Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - What-To-Do Wednesday: Patriots Talk with Balestrieri - 4/1/2020

Episode Date: April 1, 2020

As the New England Patriots attempt to build their 2020 roster, there is still a lot left to do. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to talk Pats’ draft strategy and how they might approach the next phase of free agency.  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, and welcome to your What To Do Wednesday episode of the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, 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 because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed and appreciated. And please feel free to send that feedback to me at any time by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming around through that Twitterverse, be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And don't forget, you can always listen to Locked On Patriots on your smart device. How do you do that? Very simple. Simply ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. That's one of the easiest ways to stay locked in to Locked On.

And today, folks, it is What To Do Wednesday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And as we have all week, we continue to go pretty heavy on draft coverage here. In case you missed it on Monday's episode, we broke down the prognostications for your New England Patriots by our friends at TheDraftNetwork.com. And our very good frenemy, and I say that with a lot of love and respect for the man, just not his team, Joe Marino of thedraftnetwork.com, had the Patriots playing the trading game. As did some of you, our locked-on Patriots listeners, slipping into the GM shoes and coming up with some great scenarios.

And if that wasn't enough, Tuesday was a day to absorb some green wisdom and counsel from your favorite and mine, the legendary Thomas Murphy. Murph and I talk draft prospects and who we believe to be the face of the franchise. But we just scratched the surface because there's still a lot to do in Foxborough. And today being What to Do Wednesday, I am honored to welcome in another man with the answers to all of the questions that you're asking. And that is Murph's tag team partner on the One Patriots Place podcast. And my beloved paisan, Steve Balistrieri, comes back here to Lockdown Patriots for the

second time in as many weeks. Like so many of us in the NFL media industry, Steve has been delving into the draft pretty deeply. So today, I put Steve on the hot seat and the tale of two phases when it comes to the Patriots drafts, the early rounds and the later rounds. Because folks, for as much attention as the early rounds get in the NFL draft, and rightfully so, that's where the exciting players are and a lot of the playmakers that end up shaping the course of the franchise, not just the Patriots, but every NFL franchise for many

years to come. But the Patriots have been known to find some diamonds in the rough. And for those of you binging Disney Plus lately, no, I'm not talking about Aladdin. I'm talking about those late round gems that end up paying dividends for your franchise. Who can forget, folks? 20 years ago, round six, pick number 199. I think that worked out pretty well for the Patriots. And that's right, folks.

You know who I'm talking about. I know we're trying to move on, but it's very hard to move on from 20 years of excellence. But even if the Patriots don't end up finding their Tom Brady of the future in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, there's still a lot of options out there, including a couple of intriguing options at the kicker position. What does Steve think about that? Well, we'll find that out in just a moment, along with his thoughts on who the Patriots might target in the second wave of free agency, which has been held up a little bit, folks, because of players' lack of ability to get a physical taken, and of course the travel restrictions that are resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.

But you can bet the GMs all over the NFL landscape are working very hard to craft their rosters for 2020, and that may mean some cap casualties. Who might the Patriots be willing to send packing, and who might they be bringing in? Again, folks, Steve is one of the best in the business in answering these questions, and that's why I had him back here today on the Locked On Patriots podcast. So settle in, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy today's show. However, before I welcome in my proud paisan, I just wanted to take a moment to address all of you faithful listeners of Locked On Patriots.

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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, you thought today's guest appearance last week was so nice, I asked him back twice We look forward to hearing from you. amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and One Patriots Place with our great friend and yesterday's guest here on Locked On Patriots, Thomas the Green Man Murphy. He is my paisan.

Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Steve, welcome back to Locked On Patriots, my friend. Always a pleasure, my friend. And hey, you know, who could say no to you, Mike? Come on. You asked me to come on. That's a pretty long list. I feel like Al Pacino, you know, hey, Mike? Come on. You asked me to come on. That's a pretty long list. I feel like Al Pacino.

You know, hey, you've been called. You've got to go. Absolutely. From one of our mutually great movies, one of our mutual favorites, Donnie Brosco. You know, everybody remembers Al as being the indelible Michael Corleone. And as a matter of fact, it was a tweet that I tweeted out this morning. Everybody's doing these March 1st through March 31st aging tweets out there on either Instagram or by Twitter. And I had to put out the photo of Michael Corleone in part one, wearing the orange

tie, looking slick, looking ready to go. And by the end of the month, he was old Michael Corleone at the end of part three, sitting in a chair and just waiting to keel over. And I feel like that's a good, I feel like that's a really good metaphor for everyone right now, but we keep pushing on. Everybody's still going and we're happy to be here on Locked On Patriots to help give people a little bit of diversion and maybe even a little bit of entertainment throughout all this. And Steve, the reason why I asked you back today is because you have a knowledge of the draft that is unparalleled, in my opinion, in this business.

And your opinion is one that I trust implicitly. And because it's draft season, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get back-to-back weeks discussion in terms of what the Patriots might do, especially now that we're starting to get a clearer look about what this roster might look like before that third wave of free agency. And of course, before the NFL draft coming up on April 23rd. And apparently by virtue of a memo sent out last Friday by Commissioner Roger Goodell and Murph and I went over this yesterday as well. The draft seems to be all systems go April 23rd to 25th. We're assuming that it's going to be virtual and the Patriots always raise an eyebrow or two, especially during day three of the draft period.

But you know, whether it be a first round selection that no one saw coming or last year drafting a punter, despite your incumbent coming off of arguably the best game of his career, the Patriots know how to create some buzz on draft day. And I'm going to pick some buzz on draft day. And I'm going to pick your brain on the Pats' abilities to find diamonds in the rough in just a moment. But let's start with the obvious, Bud, and that is the early rounds. Patriots right now currently possess the first round pick of number 23 overall and three

selections on day two, which are third round selections. The 87th pick, the 98th pick, and the 100th pick so far in the NFL draft. When you look at the draft board right now, particularly your top 100, who do you see the Patriots targeting based on need positions that they have right now? And Murph and I discussed this a little bit yesterday. Offensive line, obviously, Cesar Ruiz, we're both pretty high on him.

We've discussed him here on Locked On Patriots a couple of times before. But the offensive skill positions are definitely an option, especially at wide receiver. Guys like Justin Jefferson definitely appeal to the New England Patriots or should appeal to the New England Patriots. They might even go quarterback with one of those selections. Who do you see as a position of need and who do you see the Patriots targeting that would really look good in Patriot blue in your estimation? Yeah, you know, it's always a crapshoot when it comes to the draft because picking at 23, you never know how the board's going to unfold. So you have to watch. And the Patriots generally don't draft for need.

They generally go for the best player available. But for the purposes of our discussion this morning, let's go with what they need. And I think, and I've been saying this all along, I know everyone wants to see a wide receiver. Like, you know, everyone's dreaming Henry Ruggs is going to fall to 23. I just don't see that happening. Wouldn't we all love to see that? Yeah.

You know, or a tight end. But really, the tight ends aren't really first round. I wouldn't call them first rounders. So I think that would be kind of a stretch. I've been saying all along, I think they're going to go for a defense early in this draft. And I think it's going to be a linebacker, but you know, honestly, I see them, you know, there's a, there's a big gap between 23 and 87 and I kind of think they're going to

trade back into the second round. You know, that's just the feeling I get. I think they're going to trade back and they're going to try to attack that, that second round, the guy I get. I think they're going to trade back and they're going to try to attack that, that second round. The guy I really like, you know, I know people are talking about Patrick Queen. They're talking about Zach Vaughn.

You know, when you look at those guys, they're not really the size of linebackers, the Patriots covet. You look at the Patriots linebackers. They're, they're generally big dudes like Donta Hightower, you know, Juwan Bentley. You look at the Patriots linebackers, they're generally big dudes like Donta Hightower, you know, Juwan Bentley. You look at guys like that, they're big.

And, you know, Queen, don't get me wrong, I loved his game. You know, you watch him just fly all over the field. But I just, you know, Bill Belichick likes those bigger linebackers. The guy I think they're going to target if they do trade back and if he's available, Terrell Lewis from Alabama, who happens to be playing for, you know, Bill Belichick's good friend, Nick Saban down in Alabama, which, you know, they tend to like the same kind of players. And you look at Lewis, he's 6'5", 262.

He's built like, hey, Donta Hightower, who also played for Alabama. That's the guy I think they're going to target. You know what I'm saying? It's not the sexy pick everyone's looking for. But when you look at the Patriots have their own MO like everyone else. And I just think they're going to go after a guy like him. I completely agree with you. I actually think that's a really good, you know, selection.

And I like that you mentioned Lewis. And to be totally honest with you, not the sexy pick is exactly the reason why I brought you on here. And I don't read anything into that, Steve. I'm not talking about personally. I'm not talking about personally. I'm not talking about you in that respect. But you always bring the opinions that I think always closely mirror or usually closely mirror to what we see from the New England Patriots. You hit the nail right on the head right the minute I asked the question. The Patriots don't always go for need.

They don't always draft based on that. They'll draft the best player available for their system, for their culture, for the way that they play the game on the gridiron. And I think that's exactly how they're going to approach the first rounds. A lot of people think they will move into the second round. And I think that is an interesting prospect, especially if the number 23 pick arrives and they don't see a potential value or a player that they want to target unless they look at this and say this is a player we have to have we can't trade down and risk that this player is not going to be there i don't think there are too many can't you know too many uh can't miss players that they will try to target that they wouldn't be able to get in the number 23 pick that if trading up and maybe high up into the second round that they

might be able to target so i like that um that mention you did mention queen queen is a guy i'm very high on murph and i talked about him a lot yesterday uh but i do like the mention of lewis and i think that's intriguing and i think everybody will have their sharp eye out on the first couple of rounds when it comes to the new england patri. But Steve, the Patriots don't just make waves in the first round of the draft and even the second and third rounds. It's sometimes those later round picks that the Patriots have been able to select diamonds in the rough. And obviously the biggest diamond in the rough that they've ever selected in their franchise history, came in the sixth round and picked number 199 in the 2000 NFL draft. And that was Tom Brady. And I know, folks, we're trying not to be too sentimental.

We have to move on here. But he was a diamond in the rough. And the Patriots absolutely were able to hit on him and went to unparalleled success under his leadership. I'm not saying that the Patriots are going to find that type of player this year, but when you look to the later rounds and you look at some of the potential steals that the Patriots could target, we've heard a couple of names out there. One of them is at the kicker position. We talked about him briefly last week, and that's Rodrigo Blankenship out of the University of Georgia coming in to perform the kicking duties. Other than Blankenship out of the University of Georgia coming in to perform the kicking duties. Other than Blankenship, is there anybody that you're targeting that you could potentially see paying dividends for the Patriots in 2020 and beyond? Oh, that's a good question.

I think, you know, when you're looking at some of the maybe mid to later round guys, there's, you know, there's a big defensive tackle and I know they just signed one, but I think, you know, you're always looking to pick up a guy, you know, in the interior and another, not a sexy pick, but a really good football player, James Lynch out of Baylor. I really like him, you know, and then maybe there's an offensive tackle, which, you know, we've been talking a lot about Marcus Cannon. Are they going to restructure? Are they going to cut him to save money?

Another guy I think in the mid to later rounds that you could get, another guy I liked, Jack Jersko out of Auburn. You know, he's a big guy. I mean, he's 6'5". I think he goes about 3'10". And he ran pretty well at the scouting combine. And, you know, what I like about him is that he's kind of that very Patriots guy.

He can play tackle. He can play guard. He's done both. He's kind of athletic. That's a, that's the kind of guy I like. And then, you know, when you're talking about later on in the draft, sixth round, you mentioned Rodrigo Blankenship. If he's not available, Tyler Bass from Georgia Southern, you know, it's another kid that you could maybe see them go after.

So there's a couple of offensive tackles I think they might go after. And, you know, obviously they need a kicker. So you never know. No, I definitely, I like the fact that you mentioned Bass. And believe it or not, I think a lot of people are looking at him, you know, or may not be looking at him. Blankenship actually likes his attitude. They like his ability to be able to kick in clutch situations. A little concerned about him kicking up here in New England. Technically, he's been a very good kicker for Georgia in ideal weather conditions.

He's never kicked in the snow or in the difficult elements that he'd have to do so in New England. So that could be an issue. Bass is somebody that I think they could look at, you know, potentially. You mentioned the Auburn connection and Zach Blackerby and myself have gone back and forth several times, obviously, to talk about Jared Stidham and his, you know, progression. But there is an element of the Patriots, even with the rivalry between Bama and Auburn, I think there is definitely a synergy with some of the picks that they're able to pick up

and some of the players that might be available this year. So I think that was an interesting move as well. But I agree, if they're going to look for depth in the second part of the NFL draft and the later rounds, I think it's the lines. I think it's defensive line, maybe an edge rush here and there, somebody that they can come in and mold. But I think offensive line is a place where they look to add depth as well. And they're usually not afraid to pick up a depth piece at the running back or the wide receiver position and help add some depth there

as well. So I had saw some interesting, you know, choices in some of the mock drafts that happened during the weekend when we ran the Mocs of March here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. I did receive some interesting later round choices. So glad to see that we're like-minded in that. And we'll definitely, again, keep a sharp eye on some of those suggestions. And at the end of the day, bud, we know that the New England Patriots are probably going to go against the grain. Bill will probably take some defensive backs out of Rutgers, and everybody will be just looking at it and going,

what's going on there? Where did those guys come from? Hopefully you see something that we don't. So that will always, always always always be fun last buddy before i let you go today i just didn't want to put you on the spot too much but the third wave of free agency quote unquote switching gears from the draft here is always an intriguing period for the new england patriots this is where they tend to backfill their roster selections and they can actually pick some guys up that have been maybe overlooked and in the Patriots system they end up thriving is there anybody out there that's available as

a free agent that the Patriots haven't really either been linked to or that hasn't been signed that you're looking at saying this is a guy they need to bring in this is a guy they need to bring in. This is a guy that can really help this offense or this defense depending on their needs. Yeah, and there's a couple of guys that are still out there, and one of them was rumored to be on his way to New England, and that's Derek Wolfe, the longtime Broncos defensive lineman. And we heard rumors that they were close to signing Wolf that because of the you know ongoing coronavirus stuff that's happening all over the world that they weren't

able to uh conduct a physical for him and right now because of their cap situation I mean they don't have any money to sign anybody so it's kind of difficult right now but uh you know when you're looking at some of the guys that are out there once they make i believe and they will make some moves they have to free up some cap space i think um but you know i'm looking at a guy like a wolf um perhaps uh you know there's not really the tight ends have kind of dried up. I think it's, you know, everyone wanted them to grab a tight end. I think when you're looking at things right now, I think it's going to be the draft. So I look for them to pick up an offensive lineman, somebody that's not on our radar whatsoever, you know, because I've been scouring the, you know, the available free agents. And I'm like, you know, they're going to make a move that nobody sees coming as we usually

do. Yeah, I think that you're absolutely right. I don't want to rain on your parade when it comes to Derek Wolf, but actually it was under the radar. It was announced that he had signed a one year deal with the Baltimore Ravens last week. So he is no longer on the market. Yeah, he did. And no, that's okay. It wasn't under the radar signing. And I think a very good one by the Baltimore

Ravens who are adding some serious size to their defense, especially, you know, the trade for Calais Campbell obviously is the big move that they made, but bringing in Wolf, I think is a good move. And I think that's exactly what the Patriots will be targeting. Don't forget, Steve, there are a lot of cap casualties still to come. You mentioned guys like Marcus Cannon in New England, possibly even Rex Burkhead. We're hearing his name bandied about a little surprising, but if you take a look at the cap space that they could save by cutting him, it's not surprising, especially when the Patriots are as cap strapped as they are. They rank 31st in the league in cap space. So they're going to need to clear some and those types of players might be out there.

That means that a lot of other teams are going to be looking to shed cap space as well, and if that's the case, you may catch a veteran trying to come in, play in a system that he knows he can succeed in. Patriots may not be able to sell that as easy as they have in years past with Tom gone, saying you can come here for less money, chase a ring. Patriots might not be in a great position to chase a ring this year. I still think they're going to be better than people think they will be, but they don't have that lure of Tom Brady to bring those guys in. So maybe they can catch somebody on the bargain basement off of that wire as well. But I think in terms of active free agency, there's still some names out there to take a look at. So always, always a great time talking football with you, my friend. I appreciate you coming on today, lending your wisdom and counsel. The draft names that you provided, I believe, you know, we will keep a sharp eye on.

And at the end of the day, as we inch closer to the NFL draft, we'll learn more and more about what the Patriots are going to do. And that means that they'll do something completely opposite. That's the way it usually works. That is the way it usually works, my friend. No question about it. Before I let you go today, Bud, where can our listeners find you, your great work, not just when it comes to the great work that you do for the Patriots, but also some of the great writing that you're providing for the U.S. military right now, especially in these times

we're looking for new and different reads. And I can't recommend highly enough how Steve does and balances both. To me, it's remarkable. He's equally as great at both. So where can our listeners find some of your great work, my friend? Yeah, you can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. And I write for PatsFans.com covering the Patriots. And I write for SoftRep.com, which covers military and special operations in the military. And, you know, with all the coronavirus stuff

that's going on in the world, a lot of people don't realize how much is actually still happening out there. I was in the midst of writing a story this morning. You talk about trying to balance everything. It's funny. Sometimes you're working on a story for the NFL and something breaks in the military side.

It's funny. It's true. You start intermingling some of your phrasing and it doesn't really fit you know because you start using football phrases in a military site or you start using military phrases you know in a football story and things get kind of confusing because sometimes my editor will be like, did you mean to put this in here? Nope, I certainly did not. It's true.

Thank you. Days, hours. Oh, no problem. Days, hours, and months tend to meld together, and you do balance it well. And again, folks, definitely check out Steve's work on SoftRep. Check it out on patsfans.com. And, of course, never miss an opportunity to listen to One Patriots Place, my favorite Patriots podcast, two of the greatest guys in the business, two of the most knowledgeable guys in the business,

and I highly recommend it. My friend, as always, thank you. Stay well, stay safe, and we look forward to having you back on here on Locked On Patriots real soon. Thank you, Mike. Anytime. And so, Patriots fans, we put a cap on this What to Do Wednesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Steve always provides superior draft insight, and his prospects, particularly in the later rounds,

are ones I know you will all have a sharp eye on as we march toward April 23rd and the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. As for me, well, I will be back right here tomorrow on the Locked On Patriots podcast and 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, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher.

And of course, remember that you can always listen to Locked On Patriots on your smart device. Just ask it simply to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. Once again, I am Mike DeBate. I thank Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his appearance today, but most of all, as always, I thank you so much for listening and for

staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, now tell your smart device to play the latest episode of Draft Dudes. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great day, everyone.