Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Permanent Scar; Scho at the Senior Bowl - 1/29/2020

Episode Date: January 29, 2020

With the retirement of New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia now official, host Mike D’Abate looks back at his tenure in Foxboro and who might be Scar’s potential successor. He also welcomes ‘Host Emiratis’ Mark Schofield to discuss Senior Bowl 2020 and potential draft prospects for the Pats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful! After a one-day hiatus, Locked On Patriots is back! That's right folks, your daily home for news notes and analysis, infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, has returned. I'm Mike DeBate, your host of Locked On Patriots, which of course is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and while you're at it, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots Twitter account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Patriots fans, thank you for joining me today on this Wednesday episode. I'm always so honored and so humbled that you choose to make Locked On Patriots a part of your daily Patriots news coverage routine. One of the things I love most about hosting Locked on Patriots is that it gives me the chance to share my insight, my opinion, and maybe even a little educated knowledge, at least I like to think so, on the latest news surrounding our New England Patriots. I assure you, the most sincere effort is always made to bring you that content each and every day.

But when you host a daily podcast like Locked On Patriots, sometimes life has a way of getting in the way and disrupting your schedule. Yesterday's absence was definitely not a planned day off, but also one that could not be avoided. So I offer my sincere apologies for not being able to be with you yesterday. I assure you once again, all is just fine on my end. All is just fine with the show. Some minor scheduling snafus, but I am glad to be back. I hope you are as well, and thank you very much for always staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

And I think what I have planned for you today on Locked On Patriots might help to make up for the show's absence yesterday. That's right, folks. Joining me in the hot seat today is my good friend and host emeritus of Locked On Patriots, Mark Schofield. We're going to be talking to Mark a lot about his experiences at the Senior Bowl last week in Mobile, Alabama. Who were the standouts? Who might be some under-the-radar college players that teams should be keeping a sharp

eye on? And most importantly, folks, we'll be asking him who he might have his eye on for the New England Patriots and who the Patriots should have their eyes on. So sit tight, folks. I know you enjoy listening to Mark as much as I love having him here as a guest. In the spirit of Mark's favorite band, Toto, I continue to bless the reins each and every day. He set an big news out of Foxborough. As I'm sure you've all heard, Patriots offensive line coach and a legend in this area, folks, Dante Skarnecchia will be calling it a career at the age of 71. Skarnecchia yesterday confirmed that he will indeed be retiring. Now, news of Skarnecchia's retirement was first broke by former Patriots

tight end Christian Fourier. For those of you who may not be in the Boston area and don't know, Christian compiles one-third of the hosting trio of WEI's Ordway, Merloni, and Fourier. That's WEI's afternoon show with Glenn Ordway and former Boston Red Sox infielder and fellow Providence College friar Lou Merloni. Fourier's announcement hit social media pretty quickly, and it spread pretty quickly. ESPN's Mike Reese was able to speak directly with Dante, and he confirmed the news just moments later. And Skarniecki's departure, folks, is going to be a significant one. Dante has been a fixture in Foxborough for the past 30-plus years. His career with the Pats spans all the way back to when offensive lineman John Hanna was playing for the team. But what many

of you may not know is that Skarniecki's career dates back to even before that. He coached at his alma mater, California Western, and he also made stops at Iowa State, Pacific, Northern Arizona, and Southern Methodist. In 1982, he joined the staff of coach Ron Meyer with your New England Patriots. He would actually follow Meyer to Indianapolis and spent two years as the offensive line coach for the Colts. He returned to New England under Dick McPherson in 1991, and during his long and distinguished tenure in New England, he would go on to hold the title of Special Teams Coach, Tight Ends Coach, Special Assistant, and Defensive Assistant. His tenure as the man in charge of the offensive line began in 1999, the year before Bill Belichick came on board in New England.

He remained in that capacity, briefly retired after the 2013 season, came back in 2016. He's a five-time Super Bowl champion and calls it a career at the age of 71, about to turn 72 next month. And as I said earlier, Dante is a legend in Foxborough. That's not an exaggeration. It's the truth. He's widely considered one of the best assistant coaches, not just in New England history, but also in NFL history. He is the recipient of the PFWA's Dr. Z Award, recognizing lifetime achievement as an NFL assistant coach during his tenure. Tuesday evening, the Patriots put out a statement in which team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick glowingly praised Dante's accomplishments on the football field,

also heralded him as one of the most decent, hardworking, and genuine human beings they've ever been around. During my time in covering the Patriots, I've had the opportunity to meet Dante on a couple of occasions, and his candid and honest approach was always something that endeared him to the media, but most importantly, it endeared him to the people that played for him. So many of his current and former offensive linemen have gone out of their way to praise Dante, and that praise is so well deserved. But not just because of the tactical prowess that he brings to coaching an offensive line, his ability to mentor and maximize the talent of his players is unmatched. And to me, folks, that's where the Patriots are

going to miss him most. It creates a big void. As a coach, Dante is always going to be remembered as one of the guys. When I think of Dante Skarnecchia, I'm always going to remember the guy that was doing laps along with his offensive linemen, running up the hill at the practice fields near Gillette Stadium. A lot of times, Dante wasn't only keeping pace, but he was beating guys that were a fraction of his age. He's a true gentleman, a phenomenal coach, and I wish him the sincerest congratulations on his retirement. If there's anything this past week has taught us, folks, it's that we are never guaranteed tomorrow. In wake of Sunday's helicopter crash in Los Angeles that killed nine young and vibrant people, I spoke about never missing an opportunity to tell the people that you love how much they mean to you. A big part of that

is being able to spend time with those that you love. In that vein, I wish Dante Skarnecchia much longevity and enjoyment in his retirement. He certainly earned it, and he definitely deserves it. As for who might attempt to fill Dante's shoes, it's a daunting task, folks. However, the Patriots do have a couple of in-house candidates that would be good fits. And the name that's currently at the top of the list belongs to Carmen Brichillo. Brichillo is the current Patriots assistant offensive line coach, and he's been with the Pats now for the past two seasons. But he does have a good amount of experience being the head man when it comes to an offensive line. He spent nine seasons at Youngstown State as their offensive line coach, so he's a name to

watch, folks. And as my good friend Tonya Rae Fox pointed out yesterday on Twitter, he's another paisan. I like it. Mi piace. But seriously, folks, it's not just because he's Italian. He's a good coach, and I think he'd be a good fit. Another potential very good fit for this job would be Cole Popovich. Cole has been a Patriots assistant coach for the past four years now. He spent a good amount of time assisting Dante with the offensive line and this past season coached the running backs. One thing that seems to be the consensus out of Foxborough is that the Patriots don't seem to be looking elsewhere, meaning outside the organization.

They want to promote this from in-house. So my best educated guess is that within the next coming weeks, you'll see either Brichillo or Popovich promoted to offensive line coach. And at the end of the day, folks, don't worry. By all accounts, Dante Skarnecchia is remaining in the area. So that quote-unquote scar, wisdom, and counsel will never be far away. Brichillo and Popovich both have worked with Dante for the past couple of seasons. I don't think he'd refuse to take their phone calls

if either one of them called him for a little advice. Because, folks, after all, and I'm so glad I get to say this, if either Brichillo or Popovich ever need any help, who's a better consigliere than Dante Skarnecchia? So now that we've got a good Godfather reference already logged within the show, it's time to welcome in Don Mark Schofield. And as I said before,

we'll be talking a lot of senior bowl, but we'll also get Mark's thoughts on Dante Skarnecchia and what this means for the Patriots going forward. But first, folks, if you're like me and you enjoy football and you have a heartbeat, then you know what's coming. It's that time of year. It's the most wonderful time of the year if you're a football fan. Plan a party.

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I was a pretty big fan of pro wrestling back in my youth. And if you didn't know that, please, folks, I ask you not to deter you from listening. the wrestling was really popular back in my day so try to understand that and it still is today but regardless one of my favorites was brett the hitman heart and brett's signature line was that he was the best there is the best there was and the best there ever will be and i can't help but apply that line to my guest today. For one reason, folks, it's true. He is an amazing writer and analyst for platforms such as Inside the Pylon,

Big Blue View, Bleeding Green Nation, Pat's Pulpit, just to name a few. His podcast, The Skow Show, is an amazing listen. I'm a fan. I've told you I highly recommend it. That's right, folks. Today, we bless the reins and welcome back my predecessor, my mentor, my good friend, Mark Schofield. Mark, thank you very much for joining me today. Welcome back, buddy. Mike, you're comparing me to Brett the Hitman Hart to start off a morning. It doesn't get better than that. And I'm just honored that you would have that sort of call from me. But it's great to be back with you.

A little behind the scenes. Mike and I have been trying to record this show for a couple of days now. We've had stuff come up on both of our ends. But we're happy to be here. We wish we weren't going to have to talk about what I think we're going to open the show with. But always great to be with you, my friend. Absolutely. And there's no question about it. And, yes, there has been a lot of schedule flexibility on both ends.

Mark is a true pro. He's always been so supportive of me, continues to be. And, you know, this past week has definitely been no question. So, Mark, we will get into the news of the day. And that is something that I know that the two of us were probably not expecting to talk about when we scheduled your appearance last week. But here we are. And that is that Dante Skarniecki confirming that he is indeed retiring. And Mark, we've both had the honor of covering Dante here in New England. 34 plus years of greatness in terms of his New England Patriots career. I opened my show today by talking about his legacy and his impact on the organization.

What are some of your lasting memories of Dante Skarniecki? And really, Mark, how tough is it going to be for the Patriots to fill these shoes? It's going to be, I'd say, extremely difficult to fill those shoes. And, you know, it's funny, perhaps my last memory of Dante Skarnecchia was actually one that was made over the past week down in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. Because when I was down in Mobile, my good friend Trevor Sykema, who covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for shall rename nameless who is let go by the Patriots or traded by the Patriots to a team which shall also rename nameless and they brought this player in for sort of a meeting and get to know you kind of thing talk about his past and things like that and talk about schemes and playbooks and things like that and at the end end of the meeting, they said, look, this is all great.

But whatever we tell you to do, whatever is in our playbook, any of that stuff, ignore it. Just do what Dante told you to do. Do what Skarnecchia told you to do. This is an NFL team. An NFL coaching staff basically said, ignore us. Trust what Dante taught you. I think that more than anything else speaks to the kind of coach he was.

And when you see people like Damian Woody talk about, he had an Instagram post about the impact that Dante Skarnecchi had on his life and his career. When you read Ronald Callahan, his book, you see the lessons that Skarnecchi imparted on him. And the fact that Skarnecchi is one of the reasons he's still alive. He's a tremendous coach and also a tremendous man. And I think he's certainly going to be missed by this organization. I think in terms of replacing him, they have some in-house people that I know they're going to look at. But you saw the impact on him the first time he retired. That next year, Brian Stork, their young center, had trouble sort of telegraphing or tipping the snap at times when they went silent count.

And that certainly played a role in their loss at Kansas City one year. And later, when they lost in Denver in the AFC Championship game, Skarnecchia comes back. The offensive line is solidified. And the offensive line was an issue at times for this team. And so it's going to be a loss. But at the same time, a tremendous, tremendous coach who's had a wonderful career. You can see that in the statements released both by Bill Belichick, who for Belichick was quite flowing with his praise and obviously the statement from Robert

Kraft. And so he will be missed a tremendous career. And certainly I think something will the Hall of Fame. Absolutely. And I could not agree with you more, especially in terms of the impact he had on so many people, whether it be in this organization or whether it be outside the organization in the NFL. Scar is one of those coaches that is consistently praised for his work ethic, for his determination, for his ability to know the balance between being a mentor to a player and being a coach to a player. Because those of us that have played, you know,

any type of sport at any level know that there is a difference. There are coaches. And then there were coaches that take that mentor mentality to another level. And scar absolutely did that. You mentioned Damian Woody and the praise that he heaped on him. I look back and I think of Randy Moss thanking Dante Skarniecki in his hall of fame speech.

I mean, this is a wide receiver that was not an offensive lineman, but took the time to mention him by name and really was emotional when he mentioned Dante's name. It was something that you could tell the type of impact that he had on a Hall of Famer and a real superstar in terms of the NFL like Randy Moss. From a logistical standpoint, it is going to be big shoes to fill. You mentioned how Scar was able to provide stability to an offensive line that desperately needed it when he was gone and how he's been able to really keep this offensive line intact, especially in 2019 where there were so many injuries and so many moving parts on that line

the fact that they were able to hold it together was really remarkable so logistically it will be tough shoes to fill but on a personal level i think you and i both congratulate him and are so glad that he's going to be able to enjoy his retirement and hopefully he'll be able to enjoy that for a number of years mark it's no's no secret. This week has definitely taught us, if nothing else, it's taught us one thing, that life is very fragile. In the blink of an eye, things can change and things can be gone. You never miss the opportunity to be able to tell those that you love how much they mean to you and be able to spend the time with them while you still can. So congrats to Dante on a great career. Thank you for that insight, especially when it came to the Senior Bowl.

That stuff you'll only hear, you know, on here on Locked on Patriots and listening to a great guy like Mark Schofield. That's great insight. And I thank you for sharing that story. But you mentioned Mobile, my friend, and there is probably a more selfish reason on my part to bring you on today. And that is Mark was boots on the ground in Mobile, Alabama last week for for the senior bowl a lot of great stories coming out of that my friend and the last time you and i were here we talked about tom brady and the chances of him leaving new england

i still believe he stays in new england but if he doesn't the pats could look to the draft for help at the signal caller position and again folks mark is the quarterback whisperer as i like to call him and he sees things that the average human being doesn't especially in quarterbacks so we hear the names of justin herbert obviously had a big week last week jalen hurts had a good week last week but is there a situation where you look at someone that stood out to you in terms of names maybe we haven't heard or who might be a possible fit in New England could the Patriots target a quarterback this time around and if so is it someone that you saw last week in Mobile well unfortunately or perhaps fortunately

depending on your point of view right Justin Herbert and Jordan Love were the top two quarterbacks down there and they had themselves very good weeks I think Justin Herbert came Jordan Love were the top two quarterbacks down there, and they had themselves very good weeks. I think Justin Herbert came in and people wanted to see if he could sort of run that NFL-type offense. One of the difficulties in his scouting evaluation this time around is going to be sort of digging through his film at Oregon, which asked him to do a lot of screens and bubble screens and tunnel screens and stuff towards the sidelines.

Not a lot of NFL-type reads and throws. You have to really dig into his tape to find them. He was doing that for Cincinnati under Zach Taylor, who they were down there coaching Justin Herbert's team down in Mobile. And so he had a very good week. And I would be stunned at this point if he gets past the Chargers at six. That's the kind of week he had. As a matter of fact, coming out of Mobile, there were some people,

murmurs, people here and there, but the fact that people are even talking about it makes it apparent the week he had about Cincinnati drafted him at one. And so Justin Herbert, probably not going to be there at 23 for the New England Patriots. And then Jordan Love, I think, did enough, doubted Mobile, particularly Wednesday and Thursday, where he had two really good days of practice, to make people think that he's also a first-round talent.

We see quarterbacks get pushed up boards. I know there have been some mocks that have Jordan Love coming off the board at 23 to the New England Patriots. I don't think he gets past Tampa Bay at 14. I think if you look at the way this draft sets up, you look at that stretch. Vegas at 12, India at 13, Tampa Bay at 14. Those are teams that might want to address the quarterback position. Especially, look, Las Vegas at 12, you could draft Jordan Love and sit him because you still have Carr. And so I'd be stunned if Jordan Love gets out of that top 15 range,

which means if New England wants one of these guys, they might have to trade up to get him. And I don't think that's the path they'll go down. Now, maybe it is a situation where Brady does leave and you feel it's more of an urgent need and you have some of the draft capital where you can move up into that, you know, teens type of range to get a quarterback. Maybe it is Jordan Love. But in all likelihood, they're probably going to have to look at addressing quarterback provided brady stays and things don't get too crazy sometime on day two and you know you've got the pick at 87 that third rounder you've got some other picks where you can sort of move up we expect them to get some comp picks as well in the third round

guys in that range jake from if he falls the kid kid from Georgia, obviously he's an underclassman, so he wasn't at the senior bowl, but I think he's somebody that would fit into New England's offense. He's, you know, I've heard him compared to Cody Kessler plus. I sort of describe him as Cody Kessler plus with a little bit of flash and pizzazz to him. It was Dane Brugler over at the athletic that also did the Cody Kessler comp. I think he might make sense for what New England does schematically. I think Anthony Gordon, sense for what New England does schematically. I think Anthony Gordon, who was down in Mobile from Washington State, he's a Mike Leach air raid quarterback, and so there's going to be some development that needs to be done,

some footwork things that need to be worked out, but he's interesting. And, Mike, you mentioned Jalen Hurts, and I think he had a very solid week. I think he throws a tremendous deep ball. I think he'd be an asset in a vertical pass and offense. The areas of his game that need some development the most are timing, rhythm, getting the ball out quickly, process and speed and mechanics. And do those sound like areas that the New England Patriots sort of stress at the quarterback position, given what we've seen? Because I kind of think they do. And so while he certainly is an NFL quarterback, I'm not sure Jalen Hurts is the best fit.

And so, you know, that's kind of a quick snapshot of the quarterback position. A lot will unfold over the next couple of weeks. Obviously, we look to free agency. There are people saying that maybe Rivers goes to Tampa Bay or maybe Rivers goes to Indianapolis. That seems like it might be the first domino to fall. And then we wonder about some other pieces around the league, of course, including number 12 himself. And so things might shake out, you know, if some of these teams like the Chargers and

Indianapolis or Tampa Bay address it in free agency, that you might see a situation where a quarterback could fall to 23. But right now, before free agency, hard to see both Herbert and Love falling out of the top 15 or so. Yeah, and I think that's excellent analysis and it leads me quite nicely into my next question and that the patriots a lot of people expect them to address quarterback but another need that they have on the offensive side of the ball is a sure-handed receiver or a tight end and reports out of mobile last week uh indicate that the

patriots were quite enamored with a certain shorthanded wide receiver by the name of James Proch. And obviously, SMU product with Proch. He's a guy that definitely has a great deal of shorthandedness. He's only had a handful of drops in his career. Really only had a handful in 2019, less than 10 in his entire collegiate career. The Patriots do love these type of receivers. Is this someone that could be a hand-in-glove fit in New England, or are the Patriots more likely to target a tight end

in the draft this year, seeing the fact that they shied away from doing so in last year's draft when there were a number of great prospects on the board. Yeah, all great questions in all areas of need, I think, for the New England Patriots. You know, Proch is interested in that he's a red zone weapon for SMU. He had 32 red zone targets last season, which was the most in FBS. You know, he is a slot type receiver. He can play some Z. He's got some sort of Edelman type usage to him. He measured in at 5'10", so he's a little bit of a smaller guy. But those red zone targets speak to his ability to at least get free and wiggle free a little bit down in the red zone. Struggles at times with releases off the line.

Struggles at times when he saw press coverage down at Mobile, but still had a very solid week. I'm sure he's on New England's radar. But I do think they have to address tight end. I think fixing a lot of their offensive woes begin with getting James Devlin back healthy, getting the tight end that they can rely on, you know, not just here and there University of Dayton. First of all, that kid's a fantastic interview. And I think Belichick will love him when he gets a chance to meet him if he hasn't already. Electrical engineering major, really intelligent kid. He was an option quarterback in high school, was 175 his junior year in high school. And so because he was smaller, teams passed him by. He bulked up for his senior year in high school, got himself a scholarship offer to Dayton where he went, moved to tight end.

And he's just been fantastic, set some F he went, moved to tight end. And he's just been fantastic, set some FCS records as a receiving tight end. But he told us down at the media day on Tuesday that his favorite thing in the world to do is put somebody on their back against their will in the running game. And he wanted to prove to people that he could remove what he called the asterisk next to his name because he was a small school kid, because he was not a highly regarded recruit. He felt he had that asterisk next to his name, because he was not a highly regarded recruit. He felt he had that asterisk next to his name that he had to prove people wrong. And he did that.

He was impressive the entire week. And so I really liked him. Another tight end that I like is a really interesting story. Steven Sullivan, the LSU kid, he came to LSU as a wide receiver, but they were so deep at the wide receiver position with Chase and some other guys that they'd moved him to tight end where, of course, you have Thaddeus Moss out of Randy. And so he struggled to get on the field. People might think, well, if he's got a tight end, you can play two tight ends, but then you're taking one of those great receivers off the field.

And they were primarily an 11-person LSU team, and so he didn't see a ton of opportunities. But when you got him down to Mobile, you saw him do some stuff as a blocker. You saw him as a potential mismatch type tight end where he can run away from safeties and linebackers, but he's got the size where he can dominate if you flex him out and you leave a quarterback on him, he can use his size against them. And so I don't want to say it's flashes of Gronk and how the Patriots used him, but he has that potential to be a mismatch type player. And we know Josh McDaniels and company on the offensive side of the ball and the coaching staff, they love to identify and then exploit mismatches on the offensive side of the

ball against defensive players. And Sullivan, I think is a player they can do that with. And so those are some guys that stood out at tight end spot. I'll circle back to wide receiver mentioned one more name. That's Chase Claypool from Notre Dame. We know belichick and company love guys that can contribute in multiple phases that can contribute on special teams he had a very good week as a receiver but if you watch his film at notre dame and you saw

how he was used this week down a mobile he's a special teams guy too and so if you start wondering about well matthew slater getting near the end of his career, you know, maybe they're looking for a potential future gunner as well as a wide receiver. Chase Claypool might fit that mold as well. And so those four guys, I think, are certainly on New England's radar as well as a host of other players that were down in Mobile. But those four guys stood out. I'm so glad that you mentioned Claypool because that's a name that I've been seeing pop up a lot in terms of analysis. I've been seeing a lot around the board, and not a whole lot of it connected to the Patriots, believe it or not.

I've seen them connected to a lot of different teams, but it's a name that definitely is an eye-catcher, and his special teams prowess is something that I think could be so valuable in New England. So, Mark, great insight. I mean, I can't thank you enough for bringing that because it helps us see things know, see things that, like I said, other people just don't see. And I want to switch gears here for just a moment and

talk about the defensive side of the ball, because obviously the Patriots have needs on that end as well. And I think they might look to this draft as a possibility for being able to upgrade maybe at the defensive end position, which is an area that I think they could use maybe a little bit of life injected, not necessarily more productivity. I think they have some pretty good defensive ends on this team, but I think they might be looking to do that. And one name that's been bandied about that had a pretty decent week last week was Jason Strobridge, a defensive end out of North Carolina. He's been compared a lot to Dietrich Wise. I think NFL.com compared him to Dietrich Wise last week, and I can see a little bit of the comparisons. Believe it or not, the

first profile that I ever did covering the New England Patriots was a profile on Dietrich Wise right after he was drafted. So I know the player quite well, and I have an affinity for Dietrich. And looking at a lot of the comparisons, I did see a little bit there. He's tough. He's physical. And he does possess a lot of the qualities that Bill Belichick seems to like in this. Also, the connection with Matt Patricia, working with him last week. Have you watched or studied a little bit on Strobridge at all?

And if so, is he a potential fit for the Patriots? Or are there other needs or other better ways to spend a draft pick on the defensive side of the ball? If you're the New England Patriots this time around? No, I think, you know, they have some questions about guys up front in terms of free agencies and things like that that might sort of help shake out their approach up front. But I do think they need to inject some talent to the defensive front. I think Strawbridge would be a player that could certainly fit into that kind of role. You see him on film. You see him, you know, down when he was in mobile, you saw some versatility to him. He was able to get some reps at the one technique on the inside, the three technique, even the five technique measured at a 267, but he has a combination of quickness and power that

enables him to win at all levels, you know, at all technique levels on the, on the defensive line. He had a very fantastic week. And I think that, you know, at all technique levels on the, on the defensive line in a very fantastic week. And I think that, you know, he's somebody that I think depended on how things shake out. He's somebody that should certainly be on their radar. I'd also mentioned Marlon Davidson from Auburn. He's somebody that came in at a pretty good size.

You know, he measured in people, people that have talked to him. He was telling people down in the media on media day that teams have asked him to be sort of an interior, you know, one gap penetrator. And he showed the ability to do that. And if that's a, you know, a role that they're looking to fill, Davidson would be a player that they should also have on their board. He did have a lower leg injury, so he didn't get to experience the entire senior day weeks and your bull week, but he had a very strong start to his week down at Mobile. Excellent insight. Absolutely excellent insight. And last but not least, my

friend, that wisdom, that counsel, that patented SCO insight is how we'll finish up today. And I open the floor to you. I've said over and over again in this podcast that Mark sees things that the average man just does not see. So in that light, who have we not mentioned yet today that caught your eye in Mobile and should catch the attention of the Patriots and their fans as we head toward the draft in April, my friend? Yeah, I mean, there are a number of names, Mike. I'll mention two or three names total, two different positions. And I know that Patriots fans probably believe that we have the left tackle of the future and Isaiah Wynn. And, you know,

we have a right tackle on Marcus Cannon, but there was a player down in Mobile, Ben Bartsch, division three kid from St. John's, Minnesota. Fascinating story. He was a highly sought after basketball recruit. You know, he was a tight end in high school as well. He gained 70 pounds while he was a freshman at this division three school. He was drinking this concoction of, You know, he was a tight end in high school as well. He gained 70 pounds while he was a freshman at this division three school. He was drinking this concoction of, you know, eggs and God knows what else to put on weight because he was behind some good tight ends and he wanted to see the field and they thought he could kick inside and play tackle. People didn't know much about him. He was a psychology major. His uncle is a well-regarded psychologist in the Minneapolis area.

He had a tremendous story about having a semester abroad down in South Africa. But people were very curious to see, similar to Troutman, if he could sort of hold up against higher-level competition. And Mike, I kid you not, he might have been the best tackle down there. He was just dominant at times. You know, in past Russian one-on-one reps, sometimes it's hard to really gauge who won because a lot of times the defenders, they have a two-way go. That's not a real world

situation. If you're slotted one way and a guy cuts it back against the grain, you know that you've got help coming. So it doesn't really matter. You can let him go, but then you look like you get beat in a drill like this when that happens. He was dominant. You know, and even when guys tried to get inside of him, he was able to ride and carry them away from the quote-unquote quarterback. I thought he had a fantastic week. I do think he was one of the best tackles down there. And if somehow the Patriots are curious about a guy that could show some versatility, he took some reps on the inside of the right tackle spot as well. He'd be interesting. I'll switch to the safety position. We all know

that Bill Belichick craves versatility, particularly at the defensive side of the ball. Two or three guys I'll mention, Jeremy Chin from Southern Illinois, Kyle Dugard, the small school kid, Division II kid from Leno Rai, and Antoine Brooks Jr. from Maryland. All three of those safeties show the ability to play down in the box, play that high free safety role, which gives you some cover to half field safety stuff as well. And Jeremy Chin. Now, Mike, the senior bowl weigh in is awkward as all get up. OK, because they're on a stage. There's bleachers set up in this big, huge convention center. They walk out from a behind the behind a curtain in their underwear. They get measured for their height,

and they walk over to the other side of the stage where they get weighed in, and they put their stats on this big screen above everybody, and they call out their height and weight. And it's a little awkward. But there are moments when you hear NFL members, people in the media just sort of gasp at what some of these guys look like,

because these are, in a sense, superhumans we're looking at. And when Jeremy Chin, the safety from Southern Illinois, came on the stage, it was in one of those audible gasp moments. I'll quote from my friend Brian Perez, who covers the Chicago Bears for NBC Sports Chicago, who said he was the most rocked-up defensive player down there. He looked like almost a male model. But he can play the

safety position extremely well. He's athletic. He's tough in the box. He's tough against the run. He can play the deep safety spot. So he was a kid like all these three safeties that really stood out to me. Absolutely. And great, great insight as always, Mark, you always bring the information, keep an eye on those names, folks, definitely, because when I tell you that he has the insight to be able to see things that other people don't, that's not an exaggeration. That's absolutely the truth. Mark is as good as it comes when it comes to a draft analysis, especially at the Senior Bowl. Mark, appreciate your wisdom, your counsel, your firsthand insight. Having boots on the ground is so important in this situation and one of the big reasons why i was honored to welcome him in today i started off by welcoming him in comparing

him to brett the hitman hart i truly believe this man on the other end of the microphone is the best there is the best there was and the best there ever will be and i don't just mean that in terms of analysis folks i mean that in terms of a guy in this business you won't find anybody finer i always bless the reins in your honor. Today is no different. Thanks so much for coming on today, my friend. My honor as always. Michael, as always, I can't thank you enough for the kind words.

Keep crushing it here at Locked on Patriots. You're doing such great work. Couldn't be happier for you. Couldn't be prouder of the work that you're doing. You're just taking the show places I never could have even imagined. So just keep it up, man. You're doing such great work. Well, far too kind, I assure you.

A lot of people say, oh, well, you leave big shoes to fill or you leave a big shadow to fill. But I like to think you left such an amazing platform for me to be able to utilize. I can't thank you enough for that. That's a big, you know, mode of thanks and my part to you and i always do i always try to take this uh microphone every single day in your honor and hope i continue to do it justice so once again thank you have a great week uh enjoy the super bowl this weekend and uh we'll definitely be talking soon again probably sometime before

the draft in april thank you so much. Thank you, Mike. Patriots fans, I hope that you enjoyed today's episode with special guest Mark Schofield. We here at Locked On are proud to say that this episode has been sponsored by Blue Chew. Guys, now you can increase your performance and get that extra confidence. Listen up. BlueChew.com.

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Again, that's B-L-U-E-Chew.com, promo code LOCKEDON to try it for free. Blue Chew is the better, cheaper, faster choice, and we thank them for sponsoring the podcast. And as for me, I will be back tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough. 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. I thank Mark Schofield for his time, insight, and appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and remaining locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Have a great day, everyone.