Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Mock Draft Make-Up Exam: Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Joe Alt or Trade Down?

Episode Date: March 29, 2024

With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, the New England Patriots remain faced with the decision of whether to target their next franchise quarterback or a potential cornerstone along the offensive line. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the possible selections of quarterbacks Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or executing a trade down to select offensive lineman Joe Alt as they evaluate listener-submitted mock drafts. #nfl #patriots #nfldraft Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. RobinhoodRobinhood has the only IRA that gives you a 3% boost on every dollar you contribute when you subscribe to Robinhood Gold. Now through April 30th, Robinhood is even boosting every single dollar you transfer in from other retirement accounts with a 3% match. Available to U.S. customers in good standing. Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), is a registered broker dealer. BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuelNew customers, join today and you’ll get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS if your first bet of FIVE DOLLARS or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. 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)

It may be May Day on Thursday, but are the Patriots still locked in to taking a quarterback at number three? We're going to answer that question today, so 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, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

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And Pats fans, even feeling a little under the weather cannot keep a good man down for long. As promised earlier this week, it might not be Monday, but it is mock draft makeup exam day here on Locked On Patriots. And if we're going to bring you three great

mock drafts, we can't in good conscience do so without the man who Mock Draft Monday was created for here on Locked On Patriots. My good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, joining me here today, Thomas Murphy, to break down three great mock drafts. Thank you for coming to me in friendship and in better health today, Don Murphy. Yeah, I don't feel tardy.

Yeah, thank you, folks, for putting up with my illness and pushing this back. And thank you, Michael, for letting me take this makeup test and keep me from moving into the Daniel Simpson day category of incomplete. That's no great point average. That's no great point average. And Murph, we'll start with one that really I think encapsulates the news of the day because after all the Patriots contingent down in Chapel Hill North Carolina not only evaluating but also meeting with UNC quarterback Drake May earlier this week the Patriots were up in Ann Arbor Michigan taking a look at J.J.

McCarthy yesterday on Wednesday the Pats were in at Baton Rouge Louisiana taking a look at JJ McCarthy. Yesterday, on Wednesday, the Pats were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, taking a look at Jaden Daniels. A full week for the Patriots contingent. Our good friend, Logan Mink, a long time listener here and a viewer on Locked On Patriots, submitted via email. This is the first time we're sharing one of Logan's mocks here on Locked

On Patriots this year. He's got the Patriots making a pick at number three, and big surprise, it is Drake pick at number three, and a big surprise, it is Drake May at number three. A couple of things here that definitely stand out. Number 34, Amarius Mims, and I want to give you an opportunity to wax poetically on the first offensive line when the Patriots are taking it 34, but Murph, when we take a look at Drake, obviously he's been described as an ideal fit within Alex Van Pelt's offense. And we've talked several times about why that is indeed the case. 63% of his passes completed last year, 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions.

We know about the arm strength. We know about his ability to make throws all over the field. Not only does he have the strength, but the Kraft and Gerard Mayo speaking at the NFL annual meetings, the information we're getting from those present at these pro days and at these workouts, and most importantly, and I give a tip of the count to my friend Dan Kelly, who pointed this out on Twitter earlier today, the game film, because that is really where these players are being evaluated, much more so than individual private workouts things of that nature the game film is going to tell you the story folks if the patriots go at number three here with drake may is this the best they can do at quarterback um in in my estimation yeah if if it's

if there's a lot of talk right now that JJ McCarthy has jumped up into the top three. I don't think that that's going to happen, and he might get selected at two by Washington. But if it's between May and any of the three that folks are, yeah, I think May is probably the best fit here. I don't think Jaden Daniels is going to survive, for lack of a better word. I don't think this kid is going to survive. I really don't.

With his style of play, how fast everybody moves in the NFL, and quite frankly, again, going back to, you know, this is not a Mac Jones comparison, folks, okay? This is the fact that when Mac Jones was taken, he had two first-round picks at wide receiver that he was throwing to. So does Jaden Daniels, okay? And that gives me pause. So yeah, I think at three, Drake May would be the best quarterback to come here to New England and have that opportunity to be good. And then again, on the other side of it, we get all these people, myself included, that think May's floor is not quite as high as some of the others and he may need to sit for an entire season all right and that's that's another thing that gives me pause with taking one of these quarterbacks at three is is once again you're going to have to sit them for an entire year this is the way to go

i just want to be certain with that first pick. And I'm not saying that they should make it at number three. I've said that many, many times. Yeah, I think in a lot of ways, what we heard this week from the Patriots press, particularly from Gerard Mayo, shows that they are open to any possibilities and they are well aware of the drawbacks to these quarterbacks as well as their strengths. They're not just buying into the feeling of the moment and that instant gratification. I think they are doing their due diligence and their homework on all of these guys. I'm pulling verbatim from what Mayo had to say earlier this week about Drake May. Quote, he brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability. The exciting part is

that there's no ceiling with a guy like that. But here's where the butt comes in. When you're putting together a roster, you need to look at the floor as well as the ceiling. How low is the floor? I would say a guy like Drake has a lot of room to grow. He's a young guy. Honestly, he hasn't played as much football as some of these other guys. So that's definitely something we've looked at, but he's definitely going to develop. That tells me that the Patriots

see him as someone who could be a top flight quarterback in this league with the right coaching and the right development, but he's not there yet. And that means Jacoby Brissett is going to have to be a solid presence in that quarterback room, kind of nurturing him and bringing him along. And we've talked about the Knox before, gunslinger mentality not being willing to take the chuck down when he sees the big play always pushing the big play i also would like to see him develop a little bit more when handling pressure pro football focus has this kid graded with a pressure to sack percentage of 19.6 that's a little on the high side when you look at the successful quarterbacks in this league an above average quarterback kind of hovers between 10 to 15 so those numbers need to come down in order for drake to be effective at this level he's got good guys like van pelt and like a mccartney going to

be in there and trying to help him and cultivate him but again folks it's a work in progress so right off the bat, Logan taking the popular pick at number three, but there's still a lot of options out there. There are, there's, there, there are plenty of options out there. And I quite hopefully, I really hope that the Patriots go for, for door number two. Well, you know what, we're going to get into door number two in just a moment, but moving right along with Logan's draft, because obviously Drake may not be the only pick that he made. He made several good ones.

Amarius Mims, offensive tackle out of Georgia at number 34. Murph, obviously, here the Patriots are going with this. We're seeing Mims fluctuate on boards. I'm seeing him possible day one. Most of the picks that we're seeing are on day two, but your thoughts on this kid if the Patriot if this is the first offensive tackle the Patriots are taking can he be the answer to a starting tackle that the Patriots need especially on the left side he definitely can

um this kid's floor is low but his ceiling is through the roof I mean there's a skylight here all right there's a ceiling and there's a skylight here. All right. There's a ceiling and then there's a skylight in that ceiling. This kid is one of my favorite players to watch. One of my favorite tackles in this draft. And I think that it would be a home run if they got him at 34. I don't think he's going to be there at 34. He's going to keep moving up boards. This was my plan is to grab Alt at the top of this draft

and then bookend it with a second round pick. Hopefully, you know, the Patriots are able to get a couple of second round picks and use one of those on Mims in the second round and slide him over there onto the right-hand side, kick him way back to guard where he belongs. And this team is cooking. This team is cooking on Okay. This team is cooking on the offensive line. That's a, that's an offensive line that's fixed. And I'm not saying

that on way you is, is a bad tackle. He's a good tackle. The issue is he's a great guard. Yeah. And I think the position he's most comfortable with now, the reports coming out of Foxborough say he set a tackle. He's going to be the right tackle, But you also take a look at what Gerard Mayo had to say earlier this week, and I think he had a lot of insight. I know he's being criticized for some of the things he said at the NFL annual meetings, but I also think that a lot of truth came out. And he said, look, Big Mike can play all over the place. We're not settled into anything.

He did not paint himself into a corner. And for a rookie head coach, that's important. So, folks, anything and everything being on the table right now, I think, is a good thing for the New England Patriots. It's also a good thing for Logan's draft because he had some very good picks here. At number 68, he's got the Patriots going. Jatavion Sanders at tight end. 103, Jermaine Burton, wide receiver out of Alabama. Zach Zinter, interior offensive line out of Michigan. Yeah, I really do. I understand that

Bill kind of tried to take care of the interior of the offensive line, but coming in with Zach Zinter here at 137 is one hell of a pick. The guy has some problems with speed rushers in space, but also the coaching should get better for him next year. I think he's going to be able to overcome those things. He also had a broken bone in his leg, and I think that's why he's sliding down a lot of boards. Otherwise, he would have been, I don't want to say much higher, but possibly in the top 100.

At 137, this is a really good spot for him. Absolutely. And adding depth on the interior, folks, is definitely something that the Patriots are going to be looking to do. I know tackle is a huge hole on this team right now, especially on the left, but you have to stockpile weapons in that offensive line. And even if someone like a Zach Zinter comes in and is a practice squad player for the year, it still sets him up to be a successful lineman in this league. I like this pick at number 137, high value there. At number 180, the edge rusher coming out of Troy, Javon Solomon. At number 193, Edufan Ulofosio out of Washington. Correct me if I'm wrong on the

pronunciation on that one. Of course, number 231, Frank Gore Jr. Murph, we've discussed this one before at Southern Miss. Give senior a 10-day contract just to play the first game so he could say that he was on the field. Senior would probably score a touchdown. I still think he can do it. You want to talk about guys that don't age. Frank Gore Jr., I don't think that's enough love for being so good and at the top of his game for so long uh one of my favorite guys to watch always murph it is grading time here on our first mock draft of the week logan submits this to you how are you handing this paper back to him this is a

b this is a solid b b draft it was fantastic um and and no I'm not grading on a curve there. He did well in addressing this team's needs. I would have liked to have seen a safety here. We didn't get a safety, you know, and I would have liked to have seen that. That pushed you down a little bit. Safety is a huge need on this team, folks, and you're going to have to find one in three, four five to uh to really you'll have to search for one in five but uh three or four to um to really help solidify center field here in new england absolutely i think you're right on the money when it comes to a safety i'm going to give logan an extra plus on this i do give it a b plus simply because i like the

pick of drake may at number three i think if you're going quarterback, this is the way to go folks, because of the high ceiling. I love Mims at number 34 and I really like Sanders at 68. You're hitting one, two, and three off the tee right off the bat. And I love Zinter at 137. I think you said everything that I would have said about him in terms of his ability to be a solid contributor to the interior of that line. So good stuff when it comes to this draft, Logan, thank you so much for sending that in. And we definitely encourage you to keep them coming in because we are not done here on mock draft Mondays, folks. We still have a ton of mock drafts to go through before April 25th and the start of the draft. And it's funny that you mentioned safety Murph, because again, that is a glaring hole in Logan's

draft, but our next draft is going to address the safety position, maybe a little further down than you might like, but I love the pick that he made and I'm ready to wax poetically on that guy. And I think you'll love what he did at the top of the draft as well. A lot of moving pieces, Murph, but he ends up getting the guy I think you're going to really like. What are your thoughts going to be? We'll discuss that and more

when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, we've all been there. You want tickets to the big game or your favorite musical artist, and you just can't find an easy and affordable way to get them?

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and joining us as always to evaluate all of your great mock drafts that you send in here for us to evaluate. Thomas Murphy. Murph, in the previous segment, we evaluated a draft. No trades, straightforward. All the picks the Patriots are given. Logan filled a lot of the holes, maybe not every hole the Patriots have to fill, but did a fairly good job of being able to address a lot of what the Patriots need to do.

Well, you knew we weren't going to make it through a mock draft day, a mock draft makeup exam without evaluating a couple that had some trades. We got Trader LJ waiting in the on-deck circle, and we're going to get to that one in just a moment because I know he's going to raise Murph's blood pressure a little bit. But our good friend John Cost emailed me after we evaluated his draft last week and said, you know what? I can do a little bit better.

Give me a little opportunity to take this over again, and you know what? I guarantee you I'm going to raise my grade. I take this over again, and you know what? I guarantee you, I'm going to raise my grade. I admire his tenacity, and you know what, folks? It landed him back here on this Mock Draft Makeup episode. And Murph, without further ado, let's share what John had to do.

This is John's makeup exam on Mock Draft Day here on Locked On Patriots, and he's got the New England Patriots trading with the New York Giants. For the benefit of those of you listening to this podcast, he has the Patriots shipping the number three pick to the New York football Giants and receiving pretty good haul in return.

Round one, sixth pick overall. In round two, the number 47 pick. He's got the Patriots coming away with a first rounder in 2025 and a second rounder in 2025. He has the Patriots standing pat at number six. He is selecting Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the number six pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Murph, before we get into the rest of John's draft here, your thoughts on the trade and your thoughts on walking away with Joe Alt at number six. I think it's, I think it's a home run. I really do.

If you can get, if you could pull this off and get Joe Alt at six, it's fantastic day. A plus. But he's not done yet because he's going to take some of those picks. As a matter of fact, three out of the four, he already used number six to get Joee alt but three out of four that he got from the giants he's going to invest back in and trade with our good friends over in minnesota patriots kind of made them an offer they couldn't refuse a second rounder at number 47 a first rounder at 2025 and a fifth rounder in 2025 which is what they received from the new yorkants. Going to the Vikings for the number 11 pick and the Patriots making that selection. You will hear the cheers coming from West Midlands in the UK.

Tight end, Barack Bowers out of Georgia. Yeah, I'll be doing backflips if the Patriots can figure this one out. This is a great pick for anyone that does it. Yeah, if the Patriots can pull this, this dance off, it is, uh, this is a Saturday night fever kind of, kind of situation. It's just,

it's just amazing. It's, it's beautiful. If they get this kid, I will fly over to, uh, to, uh,

England and I will, I will buy Claire dinner. Absolutely. Claire's making out her menu right now, folks waiting for that to happen, but all kidding aside, I mean, how can you go wrong with Brock Bowers? He is the top tight end prospect. It'll be a McDonald's. It'll be dinner. And if you're looking for someone that can compare alongside Hunter Henry, imagine that lethal combination coming up this season. You got Austin Hooper now in the mix there. Uh, Michael Petway, all of a sudden, that team that looked very thin at tight end just a few weeks ago would be bolstered to levels that we haven't seen in quite some time here in New England.

Whether it's actually realistic, well, the jury is still out on that one. But at the same time. You made the trades and you made the picks. Exactly. You got to love the ingenuity here. But Trader John is not done yet, Murph. He's got one more up his sleeve. He's going to ship the number 34 pick that the Patriots would have had their own pick over to the Atlanta Falcons. And they receive in return a second rounder at number 43,

a third rounder at number 79. And he turns those two picks into it. Number 43 quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. Out of Washington. And then at 79, he also brings in Brendan Rice out of USC at the wide receiver position. You want to talk about filling four major holes on offense. It's fantastic. The dance continues. Some great picks.

Give me all the top 100 picks, all the top 100 picks that you can get man this is fantastic this is great work right here another uh you know everybody knows that that i am uh super high on michael pennix um i love a lefty and we'll we'll just move alt over to the right side and we'll figure out what's going on. Absolutely. Do some shuffling around. But you know what? Bottom line, folks, if you can start the season with Michael Penix as your quarterback, Brendan Rice helping out your wide receiver core,

Brock Bowers anchoring your tight end room for many years to come, and of course, Joe Ault being the foundation on which you build the Church of Foxborough up in New England. Yeah, you're doing something right. But you know what, Murph? We haven't even gotten to my favorite pick in this draft yet. I'm sure the sixth pick was the favorite of Murph, but a guy that I think should be getting a lot of draft attention here in this region.

And someone who is from a lot of the good draft experts out there. I've seen Phil Perry talk about this guy. I've seen Alex Barth talk about him, Taylor Kyles. And that is Sione Vahke, the safety out of Utah. Murph, the Patriots coming away with this one at number 103 in the fourth round. Folks, you can see on the screen, for those of you that haven't seen, that's the Patriots pick at number 103, and I think if they pull this off in the fourth round, this is an excellent move for this team. Someone that can come in and be an immediate impact player in that safety room. Thick frame, good upper body power, heavy hands.

This guy can carry the ball on offense if you needed him to do that. Someone that is capable. You could actually put him in at running back and he could do a fine job for you. Yeah, absolutely. Something that I do like as well is he's a very good tackler. He can anchor himself well. I think that comes from his experience running the football a little bit and knowing how to anchor yourself and keep yourself on your feet in the face of very difficult opponents.

I do want to see him get more coaching when it comes to coverage. He does struggle when he plays the role down the field. That's something where you have said that center fielder before he's going to require some coaching in that area. But I do think that even though whatever he lacks in athleticism, he makes up for in that positional fit and that strength and that tenacity. I like this pick. This was one of my favorites coming out of John's draft year.

Yeah, I agree. And this kid is a fantastic young ball player. He's a ball hawk. He, you know, he does a very good job of reading a quarterback's eyes and reacting with good field awareness to it. Tracks a ball well, and he really has some good feet. And you say this and you take it for granted, but it goes back to, yeah, he could carry the ball for you.

This is a guy that knows how to pick him up and put him down in the right spot. You never see him giving up the big play, and it's rare that anybody gets past him. So, yeah, I love this pick. I do. Yeah, absolutely. At this spot, I love it.

Yeah. At round four, number 103, you're talking great value here. Anything higher, I think the Patriots are reaching. But if they can find him in this area, I think the Pats are moving in the right direction there. So grading time, Murph. John wanted a makeup exam. He wanted to prove to himself and I think to both of us and really to all of Patriots Nation that he can deliver the goods.

John Cost hands you this draft card. What are you grading him? I'm grading an A+. This is an A-plus draft. He moved around the board. He manipulated up. He manipulated down. Got me those extra top 100 picks. He hit on every situation. He hit every

position of need. He got starters in this draft through at least round three or four. There are guys in this draft that are going to contribute and contribute right away through round five. This is a fantastic draft. This is what you want to do, people. This is the card that you want to hand in. If the Patriots had this draft at the end of the day on day three, I'm ecstatic. Brock Bowers, man. Oh, Tommy Brock Bowers and Joel. What the hell?

Yeah, this is an A draft in my opinion as well. I mean, he checked every box. He hit all the spots. Michael Pennix is a better quarterback than the Patriots have had on their roster in the last two years. Maybe four years. And let's not forget that as important as everyone

believes Drake May is to scout and to meet with to the future of this organization, the Patriots did pull a few executives off of that list and sent them to Washington to meet with and to take a look at Michael Penix Jr. And that's significant folks because Patriots had not met with Michael in the preliminary opportunities they had to in the senior bowl or at the NFL scouting combine. The fact that they're sending people there shows that he is on their radar. They're keeping all options open.

I love that pick. I love Brendan Rice coming in at number 79 in the third round. And of course, we all know how I feel about Sione Vaki, the fourth round at number 103. So folks, another great draft. And I think John Cost has definitely redeemed himself. Yeah. You've earned a better grade. You wanted it.

You got it. Tip of the cap, my friend. Thank you so much for being an everydayer here. And we could not in good conscience close up the mock draft mailbag here on Locked On Patriots, Murph, without bringing you one from the originators. I could. One of the members of the mock draft Mount Rushmore here on Locked On Patriots. That's right. Trader LJ is back with so many trades.

We couldn't even fit them on the screen, folks. LJ, once again, you continue to live life without a stitch of fear. I love it. We're going to discuss all of what LJ had to do in his latest draft haul when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, say goodbye to busted brackets because FanDuel lets you bet on every game of the tourney.

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FanDuel.com slash locked on. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. Spending part of your week breaking down mock drafts. It is not Monday, but it is mock draft makeup exam day. And we're here with the kind of murphy fisto himself a legendary thomas murphy breaking down already two amazing drafts murph a lot of ingenuity shown by john cost in the previous segment in the first segment opening up here today i thought logan did a solid job of delivering most of the patriots needs but we weren't in good conscience going to bring back

mock draft makeup exam day without an offering from one of our very favorites here. One of our all-stars. One of the guys who helped mock draft Monday continue to be what it is. You can find him on Twitter, folks, at show underscore one. He is known only as LJ. And, folks, once again, he is going to make Murph explode here. He is going to raise the blood pressure of our good friend to levels we haven't seen before. In that vein, Murph, let's go ahead and let's dive right into it.

LJ's haul here includes more than a few trades. Those of you viewing on YouTube can see the red boxes here all over the place. The trade register on this was so extensive, it would not fit on our screen. The Patriots draft hall here now includes pick number seven, pick number 47, pick number 50, pick number 75, pick number 79, and lastly, pick number 122, all of which he acquired via trade. The Patriots only holding on to two original selections at number 34 and at number 68. So Murph, when you look at this draft, obviously Jaden Daniels first and foremost, we've talked about maybe the uncomfortable fit that it may be for his style,

for maybe the type of weather he might be playing in. Jaden tried to put a lot of that to rest during his pro day meeting with the Patriots contingent saying, I'm going to come up there and I'm going to be a game changer and a baller. And I'm going to give you everything I've got. You expect the quarterback to say that he's saying all the right things. He looked good on the field, but I don't think he slips to number seven under any circumstances. I don't even, slips to number seven under any circumstances.

I don't either. What are your thoughts? There's no way. It's snowball's chance in hell that this happens. Okay. There would have to be a major controversy for him to slide just this far. You have to make the pick if he's there at seven, you have to take it. I wonder who else was there at seven and maybe possibly getting a quarterback later in at the top of the second round. But no, it's a fantastic.

It's an it's an A pick there at seven. Go ahead, LJ. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the fact that you were able to manipulate the board to get him at seven, LJ, I give you a tip of the cap on that, my friend. But again, I mean, say what you will about his fit in new england i do not think there are six teams that would be picking above the patriots here no that would pass on jayden daniels even some that don't really need a quarterback i think would jump at the chance to get this kid in their uniform for the foreseeable future so right off

the bat again work the board the way you can i I just don't find it realistic. Who'd the Giants take, LJ? Who'd the Giants take at six? Yeah, that'd be helpful to see what the board looked like. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see. But you look at number 34 now with Jordan Morgan, number 47 with Patrick Paul. That was acquired via a trade. These are a nice pair of bookends at offensive tackle, Murph. I like both of these guys.

I'm not really sure. Morgan needs to get stronger than he is. I'm not sure if he's going to play tackle at the pro level. He could on the right-hand side. But Patrick Paul is just a mammoth individual, okay? And you have to take that shot. I think Paul is going to be uh i don't he he's never going to be joe wall nobody is nobody um but no this is this is a great pair uh backup pair

uh i don't think lj did this just to make me happy but it did it it saved my sanity just a little bit um but no it's it's it it this is an interesting draft and I think Patrick Paul is a fantastic grab right there. And, and the other, like I said, Jordan Morgan, you know, six foot six, 320 pounds, but he does. He has all the traits that you want just a little short in the arms. And, and like I said, I'm not sure whether or not he's going to kick inside or outside, but at this pick, it's definitely worth taking that shot,

considering the state of this offensive line, which is the worst that I've seen in decades. Absolutely. And the Patriots definitely need help there. These two guys would be helpful in that regard for the Pats moving forward. Moving on to picks number 50 and number 68, a pair of receivers that we've talked about here on Locked On Patriots. Roman Wilson, wide receiver out of Michigan from the National Champs.

Malachi Corley out of Western Kentucky, a wide receiver. Both of these guys really yak machines when it comes to their game and when it comes to what they're doing. I think Roman Wilson has a little bit more of a refined route tree than Malachi, but you're talking natural ability, natural athleticism. I love what Malachi brings you. These two guys, I think, could be solid fits in New England. I just don't think you grab both of them because their games are similar in terms of what the Patriots need. Yeah, that's a fantastic point there, Michael. I do believe, you know, Wilson is a fantastic route runner and I think in any other

year, he'd be a lot higher on a lot of wishlists. He, he, he would be, um, uh, closer to a first round reach than he is a solid bottom of the second round pick. Uh, and, but, but we, we all know how I feel about the Malachi crunch. I say that with all due respect. This kid is just a yak machine. Give me the Malachi crunch. Really. We all know that the Patriots are kind of set at slot, but depth is important, especially at that position in this offense. And I do think Malachi could,

could kick out and play a little bit on the outside, but you know, in the, the inside is, is where he needs to be. He needs to catch those digs. He needs to catch those slants and be able to turn them into, you know, a 15 yarder into a 65 yarder. And he's got to, yeah. Give me the Malachi crunch. Yeah. That's start and stop ability that Malachi has at the top of his stride. That's going to allow him to create separation at the next level folks. And that's where interior receivers can

really make an impact on the perimeter and on the outside and be someone that you can rely on in the open field and someone that you can rely on for big play gains and I think that's where this kid could kind of separate himself 4.46 uh 40 time definitely good of course you look at Roman Wilson running it in 4.39 that all of a sudden looks a little bit more impressive but bottom line either one of these guys I think would look great in a Patriots uniform I like Malachi I always have. And the Bailey Zappi factor. Let's not forget, folks, he had a very good year in 2021 catching passes from Bailey. 73 catches, 691 yards, seven touchdowns.

If Bailey is going to be in your plans heading into 2024, and we're not sure what the Patriots quarterback plans are, there's a lot of synergy here with this kid so maybe he's someone the Patriots give a second look to if they decide Bailey Zappi is going to remain in that quarterback room for the upcoming season but Murph we're at that point again LJ has committed a ton of trades here Chris Abr Abrams-Drain at number 75, the cornerback out of Missouri. Ben Sinnott at number 79, tight end out of Kansas State. This could be a diamond in the rough here.

And Leonard Taylor out of the University of Miami at number 122. Your grade for LJ's Hall here, back to the bottom. Yeah, this is an A-plus draft. When you look at it, he moved up, he moved down. He hit every position of need except for safety. But no, with what he was able to do on the offensive line,

at quarterback and at wide receiver, like Mike said, it was a little redundant taking the both of them. But, you know, I, I, I can't cut the, I can't really cut this up and yeah, LJ, you just sit out there on your crazy horse and you just keep being you, bud. Yeah. I think it's really difficult to cut it up when you see what the entire package looks like here. And once again, for the benefit of those watching on YouTube, here is the entire hall, uh, from Jaden Daniels at number seven. Folks, for those of you that are listening to the podcast, right down to number 122 and Leonard

Taylor out of Miami, he did fill a lot of the holes. Once again, we're not seeing a safety. And I think that is, for those of you that are submitting mock drafts here, keep in mind that is one of the Patriots' big needs. One of their big voids right now. And we're seeing a lot of that on draft boards. So keep that in mind when you're selecting players, but yeah, bottom line, I think this is an a draft for me as well. LJ, excellent job. Tip of the cap, my friend, and keep doing you keep being you, my friend, because I love that you approach these without a stitch of fear. And you know what? Nine times nine times out of ten bud you usually hit the nail on the head so Murph it's time to put the mock draft mailbag away but not for long there's not

really a long turnaround this week folks Murph and I will be back here again on Monday sifting through your mock drafts so make sure to get them in even over the holiday weekend it's Easter weekend Murph Easter Fajan the Easter weekend and we're ready to bring you some great mock drafts. Murph, what can I say? It's always an honor when you join me here on the microphone and break down all of the great work that our listeners do here on Locked On Patriots and lend the wisdom and counsel the way only you can. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you

and absorb your great work over the course of the next few days until you're back here again on Monday for Mock Draft Monday on lockdown just check me out at team earth 207 on zitter and you can keep up with everything i need the followers you know just you know begging for follow no i'm kidding but uh i i've got it it's always a good time over there you can keep up with whatever i'm doing wherever i'm going to be whatever shows that i I'm going to stop in on. And, you know, it's always fun hearing back from you folks. Absolutely, folks. It truly is. And again, anytime Murph puts pen to paper or voice to microphone, it's always appointment

listening, not just with the New England Patriots, but I strongly encourage you go over to diehardbostonsportsfans.com. Check out all the great work that he does on the Boston Red Sox. We thank each and every one of you for taking the time out of your schedules to join us here on Locked on Patriots. On behalf of my good friend, that kind of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate reminding all of you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.