Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - ‘Not Going Anywhere’ on Mock Draft Monday - 2/3/2020

Episode Date: February 3, 2020

The 2019 NFL Season officially came to an end with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV. Host Mike D’Abate recaps the game and reminds us that the weekend still had a New England Patriots flavor. He provides his thoughts on Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Ad and breaks down the Patriots’ latest selection for Mock Draft Monday via The Draft Network.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you for joining me today on this I'm Not Going Anywhere Monday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate. I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC,

and while you're out there roaming the Twitterverse, please follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Super Bowl 54 is in the books, and for the first time in a calendar year, folks, your New England Patriots are no longer the reigning Super Bowl champions. That title now belongs to the professional football team in Kansas City, Missouri. Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to three touchdowns in the final six minutes and 13 seconds. Kansas City overcame a double-digit deficit for the third postseason game in a row, and they beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida,

and the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl 54 champions. Patrick Mahomes named Super Bowl 54 MVP despite not being at his best. His stat line definitely respectable. He ended up finishing the game with 26 of 42 passing, 286 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions. But Mahomes' fourth quarter heroics were undeniable. When he was needed the most, he delivered. He completed passes of 44 yards to Tyreek Hill and 38 yards to Sammy Watkins. The touchdowns that he threw came on short passes to Travis Kelsey and then to Damian Williams to seal it.

And in my opinion, I think a very strong case can be made for Damian Williams being the MVP in this game. Williams was brilliant in this game. He rushed for 104 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown, always in the right place at the right time. With all of the weapons that Patrick Mahomes has to throw to, like Travis Kelsey, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, the Kansas City running game is often forgotten about as a very formidable part of this offense. I'm guilty of it as well. In my game preview here on Locked On Patriots on Friday, I mentioned Williams as sort of the forgotten man in this offense. And if I'm being honest,

they really didn't do a whole lot to enhance his case of getting more attention. But I give Damian Williams a lot of credit for his performance in Super Bowl 54. I believe he was Kansas City's most consistent player from start to finish. Mahomes came up with some very big throws in the fourth quarter, and ultimately that landed him the MVP. But I believe there's a lot more praise and a lot more credit that needs to be handed out when it comes to the Kansas City victory. I previously mentioned Damian Williams, and I'll stand by my statement. I think he turned in an MVP-worthy performance last night. I thought Travis Kelsey, Tyreek Hill, and Sammy Watkins all came up with big catches, all had solid games, especially in the fourth quarter.

And lastly, more than just a little love needs to be given to that Kansas City defense. They were heavily criticized this year, especially early on in the season. But you have to give a lot of credit to Steve Spagnuolo, who came in and changed the complexity and the attitude of that defense. They became much more aggressive. That led to an increase in them making big plays when they needed to and getting key stops when they needed to. The addition of players like Frank Clark and Teron Matthew

really gave the defense a little bit more of an edge than we've seen them have in previous seasons. One guy I do want to give a lot of credit to, and unfortunately I don't think he'll get quite the press he deserves, is defensive tackle Chris Jones. Jones spent the better part of the offseason injured. In fact, he didn't even play against the Houston Texans in the divisional round. He did suit up against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game and did play a key role. But despite the success that the 49ers have in running the football, I think Jones was one of the unsung heroes last night. Two of the passes that he batted down from

Jimmy Garoppolo last night had the potential to be big plays. You can make the argument that Jones was in position to intercept one or even both of those passes. Jones is a disruptive defensive force, and him being in the right place at the right time was definitely one of the reasons why Jimmy struggled so mightily last night in the fourth quarter. So while Mahomes will get the praise, and he deserves it folks, don't forget that it was a complete team effort that earned the Kansas City Chiefs their first Super Bowl title in more than 50 years. The fans in Kansas City will be living this up for a while. I congratulate the San Francisco 49ers on a great season. Didn't quite end the way they had hoped, but this is a team that defied a lot of odds this year, and they have a strong young nucleus that will allow them to remain in

contention for 2020. And lastly, I want to offer my personal congratulations to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. In just over two decades as a head coach, this is Andy's first Super Bowl title as a head coach. A great coach, one of the classiest guys in the game. Congratulations, Andy, on this Super Bowl championship. Definitely well-deserved. Definitely well-earned. And to me, him finally achieving this victory is the best feel-good story to come out of Super Bowl 54. But back in New England, folks, we have a pretty good ball coach ourselves on the sidelines. And I know all of you were watching the opening game

ceremonies yesterday when the NFL honored the 100 greatest of all time, Bill Belichick, flashing the rings, big-time grin, and just a little reminder to everyone who's been the most dominant franchise in the last two decades. That's right, folks, you're New England Patriots. And the quest to get back to the Super Bowl begins today. The records are now reset. Everyone's on an even keel. And each and every NFL team is on to 2020. With the only exception probably being the Chiefs.

They're going to party for a couple of days. And again, congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great season. But the new NFL season is almost upon us. And for the past few weeks here on Locked On Patriots, folks, we've been talking about those offseason questions. What will the defense look like? What will the offense look like? Who will be taking snaps under center?

Did our beloved quarterback, the greatest of all time, Mr. Tom Brady, did he give us just a little hint as to what his plans are going to be for 2020? I'll get into that in a moment, along with a well-deserved honor for a New England Patriot that had his best season so far as a pro in 2019, and an honor for a former Patriot that really should have come his way this time around. And don't forget, folks, it's still Mock Draft Monday here on Locked On, Patriots. Kyle Krebs of TheDraftNetwork.com has submitted his pick for the New England Patriots at number 23. Now, last week, if you recall, submitted his pick for the New England Patriots at number 23.

Now last week, if you recall, Trevor Sycamore predicted that the Patriots would indeed trade the number 23 pick. Well, Kyle's got them taking it, and he's got them going on the defensive side of the ball. And it's a pick, folks, that I have to say makes a lot of sense. So sit tight, folks. I have a ton of topics to touch on. And just like always, I sincerely hope that you enjoy today's podcast. And as you look at your 2020 calendar today, you realize that we're one month down, 11 months to go. That's right. 2020 is already flying by, but don't worry, folks, you still have time to get fit in 2020. And here's the good news. To do so, you don't have to join a gym or pay a ton for a pelt. Well, you get the idea. You don't have to pay a ton for overpriced fitness equipment.

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Echelon, it's your time. That's E-C-H-E-L-O-N-Fit.com slash L-O-N-F-L. EchelonFit.com slash L-O-N-F-I-T dot com slash L-O-N-F-L. Echelonfit.com slash L-O-N-F-L. Once again, Patriots fans, Super Bowl 54 is now in the books. The 2019 NFL season has officially come to a close. 2020 calendar year is here, and in just over a month, the 2020 NFL season will officially kick off. And I don't think I'm overstepping my boundaries here, folks,

by saying that we as Patriots fans, we're looking forward to 2020. 2019 didn't quite work out exactly as we expected it to. Here in New England, having your season end on wildcard weekend is not what we're accustomed to. There's no consolation in a consolation prize here in Foxborough. For the past two decades, there's been way too much success here in New England to consider anything less than a Super Bowl berth as a success. And even then, it's all about hoisting that Lombardi trophy. Last night, the Kansas City Chiefs achieved that goal, and congratulations to them.

But you want to know what the Patriots are going to do. How are they going to get back to that level? And Pats fans, that's exactly what we're going to be talking about all offseason long here on Locked On Patriots. There's no offseason. There's no days off. I'm not going anywhere. That sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Has a real familiar ring to it. Sounds pretty good. Sounds like something a goat would say. And not a bad goat. I'm talking greatest of all time. Because you know what, folks? Even though the Patriots weren't playing in the game yesterday, they still dominated the headlines on Super Bowl weekend.

And I'll get to that not going anywhere comment in just a little bit. But first, it started on Saturday, and the NFL Honors Ceremony took place in the evening, and as expected, the 2019 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year Award went to your very own Stephon Gilmore. Now, if you all recall, just a couple of weeks earlier, Stephon won the PFWA's version of the Defensive Player of the Year Award. It doesn't always work out this way, but the majority of the time, theon won the PFWA's version of the Defensive Player of the Year award. It doesn't always work out this way, but the majority of the time, the winner of the PFWA award wins the AP

award, and that's exactly what happened this year. And regardless of some of that haterade that you're going to be forced to ingest from social media, Stephon earned this award and he deserved it. Without question, Gilmore enjoyed his most consistent and his most dominant season as a pro in 2019. And you just heard me mention a little bit about haterade on social media, and that's really just my way of referencing some of the snarky tweets I saw on Saturday night about Stephon maybe not being statistically deserving of this award. To be honest, I think that's idiotic. You want to talk stats?

Let's talk stats. Stephon ranked first in passes defended with 20. He tied for the league lead in interceptions with 6, and he returned 2 of them for touchdowns, which tied him for 2nd in the league. In terms of coverage stats, Stephon allowed only 1 touchdown in 17 games. That includes the Patriots' wildcard round loss to the Tennessee Titans. He surrendered more than 55 receiving yards only twice this season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he finished 3 third in passer rating allowed at 47.4.

Based on that statistical resume alone, it's hard to argue the point that Stephon Gilmore deserved this award. But to me, Stephon Gilmore doesn't just pass the stats test. He passes what I like to call the eye test, or the common sense test. That's something you don't see a whole lot of on social media, folks. But think about this. As much or more than any other corner in the league, Stephon Gilmore routinely drew the task of covering the opponent's most effective receiver. He rarely disappointed in that role. The Patriots secondary was by and large a lockdown

unit all season long, and Stephon Gilmore's play was the primary reason for it. Guys like J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Devin McCourty all had stellar seasons, and they deserve a lot of credit as well, but Gilmore could always be counted on to deliver. Because of that, it allowed his teammates to play at a higher level. From an objective standpoint, I truly believe that Stephon Gilmore deserved this award, both statistically and as a matter of practicality. From a personal level, getting to cover a guy like Stephon Gilmore with the Patriots is a true honor.

I'm not going to hide the fact that I am personally happy for him, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved honor. But the NFL Honors Season Awards were not the only accolades that were handed out on Saturday. The ultimate honor for any athlete is to be inducted into their respective Sports Hall of Fame. Last year, former Patriots cornerback Ty Law was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and again, deserving statistics, deserving from a practicality standpoint. And as Patriots fans, I think we were all hoping that this was the beginning of the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting to recognize the early days of the Patriots dynasty. For the second straight year, that early incarnation of the Pats dynasty had itself a finalist. Defensive tackle Richard Seymour. Seymour played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008. He did finish his career in Oakland. He

played for them from 2009 to 2012. But with all due respect to the Raiders organization, Seymour will forever be remembered as a Patriot. Throughout his career, Seymour was stellar. He played in seven Pro Bowls, was named to five All-Pro teams. He was a member of three Super Bowl winning teams with the Patriots. And during his career, he was considered one of, if not the best defensive linemen in the NFL. He finished his career with 496 tackles, 57.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions. He's one of the few players of his generation that when he was selected to the Pro Bowl,

he was both as a 4-3 defensive tackle and a 3-4 defensive end. He did even occasionally play fullback, which is so typical New England Patriots. Every now and then on short yardage, you'd see him line up at fullback. In a lot of ways, the Patriots took a page out of that book this year when you saw Alandon Roberts as a defender line up at fullback and be effective. Again, say that I'm looking at things through rose-colored glasses, but I don't see how you look at that resume and determine that Richard Seymour is not a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Well, on Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee obviously didn't agree with that either.

Seymour was not elected and unfortunately has to wait at least one more year before enshrinement. Now, if there's a silver lining to this here, folks, I do believe that Seymour will eventually get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I believe he'll be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The fact that he's not in either one is really surprising and a little disheartening. Again, we're talking stats. Seymour's stats are definitely in line,

if not above, some of the defensive linemen that are already in the Hall of Fame. But again, we use my eye test, my common sense test. For a good portion of his career, Seymour was considered one of the best, if not the best, at his position. To me, that is the definition of a Hall of Famer. I really felt for Seymour on Saturday night, but in true pro fashion, he tweeted out that he was appreciative of the support that he received and that he trusted in the process. I still say it should have been this year, and you can make the argument that maybe even before this year, but ultimately, I believe Big Say, as they used to call him, will definitely get that knock on his door one day, and he will be enshrined in Canton, and I can't think

of anyone more deserving in his position. So, as a reminder, Patriots fans, you didn't have a player in the game on Sunday, but you did have a couple of Patriots making headlines on Saturday. One current, one former. But let's be honest, Patriots fans, that doesn't satisfy your Super Bowl Sunday fix. You want to see your New England Patriots on screen. You want to know that they're at the game. Well, there were some Patriots on the field just before kickoff, not in the way we're used to seeing them. But the NFL did honor its 100 greatest players of all time and the top 10 NFL head coaches. That's right, folks, your New England Patriots were well represented on that list. I mentioned Bill Belichick earlier flashing the rings. That was an epic moment. Patriots fans loved it. But there were other former New England

Patriots that were on that list. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Randy Moss, and kicker Adam Vinatieri, all with Patriots ties, all on the field, representing the 100 greatest players in NFL history. Oh man, I know I'm forgetting someone. Quarterback? That's right, folks. Tom Brady, number 12 in the program, number one in your hearts. He was on the field as well. So technically, we didn't exactly have a Super Bowl without Tom Brady.

But that wasn't the only time we saw Tom Brady on Sunday, now was it? That's right. He actually showed up in a place we're not used to seeing him, at commercial time. And we all remember the still photo that he posted on his Instagram last week that almost broke the internet. I talked about it here on Locked On Patriots last week. From the moment he tweeted it out on Thursday night, everybody was talking about it. The photo clearly showed Brady's silhouette in Gillette Stadium, in the tunnel, the visitor's

tunnel. And the fact that it was the visitor's tunnel is what caused the speculation machine to get kicked into high gear. Just like that, everyone became a forensic photographic expert. He's walking into the tunnel. He's walking away from the tunnel. His leg is bent a certain way. You can see the shadow of his wristwatch and that indicates that he's walking toward

the camera or away from the camera. What did it all mean? Well folks, as most of us with a level head had predicted, it ultimately meant nothing. It ended up being a teaser for a Hulu ad, and it was a pretty good one at that. It was certainly one of the better commercials we saw on Super Bowl Sunday folks. But I'll save that conversation for another day. But the ad itself really wasn't all that memorable. It's what Tom said to close the ad

to set the speculation machine back into full gear. Just as he was wrapping up his pitch for Hulu's new streaming service, Tom looked at the camera and said, as for me, I'm not going anywhere. And again, just like the masses on social media didn't take a logical and level-headed approach to Tom's picture on Thursday evening, they didn't exactly take a logical or level-headed approach when it came to his Super Bowl ad on Sunday. Once again, everyone is going to jump to conclusions. And look, as Patriots fans, we all hope that that I'm not going anywhere line means that Brady is literally announcing to the world that he is coming back to the New England

Patriots. Folks, believe me when I tell you, I would love nothing more than to tell you that is absolutely going to happen. I can't do that. The I'm not going anywhere line most likely refers to his career and officially puts to rest the rumors of retirement. Now, as Patriots fans, we all know that Thomas said this several times. He's been saying for years that he wants to play until he's 45. He's gone on several radio and television appearances

reiterating the fact that he wants to come back in 2020. But the Super Bowl is that rare chance to reach ears that may have never heard it before. Also, let's not forget that a line like I'm not going anywhere to close an ad makes the ad much more memorable. Would you have remembered this Hulu ad if he didn't say that? I didn't think so. Neither would I. That's not a knock to Hulu.

I actually have Hulu. It's a pretty good service. But that ad gets people talking. So while I have always, and will continue to be, in the camp that believes that Tom will be back in New England next year, I caution you to realize that this ad in no way confirms that. But that doesn't mean that there weren't some encouraging signs to support that theory. Tom did drop some news tidbits over the weekend that seem to indicate that he and the Patriots are at least willing to talk this out.

First, in his weekly interview with Jim Gray on Westwood One Radio, Tom let the fans know that he has indeed been in touch with the Patriots during the offseason. Now, he didn't reveal the substance of that conversation, and he also made it very clear that it's not out of the ordinary that he would have contact with the Patriots, saying that this is an organization that's been a part of his life for the last 20 years. Without tipping his hand either way, Tom went on to say that he wouldn't have any further comment on his contract situation over the weekend, and that the scenario would play itself out over the coming weeks. On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the Patriots had indeed indicated that they would be willing to pay Tom Brady, quote, $30 million per year to return.

This definitely created a little bit of a pre-Super Bowl buzz. In theory, it looked like the question about whether or not the Patriots would be willing to pay for Brady seemed to be answered. After all, you don't offer a guy $30 million a year, folks, unless you plan on bringing him back. But again, that report tended to be a little bit misleading. And please know, I say that in no way to impugn Ian Rapoport's work. However, some members of the local media, notably Mike Giardi of the NFL Network and Jeff Howe of The Athletic, seemed to get the indication from sources quote unquote who

they trust. Didn't say it was a team source or a Brady source, just said it was a source that they trust. And the information from these sources allowed them to elaborate on the report, saying that Tom had never demanded $30 million per year and that what he wanted, what was most important to him, was that he would get a commitment from the team they would be willing to surround him with a strong supporting cast of skilled position players for the 2020 season. But the report took on another layer when NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran reported on Sunday that the Patriots reported willingness to meet the $30 million annual contract salary,

as well as Robert Kraft's own words that the Patriots not only hope and pray to bring Tom Brady back, but that they plan to, did not indicate that he will be the final say on the matter. According to Curran, that responsibility still lies within the hands of Bill Belichick. Reportedly, Kraft would not quote-unquote stand in Bill's way if he felt that moving on from Tom Brady was the best course of action for the team moving forward. And this caused a bit of discomfort in Patriots Nation. And look, folks, I get it.

Bill Belichick is a guy that has a reputation of moving on from players, even if it means cutting the court a little earlier than later. I mentioned Richard Seymour earlier, he was one of them, Lawyer Malloy, Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri. These are all players that still had some stuff left in the tank when they left the Patriots. So when faced with the option of paying a pretty high salary to a quarterback that's about to turn 42 years old, could Bill Belichick be ready to move on? Ultimately there's a little more at stake here folks.

Yes, Bill Belichick does hold the final say in terms of what the team is going to do, but it takes two to tango. Tom also holds a lot of the cards as well. It depends on what he wants to do, how he feels appreciated, and where he feels is the best fit for him to win. But for those of you thinking that the cold-calculated Bill Belichick is about to pop the sword of Damocles on the Patriots' dynasty, his reputation for moving on was earned because Bill Belichick is about to pop the sword of Damocles on the Patriots dynasty, his reputation

for moving on was earned because Bill Belichick moved on from these players with logical and competent backup plans. If the Patriots want to move on from Tom Brady, they have to believe that another option out there gives them a better chance to win. To me, that eliminates all the other veteran options out there on the free agent market right now. In my estimation, no one, not even Teddy Bridgewater, who I think has the best upside of all of the free agent options, gives you a better chance to win in 2020 than Tom Brady. Even at 42, soon to be 43 years of age, Tom continues to be one of the most statistically accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. Again, folks, use your eyes, your common sense. Ignore the hot take garbage that you see on those morning cable sports shows.

Brady played at a pretty high level in 2019, and he didn't show any tangible signs of decline. His mobility, his arm strength were still solid. He struggled a little with decision making, and as a result, his completion percentage, a lot of that was the result of miscommunication with his receivers and tight ends. But I'm far from being the only one that knows this, folks. You know who else knows it? Tom Brady knows it. He knows he can still play at a high level. Otherwise, he wouldn't be coming back.. You know who else knows it? Tom Brady knows it. He knows he can still play at a high level, otherwise he wouldn't be coming back. And you know who else knows it? Bill

Belichick and the New England Patriots staff know it. They know that Tom can still play at a high level. Yes, this is a franchise that is not afraid to cut the cord, but they will only cut that cord when they are absolutely certain that they have a player waiting in the wings that can do the job as well or better than their predecessor. In this case, I don't believe they have that. But ultimately, it looks like the decision will be left up to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. How this will all shake out is anyone's guess. But as I've said several times here on Locked On Patriots, folks, until a final decision is made, brace yourself, folks, because much like Tom himself,

the Brady Watch isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But the future of Tom Brady isn't the only future that the Patriots are looking towards. It is still mock draft Monday here on Locked On Patriots. And in just a moment, I will be taking a look into the selection made by Ryan Krabs of our friends over at thedraftnetwork.com. I mentioned earlier that Krabs has the Patriots holding on to this pick and making it for the defensive side of the ball. I gotta tell you, the more I'm looking at it, the more I like it.

But before I share that pick with you and my thoughts and analysis on it, we here at Locked On Patriots are proud that this episode is brought to you in part by Blue Chew. Guys, now you can increase that performance and get that extra confidence. Listen up. BlueChew.com. That's blue like the color blue. Blue Chew brings you the first chewable with the same FDA-approved active ingredients as Viagra and Cialis. You can take them anytime, day or night, even on a full stomach. And since they're chewable,

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when you use our special promo code LOCKEDON. Just pay $5 shipping. Again, that's B-L-U-E-CHE.com, promo code LOCKEDON to try it for free. Blue Chew is the better, cheaper, faster choice, and we thank them for sponsoring this podcast. Folks, it would not be Monday without the latest installment of Mock Draft Monday in conjunction with our friends at the DraftNetwork.com. Already here on Locked On Patriots, we've examined the Draft Network's prognostications of what the Patriots are going to do with that number 23 pick.

They've given us a couple of options at wide receiver, specifically T. Higgins out of Clemson, or K.J. Hamler from Penn State. Last week, Trevor Sikama predicted that the Patriots would indeed trade the number 23 pick. This week, it was Ryan Krebs' turn at the mock draft machine, and he has the Patriots holding on to the number 23 pick. And for the first time this year here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to be chronicling a defensive pick, because according to Krebs, that's the direction that the Patriots will take in the first round.

So, without further ado, according to Ryan Krebs of the DraftNetworks.com's Mock Draft 5.0, with the number 23 pick, the New England Patriots select linebacker Terrell Lewis out of Alabama. And Pats fans, Ryan thinks this is a pretty solid pick, and I have to agree with him. In Krebs' own words, Lewis is the prototypical Patriots defender. He has a lot of length, heavy hands, and a quick twitch. Coming out of Alabama definitely helps. There's no question that his synergy with Nick Saban

would be a great help to him in a Bill Belichick system in New England. I know a lot of you probably have visions of the Patriots using this pick to upgrade at the offensive position, particularly the skill positions, either a wide receiver or a tight end. But keep in mind, folks, the Patriots are facing potential losses on the defensive side of the ball as well. Van Noy is a free agent. He's in line for a pretty big payday. And Shelton could also be moving on. And as a result, Patriots are going to need more reinforcements in the box. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Lewis, he looks every bit the part of an NFL rusher. As Krebs pointed out, he's got very long limbs and great flexibility.

He has a very strong style of rushing and a good willingness to attack inside moves and stunts with his shoulder in full momentum. He definitely is a disruptor, and the Patriots love defenders like that. He's not afraid of fighting in close quarters with tackles, and he wins a lot of those late rush reps with high intensity and physicality. According to Benjamin Salik, also of thedraftnetwork.com, he's been known to use both his length and his hand placement to his advantage, especially when he wants to generate significant displacement on power rushes. He has lockout ability in his arms. He can definitely generate separation between he and his offensive counterpart. Keep in mind that the Patriots employed a lot of 3-4 defensive scheme this year.

Lewis fits very well into that system. He's explosive to the quarterback and to the ball carrier. He can definitely provide a lot of options for the Patriots in space. Now, for as much of an upside, there is a little bit of a downside to Lewis as well. And in his analysis, Benjamin Salik outlined this very well. Lewis is certainly explosive. However, he's a little bit too frantic as a rusher right now. He's not particularly great at reading tackle sets or quarterback drops, Lewis is certainly explosive, however, he's a little bit too frantic as a rusher right now.

He's not particularly great at reading tackle sets or quarterback drops, and rather he kind of just works as hard as he can to generate some sort of contact and displacement. He has had a tendency to get a little late off the ball, and there have been some long-term conditioning concerns because there is an injury history here with Terrell Lewis. For a disciplined team like the Patriots, you have to imagine that this is something that will catch their eye. However, the raw talent of the player, in addition with the opportunity to mold this kid in a system that he's already familiar with having played under Nick Saban, might make him a very intriguing option for the Patriots at number 23.

They're not afraid to go outside the box. And Lewis would be an outside-the-box pick. The talent is there, but the discipline could be a concern. Hands of less of a coach, that could be a problem. However, we're talking Bill Belichick here, folks. While many see problems, he sees potential. And that's why I actually like this pick for the Patriots at number 23. If they're going to go at the defensive side of the ball early on in the draft, I want to try to add some explosiveness, especially at the linebacker position where it is probable that they're going to lose Kyle Van Noy. Lewis would be a project, but I think he would be a good fit.

Probably a better fit in New England than many other teams in the NFL. Opportunity to work with Bill Belichick and Gerard Mayo, but allow Lewis to harness his talent and turn into a pretty good value at the number 23 pick. So while Terrell Lewis wouldn't be my pie-in-the-sky 23 pick for the New England Patriots, I think it would be a solid one, and I would definitely support it as a good pick. What do you think? Do you like the pick? Do you not like the pick? Reach out to me on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots,

and let me know what your thoughts are on Terrell Lewis as a potential number 23 pick for your New England Patriots. As for me, I'll be back tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough. And stay tuned, as always, because I might just have some special guests with me along the way for the remainder of the week. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider.

Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. Thank you so much for listening today and most of all for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Have a great day, everyone.