Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Report: New England Patriots–Mike Evans Linked | Rasheed Walker Targeted?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Free agent wide receiver Mike Evans reportedly linked to the paths. Evans could be a answer, but we're not sold that he's the answer. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts Network, your team every day. What's happening? I'm your host, Nick Cattels, born and raised in New England, been covering the paths for the past 16 years.

Starting point is 00:00:34 And of course, I'm also the co-host of the. the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles and a sports radio veteran. Thinking of all of those in New England battling the blizzard. Insane. The pictures I see, the videos I see, absolutely nuts. We're thinking about you. But we're here to try to entertain you, inform you, and keep your mind busy and away from all of the snow. Welcome to Lockdown Patriots, part of the lockdown podcast network.

Starting point is 00:00:58 Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. On today's show, a certain defensive. and keeps getting mocked to the Pats. And we don't mind the idea. In our second segment, Mike Evans is not the only big name being discussed for the Pats this off season, as they are reportedly looking at a certain offensive lineman. But first, the Pats are looking for an X wide receiver,

Starting point is 00:01:24 and Mike Evans just might be that guy. Before we get into Mike Evans, quick note, news coming out earlier on Monday afternoon about Antonio Gibson, the Patriots have released running back Antonio Gibson. That will create depending on who you believe, all the funny money, all the different numbers, anywhere from $2 million or so to $3.14 million in cap space created by releasing Antonio Gibson. And when you look at the running back free agency market, a lot of guys are going to be out there. And it's actually a pretty deep running back free agency market.

Starting point is 00:02:04 you're not looking at the tippity top of that market, of course, because you have Ramadre Stevenson, Trevionn Henderson. But I do think it would not be a shock if the Pats go out and sign a veteran running back to battle Terrell Jennings, Elijah Mitchell, Lan Larison for that third running back spot in the running back room. That would not surprise me. They could also draft somebody with one of those sixth round lottery tickets we talked about on yesterday's show.

Starting point is 00:02:30 They can sign a UDFA running back like they did with Land. Larison last year. So it's not that crazy. It's not that surprising that Antonio Gibson coming off the ACL has been released to create that cap space. And, you know, the one thing I would say is the kick return game. And I thought when Antonio Gibson went down with that injury, the kick return game was less potent for the Patriots. But now they have an offseason to try to find someone who can help them in that department. We saw enough of Efton Chisholm. He's not the answer. maybe a little bit more Kyle Williams. We'll see.

Starting point is 00:03:07 But this move makes sense financially and given the supply demand at that position and the options the Pats are likely looking at. All right, let's get to Mike Evans. The Pats need an upgrade at X receiver. We've been talking about this the past couple of weeks. We've been talking about this the last few years for this football team.

Starting point is 00:03:24 And a surprising name and free agency is Mike Evans. We all know Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Bucks, prolific wide receiver, pretty much when he's healthy, he's a guarantee to get a thousand yards every single season. Is there interest between Evans and the Patriots? Jason Locanforah wrote about Evans on Monday at Sports Boom. He wrote Mike Evans, a standout receiver in this year's free agent class,

Starting point is 00:03:49 is carefully considering his next move as negotiations heat up. Despite interest from Tampa, Evans is exploring other options with a focus on offenses, quarterback quality, and chances to win a Super Bowl. At 33, he remains a top-tier receiver and could be a game changer for teams like the 49ers, Patriots, and Chargers. Jason Lockenforer continues. Evans is interested in exploring several reasonable options according to some close to him. Those sources are adamant that Evans is closely studying the offenses, both quarterback scheme and acumen of the offensive coordinator slash play caller, in prioritizing those matters along with the opportunity to win another Super Bowl. Now, it sounds like Evans has interest in New England, but does New England have interest

Starting point is 00:04:41 in Evans? You know, the headline to this story is exclusive, colon, Mike Evans expected to draw interest from 49ers, Buccaneers, Patriots, Chargers, and Free Agency. But that's not really how the story reads. The story reads like Evans is the one that is interested in exploring these possibilities. It feels like Evans agent, agency, whoever represents him, is trying to throw this out as a feeler. It also could just be Evans trying to build up his own market to get a better deal from Tampa if he just wants to remain with the Buccaneers who he's been with from the very beginning. So I'm not sold on this idea that the Patriots are banging down the door of Mike Evans.

Starting point is 00:05:30 Now, could they be interested? Apps are freaking lootly. It makes all the sense in the world. And from Mike Evans' point of view, it makes a lot of sense. The Pats check all the boxes. If you're looking at quarterback play, Pats have the MVP runner up in Drake May. And of course we know, Evans loves getting down feet.

Starting point is 00:05:52 field, making big plays, and we know how good May was throwing the football deep for most of this season. So the quarterback obviously checks the box. The offensive coordinator slash play caller Josh McDaniels has to check the box. He has considered one of the best offensive coordinators in football. He's been now to 10 Super Bowls. And I know we'll all remember what we saw against Seattle and it was a tough finish in the postseason for the offense. But, But Josh McDaniels is Josh McDaniels. And if you asked anybody in the game, they would rank him as a top five OC at least. So the OC checks the box.

Starting point is 00:06:33 The last time I checked, the Patriots got to the Super Bowl this year, which of course would mean that would give Mike Evans an opportunity to win another Super Bowl. So from Evans point of view makes sense. From the Patriots point of view makes sense. Evans is really a perfect fit. He's 6 foot 5, 231 pounds, big time catch radius. Awesome at contested catches. How many times have you seen Evans go up and get it?

Starting point is 00:07:00 How many times have you seen him make a catch in traffic? The dude is just swallowing contested catches on a weekly basis throughout his NFL career. He is a really good red zone threat because of how big he is, because of how he can go up and get it, fade routes, boxing guys out. that's what he can do. He's not afraid to go into the middle of the field. Again, he's not afraid to get stuck into some traffic. So when you look at catch radius, contested catches, you know, just size and being able to utilize that size downfield.

Starting point is 00:07:34 When you think about his ability to block, he embraces blocking. He can block while in the run game, which we know fits with McDaniel's offense. And Evans competes, man. As they say in hockey compete level, Evans has a high compete level. And if you're the Pats and you're looking at your options, you're looking at maybe Alec Pierce,

Starting point is 00:07:53 you're looking at maybe A.J. Brown. You're looking at maybe Romeo Dobbs. You're looking at maybe Mike Evans. Evans is only going to cost you money, much like Alec Pierce, much like Romeo Dobbs. It's just money. You're not having to trade picks. If you want to bring in A.J. Brown, you're dealing picks. So it's all about the asset management and how much you're willing to give up for which receiver if A.J. Brown is available. So it's only going to cost you money. And Spotrack, their market value number for Mike Evans is $13 million a year. So could you make something work where you say, you know, a two-year, $28 million deal,

Starting point is 00:08:35 $26 million deal somewhere in that range. You guarantee a chunk of the money. It's not going to cost you a bunch. I mean, when you look at Alec Pierce, you look at A.J. Brown, You're talking about guys that are going to cost you more than 20 million per season. And so Evans market is, I would think, a little bit lighter. And if you want to argue it and you say, well, if we brought in A.J. Brown or we sign Pierce, then we're looking at probably having to cut Stefan Diggs because I'm not so sure that the Patriots would be willing to pay the amount of money that they would have to pay to keep both Brown or Pierce and Diggs on the roster.

Starting point is 00:09:14 Now, if you wanted to keep digs, it's easier to keep digs if you go out and get an Evans instead of going out and getting a Pierce or a Brown. Evans would really be a bridge guy and you could draft an ex-receiver. We know receivers deep. We talked about it on yesterday's episode. And there are a number of guys who fit that ex-receiver prototype. So you bring Evans in. short-term deal, bridge guy at the X who has been very productive in the NFL, and you draft

Starting point is 00:09:52 somebody that you say, all right, in 2027 or 28, that's our guy to replace Evans. That could be what you're looking at. Now, for me, I don't think Evans is plan A. Evans would not be my plan A. He just would not be. I would look at Pierce. I would look at Brown. There's some rumblings that Pierce might get franchised.

Starting point is 00:10:12 He might not even make it to the market. Again, you don't know if Brown's going to make it to the market. I'll be looking at Romeo Dobbs as well. Evans turns 33 years old in August. He's not a spring chicken, and he only played eight games last year. Now, yes, he's usually healthy. He usually plays through injuries, and he's been incredibly productive. But now you look at him, turning 33 in August,

Starting point is 00:10:37 played half the season in 2025, had 30 catches for 368 yards and 3.30. touchdowns. I want to get younger. I want to get younger from the Patriots. I want to go out and get an ex-receiver that I think has three or four years left at the least, if not more than that. So if Evans is somebody you're looking at is on the radar and he's interested in joining you, yes, he would be on my list. If I couldn't get Pierce, if I couldn't get Brown, maybe if I couldn't get Dobbs, if I couldn't get some of these other guys, if somebody doesn't fall to me at 31. But of course, you've got to make that decision on Evans before you get to the draft. So if I run out of veteran options and free agency or trade,

Starting point is 00:11:19 then, yeah, I would look at Evans as kind of that bridge guy. But he is not my plan A. All right, the Pats are reportedly looking at adding a big name to its offensive line. We'll talk about that next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. As the New Year gets going, a lot of people are trying to simplify their routine. and dinner is a big one between busy work days, cold, winter nights, and packed schedules,

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Starting point is 00:12:55 Go to lockdown patriots. Supercast.com or check the link in the show notes to learn even more. If you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to help us out by hitting that thumbs up button, the bottom, hit that like. We appreciate it. Don't forget to throw a comment in. Mike Evans, in or out on the Evans idea. I want to know how you feel.

Starting point is 00:13:15 And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. We appreciate every single one of you. The offensive line needs to be addressed. We've discussed it since the Super Bowl. That much is obvious. And the question is, how big of a swing are the Patriots willing to take? And they might be ready to take a bigger swing than we might have expected. Again, this is Jason Locanfor.

Starting point is 00:13:40 I don't know if he's been talking to a lot of people in New England and what's going on. But Jason Lock in Forer writes, Green Bay Packers left tackle Rashid Walker, a coveted free agent, is expected to be among the highest paid players in the league next month with interest from contending teams like the Chiefs and Patriots. Walker's steady play in size make him a top target this offseason. Of course, when you look at somebody like Rashid Walker, you understand that he's been playing for the Green Bay Packers. And Elliot Wolf has a lot of connections in Green Bay.

Starting point is 00:14:12 So the background work is probably not going to be very difficult. And so maybe this is a wolf thing. Maybe it's in totality just a Patriots thing. But we can't overlook that connection that Wolf has being in Green Bay for so long. We can't overlook that. That would play a role in this idea. Now, Rashid Walker is a left tackle. He is 6'4 pounds.

Starting point is 00:14:40 We talk about the length. His arm length is 33 and 5 eighth inches. His wingspan is 80 and a half inches. So both of those tell you that he is longer than Will Campbell is. Again, 6-6-324. He's not 350-360, but still a pretty big guy. And the interesting thing about Rashid Walker is he's entering his prime. He's only 26 years old.

Starting point is 00:15:06 And you go back to 2023. he has missed 0.0 games. This is a guy for the past three years that has made it to every single Sunday ready to play. He has been the poster child of dependability. So 26 years old, no significant injuries in his NFL career, especially the last three years. He hasn't missed a single game.

Starting point is 00:15:35 Now, how is he? How's he play? Pro football focus will tell you that he wasn't, rated very high or graded very high this year. But when you look at other metrics like ESPN's past block win rate, you see that Walker is fifth in the NFL at tackle in past block win rate over the past three years. So has it missed a game in three years? And Bill Barnwell of ESPN writes that he is fifth in past block win rate over that time.

Starting point is 00:16:06 One of the best tackles in past protection. if you go by that metric. So very interesting guy. Now, it begs the question why somebody who is ranked fifth and past block win rate the last three years and is only 26 years old, it makes you wonder, why is that guy walking into free agency? Why are the Packers letting him walk? We've talked about how tough it is to find legitimate tackles. It's very, very difficult.

Starting point is 00:16:37 And college football, these tackles, they're not as good blocking as they used to be. Now, yes, you'll get some guys like Joe Alt who come out who is an absolute stud. But when you look across college football, you'll notice a lot of times we get into the draft and we're talking about the tackle position. We're talking about guys who are raw. They have tons of potential. So when you have a tackle who's in his mid-20s and he's played pretty. well, you usually want to hold on to that guy. So why would he be available? Well,

Starting point is 00:17:12 pro football focus says he's not good in the run game. And if you look at his last three years, his run blocking grade has not been good. So he has not been, you know, getting to that second level, creating openings consistently for the running backs. So good and pass protection, not so good in the run game. Walker's also had 27 penalties. in three years. It's a lot. 27. Not a math major,

Starting point is 00:17:43 but that's nine per season. And of those 27 penalties over the past three years, seven have been holding calls. Green Bay also might like Darian Kennard, who is a backup tackle, played a little bit this year.

Starting point is 00:17:59 Maybe they just like him and say, well, we don't have to pay him as much money and we don't think it's going to be a significant drop in play. But it is odd that a guy who's 26 and plays this position is going to just walk into free agency. So what would the plan be for the Pats? Do you move Will Campbell to left guard? Is Morgan Moses retiring?

Starting point is 00:18:22 Here's more from Lockhand Fora. Another GM noted the Patriots as a potential suitor with rookie Will Campbell struggling in the second half of his rookie season and perhaps being a better fit on the right side. The GM noted, quote, I know what Mike Vrable said about keeping Campbell on the blind side, but what did you expect him to say, unquote? I get the point from the GM, but I'm not sold. I'm not sold on this.

Starting point is 00:18:49 Number one, I'm not sold that, you know, Mike Vrable would just go out there and say something to say something. That's usually not his style. Again, I get the point, but usually what Vrable says, he stands by. And he was very cocksure when he came out and said, Will Campbell's going to be our left tackle. We're not moving him anywhere. We're not moving him to guard, right side.

Starting point is 00:19:09 We're not moving him to tight end. We're not moving him anywhere. Frable was defiant. I just, I find it hard to believe from what we have seen from this head coach that he would go out there a month or two after saying what he said, after the Super Bowl, and say, you know what? We thought better of it. We're going to actually move Will. You also picked Campbell fourth in the draft. and it just feels like you're giving up on him way too soon at left tackle when for most of the year,

Starting point is 00:19:42 for most of the year, I don't buy that GM saying, you know, the second half or Locke in Forer writing the second half wasn't that good. He wasn't good in the playoffs. We know that. We also know he got injured and he missed the final month of the season. But for the vast majority of the regular season, Campbell played well at left tackle. He was at least average, if not above average. And you use the fourth pick in the draft on this young. man. At 22 years old, I'm not just going to write him off and move him after one season.

Starting point is 00:20:13 Now, do you move Campbell to right tackle if Morgan Moses retires? Do you try Walker at right tackle if Moses retires? I don't know, but you're going to be paying Walker as a left tackle. And you don't want to pay him left tackle money to play right tackle. I mean, I don't hate the idea on the basic foundation on the premise. I don't hate the idea of moving, you know, Campbell to the right side to play right tackle or or playing Walker at right tackle. If you think those guys can play that position,

Starting point is 00:20:47 if one of those guys can play that position, if Morgan Moses is retiring. But there's a lot of ifs. And I just don't think Vrable is going to back away from what he said post Super Bowl. I think there are significant questions about why Walker's going to walk into free agency if he does. and what's the rest of this O line look like

Starting point is 00:21:05 and are you just shuffling to shuffle? Are you going to have a new left tackle, a new left guard, a new center, and a new right tackle again? You're going to roll in with four out of five linemen being new in new spots again after you did it this past year. Just seems like it's a little bit too much.

Starting point is 00:21:24 Not to mention the money you're going to spend on somebody like Walker when you have other obvious needs. Coming up, the pros and cons of the defense. of end that is consistently being mocked to New England. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. Ever wanted to experience the NBA Finals live and in person? Panduel is giving you the chance to turn that dream into reality with their NBA sweepstakes. Here's how it works.

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Starting point is 00:23:06 we keep sifting through different updated rankings for these players from all of the draft pundits and insiders. We look at mock drafts. There's just mock draft after mock draft after mock draft. In multiple mock drafts that I have seen have the Patriots selecting defensive end T.J. Parker at number 31. And T.J. Parker from Clemson. Clemson, of course, disappointed in 2025.

Starting point is 00:23:33 They were supposed to be one of the favorites to win the national championship, not even close. Not only did Clemson disappoint as a team, but a number of the guys on the team disappointed, and that would include T.J. Parker. He only had like five and a half sacks this past season in the ACC, and people expected him to be a double-digit sack guy. Now, Dame Bruegler of the athletic has Parker ranked as his 36th best prospect on the board in his top 100. So it would not be a reach. If the Patriots selected Parker at 31, it would not be seen as a reach. Now, of course, I'm talking about this in a vacuum pre-combine. We'll see how the combine might impact that.

Starting point is 00:24:18 But Parker, he went to the Senior Bowl and he had an absolutely excellent week of practice. and ESPN, Jordan Reed, Matt Miller, Field Yates, they wrote about Parker's Senior Bowl. He consistently won. He consistently won against every offensive tackle he faced while showing a repertoire of moves. So, T.J. Parker, after a disappointing 2025, goes down to the Senior Bowl, takes care of business, and was one of the standouts that week. and ESPN would tell you he was the standout that week. And this is how you build momentum.

Starting point is 00:24:57 If you went into 2025 with big time expectations, you fell short of those expectations, you have to revitalize yourself in the eyes of scouts in front offices. And the way you do that is you go crush the senior bowl. You go crush the combine. You go crush your pro day. And then everybody says, well, maybe it was just a down year. It was a down year for the program.

Starting point is 00:25:18 It was a down year for the defense. It was down year for Parker, but then we saw what he did at the Senior Bowl. We saw what he did at the Combine. We saw what he did at his pro day. And we believe that there is that untapped potential. That's what he has to do. The size fits the bill. He is a legitimate, bona fide, four-free defense event.

Starting point is 00:25:38 We've talked about this. We'll continue to bring this up to remind you. When you look at the edge of a Mike Vrable defense, he likes the guys to be, you know, 250, 255, maybe a little bit bigger. And T.J. Parker, 6 foot 3, 265. So Harold Landry's like 6 foot 2 and 250 and change. So 63, 265. He fits the frame.

Starting point is 00:26:03 His arm length again, 33 and one quarter inches, if you're into that thing. And at the senior bowl, one of the most important aspects of his week of practice was the fact that he showed a little bit more juice. People question his burst. They question whether or not he has the athleticism to get up field quickly at the NFL level. Well, during Senior Bowl Week, he showed a little bit more explosivity. He showed a little bit more juice getting up field. And if he does that at the Combine, he does that at his pro day,

Starting point is 00:26:37 then again, scouts will look at him and say, he didn't always show the burst, but hey, maybe he's got more in the bag than we thought. Another thing about Parker is he is a very good, if not elite run defender, which tells you he could be a full-time guy on the edge. He sets the edge very well. He sheds blocks very well, and he attacks runners. Now, he's not the fastest guy. He's not going to play a lot of catch-up from behind,

Starting point is 00:27:04 but he is an elite run defender. You know, if you want somebody on that defensive line that could give you a pass rush and be good against the run, was that guy at Clemson. He also has high character, according to everything that I've read. So that also kind of fits the Mike Vrable thing, right? High character, smart football players.

Starting point is 00:27:26 He has the size to play the position in the Patriots defense. He can play the run, which means he can play full time if he earns that. He's not a guy that's going to come off the field, you know, on early downs. He's not going to be that rotational substitute pass rusher. He might be early in his career, but he's somebody who can play all three downs.

Starting point is 00:27:46 And he's got that high character. And Clint McMillan, defensive line coach for the Patriots, he has shown what he can do. And Mike Smith, outside linebackers coach, pass rush specialist. I have a lot of trust in those two coaches. They did a really good job given what they were handed this year. And so, you know, I believe in this staff. Now the questions, the questions about Parker, again, upfield burst,

Starting point is 00:28:11 you know, what he did in-game, versus what he did senior bowl week, which one do you believe? You tend to believe the film. Also, there's this kind of feel of like the bull rush or bust. You know, when we talked about Keon White, he didn't have a ton of different pass rush moves. And so one of the questions about Parker is, does he have something to go to when his bull rush doesn't work? Now, again, senior bowl week, he showed a little bit more. He showed a little bit more versatility in his pass rush.

Starting point is 00:28:41 and then people will look at the fact that he only had five and a half sacks in the ACC in 2025 and, you know, expecting him to be a double-digit sack guy, that begs the question of what happened. But T.J. Parker is a very popular name for the Patriots at number 31, and I would not mind it. I think he would be a very good fit. We'll see if the Patriots agree. We'll see if he's there at 31. All right. up this edition of Lockdown Patriots, thank you for making us your first listen, for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C Radio, and don't forget to throw a comment in

Starting point is 00:29:20 on the YouTube channel, hit that like button and subscribe. And if you're looking for a gift for someone, make it easy, check out the Everydayer Club, add free episodes of this show, exclusive Discord server access, and more $5 a month buck and a quarter a week, $50 for the year. Subscriptions can be gifted through lockdownpatriots.com. Have a great. day and we will see you tomorrow.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Report: New England Patriots–Mike Evans Linked | Rasheed Walker Targeted?

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