Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Tight Endage and the NFL Draft; Barmore or Stevenson to be Better in ‘22? — 4/13/22

Episode Date: April 15, 2022

With the 2022 NFL Draft just over two weeks away, the New England Patriots have several key decision to make as they look to improve their roster for the upcoming season. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of PatsPropaganda. The duo discuss whether their thoughts on the Pats drafting a tight end in ‘22 has changed since the start of the league year. They also provide their thoughts on whether the tight end position grouping is the most talented depth chart on the team. Lastly, the predict which member of the 2021 draft choices has the bigger sophomore season, Christian Barmore or Rhamondre Stevenson?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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans with the NFL draft less than two weeks away. Is it Ramondre Stevenson or Christian Barmore that has the breakout year from the great draft hall that the Patriots had in 2021? Also heading into the new season is the tight endage group, the best on the chart right now for the New England Patriots. That's right, folks. It's Wednesday. I'm Mike debate and you are about to be locked in to the locked on Patriots. That's right, folks. It's Wednesday. I'm Mike DeBate, and you are 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. To all of you, Fox, I'm Charles Burrow, faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. I am your host, Mike DeBate.

I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Country of Sports Illustrated, so feel free to reach out to me, interact with me. Let me know what's on your mind on the bird app at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some Wednesday love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, as you can see, it is Wednesday. And what do Wednesdays mean here on Locked On Patriots?

A visit from the Countess of Clas herself. We need a little Clas. We need a little bit of virtue in the middle of the week. And as Aristotle says, virtue lies in the middle. That's why we welcome our guest today here in the middle of the week. She is the Baroness of Blockers. She is the Queen of TE. She is the Principal of Positivity. She is the Countess of Blockers. She is the Queen of TE. She is the Principal of Positivity. She

is the Countess of Blast. One thing she definitely is, is a columnist and analyst extraordinaire for Pat's Propaganda, and also the host of her very own Patriots podcast. Folks, when I tell you, this podcast is the definition of the term must listen.

Any Patriots fan will definitely want to tune in. Not only do you get Claire's wisdom and counsel, but also some of the greatest guests in. Any Patriots fan will definitely want to tune in. Not only do you get Claire's wisdom and counsel, but also some of the greatest guests in Patriots media that you will find. I am humbled each and every week to welcome the illustrious Countess of Clas herself, Claire, Clazzy Claire Cooper. Thank you so much for joining me today, Countess. Always appreciate having you here on Wednesdays on Lockdown Patriots. Oh, well, it's Wednesday. I can't imagine being anywhere else on a Wednesday anymore. So thank you, everyone, for having me again. Absolutely. It is our pleasure here at

Lockdown to do so. I know our listeners can't imagine anything else happening here on a Wednesday on Lockdown Patriots. I certainly can't, and it's definitely something that I think all of our listeners are very, very happy about. I know I am, and I know that all of us are as well. So, Claire, bottom line, this has been an interesting month for the New England Patriots. We're going into the period of the year where free agency moves right now are a little bit scarce uh there's a lot of evaluation

going on on what the patriots have done to upgrade the roster have they done enough heading into the 2022 nfl draft folks we're going to talk about the draft today we're going to talk about where we've been as opposed to where we're going we're even going to talk a little tight endage for claire because that's exactly the subject that we love to do look at a little tight endage for Claire, because that's exactly the subject that we love to do. Look at the little dance. Look at the little, she's so happy that we're going to talk tight endage. And see, we enjoy pleasing the cloud this year on Locked On Patriots.

It's what we do. So without further ado, Claire, let's get right into it. And before we get into your favorite subject of the day, I also want to pick your brain on some wisdom and counsel of another subject that you're expert on, and that is ghosts of drafts past when it comes to the New England Patriots. Now, it's important to know where you're going, but it's also important to know where you've been. And a lot of people will say that you have to know where you've been to get to where you're going. The Patriots set the bar pretty high last year Claire with a tremendous haul in the 2021

NFL draft obviously the crown jewel of that draft Mac Jones number 15 first round Patriots look like they found a franchise quarterback without any question uh despite of what you'll hear up in western New York I think they still got wing sauce soaking the brain up there. Mac Jones is definitely someone that the Patriots can build around. And I think he's got the keys to a pretty sound vehicle here in New England for a number of years to come. Will they be the top dog that they were in years past? The jury's still out on that. I think there is argument there. But to discount this kid after one year leading a team that didn't have really have much business being in the playoffs, considering some of the upheaval that they had earlier on in the year, it was a big moment for Mac to be able to do that.

But Mac wasn't the only crown jewel in that draft. There were some gems that surrounded him as well. He may be the centerpiece, but there were some very, very good pieces there last year as well. Two in particular were some of the earlier round picks that the Patriots had the opportunity to get Christian Barmore at the defensive tackle position I think you can make the argument that if Mack isn't the quarterback of the New England Patriots last year he's the rookie that everybody's talking about Barmore to me had a tremendous season from start to finish little injury problem toward the end of the year, but he was solid without any question. Ramondre Stevenson also really coming on,

doing something that a lot of us thought wasn't possible, and that is breaking that wall that the Patriots have always put up when it comes to rookie quarterbacks. They love to redshirt their rookies and bring them along slowly, but Ramondre, right from the get-go, had a few fumble problems early in the season once he got back into the lineup he really showed that he can be a feature back so i'm going to put you on the hot seat here claire as we head into the 2022 nfl draft

and we take a look back at the 2021 hall leaving mac jones aside because that's a different position everybody knows the quarterback is just a different animal when it comes to that but when you look at the type of season that Barmore had and the type of season that Stevenson had who do you think is primed for a bigger sophomore year coming into 2022 is it Barmore or is it Ramondre well Mike there are many unknowns still from the 2021 draft as fans we've seen the top-notch performances from Stevenson and from Barmore and as you said not to mention the number one pick in Matt Jones he's not so bad either but in all seriousness there's plenty to look at when it comes to year two for the 2021 selections. Stevenson and Barmore are known entities they are

really good players and they made an impact on the roster. And we wouldn't really have a reason to think that year two should be any different. The names that we know less about are maybe looking to see that second year jump. And they're like to say in a significant area of need for the Patriots, possibly. Somewhere people are crying for a team to get younger faster even lighter and that's in the linebacker position right there on that defensive side of the ball from the 2021 draft is Cameron McGrone, Ronnie Perkins and the safety Joshua Bledsoe so all three of these guys are perhaps being looked at to contribute this coming season whilst the patriots know they have a hole at

cornerback um or it's perceived the hole at cornerback because i know obviously the free agency signing brought in malcolm butler that kind of thing the linebacker core could appear to be on paper as stacked right we don't know exactly what we have in them right now i mean in my opinion this second season is actually more about those guys than Stevenson, than Bourne, but then Balmore. Now, I don't mean that those two guys that we've initially discussed aren't significant, can't stop improving, that kind of thing.

I mean, it's just when you look at, through the microscope of that second year jump, there's maybe some more significance to be seen in regards to those are the three 2021 draft picks I mean perhaps Stevenson and Balmore have earned their stripes so to speak in 2021 and they can keep move they just need to keep moving onwards and upwards you know you know player development general development the others that's kind of who we need to be keeping that sharp eye on as you know as they get their

butts into gear and start performing for the patriots because they're the ones they're the unknown entities and they're also in that position as i mentioned of what is needed in the patriots we we see the kind of the defensive situation in regards to barmore and the running back core i know people are looking to add in the draft in regards to running backs but we do have two serious solid guys in regards to stevenson and harry so it's i think really it isn't so much barmore and stevenson we need to sort of be i say worried about possibly the wrong term but it's not really those guys that we want to look at this year to jump it's bletso it's mcgroan it's it's um perkins they're the ones that this year to jump we need to be sort of maybe more interested

in if you like for one of a better term then stevenson and barmore i love that i absolutely love that and this is why i love having you on claire because i'll set up oh here we go you got to choose between christian barmore and Ramondre Stevenson. Claire goes against the grain, and she just goes for it right as only she can. And you're absolutely right. I think in terms of keeping your eye on some of the draft picks that the Patriots brought in in 2021, this is going to be a much bigger year for you to watch for guys like McGrone. I think McGrone is one of the guys that really could have a solid impact on this team.

Patriots have talked about getting younger, getting quicker at the linebacker position, really getting a chance to set the edge, pin the ears back and after the quarterback. Barnburn is a big part of that because you need that presence in the middle of the defensive line in order to clog the middle, stop the run, and be able to allow the pass rushers to get home and get after the quarterback. One of the big problems with Matt Judon toward the end of the year is Christian Barmore wasn't in the middle of that defense any longer to clog and take up two defenders, freeing up Judon to get around and get after the quarterback. Teams could zero in on Judon. They could put another

spy on him. They could have these guys that could be able to contain him. And I know Judon they could put another spy on him they could have these guys that could be able to contain him and I know Judon caught some you know flack toward the end of the year about not being the same player that he was early on Matt Judon was the same type of player the problem is he was getting swarmed a little bit too much and that really I think contributed to maybe his second half swoon a little bit so with a guy like McGrone absolutely the Patriots can use that skill and be able to do that, assuming that he's back healthy and he's ready to go back from his injury. All indications are that he'll be ready to start the season. Another guy that I think a lot of people forget is even on this team is Raekwon McMillan at the linebacker position. This is a

kid that came in last year really wowed during training camp. I mean, I remember the first couple of days prior to his injury, Raekwon looked like he was not only on his way toward earning a roster spot, but also earning a big spot on this defense. And if he can start to get in round into form, then you're looking at people that could possibly make an impact. But in terms of the rookies, I completely agree. McGrone is there.

Bledsoe is someone that I think is going to be a factor in that safety team. Don't sleep on Trey Nixon either. I mean, the Patriots need return specialists. They need a body on special teams. Ernie Adams saw something in this kid. And Ernie Adams is one of those guys that's on my short list of people that have probably forgot more football than i'll ever know if he had faith in this kid there's something there so once again folks claire absolutely delivers when it comes to the 2021 draft you

help us go from where we've gone to where we're going and where we're going in just a minute folks is to talk about tight endage that's right claire's smile just got a little bit bigger because we are going to talk about our favorite subject we're going to talk about her thoughts about where the patriots might go in tight endage in the draft have they changed since the last time we talked about this and also we'll bring it all home today talking about the tight endage group right now. Is it the best on the Patriots roster? Well, one thing about being the best at something is that your future is extremely bright.

My guest here, her future is so bright, she really should be wearing sunglasses all the time. Corey Hart has nothing on her. You should be wearing sunglasses at night, indoors, outdoors, wherever. The future is so bright, you need shades. And if you need shades, folks, the season's coming up, the spring, the summer,

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And again, the future is so bright, I should have put my Shady Rays on to be able to fully absorb the wisdom and counsel that we have here today. No, I kid her, folks. We always love having Claire here on Locked On. You are the lady of Locked On here on Wednesdays. We wouldn't even think of having a Wednesday on theed On. You are the lady of Locked On here on Wednesdays. We wouldn't even think of having a Wednesday on the show without your wisdom and counsel. Claire, in the previous segment, I absolutely loved what you had to say about the 2021 draft and the fact that it's not so much the standouts that we have to watch. It's the players that have

yet to reach their peak, that have yet to really come into their own as draft picks. And the one thing that we didn't see the Patriots do last year was take the tight end in the draft. They didn't really have a need at the position. They had brought in two of the best in terms of free agents, Hunter Henry and John O'Smith. They had a couple of tight end prospects on the roster. They had a couple of veterans in camp. It was a loaded group. Before we get into that group and how it's going to look in 2022 and your thoughts on that group, let's talk a little bit about the draft.

This draft coming up is going to be an interesting one for the Patriots. There are so many holes that have to be filled, and we've talked about them here on Locked On. I was graciously a guest on One Patriots Place with Claire and Murph and Steve yesterday. We talked a lot about the holes that the Patriots have at corner, at linebacker, edge rush, offensive line. And I'm not even done listing the types of deficits

that the Patriots have to fill. One position that very seldom comes up, if any, is the tight end position the Patriots right now I think it's safe to say Hunter Henry's not going anywhere John Smith's not going anywhere these guys are in sconce they know what they're doing they know they're going to be a part of this team Devin Asiasi Dalton Keene two high-level picks from 2020 neither one has really rounded into form uh we've talked about this before. Asiasi, for whatever reason, just hasn't ingratiated himself into the Patriots offense.

Dalton Keene really has been decimated by injury, if we're being fair. You can't really get on him for scheme fit or skill fit. It really has been an injury history with him. You've had guys in here that have been able to you know take snaps and be around you know matt lacoste and troifel mcgally and guys that have come in to try to to take some of the other pressure off but this is an interesting class for 2022 i should say for the the draft there's some talent at tight endage but it's not being lauded as some of the great classes that we've had in years past where guys like you know kyle p Kyle Pitts and guys like Pat Freyamuth,

you know, to give you a, you know, you're just do right there. You know, even, you know, even like, you know, classes with, you know, TJ Hawkinson and Noah fan. And, you know, there have been classes that have been very rich in tight end talent. We're not hearing that in the NFL draft this year, but at the same time, there's still talent there. And you're an expert on the subject.

You've done a lot of research on the tight endage in the 2022 NFL draft. And I say that with all sincerity. I think maybe some of the most complete and thorough coverage I've heard about tight ends in this draft anywhere in Patriots media. When you look at the Patriots draft outlook, especially with what they did in free agency, and now with some of the free agent departures that they've had to endure, like a Jakob Johnson, for example, or a Brandon Bolden, has anything changed in your mind about whether the Patriots may target a tight end? And if so, you still have your eye on the same type of talent that you did

back when we talked about this last month well mike when i visit locked on there's always the scope to discuss tight-ended i mean it's one of my most favorite pastimes obviously firstly my thoughts on patriots getting a tight end in the draft hasn't really changed now i know that it's far down on the list of requirements and i am genuinely as i have always been only kind of looking at that later round pick kind of guy possibly even undrafted free agent to cover the gap that may actually happen if Asi Asi and or Keane either don't emerge this season or are even cut slash traded that kind of thing I'm being marginally reasonably realistic rather than simply tight end crazy see asi asi may be a trade commodity

it's difficult to call as we've discussed kind of previously in the past we haven't seen much of what he can or can't do but my opinion hasn't changed mostly because i am all in on tight ends as i always have been i just think that there is some nice potential coming up in this year's draft. You know, to be honest, in many areas, you know, many player positions. And I think that the Patriots should capitalise, I'll get my words out, eventually, at least a little in the tight-ended department. So, see, when the Patriots lost Rob Gronkowski, the position did go a little bit thin on the ground

with then a kind of only just sort of rookie in Ryan Izzo after his first year as a Patriot being like on an injury reserve. The overall tight endage production just sort of wasn't great. So, I mean, I will still stand on my soapbox, possibly quite alone, other than the odd other crazy person, Lee. Yeah, I'm calling out on you on that one and say that Izzo is a better tight end than people give him credit for, and he's a really good blocker. But we have had lean years in regards to the tight endage department between Gronk's departure and the signing of Hunter Henry and Johnnie Smith, and I know that we'll get to that in a little bit.

So kind of going back to the draft, there are many, many positions that the Patriots need to fill, as has been said over and over i'm not claiming that the tight endage should take any precedent and i'm not sort of saying that they sort of should take all the tight ends despite what many people think chudders yes i am calling out you on that one in all seriousness in 2022 there's some great potential in the multiple player positions and tight end isn't on the radar for Patriots and I get that and that's why it hasn't really significantly been covered by Patriots media because it isn't that thing that they are seeing as this great need the one thing

that I do implore people is that if the Patriots do take a tight end somewhere in the draft that just don't panic it's a possible future investment another offensive piece to grow with Mac Jones granted I like everyone know that there's plenty on the call sheet that they need to that you know that they need to gather and I would like an early round tight end you know um but what is best for the team is ultimately kind of as a fan that's my top priority as well I'm first and foremost a Patriots fan with a soft spot for Titans so my opinion on as a whole hasn't changed but it was it was always that sort of the realism of they weren't going to take a high round tight end they don't need to because of what they've signed in free agency so it isn't something that they're

going to look at as a significant need and they're And they're sort of still not. And I appreciate that. It's just I know that there's some kind of good guys out there in the draft. And I'm just hoping that we get sort of that low round, undrafted free agent, a talent that has the time to develop within the Patriots with Matt Jones there, whilst we still have the quality and the signage of Hunter Henry and Johnny Smith, that kind of thing, that maybe sort of you're looking as your Patriots tight end in sort of two, three years time sort of thing that we kind of really maybe haven't had come through from the likes of Devin Asiasi. And, you know, a lot of people forget about the prowess that these two guys had when they came in in 2020. And I'm talking about Asi Asi and Keane here. Asi Asi was brought in to be that type of pass-catching tight end that the Patriots have been lacking since Rob Gronkowski had left without any question about it. Again, I mean, I know you're probably the last member of the Ryan Izzo fan club. I've been very vocal of the fact that I think that the kid was as good as he could be while he was here in New England. I think he gave a great effort. I think he was, you know, as I think he was as sound as he possibly could be at that point.

But, you know, there's just there's certain logistical fits and then there just aren't logistical fits. And I think what they were asking him to be, which is a tight end one, is not what he was ever going to be. So, you know, it's an unfair position to put into anybody when the greatest tight end in the history of tight ends, you know, walks out the door. And, you know, I'll die on my soapbox about that. I know there are some people in Kansas City that will disagree, but, you know, we'll definitely agree to disagree, my fans there. Rob Gronkowski is the best i've seen and the best i've covered

and when he walks out the door you're expected to come in and you're expected to be what he was that's unfair to anybody asiasi was not expected to be rob gronkowski but he was expected to give the patriots a boost when it came to route running getting open sure hands the one thing that i loved about asiasi coming out of college in ucla was the fact that he was a sure hands catcher. He pretty much caught whatever you threw at him. And we haven't seen that yet in New England. I don't know, maybe it's because of, you know, poor fit. Maybe it's just he's having difficulty getting acclimated into the offense.

Or maybe it's just the situation where he hasn't been unleashed yet and really given a chance to showcase his talent. But that's something that I think the patriots are going to do this year at least in training camp they've got to test these guys they've got to throw them to the wolves a little bit and see what they have there dalton keen is a little bit of a different type of situation because like we said coming into this segment it's been injury and now with the meniscus tear last year you have to double check and make sure that he can handle the load. If he can, I like him as a blocker.

I like him as a potential receiver out of the backfield. He did it a little bit at Virginia Tech. I do like him coming in and filling the fullback role every now and then when the Patriots want to. Yeah, he hates backhand. A little razzle-dazzle and be able to do that. And you said that several times. You were one of the first to beat that drum. And really really you turned me on to that idea of being a possibility.

So I give you all the credit there, Countess, for giving us your wisdom and counsel on the subject, because that subject has grown and that topic has grown a little bit. But in terms of this year's draft, it's important to know what the Patriots have to do and the type of positions they have to fill. There's no question about it. They're not going to be looking tight end in round one. And Claire and I say that now. Watch, Bill's going to go out and take a tight end in round one just to spite us. Not give a fuck.

That's fine. Claire will be happy. Claire will love it. She'll be extremely happy. You see the smile now? She'll really have her sunglasses on. She'll be wearing shady rays all month long here on Locked On Patriots. I will.

But bottom line, it is something that I think we can probably all agree on, that it's not going to happen in the first, maybe probably second, or even third rounds. But fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, Patriots have two picks in the fifth, two picks in the sixth. It's going to be interesting to see how they fill that, and it wouldn't shock me to see one of them be a tight end, especially if they're unsure about either Asiasi being a fit here in New England

or possibly unsure about Keene's health long term. The kids had some health problems early on, and sometimes those are tough to come back from, folks. I hate to say it, but it does happen, and I definitely wish him all the best. So I agree with you. My draft outlook hasn't changed too much. I think yours might be a bit more optimistic, but you know what? That's why you are the principle of positivity. And we'll see. You're right far more often than I am. So you know what? We'll regroup here after the draft and we'll talk about it. And you can basically dunk on me and tell me how wrong I was.

Bottom line, folks, it's always, always fun when Claire joins us here on Locked On Patriots. Fear not, folks, we are not done yet. We've just scratched the surface talking about tight endage. We've talked about the approach to the draft. But in order for the Patriots to seriously consider making a move toward tight endage in the 2022 NFL draft you have to take a look at the tight endage depth chart from start to finish is this the most complete depth chart on the Patriots roster some may argue that it's the safety position some may argue that it's the running backs but Claire has got a pretty good argument as to why tight endage might just be the most complete we're going to discuss that here in just a moment when this Wednesday episode with the Countess of Clasher, Self-Claire Cooper, continues. But first, the time has arrived, folks, where I get to forward to be able to tell you about the great products put out

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Countess of Clats herself, Ms. Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda and host of A Claire Perspective, a Patriots podcast. Folks, after you listen or view this podcast, smash that subscribe button to A Claire Perspective. It's found anywhere you get your podcasts. You will not be sorry, folks. One of the great listens

you can find in Patriots media anywhere. And we are very fortunate here on Locked On Patriots each and every week to have the wisdom and counsel of the Countess. And she are very fortunate here on Locked On Patriots each and every week to have the wisdom and counsel of the Countess. And she's already provided wisdom and counsel that's off the charts. The meter's already broken off today. Whether it be enlightening us that we don't necessarily have to be so worried about Christian Barmore and Ramondre Stevenson, the true test of the 2021 NFL Draft is going to be about the later rounds, and she did that better than anybody.

We've talked about the 2022 NFL draft and whether or not the Patriots might sprinkle a little tight endage into that mix. But Claire, I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to end the show today talking about where we are in terms of tight endage in New England. If the Patriots are going to make a move at the tight end position in the draft, it would mean that most likely they're looking at maybe clearing out someone on the current tight end depth chart. And this is a pretty deep depth chart, you know, for all intents and purposes. Hunter Henry, John O'Smith, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keeneton keen you know you have that four up top you know you're doing

some pretty good work there um the patriots right now don't have a whole lot of strong depth charts there's a lot of upgrades that are needed at a lot of different positions uh obviously the the guard position is very bare right now your starting guards are playing for two different teams right now you need to be able to beef that up uh The linebacker position is looking a little bit thin. Corner has been built up a little bit, but I know fans and media alike, and probably the Patriots too, would like at least another body in there to help shore up that depth chart and that positional grouping. But you don't hear an awful lot about tight end that you need upgrading for the reasons that we've stated. These guys are pretty well set.

When you look at this depth chart from start to finish, first of all, what catches your eye about the tight endage depth chart? And to put you on the hot seat once again, do you believe it's the strongest depth chart on the New England Patriots roster right now? Well, see, you're going to find this interesting because i think everybody kind of thinks they know what i'm going to say and i think you kind of don't but anyway as you kind of mentioned on the death chart at the moment you've got hunter you've got spieth you've got assy assy and you've got key there's troy fumigali as the present free agent as he's matt lacoste so they're kind of technically they don't sort of count because obviously they're not on the roster but they were sort of within the Patriots at the time.

When we talk Patriots tight end, as fans, we're really only kind of able to talk about Hunter and Smith. And that's got nothing to do with kind of like favouritism. It's really about what we've witnessed and what we've seen this year. And unfortunately for Johnny Smith, his first Patriots year wasn't exactly awesome. So if you're talking depth top chart talent now if we're speaking offensively only as it just might be easier in this conversation which i think you sort of well we're kind of going with that i think it's difficult to sort of pick just under henry over stevenson and harry's those two running backs are beasts you know productive you know i know that there's the chance that we kind of could

look at adding another running back and there's there's several people that are interested in that and i can sort of see why but when you look at them as as a as a section as a as a depth they are very good i think looking at the new england depth chart the offense has potential plenty of potential right but i possibly put running back as the kind of top offensive pieces that we have at the moment. They may be the pieces that we're more certain of, the sort of production from that the Patriots are going to gain. Then the kind of wide receiver core and the tight end core

may be sort of on par at the moment. The addition of Parker could be significant. Now, we need a little bit of kind of time par at the moment um the addition of Parker could be significant now we need a little bit of kind of time will tell tag on to that because I know that there's a lot of talk of the sort of injury concerns and the consistency concerned and it sort of depends on who you ask on what day as to what they think of the kind of addition of Parker to the wide receiver court Kendrick Bourne, Jacoby Myers, good receivers, great receivers. We're aware that Nelson Aguilar has potential. He had kind of like quiet coverage drawing this sort of last season.

So I know that he didn't bring the numbers, as we've mentioned, quite often on here before, really. So it was always the, does he warrant his price tag, that kind of thing. So I appreciate that people are looking for more sort of significance out of him this season if he stays around that's another kind of scuttlebutt is if the patriots are looking at kind of using him moving him on that kind of thing because parker's come in and he hasn't gone out the common sense would would be that they paid him a lot they're looking at seeing what they've got of out of him for sort of year two so you know i wouldn't really sort of look at um the concern of him moving on at this point on the flip side you have the success of of mr hunter henry and the possible dizzying heights

of potential from johnny smith that we haven't yet seen but we're hoping to sort of see so right now as you look at the roster I think the kind of the talent lies more the current talent the the talent that we're aware of that we can kind of bank on if you if you want is really more running back at this point but I think there's this this truckload of potential at tight end and at wide receiver I think it's more a, in regards to sort of what we feel most of depth, I think it's difficult to call at this stage because we don't sort of, it's difficult to say what we actually have because we're only going on what Jonu Smith,

we thought he could produce for us. It's only kind of what Parker might bring to the table. So I think in regards to that, we've got a lot of potential when it comes to the depth on those rosters it's just that the ones that you'd want to kind of guarantee more so would be kind of the running back because we know what we've got in those two guys and we know that we've got some really solid kind of potential solid performance sorry in them the potential is where it lies in the wide receiver

tight end core. So really, I'm not picking tight end as the depth. And I know that people are like, oh, Shakara, the tight endage person. But I'm just trying to be realistic. And as I said previously, I know that I've got this kind of soft spot for tight ends, but it's really about the team as a whole. And that's what I like to look at. And I'd like to be able to say that I look at. So yeah, for me at this point, the talent depth, I believe, may be more in the running back core when you're talking offensively sort of thing.

But it really is. We've just got to be a little bit patient and kind of see what happens really. Not bad. Not bad at all. Folks at all folks again again she is in the words of al pacino she's gonna zig and then she zags who are you know you really you gotta love it you absolutely gotta love it because i was almost certain that you were going to say yes this is the deepest tight end chart that there's not well the deepest tight end chart

this is the deepest chart on the patriots roster maybe some of the deepest that the Patriots tight ends have been in quite a while you know going back to obviously the early days of you know Gronk and Hernandez and then you know bringing in you know someone like a Martellus Bennett to to uh to bring you know some uh you know some continuity there but I agree with you and I think you make such a great point when it comes to the running backs and how deep this class is at running back and just how much versatility the Patriots have at this position right now it's very difficult for any Patriots analyst objectively and you've done that brilliantly to ignore that when you look at Damian Harris and his ability to run straight

forward and take carries out of the backfield as the feature back from Andre can do it as well. We talked about him in the previous segment, but it goes beyond that. James White now is back. Not only does he bring the third down prowess, he brings that ability to receive out of the backfield. He brings that experience, that Super Bowl experience that is so important in that type of a grouping. When you have guys like that that are in the huddle that are in those rooms and they're working with the running backs you look at

a guy like james white on the opposite side of that room who's been battle tested who was a big factor in the patriots comeback in super bowl 51 you're listening every time he opens his mouth and i'm not in any way lessening the ability of Hunter Henry or John Smith or anybody on that tight end to try to be able to do it. But none of those guys have that experience. They haven't been battle-tested the way someone like a James White does. One of the things that the safety group constantly says, and we talked to Jabril Peppers in the media yesterday.

He met with the media for the first time. And Jabril mentioned the name Devin McCourty several times. That's such an indelible part of what these players look for when they look for wisdom and counsel. They look for guidance. You look at someone like a Devin McCourty, it's absolutely imperative that this type of experience is imparted on the players that haven't necessarily had it before. So that is a big factor in why this running back core is so deep, not just because of the depth of talent at the position. And we haven't even mentioned J.J. Taylor.

Ty Montgomery can slide in and be a running back as well. There's a lot of depth as well. He's coming in. I think Ty's going to open some eyes this year i really love his fit in new england the more i'm looking at film on this kid and the more i'm seeing what he can do i really like his fit here in new england and i can see why the patriots were interested in him that's a deep depth chart from start to finish and the experience factor probably gives them the slight nod here because there is a lot of talent on the diet and depth chart as well

you look at if these if all four of these tight ends round into form and the patriots decide to roster four tight ends i think you'd be very hard pressed throughout the league to find four guys that can really complement each other as well as the core four that the patriots have so bright futures ahead for new england a lot of potential Let's see if they can put it into practice this season on the field. And it starts in another couple of weeks when organized training activities open up in Foxborough. Claire, it's never a dull moment. And we're going to cover it all here for you folks right on Locked On Patriots each and every Wednesday. My good friend, the Countess of Clas will be here with me.

Claire, what can I say? Again, the wisdom and counsel meter broken off today, off with me. Claire, what can I say? Again, the Wisdom and Counsel meter broken off today, off the charts. Great, great stuff. Thank you for indulging my questions on tight endage and also your insight on the 2021 NFL Draft. Before I let you go, folks, or before I let Claire go, folks, let her enlighten you as to where you can find the wisdom and counsel you found here today to much deeper depths. This is just scratching the surface of what she can do.

Please let everyone know where they can find you, interact with you, and what you have coming up on the horizon from the great pen and the great voice of the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Cooper. Well, thank you, Mike. And it's always lovely to be able to indulge a little bit on tight-ended when it comes to Locked On. That's why Locked On, one of the of the reasons lockdown is so close to my heart if you're after me you're a writer for patspropaganda.com as you mentioned so if you go over to patspropaganda.com you'll

find my written work I usually produce more during the season because I do the game recaps for patspropaganda but you will see some odd articles and you'll see some drafts of coming out and there'll be some drafts coming out from Tom I believe the weekend so one of those kind of keep your sharp eye out on patspropaganda.com a clear perspective is brought to you by fullpresscoverage.com and that's my my podcast as you mentioned the Patriots podcast episode 28 was out with Mike Giardi and then last week episode 29 with the lovely Andy Hart so they're all available now kind of most places you download your podcast i'm looking to record episode 30 next week yes i said the episode 30 30 um that will be coming soon so this is a call to everyone i am doing a mailbag

episode i haven't done one of those for quite a long time so i'm calling to all my lovely listeners to to hit me up on twitter with their questions for my mailbag episode that will come out next week it will be before the draft that's all i can kind of tell you at this stage so that's what i've got coming up next is my a few draft profiles you'll find on pats propaganda and a clear perspective podcast you'll find that prior to the draft so don't forget to send me over some some mailbag questions and if that's not enough for you you will find me each and every week on one patriots place live courtesy of e2g sports with steve balistrari and thomas murphy so yeah if you can't get enough of me there you go absolutely folks and again i can't recommend highly enough

whether it's pen to paper whether it's voice to microphone anything that claire uh puts her name to when it comes to patriots coverage is always top-notch content. Believe me, point, click, learn, enrich, listen, absorb, do whatever you need to do, but just make sure that you're consuming it in some fashion because you will be a better Patriots fan and you'll be a better person as well. And again, folks, please help Claire out. Follow her on Twitter. Let her know what's on your mind. Thank you.

It's tough to get that out a little bit but he's still kicking in claire but in any case folks definitely contribute to claire's mailbag so that way she'll be able to fill that for the uh the uh next episode of a clear perspective of patriots podcast and she'll be uh you know very grateful and very glad that you did you know prior to you joining us here on wednesday's Countess, back in the early days of my hosting Locked On Patriots, you did something called the Midweek Mailbag. You've kind of inspired me. Maybe after the draft and after things are done, maybe we'll do a little Midweek Mailbag here with the Countess as my esteemed guest, and we'll answer some of your great

questions. So something to keep in mind, but until next week, we will continue to break down all the hot topics here on the Locked On Patriots podcast for you each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. So like, subscribe to, follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots and thank you once again

for helping that subscriber list on YouTube grow. Folks, if you're not listening or not viewing on YouTube right now, smash that subscribe button so you won't miss a single second of the action. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, continue to stay safe, stay well, be the

change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of the illustrious Countess of Clas herself, Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone.