 197.

The corner from Texas, Chris Boyd, is another nice pick. Dylan Mitchell at 239. Air Force lawn snapper Austin Cuddin at the end of the draft at 250. Can't overlook that kind of need. Also, they added Jake Brown, the quarterback from the University of Washington. They add him as well via undrafted free agency. So I thought that was a nice little pick for them. So they did a pretty good job. I liked what they did. Let's talk about one more team here, and of course, it's the Arizona Cardinals. I think the Cardinals did a fantastic job. Added a ton of talent. Kyler Murray, Byron Murphy, Andy Isabella, Zach Allen, Hakeem Butler, Deontay Thompson, Keyshawn Johnson. I mean, those picks right

there get this an A. And then you add Caleb Wilson, the end of the draft, the very last pick, the UCLA tight end player that a lot of people thought maybe the Patriots might draft I think that this was a very good job now people will say

yeah you gotta remember the Rosen trade okay they move Rosen for a late second round pick they use that pick on Andy Isabella people will say

well if Rosen goes on and plays well and Isabella doesn't was was it a good pick? Well, they can say that. But I do think they added pass catchers and they added players that are going to fit with what Cliff Kingsbury wants from an offense and from a passing game.

And so I think you put this all together, it's a fantastic draft for them. And so those are some of the teams that I liked up next, some teams that I didn't like. As we take a look back at the 2019 NFL Draft here at Locked On Patriots. Mark Schofield back with you now. I'm going to close out this sort of look back at the 2019 NFL Draft. Looking at some of the teams, some of the draft classes that I wasn't exactly

a fan of. There were picks made, some decisions made, things like that that I just was a little shaky on. Of course, the usual caveat, we don't know how this will all pan out. Guys might end up developing better than we expected. So,

these draft grades are sure to be wrong. And it's easy to sit here right now and say yeah these are bad yeah these are bad yeah these are bad but still some of these do look pretty bad on paper let's start with one that people are probably expecting the new york football giants when you started off with taken the quarterback that I had as QB6 on my board and yes that was Brett Rippon and I'm taking an L on that I get it but I wasn't alone in having Rippon where I did

and I wasn't alone in being down on Daniel Jones maybe he pans out but to draft him to think that he might not play for three years it's not it doesn't give you a woman's place. And then Dexter Lawrence at 17, while the value might be good there, I talked to a long-time NFL insider Friday morning

who liked Dexter Lawrence and likes David Gettleman. But he told me that, look, the value for Lawrence at 17 is okay sort of in a vacuum. So he kind of gets it, but still it's still a tough pick to defend. And then you get DeAndre Baker at 30 who's got some concerns. He is a top prospect at corner and they needed it, but they gave up two Saturday picks. And there are some off the field, some character concerns with them. And then O'Shane Zimes, he's a good fit, strong and agile

but you could have gotten better there. Julian Love at 108 I think was a good pick for them. I'll give him that. The rest of the picks, I get some concerns over. And they had needs at the offensive line. They needed right tackle.

They don't get it, really. Unless you think the Kentucky offensive tackle they took, George Asofo-Aje, at 232, is going to step in and start a right tackle. And so, I got some questions, obviously, about what the Giants did. You look at some other teams.

The Houston Texans. Now, Titus Howard could end up being a very good offensive tackle. I think they got caught. I was told before this draft that there was

serious consideration, there were serious legs to the idea that Houston was going to move up and get Andre Dillard. What probably happened, this is pure speculation now on my part, but they possibly saw Dillard falling and thought, look, he's going to fall to us now. And then boom, Philly trades up right in front of them with Baltimore to draft Dillard at 22. And so now Houston's on the clock.

They go to their next offensive tackle on the board, Titus Howard. Now, obviously, they could not have left this draft without addressing offensive tackle. And so it seems like they just said, look, get us an offensive tackle now. They draft Titus Howard because they double dipped. In the second round, they go Lonnie Johnson at 54, the corner from Kentucky, and then Max Sharpert at 55. So it does sort of get you to the point where, especially when you pick Sharpert at 55, when I think he's more of a third-round guy,

they really felt that perhaps they... When you reach on an offensive tackle or any position in the first round and then come right back and go around to earlier and another guy at the same position in the second round, it tells you how you probably feel about that first-round pick. So I think they might have mishandled that a bit. Kaleem Warren at 86 I think is good. Omena Hu at 161 I think is good.

But the way they handled their first and their third picks in this draft, it's a bit shaky, I'd say. So we've got some concerns there. I think Oakland, the way they started probably has some people wondering. Going kind of feral at four

when other people were on the board I think was a bit of a surprise. Jacobs at 24 I don't think shocked anybody. Abram at 27 shocked people. People thought they were probably going corner. They didn't. Trayvon Mullen, though, at 40, the Clemson corner, the long press guy, I think was a good pick for them.

Sort of rebounded from what they did at 27. Max Crosby's a good pick. Foster Moreau and Hunter Renfroe, I think, were good picks. But the way they started. And you go running back, defensive end and not the defensive end people expect. And then a safety, a box-type safety-type guy. Questionable picks to use on your three first-round spots. Let's look at another team.

The Detroit Lions. Some good and some bad. I think I like the Hawkinson pick. People are kind of digging that. Tight ends don't matter. I like that pick. I like the Hawkinson pick. People are kind of digging that. Tight ends don't matter. I like that pick. I like that pick.

Tavai around early and Will Harris, the defensive back from BC, around early. That's got Lions fans a little angsty right now. Austin Bryan at 117, the Clemson defensive end, also gets them a little angsty. The Imani Aware corner back pick at 146 I think was a very good pick for them. But the rest of it, Hawkinson aside, a bit shaky. Let's close it out

with Tampa Bay. Devin White at 5 is good. Sean Bunton at 39, good. Then I think it gets shaky. Jamal Dean the corner from Auburn, pretty inconsistent on tape. Edwards is a starter quality. Mike Edwards, the safety from Kentucky.

He's a starter quality type guy, but they ignored some needs. They sort of double-dipped a defensive back at 94-99 with some other needs on the table. Maybe wide receiver after losing Adam Humphreys. You know, they draft Scott Miller, the Bowling Green wide receiver, 208, but I don't know.

So some question marks there as well. But I'm just one man. That's just how I feel about these drafts. That will do it for today, though. I'll be back tomorrow with sort of a deeper dive on all the Patriots picks. And then as we get through the week, we'll do some other stuff around the league, maybe get some guests on. We'll go five shows this week,

and then we'll dial it back to four in the fall of the week as we sort of get into off-season mode. But the week after the draft is good for recap and stuff, and that's what we're going to do. So that will do it for today. I will be back tomorrow. Until next time, keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield, and Locked on Patriots.