Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: DeAndre Hopkins Watch, Unicorns on Defense, Rookie Youth Movement?

Episode Date: June 17, 2023

While the collective eyes of the region continue to be fixed on wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the fate of the New England Patriots may rest upon the prowess of its defense. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com as the duo discuss Hopkins recent visit to Foxboro, the Patriots ‘Unicorns’ on Defense and rookies Christian Gonzalez, Keion White and Marte Mapu creating a youth movement on the preventive side of the ball.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedonnfl and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONNFL, they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARSin Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DeAndre Hopkins would make a great addition to the New England Patriots, but the team's fate likely rests on its defense in 2023. 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. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. am your host Mike debate and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots country of sports illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDA BAT E NFL. And while you're out there showing some weekend love to that Twitter verse, please be sure to follow the lockdown Patriots account as well at L O underscore Patriots. And that's fans.

Today's episode is brought to you by bird dogs, go to bird dogs.com slash locked on NFL, and they'll throw in a free custom Bird Dogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order. Pats fans, I want to thank you all for joining me here today and for making us your first listen today. And as always, a special shout out to all of you locked on everydayers out there. Those of you who continue to make Locked On Patriots possible. You're truly amazing. I absolutely am humbled by the time you spend with us each and every day here on the pod. My unending gratitude to you.

Unhumbled by your support as always. And Pats fans, while New England's attention remains collectively focused on the New England Patriots' potential of signing free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, it's important, I think, to remember that the New England Patriots' fate and how far they go in 2023 may be dictated by their defense. And here today, the talk some Patriots defense is a guest who knows a thing or two about protection, about defense. Yeah, an old friend. We are glad to welcome back here to the pod.

My Patriots Paisan, Steve Balistrieri, will be joining me here today. Columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com. And it's been a while since Steve has been on these airwaves, but we are thrilled to welcome him back. We're going to talk DeAndre Hines. We're going to talk why their defense has a chance to be special and so much more. So stick around, folks. You are not going to want to miss today's show. But we start with day two of DeAndre Watch.

And the five-time Pro Bowler, the five-time All-Pro, was in New England for the better part of Wednesday and Thursday. We all know the free agent visit that was occurring at Gillette Stadium with the Patriots. By all accounts, Hopkins and the Patriots were pleased with this meeting. So good stuff right off the bat. And things nearly reached a fever pitch late Thursday afternoon. MassLive's Mark Daniels reporting that not only was the visit categorized by both sides as being positive, but according to a leaked source, a lot of people believe that it could be

DeAndre's last visit. Well, as you can imagine, it sent social media into a frenzy. Pat's social media especially seemed to believe that a deal was all but done. But Hopkins had long been rumored to the Patriots, so it was a surprise, a pleasant one, but not necessarily a shock. The Pats were considered wide receiver needy by several national pundits out there and a few local ones as well. But bottom line, DeAndre Hopkins coming to New England had been something that people had been talking about for a long time. We've talked about it on these airwaves an awful lot, folks.

And the Patriots were not DeAndre's first visit. He had already taken a free agent visit on Monday with the Tennessee Titans, leaving Nashville without a contract. And several, including myself, and I said this earlier this week here on Locked On Patriots, believe that the Patriots simply could not allow DeAndre Hopkins to leave Foxborough from this visit without signing a contract. In other words, don't make the mistake that the Tennessee Titans made. Well, as cooler heads started to prevail, myself included,

started to realize that DeAndre leaving New England without signing a contract wasn't necessarily the death knell everybody thought it was going to be in terms of him signing here reports started to trickle in even as deandre was leaving foxborough and gillette stadium that both sides again were very pleased with the meeting but deandre was in no rush to sign a contract espn's mike reese was the first to report that and then you started to see similar reports come in from some of the nationals and whether he signs in new england it's still a matter of conjecture but even though a deal is yet to be struck i think there is still a level of optimism that exists between both sides and that continued into friday morning some members of the patriots already expressing their hopefulness

and they did so to a trusted old friend and teammate that's right former Patriots cornerback and co-host of NFL media's good morning football Jason McCourty paid in on the subject and basically stated that coach Bill Belichick and the organization really should feel justified in feeling confident about the impression that they made on DeAndre Hopkins during his visit I'm quoting Jason directly here now, folks. Quote, I think there's mutual respect from DeAndre Hopkins and Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Spoke to some guys around that area, guys on the team, and they feel really good about that visit. Obviously, nothing's set in stone.

I'm not saying he's going to the New England Patriots. But once he was on that visit, once he was there, once he was in the building, guys really feel good, not only about them wanting to get him there, but also about DeAndre Hopkins having interest in wanting to play for the New England Patriots and play for Bill Belichick. Folks, I don't know about you, but it sounds great to me,

but it could be hours, it could be days, it could even be weeks before DeAndre Hopkins makes his choice. But what is certain is that DeAndre Hopkins' watch fever has clearly gripped Patriots Nation, and I don't expect that to be waning anytime soon. But what else is certain is Lockdown Patriots will be ready at a moment's notice, so stay locked in for the very latest. And in just a moment, Steve Balistrieri of Batsfans.com will join me here to discuss the hop and the defense when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, some say that the key to a happy life is love, and others will

tell you it's financial security. I leave it up to you to determine what is the key for your own happiness. But what is my key to happiness, you might be asking? Comfortable pants. That's right, I said it. Or shorts, after all, as the summer is upon us. That's right. Today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at Bird Dogs. And Bird Dogs are the most comfortable lower body wear that you will ever have. Bird Dogs make you look good, fellas. I own a pair of their joggers. They are absolutely my favorite pants. The perfect mix of fit and comfort. You're going to love them as much as I do.

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You won't want to take your bird dogs off. We promise you don't delay. Do it today. Bird dogs. That's fans before Steve Balistrieri joins me here in just a moment. Don't forget that Monday is mailbag Monday here on the pod. It is also hashtag locked on Murph Monday, which means a big green count of Murphy Fisto and I are going to be breaking down your questions so don't forget to send in those questions

use the hashtag mailbag Monday on Twitter at MDABATENFL or LO underscore Patriots or you can tag Murph if you want at Team Murph 207 doesn't mind. And you can also tag your YouTube posting as Mailbag Monday. And Thomas Murphy and I will answer your questions right here on Monday because, after all, Locked On Patriots, we're your team every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

And folks, today here on the pod, I am honored, I am humbled, I am ecstatic to welcome back one of our very favorites here on the pod. Been way too long, but you know what? We're not going to cry over spilled milk. We're going to live in the moment and treasure the present because our good friend, the resident voice of reason here on Lockdown Patriots has returned. Columnist extraordinaire

for Patsfans.com and the host of a great podcast for the New England Patriots, Patriots 4th and 2, the host emeritus of One Patriots Place with our good friends, Connor Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, and Claire Clazzi, Claire Cooper.

My Patriots Paisan is back in the house. Steve Balistrieri joins me here today, but what can I say? So glad to have you back here on the pod. Oh, it's so glad to be back, my friend. I mean, it's been too long. It was a rough spring, as you were well aware of. We were talking offline. We had a death in the family, and there was a lot of other issues going on. And all of that has been literally put to rest, I guess you could say. And now we're trying to get our lives back in order. And what better way to do that than to talk football with my best friend here? Absolutely.

My Patriots fly zone. I can't say how much that means to me, but because words really are not enough for that. You are truly a great man. We felt the pain that you were going through along with you, and we're definitely glad to have you back. And it really means the world to me. Your friendship means the world to me as well as meaning the world to so many of our listeners who I know have missed you here on these airwaves. And let's dive right into it, Steve. Let's get to the story of the day, probably the story of the weekend. Steve, I talked a little bit about DHOP yesterday on the pod, giving my take on whether or not

this could even be a possibility if DeAndre is allowed to leave New England without signing the contract here. I think I might have been a little overzealous in that opinion. I'm starting to maybe soften that stance a little bit, but I wanted to give you an opportunity to weigh in. First of all, your thoughts on DeAndre Hopkins' possibility of joining the New England Patriots, and if he does, what does it mean for this offense? Well, first of all, I wanted to say yesterday on our podcast, we had heard that Bill was taking the team out paintballing. And I said, I'm waiting for someone to get that picture that goes back like 15 years of Larry Fitzgerald at the

Renicar office with a stained paintball shirt. And everyone would be like, okay, he's coming. I'm surprised we haven't seen that. I'm wanting to see that, you know, that stained paintball shirt. And okay, he's part of the team, but seriously, But seriously, I was against signing him earlier in the spring. I was against it because I thought that the Patriots offense, they never really needed that number one, as long as they have a bunch of talented quote-unquote number twos.

But now I'm kind of jumping on board here. You know, the longer time has gone on and he's unsigned, excuse me, I would love to see the Patriots sign him now just because it would make such an intriguing season. I mean, they have like the toughest schedule in the NFL. The division is loaded for Bear now. And adding DeHop to the mix, I just think would, you know, put them on par with a lot of other teams.

Not saying they would be the best, not at all. But at the same time, they have a lot of other teams. Not saying they would be the best. Not at all. But at the same time, they have a lot of really good weapons and I would love to see this offense gel with him. And I think Mac Jones would definitely love that. And you know, when you add

in Hopkins and Juju Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, and then Mike you know, Mike Kosicki and Hunter Henry. That's a lot of really good weapons. And, you know, the Patriots' offense is best when they spread it around. Right.

And I think Hopkins would buy into that. Yeah, I think he has the ability to buy into it. And I've softened my stance considerably on DeAndre as well starting off you get that natural excitement I think I bought into the fans excitement on that and there's you know no harm in that I think in a lot of people's vision you think of a guy like DeAndre Hopkins coming in here to New England revolutionizing that position that wide receiver spot that they haven't had an alpha talent at in quite some time you get excited by what that can bring to the table and then you start to look at the moves they made in the offseason and you look at juju smith schuster coming in you look at mike kisecki coming in being added to hunter henry at

the tight end uh position then you look at the wide outs kendrick bourne expected to take a step forward after taking a step back last year under the Matt Patricia regime. Devontae Parker, a guy I talked about a lot here on the pod yesterday, about his ability as an ex-receiver, as a contested catch machine. Is he the odd man out if DeAndre comes in? I still think there's a possibility that happens. DeAndre Hopkins has the ability to be a little bit more of a chameleon. He's a little more versatile. His ball skills are absolutely amazing.

Bill Belichick has praised him since the day is long for that regard. But bottom line, I think he brings a little bit more versatility to the table. So of the two, I would probably give the nod to DeAndre over Devante. But at the same time, you also look at him buying into this culture. And all of a sudden, his five All-Pro Awards, his five Pro Bowls, that type of pedigree, I think, automatically elevates that locker room. Do you think it's as much about reputation here as about what he can do on the field in terms of the impact he can have on this team? Yeah, I think, you know, his skill set is so good. He's a chain mover. You know, he's a contested catch guy.

And, you know, he just has, I believe he's a much more well-rounded receiver than Parker. And I think his skill set is higher as well. That's why I was, I didn't mention Parker amongst that, because I have the feeling that if they were to sign him, Parker would be the odd man out. Judging from his reaction the other day at OTAs, I think that kind of plays out. But Derek Abrams made a good point.

What if they keep both of them? Then you get into the red zone and you have Parker, you have Hopkins, you have Gasicki and Henry. Well, there's four guys that can go up and make catches for you. And as bad as their red zone offense was last year, you know, there's something to be said for that. I don't think it would happen. I think it's going to be either or.

But, yeah, it is fun to think about possibilities when you look at that, you know, certain situation if they would keep them both. Yeah, if they were, that is a fantastic four if I've ever seen. When you want to talk about murderer's row, that's really what it is. And you mentioned in the red zone, that's where all of those guys are at their best, maybe save for Hunter Henry, who is a very good route runner, can make catches in the red zone, that's where all of those guys are at their best. Maybe save for Hunter Henry, who is a very good route runner, can make catches in the open field. But these three guys, and obviously Gusecki in the slot,

but those four guys are at their best when they need that short yardage gain to go up and grab the ball. I do agree with you, though. I think that there is a chance that they keep them all four. But at the same time, I think it's probably either DeAndre or Devontae, depending on how they go. And that $6.2 million cap savings with no dead money incurred, that's a pretty big incentive for the Patriots to take a strong look

at Devontae Parker if DeAndre Hopkins is the next guy in the door. Folks, we will continue to monitor that situation all week long into the weekend. So you might be watching us after deandre has already made his decision who knows folks that's the great thing about being on locked on patriots is it's your team every day and we'll continue to monitor that so keep a sharp eye out on youtube wherever you get your podcast for the very latest on that situation but steve as great as deandre hopkins, he's an individual type player. He's

an individual type talent, a unique talent, but he hasn't earned the moniker unicorn just yet. Our good friend, Matthew Judon, star linebacker for the New England Patriots, spoke to the media on Tuesday, and he labeled a lot of the Patriots defensive players as unicorns, meaning that they're multifaceted. These guys are capable of playing a lot of different positions and they're capable of doing all of them reasonably well. So when you look at this defense, because we talk a lot about the offense here on Locked On Patriots, especially lately. But this is a very talented defense and an extremely talented defense in my opinion. Guys like Jonathan Jones, guys like Adrian Phillips, Kyle Duggar, Jalen Mills. There's a lot of veteran talent on this team and a lot of young talent on this team that can play multiple positions.

What was your reaction to Matthew calling these guys unicorns? And how accurate is that term to describe this defense? Yeah, I think that was a great term that he used. And I thought you were going there when you were talking about Hopkins and you said chameleon. I was like, he's going to go unicorn early. Got to save that. Yeah. In terms of the defense, I was raving about it yesterday i thought they were very good last

year um you know the one thing they were lacking was that true shutdown corner on the left side they drafted that guy and christian gonzalez but i love these second you know and third round picks i just i i think these guys are going to, all three of them are going to contribute year one. And, you know, at first I was kind of on the fence with Mapo because I was like, how many safeties do they need? They're going to play 11 safeties out there, but you see his versatility.

And the fact that he's already doing all these things in OTAs and minicamp tells me he's done his homework. They really like him. They're throwing a lot of stuff at him. And so far, now we'll know much better once the pads come on, but to watch this kid fly around the field and the fact that he's so versatile, they can put him in several different areas. I just think this defense is going to be rock solid this year. And even though they're they're playing, you know, some great offensive football teams this year, this is going to be a top 10 defense. I really think it is.

And, you know, defense will once again be the strength of the team. And, you know, I think it's going to be a lot better than last year. Just from the simple fact that they have so many guys that they can mix and match and throw different looks at you. And I think it's awesome. And the fact that, you know, Judon might rush from interior position this year with the addition of Keon White, and I'm sure we're going to get into those guys,

but I just love this defense. I think they're faster. They're more athletic and, you know, they, they're much, much more versatile. And we can't go on without mentioning Jabril Peppers. We were very excited about him signing last year. Now, we knew he was coming off an injury, and he started slow. But at the end of the year, you could see him building on that.

And Bill was raving about his health the other day, and he's just another unicorn. I love all of these moves they've made defensively. I think that this is going to be a tremendous defensive team this year. Without question. So well said. And I'm glad that you mentioned Mapu. I'm glad you mentioned Keon White, Christian Gonzalez. We're going to talk a little bit about the Patriots youth movement on defense in just a moment. But when you look at some of the veterans on this team, and to me, I think this is where they're going to try to, I don't want to say replicate what Devin McCourty brought to the field and the type of savvy and the type of defensive security that he brought every time he stepped on the field. To me, that security is going to be, I think,

maybe washed a little bit with unpredictability. And so many of the Patriots that we spoke with this week had very similar things to say. You know, obviously Kyle Duggar and Matt Judon mentioned it as well. Jabril Peppers, I thought, put it very eloquently when he said that with Devin McCourty now not on the team any longer, you really don't know who's going to fill that role from one game to the next. There are several players on this roster that can fill that role.

And because of that, it strengthens your ability to play in the box because you don't know who's going to take those reps either. We saw just in rudimentary alignments this week during OTA and obviously during minicamp these past couple of days, you saw guys like Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills take spots in the free safety position. Matt Booth was aligned at free safety at one point. So there's a lot of different ways that this team can be put together, but because they're so versatile, they have the ability to confuse opposing offenses. And I think that's going to be something to watch for the New England Patriots. Steve I want to talk about the secondary in just

a moment but one of the big pieces of news coming from me camp this week was Lawrence Guy holding out for a contract extension. The Patriots front line their front seven has been formidable. A lot of people are wondering if this may be the end of lawrence here in wingland if he's kind of playing himself out of town he's been the subject of cut rumors lately trade rumors uh do you think this either gives him the opportunity to come back or do you think the patriots may now be looking for alternatives and we may be seeing the last days of lawrence guy here in the world because of it yeah I was surprised by that, honestly, because his contract isn't up yet. And, I mean, he's been tremendous in the locker room.

We all know that. He's been so steady and consistent on the field. But at the same time, you know, I'm not saying he took a step back last year, but he wasn't. I didn't think he had the season that we've come to expect from him. You know, and it might have just been, you know, some of the alignments they were playing against certain teams, whatever. But I thought it was a curious time for him to hold out where you see the team is starting to go with the youth movement. I mean, they're bringing in all these young defensive players. You know, and Derek and I were talking about earlier before this Lawrence Guy news about Daniel Lee Quali.

And we were wondering out loud, you know, is he going to become a three down player and maybe take some of Lawrence guy's reps from him? And, uh, you know, I just thought it was probably bad timing on his part because I don't think this will play out well with Bill. Yeah. I don't think this is going to play out well with Bill either. It's a very odd time to select a power play. I agree with you. I understand that Lawrence has got a lot built up, especially with everything he does in the community, his locker room presence. He is one of the more beloved guys on that field and Patriots fans, Patriots players alike definitely love to be around him. But I agree with you. The injury definitely slowed him last year. And I think it proved to the Patriots that they have guys on this team that can step up and make plays when he's not there. Obviously,

it's going to mean more pressure on Gottschall. It's going to mean more pressure on Christian Barmore. It will mean probably more playing time for a guy like Carl Davis, who I didn't expect to come back this year, but he may be back in the fold as well. So these are all things to keep in mind for the New England Patriots. And with Lawrence Guy holding out now, if this continues into training camp, I think things could get interesting. If he's back in the fold, then they probably were able to work something out behind the scenes. And it means that maybe he gets one more year here in New England and that's it. But if this does extend, this could be something to watch.

So that may be one unicorn that we don't see on the field this year for New England. One thing you can absolutely hang your hat on is that this 2023 Patriots rookie class has the chance to be special, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We're all excited about Christian Gonzalez, very excited about Keon White, Marte Mapu. But does this signify a changing of the guard in New England? Are they switching to a youth movement? Steve and I are going to discuss that point and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots the daily part of your New England Patriots coverage,

your first listen every day. Take yourself into your weekend with Locked On Patriots, the daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, your first listen every day. Take yourself into your weekend with Locked On Patriots. And here today, obviously, to help regale us with wisdom and counsel that we haven't had in quite some time is my good friend, my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri of batsfans.com. Steve, we talked a little DeAndre Hopkins. We talked a little Devontae Parker. We talked some Patriots unicorns.

But one thing that I think really stands out about this defense is the youth movement we're seeing in New England. Christian Gonzalez, the number one pick, the first round pick for the Patriots this year, already looks like he is paying dividends. He's worth the hype. We've seen him on the field. Anyone questioning whether or not this kid is pro-level ready, I don't know what they're watching. I'll be very honest with you. This kid is pro-level ready, and he's going to prove it in short order.

But Patriots have a couple of interesting picks right behind him that I think are really making solid names for themselves in Keon White and in Marte Mapu. When you look at this draft class, how big of an impact do you think this class can have on the team this year in 2023? Because I was always of the ilk that it was going to take at least a season, maybe more, for these guys to round into form. I think they could have three solid players here from day one when he first stepped on the field for opening day. Oh, absolutely.

You know, I think they're going to contribute right off the bat, you know, because one, I think Gonzalez is plug and play. I think he's going to step right into that left cornerback role. They might not put him on island right away. They'll give him some help. Yeah. But I think he's plug and play day one. I think, you know, I've been raving about Mapu

and the way he's all over the place. But I think that Keon White is going to be one of those guys that he might not be a lot of flash you know and a lot of uh uh you know hype surrounding him but he's going to be one of those guys that's so valuable to your team you know where he can move in different positions take on responsibilities and be you, like a guy sets the edge on early downs, can get after a passer a little bit, can drop in coverage a little bit. And then, you know, certain times you can move him, you know, to the defensive line and put somebody else, you know, an outside backer.

I mean, he's very versatile. And again, there's not going to be, I don't think there will be a ton of flash with him, but I think he's going to be one of those – I look at guys like Donta Hightower. Game in, game out, so many years, he was just always there. Now, he saved some flash for big games. I'm not saying White is going to be a Taunta Hightower type of player, but he was that kind of player, game in, game out. You never worried about him being out of position.

I think he has all of those qualities. And I love the fact that they're going to put three rookies on the field this year, and that's the kind of infusion of youth that you need. You know, you have your veterans. You have the Judons, you know, Juwan Bentley, you know, guys like that. And Jabril Peppers, he's a veteran as well. You know, those are the type of guys that are the glue. But these youth guys give you that influx of speed, athleticism. And I think it's going to all work out just fine.

I think this youth movement, this draft and the last draft, you know, it's wonderful that you can go in to the future saying okay now we're building up our youth and where we have all of this in in-house now and you know maybe in a year or two then you start cherry picking individual players and say this guy might get us over the top yeah Yeah, without question. I'm so glad that you mentioned that, and I'm glad that you mentioned White. I'm going to get back to him in a second. Mapu came in, I think, to minicamp as the media darling

because we were so impressed by what we saw from him aligning all over the field. The team officially lists him as a linebacker, believe it or not, and he came out of college playing mostly safety. That's where they thought he was going to be, the hybrid-type safety linebacker, believe it or not. And he came out of college playing mostly safety. That's where they thought he was going to be, the hybrid-type safety linebacker. I think he's going to play linebacker, really, in this league, and I think he's going to play it at a pretty good clip. But this kid can play free safety.

He can even play corner. Do not be a bit surprised to see him take some snaps in the nickel. We saw him do it already. So I'm just telling you, folks, keep a sharp eye out on that season, because he really is one of these unicorns that Matthew Judon talked about. He has the ability and he has the versatility. That's something that I think to really, really keep an eye on. Obviously, Gonzalez, he's as advertised and everything, if not more, his ability to lock down his side of the field. And when that happens happens i think he takes his rightful place among patriots lockdown corners that we've seen here for years going back to stefan gilmore and of course you know guys like even the year that daryl revis had here in new england ty law

there's been so many great santa samuel as much as people don't want to give him the credit because of some of the extracurricular chirping that he does you got to give him the credit for being the player he was when he was here. He was good, save for that Super Bowl that will never be mentioned again on these airwaves. But Keon White is a guy that you mentioned. And to me, this has been the most pleasant surprise of the week because every time I watch Keon, even though he didn't see the field on Tuesday, you watch him on Monday, you watch him during OTAs,

and he just has that energy, that aggression that leaps off the page when you watch him. And to me, that's been one of the more impressive things that I've seen so far. That's been one of my big takeaways. I really didn't realize how much of a jack-of-all-trades this kid can be. He's a pure pass rusher, and you can see his ability to defend the run two things that he did very well at georgia tech but we saw him align in so many different ways over the course of the last few weeks observing practices aligning it outside linebacker he was set in a three-point stance at a few times you saw him rush the passer he played against the

run he even dropped back into coverage, something that I and a few of my colleagues here on Locked On Patriots mentioned he had the potential to do. We were kind of laughed off the map. Everybody said, oh, you're crazy. He's definitely not going to drop back into coverage, not as a rookie. We're already seeing it. He's got the ability to do it. I don't think you'll see much of it during the season, but he can do it. To me, that type of aggression and that type of nonstop motor is something that Patriots fans are really going to fall in love with with this guy right off the bat. He is no nonsense. He does not come off with any type of levity.

He's very serious about how he plays. He's very serious about the game. And I think that's something maybe this defense could use a little bit of as well. No nonsense. Do your job. That's definitely Keyon White. He does it and he does it very well. When you look at this rookie class, Steve, obviously they're coming in with a lot of pedigree. The Patriots are putting a lot on them. In terms of mentors and in terms of learning experiences, how much do you think these guys have to learn from the veterans on this team? And who among the veterans do you think is going to step up and be that force behind these young

kids to get them ready to play at a pro level well i i think in terms of maybe uh white in mapu i think you you look at judon you know because he does everything well he's so positive you know he's just everything with him is so positive and he has a lot of respect around the league he has a ton of respect inside the locker room and you know when you look at a guy like him he's been uh very productive here in New England. So I think that they'll gravitate toward him. I think a guy like Gonzalez maybe will look to, you know, and a guy, totally different player, but a guy like Jonathan Jones, you know, been in the league a long time, came in undrafted, completely opposite of Christian Gonzalez, but he's earned his place at the table

he knows the defense inside and out he can play multiple positions as we've seen and I think he could do a lot worse than leaning on a guy like Jonathan Jones and again totally different type of player but that's who I would gravitate to him. Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad you mentioned Jones as well. Jonathan Jones. Yeah, Steve, I feel like we're going to be saying not that Jones, the other Jones an awful lot. And we got Indiana Jones coming out at the end of the month. Imagine, folks. It's really, it's just, it's great. Mack Jones on the offensive side of the ball.cus jones playing everywhere it's yeah it's great uh we love keeping up with the jones this is going to be the theme of this patriots team this year but uh jonathan to me i think has an incredible ability

to be a mentor to so many of these guys because of his versatility his ability to play outside corner his ability to play slot corner his ability to play play safety. When Jonathan re-signed here, a lot of people assumed that he might get some looks at free safety because he was now the leader on this secondary with Devin McCourty having retired. So, so many opportunities for the New England Patriots. You understand why Matthew Judon calls this defense unicorns because so many of them are unique, multifaceted players that can play multiple positions. It's going to be a fun year in Foxborough when we talk our favorite subject defense

here with the defensive guru and the voice of reason. It's always an honor, always a pleasure for me to join Steve here on Locked On Patriots and for him to come on and lend his wisdom and counsel the way only he can. But before I let you go today, please let everyone know where they can continue to reach out to you, what they can expect in the coming days and weeks from the great Penn, the great voice of Steve Valistrieri. It feels so great to be able to say that once again here on these airwaves. Yeah, it feels good to be, you know, taking a more active role again. Yeah, you can find me on Twitter,

at Stevie7SFG. And I write for PatsFans.com, as you mentioned before we do the Patriots 4th and 2 podcast. So I encourage all your listeners to check us out as well. We're like the Avis guys. We're trying to keep up with guys like you. I take my cues from you guys. Believe me when I tell you, I'm humbled by the company that I keep in between you, Murph, Claire,

and the amazing guests that we have here on Locked On Patriots. I'm truly honored and truly humbled. But the thing that humbles and honors me the most is the support of all of you out there, folks, all of you everydayers, those of you who continue to make Locked On Patriots possible. Your support is something I can never thank you enough for. And keep a sharp eye on DeAndre Hopkins and talk about all the Patriots that are on this roster right this second. And to tell you exactly what we can expect from each and every one of them as we head into training camp at the end of July. But in the meantime, I want to thank my good friend, my Patriots bison,

Steve Balistrieri, for joining me here today on Locked On, Patriots. And I also want to thank each and every one of you for making us your first listen and a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of Steve Balistrieri, I am Mike DeBay, reminding you to stay safe and stay well. Be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And we'll see you again right here on Locked on Patriots.