Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Resetting Roster Needs After Free Agency, Mock Draft Monday

Episode Date: March 20, 2023

The New England Patriots addressed many positions of need in the first wave of free agency. However, their greatest need still remains. Host Mike D’Abate provides his top three areas of need before welcoming Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to evaluate two mock draft submitted by Locked On Patriots listeners, which address these positions.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

After the first week of free agency, the biggest position of need for your New England Patriots remains the same. Which one? Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Subscribe to Lockdown Patriots or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure 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 Sports Illustrated illustrated so reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on twitter at mdabate nfl 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 that's fans today's episode is brought to you by ultimate football gm if you've ever dreamed of becoming an NFL GM and managing your football

franchise, this game is definitely for you to download the game. Just visit ultimate dash gm.com or look up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo code locked on in all caps in the game. Patriots fans, thank you for taking time out today to bring the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. Hope you all had an amazing weekend.

With one week of free agent additions and subtractions under their belt, the New England Patriots had a hell of a week, but they're still looking for ways to improve their team. Free agency far from being over. The trade market is still a week, but they're still looking for ways to improve their team. Free agency far from being over. The trade market is still a possibility, and we're going to give the trade market its just attention this week. But today is the return of hashtag Locked on Merc Monday and hashtag Mock Draft Monday. And that's right, folks.

Joining me each and every Monday, as he always always does is the only man with that very own brand hashtag the green king of sting thomas murphy of e2g sports and we have a pair of intriguing mock drafts for you today focusing on players at the past biggest positions of need when it comes to the draft patriots have still have a lot of positions of need to fill out there but here is where we're thinking the Patriots are going to be focusing their energy when it comes to the upcoming NFL draft. Now, I know a lot of you, myself included, believe that the Patriots still need a strong presence on the perimeter at wide receiver. I like the addition of Juju Smith-Schuster a lot,

but the Patriots are still lacking that true perimeter threat that other teams need the game plan to stop. I think they're going to get that player, but I think they do that either by free agency or by the trade market. Unless someone like Jackson Smith-Degigma dives into their lap, I think that the Patriots are probably more likely to use high-level draft capital in order to bring in someone that is going to have an immediate impact. And I think the class right now, this draft class, is a little deeper at these three positions. And I could see them even using as high as pick 14 on any of these positions. So let's get right into it, folks.

We start with the tight end position. And no, I don't think the patriots need a tight end more than they need a wide receiver in 2023 this is more of a future projection because as my partner in crime claire classy claire cooper has said several times here on these airwaves this is one of the deepest tight engine classes that we've seen in quite a while patriots in my opinion need to strike and especially considering that neither Hunter Henry nor new addition Mike Kosicki are under contract beyond 2023. Patriots need to look to the future and they can do it with some very solid players. Now, Michael Mayer, Luke Musgrave,

those guys are probably going to go before number 14 hits. At least we think so tight ends can drop sometimes in draft boards because of the fact that other teams are filling drastic positions of need tight end might not be at the top of a lot of these teams lists but right now on a lot of mock drafts we're seeing those two go off the board I don't know Washington continues to really escalate through a lot of people's mock drafting. He's a possibility. Dalton Kincaid of the Utes. We've talked about him before here on the airwaves. Sam Laporta, Tucker Kraft.

I think those two guys right now are very much in the Patriots pipeline, very much in their crosshairs. It's going to be interesting to see if any of them end up New England Patriots. Not I wouldn't say an outside shot, but maybe in a day two or yeah, it's going to be interesting to see if any of them end up New England Patriots. And I wouldn't say an outside shot, but maybe in a day two or, yeah, it's going to be a day two without any question. I don't think this guy's going to be day one, but he's definitely not lasting to day three. Zach Kuntz of Old Dominion is someone I think could be an option there as well. So when you look at New England, yeah, there's definitely a possibility that they could look at the tight end position. But coming in at number two is cornerback, at least for my list anyway.

And I do completely understand how a lot of you could have cornerback at the number one position, especially after the release of Jalen Mills. Patriots clearly have a need there. I think it's a valid argument to say cornerback is their biggest need. I appreciate the argument. You might be right at the end of the day. I'm certainly not going to tell you you're wrong, but this is, again, my opinion. The trio of Joneses, Jonathan, Marcus, and Jack are all phenomenal players, and I like their ability, especially the two rookie Joneses, to project in this system for a number of years, but they're all under six feet, as are Miles Bryant, and when you want to go with a little bit more size on the perimeter and maybe a little bit more

of a tough nature that you want to be able to provide, I think it's going to be a little difficult for the Patriots to lay off some of the great corners that they have in this draft class. Christian Gonzalez, I think, is at the top of everybody's list when it comes to Oregon. He's got everything you want. 6'2", size, definitely the ability to play on so many different levels. This kid is going to be a star at the perimeter for years to come. I think he's off the board by the time the Patriots pick. They probably have to trade up to get him, and I'm not sure the Patriots are trading

up at this point. So where does that leave you well it leaves you with some very good compilation prizes potentially that number 14 Joey Porter Jr. Devin Witherspoon there's a shot that they may be there at 14 I think that's stretching it a little bit too corner is always a high demand position it's a high value position and it's also a very a marque marquee position for those that are in need. And I think Porter and Witherspoon could be off the board. We've talked about someone like a Cam Smith from the Gamecocks. He might be on option.

Kylie Ringo is actually someone that has really started to elevate through draft boards, really did a great job with the Bulldogs last year. I want to talk about a solid perimeter option. This kid is it. Size definitely there definitely there's six two 205 pounds battle tested all those years in the sec going against you know players at the university of georgia this kid could be someone to take a look at as well and i've seen several projections that have him in the first round so keep an eye on kelly ringo he might be an option there as well but ultimately i do think that the past number one need it's still the number one need even after a week the free agent is along the offensive line especially at the tackle position and that's not to say that i don't like the additions of riley reef and calvin anderson i love them both i think

they're both great solid moves, but Anderson is a swing option at best. He's going to add quality depth, but there's still a need for starting caliber, and Reif at 34 is not a long-term solution. I know he's projecting as a starter based on his contract, but it's unclear whether the Patriots are going to play him either at the right or the left, since Trent Brown can really play either. So it's kind of a mix-up right now. And even with Brown under contract for one more year, you're still not sure if he might end up on the trading block.

The New England Patriots have made moves like this before and tried to go with younger options, tried to go with options that have a little bit more of a long-term future in New England. So keep an eye on the tackle position, to go with options that have a little bit more of a long-term future in New England. So keep an eye on the tackle position because I think a lot pre-draft will determine what they're going to do in the draft. And ultimately, Rafe and Brown are both in contract years, both on the wrong side of 30. Not going to be surprising to see the Patriots go tackle with their top draft pick.

And I think they will do that. Again, folks, just my opinion. Paris Johnson Jr. is the guy that I think everybody wants out of Ohio State he checks all of the boxes speed ability to block ability to fend off this guy basically can do it all and he is the complete package really would fit so well in New England system and I think projects very well here Peter Skowronski still very high up on a lot of people's lists for northwestern he's an option oklahoma's anton harrison has really started to make his move up draft boards lately actually saw a couple of mock drafts over and project anton as a number one pick for the new england patriots so keep your eyes out for him uh very speedy very athletic darnell right coming out from Tennessee. I like

his option as well. He would look great in a Patriots uniform, especially the speed that he shows and the agility that he shows, the athleticism for a guy his size on the offensive line. So those types of players could be Patriots targets, but a lot of the players I've mentioned have been discussed here on the pod previously. Today's mock draft selection submitted by you, the great listeners of Locked On Patriots, really some of the best we've seen so far, folks. Keep them coming. We absolutely love your feedback. The two that we've chosen today contain some players that we've yet to discuss here.

You're going to hear some familiar names, no question about it, but there are also some players we've yet to discuss here. You're going to hear some familiar names, no question about it, but there are also some players we've yet to discuss, and I think it's important to throw all those into the mix as well. So, folks, stick around because Murph is set to hop in here in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by ultimate football gm and you've heard me talk about this mobile game app and if you ever thought you'd make a great gm you've got to give this game a try you know it's not as easy as it looks to build a dynasty i know especially

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Start your dynasty. Patriots fans, mock drafts may have taken a backseat last week to the free agent frenzy that was about to engulf us all. But they're back this week and they are back in a big way. And because they're back in a big way, we're still doing Mondays in a big way here. It is not just hashtag draft Monday. It is always hashtag locked on Murph Monday here on Lockdown Patriots. And of course, it gives me the opportunity to welcome in my good friend, the legendary Connor Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports.

And Murph, we missed mock drafts last week. It was definitely something that, you know, we talked a little bit of free agency, definitely did the due diligence of the news of the day. But there was, there was a little bit of a gate there, and I'm glad we were able to bring it back this Monday, my friend. Yeah, me too, me too. There was a little bit of a hole in my heart. I feel like, you know, we connect with our people here, with your people here, not ours, your people here. And it's always a lot of fun. And I found myself zooming around the interwebs on the Bird app, looking for people's mock drafts to go over just in my head. So no,

I'm glad we're back here today on Monday on a mock draft Monday, and we're going to get into it. Yeah, we're definitely going to get into it, and let's get right into it. You know, Murph, we missed mock drafts so long. We're going to get into it in a big way, and folks, we're about to engulf ourselves into the mock draft that is going to look like a cbs receipt our friends take a look at this one nerve definitely a lot of ingenuity and i want to give a lot of credit to our good friend big supporter of the program john costi at john bc 13 it's a little tough to read folks, but John definitely has the Patriots active in the trade market right off the bat in the first round.

Number 14 goes to the Washington commanders. He gets a little bit of a haul back, gets the first rounders number 16 and a second rounder at number 47, but he's not done there. He keeps kicking the can down the road a little bit until he finally gets the Patriots at the number 29 pick in the first round getting some a haul back and you can definitely see that the Patriots put a lot of this draft capital to good use the first right off the bat Murph tackle was a huge position obviously the

topic of the day here on lockdown Patriots is mock drafts that are absolutely looking toward positions of need for the Patriots. Tackle is definitely one of them. Not very, very highly addressed in free agency. I know there are a lot of Riley Reef fans out there. I think he can be very good, but 34 years of age is not a long-term solution. DeJuan Jones is definitely a long-term solution for the position if they can get him in the first round or early second.

Yeah, without a doubt, man. DeJuan Jones is just a massive human being. This is not a puny human, okay? You know, he's 6'8", 375-ish pounds, and he plays well for somebody that's his size. He has good footwork. I love me an Ohio State lineman. This was a fantastic pick, And it's, wow.

This dude, with all the trading that he made, he ended up with like eight picks inside the top 100. I'm going to give him to 107 there. But he started out with a double right here, a triple right here, and grabbing Jones at 29. Yeah, I got a funny feeling he's about to drive a run in because you've been very vocal on his next pick here at number 46, Darnell Washington, bringing him in to fill the tight endage gap. I know the Patriots went out last week, signed Mike Kisecki, 6'7 as well, Darnell

Washington. So you want to talk about two big bookends for the Patriots if they pull this off, be a very sizable tight endage group. Blair definitely liked that a whole lot in terms of what he brings to the table, because Murph, this kid is a compliment to what Hunter Henry and Mike Kosicki do very well, which is run routes and catch passes. This kid, one of the best blocking tight ends in the draft. That's it. We we've, we've talked at nauseam or, or not us personally, but the talking heads out

there have talked at nauseam that the Patriots don't have a blocking tight end. Well, they wouldn't right now. And they've got one that can get out into a pattern and create some havoc. There isn't a linebacker on the planet that can keep up with this dude. It's that scary how fantastic of an athlete Washington is. I would, honestly, I'd be shocked if he was there. You know, just pure power and technique. His footwork could use a, you know, I don't want to say an upgrade, but it's something that you can work on. People like to talk about the fact that there's nobody you have to game plan for.

This is a kid that you would have to game plan for. All right. No, go ahead. No, absolutely. I was just agreeing with you. I absolutely agree with you. It's not often that you say that for a tight end that's a little more prolific in his blocking technique as opposed to pass catching where you say you need to actually scheme and game plan for a player like

this but that's how good he is there's no work absolutely loves this kid yeah absolutely and i'm going to quote directly uh from his sc report, whether drive blocking in the run game or chipping in pass protection, Washington's presence is felt. He can drive defenders off the ball vertically, watch them down the line of scrimmage. Washington operates as the split flow blocker on split zone concepts. This opens up easy access to the opposite flat regions of play action. Folks, to translate, this kid's mismatch ability comes in the ground game when running routes off play action. Over half of his yards come from play action. So when you look at what this kid's able to do in the blocking game, in the passing game, he can be a bit top-heavy. That can cause him some trouble when he tries to drive his opponents off the ball. But all in all, if you want a blocking tight end, this kid is it.

He's got the size, he's got the bulk. He could even be an offensive lineman in this league. Yeah, we've described him as a moving offensive lineman before in the past. He's somebody, believe me, folks, he's not going to bust it up the seams and make you gasp in awe with his speed off the line. But this is somebody that runs a decent route. He can run an out route. His wingspan is unreal.

If you throw a ball within five yards of this man and he's standing there, he can reach out with one hand and grab it. And he often does. Yeah, absolutely. It's not a one-trick pony. It's not a one-trick pony yeah no he's not he's not and i know mercen high on uh i know for a while and if the patriots can pull this off it'd be a huge coup for them in the tight-ended room murph another big need obviously that the patriots have now opened up at the time we're recording this anyway, is cornerback because Jalen Mills obviously is on the outside now looking in in New England.

And a lot of people are saying now the Patriots need to go after that alpha corner, that guy that's going to be able to bring Jack Jones along, the guy that's going to be able to give Jonathan Jones a little rest, someone who's going to allow Marcus Jones to play more situational football, maybe do some tandem in the slot with Miles Bryant. One of the big things that we hear all the time about the Patriots cornerback room is that it's not very sizable. Most of the players either under or just above the six-foot line.

Well, John addresses that here, and he addresses it in a big way folks and I mean big in terms of size Julius Brents of Kansas State 6'4 204 you want a sizable corner folks this is the guy to go get but I like the size I like the length I love the physicality that this kid plays with I have some concerns about the top end speed but but I think that can be worked on. That can be cultivated. I really look at this kid just more of a zone corner. He fits so well into a cover three or a cover two. Murph, you and I talked about this offline. The Patriots need press man here,

and that's not where Julius is at his best. I love the player. I'm really going to love watching him as a pro. I just don't think it's going to be here in New England. Right. It's a, it's not this system. You know, people, people are all sitting there and they're, they're listening to very educated folks out there that are rightly pointing out that there's not a lot of size out there

on the outskirts. And, um, they see Brent's and he's what, six, three, six, four. And they say, oh yeah, this kid is not a press man corner. He's not. He's somebody that can get juked out of his shoes on occasion. And that's in college. Imagine what's going to happen here at the pro level. I think he's a serviceable guy.

I actually think that where he picked him was, was a pretty decent pick. I'm not sure of any grades or anything that, that they got on him where he got him. It was, is fantastic. And you're really, you're not going to get that press corner stud at this point. You're, you're, you're just not, they're gone. They're gone. I'm not saying that he should have taken somebody else at this. They're not there.

So yeah, he, he's a good body. He's somebody that can come in here and learn. I like the kid. It's just not a scheme fit. It's really not. He's another zone guy. Bill needs a press man guy out there. And this kid isn't it. Yeah, absolutely. And again, you you know i think murph and i are right in lockstep when it comes to um julius's fit here john i love the ingenuity and i love the pick and i think you picked them up at a very good spot i just think in terms of the fit that the patriots are going to need they need someone that can come in and play press man off the bat if they're going to want to fill those who's left behind by jay Mills. Right. You can be slow and be big if you can, you know, hold up at the line of scrimmage, but you can't be slow and big and not hold up at the line of scrimmage.

And that's, you know, it's just a combination here that doesn't work for me. Yeah, I agree with you. And at that point, when you look at the type of fit that he would be, you're probably going to look for the Patriots to fill that void. I have no doubt that they're going to dip into the cornerback room in the draft, but it's just going to be, I think, in a different location, maybe even a little bit earlier, who knows. But the Patriots definitely have their holes to fill and

i think john has filled some of them quite nicely with tackle and tight end no murphy we need some murphy and wisdom and counsel to tie this all together here um when you look at this draft from top to finish the best of the rest in terms of what john did position of need as opposed to player that fits it uh anybody on this list that you're looking at and saying, wow, this one really nailed it. This is a guy I'd love to have. Jordan Battle at 81. Zach Kuntz and Michael Wilson out there from Stanford at 89. I think the best is yet to come for Michael Wilson. I've grabbed him in many a mock draft and I wouldn't mind seeing him here

in New England. Also the fact that, you know, I would really like to see the, you know, make my day folks. Um, linebacker is still a position of need here. Okay. To pay a little attention to linebacker earlier in the draft. Sorry. I think a lot of people are getting, you know, maybe lost in that a little bit. No, I agree with you. And I'll be the first to admit, you know, sometimes there are opportunities where I'll look at positions of need, positions that are getting off a lot of press coverage, you know, in terms of what the Patriots should do. We talk about tackle, we talk about tight end, cornerback, wide receiver, obviously.

Huge amount of time spent on that. But we're not looking at the need for the middle of the field. And Taylor Kyles and I talked a little bit about this over the weekend. Yeah, it was a great show. He said, middle of that field, thank you very much. Really, big weekend for Locked On Patriots. And big weekend for our Friday show, my friend. Really, really good.

Thank you so much, everyone, for all of the uh great feedback well absolutely we'll give a little love to you know to close the show out today but no all kidding aside in the middle part of that defense that's something that taylor did uh you know advise that needs to be addressed and maybe a little bit of an upgrade there who knows maybe we've got that in our second draft that murph and I are going to break down. But before we take our look at all the upgrades, how did John Coste do on this attempt? Save for the CBS receipt-like strip in the middle of our screen. I think he did a solid job.

I'm giving this one a solid B. It did. He covered a lot of bases here. He plugged a lot of holes. I have to say that with the exception of Jones up there at the top and Washington, he went at this draft the way Bill did free agency. Okay? There's a lot of depth here.

There are a lot of pieces that could come in and play a small role. And honestly, folks, that's been the Patriot way for a very long time, and it's been successful. So who the hell am I? No, I give him a solid B. This is a solid B draft. If it was a three-round draft, I'd be fantastic with it. But it's not.

And there's some good depth here. It's a B draft. Yeah. When you said, who the hell am I? I got Jack Waltz vibes right there. Almost every big lawyer in New York, who the hell are you? But no, all kidding aside, folks, I agree with Murph. John, we want to thank you.

Tip of the cap, nod to the gods for sending in a very, very good mock draft. And folks, we have just scratched the surface because Murph and I are about to break down a mock draft that is pretty high up on our list of drafts in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues but first today's episode folks brought to you by

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proud part of the LockedOn podcast network, your team every day. And folks, today we are going over your mock drafts for your team. And in the previous segment, Murph, definitely an aggressive approach, a lengthy approach. John Costi, I think, doing a pretty good job. But when we look at the next draft that we're going to break down, because obviously the theme of today's show is positions of need for the Patriots. And we talked about cornerback in the last draft and the last draft that John submitted. We talked a little bit about wide receiver, tight end, things of that nature, offensive tackle. You had mentioned the linebacker position and this draft that we're about to bring up is not really robust in that department, but

it does address the edge. And it's something that i'm glad that we uh we did here let's take a look at it this is submitted by a youtube listener folks someone that doesn't really want to bother around with social media i can't blame them there folks his name is bobby l last initial l but bobby definitely submitted a home run here i really really like this draft from start to finish so let's take a look at it. Obviously right off the bat, Murph, you know we're going to smile at this. Jackson Smith and Jigba coming off the board at number 14. No trades here, Murph.

This guy went straight and narrow on the Patriots draft lodger. It's probably not going to happen that way, folks. But for Mox, I think it works well. So Jackson definitely doing a good job here. I should say Bobby doing a good job here uh like so i should say bobby doing a good job here with getting jackson yeah at number 14. uh yeah he's still jsn is still my draft crush i still hold on the hope that the patriots are going to be able to snag him but with

the moves they made uh you know i don't know maybe they're looking elsewhere more defensively but um i i really think that that bill is going to go into this draft if somebody falls into his lap like this move it he could do it uh i would be thrilled i would be doing cartwheels if jsn was was ended up a a patriot because there's your playmaker right there there's it's a fantastic pick there i've seen him go much higher than this in the top 10. I've seen him go as low as 20. This is a solid A pick. This is a fantastic move.

The Patriots' wide receiver room would get quite crowded and quite talented with this young man in there because he's just that good. Yeah, absolutely. And I think a lot of Patriots fans would love to see him wearing a New England Patriots uniform. But like you said, Bill always drafts by best player available or usually does. That's typically his M.O. And if someone like J.S.N. does glop into his lap, it's going to be difficult for Bill to be able to lay off that. But in the next position, the Patriots go offensive line.

They look at the position that we still consider the top position of need for New England. Darnell right at Tennessee obviously wowed everyone at the combine with an amazing, amazing 40-time, showing a lot of agility for a guy his size, a guy at his position. This would definitely revolutionize the way the Patriots look at the tackle position, but Darnell is solid here. I don't think you can argue with that. No, you really can't. He's definitely a right tackle, though. In my mind, he's not somebody that's going to be a swing

or be able to play on the left-hand side. I've actually seen linebackers piss themselves when this kid, you know, hits that gap lead backer. Uh, it, it, it, it's fantastic what he's been able to do. Um, he's got good foot footwork. I really like his footwork. Um, and, and that's a work in progress. Okay. What, what I like to do when I'm, especially when I'm looking at linemen is, is watch their progression over the years. And this kid's footwork has gotten

better every single year. I don't just look at their, at last year's film. I'll go all the way back and I'll look at what they were doing as a freshman. Even with this kid, I go back and saw what he was doing as a recruit coming out. I mean, this kid was a top 10 recruit in the country. Yeah, absolutely. And you're grabbing him here at 46, a fantastic, fantastic pick. Yeah, without any question. The only thing I have to question is, will he be there? That's it.

I mean, a number 46, that's aggressive. But you never know. The way the cookie crumbles sometimes in the draft, Murph, does allow windfalls. And we've seen players fall before. I've seen as many as seven quarterbacks go in the first round. You know, in expert drafts, in expert mocks. So that pushes everybody down. So, I mean, he might not be there at 46 but

he could definitely be there at 36 and that's a trade-up that we know bill will make yeah absolutely hey you know what if bo callahan can fall that far in the draft murph who knows anything is possible he can get all his picks back and he wants david putney because he needs a gd punt returner um yeah folks it's about that time if you haven't watched it yet go and watch that movie every draft season you got to do it you just have to do it but uh in any case um now we're getting into the meaty part of the drafts for me in terms of the patriots addressing their defensive backfield i've been very vocal about my love for christopher smith i know i've gotten a little bit of guff. People think I'm a little too high on him, but I think, yes, a little bit of a project.

I'm not going to deny that, but I think the potential here is for someone that can really be that free safety or maybe even that box safety. He's that versatile, folks, of the future. One guy I wanted to talk about with you, Murph, because cornerbacks obviously are a big position of need, especially with Jalen Mills being being released we talked about it a lot in the previous segment but Travius Hodges Tomlinson comes up on a lot of mock drafts we're submitted or we see a lot of them and Tomlinson is someone that absolutely is um a uh I don't want to say a focal point of them but I think a lot of Patriots fans or at least a lot of patriots aggregators are drawn to this kid because of the comparison to marcus jones right he's five nine he's not going

to satisfy the height requirement that a lot of patriots fans want but this kid is someone that plays bigger than the position i know it's cliched i know it sounds canned he absolutely does he's a real technician in man coverage. So if you want a man coverage corner, this kid is definitely someone that can lock down your defender. Physical for his size, very physical, great versatility. There are issues with missed tackles. He's going to need some coaching there. He's going to need some solid coaching in that defensive backfield.

But this kid could be a starter on the outside, and he's got the versatility to play nickel corner in the slot as well. I like this pick. I really like the potential here for Tomlinson down the line. That's it. 4.4140. We could talk about the smurfish size that he is. The kid's shorter than I am. But that's okay.

So we don't have to raise the ceiling in the DB room. That's fantastic. I am not about height. I am about effort and ability. And this kid puts in the effort, and he has the ability to be a press man corner in this NFL. He does. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Some of the guys that are out there that are 6'4", 6'5", 6'6",

are going to give him issues on the outside. But where he's taking him, again, here outside the top 100, you can't knock it. You really can't. I'd be fantastic with this at 107. Yeah, I think the work that Bobby has done here outside the first 100 is really solid stuff. It really is.

In terms of addressing a lot of Patriots' positions of need, the tight end, Loon Schon shoemaker this is another solid blocking tight end if you want to talk about Washington maybe being one I really would be very hard pressed to put this kid at number two or number three in terms of blocking tight ends in this draft he's that good at what he does uh very solid uh really conceal the edges I think blocking may be his best trait overall Jackson Kirkland someone we've talked about as a versatile type. He's listed here as a guard, folks, but he can play tackle. He's a tackle by nature.

That's a swing position if I ever saw one. Right. And we all know how much Bill loves his guys, that he can slide in and out at different positions on the offensive line. I wouldn't even put it past Kirkland to be able to snap a ball. Yeah, absolutely. And that's the type of versatility that Bill Belichick and now Adrian Clem, and of course, Bill O'Brien want in that offense, especially along the offensive line, guys that can plug and play. We saw Scar coach these guys so well up here for a number of years. Can Adrian Clem brings some of that into New England. We feel pretty good about that.

He did a hell of a job up in Oregon, and I think he's ready to put his imprint and his thumbprint on this offensive line. Murph, you had talked about linebacker. We've got a couple here. Cam Jones going off the board at number 183 from Indiana. And someone I don't think we've talked enough about here on Lockdown Patriots because his name is so similar to mine. Mahmoud Diabate, folks.

Diabate is actually the Italian pronunciation of my name. My relatives, you know, two years removed. Americanized it years ago to debate. But Diabate is actually the Italian pronunciation. I would love to have someone as close, you know, name relation as possible by Utah, but these kids can get after it. I think Bobby's addressed this adequately here. I'm not saying maybe prioritized it, but get a couple of guys in here that can be effective

in the middle part of this defense. That's it. You know, they're outside the top 100. So we're talking about guys that are going to be situational, rotational type individuals. But I think Cam Jones and Diabate are two individuals that are, dare I say, will make this squad. And that's not easy to do when you're talking about guys that you're taking almost at 200 as opposed to almost at 100. And that's not for a lack of depth or talent at the position. I just think that both these ballplayers are that good.

Also, Ricky Stromberg has been a huge crush of mine going into this. I think he's fantastically underrated, and he should be taken maybe 40, 45 picks sooner than you see him going. Don't be surprised if on draft night, he's the one going at 135. You know, we saw it last year, Bud. We had a solid third-round grade on Cole Strange, and he winds up going in the first round. So anything and everything is possible with offensive linemen.

It depends on what the team is seeing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I agree with you on Ricky Stromberg. And, of course, he's showing. Yeah, absolutely. Let's not forget Michael Turk here man, that's fantastic. This is the first punter that we've had mocked up to the Patriots and we all know it's definitely a need right now

and Bill will find somebody who can kick the ball, but I like me some Michael Turk. Yeah, I do as well This kid can definitely get after it of the Oklahoma Sooners. The Patriots had an opportunity to get a close up look at him at the Shrine Bowl, and they liked what they saw. In his first season as an Oklahoma Sooner, folks, 51.2 yards per punt.

Eight of his punts, eight of his 35 punts go for more than 60 yards. 2022, last year, punted 63 times, 46.8-yard average. In each of his four collegiate years, he earned first-team all-conference, lowest career average ranks, and the top of the all-time FBS punters. This kid can clearly punt for power. I know everyone was enamored with Jake Bailey's ability and his leg. I was as well. Steve and I would constantly talk about how he kicked balls into the

Dux the atmosphere that haven't even, yeah. And then they haven't even landed yet. Uh, but this kid definitely impressive hanging time during his time at the Shrine Bowl. I like this pick and I think it's a good way to bring it all together. The final three here, Stromberg, Diabate, Turk, these guys all had showings at the Shrine Bowl that allowed the Patriots to get a close-up eye. When New England is doing hands-on scouting, folks, it's usually a tip of the cap and a nod to the gods there.

So, Bobby, I thought this was solid from start to finish. I'm giving this one an A. I'm giving this one an A-. The only reason why I put the minus next to it is because I do think JSN, I think the focus of New England is now shifted in terms of drafting a number one wide out with the first overall pick. But if he's there, I don't think they lay off it. But I really thought this one was phenomenal from start to finish. Filled a lot of needs here. This is an A draft. I mean, you can't pass on that kind of talent at 14. I love me some mocks that don't include a lot of trading,

things that you're never going to see. And I'm not putting down anybody that has done that. We've seen some fantastic, as Mike said, CVS-type receipt mock drafts, just to steal that. But I mean, at the top, you know, if you just went with the first four picks in this, it is, it is a, an a draft and the polls just kept coming, you know, Kirkland, Sam, Cam Jones, uh, uh, Quindell Johnson, who, who is, you know, also an underrated guy that should be in the top 150, not, you know, closer to 200. Stromberg, we just talked about. Diabadi is fantastic in Turk.

This is, you know, this is a solid A draft, one of the better ones that we've seen this season. Yeah, without any question and you know that's the that's the beauty of mock draft monday murph is that the mock drafts that we're bringing in it's not always about hitting home runs on every right although i think bobby did a really good job here yeah he did but at the same time i will say that the drafts that we try to bring in fill positions of need but they also bring up intriguing names. Maybe people that aren't talked about as potential Patriots picks in a lot of different circles, but names that deserve at least some consideration. We may agree with them. We may not. In the previous segment, you know, Brents was a guy that we both love as a player, but just

didn't like the fit here in New England. It's all about that. And that's why we always appreciate all of you spending so much time and spending so much energy and bringing and, you know, and bringing all of that into Locked On Patriots, not just from a viewer perspective, but also from an analyst perspective. You guys really took the time to make yourselves analysts here and really take it seriously. And I, for one, cannot thank you enough for that. Right. Believe me, there are analysts out there that are not pulling down these kind of drafts, folks.

There are hosts like Mike and I that go home, that leave the studio scratching their heads or talk about drafts for 10 or 15 minutes afterwards saying what the hell were people thinking mike and i aren't doing that you guys you guys bring it each and every week please keep doing it because we love doing this show absolutely and mock draft monday is here to stay folks now we are getting ready for next month's draft and please keep them coming in by all means continue to submit them by twitter at LO underscore Patriots. But if you want to do what Bobby did, definitely check out our Twitter page. You get the email address that you'll be able to send in.

LockdownPatriots at Gmail. You definitely want to go ahead and check that out. Or you can definitely send it in individually to Murph or myself. Any way that you want to submit these, we love featuring your great work and we love breaking them all down and we're going to continue to do that each and every Monday here on Locked On Patriots. Bud, what can I say? My

partner in crime here on Mock Draft Monday always brings the wisdom and counsel the way only he can and I'm eternally grateful to you for doing so. Bud, before I let you go today, please let everyone know where they can find you, your great work, and what you have coming in the horizon this week from the great pen, the great voice of Thomas Murphy.

Of course, you can find everything that I do over there at a2g.com. You can follow me on the bird at Team Earth 207, and we'll just see what tickles my fancy this week. It's probably going to be a little bit more of the World Baseball Classic coverage. I'm going to start breaking down the Red Sox starting rotation this week and see what we have there. And a couple of surprises here and there. You never know. Absolutely, folks. And definitely any time Murph puts pen to paper or voice to microphone,

you've got to check it out. It's one of the best. And even with the surprises, he'll never ever disappoint. And he doesn't disappoint each and every Monday. Folks, what can I say? We thank you for never disappointing us and your amazing support. Like I said earlier, it was a very big weekend for

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please make your second. Listen, our good friends over at left on NFL scouting with the draft dudes, my good friends, NFL experts, Kyle crabs 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.

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