Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - On Stranger Tides: New England Patriots Draft Thoughts on Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Marcus Jones and Day Three — 4/30/22

Episode Date: April 30, 2022

Days One and Two of the 2022 NFL Draft are now in the books, and the New England Patriots have certainly kept things interesting. From getting stronger with Strange, for filling a Need for Speed with Thornton, the Pats continue to follow their own path to Draft success> Joining host Mike D’Abate Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.,com, as the duo discuss Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Marcus Jones, and preview Day Three. 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-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: 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.Shady RaysEXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES.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.Blue NileThis Mother’s Day give mom something she’ll treasure forever with fine jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKEDON SPORTS listeners get $50 off $500. Use code LOCKEDON at checkout.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

our stranger days ahead for the new england patriots but at bill belichick pull off another unexpected haul day one day two in the books of the 2022 nfl draft day three still to come i'm mike debate and you're about to be locked into the locked on patriots podcast you are locked on patriots your daily new england patriots podcast part of the lockeddown Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Locked On Patriots, free and available on all platforms.

Thank you for joining us here on Draft Weekend, 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 your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. As always here on Locked On Patriots, I am humbled by the company that I keep,

and today I keep the finest in company. You want draft breakdown, folks? We have it for you here today. I am so honored, so grateful that he chooses to join me each and every week here on Lockdown Patriots. My Patriots Paizan, a columnist extraordinaire for Patsfans.com. In addition to that, folks, he is the co-host of not one, but two

amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and of course, One Patriots Place. Once again, my Patriots Paisan, Steve Bellistrieri joins me here today. Thank you, my friend, for joining me here on Locked On Patriots Draft Weekend. Can't get much better than this. Yes, absolutely. And thanks for inviting me, as always.

And, yeah, we're definitely on the caffeine this morning because that was a late night Friday night, wasn't it? It's been a late couple of nights for the New England Patriots, trading back from 21 to 29 in round one. And we're going to get to round one, folks, in just a moment. Round two, the Patriots making two picks, trading out and stockpiling for day three. A lot to break down here, folks, when it comes to your New England Patriots and their draft haul.

We thank you for your patience yesterday. Unfortunately, we did not join you here on Locked on Patriots, but we have got an action-packed show to get you all up and get you ready for the action on day three. Steve, let's dive right into it. And the Patriots' first round ended up being exactly what we expected. The Patriots trading down, trying to get value. They remained in the first round, and a lot of fans were starting to clamor about which player might end up in New England. Were they going to go with a big-time linebacker? Were they going to go with a defensive lineman? Were they going to go the route of going with a wide receiver? Were they going to go offensive

line? Well, Steve, they went offensive line, and they went with an offensive lineman that not a lot of people had graded in the first round and it's amazing you may think that you know Bill Belichick is going to bear the scarlet letter for that Cole Strange out of the University of Chattanooga coming over at number 29 we've had the opportunity to speak with him he's already been introduced at Gillette Stadium Cole is saying all the right things seems like the prototypical patriot guy but there's still a lot of people that have some issues with this pick. What was your reaction to it? Because as the resident voice of reason here, my friend, we want to hear some reasonable reaction. What was your thought on Cole and what type of Patriot do you think he has the potential

to become? Well, at first, like everyone else, I was surprised to the point of shock, and I didn't like it at first because, let's face it, we all have our draft guys that we want. And I think, like a lot of people, I wanted them to attack the front seven. And we can get into that in a minute if you choose to. But it seems like they're pretty, at least with the linebackers, it seems like they're pretty at least with the linebackers it seems like they're they're probably going to stand pat you know we expected them to go early with that but you know looking at strange i mean um i thought he would go probably uh late second early third round you know because i had seen his name mentioned in a couple of places.

But then I saw the, you know, the tweet from Jim Nagy, who used to be with the Patriots, and he runs the senior bowl. And, you know, he was saying this guy is a prototypical Patriot. He'd be a great fit. And I mean, he's really long for a guard. He's 6'5", very athletic. He's tough. And, you know, I go back to 2005 with Logan Mankins. I remember when Bill took Logan Mankins that people were, as you put it, ready to hang the scarlet letter on him. Absolutely, yeah.

And what was the things about Logan Mankins? What was said about Logan Mankins? I mean, if you go back, he's a good player, but Bill could have got him two or three rounds later. Right. So I'm now, you know, I'm in the boat now. I want to see this guy on the field and see what he can do. I think he's going to be the starting left guard on day one.

Yeah, I think so, too. I mean, you don't take a guy in the first round after trading down in the first round to try to justify putting this guy on the shelf for a little bit. I think he's NFL ready, and I think a lot of scouts have come out in defense of his since Thursday night's drafting of Cole Strange. And what you're seeing now is what the Patriots were thinking. And we heard Matt Groh address this Friday night when he addressed the media after day two. He said, you want toughness, you want strength.

It doesn't get much tougher and stronger than Cole Strange. And look, the Patriots had Bacalti blocking for the run at times last year. This kid is definitely a tenacious run blocker. He's got some very good quickness. He can really get into shin, especially with the power runs. That's really where the Patriots have typically struggled with guys that can power ahead and kind of bully, you know, opponents' offensive lines a little bit, you know, and really kind of get to some of their opponents' front sevens, this is going to be an opportunity for this kid to get in there and be able to move. And I think that, you know, this to me, I think, is something that is a typical Bill Belichick move, but an atypical Bill Belichick move.

You mentioned Logan Mankins a couple of years ago. You look at Kyle Duggar just two years ago. The people said the same thing about him it was from a college that not a lot of people other than you and i had heard of before um it was a situation where he was coming in here uh with a higher you know grade in terms of later round grade that the patriots chose to use earlier capital on ended up working out pretty well so i know a lot of people are saying well you know it's all about the value and i ended up working out pretty well so i know a lot of people are saying well you know it's all about the value and i don't care if he's a pro bowler or i don't

care if he's a hall of famer it's still a bad pick for the time that they picked it i never understood that logic i just can't to the life of me understand how if you get the player that does what he needs to do and fills a major hole on this team that it's a terrible pick without seeing him take a snap or watch him progress now if he ends up being a bust absolutely Bill Belichick will be criticized for that and rightfully so but to say no matter what this kid does on the field that this is a terrible pick I just can't understand that argument for the life of me Steve I know the Patriots had deficits on the offensive line. And obviously, like you said, you think he's going to be starting left guard

day one. I agree with you. Is there a situation where you think they're not done necessarily with the offensive line? There's still some guys out there in subsequent rounds. To you, in your assessment, what do you think the Patriots need to do on the O-line to get into a position where they're heading into training camp in really good shape? Yeah, I mean, they have seven picks in rounds four through seven, and I think they're going to address tackle at some point during today's festivities when everything reopens again. I really think they're going to address that at some point.

And, you know, there's some talent out there. And I think, you know, when you're looking at the tackle position, they have their two starters back, Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn, but both of them have had injury concerns. Your swing tackle is kind of up in the air. They had Justin Haran, you know. So I think they're going to address that sometime today where they'll bring in a tackle, mid to late round guy,

and let him see what he can do out there. Yeah, I think so. I mean, there are a lot of tackles available. Murph and I have discussed several of them. Several of them have been mocked here on some of the great Musing the Draft Monday submissions from our great listeners. It'll be interesting to see how the Patriots choose to attack this because they do have a good amount of draft capital to use on day three.

A lot of draft capital. As a matter of fact, seven picks they're scheduled to make on Saturday. Not sure if they're going to make all of those, but we'll talk about that in just a moment. But I do agree that the offensive line will be addressed. And, you know, bottom line, I think they have made a solid pick in Cole Strange. Maybe it is a situation where they did leave some talent on the board, but let's take a look and see what this kid can do. And he sounds like the prototypical Patriot right away right away introduced at Gillette Stadium on Friday afternoon said all the right things even in his conference call immediately following when he spoke with the

media mentioned how often and just how much he can't wait to get to work in Foxborough that's what you want to hear from an all-in and seems like the type of guy that's ready he's on board Mac Jones seems to love the pick apparently the two of them had dinner on Friday night in Boston or in the surrounding areas. So good stuff. Already endearing himself to the quarterback. You got to love seeing that. Steve, the future of a lot of these prospects is bright,

and we're going to continue to discuss that bright future because the Patriots may not one but two picks on day two. We're going to get Steve's thoughts on those picks in just a moment. But first, speaking of brightness, when your future is so bright, you want to wear sunglasses all the time. The glare from the brightness is just unbearable, but it can be bearable, and it also can be very stylish when you choose the product by our great friends over at Shady Rays.

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coming up on those great months of summer, where you want to look stylish, but you also want to protect your eyes. It's extremely important to do that. You won't find a better product than Shady Rays. And I tell you that honestly, definitely check these guys out. Steve, another thing that we want to check out here on Locked On Patriots is their Patriots Day 2 haul.

Because after all, it wasn't just Cole Strange that ended up coming to New England. Patriots making two picks yesterday. Patriots went into this with a need for speed. Boy, they did. They got need for speed in their first pick of the second round. 50th pick in the draft comes in from Baylor, and it is wide receiver Taequann Thornton uh Steve before we get into Marcus Jones who was the third round pick for the New England Patriots when you look at what the needs were at wide receiver uh you and I we had talked about John Meche ad nauseum I think there

were a lot of people that were upset or disappointed I guess is the best way to put it when Meche ended up going to the texans very interesting how some of the bama guys are going to texas now you know nick casario is doing his homework he's running the bill belichick playbook down there and uh in houston but uh bottom line the patriots needed speed at the wide receiver position and matt groh said this prior to the draft we want to get stronger and we want to get faster. Got stronger in Cole Strange. His team got a lot faster in Taequann Thornton.

A lot of upside, some question marks, but definitely blazing speed. You cannot question that. Your thoughts on this pick. What ran through your head when you heard Taequann Thornton as the Patriots' second-round choice? Well, actually, you know, it funny because when when I saw that they had jumped up four spots I was thinking to myself they're going after a wide receiver and they're going to take fellas Jones Jr out of Tennessee because he's a slot guy he's really he's just a

tad slower than taekwon Thornton and he returns kicks and punts so I was thinking they're gonna grab Bellis Jones I said this will be really intriguing um and then when I heard Thornton I was like okay they went the other direction because he's taller you know he's an outside guy I mean blistering fast oh yeah absolutely four to eight I, that was the fastest of any wide receiver in the in the draft. So and I was like, wow, that's a surprise because I was convinced in my head when they moved up, they were going to take Bellas Jones. But, you know, you look at Thornton. I mean, he has tremendous ability to separate. He has great hands. And, you know, you look at Thornton. I mean, he has tremendous ability to separate. He has great hands.

And, you know, I think he's an underrated route runner. He's not as agile as a lot of Patriots wide receivers are. But, you know, for a spindly kind of thin guy, he's pretty tough. And he's not afraid to go over the middle. So I don't think he's just a vertical pass threat here. I was a little surprised by it, but again, they liked him well enough that they jumped up and took him. Absolutely.

And look, if you're looking for a deep threat, folks, we keep hearing all the time, Steve, that Mack needs a deep threat. Give this guy someone that can take the top off of the defense, stretch the field. We hear all of the colloquialisms, as I like to call them here in New England, about what Mac Jones, and really, we heard this back to the days of Tom Brady. You need a quarterback that can do that. You need, excuse me, the quarterback needs a wide receiver that can do that and take the top off the defense yeah this kid can do it 4.28 40 yard dash time at the 2022 nfl scouting combine i don't care what you think of the pick that is lightning uh and that is going to be uh well seen and well uh versed here in new england now can't the question

is can you take that speed harness it into an adequate or above average wide receiver at the nfl level i think Thornton possesses the skill set to do just that because he doesn't just use his speed to get past defenders. The more I look at this kid and the more I scout and see what's what, and I watched a lot of clips on him last night, admittedly, maybe not as much footage pre-draft as I should have. I did my due diligence on Thornton, but he wasn't one of the guys that I would have put on my sharp eye board to say, well, the Patriots are going to kind of zero in on this kid I admit I probably should have because he doesn't just use his speed his straightforward speed he uses very long strides

I had a colleague of mine text me last night when he was watching the same videos and he said this kid looks like a young Moss he looks like I was like all right let's pump the tire let's pump the brakes here let's say you're comparing him to arguably the two of the one of the two greatest receivers to ever put on shoulder pads the other being jerry rice and randy moss um that's a little bit of a stretch right now but he does use that long slide he can glide past defenders and we've seen him do it at baylor definitely folks i encourage you check out the tape on this kid. You won't be disappointed. And he's that type of receiver that you're going to have to account for every time you're on the field. That's such a psychological advantage for Mac Jones, too, who likes to hit his targets accurately and exactly where the receiver can

get it. I think it's an immediate upgrade. And I liked this pick for the Patriots. So, you know, obviously there's always some concerns. There's always, you know, matters of, you know, whether or not he's going to assimilate. There's always questions about health and injury. But at the same time, if you were after a speedy wide receiver, this kid definitely fills the bill. And I think the New England Patriots will be a better team as a result of that so obviously the Patriots needed more than just wide receiver Steve they went after the guard that everyone wanted them to go after pursued that in the first round wide receiver he was taken in the second round and then the Patriots come to the third round and arguably my friend this was going

to be one of those picks that was going to be so uh crucial for the Patriots because you could go front seven you could go linebacker of course an extension to the front seven uh and cornerback was a big position of need they go with Marcus Jones out of the University of Houston we had the opportunity to speak with Marcus very late last night on Friday uh said all the right things, you know, the typical dream come true. I got the very distinct impression that he meant that sincerely and wholeheartedly. I know a lot of people scoff at athletes when they say that, but this kid sounds excited to be a New England Patriot.

A lot of upside, pretty good prospect in the slot. Another one that really can be a beast in the return game. Your thoughts on Marcus Jones, did the Patriots get this right here, or do they still have some work to do a corner? Well, I think they got it right with Jones. I mean, you know, when you look at the pick, he's a little on the short side, but he's very, very athletic. He can play in the slot, you know, he returns kicks. He didn't complain because he's a converted wide receiver. He can play in the slot. He returns kicks. He can play because he's a converted wide receiver. He can play offense.

So, I mean, this guy is as versatile as they come. I love the pick myself because, again, it was a little bit of a surprise. But then when you look at it, this guy can do so much. And I think fans are going to end up loving this guy because he's electric in the return game. So I look forward to seeing it. I think he's going to see the field right away in the return game. And we'll see how he does on defense. But the guy, he can play.

I mean, you look at the stats he put up down in Houston. He was very, very good on defense. But I think, you know, initially, at least on special teams, he's going to be a difference maker. Yeah, he will be a difference maker, folks. If anybody is wondering where this kid fits in immediately, Steve hit the nail right on the head. I think in the return game, this is your guy.

You lose Gunnar Ryszewski, you gain Marcus Jones. And, you know, I love Gunnar, you know, mostly for the head. I think in the return game, this is your guy. You lose Gunnar Ryszewski, you gain Marcus Jones. And you know I love Gunnar, you know, mostly for the memes. But no, I really did like his game, and I like the player, and I wish him nothing but the best in Pittsburgh. But the Patriots now have a guy that does have the capability of breaking for the big play. They brought that back in, even losing that in Gunner. And look, this kid has got the opportunity to be electric. Go back and take a look at Houston's game against SMU. They were 19th ranked at that point earlier this year, 19 seconds left. Jones burns the field 100 yards for a touchdown on a return. You want to talk about guys that can step up to the plate. This is against a nationally ranked team

you're up against the clock you know you need a score and this kid is able to dial back catch the ball deep in territory full length of the field and return it back for a touchdown uh he led the nation 337 yards and 17 punt returns so it's not just the kick return game where this kid has prowess he can be a punt returner and again you said, he can be a very promising prospect in the slot. I think that's exactly where he fits in very well. There'll be a depth piece on the secondary, but I think in terms of your return game, I think this kid has got the skill level to be able to do it. So Steve, parting thoughts on day two. What are your thoughts on the New England Patriots, the two newest New England Patriots that will be wearing that uniform in Foxborough this summer and this fall? Yeah, again, they they weren't the guys we expected them to take.

But isn't that every draft? I mean, Bill always does that. Right. You know, he takes the guys that we don't see coming. And I think they're you know, I'm intrigued. I can't wait to see what they can bring to the field. And, you know, a lot of the same criticism that was leveled against Strange was leveled against Thornton. You know, oh, they could have had this guy later on. But they thought enough of him that they wanted to move up to take him.

Right. And, you know, I think that, that again you're going back to matt gross comments last night um right after the patriots took thornton three of the next four guys off the board were all wide receivers so i think they were onto something there and we'll just have to see how these guys play out i think it's very intriguing and we'll see how it all works out but as usual Bill zigged when everyone else was zagging he really does you know Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald had I think the tweet of the weekend so far uh when Cole Strange was selected he says I'll give the Patriots one thing he says they just do not give a bleep when anybody else thinks and bottom line

they fill their roster very well and i don't think there's anybody that can argue the success that the patriots have had i know a lot of people want to kick some dirt on bill belichick right now for what he's done but folks it's a process let the process play out let's see how these guys are able to do and if you know they get the prowess out of these guys on the field that we expect this could end up being a very good draft for the Patriots that being said I understand the argument that if they don't perform then there is going to be some cause for criticism and you know what but that's one of the things we love about this business right it's always an opportunity to discuss never adult moment in Foxborough well folks the Patriots have two days in the books, but a big day three on tap.

Seven picks that the Patriots are right now scheduled to make. Will they make them all? And if they do, who will come into Foxborough? Who does Steve have his sharp eye on? We'll discuss that in just a moment. But first, folks, you know that our next holiday on the docket is Mother's Day, and it's a special day for all of us that want to celebrate the special mother in our life. BlueNile.com allows us to celebrate all of life's special moments,

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Patriots fans we're about to wrap things up here and get you ready for day three of the 2022 NFL draft I am joined by my esteemed good friend columnist extraordinaire of patsfans.com the great Steve Balistrieri we've already talked Cole Strange we've already talked taekwon thornton and we've talked marcus jones but new england patriots thanks to a couple of draft trades will have a pretty good haul on their hands coming up uh in day three the patriots right now scheduled or slated i should say is probably a better choice of word to make seven picks in this round on Saturday. Now, Steve, you and I both know that the Patriots love to move around the board. I expect them to continue to do that. I don't think they're going to make all seven, but right now they have three fourth rounders,

three sixth rounders, and a seventh rounder. There are some guys left on the board. I think maybe some questionable calls about guys that just you know haven't fallen through the cracks we saw some talent slip to the third round late in the third round obviously malik willis coming to mind uh nicole b dean coming to mind uh we heard that might be from some medicals as a matter of fact it almost is confirmed that that was the reason for his slide but when you look at the day three slate compared to what the Patriots need assistance in, where do you think they will target? Where should they target?

That's a great question. You know, I'm looking, as we talked about, there's still some good offensive linemen out there. You know, there's one guy i i picked in a mock draft is darian canard from kentucky and a lot of guys from kentucky getting picked up but i i think that you know uh they'll still address um you know some of those needs that we uh spoke about. I was looking in some of my mocks at a potential replacement for James White as a third down back. I think you can

see that coming. The guy I really like, James Cook, the Bills took out of Georgia. That was a good pick. That one hurt a little bit. That was a great pick for them. That really was. That kid is pick. Yeah, that one hurt a little bit. That was a great pick for them. That really was. Yeah, because I really liked him.

Phil's in need, and that kid is versatile. And again, you know, nobody complained because he was slated to go in the fourth round, right? Right. But it's Bill. When they took him, all of a sudden, that was a great pick. So what does that tell you? Anyway, I think there's still some players out there in the offensive line. I think they still need to address defensive line.

There's a couple of guys that are out there, maybe a Perryon Winfrey from Oklahoma. You know, Davis from UCF could be of interest to them. But, you know, and I expect them to maybe address wide receiver again or cornerback. You know, there's a couple of guys that have been kind of mocked to them. You know, there's obviously Josh Jobe from Alabama. Absolutely. Yeah.

And, of course, how can we go without mentioning either Bo Melton or the other kid from Alabama at wide receiver. Slade Bolden. Yeah, Slade Bolden. Yeah, the second coming. The second coming of Julian Edelman. And a lot of people are hoping that's what it's going to be. He's going to be Max Julian.

I think that's the national narrative out there. And that punter from Arizona State still out there. Yeah, I think... I'm not going to say his name because then Bill won't take him. Yeah. Without any question,

Alex Barth of 98 by the Sports Hub, a good friend of this program, good friend of ours, came out with a tweet this morning and says, happy punter. He put the punter. I'm going to be superstitious with you, but I'm not going to say his name. But let's put it this way. This kid, we talked about booming punts. Steve, we'll be talking about this kid from San Diego State for a good long time if he is the guy and I agree with you I think there's a lot of options you know I think the Patriots will package a couple of these picks maybe for subsequent years or maybe to move up

or down I don't think they're going to make all seven but I have the distinct impression they're going to make more of them than they're going to trade away they've got seven I think they'll make at least five of these and there is still some talent left on the board. You mentioned the cornerback position. They may not be done. They had guys like Jack Jones in from Arizona State for a visit and a workout and met with him a couple of times. You mentioned Josh Jobe.

Jalen Armour-Davis from Alabama as well. I think he might be early off the board in day three. But you never know. The Patriots could go that direction as well. I think he might be early off the board in day three, but you never know. The Patriots could go that direction as well. Zion McCollum has gotten a lot of press there. I think linebacker position is something that Patriots fans have to be prepared for the fact that they may not go in that direction. I know Darian Beavers is still out there, and a lot of people say he's that prototypical Hightower clone that just that guy that just fits in so well to what the Patriots do but listening to Matt Groh talk about Cameron McGrone last night

leads me to believe that they have very high hopes for this kid and they should I think there's a lot of great film on there you talk about speed agility ability to get after the quarterback and transform the middle part of that defense. He has the ability to do it. So he may be their rookie draft pick, so to speak, at the linebacker position. The Patriots may feel that there wasn't that surefire guy that they want to spend, invest early round draft capital to lock up. So interesting stuff when it comes to the Pats.

I know there's still a lot out there. Bottom line, Steve, at the end of day three, when the Patriots are done with this draft, what do you expect as a whole? Not really just from the draft class. I'm not going to put you on the spot there. But do you expect that they'll have filled most of their holes? Or are there still going to be question marks on this team that lead you to believe that they are going to work the wires on that next wave of free agency prior to these offseason workouts starting. Yeah, I do think they're, you know, I think they're going to fill most of their holes today.

And then, you know, the subsequent undrafted free agents, which they absolutely track record of uh they do yeah of uh filling so i think that uh they're gonna do most of that but i wouldn't be shocked to see them you know sign one or two uh veteran free agents that are out there right now um you know one guy, I don't want to say it because it'll jinx it, but Ndamukong Suh wouldn't be a bad addition to the defensive line. Bring him in for a flyer for a year and put him next to Barmore inside, and now you have two really good run stuffers inside. So we'll see what happens. But, yeah, going to linebacker, like you said, I think, you know,

I saw Matt Groh's comments last night, and I was actually writing about that for my Sunday column. You know, I think they, you know, Raekwon McMillan, who they added last year, Anthony Jennings, Josh Uche, those guys, they've all invested in them. And I'm thinking that maybe they think these guys are going to be just fine. Yeah, I think so too. I mean, you look at the type of emphasis that Matt Groh placed on this and I think that he was very emphatic in saying that he believes that there is a lot of speedy talent at the linebacker position on this roster

currently you mentioned Jennings I think a lot of times he's the forgotten guy in that uh in that shuffle and all of a sudden do you just give up on him the Patriots invested draft capital in him a couple of years ago you and I were very high on Anthony Jennings coming out of Alabama, and we still are, and I think he can still be a contributor. You look at Cameron Grone. We just talked about him, obviously, and Uche, to me, is a guy that is facing that make-or-break season. Chase Winovich went into it last year. It didn't end up working out. He gets jettisoned. I can see a similar fate for Josh Uche if he doesn't come through this year. The difference is I think Uche is a much better fit in this defense than Chase ever was. I think it was a little bit of fish out of water, maybe trying to force a square peg

into a round hole, but I look forward to seeing that. So ultimately, I think it's going to be interesting. And you mentioned the undrafted free agent routes, folks. Don't forget that undrafted free agents are a big part of what this team does. Just because you don't hear that name chosen on draft day doesn't mean the Patriots still may not get in touch with him and get him signed and they usually start pretty fast and furious I know we only had one last year with Quinn Nordean but this year could be a little bit more active and you might see these guys sign as early as this evening after the draft wraps up well steve we're going to wrap things up here today and get everybody ready for day three but

i thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule on a weekend to join me here today very quickly bud before i let you go let everyone know where they can find you interact with you what we can expect in the coming days from draft coverage from the great pen and great voice of Steve Balistrieri. Yeah, you can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG, just like right there. And I write for PassFans.com, and I'm on Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn, all under Steve Balistrieri. And, yeah, I'm already starting to write about the analysis of the draft. Obviously, we have a lot to do later on this evening after the draft is over. But I think that's the main thing we're all going to be looking at.

I look at Cameron Grone this year as a 2022 draft pick. Yeah, absolutely. And you know what? Based on what we're seeing and based on what we've seen, I think the Patriots could have done a whole lot worse in that regard. Big things coming from Cam McGrone. I was high on this kid last year, and I still would love to see what he can do in a Patriots uniform this year.

Steve, what can I say? We're going to have you back here on Tuesday to help break down all of this after our good friend Thomas Murphy gives his thoughts on the draft. Murph and I are going to muse that draft on Monday, give you our grades. Yeah, folks, this might not be pretty, but just tune in, because I don't want to put words in Murph's mouth. In the meantime, I thank my good esteemed friend,

my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri, for joining me here today on Locked On, Patriots. Don't forget, draft coverage all weekend long on the Locked On Podcast Network. Smash the subscribe button to the Locked On YouTube page. You're going to see all of my great colleagues and so many great stories, analysis, everything you can think of right there.

Keep it here for your draft coverage all weekend long. In the meantime, I'm Mike DeBate. I once again thank you for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage as well as your first listen every day. On behalf of Steve Valistrieri, thank you, my friends.

Stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Enjoy day three of the 2022 NFL Draft. We'll see you back here on Monday.