Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Pop Rocks: DeMario Douglas Dominates Scrimmage | Mike Vrabel Backs Kyle Williams

Starting point is 00:00:00 Pop Douglas dominated a padded scrimmage on Friday and continues to raise his stock for 2026. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening? Happy Friday to all of you. On today's show, the latest on some critical pieces who have been recently out of practice. In the second segment, it doesn't sound like Kyle Williams is going anywhere anytime soon. But first, another young wide receiver stole the show during Friday's practice.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Today's episode is brought to by Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account. Use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. The Patriots held a blue versus white team scrimmage on Friday. The players were drafted by the coaching staffs of each team. Of course, the Patriots are going to have this upcoming. weekend off back to work on Monday to get ready for a joint practice against Indianapolis on Tuesday. And during this scrimmage on Friday, Pop Douglas was absolutely freaking cooking.

Starting point is 00:01:18 Taylor Kyle's of CL&S posted DeMario Douglas caught two straight passes from Tommy DeVito during a blue team red zone drive, first picked up a few yards on a quick outbreaker, then got wide open on a corner for a touchdown. Not done though. There was more from Pop. On the very next drive, Evan Lazzar posts. Pop Douglas just burned the entire secondary right through the middle of the field for a huge deep ball completion from Tommy DeVito. Perfect throw, too. Really nice play. Douglas is having a great training camp.

Starting point is 00:01:51 Andrew Callahan summed up Pop Douglas's day. Six catches, two touchdowns, player of the day. I know some of you are sitting there right now saying, Nick, Pop Douglas always has a great. camp. How many times have we heard beat reporters say Pop Douglas is crushing this practice? Pop Douglas is crushing that practice. I do think there are a number of tangible differences this year versus those prior years. Number one, a lot of the success from Pop Douglas in prior training camps happened very early and happened without pads. And of course, wide receivers usually have the advantage without the pads. Somebody, somebody's.

Starting point is 00:02:33 who is quick like Pop Douglas has the advantage without the pads on. But we're talking about with pads. We're not talking about seven-on-sevins. We're not talking about these guys wearing shells. This is a legitimate scrimmage with pads on, and Pop Douglas is out there dominating the practice. I also think looking at Pop Douglas, what we have to appreciate is that this is his second year

Starting point is 00:03:00 in the same offense, same scheme, same offensive coordinator to work with, same wide receivers coach to work with. We always talk about Drake May and the impact of Drake May being in this offense for a second straight season. But that also matters to everybody else. And it matters to DeMario Douglas. Pop Douglas was drafted in 2023. His first OC was Bill O'Brien. Then in 2024, it was Alex Van Pelt. And then, of course, these last two camps, it's been Josh McDaniels. But DeMario Douglas, he's had to deal with a bunch of different position coaches.

Starting point is 00:03:38 He's had to deal with, you know, three different offensive coordinators. So this allows Douglas to be more comfortable. And he has talked about it during this camp. He's talked about how he's much more comfortable with these option routes that wide receivers have to run within the Josh McDaniels offense. He understands. He understands these option routes. understands his job. And last year, I don't think consistently he understood his responsibilities within this offense. So that's a major change. You can also look at Drake May to Pop Douglas in that

Starting point is 00:04:18 chemistry. It's getting better. There was a lot of new going on last year. And much like early in camp with Kishan Booty, Drake May does have a familiar feel with what Poppery. And I'm Pop Douglas wants to do. We haven't always seen these guys on the same page, and I think sometimes that has to do with Pop's size, but it does feel like the quarterback to receiver connection is much better off between May and Douglas than it's been since last year, and you can, again, you go back.

Starting point is 00:04:53 You can go back to 2024 in that camp. They understand each other. They're more comfortable with each other. Another major difference to me when we talk about DeMario Douglas and what he's doing during this training camp is what led into this training camp. Pop has always been, oh, he had a good practice. But it wasn't like the team themselves were pumping his tires. It wasn't like Mike Vrable was coming out or Gerard Mayo or any of the OCs coming out saying, man, look at Pop Douglas. We've talked about it.

Starting point is 00:05:28 Leading into this training camp, there was a different vibe. There was a different feel coming from the head coach and the quarterback regarding this specific wide receiver. Mike Vrable multiple times pumping the tires. Drake May multiple times pumping the tires just, you know, earlier in the week with Sirius XM. Going out there and talking about Pop Douglas being used a lot in 11 personnel, looking for big things from Pop Douglas. So we had all of the talk and talk is only talk unless you walk the walk. And right now Pop Douglas, Mike Vrable and Drake May, they're all walking the walk.

Starting point is 00:06:05 They talked about Pop Douglas being a bigger part of this offense. And in training camp, that's exactly what has happened to this point. He's been a bigger part of this offense and he has been more productive than he's ever been at these camps, especially 11 on 11s with the pads on. So following through with what they said leading into this camp. And Pop Douglas, he has a different skill set. You know, he's got that speed out of the slot. Now, maybe you can move Kyle Williams inside at some point, but we know the vast majority

Starting point is 00:06:37 of the time last year, Kyle Williams was on the boundary. And if you're looking at slot options, you're looking at A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs and Mack Hollins, those guys, even Efton Chisholm, they don't have the speed that Douglas has out of that slot position. So Pop Douglas has had quite a camp to start. And on Tuesday against the Indianapolis Colts and that joint practice, it's going to be very fascinating to see what Douglas does against those indie corners, how this offense looks.

Starting point is 00:07:13 Some other practice notes from this scrimmage. Drake May was 10 for 19 with two touchdowns. He led another two-minute drill score, Andrew Callahan, gave us the play-by-play to that two-minute drill. It started with an incomplete screen. It was a throwaway. Then Drake May hit Eli Raarden on an out route. Then he hit Eli Raarden again with a checkdown.

Starting point is 00:07:36 Then Drake May went to Romeo Dobbs with an out route. Then Drake May hit Kyle Williams on a skinny post. And it led to a 50-ish-yard field goal by Andy Boragallis. So Drake May, not a terrible practice, not a great practice. Played better as the practice went on. Of course, he was playing with a bunch of different pieces in this scrimmage. And I remember last year's scrimmage where Drake May also had to kind of get used to the guys who were out there and throwing to them consistently. But he got better as the practice went on and finished with a strong two-minute drill.

Starting point is 00:08:12 Tommy DeVito was fantastic on Friday. 13 of 16 with two touchdowns. Eli Rairden continues to make some plays when given opportunities. Eli Rairden finished with three catches from Drake May, including. according to Evan Lazzar, an explosive play down the scene, off play action. And man, oh man, when I read that, I started to do a little bit of a jig on this Friday. Because how many times have I talked about Eli Rairdon and why his game will fit Drake May and why his game will fit within this offense?

Starting point is 00:08:45 Because he's the type of guy that can get you explosive plays down the scene, off play action. And that's precisely what happened on Friday. play action, down the seam, chunk play. And I think we will see that from Eli Rairdon on occasion, at least on occasion, during this rookie season of 2026. Speaking of rookies, Gabe Accus had a sack during the scrimmage on Friday. He continues to flash. As he prepares to get out there on Tuesday against Indy, it's going to be compelling,

Starting point is 00:09:18 compelling to see how much Gabe Accus plays on Tuesday against the Colts in that joint practice. Mike Vrable publicly doubles down on Kyle Williams. It's coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. Life gets busy and figuring out what's for dinner every night can quickly become another thing on the to-do list. Home Chef takes the stress out of meal time by delivering. delivering fresh ingredients and easy to follow recipes right to your door.

Starting point is 00:09:57 Whether you're looking to eat healthier, save money on takeout, whatever. Home Chef makes cooking at home simple, convenient, and enjoyable. And people, they really love it. Home Chef is rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste, and recipe ease. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off in free shipping for your first box plus free dessert for life. go to homechef.com slash locked on NFL.

Starting point is 00:10:25 Again, that's homechef.com slash lockdown NFL for 50% off your first box in free dessert for life. Get rid of the stress. Homechef.com slash locked on NFL must be an active subscriber to receive the free dessert. There are more live events than ever worth seeing right now. Games, concerts, comedy shows, festivals. The hard part usually isn't deciding what you. you want to attend. It's actually getting the tickets between long wait times and confusing checkout processes and surprise fees. Buying tickets can sometimes feel harder than it should.

Starting point is 00:11:02 That's why so many fans are turning to game time. The app is built to make buying tickets simple with upfront pricing, seat views before you buy, and even more. I mean, honestly, I want to know exactly what my view will look like and exactly what I'm paying. Game time helps me know those two things ahead of time. I can buy tickets with a lot more confidence. Take the guess. work out of buying tickets to every type of event with Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use code Lockdown for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

Starting point is 00:11:32 Again, create an account and redeem this code, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the Game At Time app right now. Thank you for making us your first listen for being an everydayer. Quick note, we are unfortunately discontinuing ad-free pods here at Lockdown Patriots. can't thank those enough who had subscribed to those ad-free podcasts, but all subscribers to the ad-free shows, you should have received a notification and a refund as of now. Make sure, though, you subscribe to the regular feed to get our daily content. I'm not going anywhere.

Starting point is 00:12:09 I am super excited about this season, and I, of course, I'm still all aboard here on lockdown of Patriots. You know, the mailbag this week, earlier this week, there was a question of whether or not the Patriots would take seven receivers into the regular season. when they break camp. I have my doubts. I think it's very difficult to take seven receivers into a season. It did not happen last year in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:12:35 Now, Mike Vrable was asked earlier today by the media whether or not he could see the team taking seven receivers into the season. And he said, quote unquote, sure. It's not like he was screaming from the mountaintops. But if it is going to be six wide receivers, and there are no injuries and or, trades. I've said this for the past couple of weeks. I think Efton Chisholm will end up being the odd man out. Again, if there are no injuries, no trade to speak of, I think Efton Chisholm is the one right now

Starting point is 00:13:07 looking from the outside. And I am even more confident in that now that Kyle Williams would be taken ahead of Efton Chisholm into the regular season if there were no injuries and or no trades. And the reason why I'm even more confident now is because Mike Vrable, stood up in front of the media today, and he absolutely unequivocally doubled down on Kyle Williams being a part of this football team and the difference that the young receiver can make. Here's what Mike Frable said, quote, I really, really know that Kyle is going to help us. His speed is going to help us. We're going to find ways to get him the ball.

Starting point is 00:13:48 And it may be outside of just a normal installation place, but that's my responsibility. That's Josh's responsibility. That's Todd's responsibility is to put him in those positions where we see the speed that showed up last year. So I know, again, Mike Frable says, I know that he, talking about Kyle Williams, is going to be a large part of what we're going to do. And those opportunities will continue to come. And Mike Frable went on talking about Kyle Williams' skill set, his release skills, his release skills, his speed, his vertical speed, you know, those are all things that we have to continue to take advantage of as we progress. And it's a great room.

Starting point is 00:14:32 It's a good competitive room. And by competing and getting out there every single day, those will by nature increase his opportunities, unquote. Judging by what Mike Vrable said to the media today, Kyle Williams is going nowhere. If we're just going by that quote, by those comments. Kyle Williams is on this football team in 2026. I don't think Mike Vrable says what he said today to the media publicly with as much unequivocal language, so to speak, as he used, unless he is going to keep Kyle Williams on this football team.

Starting point is 00:15:14 Again, when Mike Vrable says, I know, I really know that Kyle is going to help us. I know that he's going to be a large part of what we're going to. going to do. Mike Vrable could have left it up in the air. Mike Vrable could have said, look, it's a deep room. It's a competitive room. Whoever earns the spot earns the spot. He could have pumped the brakes on Kyle Williams, but he didn't. He stood up there publicly in front of all of the media in New England and doubled down on the second year receiver, which makes me wonder. Would the Patriots, if we take Mike Vrable at his word,

Starting point is 00:15:58 here, would the Patriots end up taking less for Kishon Booty to keep both Kyle Williams and Efton Chisholm? Or would Efton Chisholm be the odd man out like he, like I think he would be? I don't know. If Efton Chisholm has a good camp and Mike Vrable is sitting here telling us that Kyle Williams is going to be a quote unquote large part of what they're going to do, if that's the case, then you're investing in the future. And Kayshan Booty, it doesn't sound like he's part of the future in New England. So would the Patriots say it's the end of camp? Would they be willing to take a sixth round pick?

Starting point is 00:16:36 Would they take a seventh round pick for Kishon Booty? Just so they can keep both Kyle Williams and Efton Chisholm on the 53 man. Or would they stay with that line they've drawn reportedly of a fifth round pick and say, hey, tough luck to Efton Chisholm, we're keeping Kishon Booty, we're keeping Kyle Williams. Efton Chisholm, hopefully we can get him on the practice squad. I think that's what they would do. I still think they'll take six receivers into the regular season if there are no injuries or trades.

Starting point is 00:17:08 I think Efton Chisholm would still be the guy that is on the outside looking in. I do think the Patriots would draw that line and stay right at that line of it's either a fifth round pick or better for booty or we're holding on to him. By the way, before I continue my thoughts on what Mike Vrable had to say about Kyle Williams. Don't forget if you're watching us here on YouTube to click that thumbs up. Give us a like, helps us with the algorithm. Don't forget to throw a comment in as well. I want your thoughts. I want your thoughts on Mike Vrable's comments about Kyle Williams. I want your thoughts about Pop Douglas crushing this camp up to this point. So don't forget to

Starting point is 00:17:47 like. Don't forget to comment. Those two things help us get more eyeballs to this product. And don't forget to subscribe. We're looking at 11,000 subscribers for the next goal. hopefully by opening night, Wednesday night in Seattle against the Seahawks. You know, we've discussed where Kyle Williams differs from the other receivers. And those are the things that Mike Vrable brought up, right? The speed, the speed element from Kyle Williams. Pop Douglas and Kyle Williams are the only two receivers in that room that brings speed to the field. That's it.

Starting point is 00:18:23 Kisham Booty, not a speed guy. Romeo Dobbs, A.J. Brown, Mac Collins, none of those guys, F.ton Chisholm, none of those guys are speed guys. So let's say if something happens, God forbid to Pop Douglas in the next week or two, he has to deal with some kind of an injury. Well, if you take Pop Douglas out of the wide receiver room for any extended period of time and you don't have Kyle Williams in that room to replace him, you don't have any speed. It's gone. And this is why earlier in the week I talked about F, Chisholm being more redundant. Efton Chisholm's skill set is more redundant with the other receivers that are on this roster.

Starting point is 00:19:06 Kyle Williams is different because he has the speed. And even if it's just insurance for a Pop Douglas injury, you need somebody in that room that has that element to their game. We've talked about Kyle Williams and how he releases at the line of scrimmage. Fantastic release package. That's different than a lot of. lot of guys in that room. He can get vertical with speed and he's a bigger target than pop. So I think when you look at Kyle Williams and what he brings to the table, that's why

Starting point is 00:19:40 Mike Vrable is bullish. That's why Mike Vrable is doubling down on Kyle Williams being a quote unquote large part of this football team and what they're going to do because he knows that Kyle Williams specific skill set separates him from a lot of the other guys at that position. And the cool thing is the difference between this camp and maybe, you know, recent history is you would need Kyle Williams to truly get going. This year, you don't necessarily need Kyle Williams to be blowing up at camp. Now, do we hope that he eventually gets there? Of course. Hopefully Kyle Williams is a great joint practice against Indy next week.

Starting point is 00:20:20 Follows that up the next week against the Philadelphia Eagles and he has a great couple of joint practices against Philly. Hopefully that's what happens. but the good thing about this team, the good thing about how they've built this offense, is you are not dependent on Kyle Williams to go out there and start hitting home runs on a daily basis. One more thing. You have to think about the long term. Go back several weeks ago. We had this conversation about this roster right now, you could argue, you could debate,

Starting point is 00:20:51 that this roster is built for really a one to two year window at a lot of different positions. And when you look at receiver, keeping some of the young talent on this roster is crucial. A.J. Brown is 29. Kishon Booty and DeMario Douglas are both going into a contract year. Mack Hollins is 33. So you're talking about, you know, three or four receivers that are in that room right now within the next 18 months to two years could be out of that room.

Starting point is 00:21:26 Mack Hollins is also going into a contract year. And as a matter of fact, AJ Brown, you know, he's going to end up having some kind of big time negotiation with the Patriots to try to redo his deal at some point. So right now in the short term, you don't need Kyle Williams to blow up. However, when you look at 2027, 2028, having Kyle Williams, even if he ends up being a third or fourth receiver on this team, you need bodies.

Starting point is 00:21:55 you need guys that can catch the football. You need guys who can make some plays. And you're not going to rely on 29-year-old AJ Brown for the next three or four years. I don't think Kay Shan Booty will be here beyond 2026 if he makes it past camp. Now maybe Pop Douglas stays, but Mack Holland's very likely gone.

Starting point is 00:22:16 I mean, next year, you could be looking at AJ Brown, pop Douglas, Romeo Dobbs, and Kyle Williams. and trying to figure out those final two spots at wide receiver. So we've got to keep that in mind. Coming up, some good and not so good news on the injury front. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:22:42 Lockdown Patriots is brought to by Fandul. Baseball fans, if you think you know who's hitting a home or today, Fandul is giving you a free chance to call your shot with daily dingers. It's easy to play. Just make your free pick for who you think will hit a home run in their game. If you're right, you'll receive a profit boost. to use on your next bet for a chance at extra winnings. Best of all, you can make a free pick every day throughout the MLB season.

Starting point is 00:23:05 Daily Dingers is another fun way to stay engaged with every day's games, whether you're following your favorite team or keeping an eye on matchups across the league. Every game has someone capable of going deep, especially Boston right now. I mean, my goodness, are they hot with the bombs? Now you get the chance to make your prediction before first pitch. There are certain players where every at bat feels like something big could happen. and that's what makes Daily Dinger's fun. So are you ready to play your game today?

Starting point is 00:23:31 Join all the action at Fandul.com. Again, that's Fandul.com to play Daily Dengers and make your free pick on who's hitting a homer. Play ball and swing for the fences on Fandul, an official partner of the MLB. Thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. And don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe,

Starting point is 00:23:54 help a brother out, help a community out. We'll get to the latest on some injury updates. but first comment from AJ, they should have given Romeo Dobbs's contract to Kishon Booty. It just makes more sense to give homegrown talent with a connection with Drake May that money instead of an unknown. Well, look, I think it's way too early, AJ, to be making this proclamation. I'm going to give Romeo Dobbs some grace here,

Starting point is 00:24:20 and we'll talk about Dobbs in a minute. I'm going to give him more time than the first couple weeks because he is new to the offense. He's new to the team. I get your point. But I would answer that and say, it's pretty obvious. The Patriots did not think Keishon Booty had a very high ceiling.

Starting point is 00:24:40 They probably view Keishon Booty as a number three receiver at best. And they know the contract is coming up. And they believe that Romeo Dobbs is going to end up being a perfect number two within this offense for the quarterback. We'll see if it's, if it ends up happening or not. But, you know, early August to me is way too early to say, oh, they made a mistake. You know, they should have kept booty instead of Romeo Dobbs. Romeo Dobbs gets going here and has a really good season.

Starting point is 00:25:09 Nobody's going to be saying that by the middle of November or late November. Just it's not going to happen. All right. Yesterday's podcast, we talked about the injuries accumulating. I also said, though, at the very beginning of the episode, that there's a big caveat. There's a big disclaimer. during this part of the year, during training camp, we don't really know the nature of these injuries, the significance of these injuries. Guys end up just leaving the field, guys go absent a day, a couple of days.

Starting point is 00:25:37 So I did say at the beginning of the pod yesterday to keep that in mind. Well, Mike Vrable updated us on Friday, and there is some good news and some not so good news. Let's start with the good news. Romeo Dobbs, he missed back-to-back practices. That was not an injury situation. So we can take a deep breath and relax a little bit. According to Mike Frable, Romeo Dobbs missed the prior to practices to today's scrimmage

Starting point is 00:26:06 because of a positive personal situation. So usually when that language is used, it usually means the birth of a child. I don't know. But Romeo Dobbs was not at practice the past couple of days because of a positive personal situation. It's still not ideal that he missed a couple of practices. but hey man, life happens.

Starting point is 00:26:26 And it's great that he's not injured. And speaking of Romeo Dobbs, he had a touchdown catch today from Drake May during the scrimmage. So maybe some positive momentum for Romeo Dobbs. He had his most productive day last Saturday. He followed that up with a good day this past Monday. And then, you know, he was quiet on Tuesday, missed the two practices. And then back on Friday, catching. a touchdown and having another couple of catches.

Starting point is 00:26:56 So maybe some positive momentum starting to build for Romeo Dobbs. And I'll say it again, I think it's going to take some time, not just because the quarterback, but Josh McDaniel's going to make sure of Romeo Dobbs's fit. I know Evan Lazare has talked about that Romeo Dobbs might not be the Stefan Diggs replacement that the Patriots were hoping. I'm going to give them grace. I'm going to give them grace. I've seen people talk about the Jacoby Myers, the Juju Smith-Schuster stuff.

Starting point is 00:27:23 again, it's early August, and it does feel like Romeo Dobbs has picked up some momentum over the last week or so. Mike Vrable said on Will Campbell. Will Campbell, of course, arm brace on the left arm, did not participate yesterday. He did not participate today. But Mike Vrable said, quote, I think he'll be ready to go after the weekend, unquote. So it looks like maybe Will Campbell got a couple of days with that arm. and I would imagine they're targeting again Tuesday, that joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts

Starting point is 00:27:56 for a target date for Will Campbell's return. Maybe he comes back on Monday. Will Campbell's had a great start, but I do think it's fair to look at the level of competition he's facing in this camp with the Patriots. And I've said this throughout this great start. We'll see what happens with Will Campbell at left tackle when he goes against, you know,

Starting point is 00:28:16 the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles and these three joint practices. that will be happening over the next couple of weeks. That will give us a much better idea as to the improvement of Will Campbell. Carlton Davis, not so great news. He will be out until the end of next week. And reportedly this is a hamstring. If you look at hamstring strains,

Starting point is 00:28:37 we talked about this with Christian Gonzalez last year. If it's a grade one hamstring strain, it's usually one to three weeks. if Carlton Davis is going to be out until the end of next week, that would put him back ready the week of the 17th. Of course, again, you've got those two joint practices against Philly on the 19th and 20th. And if Carlton Davis takes part in those joint practices against Philly, that's right about three weeks.

Starting point is 00:29:07 So that would tell us if Carlton Davis is back out there by the end of next week or he's out there by the time you're practicing against the eagle, that would tell us that the hamstring injury for Carlton Davis was a grade one hamstring strain. Nothing on Christian Barmore from Mike Vrable that I saw, but Christian Barmore did not practice on Friday. Reggie Gilliam did not practice on Friday. Of course, they've been managing Reggie Gilliam, but I don't know if he's been tweaked by something because, you know, he's been out more often than just a managing situation. Morgan Moses was out there today, but yet Reggie Gilliam was not.

Starting point is 00:29:44 So something to keep in mind. And Charles Woods did not practice today. So that means no Carlton Davis, no Charles Woods. As far as outside corners go, your number two and your number three corner, not practicing. Opportunity for Karan Prunty and some others. All right, that wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:30:10 The lockdown NFL Top 100 is here, voted on by the NFL host. of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Our top 100 was formed by experts that cover these teams and players every day. Find the full list on Lockdown Sports Today, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Pop Rocks: DeMario Douglas Dominates Scrimmage | Mike Vrabel Backs Kyle Williams

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.