Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mock Draft #2: Patriots Choose Between WR-Edge at #31 | Strategy Unveiled

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pats can't land A.J. Brown via trade and they've got a crucial draft weekend staring them in the face. It's time for mock draft number two. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots. Your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host, Nick Cattels. An interesting decision in round three leads us to a Swiss Army knife. while in the second round, we'll be left choosing between two defensive priorities. But first, there's a polarizing pick to make at number 31. Today's episode is brought to by Fandul.

Starting point is 00:00:45 Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $250 in bonus bets. If your first bet wins, head to Fandul.com to get started. Okay, in this scenario, mock draft number two, A.J. Brown is unlikely. In mock draft number one, we had said we were playing a lot of, off the idea that the Patriots would at some point trade for Brown. This time, it's different. No A.J. Brown in this scenario. We still go back to pro football focus.

Starting point is 00:01:16 This time we learned from our first mistake. We did set the mock draft simulator to three rounds. So three round draft, pro football focus, A.J. Brown, unlikely, if not, non-existent within this scenario. The top needs remain for the Patriots, defense. end. Of course, we're talking edge, wide receiver. Of course, we're talking boundary X wide receiver, offensive tackle, tight end, and linebacker. Those are five of the key needs I'm focusing on during this mock draft. Now, of course, that doesn't mean we're going to

Starting point is 00:01:52 pick players from each of those positions in these first three rounds, which we'll eventually get to. The simulator, round one, absolutely brutal at wide receiver. Jordan tight. Tyson, off the board. Omar Cooper Jr. Off the board. Casey Concepcion, off the board. I don't think that's outrageous at all. I think you could see all three of those guys gone before pick 30.

Starting point is 00:02:19 So no Tyson, no Cooper Jr., no KCC. What about offensive tackle? Well, in this simulation, that was also pretty tough. Blake Miller, gone. Max Ehenichor, gone. Kaden Proctor, gone. How about defensive end? Those edge players were looking at.

Starting point is 00:02:39 Akeemezador, not going to be there. Keldrick Falk, not there. Cassius Howell, also not there. So you're sitting at number 31 as the Patriots, and all of those guys are off the board. Your top three options in this scenario, T.J. Parker, defensive end from Clemson. We talked about him very early in the process.

Starting point is 00:03:03 wide receiver Denzel Boston from Washington. We talked about him a couple of weeks ago. And then there's somebody we haven't talked about, and that is freak defensive tackle Caleb Banks from Florida. So those are your three top options sitting looking at this board. It's Parker, it's Boston, it's Banks. Now, for me, as much of a freak as Kayla Banks is, he's not going to be the pick.

Starting point is 00:03:30 He's not going to be the pick because out of the three guys that are sitting on the board. He is the third best available player. That's number one. Number two, defensive tackle. Now, yes, Christian Barmore might be gone by 2027. Corey Durdon might end up not being the type of guy you hoped he would develop into. Maybe Joshua Farmer also fails to develop and Eric Gregory and Leonard Taylor.

Starting point is 00:03:55 But all those names I mentioned, and I did not even bring up Milton Williams. So you've got a lot of depth. is the point. Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and those other guys, I think, are good enough to not jump to defensive tackle at number 31 unless, unless that defensive tackle is ranked so far ahead of other positions. And again, that's not the case with this example. Looking at Caleb Banks, he is the third best available player on the board, defensive tackle, not as much of a need as wide receiver or edge. So I'm passing on Caleb Banks. The choice here is between Denzel Boston and T.J. Parker.

Starting point is 00:04:37 And it's a very difficult decision, at least for me. Denzel Boston's so tough. We've talked about why he's tough, right? You can see the traits of a number one X boundary wide receiver. He's got the size. He's got the catch radius. He does a very good job in contested catches. He has fantastic body control.

Starting point is 00:05:00 He plays with good strength for the most part. And his blocking makes him actually capable of playing that Mack Holland's role where you can line him up outside or you can line him up inside and utilize him as a blocking wide receiver. That really is, as Evan Lazar has pointed out in many of his columns, that is the quote unquote, modern X receiver in the NFL now. Guys that you can line up outside at the boundary, but you can also sneak them inside to utilize them in the run game. and Denzel Boston has that. But he did not run a 40 at the combine. He did not run a 40 at the Pro Day. There are some concerns about, you know,

Starting point is 00:05:41 his ability to beat man press coverage. But then you have his Pro Day. And Dame Bruegler, who's one of the best in the business when it comes to breaking down prospects, posted right after Denzel Boston's Pro Day, a lot of positive feedback from Scouts on Boston's Pro Day. mention scouts. This is not agent talk, right?

Starting point is 00:06:04 This is not puffing the tires of your client. A lot of positive feedback from scouts on Boston's Pro Day looked really good with his rot work and catching the ball. Also to note, 6.803 Cone, 4-3 shuttle, 37.5 inch vert, which was 2.5 inches better than his 35-inch vert at the combine. And at 210 pounds, those numbers, as Brukler point, points out, they should play just fine. If you're wondering, Nikiel Harry's three cone was a 7.05, not even in the same universe as Danzel Boston's. And the three cone tells us agility,

Starting point is 00:06:41 the short area quickness, right? The ability within five yards to shake a little bit loose. Even better example, because everybody will just hate on Nikiel Harry and I get it. How about Kashan Bouti? Kisham Bouti's three cone was actually worse than Nikil Harries at 7.14. So at the size of Boston, that three cone tells us he's got some good agility. He's got some good movement. And when you look at the statistics, we talked about it a few weeks ago. You can check out the episode. But pro football focus outlined why Boston has actually been really good against man coverage.

Starting point is 00:07:17 Again, some will point out that he's not great against man press coverage. So at the line of scrimmage, he's got to get better. But when guys are playing man and they're not playing right up at the line of a scrimmage, he did really, really well at Washington. There's no doubt T.J. Parker, to me here, is like the safer pick. He's a really solid edge. He did not have as good of a 2025 as he had in 2024. That was the case for pretty much everybody on that Clemson football team for some reason. But he's a really solid pick. He's going to help you from day one.

Starting point is 00:07:53 But for this exercise, for this exercise, I am picking Denzel Boston. and I am hoping that he is the answer at X. And when I did the episode on Denzel Boston a couple of weeks ago, I said, you know, I'm a little hesitant. I'm hesitant. If there's somebody there that I like better, I would pick over Boston. But if there's no AJ Brown and I'm looking at Parker Boston,

Starting point is 00:08:17 again, I like Parker a little bit more than Boston, but that's when the depth comes into play. And that's when we talk about depth at edge versus depth at receiver. Frankly, if Denzel Boston works out for you, he's one of only a handful of guys who have a chance to be a true number one receiver in the league. So you look at the depth at defensive end. You look at AJ Brown being unlikely in this scenario. And even though I like Boston a little bit less than T.J. Parker, I would roll with Denzel Boston in this scenario. So there you go. Pick number 31 is Denzel Boston in mock draft.

Starting point is 00:08:58 number two. Coming up with wide receiver out of the way, it's time to look at the other side of the football in round two. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to by Indeed. We talk a lot about the chaos of the NFL off season, but let's talk about the chaos in your own office. Deadlines are stacking up, inbox a disaster. That one crucial position you need to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on, this. a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs. You shouldn't just be crossing your fingers

Starting point is 00:09:35 hoping the right person stumbles onto your post. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit your specific needs, skills, experience, and location. And get this, in the minute I'll spend talking to you right now, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed globally, according to their data. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing the people who check all your boxes.

Starting point is 00:09:58 Cut through the chaos today. Listeners of this show get a $75 sponsored job credit to give your post a premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Support the show by letting them know you heard them about them here. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire.

Starting point is 00:10:17 This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Thank you for making us your first listen for being an everydayer. Speaking of, don't forget to check out that Everydayer Club. Add free episodes, access to a group chat with other listeners of this show. Tap the link in the show notes to find out more. We're going to lockdown Patriots.supercast.com. Also, don't forget, if you're watching us on YouTube, help a brother out, click that thumbs up. That like button helps us build this community, battle the algorithm. So don't forget to like. Don't forget to comment. Your thoughts on Denzel

Starting point is 00:10:53 Boston. Again, not an easy choice. And as I said, I do like T.J. Parker a little bit more than Denzel Boston. But the difference between my like of those two guys, I have to look at the depth, not knowing what's going to happen before I pick in the second round. I got to look at the depth, wide receiver versus defensive end. And I just think there are more impactful defensive ends that could be available to me in real time doing this mock draft simulation. I feel like there are more impact defense events that could be available to me in round two than wide receiver. So tough choice. Denzel Boston, your thoughts, throw a comment in.

Starting point is 00:11:35 Don't forget to subscribe. The goal is, of course, 10,000 subscribers by the draft, which is, it's going to be a pretty difficult climb uphill. But I feel like we can get there. Tell your friends, tell your family members, tell your fellow Patriots fans about this podcast. All right. So the first mock draft we did last week, we traded up in round two. That is not going to be an option. We're going to stay put and we're going to see how the board falls.

Starting point is 00:12:04 So as I just mentioned, in real time, my hope, my thought was draft ends L Boston because there's a better shot at a wide receiver falling to you at number 63, a better shot at an edge falling to you at number 63. that could make an impact versus a wide receiver, right? So you draft the wide receiver in round one. You hope that edge drops to you at number 63. Well, here's the bad news. In this mock draft simulation from pro football focus,

Starting point is 00:12:40 there was a pretty decent edge run in the early to mid second round. So who went? T.J. Parker obviously went. He went 33rd. Zion Young off the board. Malachi Lawrence, who's the guy we traded up for in mock draft number one at 55, he's gone. Gabe Accus is also gone. R. Mason Thomas is also gone.

Starting point is 00:13:03 Oh, and by the way, if you were hoping Derek Moore from Michigan would be there, he is also gone. So Parker, Young, Lawrence, Accus, Thomas, Moore, six, six defensive ends all off the board. I was hoping one of those six would fall to me. And this is why we do a mock draft. It's a learning process. So who's left? Offensive tackle.

Starting point is 00:13:28 Frankly not worth it at 63. Markell Bell is the top ranked tackle on the board. But when you look at his average draft position, he's getting drafted at 98. So he's, you know, we're talking about somebody who is late third round, early fourth round. I'm not drafting him in the second round. I'm not reaching. I'm just not going to do. do it. I feel like I can get a tight end in rounds three through five. So if we're, if we're looking at

Starting point is 00:13:58 those needs that we discussed in the first segment, end, receiver, tackle, tight end, and linebacker, tackle not worth it. Tight end, I feel pretty good about my chances of landing somebody that can make an impact in rounds three through five. So what I really look at the needs, linebacker and edge are the focus. Now, at defensive end, there are four to five interesting names. Joshua Josephs from Tennessee. Deny Dennis Sutton from Penn State. Ramello Hyde from Texas Tech. L.T. Overton from Alabama. Kieran Crawford from Auburn and J. Sean Barham from Michigan. So even though, and this is, so even though maybe the top of my edge hopes are fading or have faded away,

Starting point is 00:14:50 you still have good edges that are available to you at 63. So even though those five or six guys that I was hoping one would fall to me, even though one of those guys did not fall to me, doesn't mean it's a vast wasteland at edge here in the second round. You still have guys that you can draft that can make a difference on your football team. So at first, it feels like, man, maybe we should have taken an edge at 31. But then you look at it and say, well, is Denzel Boston and Edge X better than T.J. Parker and wide receiver X, that's the game you're playing here.

Starting point is 00:15:31 And it feels to me, again, if you like Denzel Boston, if he hits, which is always the premise, Denzel Boston in the remaining edges, to me, are a better fit than what you would be looking at. Broselle's off the board. Other guys are off the board by the time you get to 63. So I still like the path here, even though the edge is not as high quality as I was hoping. Linebacker, Josiah Trotter is available from Missouri. Kyle Lewis, somebody who I like from Pittsburgh is available, even though he might be more safety than linebacker.

Starting point is 00:16:13 Anthony Hill Jr., who started pretty high up on these. consensus rankings and all of that. He's falling down boards from Texas. And there's some concern I read about maybe his body, how in shape he is. So the best available at defensive end in linebacker, Joshua Joseph's 65 overall in the average draft position, Josiah Trotter, 67 at the average draft position. So who do I pick? I don't pick either of those guys.

Starting point is 00:16:44 My pick is actually denied Dennis Sutton from Penn State. Now he is 67th on the average draft position according to pro football focus. So this is not a huge reach at 63. And Dennis Sutton, he tested off the charts at the combine. His relative athletic score was a 9.96. He's 65. He's 256. Some might be concerned about that weight. I'm not concerned about that weight. We've talked about it before.

Starting point is 00:17:14 For the Patriots, it feels like 255-ish is a really good weight if you go off Harold Landry. Now, of course, Draymond Jones is a little bit bigger, but Draymond Jones can also slide inside. So Dennis Sutton, 6.5.256. Incredibly explosive. His vertical was 39.5 inches at 65256. His broad jump was almost 11 feet. He ran a 4-6-340. His 20-yard split, his 10-yard split were both elite grades from the relative athletic score.

Starting point is 00:17:49 And his three-cone shuttle was outrageous. As Fran Duffy from All-City pointed out at the time, Dennis Sutton had a crazy 6.90 in the three-cone. Remember we talked about Denzel Boston's 6.80 in the three-cone? Denzel Boston's 210 pounds. Dennis Sutton is 46 pounds heavier than Denzel Boston. And we're talking like a tenth of a second or whatever is the difference between the three cones. That's insane. 6.90 in the three cone at that size.

Starting point is 00:18:23 As Fran Duffy pointed out, eight edges drafted in the last decade have weighed more than 255 pounds and hit that mark in the three cone. Joey Bosa, Max Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, Trayvon Walker, Addafe O.A., Sam Hubbard, Jordan Willis, Kylie Fitz. don't really remember the last two guys, but Joey Bosa, Max Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, Trayvon Walker, Adafay Oway, Sam Hubbard, you're talking about six impact edge players. So if you go off that three cone, it would indicate that Denis Sutton

Starting point is 00:18:59 is ready to do some damage in the NFL. That, you know, to go along with the explosivity, I think you've got somebody who you can mold here. I know there's some question about you know, denied Dennis Sutton's ability to be a pass rusher at the NFL level. You know, maybe I was reading Lance Zerlind saying, you know, limited move set. And, you know, there's that limit to the upside as a pass rusher. Meanwhile, others believe that DDS has the traits in athleticism to eventually become a good,

Starting point is 00:19:36 if not really good pass rusher at the NFL level. I trust this staff. I trust that athleticism. I trust that agility with that three cone. I trust their development to get him to learn more moves. He's good against the run. And the hope would be he denied Dennis Sutton develops into a well-rounded defensive end who could play three downs for you by 2027.

Starting point is 00:20:01 And I also think double dipping at edge is very likely. And unless you're going to sign a vet, We've talked about this since free agency for the past almost month, unless you're going to sign another vet name off the scrap heap when the draft is over. Double dipping at Edge makes a lot of sense in this draft. So deny Dennis Sutton. DDS is my second round pick at number 63. So Denzel Boston at 31, deny Dennis Sutton at 63.

Starting point is 00:20:35 Next, the decisions don't get any easier sitting at number 95 for the Pats. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. The NBA playoffs are here where every possession matters, every matchup is magnified, and every game can swing a series. And right now, Fanduil is giving new customers a great way to get in on the action. You can bet just $5 and get $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. The app makes it easy to follow the action with player stats, trends, and matchups all in one single place. And during the playoffs, that extra insight really matters when you're looking

Starting point is 00:21:18 at stars, role players, and key moments. It just makes the entire playoff experience more engaging from start to finish. And I love the NBA playoffs. Fandul makes it that much better. Again, you can bet just $5 and get $250 and bonus bets. If your first bet wins, the app makes it easy. You can follow everything. Head to fandual.com. Again, that is Fandul. dot com to get started. Fanduel, we've been telling you this for a while now. Play your game. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe.

Starting point is 00:21:53 Tell me how you feel. First round pick, Denzel, Boston and mock draft. Number two, second round pick, denied Dennis Sutton. Let's get to pick number 95. The needs that remain. Tackle. Linebacker, tight end, free safety.

Starting point is 00:22:09 Best available at tackle remains Markell Bell, the guy we did not want to draft in the second round. he is again ranked 98th average draft position. So 95, you're right around that ballpark here. Demetrius Crownover is the second tackle that's ranked here on the board at number 108 average draft position. The best available linebacker, Kishon Elliott, from Arizona State, he's number 101. Then I look at safety.

Starting point is 00:22:38 And there are some fun safeties that are on the board right now. If I'm the Patriots, I'm sitting there, I'm looking at free safety. And I'm intrigued. Zaki Wheatley from Penn State. Now, he is on the big board at number 100, average draft position according to PFF. Then you have Bud Clark, who I know is a favorite of some. He's from TCU, and he's at number 112. Tight end, edge.

Starting point is 00:23:06 Again, I like the idea of double dipping at edge, so I would not necessarily write off that position in the third round. That would be a very strong statement if you went edge, edge in the second and third, but I wouldn't completely cross it off. Tight end Michael Trigg from Baylor, maybe more of a receiver at 107. Justin Jolie, NC State, number 129. You look at Edge. You still have Barham, who we spoke about in the last segment from Michigan.

Starting point is 00:23:34 He's still on the board. Now, I'm not going to jump that linebacker at this point. I just don't think, you know, it's worthwhile there at this particular moment given who's on the board. The edge double dip to me would be a luxury in round three. So I don't think that's a luxury that I can afford given some of the other needs that I have. So for now I'm going to pass up on edge. I'll look at maybe fourth round, fifth round to double dip that edge. I still feel like I can get a good tight end in round four.

Starting point is 00:24:09 I got two picks in the fourth round. I still feel like I can land a tight end in the fourth round. My guy, Eli Raritan, who we've talked about, I think it could still be available. Who knows who else is there for your two fourth round picks. But the tight end position is so deep in this draft. And there's not a lot of difference between the guys when you get to, you know, third round through the fifth round. So I still feel like I could get a good tight end in this draft.

Starting point is 00:24:36 So for me, it's down to the tackle versus the safeties. It's down to Markell Bell versus Zaki Wheatley and Bud Clark. That's what I'm looking at here. And, you know, both tackle and safety, same kind of need, quote unquote. You're concerned about age in 2026 with Morgan Moses and Kevin Bayard. Of course, you're worried about health with both those guys because they're older. Byard's going to be 23. Moses is 35.

Starting point is 00:25:06 and you don't really have an answer behind those two veterans once you get to 2027. So a very similar situation that you're looking at safety tackle. You could argue maybe Byer has a year left, but you could also argue maybe Morgan Moses has a year left beyond 2026. So you're looking at the same kind of deal here. I feel like Markell Bell is more projectville. Like, you know, let's say Projectville at offensive tackle. It's Projectville at this point.

Starting point is 00:25:41 I don't feel that way about safety. So my pick is actually going to be Zaki Wheatley safety from Penn State. Interestingly enough, Wheatley is taken or has taken a top 30 visit with the Patriots. So we know there's at least some level of interest from the Patriots staff. He's 6 foot three, 205 pounds. If you don't watch college football, Jim Knowles at Penn State, Jim Knowles is a guy who runs a defense that's very complex. He's the defensive cornered at Penn State, very complex defense.

Starting point is 00:26:18 And so they asked Wheatley to do a lot. Sound familiar with what the Patriots asked their safeties to do? Wheatley describes himself as a Swiss Army night. At Penn State, he played in the slot. He played in the box closer to the line of scrimmage. He also played free safety and showed skill on the back end. That's really a perfect fit for what the Patriots Mike Vrable wants out of his safety. He wants safeties that could do all sorts of different things on the field.

Starting point is 00:26:45 You saw Craig Woodson last season in his first year from California. So you got somebody who can play in the slot, if need be. You got somebody who can play in the box. You got somebody who can play on the back end free safety. He brings range to the back end. capable side line to sideline. He's not the most explosive guy on the world, but he's got a really good IQ.

Starting point is 00:27:10 And I think what he does, his strengths, you know, it would be a great fit for the Patriots defense. So when Kevin Byard says, enough is enough, I'm leaving the NFL or you say, okay, Kevin, we gave you a shot. We signed to that one year deal. It's time to move on, time to move forward. You plop Wheatley right next to Woodson.

Starting point is 00:27:31 Woodson Wheatley safety spot is set for the next hopefully six, seven years. So I'm not sure I love this draft. If I was to compare my first draft mock draft to my second mock draft, I absolutely like the first mock draft better. You can go check out what we did in the first mock draft. But remember, we also had A.J. Brown in that scenario, which really changes the dynamic of what you're going to doing the first couple rounds if you are focused on receiver. Maybe you're not. Maybe you wait,

Starting point is 00:28:06 which is something we will also certainly look at before we get to the draft. We'll look at the scenario of waiting for a wide receiver, even if you don't select or rather trade for AJ Brown. So I'm not sure I love this draft, but I'm okay with it. Given the options that we had, I'm okay with it. Walking away with Denzel Boston, your young boundary X receiver that you hope can be a number one guy for you, if not in 26, then by 27. You get your young edge deny Dennis Sutton, who I think has, you know, some potential there with that, you know, explosivity and athleticism. He has shown.

Starting point is 00:28:43 I think you can get more from him and coach him up a little bit. And then you get your second safety, your free safety of the future, but really somebody you can move around just like Craig Woodson. And your back end is set for the next five, six, seven years. years. So it's not that I don't like what we did here. I would lean first draft, however. So go check that one out. All right, that wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C Radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Hit that like button and subscribe.

Starting point is 00:29:18 And if you never miss an episode, the Everydayer Club, it's built for you. Get Lockdown Patriots ad free plus members only discord access and more. Head to Lockdown Patriots.com or check the link in the show notes. to learn more. Have a fantastic day. Talk to you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mock Draft #2: Patriots Choose Between WR-Edge at #31 | Strategy Unveiled

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.