Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Matthew Slater to Return in 2023; New England Patriots 2022 Rookie Class Gets a “C”?

Episode Date: February 18, 2023

New England Patriots team captain Matthew Slater is coming back for his 16th season in the NFL. Host Mike D’Abate gives his thoughts on Slater’s return and what it means for the Patriots. Mike also welcomes fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the Patriots 2022 NFL Draft Class, and why their ‘sub-par grades’ are a bit short sighted.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The captain is coming back, and Matthew Slater's return means good things for the New England Patriots. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Lock On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of the NFL.

Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn today to get started. And Patriots fans, the big news of the day, Matthew Slater. We all know the voice, the distinguished leader of the team. You know the rallying cry. Every single game, the Patriots come out with a victory. You hear that familiar? Aw, yeah. Well, the good news is, Patriots fans, we're going to be hearing it for one more season.

Slater, in conjunction with the Patriots on Friday afternoon, announced that he will be indeed returning for his 16th season in the NFL. And I'm quoting Matthew verbatim here from a statement he released with the Patriots, quote, it's a great honor and blessing to return to the Patriots for my 16th season. I thank God for his continued grace and provision over my career. I look forward to continuing to play under the leadership of Coach Belichick. Thank you to the Kraft family and the entire Patriots organization

for allowing me to continue to pursue my childhood dream. See you in the fall. God bless. And folks, this is like the ultimate Friday afternoon news drop. I don't want to consider it a dump because I don't want to even associate that word with something like this. I am over the moon that Matthew Slater is coming back to the New England Patriots.

I think everyone who covers the team, whether you're a fan or whether you're not, you have to admire the leadership, the poise, and just the class that Matthew Slater conducts himself with each and every day. It's great news for the Patriots to be able to say that he's coming back this year. and just the class that Matthew Slater conducts himself with each and every day. It's great news for the Patriots to be able to say that he's coming back this year. Really good news considering that he was strongly considering retirement. That's not an exaggeration, folks. Since the Patriots' 35-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills that ended their season, Slater was really thinking about whether or not this was going to be his last year in the sun, but spent some time with his family, reflected on his faith, and ultimately decided that his love of the game still had enough to come back for one more year in the gridiron. And Matthew Slater will

always be a part of Patriots folklore. 15-year career, all with the Patriots, one of the most respected players on and off the field. I had the opportunity to speak with Matthew both one-on-one and in team settings, and I can tell you he's the same guy on the field that he is off, on the microphone, away from the microphone. There's nothing put on about Matthew Slater. He is truly the real deal. That's why he's considered the standard in that locker room. His teammates hold him to that standard. He holds them to that standard. And really, I think in so many ways, it's one of the reasons why New England continues to be one of the more mature teams in the league.

Even the coaches hold themselves to the standard that Matthew Slater sets. 12-time team captain, originally joined the Patriots as a fifth-round draft selection, 153 overall in the 2008 draft out of UCLA. Since that time, 223 regular season games, three starts. Matthew Slater is primarily a special teamer, folks, but did make three starts on offense, 25 postseason contests, one start there, two first-team All-Pro selections in 2016 and 2019,

three second-team All-Pro selections in 2017, 2020, and 2021, and 10 Pro Bowl nods. That's the most by a special teamer in NFL history. A red jacket isn't even a thought anymore. That is a foregone conclusion, and I think a gold jacket in Canton really should be adorning Matthew Slater someday. In my opinion, he is worth his weight in gold, and in that gold jacket, he should be able to celebrate an election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But we're going to save the retrospectives for when the man actually retires, because he still had some things to accomplish out on the field.

And even though on-field success is still something Matthew was very capable of providing, 13 tackles, routinely making plays as the Patriots special teams gunner in 2022, there is still a lot that he can teach the younger generation, the rookies, the young players on this team, really just to me is where he makes his indelible mark. He takes a lot of pride, Matthew does, in his role as a mentor for a lot of the team's younger players, not only leading them on the field, but also offering wisdom and advice away from the field. During the Patriots offseason workout programs is really where you get to see the brilliance and the genius of Matthew Slater. And having been able to cover training camp and minicamp and OTA and being able to see the impact that he has and the interest he takes in being able to help younger players not only develop their skills on the field, but also develop the right attitude, develop

the right focus going forward. Matthew Slater is second to none in this regard. There's no question about it. And the organization is extremely happy to have him back, as you would probably venture to guess. Robert Kraft, putting a glowing, glowing message out about Matthew Slater. I want to share that with you because it is that good. It really is that heartwarming. And I really think that it sums up a lot about how Robert feels about Matthew and his role on this team. Quote, I couldn't be happier to learn that Matthew Slater has decided to return for his

16th season with the New England Patriots. Matthew's drive to be the best at what he does will one day earn him enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet as stellar as his football career has been, he is an even better person. He is led by his faith and spirituality, dedicated to his family, and committed to his craft. There is no better leader for our younger players to follow

and no better ambassador for the Patriots organization. He is truly special and I am grateful that his contributions to the team will continue. Well said, Mr. Kraft. I think we all echo those statements. We're all grateful and glad that those contributions will continue. Bill Belichick, not one to be outdone. He also chimed in as well. Bill is a man of fewer words, but still poignant words without question, quoting, Matt's incredible career is a testament to his preparation

and will to succeed. We are thrilled he will be playing this season. So while the sun may be preparing to set on Matthew Slater's illustrious career, Patriots fans were all elated that their longtime team captain, our longtime team captain, believes there to be a bit more light gleaned from him in 2023.

So, oh yeah, one more time. And again, while I say Slater's return is good things for all of the Patriots, I keep coming back to the fact that it is so great for the younger players on the roster, including the 2022 crop of rookies, which performed really well in their first year in New England. Well, at least I think they performed well during their first year in New England. Not everyone agrees on that, folks. And one of NFL.com's top writers thinks that the Patriots rookie class was no better than a C grade.

Yeah, that's right. Even ranked them third in their own division. And I will say this while I respectfully, and I do mean that sincerely folks, I respectfully disagree with Eric at home of NFL.com, a writer who I've followed for years and have a tremendous amount of respect for. I really think that there is a little bit of lacking information here when it comes to the Patriots 2022 rookie class.

I believe this team is a little bit better than a C grade. And I'm not the only one, folks, because, yeah, that's right. We're going to close the week in again, joining me as we explain why this rookie class not only has the chance to be special, but why they're already showing it on the field. All this and more, folks, so stay locked in as Murph joins me when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, today's episode brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook the midway point of the NBA season is here and now is the perfect time to download FanDuel America's number one

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make every moment more with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NBA. Patriots fans, it's not quite Mock Draft Monday just yet. It will be soon, and keep an eye on the Locked On Patriots account as well, at LO underscore Patriots on Twitter. We will be asking for your Mock Draft, so make sure to reply to that tweet for a chance for your mock draft to be shown here on Monday,

where the green man himself and I will be breaking them down. But since we're taking a look back at the 2022 Patriots rookie class, we're doing so with a bit of a monster mad eye. And how could we not invite the legend himself to lend his wisdom and counsel maybe a bit of anger i don't know i'm not going to speak for the green king of sting i'm going to let him do that in just a moment but i thought it would be a good opportunity for him to lend his opinions on patriots rookie class being ranked third in the afc East. My good friend Thomas Murphy joins me here today. And Murph, that's rookies, third in the AFC East.

I mean, really? Yeah, I mean, this caught me a bit off guard. When I went back and looked at the rookie classes of everybody in the NFL, because that's the kind of guy that I am. And I, I had, this is a top 10 class. I really did.

This is a top 10 class. I mean, there's, there's the, the, the year that the Seahawks had, which was a fantastic season draft wise anyway. And then there, if you,

but the Patriots are right there in the conversation and, you know, it's kind of difficult to, you know, grade yourself against the New York Jets, who the Patriots beat twice and yet had, what, one, two, three, four, five picks in the first 101 in this past draft. Five. Five picks in the first hundred and one in, in, in this, this past draft, five, five picks in the, in the top 100. Uh, we're not going to deny what, what kind of a year sauce gardener had. I mean, you have that kind of year when, when it seems like nobody knows how to throw a flag, uh, a little sour man has a point, but he, a point. Honestly, I think I saw two flags thrown at Sauce

all season, but rightfully so. The kid's an all-pro. We got an all-pro here, too. Don't we? We do. We got an all-pro here, too. Last I checked. Actually, a couple if you take a look at the PFWA, and that's something that I definitely want to get to, but

I'm glad you're mentioning the Jets because obviously, I mean, you look at the PFWA, and that's something that I definitely want to get to, but I'm glad you're mentioning the Jets because, obviously, I mean, you look at the Jets' rookie class. You look at Sauce Gardner. We haven't even talked about Garrett Wilson. We haven't even talked about Brees Hall. He was well on his way of being one of the top offensive weapons in this rookie class. The Jets definitely killed it. Seven picks in the first 117 selections, four in the first 36. You know, it feels a little bit grimy for me to give praise to the New York Jets here. But how do you screw it up? Yeah, they do. They had a very good class. They were given a great opportunity.

And, you know, say what you will. I mean, they had the door held for them. They walked through it with pride. And that's not so much where I'm getting into, I think, maybe a little bit of the anger or maybe a little bit of the disillusionment when I read this piece. Because, you know, obviously, I mean, NFL.com, I mean, always does stellar work. Eric is someone that I've admired his work for years. Definitely not a knock on him the whole time. But you look at it and you almost chalk this up

to maybe just not enough exposure to what the Patriots rookie class had to give. Yeah, I definitely do. And I tweeted that out earlier. It's obvious that Eric didn't see a lot of Patriots games. Maybe he didn't see a lot of AFC East games. I'm not quite sure where he's based. It could be out west.

But it didn't translate to this article very well because the Patriots rookie class was probably it's hard to say that the savior of a team that did

not make the playoffs. But then again, you rank the number savior of a team that, that did not make the playoffs. But then again, you ranked the number one team who finished below them in, in the standings and they, who the Patriots beat twice. And one of the reasons the Patriots beat them twice was because of the, of a rookie that's on their team. Very good. Very, very true. You know, just saying, just saying. And that rookie really should put them over the top. And, you know and that's just saying just saying and that rookie really should put them over the top and you know murph you know we're big godfather fans everybody that

watches this show knows that we are uh you know a little bit maybe overly obsessed with that movie but let's keep our friends close but our enemies closer for just a second you look we talked a little bit about the jets and i don't have an issue with the patriots being ranked below the jets in terms of rookie class i mean you really you have to give them their just to i don't think there's anybody that would but you look at the buffalo bills class and i'm impressed by a couple of the moves that they made i really am i think has a chance to be a pretty good corner and outside corner in this league james cook is a book i like an awful lot i think they really hit on that one in terms of a solid second, maybe a feature option

if this can be round into form. Terrell Bernard, I think, has an opportunity to be a factor in that defense specialty teams as well. Khalil Shaker, I like what they've got on him. Christian Benford, maybe a hidden gem in the rough, but I don't see anybody in this class

that really would lead me to believe that two patriots selected with all pro honors could not leapfrog this club this is where i had a problem with the analysis because i think what we're looking at is team records rather than actual draft records and you have to separate the two here at at least in my opinion. Right. And I completely agree. And, you know, what Marcus Jones was able to do this year, what Jack Jones was able to do this year. And, and quite frankly, Jack Jones had a better year. Okay. He had a better year. All right. He got sidelined with an injury in December. He had to deal with a suspension at the end of the year for being a bucket head.

But other than that, the man broke up, you know, everything that was thrown his way. Had two picks in the first three weeks. He was on pace to, you know, outproduce a lot of rookies in this draft class. Not just in the AFC East, but in the AFC. Maybe in the AFC East, but in the AFC, maybe in the league. And it was, you know, I just have to think that you hit the nail on the head that we're going by record as opposed to, you know, production on the field. Yeah, I really believe that's the case. And I mean, obviously the argument coming back is that, well, we gave the Miami Dolphins

a C minus and their record was nine and eight they finished with a better record made the playoffs patriots didn't right uh look at the miami dolphins draft class folks and i don't mean to upset any of dolphins fans that are hate listening or hate watching this show right um you know they did not have a whole lot of draft capital to begin with i mean this team started their first pick was at number 102 in the third round channing dindle the linebacker. They didn't have a whole lot to work with. So to say that the Patriots finished, and by the way, folks, we're not talking about like light years ahead where the Patriots finished with a B and the Dolphins finished with an F. You know, Eric's got them graded at a C minus and the Patriots only at a C just a half grade above half grade. Again,

again, I'm looking at this draft class right now and I'm saying it really just to me screams that there's just not enough tape or maybe not enough recon done on the Patriots class to really fully appreciate just how much this team I think has the ability to be a pretty good, you know, draft class when all of a sudden done it. There were a lot of solid players on this roster. I think you're going to be hearing quite often from time to time. They got more,

they got more out of their undrafted free agent signings than they did their, you know, the guys they actually drafted. I mean, Skylar Thompson started two games and Caterco started 13. You know, Vernon McKinley started two. So I, you know, for a half, for a half a grade, no, I can't, I'm not on board there. Yeah. Yeah. I would think so as well.

And look, I'm glad you mentioned undrafteds because in Eric's piece piece we see rookie class smattered all over the place it's a little bit deeper the draft class and when you take under account the undrafteds yeah miami may start to cream up a little bit but i think that only enhances the patriot standing when you got a guy like brendan schooler in that special teams unit that stepped up in a big way and really helped that i think helped that unit maintain some respectability all season long you take brendan schooler out of that uh realm you're looking at really matthew slater trying to bring in a whole bunch of also rands on that team they were not well organized and i think for someone to come in like a schooler that is a

rookie not familiar with the patriot system but really getting it from day one. We noticed that in training camp. This kid was, yeah, this kid was a cut above. Oh, yeah, absolutely. No question about it. But a couple of big fumble, you know, force and recoveries too. And schooler wasn't even mentioned in the piece. Yeah, because I think a lot of ways it went by draft class.

But if you look at the introduction it says rookie class not draft class right so we're counting brendan schooler and you know murph i think that's a good place for us to take way into our next topic here on lockdown patriots today and that is what nfl.com had to say about the patriots rookie class calling them a wait and see group. Well, Murph and I are going to describe and we're going to tell in detail why we believe this group of New England Patriots is a lot better than just wait and see. Murph and I will tell you why when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by Ultimate Football GM.

And Murph, you and all of our listeners here on Lockdown have heard me talk about this mobile game app. I simply cannot describe in great detail, great enough detail, how much fun I had competing against my fellow Lockdown NFL hosts. Tip of the cap, nod to the gods to Chris Carter, host of Lockdown Steelers. He won the Locked On NFL Championship this year, but Murph, much like the Patriots rookie class, I'm in a wait and see type pattern. We're moving

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Yeah, it takes a couple more than Lombardi trophies to make a dynasty. Conversation for another day, Murph. But in any case, when you download Ultimate Football GM, you're responsible for controlling the destiny of your franchise, hire the right coaches and coordinators, trading players, navigating your franchise through free agency and the draft,

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or look it up on the app stores. That's ultimate-gm.com or look it up on the app stores. That's ultimate-gm.com. Ultimate Football GM. Start your dynasty today. Patriots fans, the legend himself, the counter Murphy Fisto, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. Joining me here today, closing the week in style. Murph, a little bit of an impromptu uh you know

guest shot here for you today i appreciate you picking up the baton and carrying it and helping me out today because um you know going over the patriots rookie class i think uh i think it needed a little bit of uh monster wisdom and counsel in addition to what i would try to provide today so i thank you for doing so. And in the previous segment, Murph, we talked about how we believe the Patriots were ranked in an unfair situation. We believe they're better than third in the AFC East. Better than a C.

Yeah, absolutely. And I also. Definitely better than a half grade above Miami. No, I'm sorry. I'm getting green here. People. No, no, no, no. That's what we're looking for.

Let's start on the offensive side of the ball, man. How many, how many games did Cole strange start this season? 17 for 17. I believe a draft pick that, that Superbowl winning GMs and coaches laughed about when he was taken. Yeah, they do this year? Went out, just went out and started 17 games. I bet the Rams would have liked to have had a guard that was there for 17 games. And who was top 15.

Top 15 in pass blocking during his rookie year. Now, his run blocking rate was kind of not good. I didn't like it at all. It was outside the top 50 at least. But this was a man that came in, did what he was asked, had three different blocking schemes thrown at him so he could never truly get into a rhythm in in any single one uh they started with the stretch and then they went back to zone and then you know here here comes bailey zappy and we'll get to him

in a second ladies and gentlemen um they and then then there's another blocking scheme for say and then oh no we're gonna go all the way back and we're gonna forget about all this this kid had the kitchen sink thrown at him and was still top 15 in pass block on the year. I'm willing to forego. You know, he still needs to add some size. He's rather young. I expect that sand in the pants to expand this offseason. And I expect a much different game from him.

So, once again, what are we waiting on? Okay. Are we waiting on Bailey Zappi? Well, I don't know. Bailey Zappi started a couple of games in the Patriots, won both of them. I mean, you have to go out to San Francisco to find a rookie quarterback that had a better year than Bailey Zappi. Um, you know, and that, I'm so glad that you mentioned that point because one of the

tenants of the description that was put on nfl.com by Eric was that Zappi proved he's a decent, runny backup, but really, is he anything more than that? Well, the last I checked, getting a competent, not only competent, but also a strong, stout backup quarterback to have on your team to help spell a quarterback that did have an injury last year. He's also won a rookie deal. Exactly. Exactly. quarterback to have on your team to help spell a quarterback that did have an injury last year i mean we're not saying that deal exactly exactly the last i checked having someone on your roster that can capably come in and help navigate this offense without missing much of a beat is a real win for any team and i think any team would take that even if he is no more than a backup i think the patriots have done their due diligence in bringing in someone that can not only help this team in a practice setting but help this team in a

game setting in a season setting and even if you have to make a spot start in the playoffs you have some confidence knowing what bailey zappy can do on the field so i'm not looking at him as being anything more than a backup if that is the case Patriots have got a good one, and backup quarterbacks are extremely valuable. He's a backup that played so well. He's a backup that played so well he was stirring the pot around here about Zappi time. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Did a pot on that earlier this week, stating that as much as I believe,

and I truly do, that Mac Jones is the right guy to start for this club, that Bailey Zappi has proven that if he needs to come in and give you a relief, you're pretty good going to that arm. You feel pretty confident knowing what he can do. Whether it's a quarter, a game, half a season, or a whole season, I've got no problem sticking Bailey Zappi in there. Yeah, absolutely. And this kid proved that he can do it.

So a lot of respect going to his name. Yep, absolutely. Don Strach. Yep. And then you look up and down the roster as well. And now, obviously, folks, you know, we're going to spend some time talking about the Patriots. He's because, you know, we're going to we're going to defend our guys here in New England. And Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. Yeah. Fifteen games for Pierre Strong.

Didn't start any. Neither did Kevin did get one start. Each of these guys scored a touchdown in their rookie season. That's what happened for running backs. So especially Patriots running backs. Usually you're carrying a clipboard and you're wearing a red shirt that first year. But these guys were sprung into action. They did have some other options on the roster.

J.J. Taylor was hanging around. Patriots could have easily gone in. I know Tygomery going down early on spelled a little bit uh of difficulty with some of their depth and james white's retiring you have to factor that in but you saw a lot of speed and dual threat ability and pierre strong kevin harris is that solid back that you can you know rely on to get difficult tough yardage i like what I saw from both of these guys without any question. And you mentioned Jack Jones earlier. I'm so glad that you did because nationally, the suspension that he suffered at the end of the season,

for lack of a better term, I can't think of a better way to put it, but it was a suspension. We'll call it exactly what it was. That's going to dampen his forecast, and I really don't think it should. 454 defensive snaps as a rookie, 30 tackles, one forced fumble, one recovery, and two interceptions, one of which he took back for a touchdown. That's a great rookie season for a kid that slipped in the draft for a lot of other reasons than what he can do on the field. This kid has got the talent to be a top fighter. There were just – there were off-field questions that allowed him to slip.

Patriots picked him up, and I think they got a good one here. I think they realized it. I think he straightens out this off-season and gets back to where he needs to be. I love Panda Express. I have since his days at USC. It was my favorite pick in this draft. I wondered why he didn't get more work at the beginning of the year. And then he got injured and then he got stupid and you know, that, that, those things happen. But when, when you look at it, man, this kid, he allowed just

45%, a 45% completion rate in coverage and had two picks in 13 games. That's one hell of a year for a rookie. I know we're grading him against, everybody's looking at him against Sauce Gardner, but I love this kid. I really do. And what can you say more about Jones than the fact that this kid scored touchdowns defensively on special teams and offensively. How much more can you get out of a rookie than what the Patriots did out of Jones this year? Not much, especially when you're coming in asked to really kind of shore up the perimeter

because you have arguably the best slot corner in the league playing perimeter corner, doing a pretty good job when it comes to what Jonathan Jones did, but not a whole lot of depth there. Jalen Mills had an injury riddled season. I think when he was in there, he gave you everything he could, but he was limited in what he could do this year because of the groin injury. It really did set him back. And then you've got a couple of rookies that are trying to carry that load and keep this team respectable and play at a high level. This is something in this division. OK, you've got to understand that Sauce Gardner wasn't wasn't, you know, well, no, Sauce was.

But I mean, there are a lot of guys that that weren't out there covering one of the top five wide receivers week in and week out, you know, the way that these kids were doing it this year and doing it from a position where they were selected here in the fourth round. Okay. It's not like everybody went into last year's draft talking about these two Jones kids. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, Murph, we're going to get to the other Jones. Not that Jones, the other Jones. One of my favorite unheralded lines from Indiana Jones in the last crusade.

But we are going to talk about that other Jones in just a moment. But to me, I think where this Patriots draft class shined, and I think where they will continue to shine, is their pair of all pros. We'll start with Schooler first because we talked a little bit about him. 330 snaps on special teams, led the kicking unit with 14 tackles, only missed one game, obviously missed the one game in the most inopportune time. The Patriots really missed him in that regular season finale. I will say I feel very confident that if he's in the game, in an almost unopportune time. The Patriots really missed him in that regular season finale.

I will say I feel very confident that if he's in the game, I don't think the Patriots surrender too long kickoff returns for touchdowns against the Bills. Maybe one of them, but they wouldn't surrender two. Somebody forgot that Schooler wasn't available that day and decided to kick the ball right down the middle of the field. Yeah, exactly. And we'll hopefully get some of the kickoff woes and the punting woes taken care of.

We'll talk about that on Mock Draft Monday, folks. How about that? How about that for a lead in? But 14 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and also recovered a blocked punt against the Indianapolis Colts. Sky's the limit for this kid. Is he the new gunner? Is he the new guy?

He is. He's the new guy. Not Gunnar Ryszewski, folks. The special the special teams no yeah who made that man a gunner yeah we're gonna make that man a gunner that's what we're gonna do sir don't don't get me started i'm gonna get it i'm gonna get it warmed up i'm gonna get the chuckles going already uh no without a doubt he he's he's the new gunner i i really think that this kid is going to be a special team stalwart on this Patriots squad for the next five

to ten years. I am. I'm going to go out on a limb and say five to ten years. Patriots got a good one here. No question about it. When you looked at the undrafted rookie free agents that were coming in, he really left off the page right from the beginning. And I remember, you know, a lot of my colleagues and I going back and forth and talking about this kid and talking to guys like Zach Cox and Nesson and Mark Daniels from the Journal at the time now with MassLive. And just talking about how much they loved watching this kid and how much he looks like a patriot already. He came in and he not only lived up to expectation, but I think exceeded.

The narrative switched rather soon from this kid's Thor haircut to the actual talent that we all saw on the field early in camp. Definitely, without any question and folks do not worry because we could not in good faith and a Patriots rookie discussion without talking a little Marcus Jones I always feel a little bit of pride here because for the second year in a row Marcus made me look pretty good I was one of the very few to beat the Mac Jones drum in 2021 that Patriots were going to get him. They weren't going to trade up, trade down. They were going to go with Mac with the middle of the

road pick. They did it. And this year after the draft, I did say that I thought Marcus was going to be my favorite and probably the most productive Patriot in this class. And he did just that. And that's not because he made me look good folks he made himself look good and this is a keeper in every sense of the word you want to talk about a triple threat that can do it all he can align at the slot he can be an effective receiver when you need him in select packages I thought he was much better as a defensive back than I even gave him credit for I thought he played well considering the size, considering the difficulties that he had to go through in order to be able to get to that level. This kid can play perimeter, he can play slot, and then you look at what he does in the return game. Completely changed the

Patriots return game this year. This is their guy for the future. I wish they could extend him right now. They really do. I wish they could extend him right now. I want, I want to see this kid in, in nothing but a Patriots uniform for the rest of his life. This is, this is one of the home runs of Bill Belichick's 20 year career in drafting. I know Bill takes a lot of grief, but that's because Bill rolled a lot of dice during his, during his tenure here at the top of the draft,

because he had so much talent in front of whoever was coming in. So yeah, let's, let's take a, let's take a flyer on Triscuit knees over here or let's, you know, let's go out and I want to make sure that I get this guy in the second round and it didn't know it hasn't always worked out. Honestly, those, those second round picks have missed more than they've hit over, over this time period, but that's, you know, second round picks have missed more than they've hit over this time period. But that's, you know, second round picks do not a draft make or kill. And the Joneses here are exactly what we're talking about. Yeah, absolutely.

Marcus is actually a third rounder. He was an 85 pick. Yeah, sorry. No, it's okay. But the second rounder is someone that we're also going to talk about, folks, because we're not completely done yet. There is a second rounder on this team that I think could be the biggest upside and I think could be the biggest riser in the Patriots offense this year.

I'm going to talk about him in just a second. But, Marcus, I agree with you. I mean, there's no question about it. 12.5 yards per punt return, 23.9 yards per kickoff return. Jesus. That's pretty good. That's pretty good for a rookie. It's pretty good for anybody.

The PFWA love this kid. All AFC, all NFL team in terms of a rookie, and then the Associated Press naming him a first-team all-pro. Yeah, just this kid alone, folks, gives you a little bit better than a C for a rookie class. So, well done for Marcus Jones to me he is the centerpiece right now but if you ask me who I think has the biggest upside that we haven't seen yet but are about to I would say Taequann Thornton has the opportunity to really

be an emerger this year especially in a Bill O'Brien offense he likes to spread the ball around but if Mac Jones is going to air this ball out this year, try to take a couple of deep shots down the field using play action to open things up. I'd really like what I can see from Tyquan Thornton. I thought he upside definitely, maybe not grading him this year, but upside, I think this kid definitely has a bright future year. Yeah. I don't call this kid the slim Reaper for nothing. Uh, it's, uh, it's, it's deadly. What, what this kid can do with his legs and with his hands, he has fantastic. And he was hamstrung this year by injuries early, uh, quite frankly, um, I, I didn't even where he was drafted, expect to see him a lot last year. I think he saw, he saw a lot more time because of the injuries that happened

at the wide receiver position. Otherwise, you might have seen another famous redshirt season because I think Bill believed in the guys that were already on this, and he wanted to let Thornton sit back and learn and ease him into this offense as much as he possibly could, because we we've seen quite frankly with others that have been brought in here as high draft picks at the wide receiver spot. It takes time to to learn this offense. It really does. I don't call it the encyclopedia of Bill Tanica for nothing. You know, it's, there are so many volumes from A to Z that you have to completely go through. And some of those volumes are double volumes. You get a double volume in V, get a double volume in H for the Haas Y Jukes. And it's, it's not easy folks. It's really not,

it's not easy to come in here into New England and to contribute, never mind excel, as a rookie. Because it's set up against you. Okay? It's really the deck is stacked against you. The wall is that much higher. If it's not because of the veterans that are in front of you for the past, you know, 18 years, 18 out of the last 20 years, making it difficult for you to get on the field. It's the system itself and having to know every nuance if you're going to want to be on that field. We saw with Nikhil Harry a few years ago, Tom Brady just went away from him because he couldn't glance at him. He couldn't tell him, you know, say, expect him to sit down in the right spot or break off. You know, that,

that route is off, dude, you're going this way. Can you not see the defense in front of you? And, and they couldn't, they can't, these kids are rookies coming out of some of the most basic offenses on the planet compared to what they're walking into. All right. I'm not calling these kids stupid. It's just, this is a masterclass. I often call, um, I often call Matt, uh, Matt Chatham, the professor it's because he knows it all.

And he's every time I talk to him, I learned something new. These kids are freshmen in college taking masterclasses or graduate school courses. And it's just, it's not there. It's like walking from consumer economics into calculus class. Okay. Send Murph back to community, send Murph back down, send him back down. It just didn't happen. There are things that click with certain people. And there are things that as a coach, I can tell you, you know, I've seen it time and time again, kids that you think just don't get it. And then all of a sudden, when you keep working with them, it just clicks.

Yeah. It just clicks their third year into, into that system. You know, it just clicks and they know where they have to be without being told or without being yelled at from a dugout. They just know it. And it's not easy here. No, it isn't. It isn't.

It's difficult. I mean, we've seen how many great receivers come in here with a lot of pedigree behind them. And for some reason, it just could not work out. Players that have Hall of Fame, you know, you know credentials and whatnot yeah who lasted a week yeah exactly i mean you know that there are a lot i mean i remember joey galloway coming in here and you know and chad ochocinco and you know or chad johnson you know depending on how you know you refer to him but i loved i loved seeing chad here but you know it just didn't work out you know so guys that come in that have a lot of football savvy,

a lot of football knowledge can't translate that here to New England. And there's a reason for it. It is a different level when you play for the New England Patriots. And that's why I do believe that, like you, that Taekwon definitely has a bright future. And Murph, you know, I think we've gotten a lot off of our chest here. I think we've exercised a lot of demons when it comes to the Patriots draft class. Folks, don't buy into the hype.

Take a look. Use your eyes. Use your common sense. We know that this team, this draft class is going to be a special group of guys. And I really think they're going to continue to prove that this year. And nothing against you, Eric. Absolutely. This wasn't a hatchet job on you.

You do a fantastic job. Oh, no, definitely not. Nothing but respect from the both of us on the work that you do in and out. Without question. Absolutely. This was more of, I think, a situation where we saw these guys play on a daily basis. And we took it personally.

And we did. On Michael Jordan's 60th birthday, we looked at our tablets and we took it personally. Tip of the cap. N to the gods, to the goat by the way. And yeah, that's right, folks. I said it. Also, a very happy shout out to Stanley Morgan

who is also celebrating birthday today. I'm not going to get into age here. The fact that he is not a Hall of Famer to me is a tragedy stanley you belong in the hall of fame you're a hall of famer in our book happy birthday and definitely on behalf of locked on patriots so murph we've talked about the 2022 class so much but i think it's important to realize that the 2023 class also needs to perform up to expectations

and we're going to continue to dissect who might be a part of that class coming up here on monday mock draft monday continues on locked on patriots as i said to kick off this uh segment definitely folks be sure to keep a sharp eye on locked on patriots twitter account lo underscore patriots drop your mock draft in the comment section below and we would definitely love to share that here on locked on Patriots. Murph and I are going to be breaking down to maybe three. If we got a little bit of time, we're going to try to do,

we're going to try to do the best. Yeah. We don't get an hour anymore. We don't get that hour. We can go through three or four and we try to give you guys the respect that you deserve for the work that you're out there doing and then putting it in here. You're not just, you know, auto drafting over there or wherever, and then throwing

them at us. You, you've got, uh, got a lot of insight and a lot of, uh, time put into these. And we want to give you that, that exact same amount of time. So well said. And really, we appreciate every single submission. You take the time out to listen to Locked On Patriots. You take the time out to submit your content. We want to try to give you that time in return.

It's the least we can do when we do it from the bottom of our hearts here at Locked On Patriots. So get your mock drafts in. In the meantime, please continue to stay safe and stay well. If you're going to do one thing this weekend, folks, other than send your mock draft into Locked On Patriots, it's follow this great man right here. I'm pointing at him. I don't know where I'm pointing, but you know what? Follow him on Twitter at TeamMurf207.

The content that you'll get from him at E2G Sports and all the great writers that they have over there, second to none, especially with spring training, pitches and catches, Red Sox coming at you. Definitely check that out and be sure to do that check them out again here on monday because they'll be back with me breaking down your great mock drafts nice rafael deavers up there today yeah please definitely check that out folks you do not want to miss this one in the meantime on behalf of the legend himself thomas murphy on my debate stay safe stay well be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day.

Everyone have a great weekend, everyone. And thank you. We will see you again here on Monday on mock draft Monday on lockdown Patriot.