Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mad About Mocks: Patriots Mock Draft Monday - 4/6/2020

Episode Date: April 6, 2020

It is Mock Madness on Locked On Patriots. I’m co junction with TheDraftNetwork.com, host Mike D’Abate provides his analysis on the latest round of Mock Drafts by the TDN experts. He also evaluated two intriguing mock drafts and profiles submitted by the listeners of the Locked On Patriots Podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. Welcome to Mad About Mock Drafts Monday here on the Locked On Patriots Podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England

Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. And because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed and appreciated. And you can feel free to send that feedback to me by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming around socially responsibly and socially distancing,

of course, in that Twitterverse, please give the Lockdown Patriots account a follow as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, it is a new week here on the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Sincerely hope that you had a good weekend. And you did hear correctly. Today is Mock Draft Monday. And as we sit here today, Monday, April 6, 2020, we are 17 days away from the NFL Draft. And prognostications continue to be made about your New England Patriots. They are currently the proud owners of 12 draft picks. And that starts in the first round with pick number 23. But the Patriots also have three third-rounders, number 87, number 98, and number 100.

One fourth-round pick at number 125, and then a plethora of late-rounders for sixth-round picks, number 195, number 204, number 212, and number 213. And then wrapping it up with three seventh-rounders, number 230, number 235, and number two 13, and then wrapping it up with three seventh rounders, number two 30, number two 35 and number two 41. But what will they do with all of that draft capital? Will they make some trades? What are their biggest positions of need? Will they simply go for the best player available or will they make a big splash and try to draft their quarterback of the future?

If you recall here on the Lockdown Patriots podcast on Friday, Tanya Rae Fox of FS1 joined me and she offered her thoughts on whether or not Tua Tonga Valoa of Alabama could be a potential target this year. And she is not alone in that regard, folks. On Sunday morning, Nesson's Doug Kye had published an interesting article that mirrored a lot of the same points that Tanya made here on Locked On Patriots on Friday. Namely, that Tua might be intriguing to the Patriots because he is a product of the Nick Saban-coached Alabama Crimson Tide. And Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are pretty close. But is that really enough for the Patriots to consider moving up in the 2020 draft just for the opportunity to put Tua in Patriot blue?

Well, both Tanya and Doug have laid out scenarios in which they believe this to be a possibility. But this being Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, our expert panel at TheDraftNetwork.com would tend to disagree. And kicking off their Mock Madness segment on TheDraftNetwork.com, eight of their finest draft experts have the Patriots remaining at pick number 23, and some of them have the Patriots going in the quarterback direction. But none of them target Tua as a first-round selection. Who did they go with?

Well, we'll get to that in just a moment. But last and certainly not least, folks, Mocs of March continues here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and as part of this week's interactive exercise, I called upon you to submit some April profiles alongside your mock draft. And once again, folks, you did not disappoint. Some great submissions, and this week's selection that I will be sharing with you right here on the podcast is not only intriguing, but it's, how shall we say, Patriot-like. So settle in, folks, as we take a deep dive into the prospectus for your New England Patriots

when it comes to the 2020 NFL Draft, when Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, once again, it is Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And when I introduced today's show, I described it as mad about mock drafts. And that is a little bit of a play on words that I wish I could take full credit for, folks, but I can't do that in good faith. Because our friends at thedraftnetwork.com are currently compiling a mock draft tournament, which they are calling Mock Madness.

And in this exercise, some of their finest draft analysts are competing with one another to see who compiles the best mock draft in all the land. And to open up this interactive exercise, in which they will be calling on you to vote via Twitter, draft experts Jordan Reed, Dre Harris, Rob Juden, Carter Donick,

Trevor Sykema, Benjamin Salik, and two of my colleagues here at Locked On, the host of Locked On Dolphins, Kyle Krabs, and the host of Locked On Bills, Joe Marino, all provided their first-round 2020 NFL draft prognostications. And surprisingly, folks, each of these eight analysts all have the Patriots maintaining and therefore choosing at the number 23 pick in the first round. And all but one of them have the Patriots choosing at one of two positions, quarterback or edge rusher. And folks, seeing that quarterback is kind of the hot topic as of late,

we'll set that one aside for a second. And we'll begin with what they say wins championships, and that is defense. And of course, the cream of the crop in the 2020 NFL draft when it comes to edge rushers is Chase Young out of Ohio State. And unless the Patriots are prepared to trade to the number two selection to get him, I don't think there's any way Chase ends up in New England. But that does not mean that there isn't still a ton of talent and a lot of prospects at the position that the Patriots might find appealing at the number 23 pick. And two of these selections are names that we've mentioned here on the Locked On Patriots

podcast before. So I'll start with the familiar faces and the selection by Rob Juden, who is the director of creative and digital media for the draftnetwork.com. And with the number 23 selection, he projects that the Patriots will select Zach Bond from the University of Wisconsin. And to be honest, folks,

this selection makes a ton of sense for the New England Patriots. Bond is at his best when he is in a 3-4 scheme at the outside linebacker position. That's where the Patriots would need him, and that's the type of defense that they're most comfortable employing. In that role is where he can be most effective and really show off his versatility. He can rush the passer, drop in coverage, and even defend the run.

He's even capable of playing linebacker in 4-3 base defenses. He can rush the passer off the edge on passing downs, and this ability to play in both sets may make him even more valuable to a team like the Patriots. Now, some may look at this pick and say, well, 23 is a little high for Bond. Right now, he's projecting as a late first round, early second rounder. But if there's one thing that history's taught us about the New England Patriots, they are not afraid to make a move for a player that they feel they just have to have.

They're not going to worry about projections. They're going to worry about their best fit. And if they feel that Zach Bond is the best defender for them in this spot, given the fact that they'd want to go defense at number 23, I think Robb's selection here is a strong possibility. But if the Patriots choose to go edge rusher with their first pick in the first round, I think they're a little more likely to go with the second familiar face that DraftNetwork.com projected for your New England Patriots, and that is Trevor Sycamore's suggestion of A.J. Epineza, edge rusher out of Iowa. Again, we've chronicled many times here on Locked On Patriots that Epineza is a hand-and-glove fit in New England. He's drawn a lot of comparisons

to Trey Flowers because he has a blend of length, power, technique, and urgency, and that makes him the ideal fit for the Patriots' style of defensive linemen, where length and heavy hands to control at the point of attack are an absolute must. He is most comfortable in a 4-3 alignment, but he does have the extension skills needed for two gapping duties as a 5 technique. His lateral mobility may need a little bit of work, but his power at the point is probably his best trait, and in my opinion, he's one of the best equipped defenders in the draft to come into New England and make an immediate impact.

So even though I'm not quite convinced that the Patriots are ready to go defense in the first round, I'm very impressed with Trevor's suggestion about A.J. Epineza. And I'm also intrigued by Rob's suggestion about Zach Vaughn. But analysts Jordan Reed and Kyle Krabs made me think a little bit harder and a little bit extra in preparation for today's podcast, when they each recommended players with whom I was familiar, but I'll be honest, hadn't done a whole lot of mocking to the Patriots. That being said, I really like the direction that they went in here.

And I'll start with Jordan Reed's selection of Yedir Gross Matos out of Penn State. Now logistically, Yedir has every quality necessary to become a dynamic pass rusher and run defender at the next level. He has burst, length, size, power, and fluidity. He's a relentless pursuer of the football. His motor reminds me a lot of Chase Winovich, and I can imagine these two forming a pretty formidable tandem at either side of the defensive front. Yator has enough power at the point of attack to set a firm edge, fight pressure with pressure, and squeeze gaps.

Something that I saw that set him apart from a guy like Zach Bond is his length. He has a pretty massive wingspan, and it shows up when tackling, and that routinely allows him to make tackles outside his frame and really show off his range. If the Patriots, though, are looking for an immediate impact guy, then Yator might not be as high on their wish list as originally thought. He's probably a little bit more of a project, hitting his stride in year two or even year three.

But this kid is definitely not to be discounted. Even in his personal life, he's endured so much adversity to get to the spot that he's in. He possesses such quality in his work ethic and his character. He'd be a really good fit with the Patriots both on and off the field. But if I'm being honest, folks, the selection made by Kyle Krabs this week was one that, quite frankly, folks, I should have done a better job with when it came to projecting him as a possible target for the Patriots. And that is Clevan Chiesan from the national champion LSU Tigers. And Chiesan is definitely not short on confidence, folks. He declared himself with the combine to be the most valuable player in the draft. But another thing that he's definitely not short on, athleticism.

He has a tremendous burst, a motor that just keeps going and going. I just mentioned that as an asset for a guy like Yedr Grosmatos, and I meant every word of it, but Chiesan takes it to a whole other level, folks. He has great length, great bend, and freakish flexibility. That's allowed him to be effective both in space and at the line of scrimmage. The knock on Chiesan obviously is inexperience. He had the ACL tear in 2018 that cost him all but the season opener. But LSU continuously trusted him in key spots during 2019, and in my opinion he just doesn't have any physical restrictions that would limit him from reaching a ceiling of being not only an effective starter, but maybe even a star in this league.

He is truly one of the most gifted pass rushers in the draft, but don't let the knock on him fool you. He can defend against the run as well. In fact, I find him to be pretty effective with holding his own when it comes to strength matching with offensive linemen, slashing gaps, and exchanging power in the trenches. This to me is an intriguing pick. I like Kyle's selection, and I'm definitely going to be keeping my eye on Jason as I continue my preparations in anticipation of the 2020 NFL Draft. But keeping with a healthy 50-50 split, our friends at TheDraftNetwork.com went four defense and four on the offense. And again,

three of the four did select quarterbacks, and we'll get to the QBs in a moment, folks. But Carter Donick was like-minded with myself and believes the Patriots will go offensive line in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, our selections differ. It's been no secret that I've been a very big proponent of Michigan Interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz, and several of my guests on the podcast have agreed. Thomas Murphy, Mark Schofield, Jay Soderberg, Evan Lazar have all sung Ruiz's praises and think that he would be a good fit in New England if they went in that direction. But Carter went in a different direction and has the Patriots leaving Ruiz on the board

in favor of selecting Josh Jones, offensive tackle out of the University of Houston. And logistically, this actually makes a little bit more sense than even Ruiz does. Josh is a natural tackle, and that's really the area in which the Patriots have the biggest need. If, in fact, they decide to retain Joe Tooney, they're pretty set on the interior. Of course, that also assumes that David Andrews will come back from a debilitating injury last year. But assuming Andrews is back to play center, and you have Joe Tooney at the left guard

and Shaq Mason at the right guard, the right tackle position is likely to be open. After all, it's been heavily rumored that the Patriots are likely to part ways with current starting tackle Marcus Cannon. If that happens, Jones could come in and make the case to start right away. He does require a lot of work when it comes to technique, but he has great size and great mobility. The reason why I'm much higher on Ruiz and remain so is because of his football IQ. Jones is considered very raw when it comes to his footwork and his hand usage,

and this has led to problems in his processing. To me, if the Patriots are going to spend valuable draft capital on an offensive lineman, they'll likely do it on someone who can come in and learn the system right away. Of the two offensive linemen that they'd have a shot on in the first round in the NFL draft, I still say Ruiz would be the much better fit than Josh Jones. And so we arrive at the quarterback position and the final selections by draft analysts Joe Marino, Benjamin Salik, and Dre Harris. And Harris' selection is interesting because he has the Patriots at number 23 in the first

round, selecting quarterback Jacob Eason out of the University of Washington. Now Eason is considered a good prospect, but at number 23, I think that's a little over-aggressive. I do love Jacob's arm strength. He has the ability to push the ball vertically down the field, and he can carve up defenses with play action. But my biggest concern on Eason, and one of the big reasons why I'm not completely sold on him as the next quarterback of the Patriots, is his lack of mobility and his struggles

under duress. That slows his pace, and and his struggles under duress. That slows his pace and it disrupts his progressions. If the Patriots found themselves drafting in the second round, or if Eason happened to fall to the third round, I think the Patriots might be willing to take a flyer here. But if they keep the number 23 selection, there's just far too many holes on this team for them to use that type of early draft capital. A quarterback, especially with what I'm hearing from the organization, that both Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are very high on Jarrett Stidham. So if Eason is the best quarterback available at number 23, I don't believe the Patriots go that direction here. I think they would go offensive line, offensive skill position,

or possibly even on the defensive side of the ball before they went with quarterback this early. However, if they are going to draft a quarterback in the first round and this guy's on the board, well then I agree with Joe Marino and Benjamin Salek who have the Patriots taking quarterback Jordan Love out of Utah State. Again folks, I'm not changing my position. I have a strong feeling that the Patriots are very high on Jarrett Stidham and they're going to roll with him this year at quarterback. But Love has that type of high-level physical skill set and intelligence peaks that I've seen on tape that reveal the ceiling of a potential dynamic NFL starting quarterback.

He has both the arm strength and the mobility that is perfect for the trends of today's NFL. As I said last week here on Locked On, I don't think there are many limitations as to what he can do on the field. The options that his athleticism and speed would give a guy like Josh McDaniels is pretty impressive, and it's really fun to think about. He will have to do his share of work on decision-making, timing, and accuracy. To me, that's the reason why he'd be a project and not necessarily a detriment or even a threat to Jarrett Stidham, at least in 2020. But the reason that I believe Love would be worth the number 23 pick and that Eason wouldn't be is because of the upside

here. Love has the potential to be a generational type of talent, and if he's there at number 23, it might be a little bit too tough for Bill Belichick to refuse. So there you have it, folks. That's what the experts at TheDraftNetwork.com had in store for your New England Patriots when it comes to the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But what do you, our listeners, have in store for us? Well, I received a couple of intriguing mock drafts, and in just a moment, I will share them with you when Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Once again, Patriots fans, it is Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and that means the Mocks of March continues into the profiles of April.

And once again, you folks, our great listeners here on the podcast, were tasked with not only submitting your mock drafts, but also profiling the potential rookie that you believe would be the best fit here in Foxborough. And you all never cease to amaze me in some of the impressive selections that you have submitted. And without further ado, we'll start off with the mock draft submitted to me by longtime listener here of Locked On Patriots, Diego Barrio at Diego Barrio 710. And Diego, right off the bat, has the Patriots filling a pretty big offensive need at the number 23 position.

He has the Patriots going tight end at number 23, choosing Cole Komet out of Notre Dame. Now, I absolutely agree with Diego that the Patriots will make tight end a priority in this draft. However, I think to do so with the number 23 selection is a little overaggressive. Komet is someone that I think the Patriots will spend some time evaluating. He's a smooth route runner with excellent ball skills and the ability to win in contested situations. He doesn't have a ton of functional athleticism, and I think that's what may prevent him from being an effective blocker, at least early on. But that being said, I think Komet is probably the best overall tight end in the NFL draft this year.

So in that aspect, Diego, you're right. If the Patriots target Komet as the guy they absolutely have to have, they'll have to do it with the number 23 pick. I simply don't believe he'll still be there in the third round when the Patriots have their second selection at the number 87 choice. However, I don't think that's what they're going to do here. I believe the Pats feel that they can get similar production in the middle round of the draft to what Komet can bring to the table.

I still love Adam Troutman out of Dayton as the tight end for this team. To me, Troutman's value for talent ratio makes him the best fit for the New England Patriots. So Diego, even though I think your choice of Komet was a little bit high based on what the Patriots value the position as, I do like the fact that you're being aggressive when it comes to the Pats pursuing tight ends. They really don't have a choice here in this draft, and you definitely picked the best of the crop.

But the player that Diego scouted in his draft was the one that truly opened my eyes, because it's probably the highest projection I've seen a running back in any of the Mocs of March exercises that have been submitted here in Locked On Patriots. And with the 87th pick in the third round of the NFL draft, Diego has the Patriots taking Zach Moss, running back out of Utah. And this one surprised me a little bit, because when you take a look at the Patriots' needs on offense, running back is not often considered a major need on this team. After all, they already employ Sonny Michelle, James White, Brandon Bolden, Rex Burkett, and Damian Harris from the University of Alabama last year, whom the Patriots are very

high on, but had mostly a redshirt year throughout all of 2019. Diego's reasoning on Moss pointed out that he's been a pretty productive college runner, and he's definitely right on that. In the footage that I've seen on Moss, I would definitely say that he measures up when it comes to contact balance, power, competitive toughness, and footwork. I especially like his footwork for a guy his size. I really like Moss's ability to be productive as a pro. I just don't think that New England is the best fit for him. Moss projects most favorably in a zone scheme, and that doesn't necessarily endear him to the Patriots' ability to fully showcase his talents. I truly don't believe the organization is quite as ready to give up on Sonny Michel

as a lot of fans are. I think everyone forgets how productive Sonny was in his rookie year, and he has that same ability. His ability to work off of guys like James White catching the ball out of the backfield, Brandon Bolin when it comes to situational runs, and don't discount Damian Harris on this team either. Because he saw little to no action in 2019 does not mean that he won't be a productive force in 2020. Fact, James White was treated in a very similar fashion, and he's gone

on to have a very good NFL career. So Diego, to answer your question, even though I like Moss as a pro, I don't necessarily believe that the Patriots would use third round draft capital to bring in a running back when they're already pretty deep at the position. But that being said, there were a couple of other picks that I thought were intriguing. At number 98, he has the Patriots dipping back into the tight end pool and picking Hunter Bryant out of Washington. This pick I really like, and I think this has the opportunity to actually happen. To me, it's about right in terms of his projection,

and I think Bryant has the potential to be a sleeper in this draft when it comes to his ability to be both a blocker and a playmaker at the tight end position. And last but not least, Diego, I was impressed by the fact that you actually had the Patriots addressing the kicker position and that the guy you selected was not Rodrigo Blankenship. He has the Patriots going at 195 with kicker Tyler Bass out of Georgia Southern. And both Steve Balistrieri and I last week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast talked about Bass's potential fit here in New England. And Blankenship is definitely the name that is garnering a lot of attention.

However, Bass could definitely come in and do the job as well. In fact, his ability to be battle-tested in the elements may make Bass an even more intriguing option than Blankenship. Keep a sharp eye on this one, folks. I believe the Patriots will address the kicker position in the NFL draft. And the more I look at it, I think Bass has an equal opportunity now to be chosen along with Blankenship. So Diego, again, thank you for all of your passion.

Thank you for all of your support. And thank you for submitting your draft and your profile on this week's Mocs of March exercise. But this week's feature mock draft and profile comes to us from Mike Biscardi at Mike Biscardi. And the reason why Mike's selection is featured is because I love his aggression when it comes to drafting. Mike, you truly have a little Trader Danny in you. He has the New England Patriots sending the number 23 and the number 172 pick to the Detroit Lions and coming back with the 35th, the 67th, and the 109th pick.

But he's not done yet. He also has the Patriots sending pick number 98, 100, and 109 to Miami for pick 56. Is he done? Nah, he's just getting warmed up. He has number 125, number 195, number 212, and number 230 also going to the Miami Dolphins for pick number 153, 173, and 185. And last but not least, he has the Patriots sending pick number 213 and number 231 to Green Bay for number 208 and number 246. So, for those of you scoring at home, Mike's draft sheet has the Patriots looking as follows. Pick number 35, number 56, number 67, number 87, number 153 an A for effort, but I think you made some interesting picks.

The flagship of Mike's mock draft is linebacker Patrick Queen out of LSU at number 35. And we've talked a lot about Patrick Queen being an ideal fit for the New England Patriots when it comes to the linebacker position and someone who could come in and revolutionize the position for the Pats immediately. I do like the pick, Mike. I think 35 is going to be a little bit too low for the Patriots to hope to get him.

There are a lot of teams right now that are looking for help at the linebacker position. The Saints, the Packers, that possess the ability to draft before the Patriots if they were to trade down to number 35. If Queen is their guy, I think they'd have much more of a chance getting him at number 23 than they would at number 35. At number 56, Mike also has the Patriots going Malik Harrison,

outside linebacker out of Ohio State. Harrison is listed at 6'3", 246, so he definitely has the size to be an effective linebacker at this level. The way he plays the game has a throwback quality to it. I really like the way he's able to be physical and plug gaps against the run downhill, but he also has a surprising amount of athleticism for a guy his size. When defending against a short zone, he can be a pretty good blitzer as well. During his time at Ohio State, they played him in all three linebacker spots, so he has a lot of versatility. I know you have the Patriots taking him with the number 56 pick. I worry about him dropping that

low. I think there are teams that might take a flyer on him a little bit early, but if they do choose to move up in the draft, Malik Harrison has the upside to be a potential steal at that point in the draft. So again, Mike, I like the ingenuity here. At number 67, Adam Troutman, a tight end out of Dayton. Some may think this is a little too high. I personally don't. I think the Patriots need to use early draft capital because I think with the lack of production out of the tight end position in this draft, I think the Patriots are going to need to use a higher pick than that of 87 to get the quality player that they need. Going back to Diego's mock draft, I think Kmet would already be off the board at 67, but I think

Troutman would be there, and I think the Patriots do this in a heartbeat. At number 87, a pick that you didn't have the Patriots surrendering, you have them taking Van Jefferson, wide receiver out of Florida. And last Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, we talked a lot about Van Jefferson and his potential fit in New England. To me, if he's on the board at 87, I would absolutely do this if I'm the New England Patriots. The more footage I watch

on him, the more I like him as a potential fit here. This to me would be an incredible value pick for the Patriots at number 87. I also like your selection at 173, James Proch, wide receiver out of SMU. I and some of my guests, including Mark Schofield, have talked about James Proch because of his performance at the Senior Bowl, and also we talked about him a little bit last Monday here on the Mocs of March exercise. Proch is the type of wide receiver that could definitely thrive in a Patriots system. I like the pick here at number 173, and I know I'm going out of sequence here, number 246, choosing Rodrigo Blankenship.

I like that pick as well. As I said when I was evaluating Diego's mock draft, I definitely think the Patriots are going kicker in this draft, and either Blankenship or Tyler Bass look to be the most logical choices. For me, Mike, the eye-opener in your mock draft was at number 204, Raekwon Williams' defensive tackle out of Michigan State. I, for one, have really become a big fan of Raekwon Williams over the course of the last couple of weeks.

I think he has all the makings of becoming a viable depth defender along the defensive front. He's versatile. He can line up in either the A or B gap. I think he's best suited in a penetration-style defense to shoot gaps, and if you keep him fresh, I think he can collect some wins and create some chaos. That being said, I project him as much more of a traditional defensive lineman. I wouldn't see throwing him on the outside or ask him to rush the passer. That's simply not his game. But he is a prospect that might interest the Patriots, and I haven't quite decided if I think 204 is just right for Williams,

or if that might be a little bit too low. Again, I'm becoming a fan, so I could see the Patriots maybe going into the 100s to choose him, but ultimately he's likely to be a solid Day 3 selection, and I could definitely see the Patriots taking a flyer on him. Last but certainly not least, Mike, I wanted to give you kudos on a potential trade scenario that you put in your profile. Trading Joe Tooney to the Los Angeles Chargers for the number 37 pick, assuming Cesar Ruiz would be available. And again, from our earlier segment today, you know the high regard in which I hold Cesar Ruiz. You know I wouldn't be disappointed if the Patriots drafted him and

if they use some three-round draft capital to do so. The only problem I have with this is I don't see Ruiz dropping into the second round. I truly believe that if the Patriots passed him up at number 23, one of the teams that still had a choice for round two begins would take Ruiz. So the linemen like him don't come around often. There's always a premium on building a solid O-line. So while I definitely don't doubt that Tooney may be on the trading block, and that the return on him may be draft picks in this year's draft for 2020. If they want Ruiz, they're going to have to select him

earlier than the number 37th pick. So Mike, congrats on earning the feature spot this week on our Mocs of March exercise into the profiles of April. Really appreciate the kind words. I mostly appreciate the great effort and the solid work and analysis that you put into this. I was impressed and keep them coming, my friend, because the mocks of March slash profiles of April exercise is not over. Folks, neither is the week here on Locked On Patriots. We are just getting started. I will be back tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news, notes and analysis from

Foxborough. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. And don't forget that you can always listen to Locked On Patriots on your smart device. How do you do that? Very simple. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots.

Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Diego and Mike for their submissions in the Mocs of March slash Profiles of April exercise here on Mock Draft Monday. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great day, everyone.