Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Mock Drafts: Will the Pats Select QB Drake Maye? OT Joe Alt ? WR Malik Nabers?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Love the Drake. Alt is the pick. It can only mean one thing for your New England Patriots. That's right, folks. Mock Draft is back, 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.

Starting point is 00:00:43 Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Lockdown On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and also your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots, free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. 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 X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L.

Starting point is 00:01:16 And while you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots social media style, please follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet of $5 or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn to get started. And Pats fans, it has been long awaited. Some people wait all day for Sunday night.

Starting point is 00:01:48 Me and my guests today have been waiting all year for this very moment, and that means a visit from our good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy. A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never call himself a real man.

Starting point is 00:02:04 So here I am. You know, here I am. All year long, I'm waiting for this. We're waiting. You know, come on and send them in. Send them on in. We got some great ones this week. Every day is absolutely overwhelm us.

Starting point is 00:02:15 We really do. Murph and I sift through all of the great mock drafts that you send in. We had a lot of entries by email, Murph. Very, very happy to see that. People are utilizing the email, utilizing social media Very, very happy to see that. People are utilizing the email, utilizing social media. Send them in however you want, folks. We will definitely decipher, go through, and we're going to pick the best of the best. And we tried to do that today here on Locked On Patriots. And I don't know about you, my friend. I think we're ready

Starting point is 00:02:38 to dive right into it. We're going to start with one of our true all-stars here. Maybe the guy who defined every day or when it comes to mock draft. He and our man LJ right now at the top of the list. Very deserved tip of the cap to our man Andrew Carraway. He can be found on Twitter at Carraway6. And this is a good one, Murph. This is a real good one. Andrew loves the Drake in this.

Starting point is 00:03:03 He loves it even more than Jerry Seinfeld loved the Drake. And I got news for you. This Drake that he's pulling in here, he's not going to schedule his wedding on the day of the Super Bowl. No, he's not going to do that because he wants to be playing in the Super Bowl. So without further ado, let's take a look at it. And here is Andrew's submission for mock draft Monday here on Lockdown Patriots. As you can see with the number three pick in the 2024 NFL draft, your New England Patriots select Drake May, quarterback out of North Carolina. Now Murph, I know you've been vocal about the pick that you would make, not necessarily at three, but the pick that you would make in the first round. If the New England Patriots go the

Starting point is 00:03:41 quarterback route, because according to the notes that Andrew sent me, I believe Caleb Williams was taken one in this mock draft. And then Marvin Harrison Jr. was taken by the Washington commanders. So Drake may sitting there at number three, he's the pick at this point for Andrew's draft. If the Patriots want to go quarterback, why is this the right move? Well, I mean, um, the, the way May moves in the pocket is really underrated. It's kind of special. I really enjoy that. His arm talent is just off the charts. He hits every tight window and makes some – he makes good decisions.

Starting point is 00:04:22 Okay? His off-platform game, which everybody seems to love right now. Personally, I like a quarterback that manipulates the pocket and throws on platform because that means you have a good offensive line in front of you. His offensive line is, I don't want to say on par, but it goes along with everything that, that people love in some of the superstar quarterbacks, but you know, I am, I am not in love with Drake May. I'm not, I have,

Starting point is 00:04:54 I have my, my questions. I have, I have my questions about all three of these guys at the top of the draft, the three quarterbacks that everybody is uh is talking about that that went before um before drake here in in this draft and andrew's draft you know i don't think he sees the field really well you know this is just from what i've seen right now i don't think the competition that he's played played against is is you know at a level that that you want to see out of a top three pick. Not saying that he's not a good quarterback and not going to be successful in the league, but it almost feels like we're dealing with Josh Allen light with Drake May.

Starting point is 00:05:42 His short game, he sprays the ball all over the place. You know, he misses open guys. He doesn't see open guys. And I just don't know if he's the way to go. Maybe it's just in my head that I don't want to take one of these three guys here at the third pick. But it kind of seemed likerew took what was left and wanted to do a quarterback first draft yeah i mean i can understand the argument uh against drake okay i'll

Starting point is 00:06:15 tell you what worries me about drake may as a pro as well because there are knocks to his game and things that should be a concern for the new eng Patriots if they go this route. I'll tell you what I love about this kid. You mentioned the arm strength. I love the touch that he puts on the ball, the arc that he puts on the ball, the way that he can drop it where only the receiver can get it. To me, I think that really speaks well about his prowess and his potential as an NFL quarterback. He can make the throws in the pocket and he can make the throws on the move. I mean, this kid has enough mobility in his legs to keep defenses honest. So always remember that folks, he's the type of quarterback that defenses have to account for, and they have to be able to defend him on every snap. There's never a situation where you can count him out of a play because he

Starting point is 00:07:00 can do what he needs to do on the ground as well as through the air. I thought he handled the blitz pretty well, especially last year in his last season at UNC. I thought he did a good job of being able to find holes in the opposing defense and utilize those to his advantage, especially when it comes to finding some of those underneath receivers that are going to try to get yards after the catch. So there is a lot to like about this kid and a lot to get excited about. Here's what worries me a little bit is that I think he's got a little bit too much old-fashioned gunslinger in him. That's where a guy like Alex Van Pelt comes in. And I think he could be a very good mentor to Drake in that regard I think what we see a lot from him is an unwillingness and I say this kind of you know tongue-in-cheek but maybe not as much dedication as he should have to checking the ball down I know that's a cardinal

Starting point is 00:07:59 sin here in New England but I think there is a little bit of an unwillingness to do that he tries to go for the hero play every single time and you can't do that as an nfl quarterback that's going to lead to having problems and if that's the case and you try to go for the hero ball it's going to compromise your pocket presence at the next level folks right that's when the rushers are going to come in and they're going to collapse the pocket and if he has to do too much of that he's going to end up running for his life more than he's going to end up running the offense that's the concern i have right now with drake may at this pick at number three yeah with mine it comes down to like you said the hero ball um you know mentality that he has because

Starting point is 00:08:42 things are about to get a lot quicker okay absolutely from the competition that he's facing now and the division that he's he's he plays in um things are about to get a lot faster those nine interceptions that he threw last year are going to double if uh if he keeps playing in the in the way that he is folks we move on. We look at number 34, Brian Thomas Jr. Patriots getting themselves a wide receiver, a first-round potential talent. Grabbing him in the second, I think, is a good move. This is a good move for the New England Patriots.

Starting point is 00:09:14 I like the fit of Brian Thomas here in New England, Mark. What do you think? I love it. You get, like you said, a first-round talent down here in the second round. Thomas is the second-best wide receiver at LSU. And so, you know, it's a fantastic pick at this spot. Some people might call it a reach, but I won't. Yeah. And you know what? Murph's being very diplomatic there, and I appreciate that.

Starting point is 00:09:52 Moving on, I think some solid picks right here. Number 103, Roger Rosengarten coming in as an offensive tackle. I think this feels a little late to address, to me, the second most important position right now on this team, or, as Murph would eloquently argue, and maybe he's correct here, the most important position of need for the Patriots at offensive tackle. What are your thoughts on Rosengarten here coming in at 103 in terms of value for the pick they got? I think he's a massive individual that can come in and contribute in a rotation right away. I don't think he's going to start right away.

Starting point is 00:10:25 And that's what the Patriots desperately need. Please go out and tag Mike on way you please, because, you know, if it doesn't happen, we have zero tackles and, and I, you can't, you can't win anything with zero tackles, but no, I think he's, he's it's a good pick. A little bit late to address this, but you know, with zero tackles. But no, I think it's a good pick. A little bit late to address this, but Andrew was looking at the board and the way that it fell, and how are you going to end up passing on Sanders

Starting point is 00:10:57 there at 68? And so he grabbed a serviceable rotational piece, a guy that has upside and maybe can get coached up here at 103. Absolutely, and you know what? I think good value from top to bottom for Andrew. Of course, you did not think I was going to put this one to bed without mentioning number 135, Dylan Lauby, running back out of New Hampshire.

Starting point is 00:11:24 One of the things that stood out in his senior bowl practices was that initial burst. the bed without mentioning number 135 Dylan Loughby running back out of New Hampshire one of the things that stood out in his senior bowl practices was that initial burst I think that can be a huge asset to him in the NFL and also his ability to catch passes out of the backfield 68 catches for 699 yards and seven scores during his time at UNH I love this pick i would love to see this kid wearing patriot blue me too me too it would be fantastic addition to uh to the patriots it'll give them that that that pass catching uh yak guy that out of the backfield that that i i so love i would get wheel routes wheel routes but um i want to touch on jalen simpson i think this is a fantastic pick here at um here where do you grab them i can't it's early people 189 that's that's that's like an amazing he's i i

Starting point is 00:12:15 believe simpson is is knocking on the door of a top 10 safety here in this draft, a loaded draft. He's a good defender. There's no doubt that he needs to gain some weight. He's kind of on the thin side, 5'11", 178 pounds. My right leg weighs 178 pounds. Go eat some steak, Junior. Get some pasta in you. Load up on the pasta.

Starting point is 00:12:47 He recorded 38 tackles and had four interceptions and broke up three more passes in 2022. He had 37 tackles, two interceptions. Simpson could be a nice addition to a Patriots team that has a lot of strength at this position if they bring people back. Absolutely. And again, this has been a position of strength for the New England Patriots for a number of years. And with Brian Belichick back in the fold, Mike Pellegrino coaching cornerbacks, I think it gives the New England Patriots continuity in the backfield where someone

Starting point is 00:13:19 like Jalen Simpson can come in and can be a solid presence right off the bat. And he is a center fielder. He is. He absolutely is. And whether Kyle Duggar is back or not, folks, it gives him the opportunity to contribute right away. So a solid job by Andrew. Murph, it's grading time.

Starting point is 00:13:37 If you're looking at Mr. Andrew Carraway, you're grading the submission that he provided for you. What's Professor Murph handing out this time around? Well, I'm kind of disappointed here early in the season. You know it's going to come, Carraway. You know it. You know it. You got to beat.

Starting point is 00:13:53 You got to beat. Solid beat. You know, you got the quarterback that I like out of the three. I just wish that you had addressed the offensive line a little sooner. I'm going to grade him at an A-. I thought this was a very good draft from start to finish. Again, of the three prospects that the Patriots could possibly choose for quarterback, I do like Drake May. I'm very high on Daniels as well, but this is, I think, a solid pick. If he's there at number three three i don't see how you lay off of him uh we didn't even really touch on jatavion sanders we didn't really even touch on jatavion sanders tight end uh in this

Starting point is 00:14:32 draft i thought that was a very good pick start to finish i think you did address a lot of the patriots needs again andrew the reason why i'm going a minus and not a is because i do think that the offensive tackle position needs to be addressed a little earlier than number 103. But overall, a solid job. Folks, we haven't even scratched the surface yet. We've already got a draft that's near the top of the charts. But the next one, folks, I got a feeling it's going to be off the charts when it comes to Murph. Am I going to feel the same way? Will you feel the same way? Now, if you're reading the placard over on the right side of the screen, you know which way this one is going.

Starting point is 00:15:06 When we return, Alt is the pick, finally. But what do we think of the draft from start to finish? Murph and I are going to tell you 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, get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America's number one sports book, because right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5

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Starting point is 00:16:19 on LockedOn Patriots. Already we have a top-of-the-class type submission from our good friend Andrew Carraway and of course here breaking down all the action is my good friend Thomas Murphy, the legend himself. Murph in the previous segment we had a love the Drake

Starting point is 00:16:33 submission from Andrew and we talked a little bit about the pros and the cons of going quarterback at number three. What Drake may can bring to the table here in New England. We also talked about some of the great subsequent picks that he made but this next draft murph i have a funny feeling is going to be a little bit more in your purview i think it's going to be a little bit more amenable i think it's going to be a little more palatable to our big green trend here on the on the opposite side of

Starting point is 00:17:01 the screen it comes from ava in rhode island murph we found someone that is in full agreement with you as a matter of fact ava is in such full agreement with you she's willing to go number three to prove it let's take a look at her submission here first folks i do want to point out that ava did indeed make a trade for new england patriots moving down to 37 but they pick up number 105 and then of course los angeles chargers get 34 and number 228 the final product looks something like this murph it's a beautiful thing for you you may want to frame this obviously number three offensive tackle notre dame's joe alt before we get into the remainder of this draft i'm going to give you an opportunity to revel in this because you've been beating this drum longer than anybody that I know.

Starting point is 00:17:48 You've been saying on these airwaves, Alt is the pick. Here's your opportunity. Tell us why Joe Alt is the optimal pick and why he may even be worth number three draft capital. Yeah, he might even be worth the number three draft capital when you look at what he brings to the table. Joe Alt is your blindside tackle for the next 10 to 12 years, people. Some people talk a little bit about his issues with his anchor and that he's stiff. I don't see it. I see the bend. You know, I don't want to say he's a Canton type individual, but with the right coaching, you know, if he can get up to see that the problem is Alt is so massive that he just makes everybody look, you know, easy to toss around. So you don't see some of the things that you normally would with left tackles

Starting point is 00:18:50 or right tackles that have to work a little bit harder. And he's going to have to grow. He's going to have to grow. Because just like I said with Drake May in the last segment, you know, the competition's about to get a lot better. But he is a plug-and-play left tackle for 10 years in this league. He's somebody that you're going to be able to depend on to defend that blind side, whether it's the left side or the right side.

Starting point is 00:19:17 You know, but he's been a starter since his freshman year. 21 straight starts on that side of the ball. His size is unparalleled, 6'7", 317 pounds, and he's only going to get bigger and stronger. He's just a kid. He's just a kid. So no, this is a fantastic pick. This is a fantastic, oh my God, this draft is amazing. Yeah, this draft really, i think uh hits so many of the patriots needs and we're going to continue to get into that but i think you make very good points on alt to build a house and we've said this several times you need a solid foundation joe alt is about as solid of a foundation as you can get and when it comes to a blue chip prospect

Starting point is 00:20:02 at the offensive line this is a guy that can be amazing in pass protection and absolutely lethal in run blocking. And that's what you want from this. You want someone that can protect the blind side, like Murph said, whether it's the right or whether it's the left, but you want someone that's going to be able to keep your quarterback upright and give him the opportunity to run the plays he needs to run. Joe Alt does that. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have a solid protection in front of those talented players,

Starting point is 00:20:29 it's not going to matter. These guys are going to get hit. They're not going to get the ball on time. And it all stems from blocking on the offensive line. So yeah, that's why offensive linemen are so well-paid in this league. That's why they're so well-valued in this league because of reasons like that and you

Starting point is 00:20:46 don't see offensive linemen taken early as much anymore but there are still circumstances where that happens uh right off the bat so if the patriots could trade down and possibly maybe maximize this value that might make it even better but if alt does get the pick at number three i think murphy laid out a pretty good reason why this would not be a poor pick for the New England Patriots. The only downside to trying to trade down here is somebody else trading up to grab him. That's why you have to do it in stages. You have to go back to four, and then you have to go back to five, and hopefully pick up more of these fantastic top 100 picks in this draft because this is a very deep draft at a lot of different areas and i think this third pick could uh could really help to fill

Starting point is 00:21:33 some holes but just using this third pick on joel fills a lot of holes and and then she came back and gave me a little present there round three. And before we get to that present, folks, we want to talk about the pick here at number 37. This is the one that they moved down for. Quarterback out of Oregon, Bo Nix. We know Christian Gonzalez is going to love this. He's been beating the Bo Nix drum. Both struggled a little bit during senior bowl practices, did not necessarily have the performance

Starting point is 00:22:01 that a lot of people thought he might have, but this is still a kid that can be a solid pro no i i really like this pick in in bo nicks he so taking him here is going to allow him to sit back for a year probably and watch and learn i i know you know everybody talks about his age and and this and that but the pressure to start somebody when you grab them in the first round is just so unbelievable. Now people here are very smart and they know that, you know, the best way to do things is probably let these guys sit for a year, you know, that that's worked out pretty well here in the past, hasn't it? And, um, but, but Nick's is fantastic and he completes 77% of his passes last year, 4,500 yards, four touchdowns, just three interceptions. He had six rushing touchdowns last season.

Starting point is 00:22:51 Fantastic. That checks that box for that versatile type quarterback that you need. There's a lot of talk that Nix is a system quarterback. I don't like that talk. I really don't. Everybody runs a system. Joe Montana ran a system. Here in New England, Brady was the system.

Starting point is 00:23:19 But other than that, I love Bo Nix. I really like this pick here. Like I said, it gives him time to be seasoned. There's not going to be that press to get him into the lineup right away and let him go out there and battle, you know, whether you bring in that quarterback for two years or on a two-year contract or if you stick with one of the guys here. So far, Ava's hitting the ball out of the park in her first two picks, and or if you stick with one of the guys here so far dave is

Starting point is 00:23:46 hitting the ball out of the park in her first two picks and i know you're gonna like pick three you alluded to this earlier this is the present that murph was talking about you talked about double dipping into this offensive tackle pull pulls off patrick paul offensive tackle of houston murph i love this kid i've watched a lot on him he was one of the standouts at the senior bowl 6-7 3-15 a massive individual folks want to talk about bookends put him in alt on the same line for a number of years bring them in at the same time and have them under contract yeah it's amazing you also have to think about the fact that they're going to come up for contracts at the same time but you know what you're not going to worry about that right away. Great length, great quickness, great

Starting point is 00:24:27 athleticism. I love the versatility that he can show. This kid can play on both sides of the line. Yeah, exactly. He could play left guard. I mean, he could play left tackle. He could play right tackle, depending on whether or not you get a left-handed or right-handed quarterback. We're not sure yet. But he's just a mammoth individual, man. Like you said, six foot seven. I I'm, I'm thinking, you know, he's going to play it like three 40, three 45, you know, once we start feeding him the right way and he's, he's, he's experienced. He lined up as a red shirt freshman in 2021.

Starting point is 00:25:12 His upside is fantastic. His ability and versatility, like Mike said, is almost on par with anybody in here. I really don't know why he's ranked so low by, by some of the, the, the experts out there, but I think he's one of the top six tackles in this, in this draft. And I think he's a steal it right here. Ava's draft so far is absolutely knocking it out of the park.

Starting point is 00:25:40 She addresses wide receiver folks, and she addresses it in a big way. A guy with a lot of pedigree at number 135, the son of the goat, arguably, in terms of wide receivers. Although I think Randy Moss deserves a little bit more credit than he gets in that regard. But bottom line, Brendan Rice, this kid at 135, I think another steal here, Murph. Yeah, it is. Rice is just, you know, he's got it all. The only thing that gives me pause is, again, the conference that he plays in and the defenses that he faces.

Starting point is 00:26:14 We all learned that the hard way with Nikhil Harry. We all scratched our head on draft night and wondered. And then we went and looked at tapes and it was fantastic are we seeing the same thing with rice i don't think so i think that this kid's pedigree um pushes him to a point where uh you don't have to worry about that work ethic you don't have to worry about him uh fighting for balls out there he i i think this is a fantastic pick i'll take yeah very good as well and before we wrap up and grade ava's draft here i do want to give a little love to a pick that may fall under the radar and that's the pick that she used at number 105 with

Starting point is 00:26:56 the trade with the chargers yeah duane carter out of right duke a defensive tackle murph i know the patriots don't have an immediate need on defense, especially at the tackle position, but uncertain future for Devon Godchow, you know, big contract there. Do the Patriots maybe try to move it? We've heard some rumblings that that might be the case as of late. There are still uncertainties there. And if you can get someone that can come in and contribute in terms of run defense right off the bat,

Starting point is 00:27:27 that's where this kid really, I think, shines. He can be a good pass rusher. 21.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks during his four years with the Blue Devils, 19 tackles, 10 assists, and 15 stops in 2023. This, to me, is where I think he could really see the field as a run defender in a reserve role for the Patriots if he's selected. I like the upside of this kid. He's a project. Me too.

Starting point is 00:27:49 But I think a project that the Patriots could really massage and really utilize well. Right. I'd love to see what Demarcus Covington can do with this kid. Exactly. Covington is going to love this kid. He's a hard worker. He's somebody that takes up a space and eats up the run. He loves to get after a ball carrier and just, you know, make him regret ever hitting whatever hole might have been there a second ago. His lateral movement needs some work.

Starting point is 00:28:19 But I think that, like you said, as part of the rotation and allowing him to get that, I don't want to call it a redshirt season, but a second string season, a part of a rotation, is going to only help him in the long run. And good job on you, hon, for drafting not only, I don't want to call it a position of need yet, but seeing the future and taking care of that, it's a very Belichickian move. Murph, we're at grading time here for Ava.

Starting point is 00:28:52 You have needs. She checked them all. I really think she checked these all. I know which way Murph is going to go on this. I'm going to give you your chance to shine in a minute, folks. This is a solid A draft to me. I think she checked all the boxes, and I think she did it admirably. What what's your use on murph this is a magna cum laude freaking draft okay just prepare your speech now just prepare it now okay if anybody knew how to how to uh to please me then it's this

Starting point is 00:29:21 draft right here you hit on every single need. You hit with authority. And, you know, you set this lineup, this offensive lineup for the next decade. And like Mike said, the only drawback is the fact that you're going to have to pay both these tackles in the same year. At that moment, Bud, that's when we bring in our man Miguel. He takes the spreadsheet and then he sends that information over and you know the the powers that be at Foxborough uh you

Starting point is 00:29:52 know definitely uh have a good man uh when it comes to that uh that example but now all kidding aside a tip of the cap excellent job Murph so far I think we're two for two with home run type drafts here. We have amazing everydayers. We've got amazing fans all throughout the fan base. Patriots fans should get more credit for being savvy when it comes to talent and being able to plug in to where these players will be able to succeed. It's a new regime. It's a new dawn, a new day here in Foxborough, and you're already taking a lot of pages out of the new Alex Van Pelt book, out of the Gerard Mayo book. Very impressive so

Starting point is 00:30:28 far, and Murph, we are not done yet because we've got one more on the list. Yeah, he loaded up with some 2025 draft picks, but the talent he received in return, and lucky he did here, may actually be in the Patriots' best interest for the year of

Starting point is 00:30:43 2024. Murph, we are going to break this down. I know you're chomping at the bit to get to it. Folks, we are going to break down a wide receiver being the first pick of the New England Patriots at number 16. Yeah, that's right. Some trades and some moving around up on the board, but we're going to bring it to you all when we close out this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast,

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Starting point is 00:32:26 Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. Kids fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on LockedOn Patriots. It's the day we've been waiting for all year. It's great to have the mock drafts back in the house. It's always great to share the microphone with my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy. And Murph, so far we've already had a love the Drake type draft. We've had an alt is the pick type draft.

Starting point is 00:32:51 I've already given out two A's. This is amazing, folks, right off the bat that we're getting the quality of drafts that we're getting this early. We're honored and humbled by the support we receive here on Locked On Patriots on Mock Draft Monday. And folks, keep them coming because we are just getting started. Murph, our good friend, Matt Urban. He can be found on Twitter, at Matt Urban. Two U's, folks. Not two U's.

Starting point is 00:33:14 Two U's. M-A-T-T-U-U-R-B-A-N. And Matt was able to move around the board a little bit. But he did secure a couple of first rounders in 2025 that really could help this team in the long run. When you can pick up a first rounder from Las Vegas in 2025 and a first rounder from Seattle in 2025, you're setting yourself up for a pretty good draft. So this is the one reason why I wanted to focus on Matt's work today, because the tip of the cap, if you can pick up three first rounders for the New England Patriots next year,

Starting point is 00:33:48 two by trading in this draft, yeah, you're doing something right. Let's take a look at what he did, folks. Matt Urban has traded around the board, and now instead of picking three, your New England Patriots are picking at 16, and they address a big need on this team. Murph and I have not been as high as addressing this early on as some others, but it's hard to argue that the Patriots need a game-breaking type receiver. Do they have it, Murph, in Malik Nabors? Oh, hell yes. Hell yes.

Starting point is 00:34:17 Malik Nabors is the reason that I am not high on LSU's quarterback. Malik Nabors is a rare talent. I feel like he is the 1B in this draft at the wide receiver position. He will make any quarterback look good. He would make me look good if I was back there playing quarterback. You could bring Julian Edelman back here and give him a second career as a quarterback, and the league neighbors is going to make this guy look good. Fantastic pick.

Starting point is 00:34:58 Good working around the board. I know that we talked about keeping it in this draft, but what you were able to do here, Bud, was just fantastic. So we had to throw the rules out the window. And picking up two first-rounders next year, giving the Patriots three first-round picks is fantastic. And then they could probably be able to go and get the quarterback that they

Starting point is 00:35:25 wanted to in 2025. Even though people are saying that next year's draft class isn't as good as this year's draft class, I think it is. I think it really couldn't be. Yeah. And I mean, some of that is hype as well. You want to make sure that teams are investing in quarterbacks. You know, as well as I, draft experts as well as potential agents are trying to pump the tires of this quarterback class, invest, don't wait until next year. There are arguments to the contrary and there are arguments to the pro about next year's class not being as talented as this one, but folks, there will be quarterback talent next year as well. And if the New England Patriots are not sold on any one of these guys being the guy

Starting point is 00:36:05 you don't want to take one just for the sake of taking one you can't fit a square peg into a round hole we've tried to do it here in new england the last couple of years and just hasn't worked out you don't want to go that route again and essentially find yourself regretting another first round pick on a quarterback and this this kid oh God, man, this kid, oh, neighbors. He's just fantastic. And it's, like I said, he's one of the reasons that I am not high on Jaden Daniels. It's because of the talent that's around him. We've seen it before.

Starting point is 00:36:37 We've seen it up close, people, as to, you know, how much, how important those wide receivers are in making these prospects, and they are prospects, look good on Saturday afternoon and whether or not it translates to Sunday. Absolutely. And one thing that I did like about what Matt did is he double-dipped at a couple of positions, at skill positions that the Patriots do need help on.

Starting point is 00:37:00 And at number 77, he brings in Jalen Pol polk the wide receiver out of washington i think this is good value as well so he took those acquired picks number 16 and number 77 right vested in the wide receiver position and i think he did a good job of getting two complimentary guys that can be contributors right off the bat regardless of who is throwing him the ball because these guys have the talent to make quarterbacks look better. Yeah, he really does. Jalen Polk is, you know, a fantastic guy that is a little under the radar because what Rome was able to do on the other side of that vaunted Washington offense. You know, he ended up with 73 receptions for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has good size at six foot two speed and he runs a fantastic route. He really does. From the limited watching of this, if you need him to get

Starting point is 00:37:56 to a spot, he gets to it and he's open. If you can find a quarterback that is going to be able to throw a receiver open, this is the receiver that you want. I guess this pick, you can find a quarterback that is going to be able to throw a receiver open, this is the receiver that you want. I guess this pick, you can probably say Matt made for Claire. Maybe a couple of them that he made for Claire because tight endage is addressed here in this draft. Jatavion Sanders, once again, the tight end out of Texas. I love this pick.

Starting point is 00:38:20 I think this kid is a plug and play ready tight end. And one of the things that I loved about Matt's draft is the faith that he's showing in Jared Wiley at number 103. Look, Wiley is someone that is right now, I think, hovering in the middle part of most draft boards. He could possibly go into the latter part of day three, or he could possibly go early on day three. I'm not quite sure he's at the day two level just yet but with only michael peddleway under contract the patriots have to address this

Starting point is 00:38:50 position right they decide to bring back hunter henry then i think wiley could be a solid compliment maybe even the tight end era parent because this kid is raw he needs some work right but it's six seven 260 pounds he's got the size he's got the field awareness and he can succeed in multiple alignments he's not the type of kid that's married to one type of system in his senior season at tcu last year 47 receptions 520 yards eight touchdowns eight touchdowns when he aligns slightly flexed away from the tackle that's where this kid can really go to work and he can be a pass catching option and even a very good blocker. So those seams.

Starting point is 00:39:29 Absolutely. And if that's the case. And he does block. He gets out there in the pattern and he's blocking out there. And I love that. And you could have a steal here. And where do you grab him? Round three?

Starting point is 00:39:40 103. Yeah. Grab him at number 103 overall. So, you know,'s right right in the slots where i think he's going to end up going between rounds three and five and uh and you know good pick if we're grading time what do you say when it comes to matt urban's suggestion today this is this is an a-plus draft it really is when you take everything into consideration that what matt was able to do even extending out to next season, this was an A-plus draft.

Starting point is 00:40:07 He hit every single need. He got me two tackles, one early, one late. So I don't want to call it a second tackle. The second tackle that he grabbed might be a bit of a project. But other than that, depth is key. And adding, that's what he did with this draft. Plus got that burner at the top that everybody wants for their fantasy team. And I think is one of the best wide receivers to come out in the last few years.

Starting point is 00:40:38 Without question. Yeah, this is a solid A draft. That kid would have been a number one wide receiver at any other program. Oh yeah. Well, yeah, absolutely. And for the reasons that Murph just said, it's a solid a draft for me too, Matt, without question build for the future. That's what Matt did here.

Starting point is 00:40:55 And that's why he deserves an A. So he did folks, a tip of the cap. That's actually should really come off for this because from Andrew's submission to Ava's submission to Matt's submission, we got three solid mock drafts. Keep them coming in all throughout the week. It doesn't have to be right at the 11th hour. You can keep them coming in each and every day.

Starting point is 00:41:15 If you're running the mock draft simulator, you're putting work into it. A lot of our listeners, by the way, don't use the simulator. They actually select each and every pick and they put a lot of work into it in time send it in because if we like it we'll feature it here on lockdown patriots and we absolutely thank you all for sending in some great work and folks all of you everydayers

Starting point is 00:41:36 all of you casual listeners and all of you first timers we appreciate each and every one of you on behalf of my good friend the the Don of locked on Patriots, the legendary Thomas Murphy on Mike debate, reminding you all 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.

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