Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Jonathan Jones Talks Mac Jones; Wants vs. Needs 2023 NFL Draft

Episode Date: April 27, 2023

Despite being engulfed in a sea of rumors regarding the future of their roster, the New England Patriots players appear to be putting up a united front. Host Mike D’Abate discusses the remarks made by cornerback Jonathan Jones regarding quarterback Mac Jones and his ability to lead the Pats into 2023 and beyond. Mike also welcomes Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of ‘A Clare Perspective: A Patriots Podcast’ to discuss the Patriots needs as well as the wants of the fanbase in the 2023 NFL DraftFind 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!BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist who can take you on that journey of self-discovery from wherever you are. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in 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

The New England Patriots top cornerback lends his support to the Patriots top quarterback. Because unlike others in the region, the Pats players don't believe in stirring the pot on the eve of the NFL draft. 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. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day.

A proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, we are your team every day. So subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm 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 M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some much-deserved love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pat fans, thank you again for joining us here today on the pod, especially all of you Locked On Patriots everydayers out there. Those of you who take time out of your day to spend with us here on Locked On Patriots. I truly appreciate you so much for your loyalty and your support.

And today on Locked On Patriots, a special treat for us all. It's time to have some fun with the 2023 NFL Draft. We've all been diligently doing our scouting, analyzing, sending in the mock drafts, every Patriots pick, who we think is going to be the best fit in New England. Well, here to lead some midweek merriment to the pod is none other than our midweek monarch here, the illustrious Countess of Glaser's self, Claire Classey. Claire Cooper joins me, and we're going to provide our pie-in-the-sky Patriots pick. In layman's terms, folks, what that means is that Claire and I are going to tell you who we want the Patriots pick. In layman's terms, folks, what that means is that Claire and I are

going to tell you who we want the Patriots to pick. Not necessarily who we think would be the best fit. Not necessarily what we think Belichick is going to do. Who we want to have wearing a Patriots uniform. Putting on our fan caps, caping up each and every week in 2023, we want to see this person wearing a Patriots uni so stick around the fun begins here in just a moment but first folks as I said to kick off the show today even though he had offers to play elsewhere in 2023 New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones decided to return to the Pats on a two-year deal. Obviously had some faith in the team's opportunities to win in 2023 and I know a lot of you are not that optimistic right now. I understand it. There is an argument to be made but one of the reasons why Jonathan Jones decided to return is that he

appears to have plenty of faith in his starting quarterback and that is mark mac jones even with mac's well documented struggles in 2022 jonathan is among those that believe in mac's ability not only to rebound from a poor showing but that he can also be among the premier performers at his position in the nfl wednesday morning appeared on the crew with josina anderson and jonathan made his feelings on mac's ceiling in 2023 pretty clear as a matter of fact he even went beyond that he thinks he can be a little bit better in subsequent years quoting directly from jonathan jones here i think mac has the ability and i think it starts there i think mac has the ability to be a good quarterback in this league.

All right, we'll come back to that in just a moment. I think what he does with it is between him and the coaches. There's a lot that goes into that, but he has the ability to be a top quarterback in this league. Again, in the league. That's something that kind of made the rounds around social media on Wednesday. And even though these comments seem to be a positive, and folks, they are a positive. Don't try to misinterpret or read between the tea leaves here. Claire's the only one that can read the tea leaves here.

Locked on, Patriots. They are positive comments. But some are choosing to read a little bit more into Jones's choice of words, specifically when it comes to this league. That's opposed to specifically calling out the New England Patriots by name as his ideal fit. And some of that stems from Bill Belichick. We heard him do this about a month, month and a half ago. He used similar terminology when asked his opinion on Mac Jones, saying he has the ability

to be a quarterback. He can play quarterback in this league. But to me, if you're going to start wordsmithing of this kind, it's the equivalent of self-indulgently bathing in your own semantic interpretation. You're worried about the words, this league, as opposed to this team. Instead, what you should be doing is extracting the real message here. Just take a deeper look, do a little bit of evaluation on what Jonathan Jones actually had to say, rather than worried about the words league and team. You're going to see that his comments are an endorsement of Mac Jones. In fact, when he further elaborated on those comments, the question he was asked, it really is evidence of the fact that's all you need to know and i'll read his statement verbatim one i would rather max i would say max a competitor he came in every day ready to work i think for him being in year two and not having consistency from year one is a lot to handle that's a lot for a player you ask to come in from college and learn a system and then all

his rookie mistakes that he's made and his growth you come into his second year and say well we're going to learn something new all over again yeah that is an unfair situation that Mac was put in does he deserve some of the the issue does he deserve some of the criticism for the problems that he had last year absolutely no one's arguing that but to sit there and say that Mac is not the answer after you've seen him only falter in one subpar year with really just subpar coaching around him a subpar game plan and not a whole lot of weapons to work with I think is a little bit disingenuous. All it is at this point is stirring the pot for stirring its sake. And believe me, Jonathan knows a thing or two about hardworking quarterbacks. He hasn't just played alongside Mac Jones in the pro level and that's it. He's played

alongside Tom Brady. He's played alongside Cam Newton. These are high profile, high decorated quarterbacks who rose to success based on skill, but more so because of their will to win. And Jonathan has that makeup as well. Let's not forget, this is a guy that since he joined the league as an undrafted rookie out of Auburn in 2016 with the Pats, he's become one of the team's most versatile defensive backs. His first five seasons in New England, he was considered one of the top slot corners in the league after JC Jackson by a free agency went off to the Los Angeles Chargers Jones made the switch to the perimeter and last year did a pretty good job when he was healthy 69 total tackles 11 pass breakups four interceptions one of which he took back for a touchdown was responsible for three

force fumbles in 16 games played and as a result he's become one of New England took back for a touchdown, was responsible for three forced fumbles in 16 games played. And as a result, he's become one of New England's true leaders by example. And that's why the Patriots signed him to a two-year contract in March. Jonathan Jones knows what it takes to win. He sees that in Mac Jones. And a lot of people are continuing to question Mac's future with the organization. We hear the Will Levis rumors. We hear constantly Mac's on the trading block. You want to bring in Lamar Jackson. Folks, I really hate to tell you this.

I don't think that is coming. I don't think that's what is going to happen. There's always hope, and there's always a chance that it will. But the more we're seeing, the more we're absorbing it's looking like Mac Jones is going to be the quarterback here and the Patriots are not going to hand the keys to the kingdom over to Bailey Zappi just yet unless Mac just comes into training camp and completely face uh face plants that's the only way I can see that happening but even though there's that discomfort that Mac had last year I still think Jones is one of those guys that can see that there is something there.

He saw it in his rookie season, and that's why he's standing behind it. And ultimately, I think that's why Mac is going to succeed. He's got the support of the guys in the locker room. Yes, you can read semantically into soundbite comments that say yeah well maybe we should go with zappy maybe zappy is the guy those are types of moments in the moment where you sit there and you're going to give your support to whoever is quarterbacking this team because they deserve that but all in all i don't think that any comment any positive comment that was made in favor of Bailey Zappi

was meant to be a knock against Mac Jones. I think they support both of these guys. And at the end of the day, if the Patriots are serious about having Mac work with Bill O'Brien, work with Juju Smith-Schuster, work with Mike Gusecki, I think that's where you're going to see him shine this year. And I think that's where you're going to see his teammates really all come to his aid Jonathan Jones being one of the first this is a guy who's one of the team leaders would not shock me if Jonathan Jones got a captain ship this year that's how well respected he is in that locker room so keep a sharp eye on that but ultimately say Mack will try to make Jonathan

look very um look accurate in his assessment is the best way for me to put it. And neither of these guys are going to be quibbling over semantics. That's fans. We're about to turn our attention back to the NFL draft here and lighten the mood as one of our very favorites joins me in just a moment. The countess of class, Claire Cooper takes the hot seat when this midweek episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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here on Locked On Patriots, especially all of you everydayers out there. We appreciate your support very much here all across the Locked On Podcast Network. Remember, we are your team every day. And with just over now, 24 hours at the time we're recording this, until the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, the old saying goes, the time for the talk is just about over. Unless you have a podcast like this, then we don't like that. We just want to keep talking, then we don't like that.

We just want to keep talking, and we're going to do that today. And we're going to have a little bit of fun in the process. We've been doing a lot of intense evaluation analysis. Time to let the guard down a little bit and have some fun with the draft, because after all, folks, it is a fun time in the NFL. And if we're going to have fun, who better to join us here today on the mid-week point of Locked On Patriots than the mid-week monarch herself, the Countess of Clas, the Empress

of Tight Endage, the Queen of TE, the Baroness of Blockers. It's been a long time since I've gone through this list, Claire. I know I'm forgetting a couple, but bottom line, she is Claire, Clasie Claire Cooper, columnist extraordinaire for Pat's Propaganda. And of course, the host of A Claire Perspective, a Patriots podcast powered by FPC Patriots.

Welcome back to the midweek point here on Lockdown Patriots, Candice. Oh, thank you so much, Mike. It's so great to be back. And yeah, it's been a long time, actually, that you kind of did the list because there's a list. So, you know, people get a little bit kind of exhausted by it I can imagine but yeah it is it is a fun list and I have missed it I must admit um the I think the one that you penned was the Empress of Tight Endage which is kind of cool they're all kind of cool actually to be honest with you and I think they are fellow Patriots fans that have given them to me and as I said of yourself so it's quite cool because I got given them I didn't even get to pick them myself I just got branded with them which is great so yeah thank you for that it's it's nice to hear them all all together for once well you've earned all of those

nicknames whether it be one that I've given to you or our adoring public or your fans on a Claire perspective or across that propaganda uh you definitely bring it every single time you're here. And, you know, you get to the end of a cycle and you start feeling a little bit sentimental. And I find myself doing that a little bit this week, you know, really kind of appreciating everybody that got you to the point where you are. And as we go into now my fourth draft covering here

on Locked On Patriots, just finished up the third year of doing mock drafts. I really want to thank all of the great hosts, guests, everybody that's joined me here along the way. Most importantly, the listeners of Locked On Patriots. But you are atop that list, Claire, in the handful of people that have truly helped make Locked On Patriots what it is. I appreciate you, and it's my honor to share the microphone with you here today.

And in that vein, Claire, we're going to have a little fun, but not too much fun, Claire. Not too much. I know. And I'm going to get into that in just a minute because we've broken down all the potential mock drafts, all the potential picks for the New England Patriots, where these players slot in. Claire and I are going to take it a little step further and we're going to go with our top Patriots prospect.

Now, the definition on this, folks, is wide open. It could be your ideal New England Patriot. It could be Bill Belichick's ideal New England Patriot. It could be the best possible fit for the Patriots' biggest need. That's up to you all for interpretation. We're going to give you our take here, and we're going to ask for a little interactive help drop us a note in the youtube comments or if you're listening to this podcast drop us a dm or a direct message right on the twitter feed at lo underscore patriots and we love to hear who your ideal perfect patriots going to be but we're going to start with the countess

of class yeah i know where you're all thinking this is going to go. Well, I kind of threw a little wrench into those plans, and I told Claire that she could pick her perfect potential patriot without making it a tight end, and the Countess was displeased. What was I going to do? Yeah, this was not a popular decision. Yes, absolutely. You can see. Look at how upset she is. She's giggling, folks, on the inside, but really, she's not a popular decision. I was shackled. Yes, absolutely. You can see. Look at how upset she is. She's giggling, folks, on the inside. But really, she's hurting on the inside. I was shackled.

Claire, in your infinite wisdom, taking away the tight end, how perfect New England Patriots pick would be on the offensive side of the ball since we're eliminating tight endage right off the bat. As you can imagine, this is difficult because I have been shackled and the tight endage has been removed. However, even kind of without that in play,

it's still a really difficult one because for me, there's so much that they could pick up when it comes to offense in regards to kind of like a tackle, a wide receiver, a tight end that you're not going to let me. You know, and the depth in regards to what's available in the draft. I know it's been sort of talked about quite considerably on this show, with us, with yourself and others, on other shows, with myself and others. It's, yeah, the draft's been discussed, as you said, sort of extensively.

But at the end of the day, they've only got that one pick. And that's what I'm finding really difficult. I think it was on OnePage, it's placed as somebody kind of threw in a comment when I was on with Murph last that was like, Claire wants three picks at 14. And it was like, I really do. It's really difficult to know which one they should take at 14 and i flip-flopped back and forth so extensively because i know you took tight end off me and that's fine because the the kind of the first pick for me at 14 was never going to be a tight

end because the significant need is too significant and so I would never have mocked up a or mused up or whatever terminology you want as you know pick 14 going to be Michael Mayer as much as I wanted it and would love it and it would be amazing and he's a great tight end it's not going to happen I don't expect to happen and it really shouldn't happen because the Patriots do have some some significant need that he's more And also with regards to the tight end, as you know, the depth is there when it comes to this draft. So you don't necessarily need to take one at 14. So there's all that into play to put a pin in tight ends anyway.

So no, I got to kind of pin the tight ends on my own terms. Anyway. But for me. Well, good point. It's on my terms. But no, seriously folks she just uses them to her advantage it's great when it comes to tight ended i really shouldn't be kind of yeah yeah you should watch me yeah quiet ones they say but anyway anyway yeah i because i was so fascinated by this because there's there feels like there's two camps at the moment when it comes to the top need on offense and that is because it

depends on what's available in the draft because of who there is now with the players that there are in the likes of skowronski roderick jones um oh what's his first name right i can't think of his first is it darnell right yeah that's perfect um so there's there's some you know there's some serious skill set at tackle there's also a handful of wide receivers now there isn't as much depth at wide receiver as people have discussed you've got like the likes of jsn and zay flowers and i think those are the ones that just really top out wide receiver so when you're looking at 14 if you really want a wide receiver there isn't there isn't the depth there isn't necessarily the depth this year and that's when the titan comes in but there's a pin in that conversation so we won't discuss it so yeah i was sort of really amused by this it feels like there's two camps when it

comes to patriots nation in regards to tackle or wide receiver and I think it kind of comes down to that mostly there's always the thing of cornerback but I know we'll discuss defense later but for me it I'm really struggling between the two because there's the one that I really want because of what I've seen and there's the one that I know a lot of Patriots Nation wants so I kind of want because Patriots Nation kind of want it and I want my fellow fans to be happy. And I know that there's one guy that looks like a really good fit in Zay Flowers when it comes to the Patriots.

So I actually went over on Twitter and did like a quick poll. Because as you mentioned, I did my pre-draft show for a clear perspective. So that's out there now, if you guys want to listen when I talk, obviously more extensively in regards to the draft with Chudders and stuff like that so that that's kind of out there but today I put a poll

out literally would you go wide receiver or offensive tackle and I was kind of expecting it to be a really big slant like really one way or the other and I was sort of in a way hoping that that would help me decide because I just cannot decide what I want the most and it's because of what I've seen when it comes to the skill set at tackle I think I think it's because I've gone sort of more in depth in the draft this year and I've had the opportunity to sort of see more than maybe I have you know I seem to kind of do a little bit more a little bit more each year and I guess that's how you grow in this industry that kind of thing but because I've seen what I've seen when it comes to tackle there's some guys that I'm like really want but then there's the argument of offensive tackles aren't you know they're not necessarily game changers

like a wide receiver could be or even a cornerback and said I know we talk about defense but then it's a case of yeah but I've always said and I know I've repeated myself on this show several times saying it because it kind of feels like my turn of phrase now of it doesn't matter who Matt Jones or who your quarterback is throwing to if he hasn't got any time to get the ball out so he's sitting on his butt so it doesn't matter what wide receivers out there if he hasn't got the time to get the ball out see it's such a gap 22 and you guys know I'm so indecisive however she says after this long-winded thing if you are kind of pointing at me and saying you need to pick who do you really want to see and although I do really want to see a good wide receiver my kind of the drive behind it is because I kind of want the rest of my Patriots fans to be really happy about it and if it came down to me

just selfishly just looking at what I really want I kind of really want the the offensive tackle and I think it's going to be Broderick Jones now I do really like Skowronski as well so again I'm in more turmoil that there's two that it just kind of depends how they fall because Skowronski people are saying he's a little bit undersized and I just think that's just it kind of feels like it's not going to be his size it's going to be what he does with it and he's so good at doing what he does with it and he's so experienced and then there's broderick jones who's this massive human being who just seems so dynamic but could be a little bit raw because he could be inexperienced so i can't necessarily pick one what i am going to say is for me that number 14

the thing i kind of want the most is i think i think I'm not you can't hold me to this because it's not 100 definite but I think it's offensive tackle and it's going to be like Broderick Jones or Peter Skowronski depending on who's there and that's the best you're going to get out of me uh very lucid very well thought out uh very level-headed uh I'm being serious here I am I think that uh the offensive tackle position is the Patriots' biggest need. I think if I'm the general manager of the New England Patriots, if I'm Bill Belichick or I'm Matt Groh and I'm sitting in that chair and they have a good amount of wide receivers available,

a good amount of tight ends available, maybe even Bijan Robinson slips a little bit, Jermier Gibbs is sitting there, there are a lot of talented players at the top end of this draft. But ultimately, if you're thinking about making the biggest improvement to your team that you need to make, it's on offensive tackle. We've said this several times, several of our guests here. Claire, we've talked about this several times. It doesn't matter who's throwing the passes.

It doesn't matter who's catching them if you're not getting the time to make plays. And the offensive line does that so two of the best in this class roderick jones peter skoronski skoronski i think is the more nfl ready of the pair right now i think he is the guy that could step in here anchor that line i still think he's a tackle i know the arm length is really kind of got a lot of people hung up i've spent the better part of the last couple of days trying to tell people, I don't think that's a big deal. Peter Skowronski is there at 14. I think you go with him because he's the guy that I believe is the most NFL ready at this point to make an impact.

That being said, if Skowronski is gone and Broderick Jones is sitting there, I think you have to pounce on that as well. The highest ceiling in this draft when it comes to offensive tackles belongs to Broderick Jones. There is tremendous talent here. Untapped. He's still very raw. So, yes, there are growing pains. There are coverage issues.

There are blocking issues. There's a lot that needs to be worked on. He's a project, but he's also someone that could end up being not only just a pro bowler, but I think an all pro level talent with the proper coaching. And if you've got Adrian Clemon here and someone that I believe will work with him to reach his potential, then that's something big. And as I've always said here, if you ever need help, who's a better consigliere than Dante Skarniecki, give him a call, let him know,

and he'll come in and work with this kid. I think it can really, really do a world of good for the Patriots offensive line. So Claire, you have been level-headed. I apologize for taking away your tight endage here, but you've stepped up and you've knocked it out of the park in ways that I just couldn't have imagined, and I appreciate you for that. I'm going to take it a completely different way with my total package, Patriot, because I've told the story here a number of times about what I believe the Patriots would do. I think they should go offensive tackle. I think they will if that situation is presented

for itself. But I think we all forget, especially a lot of us in the media, Claire, we all forget that we are fans. And despite of what anyone will tell you, we're all football fans here. Maybe we're not fans of the team that we cover. Claire and I are very fortunate in that regard, but you're all football fans and we want to see our team get exciting players. We want to see our team shine in ways that other teams don't really get something in the system that makes you excited to watch each and every Sunday. If I'm looking at this draft right now claire and i may have tipped my hand here on the pod one or two times beforehand you know where i'm headed with this one uh the guy that i want in a new england patriots uniform more than anything

is jackson smith the jigba of ohio state i absolutely love this kid as a wide receiver say flowers is someone that i know the fan base is very excited about and i love zay i think he is a 1a compliment in this system he can be a top flight receiver here bill o'brien seems to love this kid i would be thrilled to see zay flowers in a new england patriots uniform but jsn is that rare talent that is wide receiver one the moment he steps on the field. The moment he walks through that parking lot in Gillette Stadium, he's coming in here to be the savior of that wide receiver core. And it's been a long time since the Patriots have had a wide receiver that fans and Mia alike can really get excited about watching each and every week.

There's not a lot of top end speed when it comes to jsn which is one of the reasons why a lot of people feel he may be available to the patriots at number 14 especially if the packers take a tight end which is not a given we hear they're really interested in jackson smith and jigba so this may be a moot point here but what do i love about this kid outstanding route runner i think one of the best in this class great separator and he's reliant on his technique because he's not going to win the foot race to be able to beat his target but what he can do is use that ability as a route runner as someone that has just incredible field vision to always know where he can go where only he can catch the

ball that's something mac jones has not had here yet in New England, someone that not only can run and create separation, but also get yards after the catch and be able to be a big-time threat there. So if you're asking me who I really would love to see, because I get that question a lot in Twitter DMs, on the YouTube comments, yeah, Mike, you're not telling us the full story. We want to know who you like, not who you really want to see, not who you think is the YouTube comments. Yeah, Mike, you're not telling us the full story. We want to know who you like, not who you really want to see, not who you think is the best fit.

Yeah, in a perfect world, I would be drafting Jackson Smith and a Jigba. But that being said, if I'm the GM of the New England Patriots, I'm taking Peter Skowronski or Broderick Jones over him in this draft because I think the need for an offensive tackle is that much more important than the need for a wide receiver so Claire I think we're having fun with this you've had two that's not fair you've had two goes now you cheated you took away my tight ending you shackled me and you still had to go taking a wide receiver and taking a tackle the one thing that I want to mention to kind of steadfast the tackle thing over the wide receiver thing is

the one thing in regards to tackle particularly left tackle is that's not a position that's usually readily available when it comes to free agency not when it comes to the level that we're looking at in the draft the guys that we're talking about when you get a good tackle getting it in the draft seems like really significant and you've also got the kind of the plus point of i don't want to say cheap because that's a bit harsh but it is less expensive when it comes to when you draft an individual and you you know you keep them on the on the rookie deal that kind of thing you're trying to get a guy in free agency where you've got to drop big bucks to get these big books, guys.

So for me, as the pool, it's like yourself. There's still that pool. You want that sparkly new toy, which is like a wide receiver. You want the dynamic new patriot, the guy to get really excited, the playmaker, the one that when you watch the game, you really see. Because when it comes to offensive line, those aren't the guys that you really see. It is the sort of the Zay Flowers and things like that out there. The JSNs is what you're going to see next season or this season coming, whichever way you want to put it.

But yeah, this is where you're going to get your value for money is on the offensive line. And that is significant because it helps what you then build the team with because if you aren't having to throw down a big chunk of money to try and get a left tackle to protect your quarterback who who's kind of warrants a really big ticket as in money wise then you've got the money to spend elsewhere so it's it's looking at a really larger picture it's not just looking at that one need it's looking at a really larger picture it's not just looking at that one need it's looking at how it affects the team as a whole if you were to draft a high round offensive tackle who sorts you out for the next five years that the cost implications as well so

then you get to do more and get to do different things when it comes to free agency and and maybe kind of enticing players into the team that you wouldn't have the opportunity if you hadn't have got the money reserves because you've had to spend it on the tackle so I tried to be quite clever when it came to it um not sure how well I did because I know everybody still wants kind of like the wide receiver as you said you want that that shiny new toy that that you can kind of get out there and really play with kind of thing that isn't really an offensive tackle. But that's why I tried to look at it as a bigger picture is to be really smart about it. But, you know, whatever.

It's just the draft. Oh, I think you did. And my point wasn't to cheat you, Claire. How dare you, in the honor. It was more or less to agree with you. I think you were the more level-headed of the two this time around. Yes, I was level-headed. And again, I think general manager and putting that hat on,

you've got to go with the team's biggest need, and that is offensive tackle. So fun is had, folks. When we go a little interactive on Locked on Patriots, who is your ideal offensive Patriots target? Drop us a note in the comments below. Or if you're listening, definitely reach out to us at LO underscore Patriots. But folks, we are not done yet, because offense may get the headlines, but

defense wins championships. And in just a moment, the Countess of Class herself and I will give you our top Patriots pick. Who do we like on defense? Claire and I are going to share that in just a moment when this episode of the locked on patriots podcast continues patriots fans the illustrious claire clazy claire cooper joins me certainly folks check out our new show join kyle crabs joe marino and other locked on nfl local experts on the locked on nfl scouting youtube page for live NFL draft coverage presented by Ultimate Football GM. Kyle and Joe will be live during all of the rounds, one, two, and three,

and then again on Saturday. They'll get you caught up after each round. Join the draft dudes for the first round tomorrow night live on YouTube on the Locked On NFL Scouting page at 7.30 p.m. Eastern time. Folks, you will not want to miss this. Joe and Kyle are two of the best in the business at what they do. Believe me, you are going to be entertained

all throughout the draft and Locked On Podcast Network as you covered because after all, we are your team every day. Claire, we had some fun in the previous segment talking about potential perfect Patriots. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it makes sense here today on the pod, folks, because we are looking at the ideal picks for the Patriots on both sides of the ball. We've already tipped our hand in terms of what we expect them to do or what we hope they will do on offense.

But again, defense is a need for this team cornerback safety edge rush i think these are all positions that the patriots could stand some rookie help uh at this position and there are a lot of talented rookies at all of those positions when you look at the defensive side of the ball and you look at the patriots biggest needs what is your top patriots pick what is the one you want the one you think is best floor is yours how are you going on defense for the New England Patriots see this in itself once again I am back at the beginning of my turmoil because it's one pick and there's about three lots of people that I want them to take so it's so difficult like you said there's cornerback

there's edge and the safety and they're sort of I think for me it's kind of like you said there's cornerback there's edge and the safety and they're sort of I think for me it's kind of like cornerback is the most significant of needs and then there's a little bit of a gap with edge and safety kind of thing just because of what they've already got for me the edge and safety is a bit more sort of future stacking and and the cornerback thing seems a little bit like it might be sort of a now need of for me I feel like they need that big cornerback they've got some really good talent when it comes to like jack jones and marcus jones but it feels like they need that sort of bigger still needs to be quick because you need to be quick when you're a quarterback

that kind of thing because of the the shuffle that may happen in regards to who's already in camp kind of like the jayla mills and is he is it Jalen Mills? Yeah, is he going to turn into a safety now that Devin McCourty has definitely retired? There may be some kind of shuffling around when it comes to those guys. And I think the need for a big cornerback, like an over six foot, definitely a strength cornerback is kind of that top

that just edges it out. However, when you look at what there is available and the great players that there are, and there are some great cornerbacks, as we already know, as has already been discussed extensively in regards to Gonzalez and Witherspoon, and that's just to name a couple. And then you've got the edge guys and the safety. There's a safety.

His name is eluding me. Branch. Is that right? Yes. Right. Yes. Absolutely. Yes. Yes. Yes. is eluding me branch is that right do you yes right yes absolutely yes yes yes another you know a top safety um yeah it's it's the quality there that's sort of just oh you just want it and then there's two linebackers that i am totally just like they don't necessarily need

a linebacker right now but these two guys look so good that it's like you're just looking at this smorgasbord of desserts because I have a sweet let's kind of give you that and it's just like you know that you want to have the apple pie but the chocolate looks amazing but you know that you want the apple pie really but the chocolate cake looks amazing and it's like actually probably the way around with me the chocolate cake is what I definitely know I want but the apple pie looks amazing probably that but anyway that's for another matter and for me then there's two linebackers that I'm just sort of not crushing on I won't say draft crush because that's that's definitely my tight end Sam Laporta but um as you probably heard if you have listened to a

Claire Perspective the pre-draft show you will will hear the one guy is Chudazee's draft crush in Jack Campbell from Iowa. Oh, he looks like such a good linebacker. It kind of makes you want to do, oh, you know the Gifford Linear where he's biting his fist? He would be so good. But you know that he's going to go high, and you know the Patriots don't really need to take a linebacker that high because they need to take so many other things.

And they definitely need a good cornerback. However, I keep kind of turning myself around with this because cornerback was going to be my answer. The Patriots need a cornerback because that was that was the problem that I was having at 14 was I was actually more torn between offensive tackle or cornerback I know we've discussed it slightly differently in regards to offense and and yeah that that really is the terminal with O-line receiver but for me got kind of top 14 pick was do they do that one offensive tackle for offense at 14 or do they go the cornerback for defense at 14 and now I've sort of half talked myself into the fact that it's okay. They don't need to take a top round quarterback

because there are some good cornerbacks in kind of like more like dropping down the fourth round. Riley Moss looks a really good fit for the Patriots. But, you know, obviously he's not got those qualities that the top guys are going to have because he's more of a fourth round sort of pick. However, Bill Belichick's really good with undrafted free agents.

So I've kind of half talked myself into the fact that there's somebody there that I don't really know because I've only gone so far when it comes to cornerbacks because I literally do only have so much time. I do have a regular normal day job as well, folks. So unfortunately, this is a side gig for me. So I do only have a limited amount of time to do my really deep dive

draft stuff and i'm hoping that there's this cornerback that i just don't really know of not really but bill belichick knows him and he's going to be an undrafted free agent and he's going to be kind of like the next coming of jc jackson or something so i've half convinced myself of that simply because then i can be like oh well the patriots can take a top linebacker or they can take the top safety at 14 and they don't need to worry about the quarterback because Bill's got it all completely covered delusional possibly but you know fan fanatic we all know where it comes from because yeah I am finding it really difficult now particularly listening to listening to Jitters as well kind of go on about this guy and talk about um some of draft prospect articles, great articles that are out there from like the places of like Go Long

and stuff like that about Jack Campbell. He is just looks so, so good that I'm really finding who to choose on defense difficult because I'm an, I'm quite an offense girl. As you know, I'm quite an offensive line tight end kind of girl. So having to really dip into um defense it's now opening my eyes more to to the positionals and stuff like that so I'm struggling to give you an answer as you can probably tell because I kind of feel like I'm stalling in a way because I kind of want to

take a cornerback at 14 but an edge guy would be really good however if you just I'm gonna go differently on the first segment I was quite logical i was quite sensible i was like this is how it sets it up for the future this is really good so for the defense i'm gonna flip side it and be crazy claire and be totally like i'm totally illogical this is just whatever i've talked myself into this one and i had a little bit of help as well to talk myself into this one but i kind of really like Jack Campbell, the linebacker. And I know he's going to probably go quite early. I'm not sure if he's going to go 14 early.

I haven't really kind of done many simulators where I've picked him because I've tried to be a bit more sensible. So I'm not sure if 14 is a little bit rich for him. I don't think so, considering how good he is. And I know the Patriots shouldn't take a linebacker at 14. People, please don't kind of, when you do the kind of who you think don't sort of be shouting at me saying you're being crazy I know this I'm not being logical when it comes to this I'm now being really caught up in the fact that there's this player that's just really great and I just really want so it's kind of for me if the top cornerbacks the top safety and the top offensive

tackles if when the Patriots get to 14 they've all gone I'm like oh pick me up some Jack Campbell out of Iowa yeah I think and there's a lot of reason to like Jack Campbell no question about it I like that I mean in terms of his ranking I mean I've seen him ranked as low as a day two pick and some people have him up there in the upper echelon toward the top of day one. It's really difficult to gauge exactly which teams are going to make that leap, but I think there's a lot to like about Campbell's game. Someone who would fit very well here in New England. I don't think that's as crazy as you think it is. I think it's actually a pretty well-headed need, and it is something that the Patriots do need. I mean, there is a need there at that position I'm keeping my fan hat on for this and the guy that I would want

the guy that's not going to be available without any question we've gone back and forth Claire on cornerbacks I have a pre-dear election to cornerbacks because I actually played the position yeah folks don't laugh I was a lot younger a lot thinner and a lot faster in those days but at the same time i always have yeah i always have thank you that is definitely comforting to hear um but in any case uh this is a situation where you look at the patriots need here and i still think on the perimeter there is a weakness I know we've talked a lot about Christian Gonzalez versus Devin Witherspoon um Kyrie Thompson joined me here a couple of weeks ago on the program and really made a tremendous case for Witherspoon I think one of the most talented maybe the highest ceiling corners that we have here in the draft because believe it or not

I think there is room for Witherspoon to expand his game a little bit his size has been said to be maybe a little bit of a detriment to him some wonder whether or not he might be better suited in the slot than on the perimeter I don't think so I think Devin Witherspoon has the ability to be a top-notch perimeter corner but I'm going with Christian Gonzalez here and the reason why is because he's ready to start playing the perimeter right off the bat. You know, I know some people say that there's a little bit of a lean build there and he can get out muscled by some of the more bigger physical wide receivers that he's going to play against. But my evidence against that in Oregon is that he's had adversity before and he's really come out on top of it. A couple of years ago, even as recently as last year around this time, people were saying about Christian Gonzalez that his ball skills weren't elite enough to really be a top-flight corner in the NFL.

He's come back, and he's become incredible. He really worked on that in 2022, set a career high in interceptions with four in the 2022 season. Great open field tackler, doesn't shy away from physicality anymore. He did a little bit earlier on, but this is a kid that not only welcomes it, but sometimes even brings it himself. So that's something that I love.

But there's a lot to love about his technique. Just, I think, one of the guys that can come in here and play man coverage, and he's phenomenal in man coverage, but he's also very good in zone. He never loses sight of the quarterback uh one of those corner rare cornerbacks that you see coming out of college that reads quarterback's eyes very well and if you can do that you're going to be a tremendous corner in this league something step on gilmore does very well and one of the reasons why he's

such a great cover corner is because he can utilize that to his advantage and never lose sight of his defender um this gets the total package and if i'm in the new england patriots i would love to get this kid in a patch uniform that being said i don't believe the patch are trading up for him and i don't believe he's going to be there at number 14 so this is a pipe dream on mike's part uh but again this is like pie in the sky we're having a lot of fun with this and that's what i see for the patriots my ultimate defensive patriots pick would be that's what I see for the Patriots. My ultimate defensive Patriots pick would be Christian Gonzalez

if the Patriots could find a way to get their hands on him. See, I don't disagree. This is what's difficult. Yeah, this is what's difficult. I don't disagree with you. And I'm like, yeah, I want him as well. And that's why I'm so indecisive as well. But that's kind of why I went linebacker,

because I kind of knew that you would probably go with the with the cornerback pick because it and it is if I'm being that what I was in the first bit with the offense and I've got my GM hat on and I'm being really serious then yeah to be honest with you Gonzalez would be would be my pick or at least a cornerback would be my pick because obviously as you said he may not drop to the Patriots so cornerback for me feels like it should be but like I said I ended up talking myself into the fact that Bill's got that covered and he's going to sort it out in undrafted free agency and I don't need to worry about it um and that kind of I freed myself up I gave myself the liberty to to look at what I'd really really want and this really good linebacker is that kind of way and I still struggled with

that because Jack Campbell's like the number one linebacker um but in the combine the linebacker is that kind of way and I still struggled with that because Jack Campbell's like the number one linebacker um but in the combine the linebacker who I really liked who I was kind of really I want to say crushing on nearly crushing on um was Drew Sanders from Arkansas so it's like there was two linebackers so then it was like oh no now I'm really torn because there's these two really great guys when it comes to linebacker and we don't necessarily need to look at taking a linebacker the draft can be a very dramatic experience it truly is you invest so many weeks developing these draft crushes folks and most of them are crushed and they crash and burn seconds when your team's on the clock and they don't take the guy that you wanted or when he comes off the board before your team is ready to go folks we had a blast bringing you draft

coverage but we are not done just yet a special draft day episode of locked on patriots will be coming at you tomorrow here on the pod so keep it right here on locked on patriots for all the latest draft needs and don't forget we've got you covered all weekend long. Bonus picks, bonus shows, anything and everything related to the NFL draft we're covering this weekend. And, of course, don't forget to check out the Locked On NFL page for all of the national coverage that you'll need from each and every one of our great hosts along the Locked On Podcast Network. Truly blessed to work for this organization.

I can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you. You're going to love the draft coverage here on Locked On Podcast Network. Truly blessed to work for this organization. I can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you. You're going to love the draft coverage here on Locked On Podcast Network. But in the meantime, I want to give a special tip of the cap and a nod to the gods to my co-host here today. Claire, we have a lot of fun every time we share the microphone, but today was especially fun getting a chance to really kind of show our fandom a little bit and show off a lot of skill and some very, very level-headed logic on your part, Count. And so I thank you. Folks, please don't forget to check out anything and everything Claire does

when it comes to Pat's propaganda in a written form and also putting voice to microphone on a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast. Check out the latest offering with her lovely assistant, Shudders. I guarantee you, you are going to love it. It is a great pre-draft listen. So check that out at some point between now and the first pick announced by Roger Goodell on Thursday night. But Claire, what can we say? It's always a blast. And Claire's going to be back here next week and we're going to be breaking down all of the Patriots picks. And who knows, Claire, if there's a new tight

end in the house, you're going to get first dibs on being able to give us your take on what that means. So we'll talk in tight edge again here next week on Locked On Patriots. But in the meantime, Claire, thank you so much for all of your wisdom and counsel today and throughout the draft cycle.

You're very welcome. Thank you very much for having me. And everybody, thank you for listening and watching appreciate it absolutely folks and again thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Locked on Patriots on behalf of the illustrious Empress of Tight Endage herself

the Countess of Clasmas Claire Clasie Claire Cooper I'm Mike DeBate continue to stay safe stay well be the change you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone