Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Top Free Agent Moves and What to Do in the Draft — 4/1/22

Episode Date: April 3, 2022

Prior to acquiring wide receiver DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins, host Mike D’Abate welcomed Khari Thompson of Boston.com to discuss the top moves made by the New England Patriots in free agency, thus far. The duo also talked potential Patriots’ strategy in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. 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/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQ Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And 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 “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 yearsupply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, it is Friday, April 1st, and Julian Edelman is headed to the Tampa Bay. No, wait a minute. No, he's not. It's April Fool's Day, folks, and we've got an action-packed agenda for you. Kyrie Thompson of Boston.com joins me today. We're going to be talking favorite Patriots moves so far and what the Pats are going to do in the draft. I'm Mike DeBate, and you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots,

your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you for once again making Locked On Patriots not just a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember, folks, Locked On Patriots not just a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember folks, Locked On Patriots, free and available on

all platforms. I am your host Mike DeBate. I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Fan Nation of Sports Illustrated. You can reach out to me, interact with me, let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL. While you're out there doing some weekend wandering through that Twitterverse,

please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is April Fool's Day. And as you know, when you did some surfing through the Twitterverse earlier today, you know that Julian Edelman had some fun at our expense. He is not headed to Tampa Bay, at least not today. He's not. And you know what?

Bottom line, I think Patriots fans are breathing a big sigh of relief on that one. But there is still a lot to talk about in Patriots Nation. Free agency right now in the waves. We've also got the draft coming up. It's an exciting time to be a football fan. And it's also an exciting time to be a Patriots

fan. Folks, it's an exciting time to be listening and watching Locked On Patriots today because as you can see, we have one of the best, the very best on the Patriots beat. You know his great work and spot on analysis from Boston.com. It's my honor to welcome my good friend, Kyrie Thompson here today. Kyrie, welcome back to Locked On Patriots. Welcome to our new setup here on Locked On, now available on YouTube. I love it, my man, Mike. This looks great.

And also, it's great to be back with you once again. Absolutely. It's always an honor, always my privilege to share the microphone with you, my friend. The great work that you provided for the patriots beat this year in my opinion second to none but kairi is not just limited to the patriots folks all over boston sports if it's a if it's in the landscape in the hub he's got his fingerprints on it and it's always stellar work and this has been one i've been looking forward to for a while bud because as you know i always say there's never a dull moment in foxborough i get my share of flack for that because a lot of Patriots fans,

my limited set, let's say, are not too happy with the Patriots' output in free agency so far. They're saying that there has been a dull moment in Foxborough, that maybe Bill Belichick's been a little bit asleep on the wheel. I don't necessarily agree with that, even from the get-go. I know it might have been a slower start than most people were hoping, but I think the Patriots have made some intriguing re-signings and a couple of big-time reunions that I think we're all looking forward to. But I leave it to you, my friend.

Your analysis is always spot-on, and I always trust your judgment, and I always look forward to what you have to say in bringing a new, fresh perspective to all of our listeners here on Locked On Patriots. You've been following the moves as closely as I have. What's been your favorite or best moves, I should say, of the Patriots offseason so far? What's going to help them be a better team in 2022? Well, first and foremost, they got a big boost, a mountainous boost in bringing back Trent Brown.

You absolutely could not go into the season having your offensive line with two major holes on it because they still have one at one of the guard spots. But having Trent Brown back just in he struggled to be available last year. He missed a bunch of games. But when he was in the lineup he was very good and you know you're counting on him obviously you know staying a bit more healthy this year at least that's what you hope um you did have and you still do have you know kind of some kind of swing options with like yadni kajust and justin haran but you did not want to have to have one of those guys starting and trent brown wants to be here. He likes playing here and he plays his best football here. So I think that is the biggest, you know, pun intended, signing that they had this year.

But I think that on top of that, having Malcolm Butler back really kind of changed a bit of the tenor for how I personally viewed the defensive situation. Because, I mean, as it is, it's still not all-star quality corner play necessarily like you don't have stephan gilmore locked down corner on one side or jc jackson you know uh if not a lockdown option a very very good one right an all pro option but having malcolm butler back you know assuming he can stay healthy right this is a guy that's played in your system played very well in your system right and so and you know he's been a Super Bowl hero everybody knows his story but you know aside

from that you were you were potentially going to trust a rookie or you know uh or far inferior option in my opinion to play aside from Jalen Mills who already is kind of a fringe starting caliber corner as it was he played well he. He did play better than I expected, certainly, last year. But you don't want Jalen Mills to be your number one corner. So having Malcolm Butler back at least provides a solid veteran option. You can also throw Terrence Mitchell in there. So you've got guys with starting experience, and now you're looking at adding depth slash adding a star young rookie that could potentially come in and take over for you.

I also throw in the Jabril Pepper signing because I think he's an intriguing, you know, DB depth piece. He's not necessarily an outside corner. Right. But he can potentially play the slot for you. He can play safety. He can play a little bit of off-ball linebacker he can do all those different things that i think the patriots love in their defensive backs and love in your defenders generally is being versatile so i would say those signings are uh huge in terms of going into the draft with a little bit more security on defense absolutely so well said and i'm so glad that you mentioned jabril peppers malcolm butler trying to help shore up that secondary and terence mitchell as well i don't think that

signing gets enough love or maybe the love that it should get because there is a lot of diversity and a lot of versatility that he can bring to that secondary in terms of being able to line up at the outside he can switch back to the slot he's been mostly an outside corner mitchell has but i think there is an opportunity for him to maybe get some reps butler coming back i think is great it's great for the morale definitely great for this fan base i know a lot of fans have had a lot of feedback about malcolm coming back in and getting a chance to maybe right some of the wrongs that were either done to him or the perceived problems that happened when he left here in New England in his first tour of duty. See the videos of him and the photos of him. He looks great. He looks like

he's working out. He's in great shape. I think he's coming in motivated to be in the New England Patriot once again, and I think that's going to pay dividends. I'm also intrigued by the Peppers signing because I love versatile guys like this. A couple of years ago, I was so over the moon to see Adrian Phillips arrive in New England because of his ability to line up at the box, to line up at the free safety, but also that off-the-ball linebacker. I saw him take defensive snaps on the line when he was a member of the Chargers, and I was on that beat.

One of my favorite guys to cover when I was doing the Chargers was Adrian Phillips. And I'm not saying that Peppers coming in here is going to be a Phillips like for like, but this guy has the capabilities of being someone that can really, I think, improve your defense at so many different levels. And also the added ability for him to be a punt returner. Patriots need that right now. You know, my man Gunner is over in Pittsburgh right now. So it's going to be difficult to fill those shoes.

But Jabril has had a lot of experience doing that. I think that's going to be big for them. And of course, beyond the shadow of a doubt, you mentioned it. There were big moves, and then there are big moves, folks. The big move coming in and bringing in a guy like Trent Brown to return and continue his second tour of duty, absolutely huge. Kyrie, you definitely touched on the fact that the Patriots have some holes still to fill, and they might look to the upcoming NFL draft,

which, believe it or not, folks, is actually at the end of this month. I love saying the NFL draft is this month. It's great. I'm going to continue to say it all month long here on Locked on Patriots. But there are still holes to fill. We're going to go over exactly what holes those might be and how the Patriots might fill them in just a moment. But first, folks, the weekend is upon us.

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Do it today. Visit our good friends at Built.com. Make sure when you visit that you enter the promo code LOCK15 for 15% off your next order. That's visit Built.com today. Enter the promo code LOCK15 for 15% off your next order at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, once again, my good friend Kyrie Thompson of Boston.com joins me here today. Kyrie, we talked about some of the Patriots' good moves in the beginning of free agency and how it's not necessarily Bill Belichick falling asleep at the wheel, just getting a slower start than he had in 2021.

Naturally, I mean, they had a lot of money to spend. There was a free spending spending spree going on in Foxborough. We weren't going to quite get that this time around. But the Patriots have addressed some deficits on their roster, but they haven't addressed them all. And there are still some needs that this team has going into now the lesser waves of free agency and, of course, the NFL draft coming up at the end of the month. As you look at this team, you look at the holes that have to be filled in the roster, and you look at the availability of what's out there in terms of the Patriots being able to fill it, before we get into how they're filling it, what would you say are the biggest needs or what would you say is the biggest need on this team right

now as we sit here on April 1st? So I think the biggest hole is your other guard spot, because right now you have a situation where, you know, Michael, you might have been fine getting rid of either either of you know ted caris or shack mason but instead both of them are gone now michael on when you can fill one of those spots and it seems like people are penciling him in more at right guard i mean he could play either either guard spot obviously but say he slots in at right guard well your left guard spot would then be manned at least for now by James Ferens and he had he was okay in the limited time that he came and filled in when there were injuries and COVID absences and things on the offensive line last year but you don't want to have to start him you'd rather have

him as a depth piece that you could potentially move around and plug in as needed so I think that that is probably going to be the biggest area of need for whether you're looking to continue to address things in free agency or the draft. So I would expect them to add at least one more interior offensive lineman by the time this month is out. And we'll get into who I think that could be in a little while. But the other one that I think still needs to get looked at is cornerback. So we mentioned that a little bit before. Yeah, it's great that they have Malcolm Butler, Terrence Mitchell, and Jalen Mills. But I think all that that means is that maybe you don't have to draft a cornerback in the first round.

But you still need to draft one. You need to draft more than one, probably. You can never have enough good corners. What they have are a lot of versatile guys, guys that can potentially play inside, outside, and maybe in a little bit of safety, like a, like a miles Bryant, he can play in a number of spots, but you need an outside corner, right? Because there are still going to be questions about that position after this

year, right? Because a lot of these guys are better in stop gaps so you need a guy that you know could potentially be around for a little bit and can develop into that role also think you got to look at outside you know rather off-ball linebacker i should say um they might still add an outside linebacker but i think off-ball linebacker you're still looking to get more talented more productive at that position obviously they brought back juwan bentley i think that was that was another solid under the radar move he gives you the one thumper that you kind of still want to have in this defense if you're but on the opposite side of that i liked the trade for mac wilson in getting a guy who's a little bit quicker can play in coverage and things like that but but again to guy who's a little bit quicker, can play in coverage and things like that.

But again, to me, he's a little bit more of a backup, you know, special teams piece. So I would like to see them continue adding at linebacker. Obviously, we're going to see what Cameron McGrone can do. We can see if Raekwon McMillan is healthy and able to contribute. But again, you can never have enough good linebackers that can cover. So I think that those are kind of the three positions that I would be looking at. Yeah, I think you're absolutely right on the money when it comes to all of those.

Look, obviously the guard position right now is the biggest concern. You want to give Matt Jones the protection that he needs to be able to make that next step. And we've heard a lot this week. Robert Kraft was very vocal about Mac's next step and what he needs to do and the pieces that need to step up around him in order to give him the opportunity to become the quarterback that we all saw last year beginning in training camp. You know, you and I sat there and watched him evolve into the quarterback he became pretty much all season long. And there's still a lot of evolution left in Mac but you have to like what you've seen part of that is keeping

him upright giving him the protection that he needs and having someone like Trent Brown manning that tackle position having Isaiah Wynn on the other side I know Isaiah gets an awful lot of flack I've given him a little bit here at times on Locked On Patriots. A lot of our listeners are going to nod and say, yeah, you got on him this season. I did. But at the same time, the Patriots still have a solid quality player that is able to make contributions there. Awenu is interesting to me because the right guard position is what he played at Michigan. And he was a great athlete there and it was a great opportunity for him to come into New

England and maybe get a little bit out of his comfort zone but he is a natural right uh right guard so if you can plug him into that position i think i might have said right tackle folks if i did i apologize i know it is april fool's day but that wasn't a fool's joke that was just this fool making a mistake but all kidding aside right guard is i think a natural position for him and i think he will be able to step up and play very well there the left the left guard position right now obviously is the hole that's where you need to look at that's where the patriots will look to try to add more depth i agree with you harone kajust these guys ference these guys can definitely provide spot starts in you know if need be they

can provide some depth there but ultimately they're going to need to go after someone that might start and might be a good fit in that role right off the bat is that where the patriots are going to look initially in the upcoming 2022 nfl draft well kairi is an expert on on free agency but he's also a draft expert as well. We're going to get his thoughts on the upcoming 2022 NFL draft and where the Patriots might be looking in just a moment, folks. But first, it is that time of year again. March Madness is almost through. College basketball's big tournament continues to roll on. A lot of interesting action this weekend. You definitely are looking at nba

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Pats fans, we're having a ton of fun today. It's been a blast having Kyrie Thompson of Boston.com here with us to close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. And Kyrie, again, I thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join me here on this Friday afternoon. And we've danced around the subject a little bit. We've talked a lot about free agency, Patriots moves, polls on the roster, but it's draft month

and it's about time that we start kicking some draft talk into gear. Murph and I mock the draft here every single Monday here on Locked On Patriots. I shouldn't say we mock it because we never make fun of the draft. Murph is watching this right now, throwing something at whatever device he's listening or watching it and saying, we don't mock the draft, we don't make fun of it, Murph is watching this right now throwing something at whatever device he's listening or watching it and saying we don't mock the draft we don't make fun of it we use it as a muse so in that vein the Patriots do have like we said before some needs you've mentioned the left the left guard position you mentioned the cornerback position you've mentioned

you know holes along defense whether it be outside linebacker or off ball linebacker we keep hearing wide receiver this is a draft class that is deep in a lot of the positions that the Patriots do need help in and I think this is where they're really going to make the impact of the offseason felt Kyrie as you look toward the draft and you look at the Patriots need you look at what's out there what's catching your sharp eye what should Patriots fans be paying close attention to when draft time comes around in terms of them filling the roster holes and who might be potential Patriots when all is said and done so I would say you mentioned depth right and depth has been my theme especially when it comes to positions like receivers, which is why I personally do not think the Patriots are going to draft a receiver in the first round.

I think that they will probably look at this like, you know what, we can get another guy later. And the other thing with the receiver position, the pass catchers is in the end, they're going to have their top three receivers from last year back. They're going to have Jacoby Myers and Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry. They're not losing any of those guys. So they could absolutely look at this and be like, you know what? I think we're just going to look at Nelson Aguilar and John Smith and say, we just need to do better with you guys. And we need to get you to be more productive as opposed to being like, we definitely have to overhaul the receiver position. I don't necessarily see that. So I personally think that it's more likely that they would go defense.

The players that I'm looking at are, say, a Devontae Wyatt from Georgia Falls. I think Jordan Davis might go before that. But if a player like Davis or Devontae Wyatt white falls i think it's going to be really hard for for belichick to pass that up because when you can disrupt the middle up front and just just put pressure on quarterbacks without having to blitz i mean that is just so tantalizing right and so if they can if they can have that i i feel like they they might take a dive there the other guy i'm thinking about i've i I really liked him a lot from the beginning, is Devin Lloyd from Utah, the linebacker. He can play anywhere, off ball, on the ball.

He has pass rush moves. For a guy who's like 240-odd pounds, he's got pass rush moves like a real defensive end. It's uncanny stuff. And I feel like, again, another versatile, athletic dude that can make plays anywhere on the defense. That's exactly what the Patriots say they want at linebacker. Again, he's going to have to fall. I've seen mocks have him anywhere from, you know, the 20s to going top 10. So, I mean, you never really know how teams are going to view him. I think his tape is really interesting stuff. But I also think defensively there's an opportunity for a cornerback like a Kair Elam. I was at the NFL Combine and sat near Elam.

And I'll tell you what, that guy just sounds like a New England Patriot. He just sounds like he takes utter and complete offense to anybody who thinks that they can take him. And he just prides himself on domination and preparation. And when I heard those words come out of his mouth, I was just like, oh my goodness. Like if he's, if the Patriots were so inclined, he could absolutely be a pick there. And he would potentially reroute this idea that,

oh, well, they're definitely going to go more zone. That guy's a man coverage corner. And I think that that could be uh maybe something that convinces them to stay on the track but my biggest draft crush right now i'll throw it out there for number 21 is zion johnson once again saw that guy up front at the combine throw up 32 reps on the bench with no shoes no And in his technique, the way that he plays is both technical and violent on the offensive line. And so, I mean, there is a legitimate chance that Zion Johnson is the best player available on offense or defense at number 21. And if that happens, again, there's

this idea that, oh yeah, maybe the Patriots trade down here, recoup a little bit more draft stock. But, man, if that guy's at number 21, you have the opportunity to put him in front of Mac Jones. I mean, that's a potential pro bowler right there. So I think that that's something the Patriots should definitely think about doing. Yeah, I completely agree with you on wide receiver. And I know I've taken some slack here. I know you probably have as well for some of our opinions that we've shared either on Twitter or in my case here on Locked On Patriots. But I'm in the mode of agreeing with you there.

I think especially hearing what Robert Kraft had to say earlier this week, that was really an eye opener for me in a lot of ways, really calling out some of the players, not by name, but calling them out and saying that there are guys on this roster that maybe didn't perform as well as we wanted them to last year that have something to prove this year. You know, John O'Smith is in the crosshairs right now, and you know, Nelson Aguilar is as well. Are either of these guys going to be top flight surefire pro bowlers? Probably not. It's not what they were brought in to be, but Nelson can still help to be that vertical threat. You saw Matt connect with him a couple of times this year i think maybe him having a little bit more uh comfort level in this offense is going

to help him in the long run john who i think is interesting to me because i think him coming in having the experience of being here from ota through mini camp through offseason workouts all that is going to give him the opportunity to ingratiate himself more in the offense. And who knows, maybe the absence of Jakob Johnson allows him to play a little more of an H-back role. Maybe that helps to get him a little bit kick-started. But I still think there is a lot of talent for him to be a red zone threat and a receiver

there. So the Patriots will address the wide receiver position, folks. Just don't think they're going to do it in the first round and I think Kyrie is on to something here with Zion Johnson and you know that this is a Belichickian type pick it's a fan favorite I think will be uh I think he has the ability to really come in here and be that presence that the Patriots need him to be I for one would love to see it um If they do go defense and they go that side of the ball, you know, you mentioned a few guys. Lloyd is someone who's very popular in mock drafts to the New England Patriots. You mentioned Devontae Wyatt, a guy that I've had my eye on,

and I want to thank Murph for this because he really helped for me to see the type of fit that this kid could have, especially knowing what the Patriots needs are going to be and some of those speedsters that they're going to have to contend with uh and wide receiver and other teams especially within the division I'm looking at Stefan Diggs I'm looking at Tyree Kill um you want to have someone in the middle of that defense that can be that RPO eraser and N'Kobe Dean out of Georgia right now I think would be an intriguing option there as well not prototypical Patriot. He's not that typical Patriot linebacker,

but he's someone that has the speed sideline to sideline to really help that defense, I think, shore up in an area that they had some difficulty in last season. So as always, my friend, good, good stuff. Before I do let you go today, I am going to put you on the hot seat a little bit in terms of patriots moves still to be made when all is said and done my friend when the patriots offseason is in the books and we're ready to start watching this team take the field in minicamp in early june will it be the draft that was the story of the Patriots off season rebuilding

or retooling, or will it end up being the free agents that they brought in and the internal free agents that they've re-signed guys that we didn't even mention that much on this pod, like a Devin McCourty or James White or, you know, a Matthew Slater. Will it be those types of retoolings and maybe the 2021 guys

rounding into shape? Or can this draft class be as memorable this year as the draft class was in 2021? I think that they're going to want the draft to be the story because in a lot of ways, what they're doing is kind of running it back with, you know, more or less the same squad and saying, look, okay, yeah, it's going to be internal improvements. For example, like Mack Jones, we are looking for you to make the leap to make this team better. And Devin McCourty, we really need you because we have no idea what kind of coverages we're going to be playing just yet. So we need your help. Also, Brian Hoyer,

you're basically the quarterback coach of the new England Patriots. Nice one. But I think that when it comes down to it it's going to be um yeah it's going to be the the uh you know internal guys like you know again like cameron mcgroan's right the guys who didn't really play for ronnie perkins you know come on down know us that you can you can have a role in this defense and show off some of that past rushing explosion but when it comes down to it the patriots were partly where they were last year because of their draft mac jones christian barmore and remandre stevenson do not forget about that so i think that ultimately what they did in free agency is rely on first of

all the guys that they wanted for continuity to come back and then they're doing kind of the bargain bin stuff that they've done for two decades, right? I think people kind of, you know, forgot that in the frenzy that was last year, but this is what the Patriots do, right? They turn the guys that you don't expect to be anything into productive players, right? They take the undrafted guys or the castoffs

and turn them into productive players, but it's going to be about the draft because ultimately right now a lot of you know analysis has the patriots is having one of the worst off seasons in the league so far but you know what can turn that around is adding some really good productive rookies and once again i mean everything that happened with with the free agency class last year like yes the sheer number of moves you know to kind of make the team competitive right like that was the story them spending all that money but the draft was instrumental in that team going 10 and 7 and i

think that if the patriots are going to do anything regarding you know contending for the playoffs, yes, it is going to be Mac Jones and Coe kind of growing with each other in year two. So maybe you could say that's the thing. But I'm still looking at this draft, and I think that when mini camp rolls around and the excitement of seeing those kids out there, and then when training camp rolls around and you see, like, wow, they got some impact players right that ultimately i feel like is going to be that's going to be the fine too that's going

to be the thing that maybe puts them over the edge of where they are because right now they're essentially saying like look we're gonna kind of stick with what we got and then we're going to see what the draft provides and you know as long as long as the draft provides them with the kind of talent that they believe can contribute right away, then I think that they're going to be able to keep pace. They're not where Buffalo is. I mean, I think I've still got them winning the division, but you can still stay ahead of Miami if you have a good draft, in my opinion.

Yeah, and I think a lot of Patriots fans would agree with that. You're looking at one Patriots analyst that does agree with you here, and I absolutely agree with you on the draft being the tone setter for the offseason. Look, Fast and Furious may set the pace, but Slow and Steady usually wins the race in the long run, and I think that's how the New England Patriots are going to take an approach here. They're going to look at the draft in terms of what their needs are, and again, this is a very deep draft where the New England Patriots need help the most. And I think Bill Belichick and the brain trust of the Pats realizes that. I think they will go into it in that way. And who knows, you know, at this time next month when the draft is in the books and we're all said and done,

we may have a different approach or a different outlook as to what the New England Patriots did in this offseason. And this is going to be a fun team to watch this year without any question a lot of questions to be answered but a lot of growth that we I think we expect to see amongst a lot of these players on this roster folks he is the great Kyrie Thompson he is my good friend and columnist extraordinaire Patriots beat writer extraordinaire for Boston.com. Definitely want to check him out. Anything, anytime he puts voice to microphone, pen to paper, as I always say here on Locked On Patriots, it's point, click, learn, enrichment material.

Follow it all because, folks, you will be informed. You'll be entertained. You can't ask for anything more. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know out there in the twitterverse or watching here today on youtube know where they can interact with you on social and what you have coming up in the days and weeks leading up to the draft yes sir well as you can see on the screen you can follow me at kd thompson 5 i am always on twitter feel free to drop me a line hit me with your questions i'm always in for it. And generally, I would say I'm going to be having a look at what is, first of all, recapping the Patriots' moves, maybe giving a little grade to them. But also, I am going to definitely be crunching a little bit of film as the draft comes up because I'm a nerd.

I like to do that. And I'll give you an idea of who I think, not just who the Patriots are going to take in the first round, but I'm going to have a look at that second and third round too, because day two is going to be fascinating. Thank you very much, as always, for having me on, Mr. Mike. Absolutely, Kyrie. Thank you very much for taking time out of your schedule to join me here on Locked On Patriots. Folks, you will continue to hear Kyrie throughout the offseason and into the season here on Locked On Patriots. One of my favorite guys on the beat, one of the best guys you'll meet anywhere. And I truly mean that.

A good friend, a good man. And definitely keep a sharp eye on everything he has to say Patriots related. Once again, folks, you'll never be led astray. Thank you all so much for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day and also a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Smash the subscribe button on YouTube if you haven't already done so. On the audio, definitely continue to download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots on platforms such as Spotify,

the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. On behalf of Kyrie Thompson of Boston.com, I am Mike DeBate. Thank you again for tuning in today. Stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.