Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Sign Stefon Diggs: Game-Changer for Drake Maye, Offense, Impact on NFL Draft?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Stefan Diggs is now a member of the New England Patriots. Will he be a game changer for quarterback Drake May? 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 Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxboro faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host Mike Debate. I cover your New England Patriots for the Locked On Podcast Network. Reach out to me, let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL.

Starting point is 00:00:46 While you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots social media style, follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And you can catch me over where the skies are blue on bluesky at mdabatenfl.bsky.social. And of course, Pat's fans, today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Patriots fans, Foxboro, Massachusetts and all the surrounding areas of Patriots Nation are abuzz this morning with the news that free agent wide receiver Stefan Diggs has reached an agreement on a three-year, $69 million deal, including $26 million guaranteed with your

Starting point is 00:01:32 New England Patriots. That's right folks, Stefan Diggs is now a member of the New England Patriots and the 31-year-old automatically upgrades this wide receiver's room and the Patriots offense as a whole. Diggs appeared in 8 games for the Houston Texans last year, catching 47 passes, for 496 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns. But of course, that was in a shortened season due to injury. Diggs suffered an ACL tear in October, did not see. Action on the field for the remainder of the season.

Starting point is 00:02:04 Will it keep him out into this regular season? That remains to be seen. Here today on the pod, we'll be talking about that injury, but most of all we're going to be talking about the impact Stefan Diggs will have on this New England Patriots team. Specifically on its quarterback, Drake May. Will he elevate the game of his fellow receivers around him? Who might be out of a job as a result of Stefan's arrival? And we're even going to delve into whether or not the signing of Stefan Diggs will impact the Patriots 2025 draft plans I say we because monster news of this type can only be handled by one man And that is the man joining us today our good friend the legend himself the monster master of

Starting point is 00:02:45 disaster but there's no disaster today there really is only great things to talk about and that's why we're thrilled to have him here my good friend Thomas Murphy thank you for joining me today in friendship Don Murph oh what a great day to be friends I'm thrilled man this is a haven't, this smile hasn't left my face since sometime around 10 AM yesterday. All right. And that's when I watched up in Adams and, uh, Drake may was on with, with say K Adams, our, our, our old buddy from, uh, NBC sports Boston.

Starting point is 00:03:21 And, um, and she was asking Drake, may who followed who first on Instagram, Drake or, or, uh, or Stefan day, who, who is like, it was mutual. I knew it then and there, I didn't go out on a limb and say, it's a done deal and it's happening. But, uh, yeah, I kind of knew it then and there. Why would these two start following each other if they weren't gonna be deep in each other's playbooks? You know? And it was, then it kind of unfolded throughout the day. Then the arguments started, then the cheering happened.

Starting point is 00:03:57 And you know, it was a brilliant day yesterday and I'm glad that we're here today to talk about it. Oh, without question. So well said. Social media being the ultimate soothsayer in this case Murph and as I said to kick off the show today Foxboro is a buzz and it's been a while since the Patriots had this type of pass catcher in the wide receiver room that's garnering this type of attention that automatically comes in with that number one wide receiver aura the moment he walks through the room. I said yesterday here on locked on Patriots to celebrate the signing that he is immediately going to command the attention of

Starting point is 00:04:31 Opposing defenses and it's been a while since a wide receiver in New England has done that We've heard opposing defenses say that when they play New England, especially the last couple of years They didn't have to game plan for anybody if Stefan D is healthy, and we'll get into that in just a moment, he is someone you absolutely have to game plan for. Our good friend Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, I think put it best when he called Stefan Diggs a route running technician. He really is in terms of route running, in terms of what he's able to do on the field. We know that last season ended prematurely via injury.

Starting point is 00:05:06 But prior to last season, Diggs posted six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. That is an immediate upgrade in talent for this room. Before we start getting into some of the logistics surrounding the signing and maybe some of the off-field issues that still concern some of our everydayers. Tell us a little bit about your feelings on Stefan Diggs, the wide receiver.

Starting point is 00:05:32 When he went to Buffalo, Buffalo got serious. The problems that he presented to the entire league and of course to folks here in the AFC East were dumbfounding. We saw him do this to rookie Christian Gonzalez. We've been watching him do this for a decade or more. Nobody has done this in a Patriots uniform since Julian Edelman did it back in 2019 I think. It's gonna be a lot of fun. some people are gonna say, you know sure, it's easy to put up those kind of numbers with and You know you you're going back even even to last year when you're are when you're lining up opposite side of Nico Collins

Starting point is 00:06:19 And people are already saying that Nico Collins and right so, was the number one wide receiver on that team. But that doesn't mean that in a different situation, that our man wouldn't have been a number one wide receiver. He's the number one wide receiver here. He's the number one wide receiver in the room. He's, as you said, a tactician, a killer. So, you know, let's see what happens. Yeah, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:06:43 And I can't wait to see what happens. And I'm so glad that you mentioned that Stefan Diggs can be at his best, whether the conditions are clear sailing or whether there's a little bit off platform going on on the field. Kind of reminds me of how we describe Drake May. I mean, that's exactly the type of quarterback that you have here in your arsenal, New England. He's got the athleticism to extend plays. He's got the arm strength and the arm talent to be accurate down the field

Starting point is 00:07:06 when he needs to be, even if the platform and the angle are not exactly at their best, the only thing missing last year, in my opinion, Murph was the receiver. A lot of times the receivers just couldn't get into position. They couldn't help. They really couldn't help Drake do what he needed to do and complete. Absolutely. Either lining up right or do in complete passes. Couldn't line up right.

Starting point is 00:07:26 Absolutely, either lining up right or running the incorrect route or unsure hands, things of that nature. You're not gonna have those problems with Stefan Diggs. He's the go-to in that situation. And you start tacking on those plays that were either near misses or, dare I say, egregious misses last year.

Starting point is 00:07:46 Those aren't going to be missed this year. Drake has got to connect on those. Stefan Diggs is a big reason why. Yeah, it's a really big reason why. Stefan put out an Instagram video the other yesterday, the day before showing his agility, showing that things were progressing in the right way. If he can still make the cuts, man, it's gonna be interesting because we know in his head that he knows every route. He knows the tree is amazing and he doesn't

Starting point is 00:08:17 miss a beat. You know, if he's supposed to be somewhere, he's there. And like we said just five days ago, if he had broken in and the pass went outside then you can probably have blamed it on on the quarterback. This man knows where he needs to be and he's gonna the thing that I love the most is he is going to be a taskmaster to the other guys in the room you know I'm here putting in the work get out there and put in the work line up where you're supposed to line this is where you're supposed to. You know, I'm here putting in the work, get out there and put in the work, line up where you're supposed to line. This is where you're supposed to make that cut.

Starting point is 00:08:48 Um, I'm excited as any, we were here just what, five days ago, talking about if this happened, that, um, the Patriots would be serious contenders for a playoff spot if they hit the draft. Right. Okay. And I know we're going to, we're're gonna talk about that in just a second. Oh, absolutely. We are going to touch into what this means

Starting point is 00:09:11 for the Patriots' draft plans, if anything. Maybe it won't change a thing. Murph and I will give our thoughts on that subject in just a moment, but again, I think coming back to signing Stefan Diggs and bringing him into the fold, I'll throw in a movie quote, or I'll throw in a movie reference here. Rocky III, when Apollo Creed finally gets Rocky to agree to the rematch with

Starting point is 00:09:31 Clover Lang and he introduces him to his trainer Tony for the first time. And Tony shakes Rocky's hand and he says, it's gonna be great working with you. I certainly had enough working against you. There you go. And I really think in a lot of ways this does apply to the Patriots and Stefan Diggs as well. We've seen what this guy can do in an opposing uniform coming in and wreaking havoc all over the field. Had some of his best games as a Buffalo Bill against the New England Patriots. A couple of games where he went over a hundred yards receiving. Last year, dare I say, more of a forgettable year for Stefan Diggs,

Starting point is 00:10:03 but still had a pretty good game against the Pats when they played 77 yards and a touchdown. And he did it all against Christian Gonzalez. So you know Christian is going to be really happy that he doesn't have to face Stefan anymore. I think a lot of that factor and a lot of that experience is really what's going to make this son come alive. And that leads me quite nicely into the topic that we're gonna be discussing in just a moment, folks, when Locked On Patriots continues, because Stefan Diggs will not only have an immediate impact on his own statistical prowess, he won't only be having an impact on Drake May,

Starting point is 00:10:37 he's gonna have a significant impact on the wide receiver room. What member of this group of receivers will benefit most from Stefan's presence? Ruff and I are going to talk about that subject in just a moment. 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, imagine watching your favorite team live, feeling the energy of the crowd

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Starting point is 00:11:57 That's locked on NFL. Oh CK EBO and NFL for $20 off Download game time today last-minute tickets lowest price guaranteed Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed Patriots fans. Thank you once again for joining us here today on locked on Patriots as we continue to break down the New England Patriots signing of Stefan Diggs Yeah, that's right folks wide receiver Stefan Diggs true wide receiver number one headed to Foxboro will be joining your New England Patriots. And here today to help me break it all down is the green king of sting himself, the Count of Murphy Fisto, the legendary Thomas Murphy of diehardbostonsportsfans.com.

Starting point is 00:12:34 Murph, in the previous segment we talked about the receiver, Stefan Diggs, what he brings to the table, the impact that he's going to have on Drake May. But I think the biggest impact that Stefan is poised to have is going to be on the wide receiver room as a whole. This group is not exactly going to leap off the page when it comes to game breaking talent, at least on paper. I do want to make that distinction because there are talented players in this locker room, very hard workers in this locker room. So I don't want to disparage this group too much.

Starting point is 00:13:08 But when you look at what the Patriots right now are rostering, taking Stefan out of the equation for just a second. Mac Collins newly signed. The way his contract is structured, you can pretty much guarantee that he's going to be a lock on this roster. The Patriots would not have signed that contract if they weren't planning on putting him on the 53. Then you've got a group that struggled at times last year, but showed flashes that they could be more than what they are. I'm looking at guys like Kaishan Booty, DeMario Douglas, who knows, maybe even a J. Von Baker or a Jalen Polk, Jaquai Jackson, John Giles, Kendrick Bourne. All of these receivers right now watching Stephon Diggs walk through the door.

Starting point is 00:13:51 The first day of mini camp OTAs, whatever, whenever Stephon does arrive in Foxboro for duty, so to speak, like you said in the previous segment, that bar is going to be immediately raised. So when you look at now Stephon Diggs being added to that group, who would you say stands to benefit the most from Stefan Diggs presence? I would think Pop Douglas. You know, the knowledge that he's going to be able to share with Pop, the fact that he's going to be able to drag more coverage around the field and open up the underneath for Pop is going to be, I don't want to say mind blowing,

Starting point is 00:14:39 but it's going to be world changing for him. Having a receiver of this caliber, somebody that the opponents have to game plan for, have to know where he's going to be on every down, the guy that you know, Stefan Diggs is still the man that you have to put your best defensive back on and probably give them help over the top. I'm sure his top end speed is not what it was two, three years ago, but out of any of us, who's is? But he's still going to be the number one guy on there. He's still going to open up space for him. He's still going to help out K'Shaun Boute. He's still going to help out Steph DiMario, even Matt Collins. And don't forget the way this is going to affect the rest of the team, all right? Having somebody that is going to understand and thrive

Starting point is 00:15:41 in the Tom Brady, Josh McDaniels system. We've already decided that's what we're calling it from now on. That you know, that quick passing game, it's gonna be brilliant because this guy is gonna be 20 yards down the field when somebody underneath, even a Hunter Henry is gonna be grabbing a ball at 10

Starting point is 00:16:05 yards down the field because the ball got out that quickly but they've got three guys that are over here worried about about Mr. Dakes. Very well said and I'm glad that you mentioned someone like a Hunter Henry or even an Austin Hooper because the tight ends will benefit greatly from having a top end wide receivers so I'm looking forward to seeing the impact this could possibly have on Kaishan Bhuti. Definitely looking forward to seeing the impact that this could have on Javon Baker. We know that in his collegiate days, Javon was compared to a very young Stephane Diggs without the refining of the route running. Maybe under

Starting point is 00:16:40 Stephane's expert tutelage, maybe Javon can actually add that to his game and maybe we start to see what the Patriots saw in him last year. Dare I say Murph, I know we've been critical of him here on Locked On Patriots, but this could help someone like a Jalen Polk as well. All of a sudden he becomes more of a situational specialist, a contested catch, spot of attack, receiver that doesn't really have to necessarily go out and get you yacked. But if you need five yards and you need the ball spotted at a certain location if Jalen can improve his ability to make the catch all of a

Starting point is 00:17:13 sudden he may be a little more valuable to the Patriots as well so a lot of the guys that are in this locker room right now could benefit Murph I have to ask the unfortunate question though and that there are only so many spots on this team, only so many spots on the 53-man roster. When you look from top to bottom now, the players that we've mentioned, whose position on this roster, would you say,

Starting point is 00:17:34 might be more precarious now than 24 hours ago before word broke that Stefan Diggs was coming to town? Yeah, well, I think this is definitely a, you know, here's the top of the ladder with Stefan digs and him being there pushes other people down. Okay. I, I, I don't think this is going to be a problem for Kaishan Buday. I don't think there's going to be a problem for, uh, for, um, uh, uh, to Mario Douglas. I don't think this is going to be a problem for the, the aforementioned Mack Hollins or Kendrick Bourne. Jalen Polk could better be on his game from the get-go.

Starting point is 00:18:13 Mr. Best Hands in football had better be able to hang on to a ball. All right. Siobhan Baker. Yes, could be a problem. Quay Jackson, John Giles, you know, the, the, the room is kind of full. Um, but it's not full with top end talent. Okay. Any of these guys could go. You know, the room is kind of full, but it's not full with top end talent. Okay. Any of these guys could go. Kendrick Bourne could end up being moved in, in, in some fashion.

Starting point is 00:18:33 I, I'm not predicting that. I'm just saying it could happen. All right. Um, but I don't see that happening because, you know, Kendrick Bourne probably had one of his best years with Josh McDaniels on the sidelines a couple of years ago. And but no, it's going to push everybody down. It's going to push everybody back. But the guys that the names that we all know and have been waiting for to get better to

Starting point is 00:18:59 reach their potential or at least look like they're scratching at their potential of what you were told by other pundits about their game. They're going to have to step up because I'm telling you right now, this administration is not going to be shy and not going to worry about walking away from any of them. Hmm, very good point. And that leads me quite nicely to what will be my final question on the subject before we move on to the potential impact that Dig signing may have on the draft plans. And we have to address it because there are a lot of our everydayers, there are a lot of Patriots, members of Patriots Nation out there right now that are still a little worried about this signing, both from a character standpoint financial commitment that the Patriots have made to digs and his injury history, so

Starting point is 00:19:52 My question to you my friend is when you look at Stefan digs all of the positives that we've listed are there still any Negatives out there that give you a little bit of pause in this deal What concerns you most about Stefan Diggs arriving in New England that could have more of a negative impact than a positive impact, if any? I've been racking my brain thinking about a negative impact and it could only go bad if Stefan is at his worst at all times.

Starting point is 00:20:27 Okay. If he walks in and, you know, is demanding 80 targets, you know, a game and, uh, and it really wears on Drake May. I don't, I don't see that happening. I really don't think that Mike Vrabel is going to allow that to happen. I think this is the right coach and the right spot for him. And I was just glad that, uh, that, um, he felt the same, you know, uh, granted

Starting point is 00:20:54 the Patriots may have overpaid him, may have, you know, what's an overpay though. Um, we haven't, I haven't seen the total breakdown of this deal, but it, it doesn doesn't seem like there's there's much to worry about after year two. I'm glad it was a three-year deal I'm glad I'm definitely glad it was a two-year deal and um So no, I don't see a negative impact here. I could be completely wrong But I think that that we're going to see But I think that we're going to see a better version of Drake May this year than we would have if he was not here. I think we're going to see a better version of Josh McDaniels on the sidelines than we would have if Diggs was not here.

Starting point is 00:21:41 I don't see the downside to anybody except if you're at the bottom of the depth chart in the wide receiver room for anyone on the New England Patriots, you know, except maybe Robert Kraft's checkbook. I don't care. A little bit lighter this morning, Murph. Yeah, very good observation. I'm in full agreement with you. I don't see a negative here in signing Stefan Diggs at this point I received a DM last night where it said okay Well, the Patriots were weary of bringing in guys like DK Metcalf and Devontae Adams because of quote-unquote a negative impact They could have on Drake May and they brought in Stefan Diggs

Starting point is 00:22:20 I don't agree with that statement at all. I think that's an inaccurate display of exactly what's going on here Stefan Diggs may have had his issues on the sidelines in Buffalo We've seen that before but the nature of those disagreements the nature of those Difficulties were when Stefan was playing at his highest level and felt that he wasn't getting the ball enough to be able to help his team I don't believe that's going to happen here because first of all if Stefan is clicking on all cylinders and he is your top option and he's fully healthy, he's going to be getting the ball. Josh McTaniels is not going to start messing around here and trying to turn water into wine. He's going to understand that he's got the golden ticket now in Stefan Diggs. He's going to keep going to it. So as long as you keep him fed, Stefan Diggs is

Starting point is 00:23:04 going to be the model citizen. And I think that's what will happen here in New England. So I'm not worried about the negative impact or the problems that he could have with Drake May because of targets. I think Stefan is going to get his adequate targets. Some will point to the contract and you mentioned this and the contract details haven't fully been released yet, but 69 million folks is the number that the agents love to put out there. It's not the number that necessarily

Starting point is 00:23:31 reflects the final. As our good friend Miguel Benzano has said several times Murph, and I know you worship at the church of Miguel the same way I do, he has told me over and over again that final number is the up to number. It's not the final number. So folks, when you look at what the Patriots have made a commitment on, look at the guaranteed money 26 million Merth as opposed to 69 million. That's a good gap in terms of the guarantee on this contract and what it could be worth. It gives the Patriots an out if they really need to take it.

Starting point is 00:24:06 And let's face it, the Patriots had the money. They're dealing from a position of surplus. This wasn't a situation where they had to go, you know, scrapping for the last few dollars and cents that they had to sign Stefan Diggs, this money was essentially just sitting there. Why not put it to good use? The return on investment could be light years above what you had to invest here. If in fact he is healthy.

Starting point is 00:24:30 And to me, Murph, if there is a concern, this is my only concern. If Stefan comes in and is not 100% healthy and tries to force himself back on the field, or if it takes him a little time to get acclimated back into game shape because we know that players who have suffered torn ACLs before sometimes take a season to get back into the swing of things. That's the only thing right now. I don't want to say that worries me, but gives me pause to celebrate this without any concerns whatsoever.

Starting point is 00:25:02 Because if Stefan is slow to come back and he feels he's not being targeted properly, that's the only thing I think that could disrupt this. But I think the chances of that are very minimal. If the Patriots were worried about the physicals and this guy getting back on the field, they wouldn't have shelled out the type of money that they did to get him here in New England. Exactly. This is still serious money.

Starting point is 00:25:23 It's not number one wide receiver money by the standards being set by last year's free agent group, but it's still a good chunk of money. And believe me, Robert Kraft would not be showing this out if his doctors didn't come back looking at the MRI and other tests that Stefan went through while he was up here getting his physical, that money wouldn't have been handed over. It wouldn't have been. It tells me the gap in between when he was here five days ago and last night tells me that they went over all his medicals in a serious way. They talked about every possible scenario. And they believe that if it's not week one,

Starting point is 00:26:13 it could be week four that this is money well invested. And again, I go back to being glad that this is a two, three year contract and not just a one year prove it deal. Very important point to make. And again, folks, maybe one of the reasons why Stefan left last week without signing a deal, New England protecting itself just like Stefan was protecting himself. So both sides parted, came back together, and they decided that this union was the one for both parties in 2025.

Starting point is 00:26:43 We've discussed a lot about Stefan Diggs today, the positives, the few negatives, all the excitement that Patriots Nation is feeling, but this is going to have a ripple effect on the Pats, not just on the field, but also in the roster room. That includes players who have yet to be added to this roster. Yeah, I'm talking about the 2025 NFL draft. Patriots were heavily rumored to be in the market for a receiver. Does this take them out of that market completely? Nerf and I may have some interesting takes on that and more when we wrap up our

Starting point is 00:27:12 discussion today on Stefan Diggs signing with the New England Patriots right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team, every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots as we continue to break down Stefan Diggs signing with the New England Patriots, a three-year deal, $69 million or at least worth up to $69 million with $26 million guaranteed. It's a good day to be Stefan Diggs.

Starting point is 00:27:48 It's a great day to be a New England Patriots fan. It's an even greater day to be listening to Locked On Patriots because you are hearing the wisdom, the counsel, the wit and the grit of my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy of DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. Murph, we've talked about the ups and the minor downs of signing Stefan Diggs here to New England. We're both in agreement that this is a great thing for the Pats across the board. I'm excited to welcome Stefan here to New England. I know you are too. But a signing like this doesn't just affect one player. It doesn't just affect

Starting point is 00:28:22 the quarterback. It doesn't just affect the wide receiver room. It also has an effect on the future plans for this team as well. And the immediate future for the New England Patriots lies at the end of April in the 2025 NFL draft. The Pats were heavily rumored to be interested in drafting a wide out in one of the first two rounds. If not number four overall, trading down,

Starting point is 00:28:45 maybe getting some value there and adding a receiver in that round. At the very least, round two was kind of the cap, maybe the ceiling as to where the Patriots would go in terms of drafting a wide out. But bringing in someone like Stefan Diggs on a multi-year deal could affect those plans. It could force the Patriots hand to focus on what we believe is their biggest roster problem and still remains their biggest roster problem. And that's left tackle. Do the Patriots go for best player available and go for a generational type talent at pass rush in Abdul Carter? Do they go for a dual threat?

Starting point is 00:29:22 Someone that not only could help their receiver core, but also be one of their top defensive backs in Travis Hunter? Will either of those two gentlemen still be on the board by the time the Patriots are talking? Russell Wilson agreeing to play his football on the blue side of the Medellins may change all of that. So you see all of the dominoes starting to now maybe topple a little bit and they're not falling into place the way everybody thought they would just 24 to 48 hours ago. You see things us mere mortals don't see when it comes to the draft. When you look at this, what do you believe is going to be the greatest impact to the Patriots when it comes to signing digs and their plans for the 2025 NFL draft? It takes the

Starting point is 00:30:02 pressure off. Okay, it's one less position of need that you have to address at the top of a draft. Okay, bringing digs in here doesn't eliminate the need for a wide receiver, a number one wide receiver, but it allows you to allow the draft to unfold and come to you as opposed to, yes, what I'm going to have to do is I'm going to have to take that number one wide receiver in the top 10, even if I trade down from four to seven or whatever and get and make sure that I get Technic Millen and then have to work my way back up the board to get the offensive tackle that I need so badly.

Starting point is 00:30:47 Okay. It removes the need to reach because you can allow that to happen more organically. So maybe yes, I take my left tackle at four or at 10. And, you know, the guy that I would have taken my left tackle at four or at 10. And you know, the guy that I would have taken at four or 10 and maybe even down to 14, because I've told you, all these guys, all these left tackles, you know, that everybody's talking to, they're not gonna be there in the second round.

Starting point is 00:31:21 You can still get a very talented wide receiver at the bottom of the first round or into the second round. You can still get a very talented wide receiver at the bottom of the first round or into the second round. You could still end up with a Luther Burden. You could still end up with, you know, Eric and Moomin or, you know, out of Stanford. You know, Trey Harris is still going to be there. All right. These are guys that can come in and contribute right away. And that's what you need out of this draft is three solid players that are going to contribute from day one. All right. Now that's offensive tackle, offensive guard, and wide receiver. How you go about that, you can use the rest of your draft capital to make that happen. You know, I've talked at length about how the Patriots are going to need at least four,

Starting point is 00:32:08 maybe five players inside the top 100. They have the draft picks to do it, and now they're more capable of playing those chips in a way that is going to get them those special players. Not that I'm saying that, you you know everybody in the top 100 could be special but you know if you do it right and you go after the guys that that have this kind of talent it allows it allows Elliot Wolfe this staff in the draft room that day in the war room that day, in the war room that day, to look at the board and not only draft the best available player, but draft the best available player that fits a need. And there are still so many needs.

Starting point is 00:32:55 Right on, buddy. You know, Junior talked the other day about how, well, we're gonna, you know, take the best player available, you know. Now, you can get into semantics as to why he worded it that way, but you can take the best available player and still fit a need at the same time. You can do that. Yes, I want that to be the best available left tackle at that moment. And then I want it to be the best wide receiver at that moment.

Starting point is 00:33:23 And then, yes, I want it to be the best wide receiver at that moment. And then, yes, I want it to be the best center or the best left guard at that moment or somebody that we feel can become a left guard. And that person probably won't be on the board there at tackle being moved over anymore. But there's still going to be a lot of guys who wear Georgia, who have Georgia on their mind a lot of the time when they're picking there in the third round.

Starting point is 00:33:49 The draft just got easier. The load was just lessened a little bit by this signing. And I don't think it's going to change the way that they attack the board. In knowing it's going to change the way that they're able to attack the board, I don't think it's going to change the way that they're able to attack the board. I don't think it's going to change the way in the way that they attack the board. In looking at best available player as opposed to filling a position of need, because you're going to be able to fill that position of need with the best available player.

Starting point is 00:34:24 Very well said. And I agree with you. Look, bottom line, the New England Patriots know what they need heading into the traps. Signing someone like Estefan Diggs doesn't take away the need for them to draft a receiver. Again, we don't know what this new staff, I know Elliott Wolf is a holdover, he remains in place, but we don't know what Mike Grable and Ryan Cowden are going to think of Javon Baker and Jalen Polk when they get out there on the practice fields. Maybe they're not the guys that they want in this room.

Starting point is 00:34:53 Maybe they want to draft someone that's going to be an apt pupil for Stefan Diggs to kind of mentor and bring along a little bit. We've heard you mentioned Tet Macmillan. I think a lot of people would look at him and say, okay, well, maybe he can add some route running to his repertoire. This is another guy that's very good at being able to make catches at the point of attack, but could use a little refinement in his route running skill. I go back to Travis Hunter. I mean, if the Patriots do want to remain at number four, and for some reason, Hunter slips to that level. This is a game breaking type of talent on both sides of the ball. I don't think it stops New England from going after, if anything,

Starting point is 00:35:32 Hunter could really benefit from having someone like Stefan Diggs on staff, because not only can he help him refine his route running as a receiver, which according to the scouting reports and what I've watched on Travis Hunter, the only knock against him as a receiver was that he could refine his route running tree a little bit more. Who better? Who's a better Consigliere than Stefan Diggs to give him that wisdom and counsel that he needs to go ahead and to do that? He could also help him as a defensive back.

Starting point is 00:36:00 So again, there were so many different ways the Patriots could go, but I agree with you Murph, this does not change their strategy of what they need. If it makes a trade at number four a little more likely, because maybe the Giants are not going to take Shador Sanders, and maybe a quarterback hungry team wants to move up to number four, and they want to try to throw their hat into the Shador Sanders ring, maybe the Patriots can trade down a couple of notches and get that left tackle that they're looking for and maximize their draft capital. Once again, I think this makes things more exciting for the draft rather than take some of the mystique

Starting point is 00:36:35 away from it. I think this makes it even more likely that the Patriots have a more productive draft heading into 2025. I agree. I couldn't agree more. It's gonna be a lot of fun seeing what they're able to do here. But what can I say?

Starting point is 00:36:50 You are always there for the handoff and always there whenever I need you folks. Who else could go back to back here on locked on Patriots and be even more captivating than the first time he comes on my good buddy, Thomas Murphy. Bottom line folks, if you are not already, you should be following my good friend Thomas Murphy on Twitter at tmerf207s. Bottom line, you will be more informed, you will be very well entertained, you can't ask for more, and of course you can catch him each and every week here on Locked On Patriots. Most of the time, multiple times per week, and in this case, back to back appearances, my friends. So once again, a tip of the cap and thank you for all you do for Locked On

Starting point is 00:37:27 Patriots. Most importantly folks thank all of you each and every one of you every dayers. All of you occasional listeners and anyone joining us for the first time today in light of the Stefan Diggs signing. We hope you keep it right here on Locked On Patriots because the best is yet to come. National Draft Analysts coming on soon to break down the draft and all of the New England Patriots news that you need will be right here on the Locked On podcast network. So stay locked in, the best is yet to come. On behalf of my good friend Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike Debate reminding all of you to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change that you wish to see

Starting point is 00:38:03 in the world. Have a great day everyone and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on LUT on Patriots.

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