Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Regarding [Hunter] Henry; Parker Trade’s Impact on Patriots Draft Plans? — 4/6/22

Episode Date: April 7, 2022

With all the talk surrounding the new look of the New England Patriots wide receivers as of late, it was a tight end who was one of their most reliable pass catchers in 2021. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of PatsPropaganda to discuss the role of Hunter Henry in the 2022 Patriots offense. The duo also give their thoughts on the impact of DeVante Parker’s acquisition on the Patriots 2022 NFL Draft plans. Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQ Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 yearsupply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, your New England Patriots continue to upgrade their pass-catching arsenal, but their top pass catcher from 2021 has been a little under the radar in 2022. Regarding Hunter Henry today on Locked On Patriots, I'm Mike DeBate, and you are about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Most of all, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, the Locked On Patriots podcast is free and available on all platforms. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover you in a Wingland Patriots for Patriot Country of Sports Illustrated. You can interact with me. Let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app at MDABATENFL.

While you're out there showing some Wednesday wisdom to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. As you can see today, folks, it is Wednesday, which means a visit from the resident lady of Locked On. For all of her nicknames, I will be publishing a four-volume work that will be available on Amazon. No, I'm just kidding, folks. All kidding aside, I will list them because she's just that good. The Baroness of Blockers, the Queen of TE, the Principal of Positivity, the Countess of Klaz herself, Claire. Klazzy Claire Cooper joins me here today as she does every Wednesday.

Phenomenal columnist extraordinaire, analyst extraordinaire from Pat's Propaganda. And of course, folks, don't forget, smash the subscribe button to A Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast. Her latest offering with the great Andy Hart of WEI is out now. After you've listened to this, definitely go check it out. You'll love it. Claire, thank you so much for joining me here today. It's not Wednesday unless we get a visit

from the Countess's Wisdom and Counsel. Well, thank you, Mike. Thank you, as always, for having me. And yeah, I just, you know, try and get everybody through this hump day as it is. Absolutely. And you do it better than anybody. I've told you, virtue lies in the middle, which is why, folks, we choose to have Claire on here each and every Wednesday.

And she graces us with her presence. We are very humbled and honored to have her here today. And I say that sincerely. I truly do mean that. It's always my honor to share the microphone with you. And Claire, as luck would have it, we're going to be talking about one of Claire's favorite subjects today on Locked On Patriots. Not just tight endage, not just one tight end, but the main man at the position. I think we can probably say, with all due respect to Jonu Smith, who I think is going to have a good year in 2022,

and I'm looking for big things from Jonu. But if you're talking 2021 output, Claire Hunter-Henry was, in fact, the man. Really, I think the Patriots' most reliable pass catcher, not named Kendrick Bourne. I think Kendrick was definitely up there as well. Jacoby Myers, you can make the argument. But Hunter was that threat in the red zone and really, as a new guy, came in here along with Kendrick and really gave you a lot of optimism for 2022, especially with the synergy these guys have with Mac Jones. Now, Hunter's had kind of a quiet offseason so far.

We saw Kendrick, obviously, and some of the wide receivers, Nelson Aguilar, Jacoby Myers. They're working out down in Tampa. The minute you hear a Patriots quarterback's doing something in Tampa, automatically the chills go up and down. You're wondering what's going on. Who's working out down there? But it was all good. And apparently the new guy, Devontae Parker, who we're going to talk about in a little bit when it comes to the draft, is going to be down there as well. I think he arrives on Monday as well so Claire you're looking at this Patriots pass catching group and specifically your expertise when it comes to one Hunter Henry when you look at Hunter in this offense now with Devontae Parker coming aboard Jacoby Myers Kendrick Bourne taking that next step.

Everyone's expecting Jonu Smith to make that leap and be a little bit more productive pass catching wise in 2022. I still think it begins and ends with Hunter Henry. I still think he's going to be the focal point of this offense, especially when Matt gets in trouble. Am I off base here or do you still think this is the guy to run this offense and or I shouldn't say run the offense but is this the guy that the offense will go through in 2022 well obviously interesting topic for me as always because it's tight-ended so I mean all the people are going to think the tight-ended enthusiast is just going to be like oh yes yes

yes it's got to be Hunter but I mean it's it's far more complex than just a simple yes or no I mean going into 2022 Matt Jones could have a very significantly looking different looking um offensive line and also a reworked offense so with all the new receivers and the loss of a fallback so I think the key to the development is consistency and the one thing that Hunter provides is is in the Patriots' offence. Now, he isn't the only receiver, obviously, to return to the Patriots, as you mentioned in regards to Kendrick Bourne and Jacoby Myers. But I think at least for the commencement of the season, I think he will be a high-rated target for Matt Jones.

Now, the scuttlebutt around is also that Nick Haley may be seen as the offensive play caller. So perhaps if that's the case, while Smith is still kind of growing, bonding, developing in the offense in New England, Hunter is definitely comfortable and reliable because we've seen it from 2021. Now, don't get me wrong. I know that Myers and Bourne are returning. They're good receivers and Max seems to have a good dynamic with them as well. But I think we saw an extra connection between Mack and Hunter. And, you know, not that the players are the same and that. I'm not making this comparison as a literal, but Brady and Gronk, tight end quarterback,

they had, you know, a QBTE bromance. And perhaps, you know, that is the sort of live story that we can look forward to in New England in regards to Jones and Hunter. I'm not indicating that I believe that Mac will only throw to Hunter Henry before, you know, anybody gets, you know, misunderstands me or gets upset with me. It's just that perhaps early in 2022, as Mac gets reacquainted with kind of, because obviously they have this offseason and

you know I know that they train and everything but an NFL game is different to like training that kind of thing so as they kind of re-acclimatize you get back into the you know your jam your groove of of a game I think that you know Hunter is a solid dependable guy and Matt may utilize him a little bit more the most and I don't think it's a bad thing because I think having that familiarity that extra feeling of security in a player is good yeah I think it's good too and I mean you look at what these two could do on the field together when Mac seemed to get into difficulty and get into trouble he looked for Jacoby Myers but he also looked for Hunter Henry.

And you saw that synergy that these two are developing on the field. Hunter runs his routes very crisply. He's a very underrated route runner as far as I'm concerned. I put him up there with a lot of the great route runners that are wide receivers in the league simply because he just knows his assignment. Something that I always thought he would fit well here in New England when I watched him in practice and I watched him develop as a player in Los Angeles when I was on that beat. It really looked like this was the type of guy that could thrive in New England.

And you know, Bill Belichick, if I saw it, you know, Bill Belichick saw it. The guy's forgotten more football than I'll ever learn. And I think that's the case with most of us. My colleagues in the media would probably agree with that. When you look at what this kid does on the field well shorthands big body got the great opportunity uh to really be an effective weapon here but i don't think enough credence is lent to the fact that he and mac jones have developed such a close personal relationship as well that does count for something i know a lot of people will dismiss it as, oh, it's just, you know, it's extra icing on the cake or stuff to that regard.

But it really isn't. When you develop a pretty good relationship, a professional and a personal relationship, those two things work very well in tandem. And when you have a like, or a really, I think, not necessarily even just a like, but a working knowledge of what your personalities are together, I really think that works well.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing what Hunter can bring to the table. And we're not quite done talking Hunter Henry yet, folks, because Claire's got a little more on the pass catchers and how Hunter is going to fit directly into that offense. We'll talk a little more hunter henry in just a moment but just want to take a few moments folks to remind you that spring is here summer is on its way and you want to look your best part of looking your best is not just taking care of your physical appearance but also dress for best and that means a proper pair of sunglasses well our good friends at shady rays are an american independent sunglass company that gives you the features of 200 sunglasses

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LOCKEDON to get 50% off two or more pairs of polarized sunglasses. That's code LOCKEDON for the best deal of the upcoming season. 50% off two or more sunglasses pairs from Shady Rays, ShadyRays.com. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

Thank you once again for joining us. Claire Clausey, Claire Cooper joins us here of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast. Claire, in the previous segment, you can joins us here of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast. Claire, in the previous segment, you can see the smile on Claire's face. She's trying to subdue it a little bit, but you know she just loves today's topic. And it is a good one. It is a good topic because Hunter Henry was truly one of the bright spots in the Patriots offense. I know a lot of people are starting to get down on Hunter, not Hunter, but starting to get down on the Patriots offense. And it's good to be able to, you know, I don't know, poke holes in what they did last year. Yeah, there were some deficiencies, but Hunter Henry certainly was not one of the problems. He was one of the bright spots, really, you know, catapulting that team in terms of getting the red zone threat that they did not have at the position just a couple of years ago but now that we're into the offseason and you're starting to see what the Patriots are

doing Claire they're bringing in guys that are trying to make this offense a little bit better Devontae Parker obviously coming over big trade with the Miami Dolphins rare intra-divisional trade that to me I think can pay dividends um not completely sold on the fact that davante is going to come in here and be wide receiver run one right from the beginning but i think he has the chance to do it he definitely has the talent and the wherewithal to be able to do it but hunter is always going to be someone i think like we said in the previous segment that the offense is going to run through essentially that Hunter is going to be a focal point for Mac Jones he's going to zero in on him you started to

tell us a little bit about that in the previous segment as we go forward toward 2022 what type of year do you expect from Hunter Henry and how he'll fit in this offense moving forward well as you just mentioned there are other points to consider. There are other targets that have been added onto Matt Jones's list for this year in regards to the new addition of Devontae Parker. There's the possible revamping, shall we say, of Jonu Smith, a development or I won't say the breakout because I hate the breakout. So I think it might be a, yeah yeah it's a revamping of him

because he's kind of looking to train more and stuff like this so he's going to be integrated into the system more so I think he's going to be utilized more you know it's kind of one of those twofold then you've got Nelson Aguilar another guy that wasn't really utilized significantly he may have been used more to draw coverage last year so people don't you don't really see that you don't notice the guy that's drawing the coverage because you're too busy watching the guy who's catching the ball which is fair enough so it may be that he's kind of being bumped up to be used more it may be that the that the addition of Parker means maybe Aguilar's looking to be traded or they look so they're looking to trade him you know they're looking at the value in him at this point in time

as we record this you know it's something that we're not sure if we don't know we know that park has come in so that you know that's one point that we can sort of look at but in regard to that as it being you know extra extra targets for mac initially it may be that the defenses see these guys as the guys to cover it may be that as we go into the season you see Mac utilize Hunter because he's the one left open because he's the sort of he's the known entity yeah he's a good one but he's the known entity whereas people like Devante Parker and Johnny Smith and Nelson Aguilar they've got speed on their side and athleticism more sort of more so if you like so it could be that the defenses initially are looking at covering them more significantly so mac does just doesn't have

them as an option because they're not there they're not open they're being heavily covered particularly if parker is um utilizing immediately particularly if he's you know hasn't got any injury problems and he goes in kind of from from day one he's going to be a guy that defense is going to look at one wanting to contain and whilst they're busy containing those guys it leaves hunter open again so and i think that's sort of what some of what happened last season is he they didn't cotton on too quickly it took it took defenses a while to realize that hunter was that little bit of a binky he was that little bit of you know a known target so he had sort of a good run and then unfortunately he was getting heavy coverage and we

didn't sort of see the production so it we might see the flip side of that in 2022 where the defense is looking at all these all these new weapons as I know people like to say so that you know they're too busy with those so kind of hunter gets kind of so you know faded into the background and he's the one that gets the target so i mean the fundamental patriots way is kind of going to stay but maybe with a mixed up feel that you know isn't an unrealistic thing to say possibly the new guys calling plays in kind of like joe judge or matt patricia is going to see a different ebb and a different flow to that. Now, so this is obviously if we're not looking at Kayleigh being put in place of that role. And I'm not really sort of implying that it's a good or bad thing,

whoever, it's just really sort of an option. It's already been covered, I know, on various shows. In particular, we did, I think it was a week or so, no, two weeks ago, in regards to the full-back position. And that's been on the chopping block now. And we've seen the exit of Jakob Johnson. So there isn't that little FB that we've talked about on the roster at the moment. So, I mean, the utilisation of that position in itself in the offence is going to be different, as we have mentioned. So I still think, you know, I still believe it's not going away.

That fullback position isn't going away, but it is going to be utilised differently in different roles, maybe with multiple people. And sort of that's where, you know, Jonu Smith may be coming. That might be where he's sort of the variety of his role is going. So the offence itself is going to look possibly rather different and it's going to drop rather different. And that's kind of why I think that having that target that's

stable because they're all stable but you know usual the regular that you know the reliable guy of Hunter Henry you know I think that may be why early in 2022 maybe you see kind of a regularity to Mac targeting Hunter I mean I think it's going to evolve quite quickly over time. I don't necessarily believe that Hunter will be kind of the number one target for the 2022 full season. I just think as we move, as we transition into the season, as the offense transitions into what it's going to be this season

in regards to having new players such as Devante Parker and sort of having Johnny Smith hopefully develop into maybe a different role or just advance his skill set within the offence, a different play caller, that kind of thing. I just think that the solidity and the sort of the familiarity of Mack and Hunter we may see significantly early on in the 2022 season and that's why kind of part of my answer to your question within being that you know the top pass scratching option is kind of a yes but it's that yes but with an asterisk because I don't think it's going to be the way we see the whole of the 2022 season I just think it's going to be

how we sort of slide into it and then transition across as we go further through the season once again you make the point exactly that I was hoping for you to make and you make it extremely well and I'm so glad that you did that I wanted I wanted to pull a Terry Silver right there and just go yes there it is but you were making such a great point that I didn't want to break your stride um all kidding aside the point that she was trying to make folks and the point that i was really really glad that she brought up is that surrounding mac with solid pass catchers is only going to i believe enhance hunter's ability to get open because like you said toward the end of the

season last year teams weren't targeting McKeel Harry they weren't targeting Nelson Aguilar they weren't you know targeting some of these other guys they knew James White was not there all due respect to Brandon Bolden who I think had a tremendous season last year they weren't going to target him in the same way that they were going to target James White Hunter Henry became the focal point of the defense take him away and you take away some of what Mac Jones can do in In this opportunity, in this situation, Mack now will have, presumably, assuming these guys stay healthy, he'll have Kendrick Bourne,

who I think defenses are going to be a little bit more apt to cover this year considering the year he had in 2021. Jonu Smith emerges. All of a sudden, you have to throw a guy on him. He's too big, too quick of a target, and too apt of a red zone target to leave open. All of a sudden, have to throw a guy on him he's too big too quick of a target and too apt of a red zone target to leave open all of a sudden you've got james white back who was really one of mac jones favorite pass catching targets before he went down with a hip subluxation so

if you've got these guys that are drawing attention away from some of the other pass catchers we haven't even mentioned davante parker and if the patriots do hold on to nelson agalor and looks like he's having a lot of fun with his teammates down there i don't know i think the patriots are more apt to give him one more go-round in new england to see what he can do before they just ship him out all of a sudden you've got these guys in the mix now hunter henry doesn't you know garner that type of coverage that he normally would you're not going to get two or three guys on him because defenses can't afford to leave the other guys open so that to me is such a great point and i'm so glad that you made that it's why they are the countess of class it's why you have this wednesday chair to make the points folks that i don't make no i'm kidding

i'm only kidding claire it's always always a blast to talk tight endage with you. And I know that you love talking this subject, but the NFL draft is coming up. We are now less than a month away. We are in draft month. I love saying that, by the way, we are in draft month. And because of that, and because of the acquisition of guys like Devante Parker and the emergence of tight endage weapons, such as Johnnie Smith and Hunter Henry. The Patriots draft strategy may have changed a little bit over the last couple of weeks. Claire is going to talk about that in just a moment and what her thoughts are heading into the NFL draft after the Devontae Parker trade. But first, folks, it is that time where I remind

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Patriots fans, it is a wonderful Wednesday every time the Countess of Clas here, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire Perspective of Patriots Podcast joins us here on the hot seat. And Claire, you've made Wednesdays your own here on Locked on Patriots. I, for one, cannot thank you enough for taking time out of your schedule to join me here every week.

Like I said, virtue lies in the middle. It brightens our week. We love having you here. We've talked tight endage in the first segment or two. And yeah, you can see she's still suppressing that grin folks it's unbelievable but uh no all kidding aside um the nfl draft is now less than three weeks away and leading up to the nfl draft and i found myself guilty of this as well so i'm not gonna you know sit there and point the fingers everyone got excited that this might be the year that the new england patriots draft a wide receiver in the first round yeah i know they did it a couple years ago with nikhil harry we all know what the fan base thinks of that i'm still not completely ready to just

you know toss nikhil out with uh well i'll be nice you know what uh you know what you know what they're saying about um i'm still a little higher on him than not but i think it's even time for me to understand that this just is not an experiment that seems to be working here i still think mckeo has nfl receiver quality in him i just don't think it's going to be in new england so in that regard a lot of people were thinking well this is it you've got so many great wide receiver prospects. Chris Olave is a guy that I've talked about here so many times on Locked On Patriots. You've got Jamison Williams in the mix because of the injury. Maybe he slips to 21. Jayhan Dotson of Penn State is a big-time receiver.

A lot of people are hoping for John Mechie, maybe not in the first round, but in the second round. The acquisition of Devontae Parker, I don don't think precludes the patriots from upgrading the wide receiver position i still think they're going to make a move i think it's going to be in the draft but i don't think it's going to be first round capital and i think that has changed their thought process a little bit but again you see things us mere mortals don't claire you have a very good eye for matters of this type and i wanted to pick your brain a little bit on the NFL draft because it is coming up and because I know it is a subject that you put so much uh you know effort into researching and you've done a great job in providing the coverage that you provided on the draft I really want to commend you of that

as you look at the draft coming up at the end of the month do you think the Parker acquisition has changed the Patriots um vision or the Patriots approach to what they're going to do in the draft or do you still think they're going to look for an offensive uh weapon early on in this draft well if you ask me of the opinion of what I think the Patriots should do that's definitely a different situation to what I kind of was looking at from sort of my fan perspective, because the acquisition of Parker hasn't really changed how I sort of see the needs, because basically I wasn't really I've never really been that vocal on the wide receiver position. I think because I didn't really expect Belichick to

nab that big name that top talent ultimately you know the rather costly wide receiver in free agency possibly address it more in the draft but I didn't see it sort of as a glaring thing now I know that a lot of people are going to kind of be in shock and awe now because I was just never big on a top wide receiver. I mean, so personally, I think I am in the same place now as I was before the acquirement of Parker in all fairness. Now, I think it's not a bad move. I know that some people don't maybe see him as number one wide receiver. Some fans do. It does depend upon who you ask and i understand that he has some injury concerns you know also he's not that slot guy that the patriots

seem to be a little bit light on but that could be something more you know that they know that they are already looking at in the draft see my opinions of what the patriots will do is more what i kind of think they should do because i don't really try to guess what they're going to do because as far as i'm concerned it's like who am i to sort of know and kind of phil never does the things i wanted to do anyway i mean that you know that we won't we won't go on the whole esophic but but seriously in the draft you know as my as the kind of time has gone on, as it's evolved, you know, the exit of Ted Karras, the trade of Shaq Mason. I know it's something that I've mentioned before, but those are sort of movements that kind of have really sort of puzzled and concerned me. So my initial draft research, kind of combined research, prep, investigation, you know, whatever you want to sort of brandy as was

really for cornerbacks I was really really focused on looking at cornerbacks because it just seemed like a huge need so it was it was really cornerbacks linebackers edge guys and of course obviously tight ends but that's like a personal thing so you know that's like a hobby on the side and everything you know extra to my picture so but I was only really I I've always said I only really have the combine mostly for kind of the significant information I then kind of go on that and then try and look into sort of guys that have caught my eye kind of thing and then sort of seek their tape out unless somebody sort of gives me a name of a college guy and then I'll look you know look on kind of YouTube and all other areas that are available for video um and try and get information in regards to them but the combine although I know it's a small

picture it really is is it's kind of the seed from where I can grow my sort of information from and I mean when I was watching that I was really focused on cornerbacks and linebackers because initially when we had the combine that was the strongest need that I felt. JC Jackson wasn't maintained. The linebackers have kind of gotten older. They've left us in Van Noy and stuff like that. And then the young linebackers that we do have, we haven't seen hide in the hair of them really in the last year.

So we really don't know what we've got going forward. We've got a volume of names, but have we got a volume of of quality and that's something that we kind of don't know right now so my main focus has always been sort of cornerback to be honest with you now um even though obviously we've with the acquisition of parker more to do with the time that has passed since the combine if you like the main need sort of i'm worried about that i feel you know might have been bumped the least as unsexy as i know people think it is and i'd stress that i'm not one of them i do not think that o-line is unsexy whatsoever but you know the offensive line seems really higher in dire need than cornerback maybe this is a big debate that i keep having kind of with the people and with myself internally is the number one pick does it need to be cornerback does it need to be offensive line now corner the patrons don't have or don't think they have in my opinion i don't feel

that they have the solution at cornerback right now long term they have some solutions because they have the signing of malcolm butler now i know kind of you're talking a veteran an older guy that i think he was on a two-year deal so you're not potentially going to get that much out of him we've got jonathan jones returning for 2022 we've got sean wade know, the thing of mystery that is Sean Wade. So they have some solutions at cornerback. What we don't know is what the quality of those solutions are. And also that you aren't looking, they aren't the long-term solution. They aren't the guy that's going to be with you throughout kind of Mac's rookie contract and things like that, that I know people.

And I agree with people that we're trying to look at a team to build a team around Mac that that goes the distance that we see grow with Mac Jones obviously I know that's a defensive position and he's offensive but just in general the team itself a young team growing up together growing together bonding together around a quarterback a rookie quarterback who who's you know good in the system so right now my con venue is on the official the unofficial sorry my apologies the unofficial depth chart at the paint for the patriots in three places three one guy three maths i'm not great at maths but that doesn't go i mean he's two on two positions in as the first name and on a and on a third position in he's two, on two positions as the first name, and on a third position, he's the second name.

So left guard, right guard, as well as a backup right tackle. Now, the dude is quite good, but he isn't necessarily that good. And, I mean, we have a possible diamond in the roof, the kid from the CFL, Dujale, Drew Dujale. I've heard really good things about him granted i haven't witnessed much with my own eyes so i can only go on what i hear so do you say but i've heard a lot of good things about him and if he turns out to be this really great right guard then the o-line could be way more solid than we actually think it is initially

at the moment so really to be honest with, it kind of is the conclusion to this. My draft need opinion has altered since the signing of Parker, but not because of the signing of Parker, because I was more focused on the other areas before. Now that they've taken him, it feels like maybe there's a little bit of pressure off that that need to take a wide receiver is maybe slight, less. Not everybody will agree. And I appreciate that.

All the people out there that want their wide receiver one at 21, I do not blame you at all. I am constantly torn with really how I want to see it because I know that they don't necessarily have that guy. But they might now with Parker. They might now with Bourne in year two. with really how I want to see it because I know that they don't necessarily have that guy but they might now with Parker they might now with Bourne in year two it's what it's another one of those you're not quite certain so I feel like the Parker signing as I said maybe has relieved the wide receiver pressures to a degree but it does depend on what they get out of him but really to be honest

with you I am I think the majority of me because there's like so many bits of me that's all over deciding what she wants that kind of thing the majority of me is still in he's still having that tug of war between the cornerback and the offensive lineman at number 21 to be honest no and I think you make excellent points and look once again Claire knocks it out of the park in terms of my questioning and in terms of how she answered it. When you look at what this team is doing and what this team has been building, I think your opinion is absolutely parallel and in line to what the Patriots have been doing right along. They're going to make the best move that they feel is best for the football team.

And at the end of the day, I don't think the Parker signing really has any effect on what the Patriots are going to do. I don't believe that wide receiver one was the position that they were targeting from the get-go. Now, does that mean they won't do it? Absolutely not. It means they might do it. There's definitely a possibility. If Jamison Williams and the talent that he brings to the table is sitting there at number 21, even if Jamison is not able to suit up or suit up until much later in the season because of his injury, it's going to be tough for the Patriots to lay off of that. But you mentioned good points. They do have a hole at left guard right now. Who is going to fill that?

There are depth pieces, but is there that solid guy that can come in and solidify that position for many years to come? You saw what the Patriots tried to do in moving someone as prolific as Michael Wainu to a left guard position was one of their best offensive linemen in 2021. And for some reason, just it was not a fit at the left guard position, a position that Joe Tooney was so good at for so many years. This definitely is a concern. Do the Patriots choose to address that? Do they go with someone like a Zion Johnson from

Boston College? He's been getting a lot of play here on Locked On Patriots. I've been reading a lot of the comments, folks. I know a lot of you are high on him. I am as well. I would love to see Zion here in New England. I think he's a great fit. Local kid coming from Boston College. What more can you ask for? At the same time, there are other

needs as well. Do they look at someone like a Trevor Penning who is working out for the New England Patriots today, as a matter of fact, on Wednesday in Foxborough? Big tackle from Northern Iowa. Now he's a tackle. But do the Patriots look at the prowess and the size that he brings to the table? 6'7", well over 300 pounds. Massive, massive tackle. Do the Patriots look at that and say, you know what?

That'd be a nice bookend with Trent Brown on the opposite side and then Michael Wayne who at the right guard position there's a lot of different ways that they can go there's definite talent at corner Kevin and I talked earlier this week Kevin Tame of Sports Illustrated talked about Kier Elam and his uh fit potential fit in New England so a lot of different ways that they can go uh even with wide receivers still on the table I don't think Devontae Parker has really moved the needle in Foxborough, and I don't think it really should move the needle in terms of the fan base as well and their expectations for the draft. So Claire, once again, expert, solid, just spot-on analysis

like you always do, always bring. And I can't thank you enough for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, folks. The Countess of Clash always makes things better here on a Wednesday. always do always bring and i can't thank you enough for joining us here today on lockdown patriots folks the countess of class always makes things better here on a wednesday she calms us down and gives us that focus that we need to get through the next uh part of the week and i got a chance to make her smile a little bit more today by talking about hunter henry and i'm always glad about that claire before i let you go today for the benefit of our new viewers our new listeners here on youtube and across the podcast universe please let everyone know where they can find you,

interact with you, and what they can look forward to in the coming days and weeks heading into the draft from the great pen and the great voice, most of all, the great wisdom and counsel of Claire Clasiclair Cooper. Well, you can find me on the Bird app, they say as you can see down there at clazy claire c-l-a-z-y-c-l-a-r-e but you will find my works as you as you aforementioned at patspropaganda.com that's where you'll find most of my written work and there's some draft stuff coming up folks so you know keep us sharp out as you guys like to say a clear perspective is on fullpressconfig.com and it's everywhere that you can download your podcast or pretty much everywhere, kind of that kind of thing. So the recent episode,

as you mentioned with Andy Hart of WEI, that was some good fun. That went out, I think it was this morning. So yeah, episode 29 of A Claire Perspective. Go find it when you get your podcasty things from people. And each and every week, you will also find me on E2G Sports, which is One Patriot's Place with Steve Balistrieri and Thomas Murphy.

Yes, regulars on here. So, yeah, I am the third voice of One Patriot's Place. So you can find us on like YouTube and stuff as well now. So we go live on usually a Tuesday morning. So if you need to pick me up Tuesday mornings, you'll find One Patriot's Place at E2GSports.com. Absolutely. And folks, definitely smash the subscribe button to a clear perspective of patriots podcast 29 episodes unbelievable i'm so happy so proud just a couple more and you can binge watch her up for a full month every single day each month 31 episodes she's getting close to

that level and she will be there soon. No, all kidding aside, Claire's listen is truly one of the best in Patriots media anywhere that you find when it comes to entertainment value, but also when it comes to valuable insight and analysis, the way only she can provide it. Countess, I'm always honored, always humbled when you join

me here on the microphone. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing so. We look forward to talking ball with you again right here next week on Locked On Patriots, folks. But in the meantime. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing so. We look forward to talking ball with you again right here next week on Locked On Patriots, folks. But in the meantime, I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also your first listen every day. Locked On Patriots is still free and available on all podcasting platforms. Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. free and available on all podcasting platforms spotify the odyssey app google podcasts apple podcasts wherever you get your podcasts you can always stay locked into locked on patriots and of course smash that subscribe button toward youtube so that way we can continue our march toward 1000 listeners folks thank you so much once again for joining us here on this wednesday on behalf of the illustrious countess of classas herself, Claire Clasie, Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate.

Stay safe, folks. Stay well. Be the change that you wish to see in the world. Until tomorrow, everyone, have a great day.