Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - The Billy Pulpit? Patriots Draft talk with Pat Lane - 4/17/2020

Episode Date: April 17, 2020

With less than one week remaining until the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, host Mike D’Abate welcomes Pat Lane of Pats Pulpit of SB Nation. The duo discuss both the offensive and defensive Draft strategy for the New England Patriots, whether their plans at the quarterback position have changed, and if Bill Belichick has at least one more draft day trick up his sleeve this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. It is the final Friday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast before the 2020 NFL Draft. And Locked On Patriots is your daily home for news notes and analysis, infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England 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 folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed and appreciated. And you can share that feedback at any time by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC.

And while you're out there practicing your social distancing, but wandering around through that Twitterverse, please follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, we are under one week away from the 2020 NFL Draft. What will the New England Patriots do? When will they do it? And what will this roster look like when all is said and done and the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books?

These are questions we've been talking about all week long here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and we will continue into next week as we amp up our draft coverage even more. And today here on the pod, we start that amped up coverage. Pat Lane of Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation joins me today here on the hot seat. And we will talk offense, defense, quarterbacks, tight ends, edge rushers, linebackers, safeties, and whether yesterday's birthday boy, head coach Bill Belichick, has at least one trick left up his sleeve for the 2020 NFL Draft. Pat is not only a good friend, he's a great columnist and analyst. I am thrilled to share the microphone with him today, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy

what we have in store for you here today on the Locked On Patriots podcast. As we start the countdown today, Friday, April 17th, being six days away from the 2020 NFL draft. But before we welcome Pat into the hot seat here today, there are some Patriots news and notes to share with you. And it started yesterday afternoon when it was reported that guard slash tackle Jermaine Illuminor had officially signed his restricted free agent tender. This means that Illuminor is now under contract to the Patriots for one year and $2.13 million. Now, as we all remember last year, the Patriots acquired Illuminor and a sixth round pick at the end of last preseason in exchange for a fourth round pick. And Illuminor provided some depth on the line. Even though he didn't see too much game action, he did appear in 10 games. That was primarily on the field goal protection unit. He didn't start

and just took 29 total offensive snaps. But expectations have surrounded Luminor for quite a while, and the Patriots obviously see something here. He's a solid depth piece on the O-line. He's probably not going to win you many games, but he's also probably not going to lose you many games either. For a team that has its share of questions on the offensive line right now, this was a solid move, and I look for Luminor to have a bigger role than he had in 2019 when the Patriots take the field in 2020. But Illuminor isn't the only one signing a tender, because on Friday, according to Mike Reese of ESPN, fourth-year defensive tackle Adam Butler has signed his restricted free agent tender with the Pats,

and his tender is worth $3.26 million. This is a very smart re-signing for the Pats. Butler's interior pass rush, among some of the other things that he did, really aided the defense last season. He had a solid 2019 collecting six sacks and really solidified that Patriots defensive front. Now, the possibility that a team would sign Butler to an offer sheet was remote. Say what you will, but the team thought enough of Adam Butler to place a tender on him that would have made a team that wanted to sign him for an offer sheet surrender a second round pick. That tells me all I need to know about how the Patriots felt about him.

I think it's warranted. And again, in my estimation, I think the defense will be a little bit stronger this year knowing that Adam Butler is back in the fold. So two key Patriots coming back to the team in 2020. And folks, even though they're not new faces, they're going to have some new threads. Yes, anybody that paid attention to the Patriots' social media accounts on Friday saw that there was a teaser, if you will, that the long-awaited new uniforms for your New England Patriots in 2020 will be revealed on Monday, April 20th, on Patriots Day.

That's right, folks. You really can't script it better than that. And the Patriots have been very tight-lipped about what these uniforms are going to look like. But again, Mike Reese from ESPN, and folks, you know the regard I hold Mike's information. If it comes from him, it's pretty solid. He said that the changes are going to be subtle, and a lot of people have speculated that that means these new uniforms are going to look very similar to the Color Rush, with maybe a tweak or two. I know there are some

out there that are holding out hope that they may look to some throwbacks. Maybe the 90s style throwbacks, the Drew Bledsoe with the red shadowed numbers, and the big flying Elvis logo across the shoulder pad. And those of you that are like me are still holding out hope that we might see those throwback reds, and maybe even a Pat Patriot come back in the fold. To be honest with you folks, there really isn't a whole lot of reliable indication as to what these new uniforms are going to look like, other than say that the changes are not expected to be major. But in my opinion, it makes a lot of sense for these to be released now.

It's a new era in Foxborough, a new uniform, and a fresh start moving forward. So keep a sharp eye on Patriots social media on Monday. Those uniforms are expected to drop, I would say, probably mid-morning. And like all of you, I'd say it's probably a safe bet that I'll have my own opinion on what the new threads look like. And I'll share that opinion with you right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. But folks, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We have some great draft content in store for you today.

And in just a moment, Pat Lane of Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation will join me here on the hot seat and we'll talk some Patriots draft and some Belichickian strategy when the Locked on Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, they say a message is only as potent as the method with which you communicate it. And when you have a pulpit as your vehicle, people will listen. And today, I am honored to welcome in one of those messengers from the pulpit, a great writer and columnist for Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation, as well as being the co-host of the Patriots Nation podcast alongside Ryan Spagnoli,

one of my favorite listens in Patriots Nation. He is my friend, Pat Lane. Pat, thank you for joining me today, bud, and welcome to the Locked On Patriots podcast. Mike, thanks for having me. I'm very excited to be on here. I've been listening to the Locked On Patriots podcast since, I mean, since Mark was hosting it, and now you're hosting, and you do a fantastic job as well, so I'm honored to be on as well. So thanks for having me.

Thank you, Pat. And I appreciate the kind words. I'm also glad that you mentioned Mark, one of my dear friends in this business and esteemed colleague of yours at Pat's Pulpit. And since taking over the reins for him here at Locked On Patriots, he's been such a support for me,

as has everyone at the Pulpit. So again, while I continue to try to get this right in his honor, I do appreciate the kind words and the support. But we are here today to talk a little Patriots football. support. But we are here today to talk a little Patriots football. And Pat, we are less than one week until the 2020 NFL Draft. And the Patriots have needs, as all teams do. But some have been publicized more than the others. Wide

receiver, tight end, edge rusher, linebacker, just to name a few of the more prominent ones. And no, folks, don't worry. I didn't forget about quarterback. Pat and I will tackle that in just a little bit. But staying on offense and putting the signal caller position aside for just a moment, what is the Patriots' top need on offense, Pat? And if you are the GM, who fills that spot in the upcoming 2020 NFL draft? I mean, to me, it's obviously tight end. I mean, it has to be tight end. They don't have

a tight end, you know, and I know wide receiver, everyone points to wide receiver, but the thing is, is that, and this is a deep glass and wide receiver. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take someone as well, but you have to address tight end. You don't have a tight end. So you have to go and get somebody. And I don't know if they're going to address that through trade. Now, obviously we heard that OJJ. Howard is available. You know, Tampa's making him available. Anytime you hear anything like that, typically that's going to drive the price down because they've already been trying to move him

and haven't been able to, right? So then that rumor gets floated out there, so he ends up getting traded for less than what we thought he would get. And so maybe the Patriots say, you know what, we'll give you pick 100 for O.J. Howard, and Tampa accepts. Now, I don't know if that will happen or not, but that seems like something that could happen. Adam Trotman's a guy that I love, a guy out of Dayton who can kind of do everything.

He does – he has – he's probably the best receiver slash blocker in the draft. And I know Cole Kometa is good as well, but he doesn't have the explosiveness that Trotman has. so to me I like Trotman a lot the thing about him is he's still a work in progress too so he's not going to come in and be you know dominant right off the bat and so he's a third round pick uh and do they get him at 87 I don't know but I'm not taking him before that certainly not not a 23 that'd be insane and so that's the problem with this year's with this year's tight end class there's not a really ton'd be insane and so that's the problem with this year's with this year's tight end class there's not a really ton of guys that are there and I think honestly are

you talking about offensive side of the ball tight end for me is number one and number two for me is tackle they really need another tackle I'm I'm very concerned about Marcus Cannon he took a big step back last year he doesn't have Skarniecki, who, when, remember last time Scar left, he was terrible after Scar left. And then Scar came back and he played very well. And so now without Scar being there again, now I'm concerned that we're not going to get the best out of him and he's getting older. I'm not sure what his future, you know, what the future lies ahead for him. And so to me, I think you have to address tackle and if one of those top four guys are there at 23 which I don't think they will be but if one of those top four guys are there at

23 that's who I would honestly consider taking the most because all four of those top guys and if you want to make Josh Jones number five I'm not as quite as high on Jones as I am on the other four but any of those top four guys to me are plug-and-play guys where you're going to draft them and they're going to start day one for you, and I think that they could really use that. Interesting insight, and great insight as always, my friend. I'm so glad that you brought up the offensive line, specifically the tackle position. I agree with you on Marcus Cannon, and look, as for his play on the field, I've always been a fan of Marcus. I think he gives 110% every time he's out there.

But injuries and consistency have been an issue with him. And when you look at his dead cap hit for 2020, which is approximately about $3.7 million, and the cap hit that he would have by being an active member of the roster, which is a little over $8.9 million, that cap savings, to me, indicates that he might be an ideal candidate for being on the chopping block. If they choose to let him go, they're going to have a hole at right tackle. And there are some guys in this draft that could fill that role. Again, you mentioned the guys at the top tier, guys like Jedrick Willis of Alabama.

I don't expect him to be there. Tristan Wirth of Iowa, probably going to be off the board as well. Andrew Thomas of Georgia, likely to all be gone by the time the Patriots pick at number 23. Mekhi Becton out of Louisville, there's a possibility, but he's ranked pretty high as well, so I expect him to be off the board at number 23. Now you're starting to look at guys like Lucas Nyang out of TCU, Josh Jones, who you mentioned, out of the University of Houston.

They're right around that 4 or 5 area, and then you look at guys like Prince Tego Wanago from Auburn and Austin Jackson from USC kind of rounding out the top tier of the tackle class. Earlier this week here on the Locked On Podcast Network, we're doing a league-wide mock draft, and with the 23rd pick, I chose Cesar Ruiz out of the University of Michigan to fill the Patriots' hole on the offensive line. And again, I get it. Ruiz is a true center with the ability to play guard, and the Patriots seem to be pretty set at those positions. David Andrews is your center. On each side of the guard

position, you have Joe Tooney on the left and Marcus Cannon on the right. But I still went with Ruiz, and I stand by my pick, and the reason being, my friend, is that he's that type of generational talent that the Patriots just can't pass up. Yes, he probably should play either center or guard. I believe that if the Patriots were to take a flyer on him, that's exactly where he would play, at one of those positions. Tooney's not a slam dunk to be on this roster. He's carrying a 14-plus million dollar salary in 2020. There's no guarantee that they're going to be able to work out a long-term deal with him, so if he's only hanging around for a year at a pretty high salary, Patriots may look to move him to a team that might be willing to work out that long-term deal. When it comes to

David Andrews, and look, there's no bigger fan of David Andrews than myself. I love what he brings to the field. He's a joy to cover. He's just a great all-around guy, and I hope that he has a complete recovery and a long football career ahead of him. But he's not just recovering from a muscle or bone injury that requires surgical repair. He's recovering from a medical malady that is very difficult to come back from, and that's blood clots in the lungs. Yes, he absolutely can come back and come back strong and come back complete, but it's not a guarantee. And if all of a sudden that left guard position or the center position becomes open,

Ruiz is the type of guy that you can anchor around for a number of years. So even though we may differ slightly on where they may look to upgrade the offensive line, I'm glad we're like-minded that it is a priority because I've seen a lot of Patriots fans and even some media swirl around the notion that, oh, offensive line's not a big deal. Don't address it early. The Patriots place a huge premium on offensive line talent, and especially with Scar now retired, it's that much more important. I also wanted to address your point on the tight end.

I completely agree. They definitely need help in that situation. I also think that the number 23 pick is way too high to take a tight end for anybody, including Cole Komet, who's the consensus top tight end in the draft this year. Troutman, again, my friend, we are like-minded. I love Adam Troutman as a fit here in the draft this year. Troutman, again, my friend, we are like-minded. I love Adam Troutman as a fit here in this Patriots offense. I think taking him any earlier than 87 is unlikely, although I wouldn't count it out as long as it's third round or later. And as much as Patriots fans might not want to hear this, like you said, they may wait until

the later part of the draft, maybe the middle or late rounds, before they address the wide receiver situation. But Pat, I've been saying all week long, offense may get the headlines, but defense wins championships. And the Patriots also have some defensive shoes to fill in all three areas of the depth chart, whether it be the front seven, the linebacking court, and the secondary. Pat, my friend, same question when it comes to the defense. In your expert, professional opinion, what is the Patriots' biggest need and who fills that role in the 2020 draft? So, good question.

You know, this is a tough one. And what's funny about the Patriots is they have a ton of holes. They really do. And so, I really think they need probably a little bit of everything outside of cornerback. Obviously, they don't need a cornerback. They got plenty of those. But, you know, linebacker, safety, edge rus safety edge rusher you know you name it they need it and even even an interior defensive

lineman they may not need it quite as much but you know losing Danny Shelton does will hurt them and so I wouldn't be taking one of those guys early but I would think that they would they would look to kind of add someone now they did pick up Bo Allen and free agency but you know how much does he help and so we'll see what happens there. But I think to me, if I'm looking at 23, this is where I think they go at 23, whether it's linebacker or safety. I think they're going to take one of those guys. And so to me, it's going to be Chasen.

It's going to be Grant Delpit. It's going to be Xavier McKinney. It's going to be you know Patrick Queen um you know even and I've I've even heard um I've even heard uh the what the heck is the Marlon Davidson uh out of Auburn and so there's all sorts of kind of different spots and Davidson's an interesting cat because he's you know everyone talks about as an interior defensive lineman but he's a guy that can play both inside and outside on the d-line and I think that that would be a need for the Patriots. You know, I just think, I think they need some more playmakers.

You look at linebacker. I mean, they have Kyle, they have, I'm sorry, Donta Hightower and Juwan Bentley, and that's it. And so, you know, they need another linebacker. And that's why I think a guy like Queen could really help and, you know, and shore that up. Now, whether that happens or not, I don't know. Kenneth Murray is obviously a name that's been thrown out as well.

And so we'll kind of see the safety crop too. It looks really good between Winfield, McKinney, and Delbit. Those are all three pretty darn good players. And so that's kind of where I'm expecting them to go, is linebacker or safety at 23, because some of those guys are premium players. Now, if Kyle Duggar drops to the third round, and this is interesting, and this is one of the things I've been thinking about.

Because there haven't been face-to-face meetings here, are some of those guys like a Kyle Duggar, is he going to drop more? Is he going to be a guy that would normally go in the first or second round because small school and, oh, my God, look at the athleticism, and you bring him in the building, and he seems like a smart guy, and, oh, my God, we can get – but now you don't have him in the building. So now are people going to be more cautious because they're going to say, we haven't really got a chance to look at this kid up close

and look at the competition he played against, and, yeah, he looks great in shorts, but who knows? Or are people going to fall in love with the tape and the athleticism and be more willing to go up and get someone? I just don't know. And that's, we don't know a lot of that stuff. And so if a guy like Duggar drops to 87, like, I mean, that would be unbelievable. And I'd take him in a second, but I'm not taking him at 23. And I don't know if you need to. And so there's a lot of questions going on about that i mean the one guy to me i mean it's a pipe dream

but like if isaiah simmons starts dropping to like 10 or 12 i mean in a second in a heartbeat i would trade 23 and something else and i don't even know I don't know what I'd give up I'd give up quite a bit to get this kid because he's a monster and uh and I think I mean he's probably gonna go in the top five but if for some reason something ridiculous happens and he starts falling down the draft board I think that he's a guy the Patriots should target but but what while that's not going to happen I would just say you know linebacker safety and again all those guys I mentioned and you'll see guys too that we haven't talked about obviously zach bonds another guy but you'll see guys that we haven't talked about kind of coming in and uh and making a difference and i

think they'll address it early and i think they'll address it often you know tight end they could they could double dip on i i wouldn't be surprised to see them double dip on linebacker or edge or even safety for that man once again bud analysis, especially when it comes to the safeties in this draft. Look, we all know Bill loves him some defensive backs in the draft. The old joke that I like to keep bringing up here on Locked On Patriots is that no matter what we say, Bill's probably just going to take a defensive back out of Rutgers at the end of the day. But there are some really great safeties in this draft.

Xavier McKinney out of Alabama, probably one of the top tier guys, maybe even the number one ranked safety in this draft. Grant Delpit, to me, is the guy that's the best fit in New England. He's that prototypical patriot, that thumping type of safety that I think Bill Belichick and the defensive brain trust in New England would love to employ. Antoine Winfield Jr. out of Minnesota is someone that's getting a lot of buzz as well. You mentioned Duggar. I liked him as a solid prospect. To be honest, I'm a little surprised as to why Kyle is getting so much fan hate that he's getting, but I guess everybody sees something

different. I still believe he is probably a long shot for the Patriots to get in the third round, though. You mentioned the linebackers. Queen and Murray kind of go back and forth as to names that could be attached to New England. Malik Harrison has started to climb up some draft boards as well, linebacker out of Ohio State. Troy Dye of Oregon is a guy that I looked at a little bit earlier this week with our good mutual friend Thomas Murphy, who was my guest here on the pod on Wednesday. He's working his way up through the ranks. Edge Rusher is another possibility, and look, the guy that I love as the prototypical patriot Edge Rusher is A.J. Epineza out of Iowa. To me, he's just so tailor-made for the way this defense plays. Reminds me so much of Trey Flowers. He's got those heavy

hands, that versatility that will allow him to be a very good rusher here in New England. Zach Vaughn is another one that excels in the 3-4 set. He could do wonders here in New England. Another guy that I'm taking a strong look at, and this may be a really long shot for the Patriots to get in the third round, but that's Joshua Uche out of Michigan, especially after speaking with Isaiah Hull, host of Locked On Wolverines, who joined me here yesterday. He really had a lot of great things to say about Joshua. I think one of the more unsung edge rushers, so if the Patriots are looking for high draft capital to spend on this position, I think it's going to be either Epineza or it might be Bond as an edge rusher. But ultimately, if guys like Joshua Uche or even Terrell Lewis out of

Alabama start to drop a little bit, that could be an option for them as well. And again, Pat, I really love your insight on the interior defensive line as being an option for the Patriots as well. Another one of the guys that Murph and I spoke about earlier this week was Raekwon Davis out of Alabama, a true run stuffer, big, solid nose tackle, 6'7", 312 pounds. He's going to be tough to move around and can really help the Patriots run defense. So again, buddy, great insight on the defense. As far as your pipe dream about Isaiah Simmons, I would love to be able to entertain that for you, my friend, but I don't see it happening unless the Patriots make a trade up. But if he does fall to that high end 10, 11, 12, it's going to get interesting. Who knows?

Nobody really knows what the Patriots are going to do other than Bill and the brain trust. And folks, that will lead us into our next segment here on Locked on Patriots, because we will both attempt, meaning Pat and myself, the daunting task of gazing into the Belichickian crystal ball and thus trying, and the emphasis is on trying here, folks, to predict how the Patriots will address the quarterback position this year and what it means for their plans in the draft. Lastly, we will close out the week here on the pod with our thoughts on whether the hoodie

himself has at least one more draft day trick up his cutoff sleeve when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Once again, Patriots fans, I am joined today by Pat Lane of Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation. And Pat, earlier this week, Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show, and he addressed the Patriots quarterback situation. And to a lot of people's surprise, including me, if I'm being honest, Ian stated that he believes that the Patriots will use, quote, a premium pick on a quarterback next weekend.

Now, that's not too surprising, but what surprised me is what he had additionally to say. And that is he thinks that the pick is one that the Patriots one don't have yet, which means that he is probably looking at the Patriots trading up to get a quarterback, and that he believes that Brian Hoyer is going to be the starter when the season begins. Now, since Tom Brady announced his departure, I've been hearing that the team is pretty high on Jared Stidham. But if the Pats are serious about drafting a premium-level quarterback,

things could get interesting in camp this year for the Pats whenever training camp does begin. So my question to you is, Pat, based on what you have heard and taking under account Ian's report, who are you banking on as the starter in 2020? Is it Stidham? Is it Hoyer? Or is it the draft field? I can tell you who it definitely is't and that's brian hoyer i just there is there is a zero percent chance a 0.0 percent chance that bill belichick who by the way and i've been saying this for months now bill belichick was the

decision maker in the tom brady situation it's not not Tom Brady. Tom Brady, and Brady may have wanted to leave as well. But if Belichick offers Tom two years, $25 million a year, basically the same, give him the same deal that Tampa gave, but take the bonuses out, right? So there's another, what, $9 million in bonuses. So take that out, make it two for 25, just like Drew Brees got. Brady's taking that deal. 10 times out of 10, 100 times out of 100, he's taking it.

Now, he can spin it all he wants and say everything else and blah, blah, blah. But the fact is that Brady was taking it. And when Brady said that the writing was on the wall and he knew last year was going to be his last year, there's a simple explanation for that. It's not because he wanted to leave. It's because if Tom's not giving 42-year-old Brady, I'm sorry, if Bill's not giving 42-year-old Tom Brady a two-year contract, he sure as hell not given 43-year-old Tom Brady a two-year contract. So Brady knew what was coming, and he knew that he wasn't going to get it.

But he said, this is what I want. I want and I need a multi-year deal, and I'm not going to get it from New England, so I got to go somewhere else. So now you're telling me that Bill Belichick says, you know what? I don't need to give Tom Brady to your deal because I have Brian Hoyer on my staff, Brian Hoyer on my staff. That's why, I mean, it's ridiculous to think. And listen, maybe you want to start the rebuilding process. That's fine. But don't sit there and tell me that Brian Hoyer is the guy that's going to lead them into the next spot. And, and, you know, and that doesn't mean that Jared Stidham is going to be, you know, the, the next Tom Brady, first of all, no one's gonna be the next Tom Brady.

So that's, I mean, we could throw that one out there. And I think the problem is that Stidham and it's a whole different conversation, but Stidham has the most impossible job, probably in the history of the NFL, you know, in replacing Tom Brady, which is just, which is not fair to put on him, but that's what people are going to do anyways. And so, but the problem for me is that, you know, taking a quarterback at 23.

And so now let's shift to the draft right now. And you look at it and say, okay, who do they want? Well, is it Herbert? Is it love? Well, how do you know those guys are going to be there? Right. If Brady, if Belichick said, this guy is the next guy, Justin Herbert's the next guy, well, how do you know he's going to be there at 23? He probably isn't going to be there at 23.

And Love, who I would be so mad if the Patriots took Jordan Love at 23, I'd be just beyond pissed. But he might not be there at 23. And so you can't look at it as a Patriots fan and say well the Patriots have have you know really honed in on a guy that they really want and they're going to take him at 23 well because those quarterbacks might not be there you know the top five the top what four or five guys might not be there and so that's really the issue that I look at and say there's no one that they're obsessed with in the draft because otherwise they wouldn't have done

that now could they perhaps trade back which by the way i think they're gonna do i think they're gonna trade back anyways but could they perhaps trade back into the second round or early third round and take a guy like jalen hurts now listen i love jalen hurts and i'd love to have him on my team but i'm not taking him super early. Is he a guy that I'd love to see come in and compete in camp? I absolutely would, you know, give Stidham a little push if you think that Hurts can, you know, can do it. But to me, I just think there's too many holes in this team for you to go after a quarterback early. It doesn't make any sense.

And let's try to give Bill Belichick a little bit more credit and say, you you know that I'm not restarting my program with Brian Hoyer as my starting quarterback I mean that's just that's just lunacy totally agreed especially on Hoyer look I never understood the whole point in Brian Hoyer coming back to be the starter yes if there's some struggle with the quarterback player if there's an injury he can make a spot start he can definitely fill in very well he knows the offense backwards and forwards but I don't think anybody believes he was brought here to be the full-time starter. They're either going to give the keys to the kingdom to Jarrett Stidham, which is still what I believe they're going to do, or they're going to use that draft capital to find their starter of the future. As intriguing for trading for a guy like Tua Tagovailoa or

possibly taking Jordan Love with the number 23 pick like you said. I don't see either one of those happening. I think there's too many roadblocks, especially for a trade for Tua. I think it's an interesting, intriguing option, but I still don't think at the end of the day it's going to happen. I'm not necessarily as high on Jordan Love as the quarterback of this team as a lot of other people are. I like Jordan.

I think he's going to make a great quarterback in this league, but I think there's too much development to hand him the keys to the kingdom and pick him with the number 23 pick. I agree with you. If they're going to do this, I think it's going to be the middle to the later rounds. Jake Fromm is a possibility. James Morgan out of FIU is a guy whose name keeps getting thrown around. Jalen Hurts out of Oklahoma is a possibility, although there are some growing pain issues with him as well, where he would need to be brought along and learn that Patriot type of offense.

One name that I don't think is getting quite enough play, and this is a name that I've discussed with Mark, and I've also discussed with Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub, and that's Cole McDonald out of Hawaii. This kid is a true project, but he's the type of project that Josh McDaniels would love to cultivate. I think the Patriots might be willing to take a flyer on him if indeed they're high on Stidham and they want him to be the starter. Like I said, Pat, at the end of the day, I still think Jarrett Stidham is going to be the guy under center.

But as you stated, the reason why we're looking for another quarterback or trying to find that next quarterback is because of a decision that Bill made. And that leads me very nicely into my last question for you, my friend. And we hear that every year Bill Belichick plays chess while all the others are playing checkers. He's the all-knowing man in charge. But if we're talking media narrative, that seems to apply more to his on-field coaching skills, because all we hear is that, quote-unquote, Bill the GM, he makes the worst possible picks

for the Patriots year after year. At the end of the day, all he does is win division title after division title and have the Patriots in contention for championships every year. But I guess he's a bad GM. I guess that's the narrative that's being put out there. Narrative is probably the best choice of words, but I digress. Bill is also known for being able to pluck a proverbial diamond in the rough out of obscurity, more often than not.

And I'm not going to put you on the hot seat and be unfair and ask you to predict exactly what Bill Belichick has in store when it comes to the draft next weekend. But if you're trying to get into Bill's mind as we head toward the draft, do you believe that he has an extra special trick up his sleeve to build the 2020 roster especially knowing that a lot more eyes are going to be on him this year maybe than in a lot of others years past because of the absence of Tom Brady what type of trick does he have up his cut off sleeve is there something extra the hoodie has in store for all of us in Foxborough this year that's a great question and I think I think I'm going to take you all the way back, you know, 19 years ago to 2001. And I think that this season, and I had

written this last year, actually, that this season reminds me a lot of 01. And the reason why is because look what they've done, even in the free agent signing, right? They've gone out, they've picked up some guys that are highly thought of like brandon copeland and adrian phillips and even like a guy like demir bird who you know and bo allen people like and vitality and and so those guys and they're not big name guys they're not guys that are like sexy pics they're not you know day one signings oh my god this guy got a ton of money but they're the prototypical patriots guys where they have flexibility they can play a bunch ton of money but they're the prototypical patriots guys where they have flexibility they can play a bunch of different positions but they're reliable players and i

think that that's the type of stuff that when i start looking at this team and i say okay i see what they're doing they're trying to build a great defense they're trying to build a good offensive line and they're trying to put weapons around the quarterback so that the quarterback doesn't have to win the games the quarterback doesn't have to win the game. The quarterback doesn't have, you know, in 01, clearly Tom Brady wasn't the starting quarterback. Drew Bledsoe was. But the idea was simple. We don't need the quarterback to win the games.

We just need the quarterback to not screw it up. You know? And then at that point, right, then you get Brady in there. And now Brady takes it to the next level because he had that thing, right he got in that big moment he could make those big plays but even if you don't have the quarterback that can make those big plays in the big moments you're still going to compete because the rest of your team can compete you know and so and i think that that's what they're trying to do you've seen them address running back multiple times fairly early right you see sony michelle in the first round damian harris in the third round They're going after running backs because they're trying to build their running game up.

They're trying to make the running game better. So now you put less pressure on the quarterback. Now, I think, you know, they've done a great job of it. I don't know. I mean, we can argue about whether they've done a great job of it or not. But again, to me, what they're doing is they're trying to do all ones. You look back to the old one draft and you see guys like Richard Seymour premier, you know, elite, maybe one of the best players that Belichick's ever drafted, you know, and that's of course number six, right? So we're not getting a player like Richard Seymour this year. That's just not going to happen. But even in the second round, you've got a guy like Matt Light and you look at guys that they brought in that can compete on day one, you know, and the

Matt Light story always cracks me up because you know i'm sure you've heard it a million times but you know he's on the phone with the jets the jets are drafting them they're on the phone saying hey matt we're gonna make you a jet like we're so excited to bring you on this and that and he gets a call from the patriots while he's on the phone with the jets and the picture's like hey we just traded in front of the jets we're drafting and that's the type of thing that i could see happening where it's like they target a guy, he's high, we thought of, he drops a little bit. And they go after and get some guy that's gonna that's gonna plug and play right away. Now, could that guy be an offensive line? I don't know. Maybe he's a maybe he's a defensive lineman. I'm not sure. But for me,

I started looking at it and saying, they're going to do something where you're going to look at it and say, Okay, that's a good pick, right? They made that pick. That's a good pick. And those guys are going to contribute right away on day one. I wouldn't be surprised to see two or three guys that they draft in this draft starting, if it's not day one, by week eight on the team and playing pretty well and making a big impact. I agree with you.

I think they're looking at this draft as an opportunity for them to be able to restock the cupboard without having to strip it bare in the first place. I do want to give you kudos and credit on mentioning Matt Light. I actually had the chance to discuss that directly with Matt himself. For the past couple of years, I've had the good fortune of being able to cover the Light Foundation's charity hockey tournament at my alma mater, Providence College. And Matt really enjoyed talking about that call with the New York Jets and just how typically Patriots of a move that was, how typical of a Bill Belichick move that was. And I think you've hit the nail right on the head.

I think that's the approach he's going to take again in this year's draft. I think there are specific players that he's targeting that he wants to put in the fold. And if he sees the opportunity to get these players and thinks that his chance to get them might be in jeopardy, he's not afraid to offer some draft capital, leapfrog, and get the guys here that he wants. So bottom line, my friend, it's in Bill we trust right now. And I honestly believe that that phrase is going to be put to the test more this year than it ever has been in the past.

Pat, what can I say? Thank you so much for taking time out to join me today. Again, folks, please make sure to follow all of the work that Pat does, all of the great work that all of the analysts and writers at Pat's Pulpit do, specifically the Patriot Nation podcast that he hosts with Ryan Spagnoli. It's a great listen, one of my favorite listens. Last week, they had the honor of interviewing legendary comedian and Boston legend Lenny Clark. Highly recommend checking that out. Pat, please, before I let

you go today, please let all of our listeners know and enlighten them as to where they can find your great work and where they can listen to you on the Pat's Nation podcast. Hey, thanks, Mike. And listen, it's been, I'm very excited to come on as well. I think it's, you know, it's a lot of fun. You know, I love going back and forth with you anyways, and we've met once or twice and you're a great guy. And so thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. And so on Twitter, if you want to follow me on Twitter,

it's at PLane underscore Pats. And obviously you can read me on Pats Pulpit. And the Patriot Nation podcast typically comes out on Friday mornings. Unfortunately, we had a little technical snafu. We're trying to switch over to Zoom, and who the heck knows what happened. So I'm contacting the Zoom people as we speak, and so hopefully that episode will be out this weekend. But we got a lot of cool stuff over there, and so we're doing –

we're actually – we're at the final stages, championship round of Pat's Madness. We extended it through March because it was the biggest bust of the Belichick era, and right now it's stages championship round of Pat's madness. Uh, we extended it through March because, it was the biggest bus of the Belichick era. And right now it's the championship round and it's Chad Jackson, uh, versus Rosi Dowling. So it's, uh,

go on Pat's pulpit and, uh, and vote for that as well. So, but, uh, but yeah, Mike,

thanks for having me on. And, and, uh, we've been saying forever, we got to get you on our show too. So we're definitely gonna do that this off season for sure. Absolutely. And we've been saying forever, we've got to get you on our show too. So we're definitely going to do that this offseason for sure. Absolutely.

And I look forward to it. The pleasure was all mine. Again, folks, can't recommend following Pat and all of the great writers and media analysts that they have at Pat's Pulpit. They have been such a help and such a support to me throughout my career. I could not be more grateful for all of you guys over there. Pat, once again, thank you for joining me today. Stay safe, stay well, and we'll be talking again soon

and breaking everything down once all the pieces of the puzzle are put in place for the Patriots 2020 draft score. You got it. Take care, man. Thank you. You as well, my friend. And so concludes another week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and I sincerely want to thank all of you for staying with Locked On Patriots as part of your weekly Patriots coverage but also those of you that stuck with our national coverage this week and tuning in to the Locked On NFL 2020 Mock Draft Special

I was so proud to be a part of this with all of my colleagues here at the Locked On Podcast Network this has been a lot of fun and a great success for all of us. If you haven't had the opportunity to check out these shows, weekends are a great time to catch up on podcasts. I highly recommend subscribing on Apple Podcasts, following on Spotify, and don't miss an episode. It's a great opportunity to find out how right or how wrong we were when it came to prognosticating the real 2020 NFL draft to begin on Thursday.

And keep a special sharp eye on Wednesday's episode, because that's when I got to make my pick as pseudo-GM of your New England Patriots. And speaking of me, I'll be back again on Monday to continue to bring you the latest news, notes, and analysis from Foxborough and continue our draft coverage. Because again, folks, it's Monday. It's still Mock Draft Monday, meaning analysis from our friends at thedraftnetwork.com and also all of your great mock drafts. It's the last Monday before the draft, so take advantage of Mock Draft Monday

and send in your mock drafts. Watch for the reminders on social media and either reply or you can send that directly to our email address as well, LockedOnPatriots at gmail.com. Especially this week, you do not want to miss one episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. So subscribe via Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, and of course, you can always listen on your smart device. And it's so easy to do that, folks.

Simply tell it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the latest episode of Locked On NFL. Once again, I am Mike DeBate. I thank Pat Lane for his time, his insight, and his appearance today. But most of all, I thank

you so much for listening and continuing to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great weekend, everyone.