Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Monday with Murph: New England Patriots Defensive Draft Options, Edelman, Minshew and More — 3/1/2021

Episode Date: March 1, 2021

The New England Patriots continue to be the subject of much speculation surrounding the quarterback position. Most recently, Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller Gardner Minshew has been rumored to be a Pats’ target. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy, as they discuss Minshew’s potential fit in New England. They also discuss the health of Julian Edelman and whether his knee injury might prevent him from seeing the field in 2021. Finally, the pair take on Mock Draft Monday, and ponder the possibility of New England using early-round draft capital to select a cornerback in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.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 “LOCKEDON20,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.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 Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is a new dawn, a new day, and a new month here on the pod. Monday, March 1st, 2021. And it just so happens to be a hashtag Lockdown Murph Monday 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.

Today's episode of Locked on Patriots is brought to you by Bilt Bar. Go to BiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON to get 20% off your next order. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for kicking off yet another week with me right here on Locked on Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated.

Share that feedback, send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there searching for your Monday muse on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, today we kick off a new month on a Monday. And as you know, here on Locked On Patriots, Mondays are doubly important. Because not only is it Mock Draft Monday, it is also hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. My good buddy, the Green King of Sting is back himself. Thomas Murphy joins me here today on the hot seat. And Murph and I will kick off our discussion today with the latest news on Julian Edelman.

Over the weekend, NFL Network's Ian Rappaport reported that although Julian is making every effort to come back in 2021, there is still some uncertainty as to whether or not his knee injury will allow him to do so. If for any reason Julian is unable to return to the Patriots this season, what does that mean for the Patriots' offseason plans? We know for certain it will affect their plans at wide receiver, but could it have a further ripple effect? Well, Murph and I will discuss that.

We'll also discuss the Patriots' plans at the quarterback position. And over the weekend, WEI's Gary Tanguay had a pretty interesting take on whether or not the Patriots would entertain bringing in current Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew. And I thought Gary made a pretty compelling case. So compelling that I'm going to ask my man Murph his opinion on this. Especially because Murph was one of the first people that I saw beating the drum about Minshew coming here to New England. Was Murph as impressed by Gary's argument as I was over the weekend? Well, folks, we'll discuss that one too, but fear not. For all of you tuning in for some Mock Draft Monday content, we definitely

have you covered. Again, if you've listened the past couple of weeks, you'll know Murph and I don't mock the draft, we muse the draft. And today we're going to discuss whether or not the Patriots would consider the defensive backfield as their top priority early on in the draft. And I know, what I just said made you all simultaneously scream at the device you're listening to this podcast on right now and saying, absolutely not, we need offense. How could you even bring that up? Well, the old saying goes, folks, don't shoot the messenger. Over the weekend, my colleagues at the draftnetwork.com actually had the Patriots picking a cornerback, and they had them doing so at pick number 15. But do Murph and I agree with

that? And last but not least, if the Patriots do use early round draft capital to upgrade the defensive backfield, who has caught Murph's green sharp eye as we head toward the 2021 NFL Draft next month. Pat's fans, an action-packed agenda today on the pod. Always an honor, always a blast when my man Murph joins me on the microphone. And in just a minute, we will kick off this hashtag LockedOnMurph Monday and also this mock draft Monday right here on the LockedOn Patriots podcast. But first, there is a little Patriots news to share with all of you out there. And this news comes courtesy of NBC Sports' Peter King, who reported on Monday that

in anticipation of opening the league year on March 17th, the NFL schedulers and the TV partners are working under the assumption that there will be a 17-game schedule in 2021. And as a result, they're telling everybody to be ready for one more regular season game this year. Now, because the Patriots and all the other 31 NFL teams have already had their 16-game opponent slate released, it would be logical to assume that this game would be against an opponent that's not already on your schedule for 2021, and that's apparently what they've done here. They're using the 2019 regular season as a basis, which means that the members of the AFC East would face the members of the NFC East. King's report went on to say that the AFC East, as all other divisions,

will therefore host their counterpart NFC East teams that finished in the same exact spot in the standings last season. That means, folks, that your New England Patriots will be hosting the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots finished third in the AFC East. The Cowboys finished third in the NFC East. To put things a little more in perspective, the Buffalo Bills will be hosting the Washington football team. The Miami Dolphins will be hosting the New York Giants. And the New York Jets will host the Philadelphia Eagles. Bottom line, what this means for the Patriots and the other three members of the AFC East is that they'll be playing nine regular season home games as opposed to playing eight on

the road. And one extra home game at Gillette Stadium is better than having to play one more on the road. But if you look at it, it's really not making much of a difference from a division or a conference-wide perspective because ultimately every AFC team right now will enjoy that same advantage. All of them are going to be playing one more game at home. And as we look at things right now, this game could be a little more intriguing than people think. Dallas had a subpar year last year

without any question, but that was really largely in part to Dak Prescott spending the rest of the season on the shelf. If in fact Dallas decides to bring Dak Prescott back for 2021, he is expected to be back on the field and their starting quarterback. But even if the Cowboys don't bring back Dak, kind of like the way that sounded. Anyway, folks, sorry, getting distracted. Let's get back on track. If Prescott doesn't return to Big D, Dallas has been heavily mentioned in rumors for both Deshaun Watson and possibly Russell Wilson.

So even if it's not Dak Prescott coming to Foxborough next year, it could be either Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. So even if it's not Dak Prescott coming to Foxborough next year, it could be either Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. In any case, this one should be an entertaining contest. And even though this hasn't been officially confirmed by the league, it is looking like a very strong possibility that the Dallas Cowboys will be coming to town here in Foxborough in 2021. But who exactly will be wearing Patriot blue during that contest? Well, to help me answer

that question and more is my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, will join me here on the hot seat on this hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday slash Mock Draft Monday, when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, football might be over, but the NBA, college basketball, and the NHL are all in full swing. And you know that equivalent to the NFL hot stove? It gets hotter and hotter by the minute. When you want to put your prognostication skills to the test, there is only one place

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Locked On listeners, we're covering everything you need to know about the New England Patriots, but what about the rest of sports? Well, now the Locked On Podcast Network has you covered there as well with Locked On Today. Hosted by the great Peter Bukowski, it's all the sports news you need every morning in under 20 minutes. Subscribe to the Locked On Today podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, they say March comes in like a lion,

but here today on Locked On Patriots, it's coming in like a monster. And I mean our very own monster. It is the first of March, but it's also Monday, so you know what that means. That's right, everybody. It's that time again. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy,

is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked on Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship and for joining me today, Don Murph. I couldn't think of a better place to be on a Monday. I just can't. I've tried. Don't get me wrong. I've tried. But no, thanks for having me back, man. It's always a pleasure to bat lead off for Locked On Patriots. Absolutely, bud. You know what? We couldn't think of a better place for you to be.

Well, that's not entirely accurate. We could think of a lot of better places that I'm sure you'd rather be. But for us, this is the ultimate. This is exactly what we want each and every week. And you always bring it. And it's always my honor to share the microphone with you anytime we do. But most of all, on a Monday here on Locked on Patriots. But again, we never have a shortage of things to talk about.

Folks, it is Mock Draft Monday. And don't forget, Murph and I don't mock the draft. No mocking here. We will be musing the draft today, after all. And we will have an interesting draft discussion today for certain. I'm sure one that will cause a few heads in the fan base to spin a little bit. But you know what? That's why we're here. Variety is the spice of life, offering all different opinions on football and especially on your New England Patriots. But first, Bud, we start with the news of the day, the news of the weekend. Broke kind of at the tail end of the weekend, and we started to get trickle-in opinions on this all throughout the weekend. And we heard reports about the potential return of Julian Edelman. That's a subject we've spoken about here several times on the pod.

According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL network Julian's return is still kind of up in the air at the moment and he's still rehabbing trying to work back from the knee injury that he had in the offseason or during the regular season and he's still rehabbing this offseason to try to get back and all accounts are that he wants to play in 2021 he's motivated to and he wants to get back on the field. But the question now is whether he'll be healthy enough to do that. That really does remain in question right now. And according to Ian's report, there's been no decision yet on his future. Murph, it's obvious that the Patriots wide receiver core would be better with Julian in the lineup.

Now, if there's anyone questioning that they desperately missed his savvy his abilities on the field in 2021 in 2020 excuse me and if he can't go for any reason to start the season we know Julian's a warrior we know he's going to want back on that field but if he can't go what type of impact do you think this is going to have on the Patriots' offseason plans? A huge one. If Jules can't go, and this is something that I've been preparing people for for quite a long time, I've been telling folks, you know, arthritis does not get better. He may be able to squeak out another year or so, depending on how things look.

And, folks, I'm not saying that he has arthritis. It's just a feeling. And when you start hearing about bone-on-bone, it goes hand-in-hand with the And it's going to be something that is going to change the way that Bill looks at a lot of different things, especially at the top of this draft, and as to whether or not he may have gone for this wide receiver early in the draft. And when I say early, I mean first, second, third round, as opposed to that one. It's going to change thinking when the Patriots' number is called and how they're thinking about what's going on, because I'm telling you right now, they don't want to be caught with their pants down again, like they did with Rob Gronkowski when Gronk was basically dragging his feet and screwing up everything that he possibly could for the Patriots, whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, a year or two ago.

Yeah, without question. And, you know, it's a void when you're missing your number one slot receiver, your number one receiver really in all aspects of what you do on the field. Say what you will about Julian Edelman, whether he's lost a step, whether he hasn't, he still has tremendous field awareness. One of the best, you know, in the game when he was at his peak at being aware of where he was on the field, knowing where the markers were, knowing what yardage he needed for a first down. Julian is so, so good at that. And a lot of wide receivers in the NFL are. I don't mean to make it sound like that. He's heading shoulders above everyone else.

But let's face it. I mean, Julian was such a big part. No, but in this system and working with Tom the way he did over the years, I can't think of many receivers that were more important to an organization than Julian Edelman has been over the past five to eight years here. Without question. Absolutely no argument here on this end. I've sung Julian's praises since the day I took over the microphone here at Locked on Patriots, and I will continue to do so. This is a situation also where you're missing his savvy. You're missing that tenacity, that competitiveness,

just his ability to never say die and to keep going. That attitude is. It's infectious. And if you're going to rely on a young wide receiver being drafted early on to be able to take that mantra, that's a lot to put on a wide receiver, no matter what. I mean, you've seen Nikhil Harry struggle with the spotlight that he's been given here in New England.

Now, a lot of people will knock Keough for that, but it's a difficult thing to put on the shoulders of a young wide receiver. And we'll see. We'll see what happens. But no question about it, everybody's wishing Julian the best, and we hope he's going to be back and better than ever in 2021. But, again, Bud, we always appreciate your insight on exactly what will happen, and I wholeheartedly agree with you that this will be a huge impact 2021 but again bud we always appreciate your insight on exactly what will happen and i

wholeheartedly agree with you that this will be a huge impact on the patriots offseason plans but the patriots offseason plans murph do include the quarterback position and i know we talk a lot of quarterbacks here on locked on patriots but it is a major question for the pats in the offseason and over the weekend a name that i haven't mentioned much here on Locked On Patriots, but you've been mentioning quite often, is that of Gardner Minshew of the Jacksonville Jaguars. And again, over the weekend, Gary Tangway of WEI wrote, I thought, a very convincing piece for WEI.com. Also took to the airwaves on Sunday to to talk about this and once again i really i was very intrigued by what gary had to say and really kind of gave me a second thought on things that

you've been dropping into my head right along really since the season ended um on the field minshu accurate efficient two qualities that bill belichick josh mcdaniels absolutely love in their quarterbacks. In the right system, I think it could get even better in that department. Financially, the Patriots would have to spend very little and likely wouldn't have to submit a ton of draft capital to get this done. So Murph, this is making a lot of sense to me. So I thank Gary for bringing it to the forefront again this weekend, but you've been on the

Minshew bandwagon right along. In your opinion, why is this a good fit for the Patriots? Yeah, everybody, welcome to my fiendish plot of Gardner Minshew. This has been really taking off over the past couple of weeks. People are looking at the contracts of the quarterbacks that they're thinking about bringing in and saying, ah, hold on, wait a minute, I don't know, so-and-so's worth $20 million with all those bonuses

and this, that, and the other thing. And we've got so many holes to fill. There's no way in hell I'm giving up a first-round pick and another swap and three sponges for this guy and, you know, just not sponge-worthy. Gardner Minshew is sponge-worthy, people, and he would fit in here amazingly. I'm talking all we'd have to give up is a fourth-round pick for a guy that has, you know, all the tools in his bag. The only drawback to him is where he's had to play

and who's been coaching him. And this is a man that throws people open. He hits spots. He works the entire field. He does not throw interceptions. He takes care of the ball. It's just with what Josh wants to do, I think Gardner is more of a prototype that Josh could work with than just about anybody else in the NFL who isn't named Mahomes. Yeah.

I mean, I think that in a lot of ways, you make really, really good points on Minshew. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off. Are you still going? Keep going, buddy. No, no, no, no. Go ahead. Please cut me off before I get stupid.

Not even possible. If anything, you can cut me off before I get stupid. But bottom line, I mean, you look at what the affordability is, and Gary pointed this out in his column very well. You've also pointed this out to me. $1.815 million over the next two seasons. Not just one season, but two seasons. That's a great point to make.

And Bill Belichick is definitely going to love the production value as opposed to what he needs to give up in order to be able to get Gardner Minshew here all of a sudden that's looking pretty good uh then you look at what he's able to do on the field and 2019 comes in throws 21 touchdown passes only six picks in 14 games essentially as a rookie and coming in and being able to lead a Jaguars team that a lot of people had just left out in the lurch for a lot of, you know, the season. Most people didn't expect much from them. But his locker room presence, from what we hear, is something that, you know, does attract, you know, fans, well, fans, yeah, definitely fans, but attracted his teammates, you know,

to him as well. 2020 had 19 touchdown passes five interceptions only in nine games obviously had the thumb injury and then doug marone continued to go to mike glennon after that really just not a lot of sense into why he kept him off the field but this is someone that's not going to uh command a lot of draft capital to get uh he's someone that does show a great deal of accuracy he's not an interception machine holds on to the football these are qualities that will endear him to a bill belichick josh mcdaniel's offensive scheme and if it's not going to be cam and if it's not going to be one of the pie in the sky options which again folks please we really want to remind you to try to take these out of your head rus Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, they're just not happening here.

Just not happening. And this may actually be one of the better options. This is doable. If they decide that Cam Newton can't do it. Yeah, absolutely. This is totally doable. This is a deal that can be pulled off. They have the number one pick.

They're going to have Joe Burrow. Yes, it's nice to have a backup quarterback that you're only paying $1.8 million to, but you can find another backup quarterback to do that and go out and get yourself an extra draft pick that this team definitely needs. And I'm talking a I'm talking a, a late third early fourth round pick, and we can bring this kid in here. He's, he's got it all. He, he, Oh, I really like him. I've, I've liked him. You know, I, I actually mocked him. I didn't mock him. I, he was on my wishlist the year that he came out that the Patriots would take him. They didn't, you know, and, and, you know, end of story. That's,

that's fine. that's the way things were going it wasn't working out that way uh for him to come in here and be able to do what he's he's been able to do he's gone down there he's shown that he can play in this league he's gained experience bring him bring him please yeah exactly and uh you know when you have the personality you have the wherewithal you have the the battle-tested mental aspect of your game. You combine that with a lot of physical attributes that really fit well into the Patriots system. Again, all of a sudden, Gardner Minshew really, really looking good. So, Tanger, I want to thank you, Tanger, for bringing this out there.

You know, definitely good to have him back on the Patriots, you know, side of things and looking into these things. But I really want to defer to you on this, buddy, because you've been on this, like I said, really from the moment the season ended way back in early January. This was someone's name that you kept beating out there. Once we knew that the Jacksonville Jaguars would hold the number one pick in the draft, you really had Minshew on your radar. So thank you for making that case. And I think you kind of made a believer out of me, too.

So this might end up being something good for the Patriots heading down the pike. You know, bud, it's always, always fun when you come and you join me here on the microphone. And I hope that you're all enjoying, folks, Murph putting the day back in your Monday. And in just a moment, it will become mock draft Monday. But remember, folks, Murph does the day back in your Monday. And in just a moment, it will become mock draft Monday. But remember, folks, Murph does not mock the draft. He does not insult the draft. This man does not insult the draft. Oh, Murph, if I'm being honest, maybe insulted the draft a little bit.

You know, insult him a little bit. A little bit. A little bit. A little bit. But all kidding aside, folks, Murph and I will muse the draft here on this Monday, the first day of March, when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, you've often heard the phrase, often imitated but never duplicated.

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Get your picks, previews, and much more every weekday with the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, it is hashtag LockedOnMurf Monday here on LockedOnPatriots and Murph. The NFL draft is next month. I don't know about you, but I love saying that. I love the fact that the draft is next month. It's the tail end of April, but it is next month. And it's an exciting time for NFL fans. This is going to be an important draft, especially for the New England Patriots.

There's a lot of areas on this roster that are, quote, designated for improvement, and the Pats have some big decisions to make. Now, a lot of the fans out there are clamoring for the offensive upgrades, and I can understand it. I fully, fully understand

it. The Patriots need it. We've talked about quarterbacks. Last week, we talked a lot of offensive line. We even talked about the defensive line and the edge rush positions. But one area we've yet to talk about is the secondary. Now, most Patriots fans, most media members alike would argue that the secondary is pretty stacked for 2021. Maybe the deepest area on this roster but i think that might be a little bit of fool's gold um is it really treats yeah exactly and i'll get into that in a second the patriots have a solid core under contract for 2021 you look at the names up and

down these lists and you're like okay well cornerback safety they're pretty stacked at these positions but there is some question and it it really begins with Stephon Gilmore, who I still think could be on the move. I wouldn't be in favor of moving him, but he still could be on the move. The Patriots may look at one year left on his deal and say, this is the time to be able to maximize that and get something for him. There's also still some question as to whether or not J.C. Jackson might be ready to be your starting shutdown corner of the future. Again, all the

potential in the world. I have faith in him, but we saw him struggle a little in 2020 when that type of responsibility was put on his shoulders. And the depth pieces right now, there's question marks there too. So when you look at the cornerback position maybe it's not as stacked especially for the future as some would have you believe murph the collective heads of patriots fans are going to explode if the hoodie takes a corner in the first round of the draft it's just the nature of the way things go but our friends over at the draft network are kind of like-minded with us uh they recently had the pats taking that pledge my locked on colleague trevor sycamore who i respect you know to the

highest degree when it comes to draft analysis uh as well as tdn's dray harris who i also have a ton of respect for they both mused the patriots selecting cornerback jc horn uh out of south carolina at number 15. Murph, could you see the Patriots making this move, and do you believe Horn would be the right fit in the Foxborough secondary? Just to piss me off, yes, I could see Bill taking this, making this move. But I also see him not doing it. Bill has had such a good record at bringing these defensive backs in late

bringing in the undrafted free agents at these at these positions um that i don't i i'm not gonna put a rubber stamp on it and say that he has to do it even though he could go for it. I don't see it happening in the first round, and I don't see it happening with the, you know, I'm sorry, Steve. Shout out to my man, Steve Balistrieri, who just loves South Carolina and everything that's going on there. But I don't see J.C. Horn as the man that's going to come in here with a first-round pick, and that's where he's going to do to come in here with the first round pick. And that's that's where he's going to go now.

There's a lot of people mocking him up as high as 10 to Dallas. And I really don't see that happening with the Patriots this year. This kid is he's a fine ball player. He has really shot up a lot of draft boards, as you can see. It was just two months ago that J.C. was in late second round consideration. And that's where I would see the Patriots trying to bolster this aging. I don't want to say aging across, but aging can be in two different ways. It can be in your date of birth, and it can also be in the age of your contract

and where people sit right there. And I really don't see them going that way early with so many other holes to fill when they can just say, you know, I'm going to put a third round tender or second round tender here and we're going to work out something with Gilmore even though he's not on the depth chart right now and just wait and see. I also think that safety might actually be a bigger need than cornerback right now, considering the age of the back end of the safety group. Shout out to Evan Lazar for mentioning that on his show this week.

And it's something that needs to be addressed, but I'm not sure that it's going to be addressed early as to what most people consider early, and that's a first or second round pick. Good points. Yeah, very good points. And I'm like-minded. There's guys later. There's just guys later. The great Asante Samuels kid is coming out this year. He'll be there in the second round. Sean Wade out of Ohio State is a kid that I like. Thomas Graham Jr.

And then there's the two kids out of Georgia, and we all know how much Bill likes Georgia these days. Tayson Campbell, he's a really good prospect. And then Eric Stokes, I really like him. Yeah, Stokes could be an interesting uh prospect right now he's ranked fourth among uh cornerbacks on the draft network right um and uh obviously caleb farley virginia tech patrick certain right i you know i'm not even bringing up those names i'm going through no and they won't be there they're they're consensus you know top 10 maybe

you know and and that is something that i don't think the Patriots would find them there for their liking at number 15. If Sertain's there, take him. I'm not going to be upset. Yeah, and I don't think Sertain will be there. But how old does it make you feel now that we're talking about Patrick Sertain's son? We're talking about J.C. Horn's son. We're talking about a Sante Samuel's son.

Oh, man, Murph, it's rough. It's rough when you start finding players that you really took a liking to in your earlier years, and then all of a sudden now you're looking at their sons playing. It's tough. It's tough, buddy, but no question about it. But I do agree with you. I think the Patriots, if they're going to make a move here, it would probably be in the later rounds.

Look, Horn is really starting to ascend a lot of draft boards, and I can see why. He's very aggressive. He's excellent when it comes to man covering, really, really good in the press. He played a lot in the slot in 2018, but really, he played out wide in 2019, 2020, and I think that's where he's going to be the best fit in the nfl so he's got that long that frame that's really built for competing with the x receivers in the nfl and to me i think that's where his size his length his physicality that's where he can be really disruptive in press and really ultra competitive at the catch point that's another thing i'm seeing a lot of with him so there's a lot to like when you look at the film and there's a lot to like when you look at what he's been able to do

at south carolina but there's question about missed tackles which is something that i think bill belichick is going to look at and say well he doesn't like to wrap people up you know exactly closer look last night after we decided that this was the way that the show was going to go. And I see a lot of big hits. He loves to hit people. And that's a great thing. But you know me, man. I love yak and I love to keep people from getting yak. And the only way you can do that is to wrap people up and drag them to the ground.

It's a key and he doesn't do it enough. Not to grab him in the first round. I knew not doing it. And I agree with you. I think first round is way too high as well. And I'm not knocking the kid, believe me, because there is a lot to like. You look at footage on this kid and you're automatically going to be, I was, I was wowed by the physicality, being competitive at the catch point,

disruptive. He's got all of those intangibles but when you look at why he's missing tackles um and again i want to point out i want to give a shout out to evan lazar we spoke offline about this and we talked about um him being guilty of kind of guessing when to mirror his routes that can lead to some false steps that can put you behind in your pursuit and trying to tackle and i think that's why you see a lot of missed tackles on film. Ultimately, I think this kid is going to be a really good fit in a zone and press coverage scheme, one that uses minimal off-man coverage.

That, to me, is where this kid struggles. So if he can shore that up. Good point. That's actually a pretty good comparison from what I've seen. Yeah, I mean, Grounder's definitely one of the standards when you look at that physical thumping-type corner. This kid's got a lot of that in him. I think he can be a little bit better of a cover corner with some refinement, but I do think 15 is a little bit high for him. It just is.

More like mine is. You know, I'm a very price-conscious shopper, and I'm not paying that price for a guy that, you know, may have to come in here and contribute right away. Absolutely. And that does lead me quite nicely into my last question for you today, buddy, here on Muse the Draft Monday with Murph. And you alluded to this a little bit in terms of the safety position if the Patriots are in fact defensive minded in the early goings of this draft and Horn was not the choice here do you think that they might still lean cornerback or who would they look at at the safety position who's catching your shot by Murph to take us home today all right and this is going to be a pick that is not going to happen early.

This is more of a fourth-round pick, but I really like Tyree Gillespie out of Missouri. This man is a core special teamer on this team. He's been a captain on this team for four years. He's somebody that walked on and became a starter. He played for bloody Missouri. That's the only thing that's holding him back is that he played for Missouri. I like him.

I think he would work great in the two-cover safety sets that the Patriots like to use a lot and the fact that with the kind of offenses that they are continuously having to face right now, play in. He's a great quarters defender. He's fantastic down in the box. He's somebody that can handle any tight end on the planet. That's how physical this guy is. Tyree Gillespie out of Missouri. Look for him in the late third, early fourth round, and I think he'd make a fantastic Patriot. Yeah, I agree with you. I like Gillespie as well. Look, I think at this point you're looking at him being a depth piece coming in early,

but I think he has the projection to maybe make that leap to being a starter. A lot of spots that he can fill in on in the Patriots roster, one of which is special teams. And I think that's something that endears all of these guys to Bill Belichick. When he looks at a safety or someone that can play, especially at these positions, he looks for special teams contributors. And this kid was a really big contributor on kick coverages uh he's a good tackler uh i think a lot of what you're seeing in terms of the film that you see on him from his time at missouri shows that he can definitely get

in and mix it up i agree with you he's going to be better served working as a split safety not being charged with commanding the entire middle of the field by himself. Missouri's not fast enough. Yeah, Missouri used him a lot. He's quick, he's not fast. Yeah, exactly. And they used him in that single high-type coverage, and I don't think that's where the NFL is going to be a fit for him.

That's not where he would play if he was drafted by the New England Patriots. But he's a tough physical football player, and a team that might need an enforcer on the back end is certainly going to have him circled on their draft board. And you never know the Patriots might have the potential of being able to bring him in and make him that type of role, especially to cover tight ends, which is something that the Patriots have had difficulty with, especially the last two seasons. You know, I kind of ran into him while I was, you know, watching other film. And this man shut down Kyle Pitts. Did Schofield see that footage?

I'm sure he did. I'm sure he did. I'm sure he did. I'm kidding. I'm sure he did. That was a fantastic double set that you guys did this weekend, by the way. Oh, my God. People go back and listen to that right after you listen to this show today.

It was so nice. It required twice the airtime. I always love sharing the microphone with Mark. He's tremendous. Other than him being a friend and a mentor, just a great, great guy all around. You're a pretty good guy yourself, man. Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch here on Locked On Patriots.

I'm a tremendous slouch. Thank you. But you know what, Murph? You're not going to get nothing and like it. You get the whole shebang because you deserve it, bud. You'll lend the wisdom and counsel like no other. You are head of the family here at Locked On Patriots and we always appreciate it and we love having you on.

Folks, you should already be following this man, but for the benefit of any of our new listeners, and we do have quite a few, especially throughout the course of the last couple of months, please follow my good friend here, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself on Twitter at TMurph207. Never miss Murph's monster keys, few and far between during the offseason, but when he does put the pen to paper, it's point click learn enrichment material you become a wiser football fan you just become a better person by reading this man's stuff i don't have any hesitation in saying that because it's the truth and of course those are always proudly found on diehardbostonsportsfans.com and never

miss an episode of the one Patriots place podcast. Other than this one, of course, my favorite Patriots podcast out there in the Twitter verse course, Murph is the co-host along with our great mutual friend, Steve Balistrieri. And how can we forget the countess of class herself, miss Claire Cooper, but thanks again, honored and always humbled by your presence. Oh, thank you again, bud. I really appreciate being here.

You know, you give me free reign to come in here and spout what I want, even though it's not what other people are talking about. But trust us, you know, people will be talking about what we talked about today in the weeks to come. Well, folks, again, I always bring this man on to bring the wisdom and counsel the way only he can. And you never, ever cease to amaze and you never, ever disappoint. What can I say? Thank you again, buddy.

Stay safe, stay well. We look forward to musing the draft here again next week right here on Locked on Murph Monday. Hashtag Locked on Murph Monday, folks. Make it viral. This man deserves it. Have a great week, my friend. Talk to you soon.

You too, bud. And so, Patriots fans, we've got you through your Monday, but fear not, because there is still plenty of content left here all week long on Locked on Patriots. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, Radio.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most importantly, I sincerely thank all of you for listening today and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow,

Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.