Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mike and Murph Muse the Draft, Jackson, Patriots to Part Ways? — 3/7/22

Episode Date: March 8, 2022

The New England Patriots are heading into the start of the 2022 League year with some questions, to be addressed via free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the fate of cornerback J.C. Jackson, and then ‘Muse’ the Draft, by grading two #MockDraftMonday submissions by listeners Andrew Caraway and Brady Lang.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Monday, March 7th. Not only is it Mock Draft Monday, not only is it Muse the Draft Monday, but of course, as you can see, folks, it is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday, right here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And once again, folks, thank you very much for making Locked on Patriots your first listen every day.

Remember, Locked on Patriots, free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. Big shout out to our new subscribers on YouTube. Keep those coming. These videos will be happening daily as we head for the 2022 season. And of course, today's episode is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, more odds, and more lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts.

Folks, as you can see it is hashtag locked on murph monday here on the pod and i could not be happier to be sharing the microphone and the video screen with this gentleman today he is our great green wisdom and council provider the counter murphy fisto himself legendary columnist from e2gsports.com my good friend thomas murphy tom thank you so much for joining me today murph always honored always humbled by your presence dunmer uh always a blast to be here man always a blast to be here um get busted out my make good choices t-shirt because uh we got a couple of uh mocks muse today, and the people made some good choices. We truly do, and a couple of very good choices,

one of which a bit ambitious, if our listeners are really going to be honest. But at the same time, you've got to love the hall, and you've got to love the spirit, and you've got to love the enthusiasm and the effort that's put into it. So we're not going to waste too much time. We're going to get into that pretty soon. Murph, before we kicked off our musing the draft conversation, I did want to pick your brain a little bit on some of the news of the weekend.

And over the weekend, I did publish a couple of solo pods regarding the New England Patriots and rumors circulating right now about their interest in various wide receivers out there. Ari Cooper apparently might be on the open market. Patriots apparently inquiring about Robbie Anderson. There are also rumors that circulated on Sunday night that Nelson Aguilar may be on the trading block. So a lot of movement on the wide outs and a lot more movement on the wide receivers. We're going to discuss the wide receivers in a little bit more detail this week, but Murph, you and I know that franchise type players don't just appear

out of nowhere and most Patriots fans and a lot of the media, I'll include myself in that regard as well. I've pumped his tires quite often here on the pod and also through my writing for Sports Illustrated. JC Jackson, the news coming out last week, Mike Giardi kind of throwing those hints around on Wednesday, Friday, Ian Rappaport kind of confirming what we all thought was going to be the case in that the Patriots are going to be reticent, if not have already made their decision not to tag J.C. Jackson before tomorrow's deadline. I've given my thoughts on J.C. I'm not going to bog this down in a discussion with that because we are here to muse the draft, not mock it folks.

Murph and I never make fun of the draft. But when you look at what is going on right now with JC Jackson, his future potential future in a Patriots uniform, what were your thoughts on the report? And how do you see this all coming out? How does this end for the Patriots and for JC? Um, this isn't the first time that Bill's gone this route. Often he's let veteran players, guys whose deals are running out or have run out, go out there, test the market,

and come back and show Bill what they've gotten. So by all means, this doesn't mean an end all and everything. But in the back of my head, I do not think that Bill is going to pay J.C. top of the market dollars. He's always been that guy that I will go out and find who I need to find, fill it in, and then work with what I have afterwards. I'm not going to tie up this much money on somebody that is, you know, I hate to say it. I really do. But the Mr. INT thing is more like Mr. Right Place, Right Time in a lot of the cases. It really is.

There's a lot of overthrows, a lot of tip balls. It's fantastic to have those good hands, but I wouldn't be willing to pay top of the market value on him. On the flip side of this, JC's not really doing himself a lot of favors going out there and telling people that he wants Jalen Ramsey money. That really cuts his market value by at least two-thirds. You've got to think of people that have this much money underneath the cap, are willing to spend it, and that's really not the teams that are on the cusp of anything, as we should say.

So, yeah, no, either JC or his agents really fumbled right there. Yeah, I would tend to agree with that. A lot of times when agents or players will come out and essentially tip your hand the way that they have, saying that I'm looking for Jalen Ramsey money, like you said. I mean, that essentially paints not only opposing teams, but also, you know know it really puts them at a disadvantage and it puts his client at a disadvantage as well because now all of a sudden you're taking teams that might have thought they had a shot to be able to make a competitive offer saying we're not going to even touch what uh jalen what jalen ramsey's money or his contract is going to be you have to wonder about the posturing and how this is all going to work out for J.C. Jackson.

Look, bottom line, a phenomenal season. Second team all pro, pro bowl nod, second in the league in interceptions, first in the league in passes defensed. I mean, you look at what this kid was able to do this year and under some difficult circumstances as well with the uncertainty regarding Stephon Gilmore. J.C. coming in thinking he's going to be the number two guy. He steps into that slot and does a pretty good job. So he's definitely earned the right to be able to see what he feels he's worth out there. But at the same time, you have to wonder, and you also have to look at it from the Patriots perspective and saying that if they think that they're only tagging him at 17.28 million for one year, and then he's going to walk away because that 17.28 million is not enough of an annual value of what he's going to be looking for long-term.

Then it's a no-brainer that the Patriots are going to have to walk away here. It really is. It really is. And take a look at those numbers again, Michael. You know, the pass defense is, quarterbacks are not scared to throw at J.C. Jackson. They're really not. He breaks these passes up, and he does a good job, and he's fantastic. But it's not like the guys are afraid to drop back and throw at him.

He doesn't take an entire half of the field away. He's always worked better with help over the top. And that's nothing against him. He's a fantastic ball player. It's just not somebody that I'm willing to throw $20 million a year at and a guarantee of 68 or 70 million bucks. Yeah. And apparently the New England Patriots right now share that curiosity. They share your sentiments. So ultimately folks will know at this time tomorrow, or maybe a little bit later on March 8th, when the deadline has passed, whether or not the Patriots were serious about not tagging JC. At this point, I would probably tend to believe Mike and the guys that are reporting this. Those guys are dialed in as

much as anyone, especially when you talk about guys like Giotti and Rappaport. They know what they're talking about. So this ought to be an interesting couple of days. And then, of course, if JC isn't tagged, that opens up the floodgates and a ton of rumors to circulate from now until March 16th, starting with the legal tampering period on March 14th. And don't forget, folks, here at the end of the week on Locked On Patriots,

our man, the Pats cap, will join us for a free agency preview. Stay tuned for that. Ooh, there you go. And just one last piece. If JC gets tagged, you can probably bet dollars to donuts that it's because somebody's reached out to Bill and wants to do a sign and trade. Yeah, absolutely. Keep an eye on a sign and trade too. That is not beyond the realm of possibility. I've heard some people say, well, you know, with JC sayingC. saying this, that basically eliminates the sign-in trade. This is a game. It's posturing, and both sides are going to posture, and they're going to jockey for position right up until the moment where they just can't do it anymore.

So as we like to say here on Locked on Patriots, folks, keep a sharp eye. And also keep a sharp ear and eye out for Musing the Draft Monday, because we've talked about J.C. Jackson. Now it's time to get down to the business that me and Murph love to do here on a Monday on Locked On Patriots. Musing the draft coming up and the draft that we're going to pick first, folks, is going to be one that's going to have you excited and it's going to have Murph and I talking a lot about these possibilities. But first, I want to talk to you a little bit about the good folks over

at Built Bar because if you're like me, I know the calendar says March 7th but you're still trying to keep some of those New Year's resolutions. Well, I hate to tell you this, folks. I haven't kept nearly one, but there is one that I'm doing a better job with, and that is eating healthy when it comes to finding sweet treats. You look at a candy bar. Just take a look at the wrapper the next time that you're ready to indulge in one, and you'll see the calories, 240 on average, and most of the good ones, folks, are a lot more than that. 30 grams of sugar, dozens of net carbs. Reach for a Built Bar the

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figure out how to make it healthy. I don't know how they do it, but they do it. So today, visit Built.com, use the promo code LOCK15 and get 15% off your next order. Remember folks, use the promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, we are back here on this Locked on Murph Monday episode of Locked on Patriots. As you can see, the legendary Don himself, the head of the Locked on Patriots familia, is here with me to muse the draft on Mondays like we love to do. I know a lot of people out there mock the draft, including my esteemed colleagues here on the network, but Murph and I don't mock the draft. We do not make fun of it. We do not disrespect it in any way. We show the proper respect, Murph. We have to do that. It's very important. So what we'll do is we'll take a page

out of our resident Luca Braasi of Mocking the Draft on Monday, our resident Muse the Draft expert, our good friend Andrew Carraway, who is really a board. I really think we need to think about bringing Andrew in as a friend of ours, as opposed to just a friend of mine at this point. Those of you that have seen Donnie Brasco, you know what I just did there. But Andrew, Andrew is a great friend, a great draft analyst. And he kind of nailed this one out of the park, Murph, if I'm being honest. This was a pretty, pretty good one. A little bit far-fetched, I think, is probably the word that a lot of people use to describe this.

A little bit. At the same time, you have to remember that he's also drafting with people. So, you know, it's not necessarily a bad thing. He's doing what they're giving him. He's allowing, basically, they're allowing Andrew to make this draft. And, you know, for the life of me, i just can't understand how people would leave this stuff on the table but you know buddy i digress i'm not here to judge at number 21 the patriots first pick uh andrew has them keeping that he does not have them uh trading out of the slot defensive tackle

jordan davis out of the university of georgia anyone who saw the combine highlights or if you didn't see the combine i know anybody that looked on social media and just took a look at the comments that were coming out. Jordan Davis could run for president at this point. He'd win in a landslide. I mean, and I'm saying that with every bit of reverence, this kid is a true,

true definition of the term just athlete. I mean, really for his size, the speed that for his size the speed that he showed the ability that he showed it made me wonder how people actually scored on that georgia defense this year looking at him in uh in in just all of his glory at number 21 i'll tell you what if he's there at number 21 right drew uh i will give you all the credit in the world for having this before anybody else because most of the mocks that we're seeing now are really kind of coming to the realization that Jordan Davis essentially is no longer going to be an option at 21. He is a top 10 pick with the

weekend that he had. And number 54, I'm sorry, go ahead, Murph. Oh, no, no, no. It was just a beautiful thing. And watching Jordan Davis over the weekend, over and over and over again, because I kept hitting rewind on everything that he did, was it's the reason that combine junkies like myself, like Steve, like you, just can't get enough of this. You know, people call it the underwear Olympics. But watching these guys go through their routines for our pleasure, it's just unbelievable.

And I can't find a defensive lineman in recent memory that hit it as well as he did this weekend. It was a fantastic thing. If he's there at 22 and Bill doesn't, um, doesn't grab him, uh, you folks will hear me screaming. Yeah, absolutely. I think you'll hear everybody screaming after the weekend that he had, if he's still on the board at 21, uh, I can't even imagine Bill not taking a flyer on this kid. Uh, there's no, and it's not a flyer, folks. That's really the wrong choice of word.

I think he runs to that draft phone, and you may see the Patriots, you know, make the quickest pick that they've ever made in their team history, well, at least under the Bill Belichick era. Yeah, I can't say enough good things about Jordan Davis, and, you know, obviously we'll continue to take a look at him throughout the draft process, but if he's not on your radar already, just take a look at the combine highlights. I guarantee you, you will be mesmerized as Murph and I were. Number 54 is an interesting target here that Andrew put.

And this one, I think, has a chance. And the reason why I think he has a chance is simply because of injury history. But it's a player that we've sung the praises of numerous times here on locked on patriots bud and that is john mechi the third at wide receiver from the university of alabama you know my feelings on this kid i love him i think he's a phenomenal fit for the way the patriots like to do business here i think he is a great fit alongside mac jones this one almost makes too much sense but my question to you my friend is is number 54 ambitious does this have a chance i think it does but you're the voice of reason you're you're the all-knowing all sage it does

i think bill might have to trade up five or or 10 spots to maybe get get him after what came out. He was at the combine. We were talking during the combine that his knee is progressing really well. He expects to be ready by the time camps open, and that could really vault him up. Believe me, folks, if Mechie was not injured in the last game of the season, we would be talking about a top 15 pick for a slot receiver folks for a slot guy. That's how talented he is. That's what he can bring to, to a team. He's a game changer. He's a playmaker.

He's the guy that gives me the yak that I crave every single Sunday. I want this pick. I don't care what bill has to get. If, if Andrew's first two picks happen, I would be happy if nothing else happened in the entire draft for the New England Patriots. Yeah, and I would definitely agree with you. Again, Mechie has the ability to make the cuts. He's the route runner that they like to employ. He's got the hands. He's got the speed. Really, all the tools that I think can really lend himself well into succeeding here in New England. And is he that number one, take the top off the defense type receiver?

No. But, I mean, that's not necessarily what the Patriots need in order to be able to succeed. They've succeeded here, and they've done very well with players that don't have that capability when you're dealing with a player and a quarterback as accurate as mac jones and accuracy and route running and hitting your spot to make sure that you catch it where only the receiver can catch it and then be able to give you the yak like you said those yards after the catch that to me is the most important thing for a new england patriots led offense and if mechi is there he's really really going to be tough to lay off so So, so far, Andrew, two for two, bud. I mean, you're really, you're, you're kind of, you're kind of nailing this one, bud.

You're making our job a lot easier. Number 85. I'm sorry. He and Bourne on the same, on the same. Oh my God. I, I, I'm just losing it. I'm just losing it. The digs and the crossers and who do you chase down?

And, you know, hunter henry dragging people up the field on a seam i'm i'm right in plays already i i am absolutely don't forget john smith out of the backfield and running some of those jet sweeps i got a funny feeling you're going to see a lot of that and you're going to see him be i think a little bit more of a red zone target this year now that mac i think is a little more comfortable pressing the issue down in uh the red zone and who knows maybe a change of scenery at the offensive coordinator position maybe just what Mac needs to get a little more aggressive I'm not knocking Josh McDaniels I think he did a great job but sometimes a change of

scenery is good for a quarterback even a young one number 85 is the one that really kind of raised the eyes of yeah and I because of this gentleman is sitting there at 85 you know you're hitting a home run on this draft this is 2021 level folks um quay walker uh i gotta give you credit andrew we bugged you last week for not getting enough georgia bulldogs in there you get a home run with a couple of them uh walker at this point uh really obviously he addresses the patriots need at linebacker i don't think there's any question about that. This kid definitely has the ability to fill that role. And then some reminds me, Murph, and he reminds other analysts too.

It's not just me saying this, but I thought right from the get-go when I started watching some of this, it reminds me of a young Jamie Collins back in 2013 when he first came out. He's got that ability. And in terms of football iq i think that's something he needs to have cultivated i think that new england can help him a lot with that especially working under guys like steve velichek and gerard mayo especially i think it really did work wonders with this kid but he's got that type of positional versatility that the

patriots really like uh he can line up in the box as a linebacker, but he can also line up and get there on the defensive line as well. I like how he can, you know, he's even aligned in the slot at sometimes that defensive back. So, you know, when you look at what this kid can do, I like Quay Walker, but do you think 85 is a real stretch for this kid? I do. I think it's a miracle pick. There's no way in hell that he's going to be there.

But he reminds me so much of Evan White that it's unreal. He's not going to be there. Excellent pick. I hope he's there. I hope he's somewhere where Bill can maybe move up a spot or two to get that impact player that he is. Give me all the Bulldogs. I want them all.

I want them all. Yes, we want the Bulldogs, folks. Well, Bulldogs have done traditionally pretty well here in New England, and I know people are going to start squawking, oh, Sonny Michel, Isaiah Wynn. Yeah, let me tell you something. Sonny Michel has two freaking Super Bowl ranks. Exactly.

You can all shut up. Yep, and for what it's worth, I actually wrote a piece last week on Isaiah Wynn and saying, would the Patriots be willing to maybe cut him loose or trade him to try to save some cap space? People, I think, misinterpreted that article. That was somehow coming at Isaiahaiah or uh in some way uh negating what he is he's a very good left tackle folks i am not saying that in the least what i'm trying to say is that the patriots may look at their roster and say we can backfill that position

we're better off having the money to be able to utilize in other positions of need that wasn't a knock to isaiah win two solid guys that they've gotten out of Georgia in the last few years that have really paid dividends. So, great job, Andrew. And Andrew wasn't done. And number 126, an Alabama guy. This had to hurt him a little bit. But he takes out Jalen Amor Davis at cornerback position at number 126. Obviously, we talked about JC earlier, Murph.

Patriots are going to need some help in that regard. Safety out of Miami, Florida. Bubba Bolden at number 175. This was a good – Exactly. We want a stack. We want Slade Bolden. We want Brandon Bolden.

We want Bubba Bolden. We want a bold New England Patriots in this 2022 season. You know, bold for the gold. I like that. I think we should use that. know, bold for the gold. I like that. I think we should use that. Yeah, bold for the gold. At number 209, rounding out, Luke Fortner, guard out of Kentucky. Best of the rest.

What were your thoughts on the remainder of Andrew's draft? I thought it was fantastic. It really was. He hit on every single pick that he made. But Luke Fortner down there at 209, even that is a fantastic grab. He might be a bit of a project. I'm not sure how he's going to fit into, you know, he's not somebody that's going to come in and contribute right away,

but, you know, as a starter. But he's somebody that could be a rotational piece. And if you're getting that at 209, more power to you. Jalen Amore Davis is, is a fantastic cornerback. I really like what, what he brings to the table and, and could be, you know, depending on what happens in free agency and with JC, with the trade, he could be a very good rotational piece and not necessarily

the red shirt season that we've come to expect from Bill. Yeah, I think in a lot of ways you're right. And again, you look at guys like Davis and Bolden, this team definitely has some work to do when it comes to beefing up the secondary. And the secondary, folks, is going to continue to be an issue until they get it straightened out. And until we know exactly what's going to happen with J.C. Jackson, it could be a tough road here in New England. So ultimately, I think what the Patriots are going to do is continue to go to the drawing board. They're going to continue to look at

ways to improve their team. But Andrew, overall i thought this was a uh a solid draft uh definitely a draft that i would love to see come to fruition um rating time murph i i give andrew a a b plus a minus riser with this the only reason why i'm not giving them an a plus is because i think some of the picks are a little bit too aggressive uh and i think that there's a little bit of a reality check that needs to be done here. But if the Patriots pull this off and this comes true, this is an A-plus draft from start to finish. Yeah, I'm not seeing the reaches that you do. I think that this is going to play out in the lower rounds

right around where he has them. I'm going to give it a solid A, another A. Good. Excellent. That's two fantastic drafts. Yeah, A plus because some of these guys just aren't going to be there in the early rounds. I just can't see it. But Mechie is definitely somebody to do. Bill might have to move up and down five picks here, 10 picks there. But no, an excellent draft. I loved it. Absolutely, folks.

And Andrew, thank you for your submission. And we're not done yet here on Locked on Patriots because we do have another Locked on Murph Monday musing the draft submission. And we're going to get into that in just a moment. Football is still in full effect, folks. There's no off season in the nfl of course the football games on the field might be over but basketball in full steam both for pro and college hoops again murph and i have our eyes on our alma maters that are going to be locking it up in the

big east tournament this uh week and also in the ncaa tournament pc yukon showdown i'm just saying could be fun it'll be a lot of fun. Keep a sharp eye on our Twitter feeds for that one. But bottom line, if you're looking for the greatest from all the latest odds, totals, and player performance props to where the next fired head coach is going to land,

not just in the NFL, folks, but all over professional sports, BetOnline.net is the number one spot for all of your betting needs. BetOnline.net is the number one spot for all of your betting needs. BetOnline remains the best spot for all of your sports scores, podcasts, and news this season. And folks, it's not just basketball. BetOnline.net is your source for hockey, boxing, UFC, football, hot stove, MLB, if they ever get started, all the types of sports content that you need, BetOnline.net has you covered. So head to the website today or use your

mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action. BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, once again, it is hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday with the Don himself, the head of the LockedOn Patriots familia, the great Thomas Murphy, my good friend. And Murph Monday with the Don himself, the head of the Locked On Patriots, Familia, the great Thomas Murphy, my good friend. And Murph, we've talked about J.C. Jackson. We've mused a very interesting draft from our good friend Andrew Carraway, but we do have another submission to go through before we wrap everything up

for the day here on Locked On Patriots. And this one comes from a friend of ours that was active in the draft submissions last year. Good friend of the program, Brady Lang at IA underscore 788 from the great state of Indiana. And Brady, thank you so much for this submission. Brady's, I think, follows a little bit more, how shall we say Murph, realism, but interesting. Interesting.

Very, very interesting type of type of uh submission uh that he has he goes in a different direction than a lot of patriots analysts have gone but some of these picks do make sense uh we'll start with a trade he makes a trade with the tennessee titans to acquire the number 26 pick uh the number 90 pick in the third round and number 167 in round five to that he ships to the tennessee titans number 21 and number 209 in the sixth round so obviously brady's looking at the draft and saying well our guys that we want in the first round are gone so we're going to trade down a little bit he has the patriots still in the first round but going cornerback at number 26 he has him taking and Booth Jr. out of

Clemson. This is an interesting pick. Booth, I think, is an interesting prospect coming from a big-time program. If you're going to trade down and still make a pick in the first round, what are your thoughts on Brady's pick here with Andrew Booth Jr. going at the cornerback position? I think it's a bit of a desperation move. Please don't take this the wrong way, Brady. There are cornerbacks in this draft that I would rather have than him. There are cornerbacks in this draft that you can get later than this. I'm not spending a first round draft pick on Booth. The injury history is just a bit too much for me. I think he's going to be eventually be a very good cornerback in this league. He's fiery. He's competitive. He can win

those one-on-one battles, but his technique is not fantastic. He relies a little bit too much on his athletic system. And like I said, you know, he's going to take time to develop. And I'm not sure if the Patriots have that kind of time right now. Yeah, I think it might be a little bit of a stretch. I mean, look, there's clearly there's clear talent. If he's 25 picks later, then I'm really happy with this. I'm just not doing it in the first round. There are impact players that could be had at that pick, even with the trade back that

I just don't think booth is yeah and the issue that i do have with booth at this point and again like i said the pure talent the raw talent on the field is definitely there i mean he's ranked as high as second in a lot of draft boards in terms of depth at the cornerback position but football iq is such a big part of succeeding here in new england and being able to read the route, being able to, you know, to grow in terms of processing zone coverage is something that is a must for any quarter, any cornerback that plays in New England. And I think there's still a lot of growth needed on Booth's, you know, resume in order to be able to do that. He'll show up when he's defending the run. He's a smart player when he's defending the run. I think there's good, you know, solid

abilities there, but when, you know solid uh abilities there but when you know it comes to mirroring routes and man coverage i think a lot of that is still there are some good moments that he's had on film in terms of doing that but again um it's to me i think there's there's a little bit of growth there uh that would need to be done so while i think that a lot of teams will probably agree with you brady that this kid is is ready to go and might be a first-round pick. I'm not sure he would top the Patriots draft board in that regard for a first-rounder to be able to bring someone like him in. I think they would probably want more of an alpha role,

maybe a Kyrie Elam out of Florida. He could be someone that I could see maybe taking on that number one role if the Patriots are going to go in that direction. But I still think they prioritize other positions, even with the cornerback position, because again, you know what? Bill's gotten away with it for so many years. He's been able to find these guys under the radar, Jason Jackson, Malcolm Butler, you know, until it doesn't work anymore.

You know, I think he's going to, you know, ride that wave. So who knows? Maybe this is the year that he does something different but uh good pick solid pick brady it's just uh you know we're uh we're a little uh you know a little skeptical murph and i are running a little skeptical right now um at number 53 the patriots obviously holding on to this one their second rounder um linebacker out of wisconsin leo chanel comes in uh to number 53 again the Patriots have a clear need at the position. They need to get younger. They need to get quicker.

And they need players that can come in and play and contribute right away. Your thoughts on Chanel going as a second-round pick to the Patriots in Brady's draft? I love this pick. I'm not sure if a lot of other people are going to agree with me, but I do. I like this pick a lot, man. Chanel is an impact player. He's a guy that can come in here and stop, you know, his aggressiveness against the run is almost unmatched. Raw power, great instincts inside, a downhill player. From what I saw during film study of him, he's a bit tight in the hips.

He'll need to be in a system that's going to allow him to play free. And I'm not sure if this is that system. He's one of those freelance guys that reads and reacts. And unfortunately, that's not really the recipe here. Yeah, I would think so. And I mean, you know, obviously Wisconsin, you know, is a big time, you know, program. Don't get me wrong. He could come in here and fall right into line and be that kind of guy. I just think that, that, you know,

from what I've seen of how he he's handled his college career, that it might not translate to the system that the Patriots run or or the way that they they like to run uh use their linebackers yeah and I think that's a fair point in terms of again in terms of bringing guys in that have uh you know a great deal of pedigree I mean you look at the 2020 and 2020 season that this kid had you know he led the team in both sacks tackles for loss uh total tackles in 2021 so this kid had, you know, he led the team in both sacks, tackles for loss, total tackles in 2021. So this kid knows how to find the football. There's no question about it. But it's that, you know, ability, you know, to be able to fit into what the Patriots love to do,

especially in their front seven, that could make him a little bit of a dicey pick. But again, I think this kid has got a high character, you know, people that are around him really love the way he responds. He's coachable. You hear that an awful lot. I've heard that a little bit about Leo the last couple of days, especially wrapping up, you know, combine interviews, people that are, you know, giving you side information. So who knows? This could be a decent, you know, pick for the New England Patriots.

Again, I'm not sure about, you know, his ability to be there at number 53. But at the same time, if he is there, I think the Patriots might give him a look. So another solid pick there, Brady. And, you know, thank you for that. Round 385. This is, again, the New England Patriots held on to this one. And Murph, we're going to talk some offensive line. Yeah.

How much better can we get than talking some more, some offensive line? Another Georgia Bulldog. Andrew was once again smiling after the glowing marks that we gave him for the previous draft. Jamari Salyer coming in at the tackle position. And obviously, the Patriots have an interest in upgrading the tackle position. Again, we're not sure what the future here is going to be for Trent Brown. Does Michael Wainu come back over and play tackle? We're not sure what the future is for Isaiah to be for Trent Brown. Does Michael Wainu come back over and play tackle? We're not sure what the future is for Isaiah Wynn beyond this season.

He's under contract with the fifth-round tender. Do the Patriots decide to ship him off and see what they can get for him in terms of a trade? Salyer coming in at number 85 to help shore up the offensive line. Too soon for the Pats to address it, or is this good for them to address it or is this uh you know good for them to address it as early as they can um no i think it's it's good to address it as early as they can um salier is one of those guys like you remember a few years ago when when we were scouting

um uh ruiz out of uh out of michigan and then they went and they didn't take him. This might be one of those picks. It might be something that I was missing watching film of this kid. But, no, I think he can come in and be a good rotational piece if the Patriots can coach him. I would like this pick a lot more if Skarnecchia was still here. Yeah, obviously. I mean, in terms of when you're

looking to cultivate young offensive linemen that have the raw talent, but they're still on the cusp of trying to make something work and becoming that player that a lot of people hope they're going to round into, it definitely helps to have a, you know, someone like a Dante Skarnecchia. Well, you're not going to find anybody else like Dante Skarnecchia, but maybe a disciple of his, maybe a Carmen Brasillo or a Cole Popovich. I'm just saying. But, you know, those guys, you know, being able to cultivate and help him round into form with the news that, you know, we're hearing that Matt Patricia may have a heavy hand

in this year's offensive line. Is this the time to get, you know, raw talent that really is able to make that type of a jump? Who knows? Maybe the Patriots will do it. You can never have too many offensive linemen. He is a versatile guy. He's played tackle.

He's played guard. That's something that Bill likes. He likes the way that the Georgia guys come at each and every game, firing off the ball, and he's a run grader. So, no, it's not a terrible pick. It's just not somebody that was at the forefront of my mind. But, no, solid pick. Absolutely, yeah, solid pick.

And speaking of solid picks, the next pick that the Patriots acquired via trade in Brady Lane's draft finally addresses the wide receiver position. And he does that in the third round at number 90 out of Boise State, Khalil Shakir. And Khalil at this point, I think, is an interesting choice for the New England Patriots. I understand why Brady went with this. There's versatility there. There's a pretty good amount of initial quickness. He's got pretty good long speed.

Your thoughts on Shakir going here at number 90. Patriots traded for this pick in Brady's draft. Did he adequately fill the bill when it comes to what the bats need in a wide receiver? Yeah, I think he did. Once again, I think it was kind of a bit early for him. I've got him outside of you know my my top 20 in in in wide out so i'm i'm really not oh you know just outside the top 20 i i love guys from boise and um he's a solid athlete he's got the yak ability that i really like and really enjoy

he's quick okay i'm not saying he's not fast he's quick which i also enjoy he tracks a deep ball really well but he's very slight this dude is a light ball player um he's he struggles in man coverage and he's going to see a lot more of that um and quite quite honestly you know not to nitpick he's not the best blocker in the world kids he's not he doesn't get after it when you need need a block and you know for for all the things that then kale harry gets jogged about at least he can block this kid doesn't block you know yeah you know the lack of blocking ability coupled with the lack of his ability to get separation and look i know you know bottom line i think a lot is overblown about receivers abilities to get separation and look I know you know bottom line I think a lot is overblown about

receivers abilities to get separation I think a lot of that determines on his ability to read the quarterback and the quarterback being able to read him and getting on the same page but yeah the lack of toughness uh to my opinion um in terms of blocking and the skills that he brings to the table especially as a young receiver uh uh, drafted at number 90, which is, I think is probably an average spot of where he's going to go in the actual draft. Um, you're not going to bring those guys in to be the top option in terms of receiving on the field, unless, you know, he absolutely comes in and blows the doors off of the offensive coaching staff. Uh, this is a guy that's going to come in and try to learn his craft early on and one of the easiest ways to do that is to make him a blocker in the run game to make him an effective player to learn the routes learn the way this new england patriots offense is deployed and shakira

i think is going to be a tough fit in that regard but you know good he's i i love the hands on this kid i love yeah he's he's a surefire catcher um i haven't yeah i haven't noticed a lot of issues with drops when it comes to him at least in the footage that i've seen so um you know good stuff i kind of like where brady went with this he kind of went a little against the grain but his picks make sense and you know save for maybe a couple of you know ill fits here and there i think these guys could be solid um obviously we'll run through uh the last before we wrap things up here. Neil Farrell Jr. is the next pick of the New England Patriots at this point in the fourth round, number 123 out of LSU,

number 167. He goes with Jeffrey Gunter out of Coastal Carolina and then wrapping it all up on round six and number 198, Marquise Bell, the safety out of Floridaida a m murph best of the rest with you how does brady's draft round out in your opinion it rounds out pretty well um you know some of the reaches that he had early and he backs up at the end and i really really like uh jeffrey gun gunter am i pronouncing that right you are yeah i i think the coastal car kid, he could come in here and do some damage. He fills a spot that the Patriots really need. Yeah, absolutely. Overall, I think a solid draft.

I think, like we said, Brady, good submission. And I like the ingenuity, and I like the little bit against the grain here, the way that he was able to put this out. And he put out good players. It's not like Brady went out weekly on a limb uh you know to say that uh you know a guy that we have uh seventh round grades on right should be a number one everybody yeah he had everybody he had everybody exactly where they could you know progress and project but i like the fact that you know he didn't go with the names that you're hearing out there a lot when it comes to being

connected with the patriots good amount of thought into this one. I thought a solid B to B plus for Brady's submission. What say you, Don Murph? Yeah, I'll give him a solid B on this. He filled every hole that the Patriots need, except maybe, you know, at running back. I would like to have seen a pass catching running back coming out. But other than that, man, it was a really solid draft, Brady. Please don't take anything that i said

personally here um i i liked what you did and uh and keep it up man keep sending them in because this was this was a good solid draft there would be um believe me i've seen the patriots draft worse yeah absolutely and we hope that the actual draft draft coming up in just a little under two months' time is not worse. But Brady, you definitely did a good job, and we thank you so much for the submissions. Folks, keep them coming in for hashtag a locked-on Murph Monday when we muse the draft, as we've done here today.

Murph, it always flies by on a Monday whenever we take the microphone together, but I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for your wisdom, your counsel, Gunn Murph. The content that this man provides, folks, if you're not following him on Twitter, at TeamMurph207 right there on your screen, do it immediately. It is point-click enrichment material. You become better football fans.

You become better, more well-informed, and you just become a better person by being attached to this man in some way, shape, or form. I owe so much of who I am to who he is in this business. And I could not be happier to offer him the platform here on Monday to be able to join me. But before I let you go, please let our listeners know what they can look forward to from the great pen, the great voice of Dunn Murph in the coming days and weeks, not just in football, but also in baseball as well, because Murph's got a lot to talk about there. Yeah, I've got a new article up there, a new column up at etogsports.com

on the lockout and the minuscule freaking progress that they made over the weekend, how they're getting everything that doesn't get them back on the field out of the way. I've got another column coming up on Wednesday. Look for that one. And that's on the future of John Henry here in Boston. Check that one out.

I've been working on this one for a week or so. So, you know, as long as my famous editor, you know, fixes it up and makes me look good, that should be out on Wednesday or Thursday. And, of course, you can check me out tomorrow on Locked On. Locked On, God. On One Patriot's Place with Steve and Claire. And the OG will be joining us. Yeah, Mark Schofield is going to be in,

and he's going to talk to us about everything that he saw down at the Combine this week. Absolutely. And I had the great pleasure of being joined by mark here a couple of weeks ago the host emeritus here at lockdown patriots that total poster that hangs up over my shoulder it never will come down here in these studios simply because the man just deserves it and uh you know mark is truly one of the greats so check that out yes not just for mark's wisdom and counsel but also for the great wisdom and counsel you hear from three of the greatest people in the world to me, Murph, Steve Balistrieri, and the lady of Lockdown, Ms. Claire Clasic, Claire Cooper.

Until next week, my friend, stay safe, stay well, humbled, honored by your presence as always. And, folks, once again, I thank you all sincerely for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen every day. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And thank you for staying locked in to Locked on Patriots.