Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - The Mocks of March: Patriots Mock-Draft Monday - 3/9/2020

Episode Date: March 9, 2020

It is Mock Draft Monday on the Locked On Podcast Network. Host Mike D’Abate breaks down the latest offering from TheDraftNetwork.com in prognosticating the selections for the New England Patriots. He also provides his evaluations for the first submissions of the Mock Drafts of March interactive exercise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. It is once again Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily dose of news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. I am Mike DeBate. I am 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. Feel free to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming around on the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. That's right, Patriots fans. It's Monday and we're about to start off a new week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. I hope that you all had a great weekend and I hope that you're staying as healthy as possible. It's Monday and we're about to start off a new week here on the Lockdown Patriots podcast.

I hope that you all had a great weekend and I hope that you're staying as healthy as possible. And folks, I really wish that I could do more to help quell some of the insanity out there surrounding the coronavirus other than reminding you to cover your coughs and wash your hands. But I can offer you a little bit of a relief when it comes to another area of hysteria that's been circulating the news cycle lately. That's right, folks, you guessed it. Believe it or not, it was actually a quiet weekend when it came to Brady Watch 2020. Most of the crazy speculation seemed to take at least a couple of days off, and in a real shocking turn of events, especially with the way this has been covered, it's surprisingly

got a much-needed dose of realism. And don't worry, folks, I will get to my daily dose of Brady Bites in just a moment. But of course, you and I both know today is Monday, and that means Mock Draft Monday. And in their latest Mock Draft, our friends at thedraftnetwork.com have given you their latest prediction on what the Patriots will do, not just in the first round, but also in the third round. Keep in mind, folks, that at present, the Patriots do not currently hold a second round selection.

Whether that changes between now and the draft is anyone's guess. And this week's draft guru for thedraftnetwork.com is none other than Kyle Krebs. And much like all of his colleagues at thedraftnetwork.com, Kyle is as good as it gets when it comes to draft analysis. And he is not playing the trading game when it comes to the Patriots' selections this time around. He has them making not only the 23rd pick in the first round, but also the 87th pick in the third round. Now, Kyle's pick at number 23 should be a familiar name to all of you.

I'm not going to give away his selection just yet, but I will say this. If you've listened to Locked On Patriots in the past, you should be able to figure it out. But Kyle's pick at number 87 might be one that some of you are familiar with, but maybe not all of you, and I think it's an intriguing pick. I really like the player, but I'm not sure that's the direction the Patriots should go in, especially when, in my opinion, they have more pressing needs at other positions. But as I alluded to on both Thursday and Friday's episodes of Locked On Patriots, Mock Draft

Monday is no longer just about the expert analysis from our friends at thedraftnetwork.com. It's about your expert analysis. And again, as I stated last week, this is the month to be aware of the Mraftnetwork.com. It's about your expert analysis. And again, as I stated last week, this is the month to be aware of the mocks of March. And I very much want to thank all of you that took the time to send in a prediction as to what the Patriots might do with the number 23 pick in the first round.

Whether you're intensely passionate about the draft, or you may have just wanted to throw a dart at the board to see if you could match wits with Bill Belichick. Either way, I received some great selections. I'm happy to give you the credit that you deserve for making those great picks by sharing them with all the listeners here at the Locked On Patriots podcast, and I'll give you my thoughts and analysis on them as well. So sit tight, folks.

It's a heavy dose of the NFL Draft on today's Mock Draft Monday episode. I'm pretty sure you'll find it informative, and as always, I sincerely hope that you enjoy today's podcast. But before we take our weekly deep dive into all things NFL Draft, we did have one slight development over the weekend in New England's most compelling soap opera, As the Tom Turns. But folks, I'm happy to report that this time around, that development had nothing to do with reading lips, body language, real estate, Hulu ads, or FaceTime. Instead, this is one that I'd like to classify as a confirmation of really something that I think we've all been thinking

right along. And this one came from a source that I put a lot of stock in. Now, over the past month, we all know that there have been endless amount of rumors surrounding Tom Brady and his impending free agency and his potential of returning to the New England Patriots. But over the weekend, a voice that we know very well here in Patriots Nation revealed that he's had some direct connection with Tom Brady himself. That's right, coming straight from the goat's mouth. And that voice was that of Charlie Weiss, who we all remember was Tom's offensive coordinator with the Pats from 2000 to 2004. And by all accounts, he keeps in pretty close

contact with Tom. And while Charlie was making an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio, he discussed what Brady thinks about the rumors involving his much-anticipated decision. And I won't paraphrase here, folks. I'll give you his direct quote. When prompted with some questions about Tom, Charlie said, quote, I do have one most true and accurate statement that we've heard on Tom Brady's impending free agency since the end of the season. As I've said several times, the only person that has an idea of where Tom might be playing in 2020 is Tom himself. Now, I know even right here on Locked On Patriots, we've discussed a lot of informed opinions

and speculation from sources that I know and trust. And make no mistake about it, folks, I'm not questioning the validity of any one of them. But this one carries a lot more weight for me, and I'll tell you why. It's coming from Tom himself. Tom's not stupid. He knows the narratives that are being reported about him. He knows that the sources of some of these stories are coming from the Patriots' side of things, and he knows that some of them are coming from his camp. Say what you will, but Tom is very guarded about his public persona, and he takes a great deal of pride in it. When he senses that things are going off

the rails, and let's face it folks, in the past week they have, I think over the weekend he made the choice to turn to a trusted old friend to set the record straight. That's why I think this information coming from Charlie Weiss is probably the most reliable development that we've had when it comes to the Brady saga thus far. Keep in mind that Tom still wants to maintain his leverage. He's not going to come out and announce that he's signing with the Patriots or someone else until he feels the need to do that. Because there's still a week's time left in negotiations, Tom hasn't reached that point yet.

And I know the media narrative is going to be, well, he hasn't come out and said no. He owes us the explanation to say, I'm staying or I'm going. No, he doesn't. Tom doesn't owe anything to anyone other than his family, himself, and to a certain extent, the New England Patriots organization. When he feels the need to tip his hand as to exactly what direction these negotiations are going into, he'll do that. My guess is over the past few days, he saw these stories taking a turn toward the outrageous, and he reached out to Charlie Weiss to nip that in the bud. In my opinion, he'll do the same thing when it's time for him to let everyone across the NFL landscape know where he'll be playing in 2020. Some will tell you he already knows, some will tell you he

doesn't. To me, it's irrelevant whether he does or whether he doesn't. A decision has to be made, it will be made. Until then, it's probably going to be more of what we saw last week. You will indeed get some reliable information from some trustworthy sources. You'll also get some fairy tales from Fantasyland. Again, I stress to you to consider the source. Tom's free agency decision will be made in due time. And if you want a comforting thought on that, folks, that time is fast approaching. One week from today, March 16th, the official start of the legal tampering period when it comes to free agency. Two days later, free agency starts in earnest.

We're almost there, folks. In the meantime, let's hope that all's well that ends well in Foxborough. But again, Pats fans, Lockdown Patriots is not all about bringing you the latest developments in the As the Tom Turns saga. Today is Mock Draft Monday,

and in just a moment, I will be breaking down what Kyle Krabs of TheDraftNetwork.com has prognosticated for your New England Patriots when it comes to the 2020 NFL Draft, or at least the first three rounds, anyway. But before I do so, I just wanted to take a moment to address you. Yes, you, listening out there. If you've been a listener of this podcast, I'm sure you've heard all of the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you may not know that Locked On Patriots

is a great way for your local business to reach passionate Patriots fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On gives your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners. Not just any podcast listener, a Locked On Patriots podcast listener. If your company wants to connect with Patriots fans and a predominantly male audience that is well-educated with disposable income, then let's put your company right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Local fans love to support local businesses. Text the word advertising to 33777 or visit

lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. We'll get our team to help your team achieve Locked On advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising. We look forward to hearing from you. Patriots fans, once again, it is Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And as always, we have partnered with our friends at TheDraftNetwork.com to bring you the latest mock drafts, predicting the moves to be made by each of the 32 NFL teams.

That includes your New England Patriots folks. And this week, Kyle Krebs of The the draftnetwork.com has submitted his prognostications and usually here on Mock Draft Monday folks I'll go over the first round selection. Kyle took it a step further and prognosticated the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. Now for the Patriots this means two selections and I know a lot of you are sitting there saying well the Patriots may have more than that they may get compensatory selections. That's true. But until the league officially announces them, we can't count them toward a mock draft. And that's why Kyle didn't include them either. So this week, the Patriots did not only make a selection at the number 23 pick, they also made a selection at the number

87 pick in the third round. Again, as I said in the opening of today's show, at present, the Patriots currently do not hold a selection in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. So because Kyle did not play the trade game this weekend, he made a selection for your New England Patriots at number 23. And folks, as I said earlier, it's a name that you all know well. In fact, it's a name that we discussed quite prominently last week. That's right. With the 23rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, mock draft is brought to you

by thedraftnetwork.com. Kyle Krebs has selected Cesar Ruiz, offensive lineman out of the University of Michigan. And folks, this is starting to make the rounds on mock draft boards across the country. It's making so much sense that you know the Patriots just probably won't do it. I kid, folks. I kid. I sincerely hope that Bill Belichick is like-minded with all of us, because I cannot tell you how much I love the pick of Ruiz. Twice already here on Mock Draft Monday episodes of Locked On Patriots, I've supported this selection in every way possible, and nothing's changed. Ruiz fits every checkbox you could possibly want in a New England Patriot.

Versatility. Athleticism. Character. He has it all. And Kyle Krebs definitely agrees with that. In his explanation, Kyle states that Ruiz is capable of filling not just one, but two potential holes on the offensive line. Pretty much everyone, including yours truly, has predicted that Joe Tooney will depart

New England by a free agency. He's in line for a pretty big payday. But the Pats may also need help at the center position. Teddy Karras did a fairly serviceable job in 2019, but he's a free agent as well. And if Andrews isn't ready to start the season or is expected to miss any significant time, and Karras walks out the door as well, well then the Patriots might have two holes in that offensive line. They're going to need youth to fill at least one of them. For the purposes of the NFL draft, Ruiz is characterized as a center,

but he has the versatility to be able to play a guard. According to Kyle, he is, quote, the cream of the crop when it comes to interior offensive linemen for this year's draft. Just a couple of years ago, they used high-end first-round draft capital to draft Isaiah Wynn from the University of Georgia. I don't think they'll show any type of hesitation in doing so again, especially when it comes to someone who's such a hand-in-glove fit like Ruiz is for the Patriots. You've already heard me praise Ruiz's skill set several times here on the podcast,

so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here other than to say, Kyle, I'm in full agreement, and I sincerely hope that Ruiz's name is the one called when the Patriots announced their pick at number 23. As for the second round, once again, folks, the Patriots did not have a second round pick, and Kyle does not have them making any type of maneuvers in this week's mock draft in order to acquire one. So the second round was a quiet one for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. However, with the 87th pick in the third round of the NFL draft, Kyle has them seeking an upgrade on the defensive side of the ball.

And with the 87th pick in this week's mock draft, Kyle has the New England Patriots selecting Khalid Kareem, edge rusher out of Notre Dame. And in his explanation of the pick, Kyle describes Kareem as a defender in the mold of exactly what New England covets. He's long, he's dense, he has untapped pass rush potential at his disposal, and this is maybe a greater need than the Patriots may want to admit. They do need to start rebuilding from the inside out to cope with an aging roster.

And in 2019, the Patriots ran much more of a 3-4 defensive set than a 4-3. They used the linebackers to help out in the pass rush a lot more often than they did in years past. But the problem is that two of those key linebackers that were two of their key pass rushers in 2019 are free agents, Kyle Van Nooy and Jamie Collins. It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely that the Patriots will retain both of them. It might even be somewhat unlikely to assume that they're going to retain even one of them.

If they want to get younger and quicker on defense, this pick does make a lot of sense. From a scouting standpoint, Kareem definitely checks all of those attribute boxes that the Patriots love to see in a young defensive end and edge rusher. One of the things I admire most about Kareem is his first-step explosiveness. He has a great initial burst and release to drive out of his stance, and he's a lot more of a fluid mover for a bigger, dense, strong side defensive end than most people would think. When you watch him, you really learn to appreciate his drive to get out of the blocks without any type of solidity or wasted movement. When he times it up, he'll challenge to take the edge. And when the Patriots have been most effective in rushing the passer, they've had a

player like Kareem on their roster. I still think he's a little raw in his technique with pass rushing, but where he could be an immediate asset to the Patriots is with his run defense. Kareem best projects as a strong side defensive end to stack up runs and hold the point of attack. In Kyle's scouting report for him, he points out that he held his own well enough in reps versus the University of Georgia's Andrew Thomas. Kareem held up pretty well in that regard, and that's no easy task. The Patriots struggle to contain backs like that quite often in 2019. Kareem has the ability to set the edge firm and lock out to maintain control of the perimeter. His ability to set the edge firm and lock out to

maintain control of the perimeter. His ability to tackle is modest, and that's probably the reason why he'd fall to a third round selection as opposed to being a day two in the second round. He has a decent amount of range in his wingspan, but not much else. His lateral mobility isn't great to flip his hips and get outside if he's tested with speed to the boundary, and his mirror skills in head-up situations is average at best. That being said, Kareem does finish well. He's not one to ever quit on a play, and he does have a very strong wrap-up to pull down ball carriers,

whether it be a runner or a pass catcher. All in all, Kyle Krebs projects Kareem as an early-down defensive end in an even front at the NFL level. According to Kyle, he does possess the ceiling to develop as a more potent pass rush threat with some minor adjustments and if he's given a potent rusher opposite him on defense. Kareem has a pretty good burst and twitch to fire up the field, and if he becomes more cerebral with his rush counters and setup, the odds are strong that he's going to be able to become a solid starter at the NFL level.

So because of that, Kyle's selection definitely looks like a strong one for the New England Patriots. And let's just say it's one with which I wouldn't be disappointed by any means. But I don't believe the Patriots use the 87th pick here in the third round to take a defensive end. If the Patriots are going to be defensive-minded in this, I believe they use the 23rd pick to do that, even though I love the selection of Ruiz. If the Patriots believe that

the pass rush is in that much need of an influx of talent, I think they do so in the first round, and the guy that I might have my eye on for them would be A.J. Epineza, who's an edge rusher out of the University of Iowa. More so than Khalid Kareem, Epineza is really the prototypical Patriots pass rusher. He's drawn a lot of comparisons to Trey Flowers, and I agree with that. He's explosive off the block to rush the passer. He's a very good run defender, and he has a higher football IQ than Kareem does at this point. I believe round three is where the Patriots will look to upgrade the tight end position. I think the Patriots are going to find the well pretty dry when it comes to free agents. Austin Hooper is going to price himself out. Hunter Henry will be franchise tagged. Because of that, I think you'll see more money thrown at guys like Tyler Eifert and Eric

Ebron. And if you've listened to Locked On Patriots over the last few weeks, folks, you know they cannot think about going into the season with Matt Lacoste and Ryan Izzo being your top two options. I think the Patriots look at the landscape of this draft and use the 87th pick on someone like Adam Trotman from Dayton. Keep in mind that Trotman had a pretty impressive combine, so it's not a given that he'll be there.

But if he is, I think the Patriots are high enough on Trotman that they do not pass him up. But even if he's not, I still think the Patriots use this pick to upgrade the tight end position. The tight ends as a whole did not have a great combine. The position itself under-impressed. Because of that, some of the developmental talent might be available in the late second round and even into the third round, and I think the Patriots capitalize on that.

I think Kareem is a great fit for the Pats, and I believe the Patriots would love to have him. But barring a trade, to get a player of his caliber, they would absolutely need to use the number 87 pick to do it. And quite honestly, folks, I think the Patriots have a more desperate need at tight end than they do at the rusher position, rather than at defensive end, where they technically do have Chase Winovich and Dietrich Wise Jr., who in my opinion are capable of being a pretty good two-man tandem, even if the worst should happen and they lose both Van Noy and Collins.

My opinion is I don't believe they're going to lose both Van Noy and Collins. I think they'll lose at least one of them, and it's probably Van Noy based on the season he had last year. I think Collins fading in the second half of the season made it a little bit more financially feasible for him to accept maybe a lesser contract and come back and play in a system that he knows he can succeed in. So in short, folks, when it comes to this week's mock draft, I love Ruiz. I think they go Ruiz in the first round if he's available. With regard to the number 87 pick, I do love Kareem as a fit for this teamiz. I think they go Ruiz in the first round if he's available. With regard to the number 87 pick, I do love Kareem as a fit for this team, but I think the Patriots go tight end rather

than defensive end in this situation. And Adam Troutman is the guy that I take with this selection, provided he's available. But at the end of the day, folks, Kyle Krebs is much more of a draft guru than I am. He may very well be right on this selection, and I may be wrong. There's also a chance that both of us are wrong, because when it comes to draft analysis, projecting what Bill Belichick might do in the draft, well to put it diplomatically folks, it's an inexact science. That's probably my nice guy way of saying no one knows but Bill, and no one will. But again folks, Kyle Krebs and I were not the only ones to have opinions on what the New England Patriots might do with their first round selection. And in just a moment, we will dive right into your selections and kick off the mocks of

March here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Once again, Patriots fans, throughout the month of March, I will be asking for your feedback, your projections, your prognostications. It's your chance to take a look into the Belichickian crystal ball and predict what the Patriots might do in the 2020 NFL Draft. Over the weekend, we here at the Locked On Patriots podcast inaugurated the initial exercise in the mocks of March. And we started slow, but we'll be working our way up to multi-round predictions.

And we'll even get your thoughts on whether the Patriots should think about trading picks to either trade up or trade down. Or if some of those picks could even be traded for a veteran? Hmm, that might be interesting. But over the weekend, I asked for your feedback in terms of what the Patriots might do with the number 23 pick, assuming they hold on to it. And I did get some interesting responses. Now, you know from listening to the podcast that I believe the Patriots are going to go offensive line, and I think they should go

offensive line. My selection is in line with Kyle Krebs' selection this week, and also Joe Marino's selection last week for the DraftNetwork.com. I believe the Patriots are taking offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz from Michigan. But some of you listeners out there prognosticated that the Patriots would go offensive skill position or gain some help at the linebacker position when it comes to your thoughts on what the Patriots will employ when it comes to 2020 draft strategy. And I'll start on the offensive side of the ball. The first selection on the mocks of March here on the Locked On Patriots podcast comes

from Twitter at Parody underscore Life. And Parody Life projected that the Patriots, with the number 23 pick in the draft, would select Henry Ruggs III, wide receiver out of the University of Alabama. And this selection was aggressive, to say the least. And make no mistake about it, Parody Life, I would love to see Ruggs put on Patriot Blue.

He's got incredible speed. You've heard him described as someone who has a threat to score on every touch. And to me, it's absolutely applicable. Because just one wrong angle or misstep by the defense is going to result in a touchdown because this kid's ability to accelerate is absolutely amazing but speed is not rugs his only attribute he's a polished wide receiver has the ability to block has a very high football iq and really has all the tools to make an immediate impact and be a very effective offensive weapon for any team that drafts him. So parody life, I love your thought process, but this one just does not have a chance to make it.

He will not be there when the Patriots choose at number 23. If they have targeted Ruggs and they want him, they have to trade up to get him. And without a second rounder, I don't think they have the draft capital to make that happen. So as much as I love Ruggs, unfortunately, I do have to say that I believe your selection is highly unlikely, and I'm probably being generous when I say that. But don't take that too hard, because I love the effort, I love the thought process, and if they ever do somehow pull this off, I will give you all the kudos in the world. I appreciate you sending in the selection, and I encourage you to keep participating

here on the Mocs of March. Because quite honestly, I like the way you think. It's aggressive. And when it comes to the draft, sometimes you need to shoot for the stars a little bit. So once again, keep up those evaluations, and thank you for the selection. We stay on the offensive side of the ball for our next selection. And this one comes from a faithful listener of Locked On Patriots whose daily support truly honors and humbles me. And that's Starra at Keto Jersey Girl.

And Starra predicts that the Patriots would look to upgrade the tight end position in the first round at number 23. And because she chose a tight end in this spot, I have to credit her on choosing the best out there. And that's Cole Komet of Notre Dame. Now this is an interesting selection, Starra. Komet long has been considered the best tight end in the 2020 draft class,

and his performance at the Combine really didn't do much to change that. He's a smooth route runner, he has excellent ball skills, and the ability to win in contested situations. And that's exactly what an NFL team would want in a starting caliber tight end. From an athleticism standpoint, he's modest at best. With the way the tight end position is played nowadays, he lacks some of that enthusiasm to make him an immediate dynamic weapon. He has the traits to be able to do it, but he still needs development.

And that really is the case when it comes to his blocking as well. Good, but not great. Because of that, I don't think Komet is a first rounder. Because of that, I don't see the Patriots using the number 23 pick to take Komet. If they're able to package a number of lower picks I don't see the Patriots using the number 23 pick to take Kemet. If they're able to package a number of lower picks to trade up into the second round, then I think Kemet will definitely be on their radar. And in my opinion, he'd be a great fit in Foxborough, and I think someone that could be a weapon for Tom Brady, or whoever the quarterback here in New England will

be in 2020, right off the bat. But if I'm being honest, I think the Patriots realize that there is more potential upside at a lot of other positions of need, and I think they choose to use the number 23 pick in that regard. So again, while I like Komet as a potential fit for the Patriots, should they choose to trade up to get him, I don't think they use the 23rd pick to do it. If they're unable to trade into the second round, then I think the window on being able to choose Komet will be closed. They'll need to look to the third round to do it. And again, as I previously stated, I think the window on being able to choose Komet will be closed. They'll need to look to the third round to do it. And again, as I previously stated, I think Adam Trotman is a great fit here and one that you won't have to invest as much draft capital to obtain.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots love their draft bargains, and Trotman can give you nearly the production that Komet can give you at a fraction of the cost. So, Starra, thank you for submitting your selection. I hope I helped to shed some light on what the Patriots might be thinking when it comes to the tight end position, and as always, honored and humbled by your support. Thank you very much. The next two selections come on the defensive side of the ball, and they actually come at the same position. And to me, these are the two most intriguing, and also the most realistic in terms of what the Patriots

might do, at least in my opinion. The first prognostication comes from Tyler Brown, at some Philly fan, and Tyler projects that the Patriots, at the number 23 pick, will go linebacker, and they will select Patrick Queen out of LSU. Now again, Tyler, I like this pick a lot. It's intriguing, and it's realistic. Right now, most draft boards have Queen being selected somewhere in the 20s, and the Patriots have the 23rd selection. A little lower on that echelon, and it's definitely something that could happen.

Queen had a very impressive combine. He has every trait needed to become an every-down defensive playmaker at the next level. He's athletic, he's fluid, he's physical, urgent, and intelligent. You really couldn't ask for more. He is the Patriots' type of defender because he doesn't have a whole lot of restrictions. He can showcase the reactive athleticism and movement skills that are needed to work sideline to sideline and thrive in pass coverage. He may need some time to acclimate to the next level, and this is where I think the

Patriots might hesitate a little bit on Queen. He's most effective and comfortable in a 4-3 system, and the Patriots typically employ a 3-4 defense. I'm not saying they wouldn't switch up the looks for him, but if the Patriots are able to keep most of their 2019 defensive pieces intact, that was a very good and very strong unit. I don't think they'd look to reinvent the wheel or attempt to fix what isn't broken. If they do lose one or two of their key linebackers that are free agents, then I think Queen becomes a very intriguing option. And at that point, as a linebacker, he could be the fit that they're looking for.

So Tyler, thank you for submitting this. I love the optimism in your pick, and I love the intuition in your pick as well. Keep a sharp eye out on this one, folks. This has got a chance. But last, and certainly not least, Pats fans, our final selection of the day comes from a good friend of our program. A very high-profile friend of our program, a very high-profile friend of our program, someone at whom I always tip my cap. Okay, folks, awful analogies aside,

it comes from my good friend Miguel Benzon, the Pats cap himself. And when Miguel gazed into his Belichickian crystal ball, he determined that at number 23, the Patriots would select another linebacker. This time it would be Kenneth Murray out of the University of Oklahoma. And much like Queen, Murray had himself a pretty good combine, and it only helped to enhance his draft stock. To me, this one's another intriguing pick, and based on where he's projected to go, mid to late first round,

Murray could also be someone that the Patriots have their eye on. He's coming off playing his best ball at Oklahoma in 2019. He's a tone setter on the second level, and he has an urgent, aggressive, and physical defensive style and very good range. Murray's been described as the type of player with that unrelenting motor, very similar to the way people described Chase Winovich last year. But Murray is a bit more advanced in his NFL readiness than Winovich was during 2019. Where Queen becomes a bit more of a safe pick is that he's a bit more advanced in his NFL readiness than Winovich was during 2019.

Where Queen becomes a bit more of a safe pick is that he's a bit better when it comes to his blocking and his technique for beating blocks. Murray is still very much working his way through that, so his skill set may give the Patriots some hesitation. But where Murray is the superior pick to Queen, in my opinion, is his versatility. He's capable of playing in both a 4-3 scheme and a 3-4 scheme. This is something that the Patriots are typically known to love, and Bill Belichick particularly loves versatile defenders. Again, Miguel, I still think the Patriots go offensive line in the first round.

I still think Ruiz is their best fit, but if they choose to address the linebacker position, I think that even though Queen is the superior athlete, and probably the wiser pick, I think the Patriots would go with superior athlete and probably the wiser pick, I think the Patriots would go with Murray here for no other reason than his versatility. So again, two great picks, one by Tyler, one by Miguel to close it out here. I lean more toward Murray than Queen,

but I would love to see either one of these guys in Patriot blue this year. And who knows? Maybe we will. And there you have it, folks. The first exercise in our near month-long Mocks of March party has concluded here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Again, I want to thank Parody Life, Stara, Tyler, and Miguel for gazing into their Belichickian crystal ball and sharing their wisdom and counsel with all of us here at Locked On Patriots.

As for me, I will be back here tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news, notes, and analysis from Foxborough. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank you so much for listening today and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's episode of Locked On Patriots, now tell your smart device

to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL. Have a great day, everyone.