Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, Jakobi Meyers and More — Week In Review

Episode Date: March 19, 2023

The New England Patriots had made some notable additions and subtractions during the first week of free agency for the upcoming 2023 season. From JuJu Smith Schuster and Mike Gesicki to the subtraction of Jalen Mills, time will tell whether the Pats have improved from last season. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Taylor Kyles of CLNS Media, as the duo project what to expect from the Pats latest acquisitions, as well as the impact of their losses.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.On 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.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

it's been an eventful week for the new england patriots as the 2023 league year is underway and contrary to what you'll hear from the naysayers the patriots are making some pretty good moves stick around because 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 Network, your team every day. We'll be right back. the latest episode as soon as it's available. And don't forget, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots

Country of Sports Illustrated. Let me know what's on your mind. Reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook,

official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On today to get started. Well, Patriots fans, after a week of wheeling, dealing, signing, cutting, and trading in the NFL's legal tampering and free agency windows, your New England Patriots are certainly a different team than the one that walked off the Highmark Stadium field in Buffalo, New York, or I should say Orchard Park, New York, at the end of the 2022 season. But are your New England Patriots a better

team? Well, only time is going to tell for that. But for now, we're just trying to keep track of all the roster comings and goings from New England. And that's why we're bringing you this special edition of Locked On Patriots, a weekend wrap-up, weekend review. And boy, do we have a great review for you today. Joining me in just a moment will be the latest and greatest member

of the Patriots beat. Tyler Kiles of CLNS Media joins me and he's going to break down the roster moves from the Patriots offense, defense, and what this is going to mean for the product you're going to see on the field. Taylor is second to none when it comes to roster breakdowns. So we are looking very forward to welcoming here in just a moment. But first, when you look at this New England Patriots team and you look at their 8-9 finish from a year ago, you knew that there was not much to go but up. Patriots are not a team that's used to wallowing in the bottom half of the league. And for the last two out of three years, they have not made the playoffs. That is not sitting well with Bill Belichick. It is not sitting well with Robert Kraft, despite of what you may hear. I'm not even going to get into some

of the rumors that you hear about what matters to Robert Kraft and what doesn't. But folks, let me tell you, I have covered this team for a number of years now. They want to win as much as anyone, and they're out to try to do it. The rest of the league making some good moves. I'm not going to lie to you. Even in their own division, the league making some good moves. I'm not going to lie to you. Even in their own division, the New England Patriots face a lot of competition, but they're making the right moves for this team. Let's take a brief look at who's coming in. Juju Smith-Schuster, obviously the big news of the week. He comes in bolstering the wide receiver group. Jacoby Myers out as a corresponding move, I guess you might as well say.

Have the Patriots upgraded there? Well, Juju is a bit of a step up when it comes to the wide receiver position. He does have the ability to get open, to get yards after the catch, something the Patriots do not have with Jacoby. Can Juju be the reliable target for Mac Jones that Jacoby was? That's a question that a lot of us are going to have, and we're going to need to wait until the Patriots take the field to get our answer. But on paper, I definitely like this move. James Robinson coming in on the running back core, definitely a lot of promise, some injury questions, some concern there.

If this guy is locked in and healthy, he can be a solid complement to Ramondre Stevenson. Mike Gusecki was the big news from Friday, and Murph and I broke down what that means for the Patriots and how Gusecki can turn this tight endage group around and really make them a formidable part of the pass catching offense, like what the Patriots have done on the skill position side. But from a tackle position, from an offensive line position, they've added a couple of additions as well. Riley Reif comes in, coming in from the Cincinnati Bengals. This is a great opportunity, I think, for Riley to come in and make a splash here in New England.

Some are concerned about how much he has left in the tank at 34 years of age, but the Patriots are paying him like a starter. I think at this point, when you look at what he brings to the table, Patriots have high hopes for this guy. Calvin Anderson, a solid swing option from the Denver Broncos coming in as well. And all of a sudden you're starting to see the seedlings of a rebuilt offensive line. I still believe they're going into the draft to dip into some of that talent, and we will get into that on Monday and beyond here on Locked On Patriots when Mock Draft Monday makes its triumphant return. But not everyone is sticking around in New England.

We did have to say some departures to some of the players that you know and love. Obviously, Jacoby Myers signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. Brian Hoyer released um that definitely thins out the quarterback position the patriots are down to just two between mac jones and bailey zappy look for them to either add a veteran arm at some point or maybe they'll add a young arm in the in the draft no one really knows bill belichick always keeps his eye on draftees at the quarterback position, so that would not surprise me. Devin McCourty retired. That's one of the big news items from the New England Patriots in the past couple of weeks. Devin was a busy guy,

actually breaking news on Saturday night that Cody Davis, special team specialist, will be back in New England. That's great news at that point for the special teams. And, of course, Jalen Mills being released on Friday as well. Murph and I going over the pros and cons of that and what it means for the Patriots moving forward. But the New England Patriots still have some outstanding moves to be made. There are outstanding veterans that are right now out there on the free agent market.

Nelson Aguilar, Damian Harris, Isaiah Wynn, Jawan Williams. What are their fates in Foxborough? If they haven't been re-signed by now, it's probably not looking good. I think that each of those players is probably going to find greener pastures elsewhere. Bottom line, New England right now is keeping a sharp eye on the draft, but they're not done building through free agency yet. But what does it all mean on the field? Well, that's what we're going to ask our good friend Taylor Kyles to come in and sort out in just a moment, because he's going to give us all the X's and O's you need on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to solve all your problems and answer all your questions.

Taylor Kyles joins me in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel. Pats fans, the tournament is heating up and now is the perfect time to download FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because new customers get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win. Just download the FanDuel Sportsbook app. It's safe, it's secure, super easy to use, and then you can bet on everything from the money line to the point scorers to the threes drained. Plus, FanDuel even lets you combine your bets for a chance at a bigger payout with the same

game parlay. So don't miss the chance to get your no sweat first bet up to one thousand dollars in bonus bets when you go to fanduel.com slash locked on that's fanduel.com slash locked on to learn more make every moment more with fanduel an official sportsbook partner of the NBA. Patriots fans, here this weekend to help me recap the week that was in Patriots free agency is the newest member of the Patriots beat. I've had the very, very distinct privilege to call this man a friend and a colleague for a number of years now, from his days with Pats Pulpit, right through NFL X-Gen stats, and of course, now CLNS Media's

newest beat member, Taylor Kyles joins me here today on Lockdown Patriots. Taylor, it's been a while since you've graced these airwaves, but it definitely is worth the wait. Welcome back to the beat, and welcome back to Lockdown Patriots, my friend. Thank you, brother. Talking to you, it feels like home. I feel like we were just talking a week ago, man. I'm excited to be

back on i missed your face i'm really absolutely likewise and absolute taylor's coverage this week was second to none for clns media doing a phenomenal job bringing everyone up to date not just on the comings and goings here in foxborough but what it actually means for the patriots on the field because despite what you'll hear in some other circles that's really what matters what these guys are going to do on the field the rest of it is kind of window dressing here in Foxborough what we're going to discuss today really is the thrust of what the New England Patriots are trying to do in building a competent team for 2023 and Taylor you and I both know we've both seen the fan reaction we've both seen

our colleagues in the media react to some of the moves that are being made throughout the division throughout the NFL you know universe throughout NFL fandom but ultimately the Patriots are making moves and they've made a few this week that have really opened I think a lot of people's eyes and I think kind of tipped their hand in terms of what this team is going to look like in 2023. Start on the offensive side of the ball, my friend, because that's where everyone wants to start. Obviously, the big additions, Juju Smith-Schuster coming in

as a member of this team, wide receiver. He's going to change the complexity of the way they do things a little bit. Mike Isecki definitely going to change the complexity of the way the Patriots handle their tight endage. You look at the subtractions, obviously, Jacoby Myers, Jonu Smith, the big two on there, and Patriots have brought in a couple of additional offensive linemen. So for someone who is as an expert, as much of an expert as you are on the X's and O's, and you do it as well as anyone, my friend, kind of walk us through what your vision for this New England Patriots team in 2023 is going to look like based on the moves they made this week. Yeah, well, I think Juju is one of the bigger signings

in terms of, like, name recognition. I think he is going to give you what the Patriots have lacked in the slot. Usually that's Jacoby Myers' place, but he's more of a possession receiver. We are expecting him, obviously, he's a quick guy guy he's a really good route runner so we'll get separation at the top of routes but after that you really weren't getting much else and especially on the design touches and more of the scheme things where it's get the ball in his hand and let him make a play Jacoby just didn't have that after the catch skill set to consistently get big plays when there was space Juju does that and he doesn't even need space.

He's such a big guy. And, you know, he and Jacoby, they seem like they're kind of a one-to-one swap, but Juju's actually bigger. So what he can do is run through tackles. If you come at him with a poor attempt, he's just going to shrug you off. And he can make his own magic in that capacity that we just haven't seen outside of Kendrick Bourne and in the rare occasion Nelson Aguilar. So I really think Juju slots more into that slot role where he's underneath.

You know, you got your speed guys and Thornton and Parker as a downfield threat. Gusecki who I'll get to, you know, you got guys who can push up field or at least go intermediate. And he's the guy where, all right, the defense just is flooding downfield like the Jets, for example. They love their soft zone coverage. So send them up, get Juju the ball underneath, and that's going to be a problem for offenses.

Yeah, without any question. I'm sorry. Oh, no, no. I was just going to say without any question, you're absolutely right. Please continue. And then you got Mike Kosicki. So he's another one where the one-to-one comp of, oh, they're replacing Jonu Smith isn't quite the same because Johnnie was

more of an after the catch guy who really struggled downfield and as a receiver you know he rarely looked like he was comfortable there are a lot of double catches just a lot of receptions that didn't seem you know just smooth or natural Kosicki is the exact opposite literally he's not going to get you much of anything after the catch, unless he stiff arms you, just runs through, like I said, a poor tackle attempt, because he is a big guy. He's 6'5", 6'6", 250 pounds. But what he gives you as someone who in the intermediate part of the field is a massive target with one of the best catch radiuses in the NFL, because on top of being a big guy, he's got ridiculous hands, fantastic concentration. He can turn around and have the ball be past him.

And there's so many times you'll see him just instinctively throw one hand out, snag the ball and bring it in where you're just, oh, okay. All right. That's the guy you got to worry about. And because he's so big, but he's also an athlete. He was by far the most athletic tight end to come out of his combine. Despite the fact that he's not a great yak guy, he does have enough athleticism. He's way too much for most linebackers to cover.

And for safeties, even if they're in good position, although he's crafting, he can get separation from them as well, like a Hunter Henry. He's so big that it's hard for them to even contest the catches, much less break them up. So Gasicki gives you someone in the middle of the field who's a big body like a Hunter Henry type, who can get you a lot of big plays that way.

Also in the red zone, which the Patriots have struggled in since Mack has been on the team, even since all the way back field who's a big body like a hunter henry type who can get you a lot of big plays that way also in the red zone which the patriots have struggled in since mac has been on the team even since all the way back with cam newton if they weren't just running it in every play so now you got hunter henry as well underrated red zone thread who wasn't used to his full potential last year you got two big tight ends who are really tough to match up with one of them much less two so the the receiving core, although Gesicki is more of a big slot than he is a tight end, which is what he is in name, you got two bigger receivers who give you different things, but add nice dimensions and at least some kind

of matchup element that I think Bill O'Brien can capitalize on. And that I don't want to say they lacked because they did have pretty solid personnel last year, but obviously they just didn't have the coaches to utilize it to its maximum potential. Yeah, so well said. And I'm glad that you mentioned the red zone and the contested catches, something that Murph and I discussed a little bit yesterday here on Locked On Patriots. 61 contested catches in two seasons for Mike Gusecki in Miami between 2020 and 2021 is two most statistically sound seasons. And England ranked last in NFL red zone productivity in 2022.

So, you know, they're going to be waiting and willing to see what Mike Kosecki can add to that level. And I'm also glad that you mentioned the type of receiver that you're getting in Mike Kosecki, the type of tight end that you're getting because we hear the term 12 man personnel, Taylor, we hear it a lot. I've talked about it here on Locked On.

I think everybody has. And you start getting two prolific tight ends in the room, and everyone all of a sudden is starting to believe it's going to be the second coming of Gronk and Hernandez. Now, these two are not going to be like for like. I think you're closer to that a little bit with these two, with Hunter Henry and with Mike Kosicki, as opposed to what Jonuu and Hunter did but they

were a little bit more the traditional compliment in terms of a 12-man personnel because a true 12 personnel forces you to the run side it forces you when you have your tight end that's out on the perimeter and they're the widest one out it forces the defense to acknowledge that and it's going to take a person off of being able to cover the other tight end to either run it in or give it on a jet sweep or be able to carry the ball out of the backfield. That's going to be interesting to see how the Patriots meld that lineup. Can you see the running backs maybe getting more involved there, or maybe even a jumbo tight end taking the ball?

We've seen stranger things in New England. How can this open up some of maybe like the unorthodox side of Bill O'Brien? Well, I think what you're going to see is a lot of the empty formations. And that's where he used them a ton at Alabama, obviously, with the Patriots back in 2011, Tom Brady, Hernandez, Ronkowski, a lot of that kind of thing. So what Gusecki does is he can give you someone on the inside where you put him in the slot.

Like I said, he's more of a big slot receiver than a tight end. But that being said, in that area of the field, you're usually going to either be covered by a safety or a nickel corner who's not as big as you or a linebacker who may be physical and maybe they can get a nice jam on you, but they don't have necessarily the coverage skills in most cases to actually compete with you on a lot of those routes the further you get downfield.

So what they can do is even with someone like a Tyquan thornton you put him on the inside as someone who can stretch the defense a little bit um at that number three spot where you think of like an edelman and a west welker could be juju could be if they decide to go out there's a flowers you know kendrick bourne i would love to see get those opportunities just someone who can make that magic in space that you like to see so like i mentioned bill o'brien i think that he is space that you like to see. So like I mentioned Bill O'Brien, I think that he is going to be able to put them in alignments where they have matchups that suit them better. Like you don't want Juju necessarily going up against, you know, Tredavious White because it's not really a skill set.

Juju's not a guy that separates, but if you can get up against a linebacker or a safety or a nickel where he's got his size advantage and he can break that tackle, then yeah, that looks a lot better. And you're're gonna see them in those positions more often plays that complement their skill sets better and that's where you know i don't know so much as necessarily weirdness because that was more mcdaniel's area where he loves trick plays and you're gonna see them you know at least once every other week something fun like that um but it does at least give you formation of versatility where it gives the defense a lot to think about where you you come out in the same look, but players are in different spots.

And then the defense has to communicate. And that's where things start to get difficult. Yeah, that's a very good point. I know Josh loved this trickery and he still does up in Las Vegas. Yeah, we know that from personal experience, but all kidding aside. Yeah, that's what Bill O'Brien, I think, is going to bring. I think stability, that hallmark of Bill O'Brien offenses are always ball security, ball protection, efficient running, spreading the ball to multiple pass catchers, spreading the ball to sizable pass catchers. Patriots definitely don't have that problem this year. They've definitely added a good amount of size and athleticism to that pass catching

core. So, Taylor, you always, always nail it. You always hit the nail on the head when it comes to what we can expect to see in this New England Patriots offense. And, folks, we're only scratching the surface when it comes to that. And believe me, if you want to know what this team is going to look like, even down the line past today's show, definitely give Taylor a follow. You won't be disappointed that you did.

But, my friend, it's not all about the offense. The Patriots have some different plans in mind for their defense this year, even though the Patriots' defense was the hallmark of their team in 2022, by far the best of the three major units in offense, defense, and special teams. A major subtraction with Devin McCourty, folks, and also Jalen Mills finding himself on the outside. Patriots may have a different- looking secondary coming up this year. Taylor's going to help us break down what the New England offense,

oh, excuse me, what the New England defense may look like when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Patriots, a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, here with Taylor Kiles of CLNS Media. And Taylor, in the previous segment, you absolutely hit it out of the park in telling us what we can expect to see or what we should expect to see

from the New England Patriots offense, especially the new additions of Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gusecki and how they're going to fit into a Bill O'Brien scheme. But defense ultimately does keep you in contention, and a lot of times it ends up winning you championships. I don't think we're ready to go there with the Patriots just yet, but in order to remain contention, they're going to have to continue that defensive prowess.

And they're running it back with a very similar defensive front. Looks like they're getting the band back together in Foxborough. Guys like Daniel Aquale hanging around and, you know, getting those key members, you know, Raekwon McMillan, Matt Wilson, all of these guys being brought back into the fold. But the secondary is definitely going to be missing one of our favorites. You and I have had the pleasure of covering Devin McCourty up here in New England the last few years. Truly a great guy, but still one of the best contributors they have

on the field. Also, the release of Jalen Mills on Friday, that could change the complexity. When you look at this defense, Taylor, and you look at what they've lost, what they've gained, what they still may add, what can we expect to see on the defensive side of the ball from New England this year? Yeah, so it's interesting with the safety group. The safety that they've had the most talks with outside of their organization was Taylor Rapp. Now, he spent a lot more time as that deep free safety that you expect Devin McCourty to be, but where he makes most of his plays is in the box. So it kind of leads you to think, especially with Jalen Mills

before he was released saying you know that I'm a hybrid you know I played safety although I understand why he wasn't in their long-term plans he didn't finish the past two seasons it really hurt them when especially last season when he was their only corner who was six feet tall and they really got exposed against the Bengals where that was a pretty obvious weakness um I think he was a really solid player, but his injury history made it make sense that they might've wanted to go in a different direction. But they are hinting towards a more positionless secondary where safeties don't necessarily have defined roles

the way they did. Even Devin McCourty yesterday, he answered a question on Twitter where he acknowledged that, yeah, when I was on the team, everybody knew who the deep safety was. There was no question about it. But now with these guys, he specifically mentioned Duggar, Jabril Peppers, and Adrian Phillips,

who all had experience deep last year saying, well, now defenses aren't going to know who's dropping. Because they like to start in those two high shells where they kind of rock and you don't know who's going to drop. When it's McCourty and Adrian Phillips, you have a pretty good idea of who's going to be the robber, who's taking those middle of the field routes, and who's playing the deep safety. But when it's Duggar and Phillips, you truly don't really know unless you're maybe going on tendencies or something like that. Now, to that point, at the same time, I think that you'll start to see Miles Bryant in the actual deep safety role so that Duggar and Adrian Phillips can do their thing in the box in man-comfort situations and obvious pass downs when they're not playing too high.

But they have a lot of versatility back there. They can have a lot of fun with, again, especially with Jabril Peppers and his versatility. He even played corner last year. But there is still, I think if they walked into the season with the Joneses as their starters, maybe Miles Bryant is still your starting slot corner. I know fans like to give him grief, but he was very solid.

He gives up plays. He's not athletic enough to be a shutdown man cover corner, but he's very good in zone. So I think they still need that guy who's got length, who's got size, who can match up with the Justin Jeffersons and DeAndre Hopkins and those bigger receivers so that they can at least get their hands on, you know, make life a little harder on the plays where you saw Patriots defensive backs. A lot of the receptions for those top tier receivers were contested. They were very tight, right in the hip pocket, but they didn't have the length to actually be able to affect the catch point. Now, if you get someone like in free agency, a Rocky Sin, who's a fantastic man cover

corner, who has experience in the Patriots system with Patrick Graham over in Vegas. If you get someone like him, who I've been pining for, but he hasn't had a really loud market so far, so we'll see what happens there. But at least in the draft, you know, there's a lot of cornerbacks who fit that mold of being more long, where you may worry about their deep speed, but you know they at least have the size to keep up. And I think if they can add that piece, they can get back to more of the matchup uh coverages that they like to play where you know you had one uh corner for most of the game covering a certain receiver whereas last year they played more and stuck to sides unless they were playing a true number one in which case typically jonathan jones would be the guy shadowing that person around the formation but i just think they need that one more piece

that gives them more of a basketball team with physical diversity where they have more options on defense rather than kind of just, you know, having to play a lot of brackets and things like that, where although the league is shifting to more zones, more too deep, more deep zones, because these offenses are so explosive, you'd at least like to have the option of going mano a mano and saying, okay, like, how do we adjust? At least I know exactly where the problem is rather than you know it's sewn and good quarterbacks can

pick it apart and you know you can at least be an aggressive defense rather than kind of being reactionary yeah and i think that's definitely something the patriots fans are looking forward to seeing especially in the secondary and watching how some of these faster younger corners now are going to settle into their own especially especially the two rookie Joneses. You mentioned Miles Bryant. I happen to agree with you on that. I think Miles, I've been critical of him as well on these airwaves, but always from a place of reverence.

And I still think that there is always a 110% effort. And I think he's been much better than he's been worse. And I think that says something about the type of player that the Patriots are looking to retain by tagging him with the tender. We leave the secondary for a second and we go to the front seven Taylor last year obviously the Patriots pinning their ears back a little bit more getting after the quarterback Matthew Judon continues to be a breath of fresh air on that defense he is tremendous always around always on the field making plays obviously behind the scenes he's become a fan favorite for his general manager skills but we love what he does on the field making plays. Obviously, behind the scenes, he's become a fan favorite for his general manager skills,

but we love what he does on the field as well. Josh Uche really emerging last year, someone who can get after the quarterback. And then you have Dietrich Wise also in the mix as being an edge that can really get after and make life difficult on opposing quarterbacks. But you and I both know that there are typical fits in a Bill Belichick-type system, especially with maybe Gerard Mayo having a little bit more of an insight this year,

or maybe a little bit more of a voice. What can you tell us about the front seven from what you've seen and what changes can we expect to see heading into 2023? So I think the front seven is probably the strength of their team. They've got a lot of above average starters. You got guys like like Devon Godshaw and Lawrence Guy, who in my roster breakdown, I have them as above average starters. People are sometimes confused because you think of them as just run stoppers, but they play most downs and they are plus players where they're the ones, they're the reason that teams aren't running on you every game. And even like last season, when they were having struggles in the run game, it wasn't really because of Guy or Godshaw. It was more because Dietrich Wise was having trouble in his role where he can kind of kick inside and

just because he's more of an outside player he's a tweener where he's big and a little too slow to be the outside linebacker type they like uh but he's strong so he can play inside against guards but he's not 300 pounds like a gotcha or a guy, so he can kind of get pushed around. But those two guys, excellent starters. Dietrich Wise, obviously captain, took a step last year. I think he really got much better in run defense. And then obviously Judon. So those guys as your top four, fantastic. One of the better units in the league. Behind them, I think when you talk about the edge behind Judon, that's where things start to you know you start to realize there could be more depth you got josh uche who's a fantastic pass rusher but he doesn't

give you much on early downs and for the jennings is that guy who gives you production on early downs but he isn't really a great pass rusher you can swap those guys and that's fine but it also creates an element of predictability where say a really smart offense decided all right uche is on the field on third down we just got the first down we're gonna're going to run at him. We're going to go hurry up. We're not letting him get off the field and we're going to run at him. Or Anthony Jennings, you know, on the field second down and then it's third and five and you decide to go hurry up. And then it's one pass rusher who isn't really giving you much impact across from Judon. So I think they still need that guy who, especially with Jennings and Uche reaching the ends of their rookie contracts,

you'd like them to bring someone in who gives them more flexibility and a more well-rounded skill set so that, God forbid, Judon gets hurt. You don't end up in a situation where Uche has to play early downs and you have a big liability, or the same for Jennings, and it kind of hamstrings you personnel-wise. But other than that, I think they've got a lot of depth and a lot of really good contributors. In the second level with linebacker, I think you got Juwan Bentley, who is very good, even though he's one of the bigger old school linebackers. He plays to his skill set and isn't a liability in coverage. But behind him, it's a similar thing to Edge, where you don't have anybody that you're confident saying, if Juwan Bentley got hurt,

we had to start somebody in the middle linebacker for two games. I'm comfortable with this person sliding in. They don't have that guy. Jelani Tavvai shown a lot of upside rayquan mcmillan's had nice moments but those guys have also had enough where you say that's someone who a good scheme would be able to pick on some of their deficiencies so that's why i was hoping for someone like david long jr who unfortunately went from the titans to the division rival golfers uh you know that was a tough one to watch but I thought he was a player that fit their scheme where he's good in coverage. He's a great blitzer and he's a good run stopper in terms of getting into linemen and shedding those blocks. So I think they could definitely use just better depth at the linebacker spots.

Barmore also coming back for the interior. He's got some flexibility where if you really need a depth, he might be able to play some big guy defensive end for you if he's healthy um but yeah good good starters solid depth but you can absolutely improve it i think they will probably towards the middle of the draft if not earlier yeah i think so as well and look bottom line uh you can never have too much firepower when it comes to when it comes to guys in the middle part of that defense when it comes to really anywhere on the team New England is always going to stockpile guys they know can fit within their system and I think that especially in the front seven that's why you're seeing familiar faces come back because people know what to expect the coaches know what to expect as well

and they know that there's a little bit more left in the tank for those guys to even grow so excellent stuff, Taylor. As always, we definitely appreciate you stopping by, lending your wisdom counsel the way only you can here on Lockdown Patriots. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, where they can follow you, what we can expect from what is going to be one hell of a year on the beat coming up, and I'm looking forward to it very much. The floor is yours, my friend.

Sure. Excited. Yeah, you can find me at TKiles39 on Twitter, and then at CLNS Media's Patriots site. I got some stuff on there. Written a few articles in the past week. So, yeah, it's been really fun. Thank you so much.

Like I said, Mike, always a deep, deep pleasure. I appreciate you so much and all you've done for me. Honor to be on again. No, you definitely do not have to thank me, my friend. I'm just glad to say that I'm able to share the beat with you this year. It's been a long time coming, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Looking forward to training camp in Foxborough, which is not as far away as you may think, folks.

That's a scary thought, but it's an exciting thought, and we're definitely looking forward to it. Taylor would definitely want to have you back on locked on Patriots when the, the time permits and when your schedule permits. So definitely folks keep an eye out for that. But in the meantime, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to make locked on Patriots a daily part of your new England Patriots coverage all week long.

If you've made us your first listen, folks, please make your second listen. Our good friends over at Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes. My good friends and colleagues, NFL experts Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino take you through what it's like to build a successful NFL franchise every Monday through Friday. Find Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Of course, like Locked On Patriots, Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

On behalf of the great Taylor Kyles of CLNS Media, I'm Mike DeBate. Continue, folks, to stay safe and stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and a great weekend.