LIVE Patriots Daily: Way-Too-Early Draft Grades w/ Damian Parson

CLNS Media Sports Network

Taylor Kyles from CLNS Media teams up with The Draft Network's Damian Parson to hand out way-too-early-grades for the Patriots' draft class!  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  Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.  #Patriots #NFL #NewEnglandPatriots

Transcript

00:00:00What's going on, everyone? Taylor Couse here for CLNS Media, coming at you with another

00:00:25episode of Pat's Daily, brought to you by our good friends at PrizePix and GameTime.

00:00:30Draft coverage continues, we're about two weeks out from the Patriots having reset the

00:00:35young foundation of their team, and to help break it down and get his perspective, which

00:00:40I would describe as tough but fair, on the Patriots draft class, I got my good buddy

00:00:45Damian Parson, Senior Draft Analyst for the Draft Network, and also host of the Locked

00:00:50On NFL Draft podcast. One of the main people who I went to when I was trying to get up

00:00:55to date on all the prospects, I was going to the Draft Network, saying, all right, where's

00:00:59Dame? Got him. All right, using that blurb because I trust my guy's eye. Dame, how you

00:01:03doing? And how are you feeling, more importantly, now that we're on the tail end of the draft

00:01:07and, you know, Hayes in the barn, but obviously I know you still got to prepare for 2025.

00:01:12I'm good, man. You know, be able to catch up on some sleep now that we're post-draft,

00:01:18you know, and now with the draft being behind us, it feels good. You know, it feels good

00:01:22to now put faces to places and, you know, player and prospects to schemes, skill sets

00:01:28to schemes. And I was more excited to see how these young men, you know, how they acclimate

00:01:33themselves in camp, you know, through rookie minicamp, OTAs. And then, of course, once

00:01:37we get deep into the end of the summer, training camp turns around. Be able to see what these

00:01:42young men are able to do with the opportunities they're going to be given.

00:01:47We're actually going to get to go to rookie minicamp, see what's going on. It's a whole

00:01:50new era in Foxborough. So that's going to be a lot of fun. Before we get into the actual

00:01:55draft and your grade, we're going to start with the dessert first, then we'll get into

00:01:58the player by player grades. But I'm curious how you feel about Elliot Wolfe. Now the talk

00:02:03of the town right now in New England is the fact that the Patriots have officially started

00:02:06their general manager, sir, for, you know, top player personnel, whatever they want to

00:02:10call it. The guy who's going to be the head honcho in the player personnel department.

00:02:13Now it's a weird situation, right? Because everyone knows it's going to be Elliot Wolfe.

00:02:18I think a big reason they didn't open the search before the draft was because they were

00:02:22like, you know what? This is the guy who's been running things so far. Let's just continue with

00:02:26him, see how he does. So we don't have to go through the whole interviewing other people

00:02:29during the process. It made sense. But now we've reached the point where decisions need

00:02:34to be made. And we've seen the Patriots interview three minority candidates likely to try to

00:02:38satisfy the Rooney rule. All three respectfully denied those attempts for an interview. Now

00:02:45I've got my thoughts on the Rooney rule. I think that while well-intentioned, it is a silly rule

00:02:50because now you get situations like this where Elliot Wolfe, in my opinion, absolutely deserves

00:02:55to get the GM title, but you have to go through this whole dog and pony show where it looks like,

00:02:59oh no, but you know, we are giving other minority candidates a chance, which is kind of a slap in

00:03:04the face to those guys. Obviously we've seen, you know, last season with the Patriots, when they

00:03:08were off interviewing offensive coordinators, they knew it was going to be Bill O'Brien,

00:03:11but they brought in Adrian Clem and talked to him about being the offensive line coach. So

00:03:16there are ways to make this so that they're helpful for the person you're interviewing

00:03:19without being completely condescending as they quite frankly are. But again, getting back to the

00:03:24beginning of this, do you think Elliot Wolfe is deserving of the GM title or whatever that title

00:03:29is going to be for the head person? And what are your thoughts on the whole, again, dog and pony

00:03:35show of the Rudy role? I think Elliot's earned it. I mean, I think he's done a good job. We look

00:03:39at what he's done through the draft, that's free agency. I think the big thing is understanding

00:03:45with the reset, having that plan and knowing, okay, we, we did it one way before we got,

00:03:52before I got here and you know, with Bill and him running the whole show and everything, it worked.

00:03:58TB 12, six titles, all that worked. But when you turn the page from TB 12 to Mac Jones and

00:04:05you don't go get, you know, you don't add any weapons for him or any explosive weapons,

00:04:10different things like that. It, it, it really kind of hampered what he could have been right.

00:04:14You know, he was always a, to me, it was always more of a, we talk about trucks, trailers,

00:04:19and hitches. Mac Jones was more of a hitch in the situation where if you have a good team,

00:04:24a good coach, he can be the thing that tied together where he doesn't have to be a superhero.

00:04:29Like he doesn't have to be, I always say sometimes I don't want my guys to be, you know,

00:04:34every quarterback to have the tools to be Superman game in the game out. Sometimes just be Clark

00:04:39Kent, put the, put the suit on, grab the briefcase, put your glasses on, go clock into work, punch in,

00:04:44punch out, go see your family. I don't need you to save the whole entire world. Right. So but that's

00:04:49what I looked at with Mac is Mac was a, you know, a standard Clark Kent type of guy. Like he was

00:04:54just going to be Clark Kent, the game in the game out. But if you give them the pieces around,

00:04:58he could have worked. And I think with Elliot Wolf coming in and seeing what he's done,

00:05:02I think, bring it back, Michael, when he was big, you know what I mean? For the offensive line

00:05:06and understanding like, this is one of the better young, like offensive linemen in the league,

00:05:11right? He's going to be a tone setter, as you know, for this offensive line with the run game,

00:05:15be able to get them for the catalytic going, displacing guys, but also being a stalwart as a,

00:05:21as a pass protector as well. Like making sure you bring that guy back was big and just kind

00:05:27of seeing what he's done. I think he's earned it. The Rooney rule for me, like you said,

00:05:30well-intentioned, but we understand that teams will do the dog and pony for knowing that, Hey,

00:05:35I'm not going to pick a minority in that situation. I just feel like, man, just pick

00:05:40who you're going to pick at this point. Right. Like, I don't think like interviewing, don't get

00:05:45me wrong for the, for the minority candidates, you know, getting the experience of interviews

00:05:49is big. So, you know, what the interview process is like. So next time you get a real opportunity

00:05:55and not a Rooney rule opportunity, but somebody actually, you're one of the first candidates,

00:05:58like, Hey, we want to interview you for our head coaching job for our GM jobs. You already went

00:06:03through that cycle. You already know what kind of the questions, the vibe, you already know what

00:06:07it's like, and it gives you a little bit of a leg up walking in, but overall, like it's just

00:06:14well-intentioned, but it's very unnecessary a lot of times. Cause how many actual hires from

00:06:23I couldn't tell you not a whole lot that stand out to be very honest, not a lot where the numbers

00:06:28wouldn't help them. The numbers would not help this rule stay intact. And I get it like, you

00:06:33know, in the day and age, yes, you want to give and be, you know, as open and allow opportunities

00:06:41for everyone you do. But at the same time, it's like, all right, what's the intent? Like,

00:06:45do you actually want to give out opportunities or are you just doing this to pacify the masses

00:06:51so that there's not backlash? And that's what the Rooney rule is to me. I completely agree.

00:06:56And this is a business where nepotism runs rampant and that times really, you understand,

00:07:00like if you have a Shanahan or a wolf, where their father is someone who was in the hall of fame and

00:07:05they have sons who were attentive and have been around the game for a long time. Is it unfair?

00:07:09Yeah. But you also understand that these guys are going to get jobs. So creating opportunities,

00:07:14I completely agree, is important. Gerard Mayo's alluded to the fact that I believe he interviewed

00:07:18for the Broncos a while ago for their head coaching vacancy. And he said, you know,

00:07:21I got at least the experience and knew what I was preparing myself for. And I think the

00:07:25transparency is huge. It's one thing to have somebody in like a Brian Flores where, you know,

00:07:30he alleges they had been drinking and they were not taking him seriously, where you're basically

00:07:33just like, yeah, you are, you know, a box that we're trying to check versus being like, hey,

00:07:39we know who we're going to get. We have to satisfy this rule. Would you like an opportunity?

00:07:42And with the guys, the Patriots have been going for, they're pretty high ranking guys who are

00:07:46trying to come in. And the way I see it is you're probably telling them, hey, you're going to be

00:07:49like Ellie Wolf's assistant. They're like, nah, I'm trying to be an actual general manager. So

00:07:54I agree. I think that Wolf, especially extending far more. I felt like that was after the draft

00:07:59where I thought he really did what he said he was going to do. Cherry on top, you get your best

00:08:03defensive player, arguably the best player on your entire team. And you lock him up one term.

00:08:08I was really excited about that. All right. Now let's get to the actual grades again. Tough but

00:08:13fair. I'm warning you all now. What did you give the Patriots overall before we get into each of

00:08:19the prospects? We gave over the draft network, you know, we sat down, talked about it and

00:08:23everything. We gave the Patriots a C plus overall, liked the draft class, actually appreciate it,

00:08:31especially the value of getting a guy like Javon Baker and getting a Jalen Polk and everything

00:08:37like that. I think what dropped the grade, and I'll be honest, what dropped the grade was the

00:08:42to me, it was kind of it was that reach where I'm just like, I don't know how I feel about this.

00:08:47It gave me too much of the cold strange. And it was the Caden Wallace pick in the third round.

00:08:53That one kind of like really threw me for a loop because I was just like, all right,

00:08:58I left tackle is a need. And it's like, OK, so left tackle is a need. Well, let's get a left

00:09:04tackle. Right. I have no problem with you taking tackle, but it's like, all right,

00:09:08if I'm going to get a tackle, I want to get someone that is accustomed to playing the position.

00:09:12And I know that for them, they say, hey, we believe I think we believe he's athletic enough

00:09:17to flip sides and go over. And we always talk about this. We remember we had we had an offensive

00:09:24line coach on and he talked on the lockdown and podcast. And he's like, listen, it's like

00:09:29right. You know, if you're right handed, it's like writing with your left. If your left hand

00:09:32is like writing with your right, it's it's a different thing. And when the guy like for me,

00:09:37Kieran, I'm a good out of Yale like that. To me, that would have been the ideal situation.

00:09:43Right. You know, I mean, Javon Foster fell to the fourth round like guys who I think

00:09:47were better players than Caden. That's in a kid doesn't have any upside. But

00:09:52when I was just watching him, I was like, OK, he looks he looks like a right tackle to me.

00:09:56And I didn't see a guy that I felt was going to flip over to the left or comfortably

00:10:01flip over to the left. So it's going to be interesting to see how this tackle situation

00:10:05kind of plays out. But the rest of the class, for the most part, I really, really liked.

00:10:09Yeah, we're going to get into the nitty gritty. I feel like with every draft,

00:10:13there's just stuff behind the scenes that happens that really does affect how everything plays out.

00:10:16At the end of the day, like Cameron Bull said on the show, you're playing the game

00:10:20where sometimes, yeah, you're going to have to reach just because it's like, well, I like this

00:10:23guy. And yeah, he may be a mid third round pick, but I don't have a mid third round pick. So I got

00:10:27to kind of take what I got. But again, we're going to get into the nitty gritty of that.

00:10:30I'm excited. But first, quick words from our friends at Price Picks. Be right back.

00:10:34Get in on the playoff action and win up to 100 times your money on Price Picks

00:10:38as you and the world's best players take the game to a new level during basketball's postseason.

00:10:43You can win up to 100 times your money on Price Picks with as little as four correct picks.

00:10:47You can turn $10 into $1,000 with basketball and hockey entries today on Price Picks,

00:10:53America's number one fantasy sports app. Price Picks is the best way to get action on sports in

00:10:58more than 30 states across the country, including California, Texas, and Georgia.

00:11:03I personally love Price Picks because they're super easy to use, easy to navigate, and they

00:11:07offer injury insurance. So your entries stay live even if one of your players gets injured.

00:11:12Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay, and an enormous selection of players and stat types

00:11:16are what make Price Picks the number one fantasy sports app. Download the app today and use the

00:11:21code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100. That's code CLNS for a first deposit match up to

00:11:28$100. Price Picks. Pick more, pick less. It's that easy.

00:11:38All right, now let's start with the most important position and the position that the Patriots

00:11:42drafted with the third overall pick, Drake May. Now this is a guy we had talked about well before

00:11:47the draft actually happened. I know we were super high on him, just the talent is outstanding.

00:11:52Are there things that concern you about his game? Absolutely, but luckily there are things that you

00:11:56would really assume with good coaching he'll be able to kind of wean out of his game and you're

00:12:00going to see the superstar potential that he has. So for Drake May, what was the grade you gave him

00:12:05and also how quickly do you think we'll actually see him on the field? Man, I gave him a high

00:12:11first-round grade, you know, he was one of my highest graded prospects, you know what I mean,

00:12:17and because we use Pro Bowl caliber, we have two first-round grades, we have a rare all-pro,

00:12:21he had a Pro Bowl caliber, he was a guy that I gave a Pro Bowl caliber grade to.

00:12:25The tools are there, the height, the weight, the arm talent is outstanding, the mobility,

00:12:32the ability to create second reaction throws, get in and out of the pocket and extend plays

00:12:38with his legs, make plays as a runner, but also just extend plays out of the pocket, give his guys

00:12:44a chance to turn into a scramble drill, detach from coverage, work back to him and still create

00:12:49explosive plays down the field, making throws on the run. With his game, I think for him it's just,

00:12:54you know, I think Jacoby Brissett being there is going to be outstanding tutor and mentor for him.

00:13:00I'll never forget, you know, him initially coming to the Patriots and being kind of a sponge to Tom

00:13:06Brady, right, being willing to learn and Tom Brady taking, you know, taking that challenge

00:13:11that some veteran quarterbacks don't take or don't really, you know, embrace. And, you know,

00:13:16for Jacoby, he could still play, he could start for a good couple teams in the league and help

00:13:21them win, you know, I think you put him in Cleveland with a winning roster, you make the

00:13:25playoffs with a Jacoby Brissett, in my opinion. So, like, so it's like, you know, we saw what

00:13:31Joe Flacco was able to do in that offense, right? So, I think with Jacoby Brissett, you know,

00:13:36I think he plays most of the year, because I don't think you're going to see,

00:13:41like, this isn't a, you know, no disrespect to him, this is the Sam Donald situation where you're

00:13:44going to just see, like, you're not expecting good football. I expect Jacoby Brissett to play

00:13:49good football and to make sure the offense stays ahead of the chains, checking in and out of run

00:13:55plays, different things like that. And those are the things that a rookie quarterback can learn

00:14:00from sitting and watching, right? When you watch the veteran walk to the line of scrimmage,

00:14:05identify dual high safeties, make a quick motion, make sure it's man to man or zone

00:14:11the coverage indicators, oh, you're nobody's moving, so it, or you're moving, but the safeties

00:14:16are staying the same, you're assuming and you predicting it to be, you know, too high shell,

00:14:22run, you know what I mean? Check to a run, get Ramondre Stephens, Stephens ain't going,

00:14:27check in the box, okay, it's a seven man front, say less, let's get power football going and let's

00:14:31get the ball, let's get five yards of pop here and force them to change the levers, force those

00:14:36safeties to walk down and add an extra defender in the box. Now, let's give our receivers a chance

00:14:42against one-on-one coverage, these one-on-one opportunities and a Drake May, who didn't spend

00:14:47a lot of time under center in that, you know, kind of Matt Brown, Phil Longo, air raid type

00:14:52of offense in North Carolina, it'd be a great chance for him to just get under, like, watch,

00:14:57learn, get under center, get accustomed to it, get used to it, but also get used to

00:15:02the different terminologies and things he needs to key on, pre-snap from that position, getting

00:15:07comfortable, turning his back and play action to the defense, turning his head back around,

00:15:12and then I always say this, defensively, you want to pre-snap, show a beach on Hawaii,

00:15:20right, and then you want to show them, like, a landfill after the, you know, after the snap,

00:15:24you want to show them some type of hell, where it's just, like, they're thinking and not reacting,

00:15:30it's like, that safety wasn't there before the snap of the ball, this guy's going somewhere else

00:15:34and not predicted, and now he's holding the ball, he's not making quick decisions, so I think with

00:15:38Drake, if we do see him, I think it'll probably be later in the season, you know, I would say,

00:15:44you know, after week 10 somewhere, just depends on how the season goes, because again, I think

00:15:48with the roster being well coached as I expect them to be, I think this is still a team that

00:15:53could be playing 500 football, you know, into week 10, 11, and 12, and unless the bottom falls out,

00:16:02and it's like, okay, well, let's go ahead and get Drake in the last five to six games,

00:16:05then great, but I think it's a situation where we could see him late in the season, rather than

00:16:10early, with Jacoby Brissett, and I think, also, I think we talked about it, AVP being there,

00:16:17being a big stickler on footwork, I think that's a great situation for Drake May,

00:16:21because his footwork has always been the thing, you know, keeping your upper body and lower body

00:16:26married, mirrored together, synchronized in one fluid motion, where sometimes his feet are

00:16:31pointing one direction, his body's turning and throwing the opposite, and that's when we get

00:16:37a lot of those spray throws, those high out routes, those ground balls, like his baseball,

00:16:42just some of the ball placement issues, when he's not fully aligned, but when he's aligned,

00:16:48and ready to throw, and like JT O'Toole, shout out to QB Thule, love his work, and just like

00:16:54studying and listening to him talk about dovetailing, when he's dovetailing, and he's

00:16:59aligned, he can rip it, and he can put it right where it needs to be through some of the tightest

00:17:05defensive windows, right to his receiver, okay, I think it was maybe against Miami,

00:17:10he threw up, I think it was a post to Taz Walker, and it was right on the face,

00:17:15like a safety in the closing corner, and I was just like, Jesus, like the arm talent is there,

00:17:21so I think that, and then also, again, learning from Jacoby, right, in terms of not being the

00:17:28superhero, I don't need you to go out here and win this game by yourself, like those are the

00:17:33tendencies that come with not playing on a loaded team, right, where if he was at Alabama,

00:17:39or if he was at, you know, Ohio State, and oh, I don't have to do everything, I could just make

00:17:44the right decisions and reads, and check it down to the right guy, and let them make the plays for

00:17:48me, but in North Carolina, he's had to be the guy, right, and he was the must-see TV aspect of it

00:17:55all, so I think that's where he can learn to see, watch Jacoby, just go out there, orchestrate the

00:18:01offense, right, you know what I mean, like a band, like a conductor for a symphony, like just do,

00:18:07make sure all the notes are right, make sure everybody's lined up, different things like that,

00:18:11those minute details that you won't have as a rookie, sitting behind a guy like Jacoby Brissett,

00:18:16you can learn. One thing, I think, in my predictions of when Drake was going to play,

00:18:21because I do think, if you're a team, like the measure of success for this season for the

00:18:25Patriots is how attractive they are to free agents in 2025. Do you set something where teams are like,

00:18:30all right, I can come here, push them over the top, I know what they got at quarterback,

00:18:34so I think at some point, you do want at least some evidence of like, yeah, we got a baller,

00:18:38just wait, you want to be a part of him, you know, really starting to pick up his career, so

00:18:43I do think he's got to play. I think maybe I was giving too much credit to Van Pelt in the sense

00:18:49that maybe Drake could just catch up really quickly, and I do think he's a smart guy, and I

00:18:53do think that Van Pelt's offense, like you talk about, having to be a superhero, he's not going

00:18:57to have to do that. Like, he got a good defense, so we're not talking about he's going to be going

00:19:00into fourth quarter, he's likely down like 20 points. Like, he's going in and it's all right,

00:19:04make the easy throws, we're going to scheme you up some play action, where I did a piece last

00:19:09week where he talked about Aaron Rodgers and watching him with Alex Van Pelt, and I was

00:19:13looking, I was like, all right, I know he didn't turn his back to the defense very often, like you

00:19:16mentioned, but he was in pistol, so I'm like, all right, how did he do when he was turning his back

00:19:21to the defense, and then looking, he and Aaron Rodgers, that same post route down the middle,

00:19:26like you mentioned, the one to Walker against Miami, loves that throw. We're right between the

00:19:30hashes, he'll put it on the money and take the top off, and you're done. So, I definitely think,

00:19:35one, just, if he can get the easy throws down, and then the mental side, I feel like whenever they

00:19:40want to put him on the field, it's going to be like, all right, we're just going to tailor this

00:19:43to what he understands now and what he's good at, but that's also a good point. Like, you have to

00:19:47still be able to take advantage of opportunities, recognize the defenses, which I think, again,

00:19:51it will have more help, because in that UNC offense, there weren't a whole lot of coverage

00:19:54indicators. It was pretty much, this is the formation we're in, we're not moving, that's it.

00:19:58Alex Van Pelt's going to have a lot of personnel groupings, a lot of motion, it's going to make

00:20:02that a little bit easier. So, I'm hoping we see him late in the season, I think you're right,

00:20:06maybe even halfway through, if he can digest that, but I don't really agree with the taste that he's

00:20:10got to sit his whole rookie year. I don't really think that's something you'd want, even if it does

00:20:14fit with the Jordan Love and the Patrick Mahomes narratives. Like, every situation's different,

00:20:19and I don't think Drake's the kind of guy that's going to get rattled if you put him out there

00:20:22early and say, hey, you're going to have to take some lumps, you're going to learn some tough

00:20:25lessons, just stay within yourself, we got you, maintain that structure.

00:20:30I think, and I always talk about this with quarterbacks, you know, I always say,

00:20:34what did we learn from the previous class? Like, looking at Bryce Young, right? Like,

00:20:39everyone crowned him as QB1, he was the most pro-ready guy, that's such a loaded term that

00:20:44I absolutely hate that term for quarterbacks, because typically, the pro-ready quarterback

00:20:48doesn't, usually does not click. Like, Joe Burrow was probably the last one that they said was the

00:20:54most pro-ready, and it worked. Like, we've seen a lot of quarterbacks, it's like, yeah,

00:20:58he's the most pro-ready, I'm like, typically that's code for, his floor is safe, his ceiling

00:21:03is not movable. And that's what I think about when I hear that term. So like, Bryce, you know,

00:21:08no one questioned it. I remember questioning it, and that's when people thought I was crazy,

00:21:13and I was like, no, I kind of, I have CJ Stroud over him, I have A. Rich as the guy I would

00:21:18absolutely build my franchise around. And it's all about, you know, for me, it's just, what does

00:21:23it look like when it goes wrong? And we never saw that at Alabama, because it's hard to do that to

00:21:29Alabama and put them in situations. You know what I mean? Like, Mack, Atul, same thing. It was very

00:21:35rare to see guys go to Alabama, and a situation goes wrong, when you have five-star after five-star

00:21:43everywhere, and you're one of the most loaded teams in the country. But when you look at,

00:21:47I always pay attention to guys who didn't have that. And the Anthony Richardsons, when I buy in,

00:21:53I could watch you put a team on your back when we need you to, and carry us to victory, or carry us

00:22:00and keep us within striking range of victory, right? And it's the same thing with Drake May.

00:22:06Offensive line wasn't great. I loved the running back he had, you know, this past season,

00:22:09Marion Hampton, the guy for 2025, you got to keep your eyes on this running back class is loaded

00:22:14for 2025, right? But that was one of his best playmakers. Bryson Nesbitt, the tight end,

00:22:19who's like a big receiver almost, you know, talented young man and everything. Josh Downs

00:22:26the year before, but the cupboard went, for the most part, was bare. And how did you still,

00:22:31how were you able to operate when the cupboard was bare? And even with Tez Walker out, he was

00:22:37still making winning plays. He was still making the right throws, the right decisions. A lot of

00:22:41times it just was the talent around him. Wasn't great. So it's like, now I feel comfortable with

00:22:47him walking in. Like you said, it's like not playing until like halfway, halfway point of

00:22:53the season. And then once he gets in there, I don't think he's going to be rattled because

00:22:57you know, people are like, well, I was on that train for a while too. It was like, well,

00:23:02it was, it was always if Drake May fell, like, I was like, all right, if Drake May doesn't fall,

00:23:06like let's, you just trade out, trade back, gain more pigs, build up this team, right?

00:23:11Because there's always a big thing in the NFL of, is your team ready for a quarterback? And there's

00:23:15a lot of teams that typically, if your team is not ready for a quarterback, do you have the GM

00:23:21and the staff in place to build said team? Now that you have the quarterback. And I think the

00:23:27Patriots, once they hire fully hired Elliot Wolf, we'll have the staff to do so. And he kind of

00:23:35showed it with the way that he did, you know, attacking the wide receiver position in his draft.

00:23:40I walked away impressed with it. I was like, this is what you, this is what should happen for Mac,

00:23:45but do this for, for Drake and do it now. Glad you actually mentioned that supporting cast. Let's

00:23:51get right into jail and poke. Now. I feel like both the guys, the Patriots guy didn't really

00:23:56check boxes for some people because they're not the Troy Franklin's or not Xavier Leguette,

00:24:00who was reporting. You knew I was such a big Xavier Leguette guy. Like I'm out here tweeting.

00:24:05If you got to trade back into the first, do it. And lo and behold, it's been reported that they

00:24:08did try to trade back into the first round and get Xavier Leguette. But honestly, the way it

00:24:12worked out where you end up being able to get in position to get both poke and Jayvon Baker.

00:24:17I was ecstatic with that, but with poke specifically, he reminds me of like that

00:24:22Jacoby Myers, where the way they run their routes, it's very much like I'm in control.

00:24:27I know I'm going to win with pace. I'm just going to be able to beat the defender,

00:24:30but also those hands, the catch radius, where it's just like ball magnets,

00:24:34but he's got a little bit more juice where even today to Mario Douglas, I think it was him

00:24:38called him a deep threat, which again, you wouldn't expect from a guy who's not super fast.

00:24:43Didn't test that way, but this is a dude who I think can line up anywhere and win at any level.

00:24:47So what kind of grade did you have on him? And how do you feel about that fit with Drake May?

00:24:52And now being in a situation where he's with Jayvon Baker, he's with the Mario Douglas,

00:24:57kind of a group that it feels like compliments each other a little better than what they had

00:25:00before. Man, I gave him a second round grade. So when he came off the board, I was not shocked by

00:25:05it at all. I felt like I did feel I was like, okay. And I think I was on a Panther's pod or

00:25:13show before the draft. And it was one of the questions were, well, what do you think we can

00:25:18get? He's able to get at 39. I said, no, not a chance. I was like, if the paid, I said, you

00:25:23gotta remember the Patriots are sitting right there. And if the Patriots are sitting right there

00:25:27right after your 33rd pick, and they have the chance to draft him and put him with Drake May

00:25:34or whoever their quarterback is, and they take it three, that's going to happen.

00:25:37I was like, there's no shot that he's going to fall at 39. And so when they took poke,

00:25:42I was like, all right, you get a strong handed upside for running after the catch is there

00:25:47open field speed. He's a guy that, you know, like you said, he can, he understands how to

00:25:52win at the line with that tempo and pace to then. Cause a lot of it's like, even when you're not

00:25:58a four, three athlete winning at the line of scrimmage, getting guys off their spot,

00:26:04speed releases, one-step jabs. You know what I mean? You know, the footwork,

00:26:08beating press coverage, feet, first hand, second, once you get vertical on a guy and now he's

00:26:14playing from behind it's hard. Once you stack them is, is, and you have good enough speed,

00:26:19you can maintain that. Right. And he can do that, but also he can create the explosive plays,

00:26:24the whole, what I call horizontal explosives, where you're talking about deep overs,

00:26:28posts, different things like that. Uh, let, you know, kind of, uh, you know, switch releases

00:26:33where you got a guy going on the, on the high post, he's taking it to 10 to 12 yard over route.

00:26:39And, you know, you can hit them right in stride and now he gets yards after the catch as well.

00:26:44I really liked it. And like I said, the, the, the ball skills, so like, he's so confident

00:26:50in his hands. I love it. Right. There's a play, I think it was against Michigan state

00:26:54where a Pennix threw it to him deep. And he like, it was just an acrobatic catch where, you know,

00:27:01full extension. And I was just like, Jesus, I think he had one against Oregon.

00:27:06Uh, Pennix put it out there kind of like it was, it was basically, it was basically a 50, 50 ball.

00:27:11I think on a slot fade and he read it, um, tracked it well, went up over the defender,

00:27:17snatched it out of the sky. And I'm like, that's the type you want a dog like that. You want like

00:27:21guys who played a ball at the catch point are dogs. Like, cause it's, it takes a different

00:27:26mentality. It's one thing to route guys up. It's another thing when a guy can cover you

00:27:32and you tell your receiver, you tell your coach, your receiver coach, you tell your OC,

00:27:36you tell your quarterback, I don't care if he's in my hip pocket, I'm not covered.

00:27:41And Jalen Polk and Javon Baker are two guys who have the hand strength and hand-eye coordination

00:27:48that you're going to feel comfortable with those trust throws, right? We always talk about trust

00:27:53falls, those trust throws, whereas like, all right, that defender is literally hip to hip.

00:28:00I got to put this outside the numbers. I got to put this outside the shoulder.

00:28:04I'm trusting my guy to go make a play. You're not doing it. Like, and I know there was some,

00:28:08I've seen a lot of people, there was some pictures of him like, man, get the lab,

00:28:11McConkie would have been great. Yeah. He's not making those plays. Like he's going to separate.

00:28:16He's going to be that movement Z slot receiver for you. Get open quickly, things of that nature.

00:28:23But what happens when you're facing a Kenny Moore in the AFC and he's hip to hip with you. And

00:28:29can I still throw the ball to you? Those guys can make those plays. That's where you got that,

00:28:34that verticality ability to them. And I just think given Drake made those type of play,

00:28:39he's going to be able to say, you know what, 40 yards on the field,

00:28:42Javon Baker, Jalen Polk, they're down the field one-on-one. I can trust them. I know I can get

00:28:48the ball to them. And I believe that they can take the ball from the defense, from the defensive back.

00:28:53A hundred percent. And I know for Patriots fans, you want guys who create separation. There hasn't

00:28:57been a whole lot of that in Foxborough. I do think, especially Javon Baker, we'll get to him

00:29:01later. Obviously I think poke can be that guy. He's just got some stuff he's got to work on.

00:29:05Obviously everybody's still a work in progress. But like you said, this is the NFL, man. You're

00:29:09not getting separation all the time. That's just not how it works. And if it is one of those big

00:29:12plays where, you know, Drake may throw it to you 50 yards downfield on fourth and four-legged

00:29:16and it's Clemson. He doesn't care. If he trusts you, he'll give you an opportunity. So having

00:29:21those guys who can go up and be those ball winners. And even more than that, what I love with

00:29:24both of these receivers is the effort they give, even when they're not necessarily the target

00:29:29receiver, whether it's run blocking. I saw there was a play with Javon Baker where his QB threw a

00:29:34bad interception. Baker stayed in and punched the ball out and got a breakup where it's like literally

00:29:39a quarterback's best friend. Where one, you're going to do the dirty work. I feel like one thing

00:29:42with Patriots receivers lately outside of like Kendrick Bourne, pop is different. He just isn't

00:29:47the right size, but I feel like blocking from the receivers just wasn't always up to snuff.

00:29:51Where you're feeling like, I feel like you could have done more and this could have been a bigger

00:29:54run, but you didn't like carve out the safety or you didn't get that last final block. You will

00:29:59see Javon Baker. There's a play. I forget who it's against. I'm going back and forth on the receivers,

00:30:03but there's like three plays where he's sprinting downfield, trying to throw a block, trying to be

00:30:07there for his teammate. Jalen Polk against Michigan State. He's like digging out a linebacker,

00:30:12like completely loses his mind. Like you talk about dogs. I love that surrounding him with guys

00:30:17who want to get better, have that competitiveness. And that's one other thing that I could tell with

00:30:21his Patriots class was they wanted high character guys as well. So when you, obviously those things

00:30:26are secondary to skill. When you get guys like Polk and like Baker who are really talented,

00:30:31that's just an exciting combination. But now we're going to get to something a little more

00:30:36realistic. We're going to settle down a bit because we're at Peyton Wallace. Now, to be fair,

00:30:42when looking at the second round, the run on tackle started with the one guy I thought they

00:30:46really should have gone after. It's Patrick Paul. Fortunately goes to the Dolphins. But then when I

00:30:51factored in the fact after the draft that the Patriots are clearly prioritizing experience and

00:30:55age, they clearly want these guys who have enough time on the field where it's like, Hey, I'm not

00:31:00teaching him a totally different language. I'm just trying to show him how you do this, like,

00:31:04you know, a different verbiage, let's say. So it was Patrick Paul, Blake Fisher and Roger

00:31:09Rosengarten, two guys who were right tackles, but, you know, Rosengarten, because he was the blind

00:31:14side for Pennix, probably could play either spot. Then Kingsley Suomataiah, who I really like,

00:31:19but again, at the same time, he's so young. I think that factored into it. And then when you

00:31:23look at it, it's Caden Wallace and Kieran Omega-G, which guy do you like better? And again,

00:31:27I think they opted for experience. So with that in mind, what do you think about the Caden

00:31:32Wallace pick? Why do you think he maybe can make the transition to left tackle? And what do you

00:31:36think is potentially in his way? Well, experience in that position, right? Like switching over.

00:31:43And because when you have a, you know, old fashioned at left tackle, you don't have to

00:31:48worry about flipping sides. I think, you know, the run game is where he's going to be able to

00:31:53kind of step in, I think, immediately and make an impact. I think this is a team, regardless of

00:31:58who's that quarterback, they're going to try and run the ball early and often set that tone.

00:32:03Like I said, get favorable matchups, favorable safety brackets and different things of that

00:32:07nature. Favorable, you know, secondary and box counts. And Caden Wallace can help that,

00:32:12right? Get the vertical, you know, run game going. Also can kind of work some of that zone stuff.

00:32:17And this was Penn State. That's one thing like they did a lot of, they have two of the better

00:32:21backs or one of the best tandems in all of college football with Nick Singleton and Katron Allen,

00:32:28two absolute studs. And so they ran the ball well and they knew like that 2023, the run game

00:32:35tampered down a little bit. And that's because the passing game was just not helpful. Like,

00:32:39you know what I mean? The quarterback play just did not really help the passing game at all.

00:32:44But, you know, you look at their, the year before their run game was outstanding,

00:32:48you know, for both running back. So I think Caden is going to be able to step in

00:32:52and be able to do it. I think is, do I think he's athletic enough to play tackle? I think

00:32:57the functional athleticism is there. It's now, it's all about getting that muscle memory down

00:33:01because the kick slide, you know, truly is, I compare it to shooting basketball, being right

00:33:07handed and taking, taking threes, which are, you know, as a right-handed shooter, it's a total

00:33:11different thing. You start practicing with your left, right? One of the, one of the main things

00:33:15you see guys struggle with until they really, really practice it is laying up with their left

00:33:20hand because the level of comfort, that muscle memory, I'll be able to control the ball as they,

00:33:25you know, try to kiss it off the glass. That's going to be the thing for a tackle,

00:33:28like flipping over to the left side from the right. I think it will be an adjustment period,

00:33:32but again, I think he's physically capable of doing it. And the main thing is going to be

00:33:38getting the reps. And I think you do that now, if he's going to be your starting left tackle,

00:33:42you get him prepared right now for many camps on like on forward. So I don't know,

00:33:48I don't know too much about his like coaching staff in terms of, does he have a, who's he

00:33:53working with in the off season on his own and stuff like that. But again, having that plan

00:33:57and letting Caden know, Hey, when we start mini camp, your left tackle, we're not flipping you

00:34:03back to the right, your left, that his mind is shaped. He knows where he's going to be and what

00:34:07he has to do. So then even in the off season, I can't remember who it was, uh, uh, offensive

00:34:13tackle. I think his wife was giving birth and they put a video. He was like in the hospital,

00:34:18kick sliding while she was like laying on the bed. Like, you know what I mean? That type of work

00:34:24when you're out there, like, you know, you're just in the house, like, you know what, I don't

00:34:27got anything to do. And you just start, you know, just working on your kick stuff, getting that,

00:34:30that level of comfort because what you have to deal with in, you know, in your division,

00:34:36the Miami dolphins, whenever they do get Jalen Phillip and Bradley, you know, Bradley chubback,

00:34:40they also drafted chop Robinson. They drafted Mohammed Kumar, two explosive rushes. Matter

00:34:45of fact, chop is his former teammate, right? So I've got it. He's going to be used to,

00:34:50but now you're going to have to get used to him off the left side. So getting that,

00:34:54that muscle memory thing is going to be down. It will be big for him getting that down.

00:34:58Um, I think he, I think it will be a trial by fire situation. If they really want to start him

00:35:03at left tackle, they don't see another option, but overall, I mean, looking at like his actual

00:35:08skill set and his, his physical build, everything else, six, five, three, 15, 30, you know, um,

00:35:14no 34 inch arms. You feel good about that, right? Like you feel good about the physical makeup. Now

00:35:19let's just get you comfortable to where by mid season or by, you know, by the end of preseason,

00:35:26this is like a cakewalk for you. Like you're very comfortable kick sliding,

00:35:31jump setting, horizontal sets, whatever it is, you know, 45 degree angle,

00:35:35whatever sets you're going to use, you know, compared to the set point of the drop of the

00:35:40quarterback, he's comfortable doing it because at the end of the one step, once those live bullets

00:35:44are flying, it's, it's no more, you don't get a mulligan, right? We don't stop the play rerun it.

00:35:49No, it's, you just gave up a sack. We just lost seven yards line back up and let's do it again.

00:35:54Right. So, um, I think that's going to be the main thing for him.

00:35:57And I do think, obviously when a guy gets trapped in the third round is a tackle,

00:36:01you're really expecting at some point he's probably going to play. They do have so core

00:36:05for, which is kind of nice. He doesn't have to rush out there. Although I would expect in camp,

00:36:08there's going to be some kind of rotation just to see, okay, how comfortable is he? Can we maybe

00:36:13play him? Cause chooks obviously has played left tackle, but hasn't done it in the pros yet. So

00:36:17it's projection for him. This is really put it for shut up time immediately for the offensive

00:36:21coaching staff where Ellie will said, we are going to be trapped and develop team.

00:36:25You got Scott Peters, you got Robert Kugler to very highly respected coaches who have experience,

00:36:30not just teaching the position, but also playing the position. So you're hoping that something

00:36:34kind of gets through and they can really get the best out of Caden because the explosiveness is

00:36:38there. Like the dude tested very well. And like you said, I will say I've seen so many places

00:36:43where it's like, they say he uses his length. Well, I personally feel like most of the significant

00:36:48contact that happens is not him. I feel like there's times where it feels like he's kind of

00:36:52reaching out, like trying to get like a grip on the guy. And he's already got his chest kind

00:36:57of taken over. But again, you also see there's a lot of lack of independent hand use kind of

00:37:02like cold strange where he's just kind of throwing both hands at guys. And that puts you at a

00:37:06disadvantage, but if you can get them to the point where he's more confident, cause he's got the

00:37:09experience, he's a patient guy. You can tell he's played a lot of football. So if he can work,

00:37:14you know, one of those hands at a time, maybe start getting another guy's heads,

00:37:18make it harder for them when they punch. That's where I feel like, okay,

00:37:21this transition will be fine. Cause like you said, it's really technique. I think athletically

00:37:25he'll be okay. Cause he tested really well. He's got it, but you know, it's the part that you can't

00:37:29project, which is how quickly is he going to catch on to what he's being taught.

00:37:33He's got, he's going to have to work on that jab. I always talk about, you know, from offensive,

00:37:37from offensive line, defensive line situation, it's like boxing, right? And when you have 34,

00:37:41almost 34 inch arms, you got the reach advantage, right? You know, jab, work the jab and work the

00:37:47right hand, right? Not, not using both hands as a two-handed puncher. Cause then like, once you're

00:37:53defeated, once they counter that, like you don't have a recovery angle, you know what I mean?

00:37:58Like you can't recover that. If the, if you get that inside, like popped up a few times,

00:38:04yep. That's where like the old line coach is going to have to tell them, no, we need to keep that

00:38:08inside hand free. Keep it as a, as the counter punch. Like, so if a guy, if a guy chops and

00:38:14tried to spin inside, that, that inside hand can catch them. That's your, that's your net.

00:38:19That's your catcher, your catcher's mitt. Let it catch them, get the other hand in,

00:38:23anchor, drop your, drop your waist, drop your knees. Let's anchor, get your feet into the

00:38:28ground. And like you said, athletically, I think he can do it. Now it's all about getting the,

00:38:32like everything, just getting everything married together, getting the, the, the movement skills

00:38:37married down and getting that to a level of comfort, but then also getting the hand mechanics

00:38:42down. So I could see where he's great. We may not be the starter right out to see right out

00:38:47the gate, but somewhere like I would say probably week six, seven on beyond the close of the season,

00:38:53he probably takes over once he's, once the coaches have seized. Okay. We feel like he's ready.

00:38:59Mid-season rookie takeover, baby. I'm all for it. I hope that's what we ended up getting.

00:39:03This is a blast, man. We're going to get to the day three picks, but first quick word from

00:39:07our friends at game time. Be right back. With the NBA playoffs in full swing and the Celtics

00:39:11looking like the best team in the East. I'm trying to go to a game so I could witness their

00:39:15greatness in person and get those tickets. I'm going to be using game time, an authorized ticket

00:39:21marketplace of the NBA, which makes getting playoff tickets even faster and easier prices

00:39:26on the game time app actually go down. The closer it gets to the tip off with killer last minute

00:39:31deals, all in prices views from your seat and their lowest price guarantee game time takes the

00:39:36guesswork out of buying NBA tickets. Buying tickets on game time is extremely easy. All you

00:39:42have to do is click on the team that you want to see browse through the available options,

00:39:46then click on those games. Then you can go through filters like price, where you want your seat to be

00:39:52all that good stuff. Quick, get a panoramic view of the seat that you're going to buy.

00:39:57And it can be as easy as a one click purchase for your ticket. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA

00:40:03tickets with game time. Download the game time app, create an account and use code CLNS for $20

00:40:09off your first purchase. Terms applied. Again, create an account and redeem code CLNS for $20

00:40:17off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.

00:40:25All right, now let's get to the day three pick that honestly my heart stopped a little bit

00:40:29because I was big on Javon Baker. I didn't know if he was going to be available by the second pick,

00:40:33so when I saw it was an offensive lineman, I was kind of upset. Worked out in the end,

00:40:38but when I also looked at the profile for Leighton Robinson, it is a bit confusing

00:40:42what this team is going to do in terms of their run scheme because we've heard

00:40:45they're going to do wide zone. But then, you know, we heard from, I believe it was

00:40:50Romandre Stevenson pretty recently, that they're really trying to hit outside more so than the

00:40:55middle. Actually, it was Mike and Wenu, which was surprising because when you look at Cleveland,

00:40:58their outside zone scheme was really more to hit between the tackles, really find some kind of

00:41:03cutback lanes, and then use gap to get outside. So it'll be interesting.

00:41:06But with Leighton Robinson, he's got experience pulling kind of a versatile run scheme.

00:41:10Not a ton outside zone, but the pulling I feel like is going to translate. Guy with long arms,

00:41:15a really strong punch. Not the best when it comes to mirroring guys, but again, when you have a good

00:41:19grip and long arms and you're quick off the line, that'll make up for it once you kind of get your

00:41:24technique down. So what did you think about this pick for the Patriots and how it fits into their

00:41:28offensive line situation? I think it fits well. I think, of course, bringing in more bodies,

00:41:35more competition to the interior offensive line is never a bad thing, right? And I think

00:41:39if they're going to run that kind of outside wide zone type of scheme, I think that actually works

00:41:44a little bit better for Leighton in terms of like he's strong, but there's times when he does get

00:41:49knocked back on film. And I think being, allowing him to work east and west instead of trying to be

00:41:54just a vertical displacement type of offensive lineman and blocker probably is best. I also like

00:42:01with this team being, it's going to be a heavy play action team as well with the run game.

00:42:07It also helps kind of mitigate some of his like foot quickness in terms of lateral agility.

00:42:13We're trying to mirror guys at times where you sell that run action and he knows, okay, it's

00:42:20play action. I know I can get to my spot, get my hands on the guy, drop my anchor,

00:42:24and go ahead and make sure this is a secure pocket from my perspective. And I think he'll

00:42:29be able to do that. I think he's going to be able to come in and battle, being in the SEC,

00:42:33seeing some of those strong physical interior defensive linemen that he had to play against

00:42:38throughout his career. I think he's going to be prepared for the challenge. And again,

00:42:42just getting more talent and more depth in the interior offensive line room is never a bad thing.

00:42:47I agree, especially with Cole Strange. We don't even know what it looked like from the pictures

00:42:50of their May camp. I don't even know if he's out there. So as much as I like Cole Strange,

00:42:55and I really think he's come on strong in the past couple of seasons, once he kind of

00:42:58got everything under his belt, really been put in tough situations because he's been hurt. But

00:43:02with that kind of being up in the air, I think City, so is the guy that you think is going to

00:43:06be your future. So again, Ellie will said he wanted competition. Now they've got it.

00:43:10Did you have him as a fourth round value? Did you think that was a good spot where they took him?

00:43:13Or did you feel like maybe it was a little rich? No, I think fourth round was fine. Right? Like,

00:43:19you know, it's day three, first round on day three. I didn't have a problem with that pick at

00:43:24all. If it was like third round, I'd probably be like, ah, it's a little bit too rich for me.

00:43:29But I do think that fourth round was a good value for him. I agree. Especially if it's a guy who can

00:43:34contribute pretty quickly. Like, you know, Alex Van Pelt loves his heavy sets. So whether it's

00:43:38Caden Wallace or Lynn Robinson, somebody's playing some tight end. But I agree. I think

00:43:42the Patriots did a really bang up job in the fourth round. Speaking of which, my favorite

00:43:47non Drake may pick in this draft, Jayvon Baker. Now I have said, I think he's got some low end

00:43:52wide receiver one potential. If it was just the skill set, maybe I wouldn't go that far. I'd

00:43:58probably just say he's a high end wide receiver too, but really watching the videos, like how

00:44:03hard this dude trains, not just works out, but trains like preventative stuff, making sure he

00:44:07gets his body treated. He's got a YouTube channel. If you haven't seen it, highly recommend

00:44:11gives you a little insight. But then as soon as we get to see him, the dude says he wants to kill

00:44:15whoever's across from him. It was so bad. The Patriots PR took that out of the transcript and

00:44:20they took it out of the video saying he's going to make people in wheelchairs stand up. And

00:44:24obviously the video we both quote tweeted and, you know, there's not 10 receivers better than me.

00:44:28You must be out your mind. Like, I'm really excited to see what this guy does in that wide

00:44:33receiver room, what he brings in terms of mentality. So I could go on about Jayvon Baker forever. But

00:44:37from your perspective, what did you think about this fit? And again, the scheme fit with Drake

00:44:43May and Jalen Polk. I loved it. This was one of my favorite picks in the entire draft. Cause I did

00:44:49not believe he was a full front pick. I felt like he should have, I graded them around third round,

00:44:53I think mid to high third round day two, for sure. And I was just like, I agree with him.

00:44:58I don't think there's 10 best 10 receivers better than him. And when he showed on film,

00:45:03the route running is it's the hands of just how arrogant they are. Like his ability to just

00:45:09climb the ladder, snatch the ball with so much confidence. And he has, he has that killer

00:45:16instinct, right. To where you just look at him and you see, even when he makes plays, like he

00:45:23still has that same, like, look like I want more, like this isn't enough. Right. What was it? The,

00:45:30the Kobe Bryant press conference. It was like, Kobe, why aren't you happy? Why aren't you smiling?

00:45:35You're up to old. And he's like, is the job done jobs I've done yet. Right. And that's how I look

00:45:41at Javon Baker, where he just has that killer instinct, that dog where I can't wait for,

00:45:48to hear your reports and the rest of the staff, those one-on-ones at camp. I can't wait to hear

00:45:53how he handles, you know, going up against the Alex Austins and, and the Christian Gonzalez

00:45:57that's on this roster and how he battles with those guys because he's physical, he's tough,

00:46:03you know, and watch, like I said, watching him in person and watching the route running on tape.

00:46:09I said, okay, this, this, this young man has some stuff to him and he's got open field speed. He

00:46:14can pull away from defenses. He gives you one after the catchability as well. He can work in

00:46:18the quick game. You think about a guy third and four isolate route that quick slant drip from

00:46:26Drake may or Jacoby one-on-one. Can you win that? They always call bucket getters, right?

00:46:31We watched the NBA playoffs and the timber wolves have a guard and Anthony Edwards,

00:46:36that's a bucket getter. Like, okay, where we need to stop the momentum, slow it down. This is a

00:46:42gotta have a bucket. Who are you giving the ball to? It's not call Anthony times. It's not Mike

00:46:47Conley. It's Anthony Edwards. Javon Baker has that type of mentality and skillset in my opinion.

00:46:53And I do think that the, I know a lot of people say, well, draft capital wise,

00:46:57Jalen Polk went in the second round. He should, if anybody's going to be YRC one,

00:47:01it's gotta be him. That's not the case for me because the draft only matters on draft night.

00:47:07Once we get to camp and guys start playing and those two guys work out together, they had the

00:47:12same, you know, YRC with trainer shot, Dev Brown, my guy, like, you know what I mean? They, they

00:47:16work out together and get better together. So they already know each other, right? So they're

00:47:20going to come in there, push one another. But I just look at Javon Baker, man. I just think he's

00:47:25got that edge to him that truthfully, and I'm not saying he's going to be a hall of fame or nothing,

00:47:30but the greats always have a different edge. And he has that kind of edge to me to where I think

00:47:38you give him the opportunities to go out there and produce, he's going to do it. And he's going

00:47:43to take every opportunity, every chance to make sure he makes the most of it. I think he has a

00:47:49full skillset to be a wide receiver one in the NFL. I love that you brought up Kobe and how he

00:47:54just got that different mentality. Remember the Kobe documentary where he talked about how he

00:47:59would go to tournaments when he was a kid and everyone's using their dominant hand and he's

00:48:03using his left. And they're like, why are you, why are you playing with your left hand? He's like,

00:48:06cause I'm getting better. Like everybody else leans on their strengths at the highest level

00:48:09of competition. I want to see how I'm better. And then when Javon Baker went on Steve Smith's show

00:48:14and he was asking them like, Oh, who's the best receiver DB you went up against who really showed

00:48:18you, you got to watch the film. He was talking about Pat Sutan. And he said, like, I don't really

00:48:23want to go after your weakness. I already know what you're bad at. I want to see how I stack up

00:48:27with your goodness. And I was just like, bro, you don't hear people talk. Like I've never heard a

00:48:32receiver say, I'm not saying no one has had that thought, but to hear a guy say that really tells

00:48:38you that he is going to push the defense, the offense, like everybody around him is going to

00:48:43be better because he's like, no, we're not walking through this. We're not like making this easy.

00:48:48I'm trying to go iron sharpens iron. Love the skillset. Like you said, I'm a big Jalen Polk guy.

00:48:54Obviously he was drafted earlier. One of the Patriots need an ex. I think poke can be that

00:48:58at times, but Baker is your ex. And like you said, when you really need a play, I know there's so

00:49:04many like hilarious plays where Javon Baker, like, you know, doesn't catch it. He bobbles it up and

00:49:09then it gets picked off where it's, it's like Drake May where they don't mess up a ton, but

00:49:14when they do, it really sticks in your head. Cause it's like that look terrible. But when you

00:49:18actually watch their full games, you're like, nah, I mean, Drake's a little different because

00:49:22the accuracy, but in terms of like the big mistakes, you're like, he doesn't really make

00:49:26a whole lot of big mistakes. I've seen critiques about he's slowing his routes. And I'm like,

00:49:29well, if you look at when he's like slow playing guys off the line, it's play action.

00:49:34Like he knows he's got that extra ticks. So I'm like, so I'm curious if you can maybe talk me

00:49:38down a little bit with some of the limitations he has, because I feel like some of the route

00:49:42running critiques and some of this from Steve Smith, I'm not an expert or anything, but I don't

00:49:46necessarily see it. Maybe he could cut down at times and be more efficient. I feel like that

00:49:50just comes with playing in the NFL. And I also understand that in terms of the explosiveness,

00:49:54he reminds me of digs where like, he's not really going to run past you and win vertically like

00:49:59that, but he is fast enough or with the routes and that short area burst. And like you said,

00:50:04once you stack a guy, you're gone. I think he has that. But again, maybe talk me down a little bit

00:50:09and what should fans expect to see from Jayvon Baker early on?

00:50:13I just think, you know, you're going to have, there's some, I think the underneath routes,

00:50:18sometimes, you know, make sure you complete those and getting to the spot, you know,

00:50:23on time consistently. Those are some things that I kind of saw from him. I do think that,

00:50:29and I don't really think he needs to start faster. I think he just uses a,

00:50:32he's very temple. Like, and I love that from a guy that understands how to

00:50:38use variety variants of temples, right? Like, cause if you are, if you're explosive off the

00:50:44ball every single time from a defensive back standpoint, I know I just need a quick jam,

00:50:49quick jam, slow that down, get hip to hip, squeeze you to the sideline,

00:50:52try to look for the ball and that's the rep. But when you can kind of give me different variances

00:50:59of quickness, speed, patience, force, a guy like defensive backs, especially in press man coverage,

00:51:07they want to be physical. They want to get hands on when you're, when you have that type of variety,

00:51:13it's annoying because they don't know how to time their punches. So it's like, okay, I can stay

00:51:19square. I can mirror you peer step, different things of that nature. But if I punch and it's

00:51:26the wrong, yeah, it's a wrap. Cause I believe, matter of fact, I talked to, I think it was at

00:51:31the senior bowl. Matter of fact, he, it was him versus Quinion and Quinion was lined up on the,

00:51:35on the right side of the defense, left side of the offense. He was on the best of X in terms of

00:51:40Baker. And you know, Quinion tried to inside jam him and shot the, shot his inside hand,

00:51:45locked his hip and Baker swim, like swim, swim them really quick was open wide open on the slant.

00:51:51Right. And it's just those types of things of him understanding how to do that. Um, I do think,

00:51:56like, I don't think he's the most explosive into the first step. So that's where I think that

00:52:00variance does come into play where it's like, Hey, I'm not going to destroy you with, like you said,

00:52:06off the ball with like immense, uh, you know, elite explosiveness. But if I can get you to

00:52:13take a false step back now I can quick, I could change gears. Right. And that's the main thing

00:52:19he plays at his own pace and speed. And then also, like I said, just making, like making sure

00:52:24you don't, you're not double catching, right. Making sure you're reeling all those passes in.

00:52:28He's got really strong hands, uh, really, he's really confident in them, but I think there's

00:52:32some concentration things at times. So just kind of cleaning that up, making sure you're looking

00:52:37the ball in reeling it in. Don't do not think ahead, right. Be anxious of nothing. Do not think

00:52:43ahead. Don't think, okay, I'm about to catch this slant. And I see I'm looking for that defender

00:52:48so I can make a move. No, secure the ball first, secure the ball. Then you make your play. Right.

00:52:53And I think those are the things that you, uh, some of the growing pains you might have to deal

00:52:57with them, but overall, like, I just think this is a really good player and I got it. You got great

00:53:02value for it. Cause I definitely didn't have them as a day three prospect. I agree. And then you

00:53:06mentioned because he can get to yak mode so fast and it's funny, Gerard Mayo talked about him as a

00:53:12yak guy. I don't think that's his bread and butter, but you do see where like he'll catch it

00:53:17immediately is thinking about becoming a runner. The way that he can like,

00:53:20the throws where they'll hit him in the flat and someone's got him dead to rights. He eats the

00:53:24contact, then throws a guy to the ground. And then with the route pacing, it just feels like

00:53:29he's always a step ahead. Like defensive defenders are so uncomfortable because he doesn't give him

00:53:34the same thing consistently. And he's a step ahead where he knows how to attack leverage,

00:53:38make you uncomfortable. And as soon as you shoot that hand, I think in like five games,

00:53:42I watched there were maybe two times where he really got jammed. He got stuck and you can see,

00:53:46all right, this is why he's kind of got to stay on top of it. Cause he's not got like crazy size.

00:53:50He's not six, three, two 20. He's still a guy where like, if a tall physical guy is going to

00:53:55get his hand in his chest, it's going to be tough, but it happens so infrequently. And he's so good

00:54:00at winning diamond release, speed release, you know, tempo, just this could be its own show,

00:54:05but very exciting. I'm glad we're on the same page there. All right, let's start wrapping this up.

00:54:10Next pick for the Patriots. This one was a bit of a surprise. Now, Joe Milton actually went

00:54:16and got themselves another quarterback. I wasn't sure if they were going to do the double dip,

00:54:20but I figured, you know what, Joe Milton's talented enough. I almost put him onto one

00:54:24of my mocks late. I didn't, I feel so silly, but in terms of his skillset, do you think

00:54:29he's got the potential to maybe be a valuable trade ship for the Patriots down the line?

00:54:33Maybe just like a really good kind of a scout team quarterback early on who blows up the preseason

00:54:38that it's like, oh, we might add something here. Or do you think maybe he might have to

00:54:41switch positions at some point? No, I think he's, I think this is one of those situations where the

00:54:46Patriots have always kind of done, especially in Bill Belichick's tenure where they are,

00:54:49they had Tom Brady, they drafted, well, you know, it wasn't Kevin O'Connell or Cliff Kingsbury.

00:54:54They drafted different quarterbacks on day three, late day two, day three. I think that's one of

00:55:01the situations where Joe, Joe Milton has like spent time with him at the senior bowl, like

00:55:06just an outstanding kid. Like this show, not even kid. Cause he's like 24, you know, I was

00:55:10saying, man, like he's, he's a lot of fun to be around. He's very down to earth. I love like to,

00:55:16he loves to have fun, um, kind of loosen the atmosphere. You know what I mean? Super athletic,

00:55:22big, strong physical arm. I mean, I told him, I said, listen, you gotta, you gotta gain control

00:55:27of that, of that arm. Right. You know what I mean? Know how to, when to pull back some,

00:55:32you know what I mean? Throw with some, go with that, that pacing, go with that arc on some of

00:55:36the past. I mean, if you go back to the, when he came in during the senior bowl game, he was

00:55:41working well, right? Like he was dunking, you know, thinking about thinking of dunking the ball

00:55:46down. He was like, you saw him actively pulling some of that strength off of passes, not trying

00:55:53to throw it through the brick wall, things like that. And then he had some of the, you know,

00:55:56trying to make the hero ball play and stuff like that, got himself in some trouble.

00:56:01But I think this is a guy that you think about watching him in the preseason

00:56:05and he goes out there and handles business. And a team says, you know what? We, we could use a QB

00:56:11too. We can use a guy. And then he becomes a trade piece, right? And cause that's what he's

00:56:15going to get. Most of his reps is going to be in preseason. Um, when you have Jacoby reset and then

00:56:20you have Drake may, and it may not even be this preseason that he's a trade option. It may be

00:56:24year two or three, where then Jacoby's reset walks, you know, walks away.

00:56:29Drake mays an unquestioned starter, but Hey, what happens with starters? You don't play them

00:56:33much in the preseason, right? Cause you want to keep them healthy. And Joe Milton gets a lot,

00:56:37some of the starts we preseason week two, three, and four, he's starting and playing majority of

00:56:42those games and he's showcasing himself well. And the team says, you know what? It could be

00:56:48the trade deadline. We, our starter went down. We need a guy that can come in and make some plays.

00:56:53We want to add someone that some more depth to this room and they can call up the Patriots and

00:56:57get, send a trade, a trade offer with a pick for Joe Milton. He has all of the tools, man. Like

00:57:03this kid is so athletic. The, the size is there. You know what I mean? It's just all about him

00:57:10consistently, you know, just playing within the offense, but also making the right reads and then

00:57:16throwing with that. I always say pacing that don't have to, like, I always talk about baseball

00:57:23with quarterbacks. Are you a multi-speed pitcher? Understanding when to throw the curve,

00:57:28when to do the slider, when to do the changeup. And they also, when to throw the fastball,

00:57:32everything can't be a hundred mile per hour heat seeker. And as he's, you know, with, I think also

00:57:37with Alex van Pelt, I think that's going to be a good, a good thing for him to be able to sit back

00:57:41and also Jacoby percent, he can learn from a Jacoby and understand. Cause Jacoby came in with

00:57:47a rocket arm himself out of North Carolina state, right? Mo big, strong, mobile young man that came

00:57:52in understanding and have listened to a guy who's done it. Hey, tone it down, pull that back. Like,

00:57:58you know, you don't have to rocket this thing in there. Load that back foot. Don't overstride,

00:58:04don't put too much into your, your torque, you know, to, to pull some, some of that steam off,

00:58:10right. You know, deep ball, get that, get that art going. You know what I mean? Like anticipate

00:58:15that deep rather a little bit better to where you can kind of just flick the wrist, let it,

00:58:18leave it out there and let your receiver run underneath it. I think that's an opportunity

00:58:22for him to learn from a VP and for Jacoby percent. Arm strength and vibes in the Patriots

00:58:28quarterback room did a full one 80 this off season. And like you said, man, it just feels

00:58:32like he's got to pick up more of the natural instincts of playing the position. Like you see,

00:58:37you know, at the combine, when he's doing the drop back and then he's waiting an extra ticket,

00:58:41bro. And it's like, that's cool. You're never going to do that in the game. Or you shouldn't

00:58:45because you're just thrown off the timing. And it's just like, you can't really play that way

00:58:48consistently, but being the backup, I feel like not that he needs humbling or anything, but it's

00:58:52very clearly like, this is for you to develop. We're not asking anything of you right now,

00:58:56just get better and having a footwork guy. Well, we already know that Milton told us that he looks

00:59:00up to Brock birdie because he likes the way his footwork is. And when you watch it, that was one

00:59:05thing that surprised me with Joe was you can tell he's very deliberate, almost kind of like cam a

00:59:09little bit, not quite as like lacks days ago as cam was, or it's like, he feels very deliberate

00:59:14in his drop back. And when he's going through his motion. So I'm excited to see what Alex

00:59:18van Pelt can do with him, wrap things up. I don't have the graphic for it, but we're going to wrap

00:59:23things up with Jaheim bell. This was another one of those picks where I thought they got incredible

00:59:27value. Now, before the draft, he was being talked about as maybe like a fifth round pick. I didn't

00:59:32love that. Cause I feel like people confuse his versatility with the fact that no, you're really

00:59:38scheming around him and you're trying to put him in positions where he can succeed versus being

00:59:42like, Oh, we can put him a receiver running back. We can do whatever we want. Like Snyder and as

00:59:46he's his own kind of guy, but he does give you some toughness after the catch where he's not

00:59:50really elusive, but if you don't bring your all when you're tackling him, he's going to run through

00:59:54you and he slashed some downfield prowess. And then the effort is a blockers there.

00:59:58I didn't love what I saw in his blocking tape, to be totally honest. That's why I hate the

01:00:01use check comparisons. They shouldn't be made period for fullbacks. Cause I always say this

01:00:06Debo and use check. People love to compare other players to them. They are one of one,

01:00:11but I do see where it's like, all right, maybe a Harrison Bryant type role where he's a fullback,

01:00:15he's a wing and you kind of move him around. So what'd you think of the Jaheim bell pick?

01:00:19And how do you think a clever offense coordinator like Alex Van Pelt is going to maximize his

01:00:23strengths? Man. I mean, with his athleticism, uh, his route running, I remember, I think he started

01:00:28the senior bowl off a little slow, had some drops, but by day, by the third day of practice, like he

01:00:33was uncoverable, you know what I mean? One-on-ones against safeties, against nickels, against

01:00:38linebackers, it didn't really matter. He was going to cook those guys footwork quickness out

01:00:42of the break. And then once you saw that confidence really bill for him, he started talking, he

01:00:47started like, like letting the defense hear it. Like, yeah, no, like I'm, you know, and you see

01:00:52that kind of attitude with them and I'm, you know, watching that South Carolina, they definitely ran

01:00:56the ball with them. Um, I think it was getting North Carolina when he had like over a hundred

01:01:00yards, total yards from scrimmage. Um, when he's last year before he transferred to Florida state,

01:01:06I think this could be a situation where Alex van Pelt and this didn't his staff, you get him where

01:01:12you, you get him where his ceiling is. Cause he's a talented kid, talented young man, right? Can

01:01:17catch the ball, run routes. He's a good athlete. He's there's a chance for him to kind of step

01:01:23into that David and Joe cool type of role. Like you got to get them there, but the skill, the

01:01:27skill says there, he is a willing blocker. He can play on the ball tight end, you know, as the

01:01:32inline, he can't play that H back. You can line, you can line them up in the backfield and use them

01:01:36as that kind of coverage indicator, right? Where it's like, all right, we're an empty, but we got

01:01:41him in the backfield and you motion them out and you get them against a linebacker and he works to

01:01:46quick game, right? You know what I mean? You think about the stick nod routes, you think about quick

01:01:50pivots and whip routes against linebackers, where then after the catch, he makes it difficult for

01:01:56corners and safeties to make tackles because he is strong. He is powerful, um, in open field and

01:02:02he does not mind getting physical with anyone. So I do think that, um, that there's a high ceiling

01:02:08for this pick. Now we just got to see, you know, how he handles camp, you know, how, you know,

01:02:12I think he's going to come in and work hard. And if he, if he does what he needs to do, and this

01:02:16coaching staff sees that, that developmental arc and path for him, that he could be somebody you

01:02:21look at, you know, year two, cause Hunter Henry's still there. It's like, all right, we're heading

01:02:25into training camp next year. Like he's had a good camp. He had a good off season. He's a guy to

01:02:29watch out for. And I honestly think he's going to contribute pretty fast. Like I mentioned how I was

01:02:34watching the tape of Aaron Rogers and Alex and Peltz offense. And you look at a lot of their

01:02:38outside zone face, pretty common theme is a fullback in the backfield. Now, Austin Hooper

01:02:42is not really that guy. They don't have anybody on the roster other than Jaheim Bell. So I feel like

01:02:47the ability to do that, maybe if he can handle that, we put some more in his place, start flexing

01:02:51them out and use them as more of a versatile weapon, just to play to his strength. So I'm

01:02:55excited about that. I also, I think I can be forgiven for this. I did miss one pick because

01:03:00this was a very offensive heavy draft. So foolish of me. I forgot Marcellus dialed one defensive

01:03:06player. They did end up getting the cornerback, but he's being touted as somebody who could play

01:03:10anywhere on the field. So this is the last pick that we will be talking about. Dame, what did

01:03:14you think of Marcellus style? A guy that the Patriots said they weren't even sure they were

01:03:17going to be able to get them. So they sounded really excited when they were able to lock

01:03:20that pick in late on day three. No, he, he has some good tape. I graded him. I think,

01:03:25believe it was a six round, you know, you know, good athlete could play that kind of off coverage,

01:03:32cover three style, but he can be physical and aggressive. And when he gets up to the line

01:03:38scrimmage, like his ability to reroute guys is good. So it's going to be interesting because

01:03:43like adding him to this, like pretty good, you know, cornerback group is going to be a nice

01:03:48little fit for him to, I think this is a guy that you can get to play, um, you know, special

01:03:52teams, uh, work as a gun with his speed. You want him as a gunner? Cause you know what I mean?

01:03:56Working on like punt and kickoff and different things like that. And then just kind of working

01:04:01his way into the secondary, uh, you know, to get on the field. But to me, he's outside corner

01:04:05that can play both press man and cover three. Um, I liked him, you know, I was like, okay,

01:04:10there's some stuff here that you can, you, there's definitely a path for him to be a starter. How,

01:04:16how much of an impact player is he going to be? Is he going to be a top 10 corner? Probably not,

01:04:21but this is a guy that could be a good depth piece for your cornerback room. 100%.

01:04:25Yeah. Cause one thing that stood out was he had a ton of breakup. So it's like, all right,

01:04:28this guy is, he can make plays on the ball. Not a lot of interception. So he had one season with

01:04:33three and then the rest of his career, he didn't have any. So if I remember correctly, that was

01:04:36one of the things I hit him on was like, like he plays the ball very well at the catch point,

01:04:41but it was like, I wanted him to turn and look and locate the ball down the field and coverage.

01:04:45Cause like you, he'll be in position, but it's like turn and find it. So then you can make,

01:04:51turn those PBUs into INTs. Cause he will do that down the field. Um, you know, he knows,

01:04:56he knows that I close off space and get hip to hip beat chest to chest. Now let's just turn for the

01:05:01ball. He's a guy that kind of down the field is where you see he's face guarding. He's just

01:05:07watching the receiver. And then when the receiver goes to make a play for the ball, he fights,

01:05:11he rakes through the hands, he punches through the pocket. He does all of the normal technical

01:05:15things you want. Now it's just a paying back. You read his eyes. You see them eyes get big.

01:05:21You see that ball coming, look for it and go make a play on it. And I think that's where

01:05:25if he starts doing that, you start, you can make the fee. He can get on the field a little bit

01:05:29earlier. And wasn't that a critique in Christian Gonzalez's game when he was younger, it was like

01:05:33his last year in college, he got better. But before then it was like, this guy's not getting

01:05:37any picks. He's always there, but he's not stealing anything.

01:05:40Correct. Yep. It was that. And a lot of times it's kind of a coaching point. Like guys are

01:05:45comfortable being in close proximity to the receiver and just playing, you know, playing

01:05:50for the pass breakup. But it's like, when you start coaching it up as a, Hey, no, listen,

01:05:54turn around, like turn to look for the ball. So they start working on that, on, on, on those

01:05:59specific things with drills and different things like that. And they say, you know, a guy starts

01:06:02looking for the balls that, Oh, I'm in position. I'm athletic. Let's go up. Let's go make a play.

01:06:07Let's play above the rim. Let's beat him to the alley. And let's go ahead and take this ball away.

01:06:12And Mike Pellegrino, we trust, baby. That's going to be exciting competition. You got him,

01:06:15you got Alex sauce and I say a bold in some really talented young guys. That'll be a fun one to watch

01:06:20speaking of fun Dame. Great time. As always brother, always have a blast talking ball with

01:06:25you. Thank you for your time. I know I'll press a little bit, but let me get you out of here.

01:06:29Let the people know where they can find you and what excellent stuff you got coming down the

01:06:33pipeline. We should be looking out. Of course, over at the draft network,

01:06:36scouting reports, all that good stuff, man. We have great, all our grades from the 2020

01:06:41four NFL draft are up on the YouTube channel. So please go to the draft network on YouTube,

01:06:45subscribe and hit the bell notification. Watch those videos, you know, the note,

01:06:50not just the Patriots, but Hey, see what we graded the dolphins, the bills and the jets

01:06:54for their draft picks. So you kind of know why we feel the way we feel and everything like that.

01:06:59Of course, five days a week, locked on NFL draft. You can find on apple podcast, Spotify,

01:07:04any of your audio podcast listens. And now also I am me, my guy, EJ, Eugene Holt and Daniel harms.

01:07:14We are collabing over at the scouting room, my personal YouTube channel, where we're going to

01:07:19be doing a lot of NFL breakdowns cause football breakdowns, film stuff, hot topic discussions,

01:07:27all of that, this all season going into the 2024 NFL and college football season.

01:07:31So definitely go to the scouting room on YouTube, go ahead and subscribe,

01:07:35hit the bell notification. I think we actually are supposed to be recording this Friday,

01:07:40me and Dan going over some of the big takeaways from the NFL schedule release.

01:07:44So yeah, go tap into that. I can't wait to have my dogs, man. I'm fired up for that one. Thank

01:07:49you again, brother, for joining. I appreciate you as always. And thank you all for watching

01:07:53as always. Now take care of yourselves, take care of each other. We will see you next time.

Category

Transcript

Recommended