Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: JuJu Meets the Beat, Patriots Free Agency vs. NFL Draft?

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster met with members of the New England media for the first time since signing a three-year deal with the club in March. The talented wideout had many complimentary things to say about coach Bill Belichick, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and quarterback Mac Jones. Host Mike welcomes Tyler Lamb of Stadium Rant to discuss Smith-Schuster in Foxboro, as well as whether the Patriots Free Agency Haul or their 2023 Draft class will have a bigger impact on their upcoming season.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!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.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

Are the New England Patriots building something special in Foxborough? Juju Smith-Schuster thinks so. Who am I to disagree? 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. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, 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 MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow

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FanDuel is the official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn today to get started. That's fans, an informative pod on tap for you here today on LockedOn Patriots. Tyler Lamb, owner and CEO of Stadium Rant, is going to join me here in just a moment. And we're going to discuss the Patriots' free agent acquisitions as well as their 2023 draft haul. What will Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gusecki bring to the Pats offense and which of the Pats roster addition periods did more to bolster the team's season in 2023? Was it the draft or was it free agency? Well, Tyler and I are going to discuss that and more,

so stay locked in, everyone. But we begin today in Foxborough, and if you listen to the prognosticators of doom, I know a lot of you listening to Locked On Patriots don't, but believe me, folks, they're out there. Your New England Patriots' chances of contending in a stacked AFC in 2023, well, they're apparently more dismal in a dense fog off the coast of Cape Cod. But I will say this, New England's newly acquired marquee free agent acquisition, he's not buying

into what the armchair analysts have already deemed as a near certain finish at the bottom of the AFC East. He is Juju Smith-Schuster, and he met the media today for the first time since signing a three-year, $33 million deal in March to join the Patriots, and his personality was on full display. Juju saying very bluntly, we have something special here. I feel like it's going to show. It's going to show this year. and before you say that's lip service or he's just kind of being optimistic what do you expect them to say juju is not the type of guy that's going to come in and just give you lip service he's going to tell you what's on his mind and he's also no stranger to

successful nfl franchises folks spent all of his first five seasons with the pittsburgh steelers he rapidly became one of their most productive class catchers and playmakers. Then in the offseason last year, signed a one-year $10 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he finished the year with 78 receptions, 933 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. In fact, in Kansas City's 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, J a palpable difference in the strategy from either of his previous career stops. Why is that important? Well, it's showing an emphasis on coaching, and this is something that was an Achilles heel for the Pats last year. Seems to be that the guys in this room are responding well to the coaches that are in that staff, And that's something that I think Patriots fans should feel optimistic about.

Quoting Juju directly here, I am definitely studying more. I'm getting the offense down. Terminology is different from what I've learned in the past. These coaches are really, really smart when it comes to football. Knowing the game, knowing the defense terminology to such an extent is impressive. And of course, Juju being Juju, he had to throw a joke in there as well, saying, if you saw what we study, we should get a college degree for doing that. Well, amen. We've seen a

lot of what the Patriots have to learn offensively, and yeah, it is almost a college-level prep course, but that tells me also that simplification the matt patricia joe judge simplification that is no longer the name of the game the complex offense is back in new england and the patriots believe they have the right guy running it and it looks like the right people in the atmosphere already seems to be agreeing with him without any question folks he's impressed by the team's style and he's really impressed by the strategy under Bill O'Brien he actually went on to reiterate this saying quote the playbook is amazing honestly it's great Bill O'Brien is great he's a great coach he makes everyone feel welcome

and excited just happy to be a part of the team but also ready to work Juju's saying all the right things but you really believe him when you're in the room with him and you can hear what he has to say. He truly is someone that I think is going to command the respect, not just of the media, but most importantly, his teammates and his coaches. And that's the type of player that you want in New England. He's got the ability to gain yards after the catch. And I think this is ultimately what's going to endear him to Bill O'Brien. Just to give you a little example of that, NextGenStats transcribed that Juju earned 141 yards above expectation last season. That's the fifth highest number in the NFL. He is a yards after the catch guy in a way that, unfortunately, Jacoby Myers just wasn't.

It just wasn't part of his game. And I love Jacoby Myers, and I always will. A great guy, great player. I think he's going to go on to do great things with the Las Vegas Raiders, but it's not a hand in glove fit with a Bill O'Brien offense. So ultimately Juju is happy to be in this offense. And one of the things that he specifically called out was his relationship or the relationship he would like to forge with quarterback Mac Jones. There's a lot of efforts out there right now. A lot of people doubling down on debunked narratives that Mac may still be out there on the trading market. Take those for what you will, folks. I'm not going to affirm or deny anything. Just

consider and make an informed decision. That's the only thing I'll say on that. The Patriots and coach Bill Belichick have apparently said that they're moving forward we spoke directly with bill on friday night uh very late after the draft said absolutely max our guy um apparently that's not good enough for some people but again like i said digress um bottom line mac looks like he's going to be the top option, at least out of the gate. If Bailey Zappi has an opportunity to outplay him, I would not discount that. But at the same time, I think they're going to give Mack the chance

to keep the job that he had at the end of the year. And Juju is among those guys that really is confident that Jones is the right fit for the offense. He mentioned Mack by name, specifically saying he was in the building the day after I signed when Juju went up there to sign his contract and do what he did. I just putting the time in. He's a hardworking guy, very smart at what he does,

working on his craft. And he took it a step further in just a moment. And he said, for Mac, the sky is the limit with the guys that we have here and all the weapons it's gonna be a fun year well Patriots fans let's hope he's right it already feels like a different atmosphere at Gillette Stadium this year maybe a bit more fun in store too with Juju on that beat yeah sorry folks I couldn't resist that's fans Tyler Lamb is going

to join me in just a moment here on Locked On Patriots. So stay locked in for just an additional moment until we continue. But first, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook. And make a fast break to FanDuel during the NBA playoffs because right now, new customers can get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's $1,000 back, folks, back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win. All you green teamers out there, show your Celtic pride with FanDuel.

There's no better place to bet all the playoff action than America's number one sportsbook. Visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn and get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's FanDuel.com slash LockedOn. FanDuel, official sportsbook betting partner of the NBA. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making LockedOn Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

And a special shout-out to all of you everydayers, all you loyalists out there to the New England Patriots podcast. We appreciate all of your support. And don't forget, tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots, the Countess of Clas, Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda, and Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast joins me talking a little tight-ended NFL draft, you name it. We're talking it here on Locked On Patriots.

But today I am honored, privileged to be joined by a good friend of the program. He is the owner and CEO of Stadium Rant HQ. One of the fast risers up through sports media, football media, Patriots media, you name it. This guy's on it and we're glad to have him here today. Tyler Lamb joins me today. Welcome back to the pod, my friend. Really, really glad to be here. Happy to let you have me on again.

You have me on. It's really, really cool to be here. A lot of exciting news. We've got the Juju thing that's going on today, the draft. And the Pats also. A couple of undrafted free agents we could maybe get into later on. Absolutely. Definitely a lot of great stuff that's going on.

Without question. And I'm glad that you mentioned Juju because, as I said to open the program today, Juju Smith-Schuster meeting with the media for the first time since signing a three-year, approximately $33 million deal. Miguel's going to be on here later this week, folks. meeting with the media for the first time since signing a three-year approximately 33 million dollar deal uh Miguel's going to be on here later this week folks gonna set me straight on all the financials all the particulars but um bottom line uh this was a great meeting for the New England media uh we got a chance to see the personality of Juju was you know first and foremost there but you could really sense the dedication that he

has to this team. But not only that, Tyler, but the dedication that he's seeing in the room when he walks in, when he looks and sees Mac Jones working out when he's here and nobody else needed to be here at that point. The reverence with which he speaks about Bill Belichick and Bill O'Brien and the playbook and hearing that the Patriots offense is going to be complex again and things that he needs flashcards and things like that to learn it was heartwarming for New England Patriots fans because those are the elements of what made the Patriots a great team back in the day when you hear things like that what's your reaction first of all to Jju's assimilation into new england and what it might mean for his relationship with mac and even in the future here with the patriots so um first off i i

think the best thing we heard there is how complex the offense is going to get i i think that that is a major strength of mac jones he he's a cerebral quarterback. He needs an offensive system that allows him to make changes at the line of scrimmage. Matt Patricia was really not allowing any protection changes, any play call changes, not in the beginning of the year. He let a little things go as the season progressed, but there are bad vibes kind of seeded in there already. It was tough to break out of a couple of things that they kind of dug themselves into over the course of the beginning of last season.

So I think Juju talking about complexity, getting everything, all these calls straightened out in his head to be able to go and do it on the field without mistakes you know with with the repetition and getting his skill set in the best position to be utilized i should say um so i think that was really my favorite part about his comments overall um second uh mac jones is in the building um i'm one of the people who have wanted to give this kid the shot this whole time. I don't think he's ever really gotten a fair year of about a full fair year of evaluation. His first year was great. His weapons are lacking.

And then the second year you're supposed to improve on that. And he regressed with, with a bunch of other issues. Um, but hopefully we can get the, the 10 10-win type of player that we kind of saw in the first season back. Juju's going to be a big part of that. I think he gives him a nice safety blanket. He can work inside, outside. He gives them a little bit more yards after catch than Jacoby Myers

kind of did. Not that Jacoby Myers didn't do that, but it just wasn't really his skill set. This is more what Juju does. He's more explosive. So I think that the pair works really well. I think an underrated addition this offseason was Mike Gusecki as well.

Big 6'6", outside guy. He doesn't really play the in- tight end so him and hunter henry should be able to share the field quite more often than hunter henry and johnny smith did so you should be able to get dual utilization there um it a lot of people are putting this this team at seven and a half wins. I don't understand that. It doesn't make any sense to me. We won seven wins with Cam Newton and, like, Demir Bird on an offense. You know what I mean?

They're winning more than eight games, in my opinion. So, yeah, comments are really good. I think that energy, the youthfulness, the type of vibe that Juju kind of brings out, it's a little bit of star quality. I hope he can go and have a great season and back that kind of thinking and attitude up. If he does, then our offense should be able to take a couple of steps forward this year. Without question.

And I'm so glad that you mentioned yards after the catch because I think that's something that is really going to endear Juju Smith-Schuster to Bill O'Brien and to Mack Jones. Juju, last year, just to put things in perspective when it comes to how far the Patriots may come in gaining yards after the catch this year, an average of 5.8 yards after the catch per reception last season by comparison the Patriots gained only 33 yards after the catch in total in 2022 so when they were getting the ball at the point of attack they weren't moving the ball they weren't moving the chains after that point of attack and albeit respect to Jacoby Myers who I absolutely loved covering here and one of my favorite guys always will be and I think one of the more sure-handed receivers that's come through here in the past

few years but Juju's ability to get yards after the catch is going to be something that I think is going to make him a Mac Jones favorite and a Bill O'Brien favorite because this is the type of offense that they ran when they were in Alabama lead your receivers under the defense put it where only the receiver can get it accurately on time, of course, but also give your receiver the opportunity to then get the ball and make a good amount of yards after the catch and really make some noise after that. So great stuff there from Juju as well. You mentioned Gusecki. We're actually going to be speaking with Gusecki on Thursday, so it's perfect timing because one blends into the other. Here is, I think,

in my opinion, a red zone threat that the Patriots did not have the last couple of years. I know everyone projected, myself included, that Jonu could be that guy. But I think Gusecki, that's his primary purpose in coming in, is to be that receiver in that backfield, someone that can catch in the back of the end zone, go up and make a contested catch and be a big body back there as well. I'm definitely excited about that. Do you think that Gusecki adding that level in the end zone is yet another level of icing on the cake for Mac Jones? Oh, definitely. I mean, we see it two times a year. We've seen it most of his career.

Like, that was primarily what he did. He always did in the fourth quarter, you know, down, like, it's coming. They were coming down the drive, and we thought we were going to stop him. And then Mike Isecki goes up, mosses somebody, and just takes it away from a defender and just like ah again um so it's nice to have that kind of on our team now and it'd be nice not to have to see that again hopefully in a little for a little bit unless it's on our colors um yeah the six he's six five six six i believe um that's always been a strong suit he He's dominant at the catch point.

He's extremely strong. He's a mismatch for most cornerbacks and safeties at that point. Linebackers can't really stay, like can't really keep up with him for the most part. I mean, in the modern day, you will find more, but they're, they're shorter. They're not as big as he is. So he truly is a mismatch.

It just, it all matters it all comes down to how they utilize these players on the field the skill sets are there for them to be able they should be able to attack in any way they really want to with with born parker gaseki juju thornton, now Booty, and what was the kid from Liberty? Pop Jones. That was his nickname. I'm forgetting what his first name is now. It's going to be that. From Liberty? Demario Douglas.

Yeah. Demario Douglas. There you go. Pop Douglas. Yeah, that was his nickname. So, yeah, I think both of those are sneaky ads as well. So that conglomerate of pass catchers, I think if they're put in the position to succeed, are going to be better than some that we had last year and even the first year. Without question. Very good analysis there. And also, I'm so glad that you mentioned a couple of draft picks that the Patriots added,

because after all, folks, we're only a couple of days removed from the end of the 2023 NFL draft. It's still a hot topic here in New England and throughout the NFL universe. In just a moment, Tyler and I are going to talk about the impact that that draft class could have on the Patriots as a whole. And because Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Kosecki were free agent additions, did the Patriots do more to improve their standing in 2022 by, in 2023, by adding free agents or through the draft?

Stick around because we're going to discuss that point and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. We are honored and privileged here to be joined by the owner and CEO of Stadium Rant HQ, Tyler Lamb. Tyler, we've been talking about the Patriots two marquee free agent additions juju smith schuster a little bit about mike gasecki to close out the first segment here however

the patriots also added 12 players over the weekend via the nfl draft added officially three more as undrafted rookie free agents the pats are in the business of building up their roster and they're nearly at that 90 man limit but at this point a lot of people were talking about the draft hall as opposed to the free agency hall we're going to get to that in just a moment but first i wanted to get your take on this draft because it is a polarizing one for a lot of patriots fans some are saying the patriots filled a lot of needs, got a lot of athleticism, youth, and this is what they needed in all of the positions that they drafted. Some are choosing to focus on the Patriots trading up in the fourth round to get a kicker and saying that the whole draft is a disaster from there. I always err on the side of Aristotle,

and I say virtue lies somewhere in the middle. But when you take a look at this draft, Paul, what were your thoughts on this? Who are your favorite picks? Were there some that maybe you wouldn't have made as Patriots GM? So I totally agree with the athleticism part. I totally agree with the youth part. I think that there was a lot of drafting with 2024 in mind. But I do like – I think that they started off really strong. I love their first move, their trade back.

They read the board correctly. They got – they messed with the Jets draft board a little bit. I think they reached a little bit on that McDonald kid because of the Broderick Jones pick. So all reached a little bit on that mcdonald kid because of the broderick jones pick so all the power to them on that um you get a fourth i mean okay um but then you get the prize of our draft and christian gonzalez who was my seventh player overall on the whole board um he was my number one cornerback. I know most people had Witherspoon. I thought that Gonzalez was a better tackler. I thought his size was more apparent,

and I just think he has more raw traits than Witherspoon. So to get him at 17, I was screaming at the TV. I was expecting a trade back to be, again, you know, I'm sitting there like, there's no way they're going to take him. Like, it can't happen. They're going to trade back again out of the first. I'm just going to be really mad. But, no, they took him, and I was extremely happy with that pick. I think that size is a very underrated thing that we needed like desperately.

Our cornerback group is five, 10 and a half, I think average height. Maybe not even average height. That might be the tallest, but now, now you add six to a six foot wingspan and 4.38 speed. So that's, that's perfect there. Second second pick i kind of wish they went tackle but keon white was like still a top 30 rated player on my board so to get him at 46 another really really strong value i think he is going to be the dietrich wise replacement um but without all the height so dietrich the first round pick on wise, like everybody was like, oh, he's going to come in and be the next Richard Seymour. I don't think White's going to have that type of hype,

which is going to be good for him because he'll come in, play next to Barr more, Wise, and he should really like step into that role that kind of – I can see his face now. I can't – Lawrence Guy, the Lawrence Guy role, I think he could fit into that perfectly, but way more athletically. So he's going to be a good run stopper. And then in time, he should develop some more pass rush trades.

Third pick, Matu. Again, so I was reading some things. It seems like Belichick was the perfect person to draft this guy if we're going to want to get the skill set that he has and utilize it perfectly. He's this twitchy downhill. He's the guy that we've all kind of wanted them to draft at linebacker, but he wasn't the big name.

So I think a lot of people are kind of upset. They see him as Duggar. I don't think he has that safety kind of play in him. I think that he can really, really elevate the Patriots linebacking core and getting to mobile quarterbacks. So I think that was his sole purpose there. And if Belichick can kind of harness that, he could be a dangerous weapon on the defense.

All of a sudden, there's just so much athleticism on the defense with Gonzalez, Jack Jones, Matu, White, Uche. Like there's a lot of young guys there who can play and are fast. The fourth round, it kind of started to veer off the tracks a little bit for me. I don't really understand why they went three interior offensive linemen. I get you need depth there, but I thought that offensive tackle was more pressing need unless they believe that So can pop out. I think he was the only one that really had the kind of tackle build to him the other two were really short more shorter stubbier interior type players

um both maulers though don't get me wrong maffie and andrews are going to be starters on this offensive line it just i just don't think they help us currently in 2023. The kicker, I would have rather waited, but Bill and his special teams guys, he's going to get them. He's going to draft them, and we're going to live with it. And if he develops into the next Nick Fulcrat in military, big win. You can't hate that. I thought the cornerbacks they got later in the draft were more athletic speed guys

that helps bring more speed to the room if they make the roster. I think the defensive back depth chart is just teeming right now, though, and that's where I foresee some cuts happening. Then we can kind of – they got Bradinger, I think his name is, the punter. Bryce Barringer. Barringer. Yeah. Didn't they both play together, the kicker and the punter?

They did. They've held for – yeah, there's been holding experience there as well. So, absolutely. Yeah. That's little details there that Bill is just – you know that he circled that day one on the draft board. Like, yep, these guys played together. That's little details there that Bill is just – you know that he circled that day one on the draft board. Like, yep, these guys played together. That's a target.

Then Keyshawn Butte. I think that was the most surprising pick of the Patriots draft. When we first started kind of going into the draft coverage this year, I thought Butte was like a top six receiver in this class. The ankle injury really, really hurt his draft stock. It kind of changed what I saw from him as far as explosiveness and overall athleticism. If he can come back from that, however,

he was one of the more dynamic players on the lsu offense um he was giving guys i think he was a freshman when chase was there but he he i i've been hearing his name in the college football circles for quite some time so for to have him drop to the sixth i think that they really could have gotten a steal there if he gets developed properly and kind of gets an opportunity. He's going to get an opportunity because the Patriots only have Juju and Taekwon under contract until 2024, I believe. So, I mean, he's going to get an opportunity as far as it stands right now. DeMario Davis is a twitchy, perfect slot type of guy for the Patriots.

He's not going to break anybody with his overall speed, but he's got that phone box quickness. He's going to break people down, get open on the inside a lot, going to flash across Mac Jones' face. I think that if he gets starting time that's he's gonna be another one of those long line of patriots drafted late receivers who can kind of just step up and do his thing so overall i i think it was an a draft um they got a little shaky in the fourth but if those guys develop into starters does it really matter that they're

guards at this point um i seriously think that they have got at least three day one starters and a bunch of rotational pieces from from this class so heck of a job by macro and his staff um as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, I think you make a very, very interesting point when it comes to the positions in which these guys were drafted. And Murph and I kind of got into this a little bit yesterday when we gave our report cards. If these players round into form, for example, if Chad Ryland becomes the kicker of the future here in New England, and he has all the tools to do it, he kick a distance he can kick in the clutch he can kick in the cold weather and the elements that's big with the New England Patriots you need to succeed there I think a lot of Patriots fans will kind of melt some of the vitriol that they have right now for the Patriots using a fourth round draft capital

especially in number 112 to pick a kicker which a lot of people feel he could have been there in subsequent rounds that's not a slam dunk folks Jake Moody came off the board before Chad Ryland did he was the second highest grade kicker in this draft so to assume that they were going to just have him there in the fifth and sixth round and I've even seen people like to wait it to the seventh add him. Not necessarily. Teams are prioritizing special teams a lot more. And obviously they believed in this board that he was not going to be available to them beyond that pick. So they made it. We'll see if it works out to their advantage.

Barringer, I thought, was excellent. You get him in the sixth round. That's a perfect place to draft a punter. And I think they have a great chance there as well. And Boudetet i think you're right on the money with this has the opportunity to be the sleeper pick for the patriots this kid has all the tools to succeed as a high ranking member of this pass catching crew maybe even one of their best skill position players down the line but he's got to buy in he's got to be here

mentally and he's also has to be here emotionally but most of all like you said that ankle injury has got to be cleared up they have to make sure that he's past it and if he is and the Patriots are confident in that they may have gotten the steal of the draft in Keishon Butte so good stuff uh I uh I graded them as a B plus you're a little bit more optimistic and I dig that that. I like it, and I think it's good, and I think the fan base is going to like it as well. But that leads me very nicely into my final question for you today, my friend, and that is the Patriots added a lot of players over the weekend, including the undrafted rookie free agents,

but they've also added some through traditional free agency. We talked about Juju Smith-Schuster and mike gasecki earlier on today riley reef coming in calvin anderson um chris board coming in to help shore up the coverage teams in uh free agency and then of course a lot of the internals getting re-signed like matthew slater coming back um you know mac wilson coming back rayquan mcmillan jalen mills obviously with that little you know you know, is he released? Is he not? That was a kind of an interesting wrinkle to the offseason. But in your opinion, when you look at both what the Patri what they've kind of done this offseason um i think that they've left themselves in a position of strength depth wise i don't think

they're gonna get caught lacking like they kind of did towards the end of last season when when you have you know um who's the right tackle, who kept playing. He played admirably for coming off the practice squad, but it just, their offensive line depth was depleted. They weren't getting enough from their wide receiving group and their cornerbacks were just kind of too small at the end of the season there when it kind of mattered. But the Tee Higgins game was brutally apparent there. So I think they added more personally through the draft.

I think they got better defensively through the draft. And their defense has always been their strength. I think it was their strength last year. So to go and improve a top, let's say top 12 defense, if we're being generous, I'd say top 10. But if you really want to nitpick me, you can. So 10 to 12, you're adding, and what I think is a Sauce Gardner level, like impact,

maybe not player, but impact towards your defense in Christian Gonzalez, another pass rusher in white and another like gadgety, get the quarterback downhill type of linebacker that they really haven't had in quite some time. So you add those three things, those are three things that are really kind of pressing needs in your, in your defense on all three levels of the defense as well. That, that, that's, that's not going to be overstated.

I promise you we're going to be watching all three of those dudes make key plays this year. As far as the free agent class goes, they went offensive heavy, and that's good. But what I would say for their free agent approach is they went and they didn't really upgrade. They more replaced, I should say they replaced with marginal upgrades.

There wasn't a splashy big upgrade, but they got better at some spots, but never really added to it, to what they had. So they replaced what they lost. They sent out the contract to johnny damian harris left that's kind of a bummer i think but james robinson comes in myers leaves jujus here so it's like they recycled a little bit on on the free agency board there brought in

some depth to tackle i still see that being an issue for them this season. But hopefully with Clem and Bill O'Brien there, they can kind of workshop some sort of offensive line scheme to keep Matt protected. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard. The kid wants to throw the ball quick. He wants to get rid of the ball in a fast sort of manner. He doesn't want to extend plays typically. I mean, he wants to throw the ball deep.

Don't take that for just dinking and dunking, but he wants to be efficient with it. So, yeah, I would say they got better more through the draft addition-wise. They recycled in free agency. That's kind of how i would classify that i think that's an accurate assessment i mean especially when you consider what the patriots lost and thank you for mentioning james robinson shame on me for missing that one earlier and you caught it i appreciate that uh but all kidding aside there is a switch off there i mean you

know robinson comes in and then you know obviously har Harris is out the door. Smith Schuster comes in, Myers is out the door. You can make the argument that maybe they did add a few more bodies on tackle during free agency. So maybe the Patriots got a little bit stronger there than they did before. But in terms of impact players, Christian Gonzalez comes in, instantly becomes their option on the perimeter. So, you know, day one, he's going to be your starter. Chad Ryland comes in. he's going to be your starter. Chad Ryland comes in. He's going to be your kicker. I love Nick Folk.

I'm going to miss covering him. One of the great guys on this team, folks, in terms of demeanor, in terms of character. But the Patriots don't invest this type of draft capital without knowing he's your guy from day one. So that's going to be an instant upgrade, as is Bryce Berenger. Jake Bailey is no longer walking through those doors at Gillette Stadium. So Patriots got a lot of impact players in this draft as well. I keep hearing that they had their eye on the future here.

These are future picks. Some of them are. And I agree with you. You know, Mapu, it comes to mind as being a future pick. Maybe guys like Antonio Mafi and mafi and uh city sal i think those are future picks but they do have impact players here as well and i think the patriots have done that in the draft tyler once again i'm sorry i do have one quick question for you do you think that since they went guard heavy do they do you think they kick a window out to right tackle

there's a possibility that they will do that we know he can play the position he did it a couple of years ago was graded very highly uh by pro football focus and did a job very well but i think they were so enamored with the job that he did at right guard last year which is a very crucial piece of the patriots puzzle on the offensive line. Shaq Mason did it so well for so many years here in New England that I don't think they want to try to get cute right now before a rookie has come in and had the opportunity to learn the ropes. I think they leave a way in with that position.

If they do agree to bring him back and they can work out a long-term deal, because don't forget, he's headed for unrestricted free agency, I think there's an opportunity here for them to maybe say, And they can work out a long-term deal. Because don't forget, he's headed for unrestricted free agency. I think there's an opportunity here for them to maybe say, okay, well, now Mike is going to be ready to make that move to the outside. Do they move City inside? Does Mafi come in and be a guard? Or do they try to move City out to the tackle position?

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated had a report earlier today that said that they were considering doing just that so there's a lot of options with what they have i don't think you're going to see a way to move this year i'm not ruling it out for subsequent years of course last year you know i didn't think necessarily that uh you know that uh cole was going to get the uh the call right from the gate so you know there's a lot of different things that could happen with this team right now. But ultimately, if you're asking me what I believe they're going to do for this year, I believe Awainu stays at right guard. I think at tackle, I think they're going to go

with a combination of guys like Rafe, guys like Calvin Anderson, Connor McDermott's going to get his shot. Maybe, who knows, toward the end of the year, you might see City get some reps there as well. But bottom line, I think they're going to go with what is probably the best option and go with savvy veterans at this point to give Mac Jones an opportunity to get the protection that he needs.

It's a lot to put on a rookie's shoulders considering the year they had last year. That's an excellent question. Excellent question. For sure. Yeah. Tyler, what can I say? It's always a blast when you join me here on the airwaves on Locked On, Patriots. Have to do it more often, my friend, and we're already looking forward to the day we have you back.

But in the meantime, please let all of our listeners know where they can find you on social media, where they can get your great work, and what we can expect coming from the great guys over at Stadium Rant HQ. So, yeah, you can follow us at Stadium Rant HQ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and also follow our TikTok at Stadium Rant. Just 1,000 followers. Yeah. Excellent. You can also get our work at StadiumRant.com.

Tons of articles from soccer to MLB, nfl the patriots it's league wide team wide if you're a fan and you want to get into the sports media industry you want to get into coverage just you know hit up the atlam 4752 or at stadium rant hq and just just ask because we're always looking for people and if you ask me i can tell you have passion that's all you really need to be to succeed in this so yeah if you want that hit me up if not check out our stuff i'm glad you listened and go pats definitely go pats is right and folks definitely check out all the stuff that all the great writers and content contributors are contributing over at stadium rant and don't forget to check out all that tyler does LAM4752 on the Bird app. And of course, you can check out Locked On Patriots and his appearances here,

which there will be many throughout this upcoming season. Tyler, thank you so much for your wisdom and counsel today. But most of all, folks, thank you for being our everydayers here on Locked On Patriots, our day-by-day warriors that continue to support the podcast. We couldn't do this without you. My unending support and my unending appreciation is all yours. And don't forget, here tomorrow, the Countess of Clas herself, Claire Cooper, joins me to talk a little tight endage and the future of the 2023 NFL Draft for the New England

Patriots. Until next time, folks, please continue to stay safe and stay well. Be the change that you wish to see in the world. On behalf of Tyler Ram of Stadium Rant, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, and we'll see you tomorrow right here on Locked on Patriots.