In the latest episode of Patriots Daily from CLNS Media, Taylor Kyles teams up with Connor Rodgers of NBC Sports. Together, they conduct a comprehensive 7-round mock draft in anticipation of a pivotal upcoming NFL draft, set to begin on Thursday. This episode is a must-listen for fans looking to get insights on potential draft picks and strategies as the New England Patriots prepare for one of their most important drafts in franchise history.
This episode of the Patriots Daily Podcast is brought to you by:
Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
This episode of the Patriots Daily Podcast is brought to you by:
Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - What's going on everyone?
00:27 Taylor Kyle's here for CLNS Media
00:28 coming at you with another episode of "Bats Daily"
00:31 brought to you by our good friends at Price Fix,
00:33 the exclusive daily fantasy partner of CLNS Media.
00:36 Continuing our draft week coverage,
00:38 we're doing another mock draft
00:40 with one of my favorite people in this business,
00:42 who's extremely well-informed,
00:44 absolutely killing it over at the NFL Stock Exchange Show
00:48 with Trevor Sikema,
00:49 also part of the NBC Sports NFL Draft
00:51 and Fantasy Football Happy Hour.
00:53 Another one of the absolute busiest people
00:55 in the business this time of year,
00:57 so really appreciative you made the time.
00:59 Connor Rodgers, Connor, how you doing buddy?
01:01 Are you hanging in there?
01:02 - Taylor, I'm good, man.
01:03 I love this time of year.
01:04 I appreciate you having me.
01:06 The Patriots are such an interesting team
01:08 going into this draft.
01:09 It's just a lot of fun to talk about them
01:11 and the draft as a whole right now.
01:13 - Speaking of which, I know you are doing your series
01:16 where you kind of take control
01:17 and try to get your own perspective
01:19 on how these teams should go about retooling their rosters.
01:21 So what's your perspective on the Patriots post for agency?
01:25 Obviously, didn't make a ton of splash
01:27 in terms of out of house signings.
01:28 I know they tried the whole Calvin Ridley thing,
01:30 but at the end of the day, came down to money.
01:33 And the quarterback situation probably didn't help either,
01:35 but they did do a good job
01:36 retaining some of their key players.
01:38 And as Elliot Wolfe said last week,
01:40 they have NFL receivers, NFL offensive linemen.
01:43 They still just need that long-term answer at quarterback.
01:46 But in terms of the overall roster,
01:48 where do you feel like the team stands right now?
01:50 - It feels like a team that started to lay out,
01:52 you know, somewhat of a ground floor,
01:54 but they need difference makers.
01:55 And I think they'll be the first to tell you that.
01:57 That's the thing with New England right now
01:59 is that you have guys that you can kind of lean on,
02:01 like Kendrick Bourne.
02:02 I know he's coming off injury,
02:02 but Kendrick Bourne to me is a guy
02:04 that you know exactly what he is.
02:06 You could trust.
02:07 You look at, bring him back Mike Onwenu, right?
02:09 Like that's a ground floor kind of guy.
02:12 Okay, let's build this thing around him
02:14 with the offensive line.
02:15 Young players that are gonna step into key roles
02:18 on the offensive line, like a city.
02:19 So we've seen Cole Strange play a lot already.
02:22 So I think with the Patriots,
02:24 and a lot of that could be said
02:25 about the defense as well, right?
02:26 Kyle Duggar's in the fold for the longterm.
02:28 Christian Gonzalez, I thought he was a top 10 player
02:30 last year for that draft.
02:31 I don't know why he's, well, I mean,
02:33 there's nothing bad of why he slid.
02:35 It's just teams overthinking.
02:37 No world should Emmanuel Forbes be drafted over him.
02:40 So the Patriots really made out like bandits
02:42 getting that kind of pick.
02:43 Hoby back from injury.
02:44 He's gonna be a top like corner.
02:46 So they have some really baseline guys,
02:48 but now maybe go get a guy on offense
02:51 that can scare you a little bit,
02:52 and maybe look at your defense and go,
02:54 "Okay, besides Judon coming back from injury,
02:56 who's gonna rush the passer for us, right?
02:58 Is Keon White gonna take a step?"
03:00 And he was a guy I really liked last year.
03:01 So this is a roster that I don't think it's thin.
03:05 I think you just wanna see a blue chip or two
03:07 added at a premium spot.
03:09 - Absolutely.
03:10 Also, one of the reasons you're my favorites,
03:11 giving Sidney Stowe a shout out.
03:13 I feel like he's not getting nearly enough love.
03:15 Obviously had some ups and downs last season,
03:17 but considering you spent the entire summer at tackle,
03:20 like when I asked him how he thought he did last season,
03:22 he's like, "Yeah, man, I didn't really get to play guards
03:24 on the regular season."
03:25 And finally figured it out, which was really impressive.
03:27 Excited to see what he does in year two.
03:29 And you kind of mentioned the edge position.
03:31 Everybody talks about quarterback, receiver, and left tackle
03:34 for very fair reasons.
03:35 Those are premium offensive spots
03:37 that need to be addressed long-term.
03:38 But at the same time,
03:39 I feel like there are also some sneaky needs on this team.
03:42 You mentioned Cole Strange and his health situation,
03:44 but also on the defense,
03:45 like having a little roster breakdown,
03:47 decided to add tags for all the 2025 for agents.
03:49 And it's like, oh, their defense is non-existent
03:53 pretty much next year,
03:54 except for some of their young guys.
03:55 So are there any positions of need
03:57 that you feel like may be under looked right now
03:59 and could use some attention in the draft?
04:01 - Right, and you nailed it.
04:02 Like everybody talks about the quarterback situation
04:04 with this team.
04:05 You hear offensive line and wide receiver.
04:07 You know, when you look at defense right now,
04:09 you kind of sit there and go,
04:10 "Okay, how do we feel about, once again,
04:13 the rotation of rushers that we have right now?
04:16 How about another interior defensive lineman?"
04:18 Right? And you have Christian Barmore there,
04:20 obviously we know all about him,
04:21 but can you get another big body on this defensive line
04:25 that maybe makes life easier next to Keon White
04:27 or next to Matthew Judon?
04:29 So I think speed is something I would prioritize
04:33 for this defense.
04:33 I want more guys that can run and chase.
04:35 I want more guys that have a quick step off the ball.
04:38 And Josh Uche is back on, what a bargain deal that is.
04:41 So you know on passing downs,
04:42 like you could put Uche on the field
04:43 and you know what kind of rusher he is.
04:45 But I think more players in that mold,
04:47 that speed is so, so important for this team.
04:50 And you could argue maybe for the interior defensive line,
04:52 getting another guy like that as well.
04:54 And this draft is so interesting
04:56 because it's not a draft where in the top 50,
04:58 you're going to hear six defensive linemen's name,
05:00 interior guys called,
05:02 and they're going to be stars all around type of players.
05:04 You're really looking at it and getting role players.
05:06 You have pass rushers for rounds three to five.
05:08 You have run stuffers for rounds three to five.
05:10 And I think that's kind of a bargain rack
05:13 that New England can attack
05:14 and get some value on later in the draft
05:16 to beef up the front of that front seven.
05:18 - And Marcus Covington did say,
05:20 getting pressure, getting sacks and turnovers
05:22 are two big areas of emphasis for this season.
05:25 Places where for understandable reasons
05:26 without Judon and Gonzalez,
05:28 they did lack in last season,
05:30 but really even see where they let Lawrence Guy go
05:32 for understandable reasons.
05:33 He's getting up there in age.
05:34 Seemed like there was a contract thing going on,
05:36 but also seemed to kind of replace him with Arman Watts,
05:38 who's a guy who's still, I think,
05:40 very sturdy as a run defender, but brings more pass rush.
05:43 And it feels like that's kind of where they're leaning.
05:45 Maybe they unleashed Josh Uche,
05:47 kind of let him really pin his ears back
05:48 and rush the passer.
05:49 Whereas last season, obviously health
05:51 kind of worked against him,
05:53 but you also saw there was so much contain
05:54 and a lot of moments where he couldn't use that ghost move
05:57 and really use the explosiveness.
05:59 So hopefully in this scheme,
06:00 we will see some more explosiveness
06:01 from the defensive side of the ball.
06:03 Before we get into the mock draft,
06:04 we do have to address the quarterback situation.
06:07 Everybody has their different flavor
06:09 of who they want at the third overall pick.
06:11 Also some people very understandably saying,
06:13 hey, the Patriots are trade out,
06:15 quarterback's a position where the hit rate isn't super high
06:17 even with high picks like this,
06:19 maybe they trade and try to get somebody a little later.
06:22 What do you think the Patriots should be doing
06:24 with the number three pick?
06:25 - Right, and it depends on the board falls,
06:27 'cause for me, I just go by my rankings.
06:29 Caleb Williams will be gone.
06:30 That makes that conversation really quick and concise.
06:33 I think Drake May is a really good quarterback prospect.
06:36 I understand the lows.
06:38 I understand the bus potential,
06:39 which you could argue for every quarterback
06:41 in every single draft.
06:43 I understand the inconsistencies.
06:45 He's a young quarterback, right?
06:46 Like Jaden Daniels, Michael Penix, Bo Nix,
06:49 they play a lot more football
06:51 than the guys ahead of them right now.
06:53 They are 50-year type of players.
06:55 They are all transferred.
06:56 With Drake May, you're looking at a situation
06:59 where that offense wasn't any good,
07:01 he's pressured a ton, he developed bad habits.
07:03 You're gonna have to develop the bad habits out of him.
07:05 If he's there at three,
07:07 there's no world where I'm passing on Drake May.
07:09 And I know that's not popular anymore.
07:10 And I understand for New England,
07:12 I've often argued for them,
07:13 like take Marvin Harrison Jr.
07:15 and figure out the quarterback situation later.
07:18 When I was saying that,
07:19 a lot of it was that I thought the draft
07:21 would go Caleb Williams and Drake May.
07:23 And then you're picking in the pool of Jaden Daniels,
07:25 Michael Penix, Bo Nix, JJ McCarthy,
07:28 where I'm like, if you're in New England,
07:30 those quarterback prospects are fine.
07:32 I don't know if I wanna draft fine at number three.
07:34 I think I'd want a difference maker.
07:36 Marvin Harrison Jr. is a difference maker.
07:38 And then when your next successor comes into the fold,
07:42 he's coming into a situation
07:43 where his number one wide receiver
07:44 is pretty clear cut with Marv.
07:46 Now that there's been more drama,
07:48 where it seems like Jaden Daniels
07:49 could be the number two overall pick in the draft,
07:51 and that's far from a lock.
07:53 Drake May, this is not a bad landing spot.
07:55 I think he could sit behind Jacoby Brissett.
07:57 I think New England, we're gonna talk about
07:58 that second round pick and address receiver there.
08:00 So that's, and how many times are you gonna be picking
08:04 at the top of the draft where there's a talent
08:06 like Drake May that falls into your lap?
08:08 The answer is not often, right?
08:09 It doesn't matter how bad you are.
08:11 Like not every draft has quarterbacks
08:13 of this caliber talent.
08:14 Not every draft year are you just picking in the top three,
08:16 even if you're a bad team.
08:18 I mean, sometimes you just stumble into some wins
08:20 at the end of the year.
08:21 So I think at the end of the day,
08:23 that's what, yeah, that's what has me torn
08:26 in this situation is that, is Drake May gonna be there?
08:30 That's basically the only question I have.
08:32 - Yeah, for me, it's like, what did your board say?
08:34 If you really do feel comfortable with Drake May
08:36 or Jaden Daniels, or obviously JJ McCarthy,
08:38 who, please, not at three.
08:40 Like I- - Yeah, I think that's right.
08:41 - Yeah, no, I understand the case for it,
08:43 but I would be very uncomfortable if he was to pick,
08:45 especially a Drake-run board.
08:46 I'm with you with Jaden Daniels.
08:48 I think he's more floor than ceiling,
08:50 which I didn't think earlier on in the process.
08:52 - I agree. - But you might watch.
08:53 Just like the size, the arm strength,
08:55 the fact that obviously he has improved significantly,
08:58 which is big, but there are parts of his game
08:59 that make me worried when it's like,
09:01 you have a great offensive line, great receiving core.
09:04 Why exactly is your processing still kind of delayed?
09:06 Why are there these weird parts of your game?
09:09 Some of that can come down to coaching.
09:10 Like how it seemed like he was ready
09:11 to tuck and run a little too quickly.
09:13 It's like, hey, I wouldn't be surprised
09:14 if his coaches were like,
09:16 you are the most explosive athlete on the field.
09:18 If you see a lane, take advantage.
09:20 And then guys like Panakes and McCarthy,
09:22 like we already talked about,
09:23 I just don't think they're the guys at number three.
09:25 But Drake is the guy where, if you coach him up,
09:27 put him in that Alex Van Pelt scheme,
09:29 where he can work on his footwork throughout the year.
09:32 A really rare thing for quarterbacks
09:33 to have that advantage of a guy who's like,
09:35 no, you're doing the footwork this way.
09:37 We're gonna rep it every day.
09:38 I can teach you how to fix it.
09:39 'Cause usually those guys are more Xs and Os,
09:41 talking matchups and things like that.
09:43 And you just work on your fundamental stuff
09:44 at the beginning of practice.
09:45 So I'm with you.
09:47 If Drake May's there, run the card up.
09:49 If he's not, that's where I'm kind of more open
09:51 to some potential trade scenarios.
09:52 So we are gonna get into a mock draft.
09:54 I'm very excited.
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10:57 - All right, now let's fire up the old mock draft machine.
11:06 We got a seven rounder queued up.
11:08 Let's get, so no trade before we start, right?
11:11 We're waiting to see how the board falls.
11:12 - Let's see how the board falls
11:14 and we'll make our decision.
11:15 As I said with the quarterbacks,
11:16 I really wanna see what happens here at two.
11:18 - Yep, let's do it, brother.
11:20 - All right. - Drake is gone.
11:23 Things got interesting immediately.
11:25 - So for me, and I know a lot of Patriots fans
11:27 won't agree with this,
11:28 I'm not taking Jaden Daniels at three.
11:30 I think in this scenario they would, by the way.
11:33 Like we're playing the, and how do you wanna play this?
11:35 Do you wanna play this where we predict it
11:36 or simply what I would do?
11:38 - This is your board, buddy.
11:39 - Right, I love that.
11:40 'Cause I'm tired of trying to predict things.
11:42 I've been doing it for a year.
11:44 I like to show how things can kind of play out.
11:47 Now, if there was a trade on the table here,
11:50 like with the Giants, right?
11:51 If the Giants wanna come up for one of the quarterbacks,
11:54 you'd ask yourself, well, do we go back to six?
11:56 The problem with that is,
11:57 does it kind of put you in no man's land?
11:59 You watch Marvin Harrison Jr.
12:01 and Malik Nabors go in front of you
12:02 and then you're sitting there at six
12:04 and you're like, okay, we got picks,
12:05 but we didn't get a blue chip player we wanted.
12:07 So listen, I understand the thought process of people
12:11 and I understand Robert Kraft
12:13 and the Patriots as a whole are probably thinking
12:14 we need a future of this franchise.
12:16 We gotta sell tickets.
12:18 We want somebody working behind Jacoby
12:20 that's gonna be the guy up next.
12:22 But in this scenario, Taylor,
12:23 I'm taking Marvin Harrison Jr.
12:25 and I feel really, really good about it, honestly.
12:28 - I like that.
12:29 All right, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the pick.
12:31 I've done a couple of these.
12:32 We haven't gotten Marvin Harrison Jr.
12:34 - I bet. - Exciting.
12:36 - Yeah, it's one of those where it just felt like a reach,
12:39 no matter which quarterback I took at three
12:41 once Drake May was off the board.
12:42 And now we're at 34.
12:45 How did the quarterbacks end up going?
12:46 Let's scroll up and take a look.
12:48 Just out of curiosity.
12:50 So McCarthy went to the Giants at six.
12:53 Daniels went to the Jets at 10.
12:55 This draft is totally off the rails.
12:57 - Yeah, geez Louise.
12:58 You'd think he'd probably more realistically
13:00 go to the Vikings, but hey, you know what?
13:03 That is how the board falls.
13:04 We keep the randomness just a smidge there for a reason.
13:07 All right, so now let's look at the quarterback market.
13:09 Or are you open to any-
13:11 - Let's see if any quarterbacks fell to 34.
13:14 'Cause this is the draft anything can happen.
13:15 I mean, I'm taking Michael Penix at 34.
13:17 Michael Penix to me is a top 20 player.
13:22 I really, really like him.
13:24 If New England found a way to trade out a three
13:27 and still get him and add all this draft capital,
13:29 I would applaud it.
13:30 That's a lot easier said than done.
13:32 That's not an easy maneuver to pull off.
13:35 If Penix falls to 34, which let's be fair,
13:37 his draft betting line is set at 32 and a half.
13:40 So I know a lot of people will say,
13:42 no way he falls to 34.
13:43 I agree.
13:44 I'm almost certain he is going in the first round,
13:47 but if you go by the lines, this isn't out of control.
13:51 I have to take Penix at 34.
13:53 The combination of him and Marvin Harrison Jr.,
13:55 by the way, is an unbelievable thought.
13:57 - That'd be, literally just his Roma Dunes
13:58 a replacement pretty much.
13:59 - Yes, better version.
14:02 - Right, and I'm actually curious,
14:03 what are your thoughts on Penix's game?
14:05 'Cause I know Derek Classen does a great job
14:08 sharpening all these guys.
14:09 Pointed out that while we kind of think of Penix
14:11 as a super accurate guy, he's really not.
14:14 Is he clutch?
14:15 Is he fantastic throwing outside and downfield?
14:17 Yes, but there are also significant moments
14:19 where he has some pretty bad spray misses.
14:22 Like Drake May is the one who gets all the flack
14:23 for those kinds of plays,
14:24 but they show up in Penix's tape as well.
14:26 But at the same time, he also was more athletic,
14:29 I think, than he gets credit for,
14:30 despite the fact he didn't scramble very much last season.
14:32 So where do you stand on him as a prospect overall?
14:35 - The thing he doesn't get any credit for,
14:36 which is insane to me, is his pre-snap recognition, right?
14:39 Like when you watch him get to the line of scrimmage,
14:41 and let's also quantify it,
14:44 he's taken 16 sacks over the last two seasons.
14:47 Eight sacks per year.
14:48 That is a wildly low number.
14:51 Him and Bo Nix were elite at not taking sacks.
14:54 So for me with Penix,
14:55 one, I think the throws he was asked to make
14:57 are much more difficult,
14:58 which kind of dives into, yeah, he's not always accurate,
15:01 but he's also making some of the most pro throws
15:05 out of this entire quarterback class.
15:07 Also, the throws he's hitting are game-changing throws.
15:11 He's hitting deep outs.
15:12 He's challenging the field vertically.
15:14 He's challenging the intermediate part of the field.
15:16 He stresses the defense to all layers of the field.
15:19 So I like Penix.
15:21 I think people don't give him enough credit
15:22 for that pre-snap ability.
15:24 He's a really smart player.
15:25 He's got a howitzer of an arm.
15:26 Yes, he'll have misses.
15:28 There's a lot of high-end quarterback prospects
15:30 that have big arms that have misses.
15:32 I'll take the splash plays with him,
15:34 especially in this scenario
15:35 where we're pairing him with a receiver
15:36 that can cover up some of his deficiencies.
15:39 - And that playoff game against Texas,
15:40 I feel like was the game he fought.
15:43 Just how dangerous it is.
15:44 He even said after the game, "As respectfully as possible."
15:46 It's like, yeah, they didn't change the picture.
15:48 So I tore him apart and you saw it.
15:49 One, they're just in split safeties, like the entire game.
15:52 And then sometimes they're not even executing them right.
15:54 'Cause you have the one where he throws to the post
15:56 in the end zone where safety looked like
15:58 he was supposed to take the inside, didn't.
15:59 And Penick's like, "All right, you're gonna give me
16:01 "an alley-oop, I'll freaking take it."
16:03 So I agree, that's definitely an area of his game
16:05 that doesn't get talked about enough.
16:06 So we're locking in the pick.
16:08 We got our quarterback, we got our wide receiver.
16:11 Think he'd tackle at this spot?
16:12 Or are you still open for business in another position?
16:14 - Let's take a look at the board
16:15 and see what we have on the offensive line right now.
16:17 I would definitely be curious to see
16:19 what our tackle situation is looking like.
16:21 I imagine it's falling off.
16:22 Okay, so for me in this spot, I would take Blake Fisher.
16:25 And I know New England is in a situation where,
16:29 you kind of have an opening at left tackle.
16:31 I get Fisher played on the right side.
16:33 I think he's athletic enough to eventually develop
16:36 on the left side if you wanted him to.
16:40 And I just think he's the best player in this spot.
16:42 Where I look at, I like New England at guard right now.
16:45 And I look at Coleman and Poonie,
16:47 and maybe even Gonzalez and Isaiah Adams.
16:51 Like, they are guards to me.
16:54 So I'm not taking one of them
16:55 because I like New England's
16:56 interior offensive line right now.
16:58 I need a guy that has the athleticism
17:00 and length to play tackle.
17:01 That's Blake Fisher.
17:03 - All right.
17:03 And actually, do you think that he is a good fit
17:06 for the left side?
17:07 Because obviously, he's not really questioning
17:09 that Notre Dame with Joe Alt over there.
17:11 But he profiles as more of a right tackle.
17:13 But at the same time,
17:14 - Yeah.
17:15 - I feel like there is some flexibility there.
17:16 Although he'd probably just be a bigger guy
17:18 for that left tackle spot.
17:19 - Right, and you have to wonder,
17:21 is this a scenario where, hey,
17:22 we're gonna see what we have in him as a left tackle.
17:25 We know Anwenu has had success at guard as well,
17:28 if City, so doesn't work out.
17:30 It's a weird situation because you are taking a guy
17:33 and you're saying, hey,
17:33 maybe it's not gonna work out where we wanna play him,
17:36 but he's the talent.
17:38 And you don't wanna start under,
17:40 or like overthinking and not taking the talent in that spot.
17:43 Because, I mean, you look at this board right now,
17:45 like there's, who's the true left tackle right here?
17:47 Caden Wallace played right tackle.
17:50 You could argue Christian Jones.
17:52 I just don't think he's good enough to be a top 75 pick.
17:54 That seems insane to me.
17:55 I guess before we take Fisher,
17:57 and I really wanted to go offensive line here,
18:00 what is the defensive board looking like in this spot?
18:02 - Let's check it out.
18:03 Also Walter Rouse, and this is a later round guy,
18:05 but I'm curious what you think,
18:06 'cause I've heard,
18:07 this isn't a guy I've gotten to watch a ton.
18:09 I couldn't find any tape on him,
18:10 but I've heard he might be more of a guard.
18:13 Do you feel the same way?
18:14 Or do you think he's a guy who could stick at tackle
18:16 and maybe even, whether it's on the left or the right side,
18:19 I know he spent most of his career on the left.
18:20 - The Shrine reps were really good.
18:22 I mean, he looked like a smooth mover
18:23 where I'd like to give him a shot at tackle
18:25 before I just kick him inside right away,
18:27 you know, at the next level.
18:28 And that's really how offensive line coaches think.
18:30 If a guy shows any glimpse of a chance on tape,
18:34 you go into camp and at least give him that chance.
18:36 And if it doesn't work out, you can quickly pivot.
18:38 - Fair enough.
18:39 All right, I'm gonna have to add him to my big board.
18:40 I feel bad I left him off.
18:41 All right, Brandon Dorless is a guy
18:43 that the Patriots did have in for a 30 visit.
18:45 I love Rufo Ororo.
18:47 Oh my God, I can never-
18:48 - Ororo!
18:48 - Ororo, yes.
18:49 I'm just gonna take him to my big board.
18:51 I can never get it off the first try.
18:53 Junior Colson, really talented linebacker.
18:54 - He's awesome.
18:56 - Let's see what else we can, yeah,
18:57 it looks like those, Kalen Bullock as well.
18:59 Probably, yeah, I think he's pretty fair
19:00 in this kind of range.
19:01 So what do you think about the defensive guys?
19:03 Are you swayed?
19:04 - Am I gonna get killed if I go off ball linebacker here?
19:07 - You might be, you know what?
19:09 I like it.
19:10 Controversy's okay.
19:12 - I don't wanna go completely off the wall position.
19:15 I know they have some talent there.
19:16 That's the, full transparency for Patriots fans,
19:19 like that's the best way the board fell.
19:21 Junior Colson and Edgerton Cooper
19:22 are two of my top players available in this spot.
19:25 I guess another route you could go,
19:28 as Ramondre's body is kind of broken down at times,
19:31 and I know they signed Antonio Gibson,
19:33 but like I want an offense that scares me,
19:36 that's more explosive.
19:37 Jaylen Wright, he really excites me in this spot.
19:40 If, depending how you feel about City,
19:42 so if you're not overly confident in him,
19:44 Christian Haynes is an excellent right guard prospect.
19:47 How did the corners fall in this spot?
19:50 Also, because I feel like the argument here is,
19:54 if Blake Fisher is someone you think can start immediately,
19:56 or at least within his first year,
19:59 then, you know, I'm probably more leaning there.
20:01 But if you think he's a developmental prospect,
20:03 - Yeah.
20:04 - Like with developmental left tackles,
20:05 there are enough where you can get a guy or two on day three.
20:08 You may not have a great left side, but you know,
20:10 then it's like, all right,
20:11 if this guy's not gonna play in year one,
20:12 maybe we get a contributor.
20:13 So here are the corners, I'm a huge Renardo Green guy.
20:16 If they can make that happen, I would be over the moon.
20:19 - It's just a little early for me with Green,
20:21 and I like the player, but it's just a tad early.
20:23 All right, let's look at the interior D line,
20:25 and then I will definitely make a choice.
20:27 - All right, let's see.
20:29 Sturrow, though, I like it, I like it.
20:31 All right, so he has a doorless, Rook, Michael Hall Jr.
20:33 - All right, this is gonna surprise you.
20:35 I'm gonna take Michael Hall Jr. in this spot.
20:37 I think the pass rush ability is awesome.
20:40 He is very twitchy and agile.
20:42 That arm over move, the counter spin,
20:45 this is a different kind of player
20:46 that I don't think New England has right now
20:48 in their front.
20:49 He's gonna be rotated in,
20:51 but that's the way the game is played right now anyway.
20:53 I think Hall's a top 75 player.
20:55 I have no problem taking him at 68.
20:57 He's actually 69th on my board.
21:00 - Okay, do you think he's more of a nose
21:01 or more of a three tech kind of guy?
21:03 - You could play him on nose when it's passing downs,
21:05 and you're just saying, hey, beat the center, beat the guard.
21:07 When you're on more traditional downs,
21:09 I'm thinking three tech.
21:10 - Okay, all right, let's lock it in.
21:12 And you know, Devon Gottschalk is a free agent next season.
21:15 I feel like they're gonna try to figure something out
21:16 to keep him there.
21:18 But then you talk about Armond Watts.
21:19 If he's gone next year, then-
21:21 - Right, you're always-
21:22 - New England drafts two years ahead too.
21:24 They're not thinking all the time,
21:26 like, hey, we can only take a guy
21:28 that's gonna be an impact player for us this year.
21:31 - Great point.
21:32 All right, now do we wanna start looking at tackles,
21:34 round four?
21:34 - Yeah, let's see how the board fell.
21:36 I see Cooper Beebe's there too.
21:37 He's a really, really good player.
21:39 See, this is the problem in this spotlight.
21:40 It's the same problem of right tackle.
21:42 Like, Caden Wallace is a right tackle, right?
21:44 I like a lot of these other guys at guard.
21:46 It's just, it kinda makes you go through the exercise
21:49 and you're like, okay, is this a situation
21:52 where I should have gone tackle earlier?
21:54 How is New England gonna value that?
21:56 You know, do you take one?
21:57 We had to take Penix at 34,
21:59 but the tackle board was much better at 34.
22:02 I kind of align with you of our strategy
22:05 of a situation that's, you know,
22:07 hey, we're just gonna keep waiting
22:09 and waiting for a developmental guy instead.
22:11 I would look more past rush again,
22:14 or I would even go back to the running back well again.
22:16 - Okay, and too early for Javon Foster,
22:19 more like a late-
22:20 - Yeah, Foster's probably more
22:21 we're leaning the fifth or sixth round.
22:23 - Gotcha, okay.
22:24 So running back and past rusher.
22:26 Let's see what we got, edge rusher specifically.
22:28 Blake Watson is a guy I'm a big-
22:31 - He's a riser.
22:32 - This is the player you might like him.
22:33 - Yeah, he's a riser here.
22:35 You know, it's crazy if I go undersized rusher again.
22:39 Mo Kamara's one of my favorite players in the draft.
22:41 If you want more past rush.
22:43 The running back board estimate is really underrated.
22:46 I think 103 might be a hair early.
22:49 I like Watson.
22:50 This even feels a hair early.
22:51 He's kind of fifth round-ish for me.
22:53 Let's go back to wide receiver
22:55 and see if there's still more value there.
22:57 I don't mind double dipping at this position.
22:59 - Me neither, brother.
23:00 We're on the same page.
23:01 - Yeah, so let's get some speed here
23:03 and take Jamari Thrash.
23:04 Now we have somebody that can work vertically,
23:08 can catch the screen and kind of make you miss.
23:10 Him, Marv, Kendrick Bourne, KJ Osborne.
23:13 You have a lot of variety, I think, in this group.
23:15 - And then like, from the outside, you could say,
23:18 okay, this kind of overlaps with Pop Douglas.
23:20 But at the same time, I keep saying this,
23:21 with Pop in the concussion situation last season,
23:24 - Right.
23:25 - That worries me and you can't act like it's not a factor
23:27 in his long-term outlook.
23:28 So I think having some insurance policy for the slot,
23:31 especially if Juju isn't on the team this season,
23:33 I think it'd probably be very important.
23:35 - That's exactly right.
23:36 - Yep, all right.
23:37 Jamari Thrash, we got our double dip at wide receiver.
23:40 See if anybody fell.
23:41 I feel like Javon Foster is gonna be here.
23:43 - Yeah, I'm not surprised.
23:45 Okay, so I'm gonna surprise you here, though.
23:47 This is another me going into my board versus the consensus.
23:51 I would take KT Leviston from Kansas State here.
23:53 Leviston, to me, projects better at guard,
23:56 but you can give him a shot at left tackle.
23:59 He's a mauler, he's a bruiser,
24:01 depending what this run game wants to be.
24:03 Leviston is severely underrated.
24:04 I see the ADP is 208 on that.
24:08 KT Leviston is not going at 208.
24:10 KT Leviston is going in the top 150.
24:12 We're at pick 137.
24:14 I'm taking talent on the offensive line.
24:16 - He's honestly a prospect I'm not super familiar with.
24:18 - Dude, he's awesome.
24:20 You can't miss him when you watch Cooper Bebe.
24:22 He's a hell of a player.
24:24 - Hell yeah, all right.
24:25 I know PFF's gonna crush us for this,
24:26 but you know what?
24:27 I trust you.
24:29 I trust you.
24:29 - That's why we make the boards.
24:30 - That's right.
24:31 All right, so we got our tackle.
24:33 We got two receivers.
24:34 We got a quarterback, and we got an interior rusher.
24:37 You thinking maybe secondary here?
24:39 - Yeah, Kamal Haddon is staring me right in the face.
24:42 I love this guy.
24:43 I think he is...
24:44 So he got hurt in the end of October.
24:47 He had a shoulder injury that put him down for the year.
24:49 Those seven games were as good as any corner in the country,
24:52 in my opinion.
24:53 He's tall, he's fast, he's bursty.
24:57 He makes plays on the ball.
24:58 He can carry receivers vertically.
25:00 He's a true perimeter corner.
25:01 This is immense value at 180.
25:03 I love taking Kamal Haddon here.
25:05 - Yeah, don't even need to think twice about this.
25:07 Lock it in.
25:08 He's another guy I was really excited about.
25:10 I love this tape, but it was just the injury
25:11 where you're like, all right,
25:12 you're probably gonna be able to wait for him.
25:14 If he falls to the Patriots, I feel like it's a no-brainer.
25:17 All right, now who do we got left?
25:18 - Isaac Guerrendo or Rasheed Ali
25:20 would be fun to add to this backfield here.
25:22 I think with Guerrendo, I would like him at 193
25:25 because the athleticism,
25:26 getting him to play up to that athleticism all the time.
25:29 You're drafting him.
25:30 You have depth at running back
25:31 where you're not throwing him in,
25:32 but he's giving you a home run threat
25:34 that I don't see in this backfield.
25:36 - Right, I agree.
25:37 Tell me about Rasheed Ali,
25:38 another guy I'm not super familiar with.
25:40 - Ali, two years ago, 'cause he had an injury,
25:42 I believe two years ago,
25:43 so really three years ago, was unbelievable.
25:46 And he's been working his way back to get healthy.
25:48 But with Ali, he's somebody that I really like the quick feet.
25:52 He was super productive for that Marshall backfield.
25:54 He's got pretty average size, notable burst,
25:57 jump cuts, change of direction, workhorse experience.
26:01 He caught 46 passes in 2021,
26:03 so he's got experience as a pass catcher.
26:06 If Garendo wasn't on the board,
26:08 I think Ali is the better player right now when healthy.
26:10 Garendo has way more upside and is the better athlete.
26:14 And that's the kind of darts you take
26:15 on day three at running back.
26:16 - Absolutely, I agree.
26:17 We're going for upside,
26:18 especially since we already have a one-two punch.
26:20 This is a guy who can rotate in
26:22 and then kind of work to be in
26:23 the guy who lives up to his potential.
26:25 So I like that.
26:26 Garendo, welcome to New England.
26:28 I don't know why I said that like Ron Burgundy.
26:30 - We think he's gonna show up.
26:33 - All right, seventh round, last pick.
26:36 - I don't think Jalen,
26:37 I feel like we gotta respect the board of some degree.
26:39 I don't think Jalen Simpson's gonna be here.
26:40 - No, I wouldn't do that either.
26:42 I mean, I would take him, but I agree.
26:43 It just feels like it's not fair or conventional.
26:47 I really like Tanner McLaughlin.
26:49 I mean, I know we've gone very heavy
26:52 pass catcher in this draft.
26:54 So let's look at New England.
26:56 I mean, you obviously have Hunter Henry back in the fold.
26:59 Austin Hooper's not gonna be there very long.
27:01 Tanner McLaughlin has my tight end three
27:03 with legit run after catch ability.
27:06 That would be really interesting to me.
27:08 How is our developmental tackle situation
27:10 looking if we don't take him?
27:12 - Let's see.
27:13 Frank Crum's an interesting guy.
27:17 - He is.
27:19 Nathan Thomas is a really good guard convert.
27:21 We already did that with KT Levis,
27:22 then we don't need to go down that road again.
27:24 - Right, what do you think about Delmore Glaze?
27:26 I didn't love him at the senior bowl, to be honest.
27:27 - No, and he didn't test well at all,
27:29 which you just go concern after concern
27:31 throughout the process.
27:32 I don't like this board, to be honest with you.
27:34 This has been a learning experience
27:35 for New England with tackle.
27:36 It didn't go very well for us.
27:38 I would probably take McLaughlin
27:40 and just take the talent in this situation.
27:42 - I like it too.
27:43 He was a fun guy to watch.
27:44 I saw a couple games and was like,
27:46 I don't know why people aren't talking about him more.
27:48 Like, a lot of these guys are more projections
27:51 where you're looking for the upside,
27:52 but he's someone where I'm like, no,
27:54 Tim Brayman's kind of in that same category,
27:55 although he's more your like inline wide blocker
27:58 projection as a receiver.
27:59 But I think McLaughlin's a guy who could contribute
28:01 on any down pretty quickly,
28:03 although maybe not your starter,
28:04 but definitely a guy in the rotation.
28:06 All right, lock it in.
28:08 Let's see how we did.
28:09 How much hate did we get from the PFF grades?
28:12 We did pretty well early on.
28:14 And after Michael Hall.
28:17 - Yeah, they don't value him like I do,
28:18 but they gave us a B plus.
28:20 Listen, we got our future franchise quarterback.
28:22 We got a soon to be top 10 receiver in the NFL.
28:25 Michael Hall is gonna rush the passer
28:27 on passing downs from the interior.
28:29 Jamari Thrash gives you a vertical threat.
28:31 KT Leviston, if he doesn't work a tackle,
28:33 he's gonna be a really good mauling guard.
28:35 Kamal Haddon gives you depth at perimeter corner.
28:37 Isaac Correndo, high upside running back
28:39 with an elite athletic profile
28:40 as your third running back on the roster.
28:43 Tanner McLaughlin's almost the same thing at tight end.
28:45 Your third tight end on the roster.
28:47 Good athleticism, pass catching, good after the catch.
28:50 So this is how you become a more explosive team in my eyes.
28:54 - And what do the Patriots really need?
28:55 Offensively, they need to be more explosive
28:57 and more athletic.
28:58 Absolutely address that.
28:59 You've got your long-term quarterback, like you said.
29:01 And defensively, you're looking for depth,
29:03 especially athletic guys who can kind of fit the mold
29:05 of where the Patriots seem like they're starting to lean,
29:08 less of the big, you know, space eaters
29:10 and more towards that disruptiveness
29:12 and playmakers on the back end.
29:13 So I think we did a damn bang up job, brother.
29:16 I'm proud. - I love it.
29:17 - Well done.
29:17 All right, that was a great time, man.
29:19 Once again, appreciate you taking the time
29:21 to come on the show.
29:22 Please let the people know where they can find you
29:24 and what excellent stuff you got coming for draft.
29:27 - Yeah, everything written, NBCSports.com.
29:29 Top 300 big board during draft week, final mock draft,
29:32 all of our content on the NFL and NBC YouTube channel.
29:34 You could listen to every position rankings
29:36 on the NFL Stock Exchange YouTube channel with PFF.
29:39 Taylor, I always love talking to you, man.
29:40 You do such a great job covering the Patriots.
29:42 Obviously, we are in familiar surroundings.
29:45 I do Jets pre and post game,
29:46 so it's always good to have that AFC East conversation.
29:49 And hopefully people like this draft today.
29:51 It's a little bit,
29:51 it's probably one of the more unique ones you'll have.
29:54 - And that was the point, man.
29:55 I like getting these different perspectives
29:56 and I learned so much from you.
29:58 So it's always a blast having you on,
29:59 getting to shoot, how do I say, shoot the shit?
30:01 Yeah, it's my show.
30:02 - There you go, let it go.
30:04 - So another great time, brother.
30:05 Thank you.
30:06 And thank you all as always for watching.
30:08 Take care of yourselves, take care of each other,
30:11 and we will see you next time.
30:12 Peace, y'all.
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