Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: 2024 Breakout Candidates, Biggest Concerns, Measuring Success

Episode Date: May 26, 2024

As the New England Patriots progress through OTAs, fans and media alike are attempting to identify potential breakout candidates for 2024. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Patriots Country’s Michael Brauner to discuss Pats’ possible breakout players, their biggest remaining concerns and how the success of this season should be measured. #nfl #patriots  Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Yahoo FinanceFor comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor. Yahoofinance.com eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

When you've got nowhere to go but up like your New England Patriots in 2024, who's the most likely candidate to break out? Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

And also, hopefully, your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, but we are also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button and download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for the Patriots country,

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underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, today we're talking breakout candidates for your New England Patriots. Wrapping up week one of OTAs, and the New England Patriots are marching toward the start of mandatory minicamp on June 10th. Well, here today is my esteemed new colleague at Athlon Sports Patriots Country. You know him as the producer of the opening kickoff from 6 to 9 a.m. Central Time every morning on 105.5 WNSP. He is a senior sports analyst and a contributing writer to platforms such as Sports Illustrated and, of course, now Patriots Country.

He is my good friend, Michael Brawner. Michael, thank you so much for joining me here today, and welcome to Locked On, Patriots. Appreciate you having me on, Mike. I'm excited about this. We're excited to have you. Folks, Mike has been doing tremendous work over at Patriots Country for Athlon Sports. If you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet, I highly encourage you to do so. Some great pieces, great work, and it's always an honor to share the microphone with knowledgeable

Patriots fans and knowledgeable Patriots media. And today, folks, is a treat because we've got it both. And let's dive right into the subject of the day, Mike, because obviously week one of OTAs is wrapped up in Foxborough. The Patriots continuing OTAs. Mandatory minicamp is still a few away. But when New England Patriots fans start to get excited, they start to think about which players they're excited to see on the field and obviously everyone's excited to see Drake May take his snaps we all want to see Joe Milton launch those moon bombs that he's been launching in New England right now Jacoby Brissett someone I think people are excited to watch from Andre Stevenson to Mario

Douglas Jalen Polk Javavon Baker. You can keep naming these players that Patriots fans are excited to see, and it gets them to thinking about 2023. That's not exactly a warm and fuzzy memory for a lot of Patriots fans. A 4-13 season never is, but several Patriots made their mark on this team last year, Mike, including Christian Barmore, Jelani Tavai, Demario Douglas. These are guys that weren't necessarily household names across the NFL landscape, but these players actually did a very good job of making themselves into invaluable pieces on this team. When you look at the 2024 roster, whether it be a rookie, a veteran, a new addition, or a fan favorite, who is at the top of your list of potential breakout candidates

for the Patriots this season? Yeah, so obviously 2023 was what it was. And you bring up the Demario Douglas. I struggled a little bit with the, all right, what are we talking about breakout player? Because Demario Douglas, I think, obviously, every Patriot fan knows who Demario Douglas is. Does Demario Douglas I think obviously every Patriot fans knows who Demario Douglas is does Demario Douglas have a thousand yard season this year and enter you

know into that household name across the NFL conversation maybe I mean I think he's uh he's the best weapon on the team but I wouldn't really consider him a breakout player since like you said I think every uh Patriot fans already excited to see him. The first guy that came to mind for me is a new addition, not a rookie, a really under-the-radar signing. I want to say he was the first free agent signing that the Patriots made. And, you know, the casual fan might get to week one and say, like, oh, they brought in this guy. I actually put down Antonio Gibson.

I think he has a chance to be a really, really, really good weapon in this offense. Now, is it going to be five years ago where he, you know, is randomly having 40-point games in fantasy football? Probably not. But I really like Gibson's value because if you're going to let Ezekiel Elliott go, which you obviously did, you know, if you remember Ramondre Stevenson two years ago, as great as he was, and he was the number seven overall running back in fantasy,

or number seven overall player rather, as great as he was, he kind of was the entire offense. And believe me, the offense has room to allow people to be the entire offense if that makes any sense. But you don't want Ramondre Stevenson having to take the entire offense, if that makes any sense. But you don't want Ramondre Stevenson having to take the entire workload of being a pass catcher, being a three down back, doing everything like he was in 2022. And it kind of started to wear down. You saw it a little bit in 2023 and Ezekiel Elliott, he just didn't look like the same player. Ezekiel Elliott, frankly,

was the more productive back, which I don't think anyone expected. But Gibson, I think, comes in, takes that pass catching load off of Ramondre Stevenson and gives the offense a little bit, you know, almost turning the clock back to the James White role. They really haven't had that guy since 2020 in White's last season. So I really like the potential of Antonio Gibson in this offense. Absolutely agree with you. I think Gibson can be a very good contributor and a big contributor to this offense. Absolutely agree with you. I think Gibson can be a very good contributor and a big contributor to this offense. We're already seeing the switch, like you said, in Alex Van

Pelt's philosophy from what we saw under Bill O'Brien and, of course, what we saw a couple of years ago under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge is that switch to the outside zone runs that the New England Patriots want to incorporate as part of the facilitation of the play-action passing game, taking the deep shots down the field, but also using the intermediate areas of the field. If they're going to use the passing game in that intermediate area, a pass catching back is a very good weapon to have. And Antonio Gibson is very good.

He did a great job with that with the Washington Commanders. There is a synergy and a relationship there with Jacoby Brissett. So if Jacoby is going to get the ball to start the season, like many people project he will, this is a very good player that you want to build around and you want to use as a potential key cog in your offense. Ramondre Stevenson is going to be the feature back. I don't think anyone's questioning that. I don't think Antonio's coming in here thinking he's going to supplant Ramondre as the everyday back, assuming everyone's healthy. I always give that caveat because, as you know, Mike, health is the great equalizer across the league. But if Ramondre is healthy and ready to go, he's absolutely the

lead back. But Antonio is someone that does have the ability ability the shiftiness to cause some mismatches as a runner I don't want to make it seem like he's only going to be a pass catcher out of the backfield this guy can run and he can give you contributions on the early downs but he's a potentially going to be I think a very good third down weapon for this offense so I look at Antonio Gibson and say yeah he could be a breakout candidate for the Patriots, not just for the team itself, but even throughout the league, maybe become more of a household name than he has been in years past. It's funny you brought up the Jacoby Bursette connection. I didn't even think of that, but that's such a good point. Obviously, two guys

who are familiar with each other is something you always want. Another guy I put down, and it's funny because I could see him not making the team. There's so many questions at this position group, not many of them good. But actually, I put down K.J. Osborne, who's kind of just been the definition of solid in Minnesota. Nothing spectacular. Right around 50 catches 500

yards is a complimentary piece and you know having the justin jeffersons of the world certainly uh certainly helps that obviously the patriots don't have that so if you ask uh kj osborne to step into a bigger role it might be difficult for him to produce at the same level but it's funny what's what's going on with this wide receiver group like Like I'm sure Patriots fans would like to see Taequann Thornton break out. I know I would. I thought he was going to be great, and obviously it just hasn't materialized. Taequann Thornton at this point, though, there's no great wide receiver on the roster yet. We'll see what happens with Polk and Baker.

But, I mean, Taequann Thornton could make the roster. He could be cut. KJ Osborne could make the roster. He could be cut. KJ Osborne could make the roster. He could be cut. Same thing with Juju. I mean, I think Juju Smith-Schuster hasn't shown anything over the last season to say, yeah, he should be in this room. He's going to be a big factor.

You could question his health from last year. He says he was at 60%. Now he's at 100%. I don't really believe that, frankly. I mean, not that I think he was fully healthy last year, but I think last year of Smith-Schuster, what we got is pretty much what you're going to get with him, and Belichick thought he could replace Jacoby Myers' production with him,

but obviously that wasn't the case as Jacoby Myers scored a touchdown seemingly every week for the Raiders last year, probably the most frustrating thing of the entire season. But, yeah, I can see KJ Osborne breaking out I guess and and you know Patriots don't need more than 500 yards out of him you you'd hope that Jalen Polk is going to kind of take over as that guy their team's still short a wide receiver one I don't think anyone's saying that but uh you know they have a lot of guys who I think can be great complimentary pieces I'm thinking KJ can maybe be one of them yeah I love I love the addition of KJ Osborne. And look, not just because of what he can do on the field,

because I don't think he's necessarily got the opportunity to shine. When you play behind Justin Jefferson, it's difficult to secure the spotlight from a player that talented and that capable of taking over a game. But Osborne is someone that can win his battles. We've heard this from his teammates, from his coaches, and we've heard this from now his Patriots teammates that are getting a chance to see what he can do on the field. I also love the maturity and leadership abilities he brings. This is a guy that leads by example, and he inspires people. Off the field, one of the great guys that you'll meet anywhere in the NFL landscape. And that's something that I think is so important for the Patriots this year, Mike.

What they've wanted to do is build a culture of strong character players that they feel can be rocks that they can build on with this team and help build a foundation here, not just from the prowess that they're going to show on the field, but most importantly, the prowess that they show behind the scenes. And K.J. Osborne is someone I believe that can thrive here in New England under Gerard Mayo, under Alex Van Pelt, and really show what he can do. So this is one that I will absolutely be keeping my eye on as well. When I looked at the Patriots breakout candidates, yeah, Mike Mike I'm going to steal your thunder a little bit folks Mike wrote a phenomenal piece about this young man that I'm about to speak of on Patriots

country folks I encourage you to go check it out this was my favorite draft pick from a couple of years ago and that is Marcus Jones obviously Marcus coming back from a shoulder labrum injury but Marcus believes that he is completely healthy, completely putting it behind him. And according to the piece that you wrote earlier this week, Mike, he's not really going to let people forget who his name is. He thinks that a lot of people are sleeping on his talent, but they shouldn't be. And I agree. The Patriots should not be sleeping on this kid, not just as a punt returner, which he was an all-pro punt returner a couple of years ago. Obviously, he's catching the right eyes when it comes to the NFL hierarchy. You don't win that award just because they like a highlight. You win that award for being a solid player from start to finish,

and that's what he was in his rookie season. I think people forget the triple threat ability that this kid has. In 2022, he became the first NFL player since Deion Sanders. That's pretty good company to be in. The first NFL player since Deion to score a touchdown on defense, on offense, and on special teams. Specifically, the first guy in 75 years to have a receiving touchdown, a punt return touchdown, and an interception return for a touchdown in the same season.

That's not happenstance. That's by design. That's talent. And I think Marcus is going to show that talent this year. We all marvel at his speed. I think you may see him emerge as the primary slot option by season's end. And I'm saying that with as much love and admiration for Jonathan Jones as you could possibly have for an NFL player.

I think Jonathan's place on this roster is secured, but I think by season's end, you're going to be seeing that the Patriots saw a lot in Marcus to be able to be their slot corner of the future. I think this is the year he breaks out and shows that ability. Yeah, Jonathan Jones was really good when they moved him to the outside uh in the first couple games two years ago and that you know marcus jones getting hurt last year uh in week two i think it was against miami it was kind of like the beginning of the not that that team ever stood a chance last year the team the roster was terrible and they were always going to be terrible

but you know obviously you had some bad luck on defense injury-wise, Marcus Jones and Gonzalez and Judon. But Jones, like, when he went down in week two and it didn't sound good immediately because I think they ruled him out right away, it was almost like the beginning of the end. It was like, all right, like, this team has very few flashy, fun players. Like, Gonzalez is an exciting rookie but very very

little excitement on this roster and uh you know there goes marcus jones in week two so yeah i think he's a guy that a lot of people were really excited about going into last year seeing what he can do and then and then uh of course you know suffers an injury that seems you know he's come back from fine it was a shoulder issue and uh hopefully, yeah, he can in what is a year or two redo, I guess, for him. Yeah, absolutely. And honestly, he was a pick of mine last year to be a breakout candidate after a strong rookie season and really show what he can do in the defensive backfield as well as in the return game and special teams.

So drop us a note in the comments section below on YouTube or reach out to either one of us on Twitter. If you're listening to this podcast, let us know who your breakout candidate is for the New England Patriots in 2024. A lot of opportunities to make names for themselves. Maybe they'll make some waves in the standings. We're going to talk about that in just a moment. So don't go anywhere, folks. You're going to want to stay locked into this episode of Locked On Patriots to absorb Michael's great wisdom and counsel. But we wouldn't be doing our job, Mike, as reporters and those that cover this team, to talk about the potential concerns on this roster right now.

What's the biggest concern for your New England Patriots heading into 2024? Michael Bronner and I are going to discuss that point and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, passion, drive, and patience is what brings home that winning trophy. You know what? It's also what keeps your ride or die alive. Our good friends over at eBay Motors have everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. From superchargers to roof racks to exhaust kits, LED headlights, and so much more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has got you covered.

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Eligible items only, exclusions apply. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Welcome back, Patriots fans, to this weekend episode of Locked On Patriots, taking you into your holiday weekend with my good friend and colleague over at Patriots Country of Athlon Sports, Michael Browner. And as you look at this roster from top to bottom, there are a lot of concerns. Obviously, one of the biggest would be the quarterback position. Did the Patriots do enough to surround Drake May with talent so that way he can be productive in his first year?

Or are the Patriots looking at a developmental project in Drake and they're going to have to start the veteran, Jacoby Brissett, and maybe play the veterans a little bit more than they wanted to? Does Bailey Zappi hang around on this roster because of that, or do they go with the talented arm of Joe Milton? Are the Patriots enough on the offensive line? Did they do enough to protect whatever quarterback is going to be taking snaps there? On the defensive side of the ball, did they do enough to maintain a unit that was ranked pretty high among a lot of NFL pundits last season for their

performance? Mike, when you take a look at this roster from top to bottom, you take a look at the Patriots strengths and weaknesses, what is still the item on that list that keeps you up at night as a Patriots fan? What's your biggest concern? Now, obviously the roster is deficient in a lot of areas. You know, there's no, there's no hiding that fact. You can talk about the wide receiver group. You can talk about the offensive line, which frankly, the entire left side of it is a big question mark for me. Roster-wise, I think you're really looking solid in the secondary, especially with the guys you have coming back from injury. But if there's a biggest concern

for me this season headed into the first year of the Gerard Mayo era, and I've kind of gotten on board with, with May, I didn't love it at first. Uh, I guess I didn't love the fact that I felt there were quality candidates out there, like the Mike, a Mike Rabel, for example. And I just didn't love the whole succession plan thing that, you know, this, okay, we're getting rid of Belichick, but we're getting rid of him to, you know, bring in the guy that he's hand training. I know they're not the same guy,

but everything Mayo knows about coaching obviously came from Bill Belichick. So I'm on board with it because I think the players are on board with it. I just didn't love how that was handled. I guess my biggest concern, the defense was phenomenal last year. How does that defense performance translate from the Bill Belichick era to the Gerard Mayo era? And I'm a believer that Mayo is going to be able to get it right, but how many growing pains will there be with a new head coach? Bill Belichick, fault him all you will uh certainly as a general manager you have to fault him and he's single pretty single-handedly responsible

for the roster getting to the state it was but that team never quit last year they there were very few games early in season sure the Saints game the Cowboys game there were a couple games they got blasted in but I mean they were pretty relatively competitive in most games and largely due to the fact i mean the three-game stretch last season uh the three-game stretch of offense that set football back you know 50 years but uh against the colts chargers and giants i can't remember exactly what the order was but the defense gave up 26 points and two touchdowns in total across three games granted how they scored a total of uh they got shut out twice and then 10 i think against uh against the colts in germany so you know the offense obviously and that blame squarely fell

on belichick i think mac didn't really have any people want to say like was mac jones failed or you know did did uh did he just never have – I think it's both, frankly. I don't think he was ever going to be an elite quarterback. I think you saw his ceiling rookie year. But, obviously, what Belichick surrounded him with was the reason for the bottoming out of offense. And, of course, he gets benched eventually and rightfully so.

You know, Zappi delivered some kind of spark. But, you know, 26 points and two touchdowns across three games that the defense gave up the six nothing game to the chargers i mean again i i'm not apologizing for belichick because he's the reason why the offense was as poor as it was but how does the defense look in a year where team's got a struggle on offense again? I hope they're going to be better with Alex Van Pelt and we'll see who's playing quarterback and some improvements. I hope they'll be better. But, you know, the offense is obviously going to struggle.

My concern is can the defense still keep them in games? They get Christian Gonzalez back. They get Matthew Judon back. They get Marcus Jones back. Can the defense continue to keep them in games and let the offense go through the growing pains it's going to go through? Like, what is the transition to a Gerard Mayo called defense versus a Bill Belichick called defense look like? That's a great point. And I think probably a point that not a lot of people are making because they're looking at this roster and they're saying, okay, well, Patriots are

stacked on defense. They had a good defense last year. They're getting Jude on back. Barmore is going to be back and better than ever. Marcus Jones is coming back. Christian Gonzalez is coming back. All of the things that you mentioned and all of a sudden Patriots fans are thinking, well, we're set on that side of the ball. All the concern needs to go over to the offense, but it's not enough in the NFL to go out and

to do what you did last year you've got to come back and you've got to equal that or make it better and the Patriots defense does face a transitional year this year for all of the continuity that they try to maintain with having a defensive minded head coach like Gerard Mayo someone who has played on that defense played under Bill Belichick knows knows his tendencies, knows how to coach this team on defense, and also adding in someone like Demarcus Covington, who has been there for a number of years and is going to be the defensive coordinator now. That's a good amount of continuity, but just because you did it last year doesn't mean you're going to go out there

and do it again. It's a new voice in that head coach's room, and we heard Keon White talk about that earlier this week. Yeah, we don't have Belichick jawing in our ear anymore and telling us about what we need to do right. I think a lot of media pundits may have taken that the wrong way because Keon followed that up immediately with, I miss that. I miss Bill Belichick being on us all the time. I think in some ways it's going to be a difference in voice and a difference in style. And because of that, that's where I think the Patriots are going to really watch what they need to do when it comes to their technique and their abilities on the field. So I love that suggestion. And I think it's something that the Patriots fans should have a concern over

because it is a departure from the way they've done business for so long up here under Bill Belichick. In my opinion, when I look at this team's deficiencies, to me, it still begins and ends with the offensive line, especially at left tackle. Now, I know a lot of people are worried about Cole Strange right now. I had Dr. Kyle Trimble, who's an AFC East injury expert, and we talked a little bit about Cole potentially being out beyond midseason, and that does create a void on the offensive line. I think the Patriots are well-equipped to handle that with the drafting of Layden Robinson and maybe a shifting of City So over to the left. I would go with Layden at the left and keep City

on the right because he had such a good year last year, but the Patriots are worried about that left side. It may make more sense to have a little more experience rather than someone like Leighton, who is a rookie and still going to have rookie growing pains. I get that, and I think the Patriots have equipped themselves well to have guys that can fill in. Even someone like Antonio Mafi can play minutes at those positions to help you, but on the left side, especially at the tackle position, you're dealing with a battle between two guys that haven't played a whole lot of left tackle in their careers. Caden Wallace as a rookie out of Penn State and Chuck Sikora as a veteran coming over from the Steelers. Chuck's has got more experience

playing on the left side than Caden does, But at the same time, you're still dealing with train yourself to do something differently than you're used to doing it. And my good friend Thomas Murphy joined me earlier here on the pod this week and talked about trying to force yourself to do something with your left hand or your right hand, depending on which hand you're dominant with, that you don't normally do. If you're a lefty, try eating with your right hand, depending on which hand you're dominant with, that you don't normally do. If you're a lefty, try eating with your right. If you're a right, you know, try swinging a bat with your left or things of that nature. If you're not used to doing it, it can be difficult, and that's something where you need either a veteran presence or a highly dedicated,

highly motivated rookie to put the time in to be able to utilize that on the left side as opposed to the right. I think the Patriots saw something in Caden Wallace, and I think that's why they're looking at him as someone that can make that switch. Scott Peters has an eye for linemen that can be versatile and play on both sides. He obviously saw something in Caden, and they're going to continue to work with him on that. Chuck Sikora is someone that has the dedication and the discipline. He can do it, but it really forces you this year to maybe take a step back in that regard. Whereas Pats fans, I think we're hoping for more on the offensive line. I think it's unfair to say that

the Patriots weren't aggressive enough in free agency to go get a solid veteran level left tackle. I know Tyron Smith was out there available, but there wasn't much in the free agent market that the Patriots could throw a lot of money at for a player that could come in and revolutionize the way this team operates on the left side. I think where they may have missed their opportunity is the draft, because obviously this was a draft class

that was very deep in tackle talent, especially on the left side. Did they leave someone on the board? Only time will tell when it comes to that. But what the Patriots, I think, need to do is utilize this opportunity to incorporate Alex Van Peltz and Scott Peters' new offense, very heavy in outside zone. If there is something Patriots fans can take solace in,

it's the fact that outside zone doesn't force you to block on an island if you're a left tackle or a right tackle. It does incorporate a little bit more of a team effort in order to be able to make the blocks or open the holes that you need to to facilitate the running game. So maybe they try to go with a combination of Wallace and with a core four and see what's there if one of those guys jumps out and they end up solving your problem beautiful you've got the problem solved if you don't you can always regroup take a look at what's available next season and then you can go after maybe your left tackle of the future will campbell kelvin banks just a couple of names that come to mind of guys that the Patriots may be watching. But to me, I think that's the biggest concern

because you have a valuable veteran and you have a highly valuable rookie that you need to protect this year. If you don't have that protection, things can get ugly in a hurry. You don't just worry about their development. You also worry about their health. That's the biggest concern to me if I'm a Patriots fan. You know, I struggled between the Mayo defense and the left side of the offensive line, so I'm glad you brought it up that I didn't. I mean, I think Okafor is ultimately a Band-Aid, and I didn't love the Caden Wallace pick, frankly. Like you said, there was a tackle-heavy draft,

and it felt like they took a developmental guy, which, frankly, they need a guy who can come in and play now what you know but i don't claim to be a scout you know who knows if they they left the guy on the board or you know could have traded up for a guy i'm pretty happy with how things went in the first two rounds with uh may and jaylen polk got like you know people were talking about do they trade down and or do they trade down or just draft joe alt at three uh so you know which you could have done and then you probably have an all franchise left tackle in hindsight i don't know a single patriot band who wanted them to do that but yeah that would have solved the problem that

would have had me ready to uh ready to ready to jump but i mean i wouldn't have been thrilled if uh if they drafted jo Joe Alt at number three, but I get the logic in it. I'd rather have Drake May and let them figure it out from there. But as we've seen, it's hard to find a quality left tackle. Absolutely. And I agree with you. Look, I know our good friend Murph was, you know,

he was shouting from the rooftops that he wanted Alt to be the Patriots pick, advocating them trading down and getting your building block along the offensive line to build upon for many years to come. But if there's one thing that history has taught us, it's that quarterbacks with the talent level and the ability to be a top level quarterback in the NFL don't come along all that often. I think the Patriots identified that in Drake May. And because of that, he's a New England Patriot now, and he's your guy for the future. Now, next year, if it doesn't work out, you can pivot and again, go to guys like a Will Campbell or a Kelvin Banks. So I think the Patriots identified that need and said, well,

I think we can utilize the draft or utilize free agency or try to find a solution to the left tackle position a lot easier than we can if we passed up Drake May. And now we've got a huge hole at the quarterback position. And another couple of years, you're going to be watching Drake launch passes to wide receivers for another team and saying he was there for the taking. We could have had him. That's a very difficult thing for a team to walk away from, and I think they made the right move here as well.

So bottom line, folks, what is your biggest concern for your New England Patriots heading into 2024? Drop us a note in the comments section below or reach out to Mike or myself on Twitter and let us know what you're thinking. Mike, we're not done yet because there is one more burning question on the minds of all Patriots fans heading into their holiday weekend as they prepare to watch this team take the field for mandatory minicamp. 4-13 is not an area Patriots fans want to see again. Did the Patriots do enough this offseason to even better that mark by one

win? Some pundits say yes, some pundits say no. Mike and I are going to reveal our thoughts on the subject when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, I'm really excited today to tell you about our sponsor, Yahoo Finance, because when it came to my financial future, I thought I had done it all. I saved, I researched, I invested all that I could, but I still had a lot of questions, and I wasn't sure of that next step.

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Mike, we've talked a lot about the Patriots and who may break out this year, who may be a celebrated New England Patriot by year's end that maybe isn't getting so much press right now. We've also talked about the biggest concerns on this roster and why they may be a hindrance in the Patriots' ability to make an improvement on a 4-13 season last year. That really, I think, is the biggest question on everyone's mind right now. We can always dance around the quarterback issue or the left tackle issue or the defense issue. Anything that would take away from the true question that should be on

the minds of Patriots fans is, is this team any better than the unit that finished 4-13 last year? Mike, I put the question to you. Do you believe this roster, as constructed, and the type of strategy that you hear the Patriots want to employ this year, do you believe right now that this is better than a 4-13 team? You know, when I first asked myself the question, I said, obviously, of course they're going to win more than four games. The quarterback position is better. The wide receiver position is better.

How could they not? And then I started looking at the schedule again. I was like, wait a minute. Maybe they're really not better than four and 13. I mean, Vegas has the line set at four and a half, which I think is right about spot on. I think it's going to be between four and six. Obviously, like you would want – the C.J. Str houston is is the very much the exception not the rule so obviously like

i'm not even gonna get my hopes up there that oh drake may could have a miracle season and the team's gonna win 10 games it's not gonna happen the team's just not good enough uh and they have a rookie head coach who could end up being great but i guess the texans also had a rookie head coach last year and dom'Amico Ryans. But, you know, I just, it's a pipe dream to think that's even the ceiling. I think the ceiling is probably around six or seven wins. And you got to ask yourself, like, do you want the team to even, like, yeah, it'd be nice to show signs of improvement,

but if they win three or four games again, well, you know, you're picking in the top three again. You got a chance to look at Kelvin Banks or whether it be a top receiver that breaks out. I haven't done a ton of research on next year's draft class. I'm just glad the Patriots got the quarterback now because I know what next year's quarterback class looks like. But, I mean, when you look at the schedule, Cincinnati week one, that's almost certainly going to be a loss. Although wacky things happen in week one. The Bengals have struggled in week one, that's almost certainly going to be a loss, although wacky things happen in week one. The Bengals have struggled in week one historically,

so you never know, I guess. But if you don't get that win against Seattle at home week two, you're probably not going to beat the Jets, assuming Aaron Rodgers is healthy. You're not going to beat San Francisco. Then you've got Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, and London, the Jets. I mean, none of these are ridiculously hard games besides San Francisco on the road,

but I just don't look at any of these games like, yeah, that's a win for the Patriots. It's just not there. That's the status of the team right now. So do I think they're going to win more than four games? Maybe, but it's not going to be more than five. It's almost certainly not going to be more than five. It's almost certainly not going to be more than six, which is fine. It's year one of a hard reset, rebuild. My hope for the team is that they

are less painful to watch. We can actually have some fun watching the team again. Hopefully, Drake May gets in there, and hopefully guys who are new additions, especially the rookies, show a little promise. If that happens and the team wins five games and the team wins three games I'm gonna be doing just fine yeah I think Patriots fans will be doing just fine if this team wins five or six at this point it will allow Pats fans to believe that things are getting better things are progressing in the right direction and I think you'll see an awful lot of optimism. And again, winning that low amount gives you the opportunity to be picking in the top half of the draft once again. And you get that type of potentially generational talent that you want to cultivate this team for many years to come. The other thing that leads me

to believe that this is a team that can grab at least one more win than they had last year is the defense that you talked about in the previous segment the Patriots were ninth in defensive DVOA last year fourth in EPA per play and seventh in success rate and you're talking about a team that was absolutely stout against the run in 2020 and 2023 you have to think they're going to continue that in 2024 with guys like Christian Barmore, Keon White making that next level jump to be not only sound run defenders, but also getting after the passer as well. So if the Pats defense can carry them to at least one more win, I think it's a win-win

situation for the Patriots. Still picking in the first half of the draft, but also building upon something and knowing that you were at least one win better from the year before, I think Patriots fans will be very satisfied with that outcome. No doubt about it. I mean, again, it's about looking better than you did last year, looking not completely hopeless on offense. That's my big hope for this team. How many games they win? They're not a playoff team so if you can make the argument you you would want them to finish with a four win record again right someone who like just actively roots against the team and won't be mad if they're winning games late in the season but uh well maybe

depending on what their the record is if they win a pointless game in week 16 it can be a little bit frustrating but uh they still got ended up with dra Drake May, who is who I wanted from the beginning. So, you know, as long as the team is showing progress, the record is less the concern for me than what that record looks like. Absolutely. That is so well said, folks. It's about the progress on the field and it's about positioning yourself for success in the future. Don't get hung up on the win losses. Don't get hung up on the final record. Patriots have a very tough schedule and a gauntlet to go through at points this year. If they don't pile up the wins, that's not necessarily a terrible thing. It really is about the progress we're seeing on the offense, most importantly, and can they maintain and even build upon that stout defense that they had just one year ago. Michael, excellent analysis, always spot on.

And again, folks, this is the type of analysis you can expect to see on Athlon Sports Patriots Country each and every day from Michael Brawner, and you're going to be seeing him again as a regular here on Locked On Patriots as we progress through the season, and we continue to break down the Patriots campaign in 2024 under first-year head coach Gerard Mayo. But in the meantime, Mike, thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule today to join me here on Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, please let every one of our listeners know where they can reach out to you, interact with you,

and anything else you'd be keeping our sharp eye on from the great pen and the great voice of Michael Bronner. Yeah, I Appreciate that, Mike. I really enjoyed this. Thanks for having me on. Most of my interaction in terms of media wise is on Twitter. So give me a follow and at M Bronner WNSP that's B R A U N E R. And then WNSP that's my station.

You know, I'm down here in Mobile and I went to Alabama and I'm a huge college football fan, but I'm from New Jersey and the NFL is the first love always for me. So give me a follow on Twitter at M. Brawner WNSP. I'm usually tweeting some nonsense about the Patriots. Absolutely. And definitely be sure to follow him, folks.

And of course, be sure to follow all of the work that Mike is doing and always yours truly as well over at Patriots Country. And definitely check us out here on the Locked On Patriots podcast regularly. You will not want to miss a single second of the action. In the meantime, folks, get your questions in over the weekend because our good buddy Thomas Murphy is back on Monday. We're going to be breaking down all of your great questions. It's a Memorial Day Mailbag Monday episode of Locked On Patriots, so be sure to submit those questions.

You can submit them by Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Tag Murph in those questions at DMERC207, or you can send them in by email. You guys have been doing a great job flooding the email box, LockedOnPatriots at gmail.com. But in the meantime,

I want to thank my good friend Michael Brawner for his wisdom, his counsel, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Folks, enjoy your weekend. We will see you back here again on Monday. Always be sure to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to

see in the world. I'm Mike DeBate, wishing you all the very best, and we'll see you back here again on Monday on Locked on Patriots.