Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Predictably Unpredictable: Patriots Draft Talk with Alex Barth — 4/23/2021

Episode Date: April 23, 2021

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been known to take a ‘predictably unpredictable’ approach to the NFL Draft. Will that trend continue this year? Joining host Mike D’Abate is Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub. The duo discuss Belichick’s potential draft plans in 2021 and whether a trade-up or trade-back is more likely. Lastly, Alex provides draft insight from his latest ‘Weekly Five’ column, featuring five potential good fits for the Pats in the mid-to-late rounds.Listen to The Ultimate Mock Draft 2021 presented by Audacy and the Locked On Podcast Network. April 19th-26th. Follow the feed today!Support 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.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.ManscapedGet 20% Off and Free Shipping with the code LOCKEDONNFL at Manscaped.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. Thank football and Foxborough. It is Friday, April 23rd, 2021, and we are less than a week away from the 2021 NFL Draft. Time to kick the draft coverage up a notch here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

Weekend greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here today to help close out the week in style on Locked On Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And a friendly reminder that here on Locked On Patriots, your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed, very much appreciated.

So share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there giving the weekend nod and saying, how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, again, less than one week from the 2021 NFL Draft. Anticipation is high. Speculation is high.

What will the Patriots do? And as we get closer to Thursday, April 29th, we continue to hear more and more prognostications. Predictions like the Patriots are going to trade up. Some are predicting that the Patriots are ready to make that elusive move, trading up into the top 10 for their next great signal caller. Some are predicting that the Patriots may be looking to move back, that they're not going to draft a quarterback, predicting that they're very happy with the combination of Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. So much to talk about, so much uncertainty, but folks, there's only one thing we do know

for certain. Bill Belichick will head into Thursday night with a plan, and he'll execute that plan based on what he feels is going to be best for the football team. And, as always, some will agree with him, many may disagree. But Bill is going to make the moves based on his own plan, not what the fans believe he should do, not what the media believes he should do, rather what he believes to be in his team's best interest. Now, some may suggest that that approach makes Bill predictably unpredictable.

And here with me today on Locked On Patriots to help discuss Bill's predictable unpredictability is the man who characterized him as such last year around this time when we were talking about what Bill would do in the 2020 NFL Draft. Alex Barth of 98.5thesportshub.com helps me close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. And Alex and I will discuss how Bill's seemingly unpredictable nature in the draft actually might make him more predictable than most would give him credit for.

Alex and I will also be discussing his latest column, the Weekly Five, detailing some draft prospects that might look pretty good in Patriot Blue. This week, Alex has some very intriguing options that have caught my sharp eye. Running back Rakeem Boyd of Arkansas, offensive tackle Dylan Raduns from North Dakota State, outside linebacker Joseph Osai out of Texas, inside linebacker Patty Fisher of Northwestern, and one that's going to make my man Murph grin from ear to ear, Tyree Gillespie, safety, out of the University of Missouri. We'll get Alex's thoughts on why these players might be standouts in the upcoming draft,

and which would look best in a Patriots uniform in the upcoming 2021 NFL season. Folks, Alex is one of my favorite interviews in the business. I know he's one of your favorite guests here on Locked On Patriots. He's always candid. He's always accurate. And his wisdom and counsel is exactly what we need to close out the week in style, like we always like to do right here on Locked on Patriots. Talking the 2021 NFL Draft and your New England Patriots

with Alex Barth of 98.5thesportshub.com when this predictably unpredictable episode of the Locked on Patriots podcast continues. But first, Patriots fans, this episode of the Locked on Patriots podcast is brought to you today by 1010, a capsule collection of diamond rings that are responsibly sourced, limited edition designs at fair price points. 1010 is an exclusive collection of 10 creative styles of diamond rings designed by 10 of the most distinctive designers working today. Rings that are sure to bring joy into her life. Using only diamonds responsibly sourced from Botswana, 10 female design masters have each produced a uniquely beautiful ring,

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Subscribe to the Locked On NFL YouTube page to watch live three-day coverage of the NFL draft April 29th through May 1st. Patriots fans, we close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots today with a guest that is among the best in the business at blending professionalism with a little hometown flavor mixed in. You know him from his amazing audio, video, and written work covering the New England Patriots and really all things Boston sports for 98.5thesportshub.com. He is also the co-host of the Patriots Beat Podcast alongside CLNS Media's Evan Lazar,

another great friend of the program. It's my honor to be joined today by Alex Barth. Alex, welcome back to the Lockdown Patriots Podcast. Thanks for having me, Mike. Anytime, Alex. Always honored and humbled when you drop by the pod to talk ball with us. And Alex, you've been doing amazing work with draft coverage. Every year you provide amazing draft coverage, but this year, really knocking it out of the

park from the Patriots beat mock drafts that you've been compiling with Evan to your collaborative efforts with Matt Dahlhoff and Ty Anderson at 98.5thesportshub.com, especially your Weekly 5 column, which folks, if you haven't had a chance to check out Alex's series, definitely do it. It is a must-read leading into the NFL draft on Thursday. Some great highlights of some great potential Patriots prospects. And your version of the column this week had a few intriguing names on it, names that I'd like to discuss and give you the chance to enlighten our listeners on some players that might look pretty good in Patriots blue. But before we delve into some scouting, Alex, the anticipation for this draft is pretty high, maybe higher than usual, especially here in New England. So many in the Patriots fan base are hoping for the quarterback of the future,

and there's still a lot of buzz surrounding that position, whether the Patriots target Trey Lance of North Dakota State, or Justin Fields from Ohio State, or even Mac Jones of Alabama, who, incidentally, I selected as the 15th overall pick in our ultimate mock draft here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And yeah, that evaluation was fun. I got a little dirt on the uniform after that one. Some people really liked it. Some people not so much. But you know what?

It's the nature of the business that we're in, bud. But not only is the anticipation high, but the speculation has been high as well. And a lot of members of the fan base and the media have been acknowledging that the Patriots might not go the quarterback route in the first round. A lot of people are starting to identify linebacker, cornerback, wide receiver, even offensive line in the early goings. Bottom line, Alex, we know that Bill Belichick is going to dance to the beat of his own drum. It's just the way he is. And some may call him unpredictable, but I think that you have one of the best takes on Bill when it comes to his draft prowess that can be found anywhere in sports media. And that you call him predictably unpredictable.

Essentially meaning that he isn't as impossible to figure out as some would lead you to believe. In your opinion, Bud, what about Bill Belichick makes him predictably unpredictable? Just the tenure, the duration, how long he's been around. I think, you know, a lot of what he did at first was unpredictable, but it's not a knock on Bill. This is anybody. You do something for as long as he's done it, their patterns are going to develop. People have their tendencies. They can try to hide them the best they can, but, you know, like the three-cone drill, right? Everybody figured out like five, six years ago, whatever it was that, oh, hey, look, they keep taking guys with, you know, big three-cone numbers and things like that. So,

it's not so predictably predictable works. It's just, if you look at the patterns in the past, he does tend to have certain tendencies, certain preferences that you can pick up on. They don't lock in every time, right? It's not a guarantee, but it's a guide more so. Although this year is different because there really isn't much – what's the word I'm looking for here? He's never really been in this spot before. Even with last year, people say, oh, he was in a spot to take a quarterback last year.

By all accounts, they were ready to give the job to Jarrett Stidham last year, and he just couldn't grab it. This, to me, is really the first year since he's in Cleveland, which is a completely different game now. This is the first time he's been in New England where he really, like quarterback is really the alpha focus so as much as I want to say like yeah you know if you look at the tendencies I think corner and offensive tackle are the two spots where if you look at the classic tendencies with Bill Belichick those are

the two spots I'm looking in the first round but there isn't precedent is the word I was looking for before this draft has less precedent for Bill Belichick than others in the past because of the quarterback situation so that's what's muddy things and I think that's where when you get the talking heads saying oh they're not going to go quarterback they're basing that off of Bill Belichick's history but you know that's all been without Tom that's all been with Tom Brady now he doesn't have Tom Brady so I think there's a chance that we see something new this year. Yeah, and I think that's an excellent point. And it does lead me quite nicely into my next question for you.

And you kind of hinted around at this a little bit. But with regard to the elusive trade-up, which Bill has done this before, folks. It's not like he's never traded up in the draft. I actually heard somebody say that the other day, that Bill Belichick has never, ever traded up in the NFL draft. Well, take a look at Dante Hightower, Chandler Jones. You know, there is precedent for him to do it, like you've said, but it is elusive. It's not something he does on a regular basis.

That being said, with the talent that you see at quarterback, where really the top five quarterback prospects are all expected to go early on in the first round. Is this the draft that you believe Bill Belichick makes that rare trade up? Or do you think he's more apt to stay put at 15 or maybe even trade back based on value that he sees on the board at the time? I find it hard to believe he's going to trade back because either, excuse me, either quarterback is going to fall to 15 and the quarterback's going to be there, or, you know, five quarterbacks, like you said, are going to go in the top seven or eight picks, and a really talented player, whether it's J.C. Horn, Christian

Derusau, or Sean Slater, a really talented player is going to fall to 15 because of that run on quarterback. So unless they're totally enamored with Dave and Collins, it's hard to see them trading back in terms of trading up. Like you said, Bill does it. He doesn't do it often, but he does it. And when he trades up,

it's a hit, right? You mentioned the names, Jamie Collins, Donta Hightower, or sorry, Chandler Jones, Donta Hightower.

Those guys are hit. I think he only trades up if he really loves the player. If he knows this guy is a hit, this guy is going to be, you know, a multi-year NFL difference maker. So the question becomes, are they that in love with any of these quarterbacks? I think it's possible. I think Trey Lance would be a lock for that guy if he had more experience because they do value experience at that position. Lance doesn't have a ton of it.

Everything else, he checks all their boxes. There's been a lot of reports out there that they love Justin Fields. He's maybe not as much their prototypical quarterback, but they went to his pro day. They've been connected to him really since the draft process began. And then there's Matt Jones, and you have the Alabama connection, kind of the safe option. He's the high floor guy.

So I could see them liking one of these quarterbacks enough to move up. Now the question is where and, you know, how does the draft fall? If the guys they want, let's say they want Lance and Jones, if those guys go three and four, they're not going to trade up. If San Francisco takes Lance at three, and then you're going to have Fields or Jones on the board when you get around the seventh, eighth pick. It becomes a very different discussion.

So there's different permutations of this. But if they do love one of those quarterbacks, Bill will trade up if he feels like a guy is a guaranteed hit. It doesn't happen often because it's very hard to find a guaranteed hit in draft. But if they believe one of these quarterbacks is that guy yes i think they would trade up yeah interesting insight and i'm glad that you gave a little bit more insight or maybe a little bit of a different perspective on what we're seeing in terms of trading up trading back or staying put at 15 i like how you mentioned that even if they don't trade up to get their quarterback of the future it likely means that those five quarterbacks are going there might be a run on quarterbacks meaning that there might be a very talented player that slips

to them at 15 and bill belichick is all about value but he's also all about talent getting the best player available that he believes can thrive in this system and that could lead to a win for the pats let me add this too i'm not they could trade up for not a quarterback. I don't think it's very likely, but boy, the more I watch Patrick Sertan, I think he's just going to be a special player. And because of the run on quarterback, let's say he gets to about eight or nine,

right? That range, maybe even to tens of them going as low as, I'd look, I don't think Dallas would trade out if he's there because they need a corner, but let's say Patrick Sertan falls out of the top five, Bill might get that itch. So maybe – or Sewell.

I think it applies to Penny Sewell, too, if he falls, because he could be the same thing. If you have five quarterbacks, Kyle Pitts, Jamar Chase, suddenly this generational tackle prospect is on the board with the eighth pick. Like maybe Bill gets the itch there because, again, we're talking about on the board with the eighth pick. Like maybe they'll get the itch there. Because again, we're talking about guys who he feels are guaranteed hit. I think Sewell and Sertan are two of the most NFL-ready players in this draft. So I don't think it's likely.

You know, don't come at me on draft night when those guys fall and Bill doesn't trade up for them. But, you know, it wouldn't be the strangest thing that's ever happened. I wouldn't totally rule it out either. Yeah, and I'm in complete agreement with you with regard to Sutan and with regard to Sewell. Two absolute can't-miss prospects. And I agree with you.

They may give Bill that itch on draft night if they start to fall a little bit, depending on how the dominoes fall in this 2021 NFL draft. Folks, Alex Barth is always candid, always complete in his work and analysis. That's why he's among my favorite guests here on the pod. But we've just scratched the surface on our weekend discussion. In just a moment, Alex will delve into his latest edition of his weekly five column,

and he'll lend his expertise on which draft prospects fit New England's approach to their 2021 offseason. More with Alex Barth of 98.5thesportshub.com when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. provide the best. It's definitely true in the world of sports, and it's also true in the world of nutritional snacks. And the only ones who could provide the best healthy, low-calorie, and delicious treats to satisfy all of your snacking needs are the ones who provided the best in the first place. That's right, folks, I'm talking about Bilt Bar. Because no one can do it like they do it. 100% real chocolate. Bilt Bars are soft, easy to chew, come in a multitude of delicious flavors, including, backed by popular demand, the Bilt Bar Madness Bracket

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Odyssey is your audio home for all the sports, podcasts, music, and news that matter to you. That's A-U-D-A-C-Y. That's Vance Alex Barth of 98.5thesportshub.com joins me here to close the week in style on Locked On Patriots. And Alex, seeing that we already established the fact that Bill Belichick is predictably unpredictable, and we talked a little bit about what his strategy might be heading into round one next Thursday, less than a week away now. There are some names that raise an eyebrow or two on draft weekend when it comes to Bill's

draft sheet. It's just the nature of the way the draft goes. I really think for all 32 NFL teams, but especially for Bill, there's always one that seems to catch the eye of a player that maybe none of us saw coming, but Bill saw coming. But you've got a really good eye for being able to identify some of these players. And in your latest edition of your weekly five column, you address five players that could be a fit for the Patriots based on their aggressive offseason activities.

Let's start on the offensive side of the ball, Bud. You have the Pats taking a look, not selecting in the draft, folks, but players that the Patriots should be taking a look at, starting with running back Rakeem Boyd of Arkansas. In your words, I think perfectly said, well-rounded running back, patient, smart runner, can show some potential as a receiving threat, can really excel as a pass blocker as well. And we know the Patriots showed some interest in an early down back during free agency. They didn't pull the trigger on that then, but they could show interest in the draft. And you also have, in my opinion, a very underrated offensive tackle prospect in this draft, and that's Dylan Raduns. A possibility for a very versatile offensive lineman here.

He's listed as a tackle, but he could play guard at the pro level as well. Both of these players, in my opinion, are going to make very good pros. But Alex, what caught your sharp eye when it comes to these guys making good potential New England Patriots? Yeah, so with Boyd, honestly, what turned me on to him was, I don't know if you ever watched Last Chance U on Netflix. Yes. Yeah, so he was in that. And I just remember watching him and just loving the way he carried himself and thinking, hey, this guy's got, you know, in between the years,

he's got it all for an NFL player. And I think, you know, when you talk about some of their big offseason losses, Rex Burkhead's gone a little bit under the radar. And I guess he's not officially a loss yet. He's still a free agent, but he's coming back from that knee injury. And I don't think you can count on him this season. And I think Boyd is a guy who reminds me a little bit of Burkhead, where he's not amazing at any one thing, but there's no weakness in his game either.

You put him in a role, and he's probably going to be able to fill that role and help you out. So, you know, he's a little undersized for the way he runs. That's coachable. And the Patriots have one of the best running back coaches in the league. And Ivan Fierce may be the best running backs coach in the league. And Ivan Fierce. So I think, you know, with the way they're registered running backs,

they could get something out of this kid. And it's not going to take a premium pick to get them. They can get them in the sixth or seventh round. He might even end up a UDFA. It's a deep running back draft. Teams don't really value these early down backs that they used to. So he's a guy that would be relatively easy to get. And they like well-rounded field position players. They like guys who can do a lot of different things. So that's where Boyd stood out to me. In terms of Radun's or Radun's, I actually have only seen it written. I have not heard it, so I'm not entirely positive

how to pronounce his name. Hopefully, I guess I learned by the draft, right? With offensive tackles, it's tough. They very seldom said. According to what I've heard, I've heard it pronounced Radun's, so I think that's what it is. But folks, correct us if we're wrong here. So Dylan Radun, I feel like they've got to be watching a ton of them, right? Because if they're looking at Trey Lance, it's hard to watch the quarterback and not see the left tackle as well. Senior bowl guy, they love that. You mentioned the positional versatility where he might be able to kick inside to guard.

And I do think they need a backup interior offensive lineman. They obviously are stacked when it comes to the starting lineup, but I don't think adding some depth would be a bad idea. Outside of Ted Karras, there's not a lot of NFL experience there or upside there or whatever. So, you know, they'd like these linemen that they maybe pick around early and guys who have high upside and where the issues are coachable, not physical, and Radins checks all those boxes. That's a big one. The issues are coachable, not physical. And Radins checks all those boxes. That's a big one.

The issues are coachable. They're not physical. So you can take the reasons he's going further down in the draft. You can take those with good coaching and try to eliminate them. And who coaches up linemen better than the New England Patriots? Without question, and especially when it comes to the O-line. And I agree with you. I think especially now, knowing Dustin Woodard has been cut loose,

we thought maybe there was a chance that he might be able to come back at some depth, but obviously that's not going to happen now. Addressing this position in the draft is something I believe Bill would do, and Radins definitely does have a pedigree behind him and a versatility that New England likes. And I agree with you on Boyd. Seeing him in last chance U, but not only that, but looking at what he does on the field, he's the type of guy that does everything well,

and he can be had in the middle part of the draft. So great selections there. Two names I haven't really discussed here much on Locked On Patriots, and I appreciate you enlightening our listeners on their prowess and what they can bring to the table. Last but not least, Bud, you concluded your column with three defensive standouts that might interest the Pats as well. Of course, outside linebacker Joseph Osai out of Texas, inside linebacker Patty Fisher

of Northwestern, and one that's going to make our good mutual friend Murph very happy, safety out of Missouri named Tyree Gillespie. All three very happy. Safety out of Missouri named Tyree Gillespie. All three very good. Again, solid prospects, could be solid pros. But Alex, in your opinion, why the fit here in New England, and which can you see making the cut for the Pats in this year's draft? So I'll start with Osai. I think he's a pure upside pick. He's a guy that's very raw. He's a converted middle linebacker who's turned into an outside linebacker, now more of an edge rusher.

But he's 6'4", 250, just shot out of a cannon when he comes off the line. He was a medicine to Big 12 last year. He was a team captain. He's a guy that needs coaching up. And like I just said, the Patriots can take Clay with offensive linemen and mold it into a masterpiece. Outside of offensive line, the position they're second-best at with that probably is linebacker, and that's kind of where Osai is going to be.

He projects his coverage skills aren't quite at that level. This is a bit of a lossy comparison, but if you think Jamie Collins, right, a guy who was just an athletic monster who needed his game kind of rounded off, Osai needs a bit more rounding off maybe than Collins did, but boy, do they like in the second round to just go out and get those athletic, pure upside defensive players. Kyle Duggar last year, right? So Osai kind of is in a similar mold to me.

That's where I like to fit for him. Patty Fisher is kind of the opposite. Patty Fisher, multi-year starter, team captain at Northwestern, classic middle linebacker, downhill, going to stop the run. He's constantly – like if you go and you watch Northwestern on defense, it's not that he's – you're not going to see him on the SportsCenter top 10, but he is around the ball on every single play, especially against the run. Now he doesn't offer much in coverage. He's not going to really play sideline to sideline, but they like,

they have room for those linebackers. A lot of teams don't consider those linebackers anymore, but you look at from a Landon Roberts to Juwan Bentley. I mean, they, they have a role for that guy and Patty Fisher is going to go in the fourth or fifth round about where they picked those guys. Juwan Bentley's on the last year of his deal. So I wonder if Patty Fisher could be that next run-stopping linebacker. Then Tyree Gillespie, he's a really interesting name because I actually think he slept on a little bit. He's supposed to be a day three pick right now. Some of that is his size, his athletic ability. He didn't test great. But when you watch him on tape, it's just you can't deny the fact

that he can play. His two best games last year came against Alabama. And when he was covering Kyle Pitts, he covered Kyle Pitts as well as any defensive back in college football last year. And then he put on top of that the fact that he was a multi-year special team starter, right, on the coverage unit. And just boom, like all the boxes are checked. So he certainly feels like a guy that will be on the radar.

I would be, like, maybe they don't get him, but I would be shocked if he's not on their board, if he's not on their radar. Yeah, I mean, without any question, I know, like I said, our good friend Murph is very, very big on Gillespie and what he can bring to the table. And look, there is a lot to like. I like the fact that you mentioned that he was so good at being able to cover Kyle Pitts.

That is not an easy thing to do, folks. Anyone who's watched film or whatever, either YouTube clips or just seeing highlights of what Kyle Pitts can do on a football field, he's a true pro and a true stud at that position. And Gillespie really did play well. Again, could be a backup strong safety uh i like the promise that he can bring on special teams coverage units i think he could be an asset there so you know based on that that he's probably going to be at least on bill belichick's radar whether or not he ends up in new england is anybody's guess and i guess we'll find out in less

than a week my friend with the nfl draft set to begin on Thursday, April 29th. Alex, what can I say? Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here to help close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, Bud, for the benefit of our new listeners, please let everyone know where they can find you on social media, where they can find your great work, and what they can look forward to in the draft coverage from Alex Barth

in the coming days. And I guess hours. Now we can't really say days and weeks anymore. We're less than a week away. Well, let's not forget the coverage only starts when the draft ends. Cause then we got all these guys. So they've 10 picks.

I don't think so. That is true. So I think we can still say weeks for now. Cause I think next week will be pretty fun as well. I can follow me on Twitter at real AlexFarth. All my work's up at 985thesportshub.com. Bunch of fun stuff coming next week. I will have a seven-round Patriots mock draft I was actually working on right before I got on this call. I'm going to have sort of a big board thing. You'll have to check it

out. It's a little bit of a different, it's like a hybrid big board mock draft. Something new I'm going to try. And then of course, myself, Matt Doll, Ty Anderson, we'll have you completely covered Thursday night, Friday night, all day Saturday throughout the draft, 98.5thesportshub.com.

Oh, and if there's any Felger Mads fans out there, they're doing the Felger Mads big board. We've been recapping those every day. You can find those on social media at 98.5 The Sports Hub. Absolutely, folks. Alex is one of the best social media follows you'll find in any walk of life, but mostly when it comes to Boston sports-related content, primarily his sharp eye on the New England Patriots this week and beyond

as we march toward not only pre-draft but right in the draft and then, of course, post-draft coverage of your New England Patriots. Alex, once again, bud, thanks so much for coming on today. In the meantime, stay safe and stay well until we have the chance to have you back here to talk more ball on Locked On Patriots. Thanks again, my friend. Thanks for having me.

And just like that, Patriots fans, we tie a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And, of course, we are heading directly into draft week starting on Monday. A little interactive musing and mocking of the draft. And of course, it's hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank Alex Barth of 98.5thesportshub.com for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank each and every one of you for listening today, helping us close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots, and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until Monday, Patriots Nation, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to

see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.