Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Commanders to Pass on Jayden Daniels? Will it be Drake Maye? Draft Diamonds

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is there trouble in the nation's capital? No, folks, I'm not talking about that kind of trouble. I'm talking about the kind of trouble that might drop Jaden Daniels into the lap of your New England Patriots. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots part of your weekend coverage of your New England Patriots. We are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. So subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate,

Starting point is 00:00:57 and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing some social media love to Lockdown Patriots, please be sure to follow our account there as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And of course, Pats fans, today's episode brought to you by Monopoly Go. I admit it, I've got a competitive side, and it's a big fan of Monopoly Go,

Starting point is 00:01:22 the mobile hit twist on classic Monopoly. So join your friends and download Monopoly Go now free on the App Store or on Google Play. And Pats fans, thank you for joining me here today on this special edition weekend episode of Locked On Patriots and a

Starting point is 00:01:39 special shout out to all of you Locked On everydayers out there. Those of you who make Locked On Patriots possible, my unending appreciation for you. Thank you for sticking with the pod. Always honored, always humbled by your support. And Pats fans, the NFL draft is just days away. Perhaps the most significant draft the Patriots have had

Starting point is 00:01:59 in the Robert Kraft era. Now, what direction are the Patriots going to go into? That's a question on everybody's mind right now. Only Elliot Wolfe and the Pat's Brain Trust really know that for sure. But, you know, that's not going to stop us from lending our wisdom and counsel the way only we can. And I say our because, as you can see, I'm joined by a special guest today. A rising star in our business, covers a plethora of teams for Athlon Sports. He is my

Starting point is 00:02:26 colleague, my good friend, Harrison Reno. Harrison, thanks for joining me and welcome back to Locked On Patriots. Mike, thank you for having me again. It's a pleasure doing business with you. I'm so excited when you hit me up about this. I was like, I can't wait to get back and talk. Like you said, probably the most consequential Patriots draft and I guess of the Robert Kraft era because I don't remember them being a situation like this in my lifetime at least absolutely and you say your lifetime yeah it makes me feel old I was 13 years old the last time the Patriots actually not quite 13 just yet but was 1993, and the New England Patriots had the first pick in the NFL draft, chose the quarterback out of the great state of Washington named Drew Bledsoe to lead them,

Starting point is 00:03:11 and since that time, the Patriots have risen to levels of respectability, and then obviously under the Bill Belichick, Tom Brady regime, this team won six Super Bowl championships and became arguably the gold standard in the NFL for at least two of those decades. The Patriots are looking to try to get back there, Harrison, but you know as well as I, in any era, it's not easy to do that. And the Patriots need to start with getting the right people on the field and the right people in the locker room, the right people in the front office. The Pats think they have maybe two of those covered with the right people in the front office. The Pats think they have maybe two of those covered with the right guy leading the team on the field,

Starting point is 00:03:48 and that's Gerard Mayo as head coach, and the right guy in the draft room in the front office in Elliott Wolfe. Wolfe obviously comes with a great deal of pedigree. He's done a very good job so far, but his ultimate litmus test is going to be this 2024 NFL draft. And everyone is anticipating the Patriots taking the quarterback. We've heard all the names, Jaden Daniels, Drake May, JJ McCarthy, Michael Penix, Bo Nix.

Starting point is 00:04:16 You know, you can keep going on and on. Caleb Williams is still being discussed in some circles because some believe in conspiracy theories saying that Chicago is going to go in a different way and he may drop to New England. Folks, until draft night, that's the beauty of this time of year. You really don't know what's going to happen, but that's what we're going to try to figure out here today. Obviously, if the Patriots go number three at quarterback, there are a number of guys that can come in and adequately lead this team, but there might be only one fit that really propels them back into respectability and maybe in a few seasons back into contention in the AFC.

Starting point is 00:04:53 As you've studied this draft class, Harrison, you know it as well as anyone. Who do you believe is the best fit for the New England Patriots of the names I've mentioned, or somebody that maybe I haven't mentioned. Quarterbacks tough, man. I mean, and I, I'm just, you know, you understatement of the century quarterbacks tough. It is. I, I, I, there, there's a lot of quarterbacks in this draft. I think, you know, I don't want to say he's my best fit, but if this was a different situation, say Allah 2021 draft, the 2021 draft, or was it 2020?

Starting point is 00:05:27 It was 2021, but it was like Mac Jones. If it was this roster, I'd say I wouldn't be opposed to the Patriots going JJ McCarthy. Somebody who you argue is more of a plug and play, let him develop, have a structure around him. But with the Patriots roster, as you and I know, everybody's listening now, it's not necessarily plug and play at the moment uh so with that in mind I don't think JJ McCarthy's my is in my opinion the best fit I think he could develop into that eventually uh but it's there's

Starting point is 00:05:58 always a risk with taking that type of quarterback you know I'd say I have the top four guys he's probably one of the least proven, probably the least proven. So I think the best fit for me, Mike, of the guys I think that will be there at three potentially, is Drake May. And I know there are a lot of questions about him, specifically in his short to intermediate accuracies. At some point, you're going to have to make a decision. You're going to have to say, hey, this is our guy, and we're going to develop him,

Starting point is 00:06:23 and we're going to take the pros and cons guy and we're gonna develop them and we're gonna take you know the pros and cons and we'll do what we can uh but you talk about drake may's college career you know great college career had had a good career showed a lot on tape uh and i know there's there's there's consistency issues there or at least perceived consistency issues there but i think with what he played behind at North Carolina you know maybe having to dodge and weave and just be the playmaker you know isn't something out of the blue for him like he's going to be able to do that he did that for two years at the start at Carolina I think if Alex Van Pelt can get his hands on him and really develop him and get him comfortable in that system there's a lot he can do in that offense there is that lofty comparison to Josh Allen with the arm talent here.

Starting point is 00:07:05 And I know it is not probably the comparison Patriots fans want to hear considering a Buffalo Bill. But if you can get 75% of the player out of Drake May that Josh Allen is, you're in a really good spot going forward. So I think Drake May is my best fit. Somebody who's going to be able to go in there and not really be, I guess, stunned at the fact, hey, I may not have a lot of time to throw. I may get hit a lot, or I may have to do it by myself.

Starting point is 00:07:32 I think that's what makes him the best fit. He's done it before for two years at North Carolina. Yeah, and I'm glad that you mentioned Drake May because, first of all, it allows me to play devil's advocate, and I'm going to do that in just a moment. But bottom line, I agree with you on May. i've been very vocal about that for the last couple of weeks the more you watch him the more you watch his mechanics the more you watch his arm strength and everything he brings to the table there's a lot of pro level ready skill set that can be contributed right out of the box now that being said being said, there are drawbacks. I've said several times,

Starting point is 00:08:10 I think May is too much of a gunslinger to be effective right now as he is in the NFL. That's going to be up to Alex Van Pelt. You kind of have to coach that out of him and allow him to take the check down when he sees the big play and the eyes open up. And a young quarterback is going to want to do that. First of all, they're trying to make a name for themselves. You can't blame them for that. But at the same time, they're also leading a team now and they're leading a professional team. Everyone around him is being played to play football. So they're going to want to maximize their abilities and they're going to want to maximize their winning. If a guy's taking too many chances and putting them in harm's way, he's not going to endear himself to his teammates. One of the things that makes a quarterback a pro quarterback for a number of years is

Starting point is 00:08:49 earning the trust and earning the respect of the guys in that locker room. Elliott Wolfe said this earlier when we spoke to him on Thursday morning. He says, I want someone that comes in and commands the respect of his teammates. Automatically, the guys gravitate toward him. I do believe that Drakeke may has that i also believe that jayden daniels has that and the fact that you've mentioned drake may kind of brings into light a note that i got from an everydayer uh he made a very good point was very respectful a great great comment and said that he didn't think i was giving enough credit to the patriots

Starting point is 00:09:22 drafting jayden daniels and the benefits that that Jaden could bring to this team, stating that he felt that I spent a little too much time talking about Drake May's ceiling and his upside. Folks, I'm definitely excited by what Jaden Daniels can bring here. I've been vocal that I do like May's upside in New England a little bit more than I like Jaden Daniels, but now this is looking like a distinct possibility because earlier this week, reports coming out from ESPN's John Kime and Adam Schefter that maybe Jaden is not as enamored with the nation's capital as we originally thought. Apparently, he's been looking in other places. That's not endearing him to the Washington commander's brain trust, but there's a flip side to that. Daniels thought that when he came in, it was going to be a visit exclusively for him with the Washington commanders. Apparently that did not sit the right way.

Starting point is 00:10:13 And yeah, I think that may have ruffled some feathers. So in that light, could you possibly see what everyone believed to be number two and number three, absolutely going to happen. Daniels to the commanders made of the Patriots. Could this flip flop things? What was it that Bill Belichick said this week on the Pat McAfee podcast? He said up until a certain point of like draft week, everything's a lie. I forget the actual quote and I wish I had,

Starting point is 00:10:40 I wish I went back. Cause he said like, don't the real leaks come out on this, you know, day and time. So, you know, and you wrote a good piece about it with Elliot Wolfe a few weeks back. It was smoke and mirrors. Is it smoke and mirrors here?

Starting point is 00:10:52 Is there interest in JJ McCarthy, you know, trying to hope that somebody else drops down the board or something like that? I've seen a good theory that with Adam Peters, the former Niners GM or assistant GM now in Washington, that maybe he's looking for that Brock Purdy type quarterback, which would probably be in terms of being a game manager, as our old Patriots friend Kim Newt would say, would be J.J. McCarthy.

Starting point is 00:11:18 But I could definitely see it going back to what it was always originally coming into this year. It was Caleb Williams at one Drake may at two. Uh, and that leaves a really interesting situation for the Patriots. Cause I think Jane Daniels, you know, he doesn't have the tools, doesn't really have maybe all the traits that are Drake may or a Caleb Williams has.

Starting point is 00:11:42 But the one thing he does that nobody else does of those guys is his legs and you know that could be his best friend in a New England offense that maybe doesn't have the best offensive line right now doesn't give him all the time to throw and plus when you talk about it you know when you think about it this way for an opposing defense what's what's one thing that's going to maybe, I guess, throw them off in their game plan or make them have to consider, hey, he can run the football. Like, he can take it down and scramble,

Starting point is 00:12:12 makes those guys hesitant with their pass rush. So I could definitely see Daniels, you know, dropping to three. I think of between May and Daniels, obviously, I think May has the higher ceiling. But if you want a guy that can come in and win maybe quicker right now without, you know, maybe a lot of the growing fans, I think Jaden Daniels could be that certainly for the Patriots at three. Yeah, without question. Look, Jaden Daniels is an exciting prospect. And the knock on him has been he needs to develop his skills, his abilities to operate from the pocket, make throws to all levels of the field.

Starting point is 00:12:46 We saw him do that last year with LSU. Routinely, you saw him hit targets at 30, 40 yards down the field. I understand. I know a lot of our listeners are going to be yelling, oh, he had Malik Nabors, and he had a tremendous receiving core down there. It's easy to do that with those guys. Yeah, to a certain extent, having a top-level receiver definitely helps you look better as a quarterback, but as the quarterback, you still need to get the ball where only

Starting point is 00:13:10 the receiver can get it. Jaden Daniels proved that. So for anybody that's a little squeamish on his ability to throw the football, I definitely encourage you to go back and take a look at some of the film on him. You'll see he can do it. I do agree with the pocket presence. I think that is something that would need to be coached by an Alex Van Pelt. But for someone like Alex, who loves to utilize the run to open up play action and hit the deep spots down the field, Jaden Daniels gives you another

Starting point is 00:13:35 dimension. And he gives you another dimension on those quarterback run design plays. I love watching him on quarterback power, quarterback counter, the draw plays, because that's where he's really able to utilize his speed and ability as a runner in the open field to make things happen. If you can add that dimension to an offense led by Alex Van Pelt that automatically wants to lean on the running game first, I'd be very interested to see how that's going to play out for New England. And Harrison, one of the things that I think is interesting here when it comes to the Patriots and what their best fit might be, I think best fit might be a relative term because depending on who you select, if it's Drake or if

Starting point is 00:14:15 it's Jaden, that may affect their biggest need beyond quarterback. And in just a moment, my good friend and colleague Harrison Reno and I are going to discuss what the Patriots' biggest needs are beyond the single-caller position. Stick around, folks. You're about to find out when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, it may be the NFL offseason, but it's playoff time in the NBA and the NHL. Baseball's in full swing, and FanDuel is your place to bet on every game. So listen up, because right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed.

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Starting point is 00:16:44 Joining me is my colleague, a phenomenal writer for Athlon Sports, Harrison Reno. Harrison, in the previous segment, we talked about best fits a quarterback, and we talked a little bit about whether or not Jaden Daniels may end up being in New England by default because of some difficulties he had, apparently, with the Washington Commanders in that visit. But you also astutely, and I give you a lot of props for bringing that up, quoted on Bill Belichick and saying that, you know what?

Starting point is 00:17:10 Don't believe anything you hear until the leak of the draft. But I think the debate between Drake May and Jaden Daniels really, I think, creates a whole new dimension to what the Patriots draft strategy may be. Because to me, that possibly could indicate that the New England Patriots may prioritize one position over another as being their biggest draft need besides quarterback. I'm not going to steal your thunder and ask you to go, you know, and ask you to pick a quarterback and say, how is that going to affect your decision? But when you look at this team beyond quarterback, what do you think is the Patriots' biggest need?

Starting point is 00:17:48 So it's really tough because not only do you have needs offensively too specific, like you've got to have this position, one of them being offensive tackle. I could see them doing a little shuffle around and maybe you put Okafor at left tackle, you put Owenu still at right tackle, and you figure out guard, which maybe opens you up to maybe taking a guard in the mid-rounds,

Starting point is 00:18:13 trying to solve that need. But then there's the receiver. And Mike, I'm not breaking any news here. I'm sure you've talked about it at length on this podcast already. There's no secret. The receiver is the best position group in this draft, or at least one of them. It is really deep.

Starting point is 00:18:30 I think you're going to get a first-round potential player on day two, whether it's in the second round. Third round might be pushing it, but I definitely think you are going to get a contributor at receiver in the second round. Can the same be set out off into tackle? I'm not a big O-line expert, so I can't really tell you. Is there a really big drop-off from those five or six first-round tackles

Starting point is 00:18:54 to the next five or six tackles taken off the board? I don't know. That's up for them to decide and all that. But I think second round, depending on how the board shakes out, I think you try and get tackle first because I think that is probably the biggest remaining need outside. decided and all that but i think second round depending on how the board shakes out i think you try and get tackle first because i think that is probably the biggest remaining need outside and if you get a good left tackle that's a that's a decade-long thing right there that's that's a position you touch once every 10 years hopefully and he's just there he's just there and you don't

Starting point is 00:19:21 have to worry about him as opposed to receiver, you may get a good receiver, a really good receiver, but then you're going to have to pay him after four years. So I think depending on how the board shakes out, and I could see with Drake May, you may want to lean tackle just since he's not as dynamic on his legs as Daniels, or you could just totally just change it all up, throw a curveball, say, hey, we're going to go get Drake May as playmaker,

Starting point is 00:19:49 and we'll figure out tackle later. So I think if it's Daniels, go get him a playmaker. Go get him an A.D. Mitchell if he's there. That's a guy I really like. Potentially could be their second round. If it's May, go get that man a left tackle so he's not running for his life back there in the pocket. And I'm so glad that you picked up on that because what this does

Starting point is 00:20:11 for the New England Patriots is it puts in sharp contrast how different their needs might be depending on the quarterback that they choose. Drake May, I agree with you. You need a solid protector of the football, of the quarterback, in order for him to be effective. I understand that he's athletic and he can scramble. He can make moves outside the pocket. One of the best prospects in this class at being able to do it,

Starting point is 00:20:33 but he's also a traditional pocket passer when you need him to be, and he's going to need that protection from the left side. I love Chukuma Okafor. I think he's going to be a good fit here in New England. He's saying all the right things. Elliot Wolfe was very high on him earlier this week, said if the season started today, I think Chucks is going to be the guy.

Starting point is 00:20:51 That's a question for Gerard Mayle, but he does have the ability to do it. I also think it's very important for people to remember that the majority of his pro-level experience is on the right side, not on the left. There are differences in the nuance. I know he played left in college and I understand he's got experience there, but it's tough to make that shift, especially when you have a rookie quarterback that is going to be leaning

Starting point is 00:21:15 on a veteran tackle, somebody that is experienced in that position that's played it recently. And that knows the limitations of a quarterback this is a this is such a rich class and offensive tackle talent that i think you are better off going with the tackle at this point if may is your guy because there are guys like a patrick paul there are guys like a jordan morgan that may be there at number 34 that you can bring in and can provide solid protection and be that anchor on that side for a number of years. If you're Jaden, I agree with you. I think you need a playmaker for the reasons that we talked about in the previous segment.

Starting point is 00:21:51 Neighbors and that receiver core at LSU was dynamic, and it only enhanced his capabilities. It allows him to be able to do what he needs to do with the football if defenders all of a sudden have to spend time dropping guys into coverage to make sure that your deep threat is not open for a big play so it does help you out in that in that case i think a playmaker would help and you mentioned ad mitchell i love him i think he's going to be a good fit uh xavier laguette is a guy that i have a major draft crush on right now at a south carolina I gushed about him politically earlier this week. A lot of people thought I was crazy for actually trading back into the first round to get him.

Starting point is 00:22:31 That's how much I like him. I'm not saying the Patriots should do that, folks. I'm telling you it's what I would do. But bottom line, Elliot Wolfe's making those decisions. But those are the types of guys that I think could be dynamic players on this team so now we're going to give Harrison Reno a chance to get on the hot seat and show his draft expertise because as you all know the Patriots are pretty good about getting draft diamonds in the rough yeah I know the narrative out there is that Bill can't draft don't buy into it I'm going to give you a stat that disproves that theory, and Harrison is going to let us know

Starting point is 00:23:06 who he is targeting on his draft board, whether it be a diamond in the rough or whether it be a diamond at the start of the draft. Who does Harrison Reno have at the top of his draft board? We're going to find out in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up

Starting point is 00:23:21 right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on this weekend episode of Locked On Patriots. Today here on the pod, I am joined by the wisdom, the counsel, the wit, and all of that by my good friend and colleague harrison reno of athlon sports and harrison in the previous segments we've been talking about potential great fits for the new england patriots i think a lot of the names that we've mentioned whether they be quarterbacks offensive linemen or receivers their names

Starting point is 00:23:58 they've heard their names with which they're familiar but you see things us mere mortals don't see sometimes when it comes to this draft board and different prospects that might look pretty good in a Patriots uniform. Well, the Patriots have had a knack for being able to pluck guys out of obscurity and give them pretty long careers. I'm going to read you a statistic that I think flies in the face of some of the narrative when it comes to the Patriots and their ability to draft. Since 2014, 67.3% of the players drafted by the New England Patriots, that's 62 of 92 players, are still in the NFL. That's fourth among all NFL teams. So for anyone saying the Patriots get guys that can't make it in the NFL and drop off. It's not the case. The Patriots have the

Starting point is 00:24:45 fourth best record in the NFL when it comes to longevity for some of these picks. And the thing that I really found interesting about this, 26 of those picks were made in the fifth round or later. So Patriots really maximizing late round draft capital to bring some really talented players here into Foxborough and give them long careers. They've got experience getting diamonds in the rough. So for all you say in the Bill can draft folks, just take a look at those numbers. Yeah. It kind of weakens the argument a little bit, but I digress. This is going to be a discussion about the future and the present Harrison. You love to pluck draft diamonds out of obscurity or out of the top of the heap and say, yep, you know what?

Starting point is 00:25:26 This guy's worth all the hype. Who is on Harrison Reno's draft diamond board for the class of 2024? So this is and this isn't really relative to the Patriots. These are just guys that I've watched or I've seen that I think are, you know, like, okay, I will take a chance on this guy. And I'm going to start it off first, because I think if Bill Belichick was still in New England, I think this guy would be a lock for maybe a third or fourth round pick, and it's Trevandre Sweat. This is a guy that I became familiar with last year,

Starting point is 00:25:58 watching DeMarvin Overshown, the linebacker out of Texas. Trevandre Sweat just flashed on tape. He's a nose tackle. I think he's like 360 pounds, 340 pounds. He's in that range, just a big dude. But when you think of a nose tackle, I don't know about you, Mike, but when I think of one, I think Wilford, Dontari Poe, those type of guys who just sit there, kind of plug the gaps,

Starting point is 00:26:17 don't let you move them off the line, don't let you run the football. Well, Tavondre Sweat's kind of different. Tavondre Sweat, he different javadre sweat he can plug he can plug against the run he can be the typical nose tackle but he's disruptive he's gonna he has really really good hands uh it's like his pass rush tools is what pops off the tape to me he just throws people up out the club pretty normally and uh i'm like okay like i could i could see this you know whether it's in New England or somewhere else where they they are you know have a fancy for those big nose tackles

Starting point is 00:26:50 I could see the Patriots taking a chance on him obviously he got into some legal trouble here recently uh and I don't know where that affects his draft stock but if he falls I wouldn't be surprised to see New England take a chance on him because getting the big man right up in the middle of that defense, nothing more scary for opposing teams than the Patriots getting another nose tackle. That's the first one. Second one, and I got some D-line bias, and I apologize, Mike, is Brandon Dolores out of Auburn. He is a, I think he's 280 pounds, bigger guy, long arms,

Starting point is 00:27:25 really surprised me with just his versatility. At Oregon, he played everywhere along that offensive line. I saw him lining up kind of in that one technique, zero technique, you know, right in the center of that center. And I'm like, this man looks undersized to be playing, you know, in that alignment. But he made it work nonetheless. I don't know where he fits in the NFL, Mike, because I don't know if he's as good as a run defender to play on the interior but with the multiple defense of the patriots run

Starting point is 00:27:50 i can see him playing in a number of spots i think he could be i'm not comparing him to uh oh boy his name keon white i'm not comparing him to keon white but i do see some similar traits and some similar attributes in the sense that these guys can move around and kind of play a number of different roles. Brendan Dolores, I don't know where he's going. Looks like he's a day two guy, early day three. Another guy to keep an eye on. And last defensive lineman, I promise, is Mason Smith at LSU. Maybe not a marquee name right now compared to where he was in high school.

Starting point is 00:28:22 He was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. I covered him when he was coming out of high school. And he just didn't have the career that many thought. When you get that five-star rating, you are supposed to be a first-round pick, supposed to be a day-two pick at the worst. Didn't really have that. Had a pretty solid freshman year at LSU, but then I think it was Tori ACL his sophomore year,

Starting point is 00:28:43 first game of the season, done. Hasn't really got back that explosivity that you saw out of him, those really good traits you saw at high school. I think he's probably going to be a day three pick. And if you're willing to take a chance on a guy that, you know, has those traits, has that upside of, hey, if we can get him back to playing at the level he did as a true freshman, then maybe he can go somewhere.

Starting point is 00:29:02 Maybe he can be productive and be a solid pick. I like Mason Smith. Value-wise, I think it's a really solid pick if you get him in day three. And then I'll transition, I promise, and do something that the Patriots may need, and that's offensive line help. And I'm sorry. I know you're going to know this right off the bat why I picked him,

Starting point is 00:29:23 but I really do like him, and it's Cedric Van Praan, the center at the University of Georgia. Played, went into Georgia's program as a true freshman, started at the center. That's tough to do at a program like that that was competed for national titles. You don't really walk into those offensive line rooms, come in and offensive line, especially as a center these days in college football. Tenacity, that's like the way I describe him. He just has that tenacity, has that aggressiveness.

Starting point is 00:29:47 You go see him, he's just throwing guys, throwing linebackers, getting to second level and having fun doing it. I don't know what David Andrews' status is. I know there was rumors, Mike, and you may know this better than I. There were rumors that maybe he was going to retire. But if he doesn't, maybe you give Cedric and Prentice you know a chance at guard see what he can do on the interior and maybe he helps you and you're one if not sits behind a fellow bulldog and maybe learns behind him so then I guess kind of my last I got two diamonds

Starting point is 00:30:18 maybe more diamonds than the names I put out here Tykee Smith. He played the star position, which is the nickel at Georgia, and usually that is the hybrid linebacker safety role. You're not just covering the slot receiver. You're going to be blitzing. You're going to be doing a lot of things. You're going to be helping them out. Kirby Smart says it's the smartest position on his defense. Got to know what everybody else is doing.

Starting point is 00:30:42 Tykee Smith surprised me. Had a really good year at surprised me uh had a really good year georgia then ran a really good 40 that was my biggest concern with him is i didn't know what his speed was and i think he ran 447 so i don't know where he fits in terms of at the nfl level i don't know if he's going to be a safety i don't know if he's going to be a nickel but with the patriots ability to go get those safeties and turn them into something and find where they fit even without Bill Belichick there maybe take a chance on them I don't know I wouldn't I wouldn't mind that and then the last one I'll give you a quarterback here Spencer

Starting point is 00:31:17 Rattler there's obvious you know another guy former five-star former really top-rated prospect didn't really have the career that people thought. But you go watch him at South Carolina, it's impressive. Really impressive. It was Xavier Leguette, it was Spencer Rattler, and then it was nobody. He was having to do a lot of things by himself. Just having to be, as you said about Drake May, just be a gunslinger. And I wouldn't mind, you know, if you want to get some insurance policy

Starting point is 00:31:46 or just want to get a developmental guy, take Spencer Rattler. Give him a chance. I think he can surprise some folks here at the NFL level. And I'll just stand for the guy. This is the quarterback, not really a dime in the rough, Mike. But the guy that I'm really high on that's not potentially, maybe not going to be a first round pick is Michael Penix.

Starting point is 00:32:07 Talk about gunslinging. He just incredible, the amount of consistent deep ball accuracy that he has. And I get it. People say it's easy when you got the NFL racehorses out there and Roma Dunze,

Starting point is 00:32:20 Jalen McMillan, all those guys. But he drops it into the bucket over and over and over again and it's like i don't know what he can do in the short to intermediate range i don't know that washington system well you know it could just be a case of you know i don't know what his processing is i think that's the biggest thing for quarterbacks these days is if you can't read the field if you can't process you're no matter what your arm strength is you're not going to be able to win in the NFL if he can do that at the you know at a high level I I think

Starting point is 00:32:50 he's just going to be a really good quarterback so that's kind of like the guy I'll stand for is like hey I will bang the table for this guy if you want somebody not in the first round potentially early second give Michael Penix a try absolutely I think that's a phenomenal list folks definitely hope you were taking notes I certainly was a few of the guys that stood out to me and brought pretty big smiles to my face folks and those of you watching on YouTube probably saw it I like suggestion right off the bat I like Devondre Sweat and I think that he has an opportunity to come in and to be a contributor on this team because this team did lose Lawrence Guy as a defensive tackle to free agency this year. So he's not going to be walking back through that

Starting point is 00:33:30 door. Patriots do have a need there and this guy dominating space eating run defender that can come in and help spell where I think they're going to try to use and maybe kick Keon White into gear a little bit and use him as a true edge and allow him to be able to do what he needs to do. This could be an opportunity for the Patriots to take a defensive tackle. And I think with the talent and the fact that, you know, there are situations that may allow him to slip a little in the draft, that could be an option. Tykee Smith is a guy I absolutely love, and he fits a niche on this team that again is vacated by a savvy veteran. For a couple of years up here, Adrian Phillips, a guy that I know personally know very well from his time covering the Los Angeles Chargers, a star safety slash linebacker, that hybrid role

Starting point is 00:34:16 and played it to such a high level here in New England that you're going to need to try to replicate that a little bit. And as much as I love Kyle Duggar and as much as I love Jabril Peppers, and I think they will make a solid tandem, and either one of those guys can play the position, if you can find someone dedicated to being able to do that, it absolutely speaks well. And the Patriots love them some Georgia Bulldogs. They're well coached down there. They're ready. They're pro-ready right out of the box.

Starting point is 00:34:42 That could be an option that I think the Patriots need to take very seriously. And then, of course, you talked about guys like Rattler and Penix. I think Rattler is underrated when it comes to this draft class, and I think he's going to make some quarterback-needy team very happy in 2024, whether it be as a starter or whether it be as a backup that emerges into a starter. I do think you're going to hear that name a lot throughout the course of the next few years in the NFL. And Pennix, I'm just going to finish by saying Pennix may actually be the best fit, pure fit for a quarterback in Alex Van Pelt's system. If he can get coached on accuracy issues and footwork issues, this guy is at his best when he's running an offense that uses the run to set up play action to open up the deep pass.

Starting point is 00:35:28 He can show off his cannon of an arm by doing that, and that's the type of offense that Alex Van Pelt loves to run. So I want to talk about quarterback fits, folks, bringing it all full circle. Michael Penix may be the guy, and Harrison Reno definitely took us there. But what can I say? It's great to have you back here on Locked On Patriots. Folks get used to seeing this young man next to me on the side of the screen. We're definitely going to have him back post-draft to discuss the Patriots draft hall.

Starting point is 00:35:53 We're going to talk about all that and more. But in the meantime, Harrison, please let all of our listeners know where they can reach out to you, where they can find your great work and what you've got coming for draft week in the world of the NFL, as we march toward the 2024 NFL draft. Right, right down here at the bottom at her screen on Twitter, Mike,

Starting point is 00:36:12 thank you again for having me. I don't have anything really planned for the draft at the moment. You know, I was in Kansas city last year, not going Detroit this year, but I'm just really looking forward to the three days of where we're talking about the next generation. I love the draft. I love this time period.

Starting point is 00:36:31 From right when free agency ends to now, it's like this is the best part of the offseason. It doesn't get any better. Really looking forward to this Patriots draft class because, I for the first time in a while Mike I feel like there are no stereotypes of hey the Patriots are going to go take this young slot receiver because Bill Belichick always does that like we don't know what the direction is of this team because it's so new it's just a whole new regime I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do because this could be for the ones that still have their doubts like there's not change enough this could be that you know that turning point of way it's actually a new era look what they've you know came out here with the draft with absolutely and folks it is a new era and ultimately we'll find out the direction of that new era in just a few days time

Starting point is 00:37:21 and don't forget to stay locked in here to Locked On Patriots for all of the latest draft coverage. In the meantime, I encourage you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of my good friend and colleague Harrison Reno, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great weekend, everyone, and we'll see you back here again on Monday on Locked On Patriots.

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