Taylor Kyles from CLNS Media is joined by Kyle Crabbs, host of Locked On Dolphins and Locked On NFL Scouting, for an enemy perspective on how the Patriots and other AFC East teams stack up following the draft.
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
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
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - What's going on everyone?
00:19 Taylor Kyle's here for CLNS Media
00:21 coming at you with another episode of Pat's Daily
00:23 brought to you by our good friends
00:24 at Price Picks and Game Time.
00:26 Today we're continuing our look at the Patriots
00:29 and the AFC East overall from an enemy perspective.
00:32 Yesterday, Anthony Prohaska kindly joined us
00:35 to give a Bill's perspective.
00:37 And this day we are joined by another great friend
00:40 of the podcast, Kyle Krabs of Locked On Dolphins
00:43 and Locked On Scout and giving us a little bit
00:45 of a Dolphins perspective on how the division's looking
00:48 now that rosters are kind of in the shape
00:50 that they're most likely gonna be when the season kicks off.
00:53 But buddy, before we get into all that good stuff,
00:55 how you doing?
00:56 - I'm doing good.
00:57 I appreciate you having me back on
00:59 and it's always nice to talk AFC East
01:01 and with the schedules and the news
01:03 and the contract extensions flying all over the place,
01:05 it doesn't feel like the off season
01:07 and that's always a nice break from the reality
01:10 that we still have another couple of months yet
01:12 before we start playing games.
01:13 - The NFL is very good at squeezing water out of the rock
01:16 that is just the kind of dead parts of the off season.
01:18 It's like, it's not a schedule release.
01:20 It's gonna be one of the most anticipated moments
01:23 of the NFL calendar.
01:24 Bravo for them.
01:25 Excellent business strategies all around.
01:26 All right, now kicking off,
01:28 let's start with the Patriots.
01:30 Now, what were your thoughts
01:32 on what the Patriots got in the draft?
01:34 They said that their intent
01:35 was to get a franchise quarterback,
01:37 potential franchise quarterback, just to be safe,
01:39 and then stock up the offense, weaponize with weapons
01:43 and some more competition on the offensive line.
01:45 And lo and behold, they end up seven offensive players
01:48 out of eight in their draft class.
01:50 So what did you think about that?
01:52 Especially considering they were kind of quiet
01:54 when it came to free agency,
01:55 really just focused on retaining their own players.
01:58 Yeah, well, I think if you're gonna take
01:59 a young quarterback and you're gonna look
02:01 at the skill group that's around him
02:02 and the supporting cast that's around him,
02:04 I like the coaching direction that they're choosing
02:06 to go with from a system perspective.
02:09 Getting weapons and investing in the offensive line
02:11 is very rarely is that ever gonna come out
02:13 and you're gonna be like,
02:14 eh, I wish you would have gone a different direction
02:16 after you just drafted a quarterback in the top three.
02:19 So I really like Jolyon Polk and Javon Baker
02:22 as far as the style of receivers
02:25 that they are to go with Drake May.
02:27 And obviously the team has a lot of youth
02:29 with recent year investments on the offensive lines
02:33 and making the new investment into Michael and Wayne,
02:35 you with the contract extension.
02:36 And nobody's ever woken up and said,
02:39 hey, we have too many good offensive linemen.
02:41 So between Caden Wallace and Leighton Robinson,
02:44 there's a little surprise maybe Leighton Robinson
02:46 went as early as it did.
02:47 And it seemed like Caden Wallace was a player
02:49 who as we got closer to the draft,
02:50 there was a lot more momentum for him being a mid-round pick.
02:53 So maybe casual fans were a little surprised
02:55 that the other Penn State tackle got drafted early,
02:57 but I think this is a really good direction.
03:01 I think there's cohesiveness
03:03 with the strengths of the quarterback,
03:04 with the strengths of the receivers that were brought in.
03:07 I think all the competition you can get
03:09 on the offensive line is healthy.
03:10 So I think from an ideological perspective,
03:12 when you apply that to what New England did,
03:16 it makes a lot of sense.
03:17 It's very cohesive.
03:18 And I think that's a big win for them.
03:20 - And you touched on how complimentary
03:21 the class was for the quarterback,
03:23 but most likely Jacoby Bursette, who you're familiar with,
03:25 is gonna start the season as the top quarterback
03:28 and could hold that job for a while
03:30 just because he's so familiar with the offense.
03:32 And there's a lot of things that Drake May
03:33 does need to work out.
03:34 But from your perspective,
03:36 do you think there's a shot that Drake May
03:37 ends up becoming the starter at some point this season?
03:40 If so, maybe what's your timeline?
03:42 Obviously not gonna hold you to it.
03:44 And does that affect how you think the Patriots
03:45 could potentially look down the stretch?
03:47 - There's always this fine line you gotta walk, right?
03:51 Where most of the time you fail forward
03:54 and you fail through earning reps
03:55 and doing things and learning what works
03:58 and what doesn't for you.
04:00 But for a guy like Drake,
04:01 who played in a new system last year
04:04 and there were ups and downs within that,
04:06 and the system that they were in before that with Phil Longo
04:09 really doesn't teach you a lot of requisite timing
04:13 and footwork type of elements
04:15 of playing the quarterback position.
04:18 I think he's got a great quarterback
04:19 in front of him in Jacoby.
04:20 I would be in no rush to play Drake
04:23 because you're gonna play the long game, right?
04:24 You're sitting here looking at a division
04:26 where New England just got done
04:27 with their two decade long winning window,
04:30 which is longer than anybody other than what
04:31 maybe Kansas City's in the midst of right now
04:33 is ever gonna dream of having.
04:35 Buffalo and Miami are teams that are competitive.
04:39 They have big picture aspirations right now,
04:42 but they're also dancing along their investments
04:45 with the salary cap, the Jets with Aaron Rodgers.
04:48 What do they look like after that?
04:49 However long he plays.
04:51 Play the long game here, right?
04:52 Like y'all just got done winning a bunch of football games.
04:54 We're in no rush.
04:55 Do this the right way as far as
04:57 whatever's best for Drake May.
04:59 And I do think there's a very realistic world
05:02 that you could live in where Jacoby's gonna keep you
05:05 at a certain level to be able to evaluate
05:07 the rest of the players on the offense.
05:09 As far as the execution standpoint goes,
05:11 you can trust that.
05:12 Don't put Drake out there just to put him out there
05:15 and develop bad habits.
05:17 So I kind of want to lean into if Drake May's gonna play,
05:21 it's maybe mid season at the earliest.
05:25 If the winds don't come for the Patriots,
05:28 if they stay competitive,
05:29 maybe you don't feel compelled to make the change
05:30 in year one at all.
05:31 I know everybody wants to see these guys right away,
05:33 but that used to be the norm was you'd register it a year
05:36 and you'd sit and learn and figure it all out.
05:39 - I completely agree.
05:41 Now, if Jacoby Brissett plays really well,
05:43 I do think this is a team that can start pushing 500,
05:46 maybe even past there, just because you know
05:48 that he's gonna be able to keep your offense on schedule.
05:51 It's not like when he was with Van Pelt with the Browns
05:53 where they had an Amari Cooper or a David Njoku,
05:56 but I do think if you get contributions
05:57 from the young receivers,
05:58 especially maybe even a little Jaheim Bell here and there
06:01 to add an explosive element,
06:02 then you start to say, okay, this is an offense
06:04 that doesn't have to be great
06:06 because the defense is gonna keep games close,
06:08 but they have enough firepower
06:09 that maybe on those last possession or two,
06:11 they can actually put the game away.
06:13 And if that's the case,
06:14 and especially if Drake May in practice
06:16 isn't really showing you that he deserves to be the starter,
06:18 I don't see any reason to put him out there.
06:20 But if in practice he is starting to show out
06:23 and it's like, all right,
06:24 we're kind of holding back at this point
06:26 because Drake May is further along than we expected
06:28 and he really does look like he can compete.
06:30 I do think that he has the mental dexterity, toughness,
06:33 and the physical ability obviously to end up playing.
06:35 So I really liked that evaluation.
06:38 Now, when it comes to your favorite and least favorite picks
06:41 from a Dolphins perspective,
06:43 who would you go with in this Patriots draft class?
06:44 Like who did they get?
06:45 Just like, God damn it.
06:47 And who are you like, all right,
06:49 maybe they reach a little bit here, I'm not mad at.
06:51 - It feels like such a weird answer to say the last pick
06:55 was the one I was most mad about.
06:57 But Jaheim Bell, I think Jaheim Bell can play, man.
07:01 Like he can run, he can get the ball in his hands.
07:04 You see some of these other flex tight ends
07:06 or H alignment tight ends
07:09 that they don't really have any physicality,
07:12 but they can't really beat man coverage.
07:15 And they're just, they find these soft voids.
07:18 And it's what all like the C level athlete tight ends
07:20 when they get to the NFL,
07:21 they're just zone busters who sit down in zones
07:23 and catch passes underneath.
07:24 Like some of those guys are that at college.
07:27 Jaheim Bell's running away from dudes.
07:28 Jaheim Bell's dynamic.
07:31 That was a player for Miami.
07:32 You know, they had kind of been rumored to be interested
07:35 in a number of tight ends.
07:36 And I was particularly fond of Jaheim Bell.
07:38 I thought he was like a early day three type of player.
07:42 And he's there in the seventh round
07:43 and I'm sitting here hoping he makes it to 241.
07:45 So Miami can make it their last pick
07:47 in the Patriots draft.
07:48 And I said, dang, well,
07:49 I'll be surprised if he makes a roster there.
07:51 So I like that pick a lot,
07:53 especially at that stage of the draft.
07:55 And I kind of teased it already,
07:58 but I was a little surprised that Leighton Robinson,
08:00 they had that much of an appeal for.
08:03 It was kind of a weird
08:06 into your offensive line run in this year's class,
08:09 where you saw all the teams that dumped all the money
08:12 in free agency, the guards getting 15, 16, 17,
08:14 $20 million with their per year on their new contracts.
08:17 - Robert Hunt.
08:18 - Robert Hunt, $100 million player, Robert Hunt.
08:21 And then you get to the draft
08:25 and you saw Graham Barton slide to 26 to Tampa Bay.
08:29 Nobody else really went.
08:30 Then you had Jackson Powers Johnson goes at 44
08:33 to the Raiders, Zach Frazier slides to 52.
08:35 There's a lot of guys that ended up going like second,
08:38 third round that you expected to maybe go earlier.
08:40 So I don't know if the domino effect of that was
08:43 they knew what style of interior offensive lineman
08:46 they really wanted to get to compliment the young guys
08:48 that they have in house there.
08:50 And a couple of those guys obviously got a good bit
08:52 of run last year,
08:54 but Leighton Robinson was the one that surprised me the most
08:59 or said, oh, and I guess to also be fair to New England
09:04 with any criticism that I'm having of that pick,
09:06 they picked again at 110 and then didn't pick again
09:08 until 180.
09:09 So maybe they felt that there was a clear cliff there.
09:12 And that was the last player of a certain threshold
09:14 of players that they wanted to come away with.
09:16 - Yeah. And with Cole Strange's injury situation,
09:18 I do think they wanted to get somebody
09:20 who could competently start at some point during the season,
09:23 which will the fourth round guard
09:24 or really any interior lineman you're thinking
09:26 there's a chance they end up playing as a rookie.
09:28 With Jaheim Bell, I agree.
09:30 Now, honestly, he and Javon Baker are guys
09:32 where I heard so much about them going in
09:35 when I first watched them during the process,
09:37 that I saw the taping was impressed,
09:39 but it was just some things that I didn't expect
09:41 that kind of got me off them.
09:42 Like with Baker, it was the hands
09:43 and the inconsistency there,
09:45 where I was kind of like, all right,
09:46 I didn't know this was going to be part of the evaluation.
09:49 So it kind of tainted how I looked.
09:51 And then a deeper dive, it's like, okay, no,
09:52 when you really dive into it, this guy's a baller.
09:55 It's the same with Jaheim Bell,
09:56 where I saw the yards after catch numbers
09:58 and I'm expecting somebody a little more like flexible
10:01 and contemporarily elusive, but it's the speed.
10:04 It's that straight line explosiveness and the toughness
10:06 where he's not really going to shake guys.
10:08 'Cause he's a little bit of a stiff mover,
10:11 the explosiveness and then the physicality through contact,
10:13 I really like as a route runner.
10:15 And then the downfield ability,
10:17 where he didn't have a ton of production there,
10:18 but he was getting open pretty consistently.
10:20 And there were a lot of errant passes where you're like,
10:22 this guy can blow pass coverage down the scene.
10:24 He can track the ball, make adjustments.
10:26 You'd like to see him maybe attack the ball
10:28 in the air more often.
10:29 Sometimes he lets it get into his body,
10:30 but overall at seventh round pick, I'm like, yeah,
10:33 this is dynamite.
10:35 Fifth round, I was like maybe a little too rich,
10:37 but at that point in the draft,
10:39 you're really just taking guys that you want on your team.
10:40 So I agree, the more I watch the team build,
10:43 the more I'm excited.
10:43 I am optimistic about Leighton Robinson,
10:45 but I also understand it did feel a little bit early
10:48 considering what the team's other needs may have been.
10:50 We got Javon Baker, so it was okay.
10:52 That guy got me off the ledge.
10:53 All right, we're gonna get wider in scope,
10:56 talk about the AFC East,
10:57 but first quick word from our friends at PrizePicks.
11:00 Be right back.
11:01 - Hit it on the playoff action
11:02 and went up to a hundred times your money on PrizePicks.
11:04 As you and the world's best players
11:06 take the game to a new level
11:07 during basketball's post-season.
11:09 You can win up to a hundred times your money on PrizePicks
11:12 with as little as four correct picks.
11:14 You can turn $10 into $1,000 with basketball
11:17 and hockey entries today on PrizePicks,
11:19 America's number one fantasy sports app.
11:22 PrizePicks is the best way to get action on sports
11:24 in more than 30 states across the country,
11:26 including California, Texas, and Georgia.
11:29 I personally love PrizePicks
11:30 'cause they're super easy to use, easy to navigate,
11:33 and they offer injury insurance.
11:35 So your entries stay live
11:36 even if one of your players gets injured.
11:38 Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay,
11:40 and an enormous selection of players and stat types
11:43 are what make PrizePicks the number one fantasy sports app.
11:46 Download the app today and use the code CLNS
11:48 for a first deposit match up to a hundred dollars.
11:51 That's code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100.
11:55 PrizePicks, pick more, pick less, it's that easy.
12:04 - Now, Kyle, before we get into the entire division,
12:06 I'm very curious what your thoughts are
12:08 on the Dolphins off season,
12:09 because when it comes to especially
12:11 some of the later additions on offense
12:13 and then the draft class,
12:14 I really like what they did
12:15 with the kind of undersized Washingtons.
12:17 I really liked them as prospects.
12:18 I do think that you could argue that they got better.
12:20 Even on defense, losing Christian Wilkins is huge,
12:23 but I thought they upgraded at some other spots.
12:25 So how would you give the Dolphins
12:27 in terms of a grade after the draft,
12:29 knowing what they were able to do also in free agency?
12:31 - Yeah, I'd give them a solid B
12:33 for the entirety of the off season.
12:34 I think it is hard when you lose a cornerstone player
12:37 like Christian Wilkins,
12:38 but for $27.5 million per season,
12:41 it's the fifth highest paid defensive player in football.
12:45 I love Christian,
12:46 but if you were gonna tell me that's the ballpark,
12:48 and this was how I talked to Dolphins fans about it.
12:50 If I told you November 1st in season,
12:52 the Dolphins were signing Christian Wilkins
12:54 to a contract extension,
12:55 and it was $27.5 million per season,
12:57 what would your reaction have been?
12:59 And almost everyone's like, "Ah, that's a lot of money."
13:03 So for a team that had a lot of pillar players,
13:07 but has to start making decisions
13:08 on which pillar players we're going to give
13:10 the next round of big contracts to,
13:13 while simultaneously needing to get deeper
13:15 because the injuries tagged this team
13:17 at the end of the year in both of the last two seasons.
13:20 So I think they took that allocated budget
13:23 that they had for Christian Wilkins,
13:24 and they spread it across the entirety of the roster.
13:29 So you lose Christian Wilkins,
13:31 you lose Robert Hone on the five-year $100 million contract
13:33 to Carolina, and you spread that money elsewhere
13:37 where you're able to get Kendall Fuller at corner
13:40 to be the other outside corner.
13:41 And now, instead of having Jaylin Ramsey,
13:43 who can move all around, but you choose not to
13:45 because you want to be vanilla with your presentation,
13:48 now all your corners have inside-outside flexibility.
13:50 You know, like that just,
13:52 it aligns a little bit more with complementary skill sets.
13:55 I think they upgraded a linebacker
13:57 with Jordan Brooks over Jerome Baker.
14:00 I think that's a spot where tight ends and running backs
14:03 in the middle of the field has been a sore spot
14:05 for Miami for three, four years.
14:06 And I don't care what the PFF grades say,
14:09 you watch Jordan Brooks and the degree of difficulty
14:12 of assignments that he gets,
14:14 and what the Seahawks have been able to do with him
14:16 from a total coverage perspective
14:18 because of the skill set that he has,
14:21 I think that's a step in the right direction for Miami.
14:23 I really like the depth of the edge rush group
14:26 that they now have with the draft picks, plus Shaq Barrett.
14:29 But you do miss, if you asked me this time last year,
14:33 who are your 10 best players,
14:35 Christian Wilkerson and Robert Hunt would have been
14:36 on the list.
14:37 And I'm just not sure that they've adequately replaced
14:41 either one of them.
14:42 So I can't sit here and say,
14:43 hey, this is slam dunk off season,
14:45 because I do think you took pretty significant steps back.
14:48 And we'll see what happens post-June 1st
14:50 when they get $18 million from Xavier Howard
14:52 being a post-June 1st cut that comes
14:54 and who they're able to get on the market after that.
14:57 - Yeah, offensively, obviously Robert Hunt is big,
14:59 especially with Tua and Isaiah Wynn,
15:01 seems like he's gonna be the fill-in,
15:02 but with his injury history, you really can't blame him on it.
15:05 Although I do love OBJ and Jonu.
15:07 Like OBJ is another guy who can get open pretty quickly,
15:11 somewhat mitigate the offensive line woes.
15:13 Like if you're gonna have anything
15:14 that's not an offensive lineman,
15:15 you'd like to get a guy who's a separator.
15:17 And he doesn't have to be the guy,
15:18 which it feels like people misinterpreted
15:20 when they signed OBJ,
15:22 where it's like, oh, like they're putting up
15:24 Giants highlights, which was a hilarious move.
15:27 But at the same time, you're talking about a guy
15:28 who's gonna be like, what, fourth or fifth
15:30 in terms of like who you're trying to give touches to,
15:32 which is a great role for him.
15:33 And then Jonu, just if he's the underneath guy,
15:36 every once in a while, you hit him down the seam.
15:37 Again, we're talking about one of your last targets.
15:40 That's a really explosive element there.
15:42 Again, the Washingtons I liked.
15:44 And I am curious when it comes
15:46 to the interior defensive line guys,
15:47 because Wilkins, impossible guy to root against.
15:51 Like you love the personality
15:53 and you have to respect him as a player.
15:54 I do wonder, is he a guy that maybe is kind of
15:57 in that Belichickian mold where you let him go a year early
16:00 rather than a year late just because of,
16:02 you know, the pass rush kind of booms,
16:04 but he is getting up there in age.
16:05 And then I also really like Zach Seeler on the inside.
16:08 You know, I think he's super underrated.
16:09 So is there any chance maybe he takes a step up
16:11 or is he kind of what he is at this point in his career?
16:15 - So with Anthony Weaver coming in to run the defense,
16:17 and to your point, I'm glad you mentioned that,
16:18 Christian Wilkins will be 29 before the end of this season.
16:21 And for a guy who was drafted
16:22 in the first round of 2019 NFL draft,
16:25 I think a lot of fans were a little surprised to find out
16:28 that there's an age dynamic with Christian,
16:30 and interior guys will probably age
16:32 a little bit more gracefully,
16:33 but he's been a high mileage player.
16:35 He's taken 80 plus percent of the snaps every single year.
16:39 Two years ago, he pushed for a thousand snaps taken
16:41 as an interior defensive lineman.
16:43 Both him and Seeler last year took over 80% of the snaps
16:46 as your interior guys.
16:46 So they're gonna be much more rotational.
16:50 Anthony, we were coming from that
16:51 Mike McDonald offense defense in Baltimore.
16:54 There was only one defensive lineman
16:55 that took more than 55% of the snaps last year
16:58 for Baltimore, and it was Matt Abuig.
17:00 And there was only two who took more than 50,
17:03 that took more than 40% of the defensive snaps.
17:06 So they're going to have a lot of volume of rotation
17:09 with the guys that they have brought in
17:11 to kind of money ball their way
17:13 around losing Christian Wilkins.
17:15 And I'm sure in some degrees it will work,
17:17 but that's still a player that you're going to miss.
17:20 But the case that you make about Zach Seeler,
17:22 they signed him to a contract extension
17:24 ahead of the start of this past season.
17:26 And it was $13 million average salary per season.
17:30 So if it's Christian Wilkins for 27 or Zach Seeler,
17:33 you will notice Zach Seeler outproduced Christian Wilkins
17:36 from both a sacks, quarterback hits
17:37 and run stuffs perspective this past year.
17:39 - I did not know that, wow.
17:41 - He had, Christian Wilkins was the first
17:42 interior defensive lineman in Dolphins history
17:44 to have double digit sacks.
17:46 So, and Christian had nine last year.
17:48 They had good production from both of those guys.
17:50 But Seeler, if you're telling me I'm getting
17:53 equal production for half the cost,
17:55 it's just that much more incentive
17:57 to look at the full picture and understand the needs
17:59 of your entire roster versus the needs
18:01 of wanting to bring back this player
18:03 that's been a cornerstone player for you.
18:05 - And to wrap up the Dolphins conversation,
18:08 how do you feel about the rest of the interior?
18:09 'Cause they also did lose Raekwon Davis.
18:11 So it does feel like there's more than just one
18:13 massive hole to fill, I mean, Davis more literally
18:16 than in terms of role, but he was someone
18:18 who did take significant sacks for their defense.
18:20 - Yeah, so he's been somebody who you were
18:23 kind of frustrated with.
18:26 He had the really good year, his sophomore year at Alabama,
18:29 and then he gets drafted and they bulk him up
18:32 to play him on the nose.
18:33 And then they had him cut weight
18:34 and then they had him put the weight back on.
18:36 But he's like a six foot six and a half nose tackle.
18:39 And I thought that was something with Raekwon
18:41 that kind of always showed up in his tape,
18:43 where the pad level and the consistency.
18:45 And when they went tight fronts and mint fronts
18:47 and they covered up the interior trio
18:49 of opposing offensive lines,
18:51 and it was just him one-on-one against the center,
18:53 he had the length and he had like the raw power
18:55 to really be able to take those opportunities
18:57 to opposing centers.
18:59 But if he's in a one shade and he's getting a double team,
19:04 it was just really hard for him to consistently anchor those.
19:07 And you contrast that with the guy that they brought in,
19:09 who was a bowling ball in Benito Jones,
19:12 who played meaningful snaps last year,
19:13 polar opposite type of build, right?
19:15 Like he's probably six foot one on the nose, if that,
19:19 but it's like, okay, you got a guy who is
19:22 at least gonna win the leverage game in there now.
19:24 Let's see what happens for him.
19:26 But I do think nose tackle
19:27 is still an upgradable opportunity.
19:30 And that being not a premium position,
19:32 I will be interested again,
19:34 kind of once you get post June 1st.
19:35 I think they have a whole other wave of signings
19:37 that are gonna be coming
19:39 with that Xavier Howard contract
19:41 that will be coming off the books here
19:42 in just a couple of weeks.
19:44 - I know that secondary isn't really a group
19:46 that the Patriots are gonna wanna throw into very often.
19:48 So from a Pat's perspective,
19:50 you're hoping that the interior does not work out
19:52 for the Dolphins, but we shall see.
19:54 All right, now we're gonna get to the entire AMC East,
19:56 but first quick word from our friends at Game Time.
19:59 Be right back.
20:00 - With the NBA playoffs in full swing
20:01 and the Celtics looking like the best team in the East,
20:04 I'm trying to go to a game
20:05 so I can witness their greatness in person.
20:07 And to get those tickets, I'm gonna be using Game Time,
20:10 an authorized ticket marketplace of the NBA,
20:13 which makes getting playoff tickets even faster and easier.
20:16 Prices on the Game Time app actually go down
20:18 the closer it gets to the tip off.
20:21 With killer last minute deals, all in prices,
20:23 views from your seat, and their lowest price guarantee,
20:26 Game Time takes the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets.
20:29 Buying tickets on Game Time is extremely easy.
20:32 All you have to do is click on the team
20:34 that you wanna see,
20:35 browse through the available options,
20:37 then click on those games.
20:38 Then you can go through filters like price,
20:41 where you want your seat to be,
20:43 all that good stuff.
20:44 Click, get a panoramic view of the seat
20:47 that you're gonna buy,
20:48 and it can be as easy as a one-click purchase
20:50 for your ticket.
20:52 Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time.
20:55 Download the Game Time app, create an account,
20:58 and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase.
21:02 Terms apply.
21:03 Again, create an account and redeem code CLNS for $20 off.
21:08 Download Game Time today.
21:10 Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.
21:12 All right, so looking at the landscape of the AFC East,
21:18 who would you say are the most and least improved teams
21:21 now that the draft is in the books?
21:24 - Well, I'll go with an asterisk with the most.
21:26 I think it is the Jets with the players getting healthy
21:31 and then addressing the offensive line
21:33 with trading for Morgan Moses and signing Tyron Smith
21:37 and drafting Olufashanu.
21:39 That tackle, obviously, that whole offensive line
21:42 was a disaster class last season.
21:44 And them getting that healthy, but at the same time,
21:47 Tyron Smith's had back issues for five years.
21:50 Morgan Moses is getting close to 35.
21:52 Elijah Barrett-Tuckers had season-ending injuries
21:56 in what, each of the last two seasons?
21:59 So the only consistent snap taker you had,
22:02 you cut in Lake and Tomlinson.
22:05 I still have questions.
22:06 I can still see the path in which it goes awry for them.
22:10 But if you're getting Rodgers back
22:12 versus whatever the quarterback situation was last year
22:15 after the first possession of the season for them,
22:18 the offensive line being improved
22:21 and then adding some other skill players,
22:23 I really like the addition of Mike Williams,
22:25 but that is another player that's available
22:28 from cost and injury issues.
22:31 So I don't know how long it's going to stay that way,
22:35 but I look at the Jets as probably the team
22:38 that I would pick has made the most significant gains
22:42 in the areas that they were weak.
22:44 I think the other team that's definitively better
22:46 is New England,
22:47 just because the floor of the offense was fairly low.
22:51 And all of this influx,
22:53 you mentioned seven out of eight draft picks
22:54 being on that side of the ball,
22:56 retaining their key nucleus players,
22:57 giving out some big contract extensions
22:59 to stud players like Barmore and Duggar
23:02 this off season for them.
23:04 I like a lot of that to make sure there was no regression
23:06 from who kind of their cornerstone type players are.
23:09 I think those teams are definitively the best,
23:12 which makes sense because Buffalo and Miami
23:15 had to do some gymnastics in March
23:17 just to get cap compliant at the start of this process.
23:21 - Now, when it comes to the Jets,
23:22 do you think that Olu is going to end up playing right tackle
23:25 to start off?
23:26 Because obviously I like what both the Dolphins
23:27 and the Jets did.
23:28 They knew they had left tackles with injury histories.
23:31 They both got good developmental prospects
23:32 that are likely going to take over for them eventually.
23:35 But I think it makes way more sense for Olu,
23:37 like a blue chip prospect who can start from day one,
23:40 even if he has some growing pains,
23:42 to be your main target over Morgan Moses.
23:44 Or do you think that kind of over complicates things
23:46 and you'd rather just see him stick at left tackle
23:48 and maybe develop behind the scenes?
23:51 - Yeah, I could see it going both ways.
23:53 I understand the argument both ways.
23:55 You want to get your best combination
23:56 of five guys on the field.
23:57 But at the same time,
24:00 y'all pay John Simpson a lot of money to come here and play
24:02 and play guard, right?
24:03 You have a lot of incentives in the Tyron Smith contract.
24:07 You onboard a Morgan Moses via trade.
24:08 That's probably your least invested player
24:11 out of this group between a first round pick,
24:14 $9 million per season,
24:16 and Tyron Smith with escalators up to,
24:17 I think it was 16, $18 million,
24:20 whatever it was in a one-year deal.
24:21 But the base was like 4 million.
24:24 And then there was playtime incentives that roll from there.
24:27 So if I want to get the best combination of five guys,
24:31 I think Olufesanu probably does make it,
24:34 but how much faith are you going to put in Tyron Smith
24:37 to stay healthy for an entire season?
24:39 And if he doesn't, what does that look like?
24:41 If Elijah Veritaker goes down again,
24:43 do you move John Simpson and then kick Tyron Smith inside?
24:47 Do you, because he's a little bit of an older player,
24:49 do you just take Olufesanu and kick him inside?
24:51 I think there's a lot of different ways that they could go,
24:53 but they do need to be careful
24:54 not to put too much on his plate.
24:56 So I think whatever pathway
24:58 that they want to choose for him now,
25:00 make sure you have offensive line flexibility
25:02 with the rest of your unit,
25:04 where if you need to shuffle guys,
25:06 'cause I look at this depth chart
25:07 and I find it difficult to believe
25:09 they're going to be a team like the Bills were last year,
25:12 where I think the most time
25:13 that a starting offensive lineman missed
25:15 was 50 snaps on the season.
25:17 Like there are a couple of teams
25:18 that had unbelievable continuity from start to finish.
25:21 I don't think this is going to be that kind of group,
25:23 but I would not charge Olu
25:25 with being the guy that moves around and fills in the blanks
25:28 just because I think for his development long-term,
25:31 he'd be a little bit better to have more of a narrow scope
25:33 on what role he's going to learn for your offense
25:36 right off the job.
25:37 - That's a great point.
25:38 But then, so kind of parallel that
25:40 with the receiver position,
25:41 where you have another veteran
25:42 with an injury history in Mike Williams.
25:44 At least on the offensive line,
25:45 you've got some options
25:46 where you might have to move pieces around,
25:47 but you can still have a starting caliber unit.
25:50 Whereas I feel like Mike Williams is this Jenga piece
25:53 with the receiving core in New York,
25:54 'cause they still don't have a really great tight end.
25:56 It's Garrett Wilson.
25:57 Malachi Corley's awesome,
25:58 but he's probably going to have a limited role early on.
26:01 He does have physical limitations.
26:03 Mike Williams, even though he is injury prone and all that,
26:05 still gives you a downfield threat,
26:07 still gives you a guy
26:08 who it seems like Aaron Rodgers
26:09 would pair with really well.
26:10 You take him out,
26:11 you don't really have a legitimate outside threat
26:13 outside of Garrett Wilson.
26:15 And then it's kind of like, all right,
26:16 yeah, you want to lean on the run game
26:18 and the play action and all that.
26:19 But when it comes to obvious passing situations,
26:21 if you bracket Garrett Wilson,
26:22 it kind of feels like Aaron Rodgers
26:24 doesn't have a whole lot of options.
26:25 So how do you feel about that receiving core
26:27 and maybe how valuable Mike Williams is
26:30 as kind of that one guy who fills that X role
26:32 outside of maybe Garrett Wilson,
26:33 who I still think is better as a seed,
26:35 kind of like a chess piece.
26:36 - Yeah, it is a huge piece of the puzzle for New York
26:40 when you consider Corley coming out of Western Kentucky,
26:44 just an awesome scheme touch player,
26:46 but a lot of fades,
26:48 a lot of basic hitches against off coverage,
26:51 a lot of perimeter screens.
26:52 That's how he got the ball.
26:54 I was a little floored to hear
26:55 that the Jets were trying to trade up for him
26:57 as early as pick 40 in this year's draft.
26:59 And really, I believe I saw it reported
27:03 he was their fourth wide receiver in the entire class.
27:07 So they obviously have eyes for a player like this,
27:10 but if your requisites for good wide receiver play
27:13 are guys that get open and catch the football,
27:15 the route running ability of Malachi Corley
27:19 is it's not square one,
27:21 but it's not too far from square one.
27:23 I think there's a lot of growth that's required there
27:25 just because of the offense that he played in
27:28 and the role that he was charged with,
27:30 not a lot of carry over, right?
27:32 So I think he is somebody
27:34 who they're gonna have specific touches for,
27:36 but if Mike goes down on the outside
27:38 and Alan Lazard has to come back up
27:40 and be the other perimeter wide receiver
27:43 as a guy who isn't as dominant
27:46 to catch point as Mike Williams is,
27:47 he's not a straight line dynamic as Mike Williams is,
27:50 they would have moved on from him after this year
27:52 if they didn't totally bone themselves with the contract
27:54 that they gave him in the first place.
27:57 I do kind of worry about how they space the field
28:01 and Aaron getting too reliant on Garrett
28:04 and being way too one dimensional in the passing game
28:07 if you do lose Mike Williams
28:08 as kind of the threat to keep you honest on the other side.
28:11 - Once again, just like last season,
28:13 the Jets are a team where it's like,
28:14 yeah, you could totally see them
28:15 making a legitimate push for the Super Bowl.
28:17 And just as easily,
28:18 you could see it being another Jet season
28:20 where injury luck doesn't go their way
28:22 and they're kind of just screwed
28:23 because they don't have,
28:25 they have depth in terms of bodies,
28:27 but in terms of quality talent, even a quarterback,
28:29 it's like Tyron Taylor is a solid backup,
28:31 but he has his own injury history.
28:32 And then Jordan Travis may not even be able to play.
28:34 So gonna be kind of wild to see how that season goes.
28:37 What about the least improved team in the division?
28:40 - I like a lot of what Buffalo's done,
28:44 but I also have a hard time with moving on from Stefan Diggs
28:49 and the answer being
28:50 Keon Coleman and Marquez Valdez-Scantling.
28:53 And then you consider,
28:54 this was an aging group on the defensive side of the ball,
28:57 and they cut some weight for guys
28:59 that haven't been healthy to pull their weight.
29:00 When you consider Trey White's been hurt
29:02 in each of the last two seasons,
29:04 and both the starting safeties were guys
29:06 that were getting up there and age a little bit.
29:08 Now you trust McDermott to get a certain level of play
29:11 out of a lot of that group.
29:13 But I look at Buffalo in all three phases,
29:17 offense, defense, and special teams,
29:19 even losing a guy like Saron Neal,
29:20 who came down and signed in Miami to be a special teams guy
29:23 with the new kickoff rules.
29:24 I think they are the team that has the biggest transition
29:30 and with the team with the biggest expectations
29:33 because of that, I could still see this easily
29:35 being a double digit win team, make no bones about it.
29:38 But I think they have the most challenging
29:40 and imposing transition
29:42 because I think they've lost the most.
29:45 - I would say, if you switch the quarterbacks
29:47 for the Dolphins and the Bills, things look very different.
29:50 Like I think if you take Josh Allen off the Bills,
29:52 and I like Tua, but if you put Tua on that Bills offense,
29:55 I feel like that's a team where you're saying like,
29:57 ah, maybe like third, that's one where like the Patriots
30:00 and them really could battle it out.
30:01 But Josh Allen is so talented
30:03 that you can never really count him out
30:04 and all the magic that he can make happen.
30:06 And Sean McDermott's history, obviously,
30:08 of getting the most out of those defenses.
30:09 So I'm sorry to slander your guy,
30:11 but just the point being that-
30:12 - Listen, we saw what Tua looked like in those offenses
30:15 and it was the 2020 and 2021 Miami Dolphins offenses.
30:18 So we've seen what it looks like.
30:20 I don't think there's any shame in saying
30:22 that there's players that have compounding strengths
30:24 and are force multipliers off of each other.
30:26 And I think Waddle and Hill with Tua and Mike McDaniel,
30:30 they all work and build off of each other.
30:34 Where I do think you look at Josh Allen,
30:37 he's a player who is a little more dynamic
30:41 with his athletic and physical skillset that he provides.
30:45 And that naturally is gonna allow you
30:46 to do more on your own.
30:47 I think that's just a basic assessment of the guys.
30:50 So I totally see where you're going with that.
30:52 - Same page as usual.
30:54 That's awesome.
30:55 All right, brother, we're gonna wrap it up
30:56 with some way too early AFC East rankings.
30:59 How do you think the division is gonna stack up
31:01 when it's all said and done?
31:02 - So to be the man, you gotta beat the man.
31:05 And my team is one and 11 against the Bills
31:09 in the last four years or something like that.
31:11 So I'm gonna leave Buffalo up there.
31:14 I'm not gonna be that guy that goes up and says,
31:17 "Oh, the Bills lost a ton, we're gonna pass them."
31:20 I'll believe it.
31:21 If Miami can win a game against the Bills this year,
31:23 I think that will change the dynamics of that division.
31:26 But that has not consistently happened.
31:28 So just show me, right?
31:31 I do think Miami is a deeper roster than what the Jets are.
31:36 I think they have a little bit more depth
31:39 on both sides of the ball with the weapons.
31:41 I think the offensive line,
31:43 we've just got done complimenting the Jets offensive line.
31:47 I think the Miami Dolphins are probably gonna have two guys
31:49 that get cut from their offensive line,
31:51 even if the ceiling's not as high,
31:52 if the players are all at their best,
31:53 who get claimed off waivers and are playing for other teams
31:56 when we get the 53-man cutdowns.
31:57 I just think they have enough numbers of guys
31:59 that will play on NFL rosters this year.
32:02 So I will go the Dolphins two, the Jets three,
32:08 and the Patriots four, with the asterisk being
32:12 the Patriots or the great unknown,
32:14 because there's so much of a chemistry experiment
32:17 that we're going to see unfold with Bill Belichick out
32:21 and a much more younger and energetic coach coming in
32:24 with a new offensive scheme.
32:25 But you have a rookie quarterback.
32:27 You have a bunch of young wide receivers.
32:29 I would have loved to have seen them,
32:30 had nailed down one of those big wide receivers
32:32 that they were going for in free agency.
32:34 I understand sales pitch is hard, right?
32:36 Because you're in the AFC East,
32:39 it gets cold in the winter time.
32:40 You don't have the Patriot way to hit your wagon
32:42 to anymore.
32:43 You got an unknown at quarterback.
32:45 If Drake May does play this year and he flashes,
32:49 I think all that cap space that New England has
32:51 that they're going to be able to carry over in the next year,
32:53 that's when I think the sales pitch
32:55 will be much more effective for them to try to get a guy.
32:58 And you saw that this year with CJ Stroud and Houston.
33:01 And now Houston's the hot team
33:02 that everybody wants to go to, right?
33:04 And they are in a really favorable spot.
33:06 So I would put New England last
33:10 because they have the most unknown.
33:12 But I do think there is an outcome
33:14 where that defense plays to the standard that we're used to
33:17 and the offense being competent.
33:21 If not competent, then dynamic
33:23 and be able to create some explosive plays.
33:26 They can push their way into that.
33:28 I think they can push for what used to be 500,
33:31 but now we play 17 games, which I think is dumb.
33:33 And that's a whole other can of worms.
33:35 - Oh, I have to edit an article.
33:36 I wrote 500 and I keep forgetting that's not a thing anymore.
33:38 I literally need to write that down.
33:41 Jeez Louise.
33:42 But I think we're on the same page,
33:44 especially with the Patriots,
33:45 where my whole thing is the way you judge this season
33:47 is how attractive you are to free agents in 2025.
33:50 Where people do buy the sales pitch
33:52 and they're like, all right,
33:53 no, I like what Drake May is cooking.
33:54 You got some young talent here
33:56 and I can kind of get you guys over the hump.
33:58 That's where you said 2024 worked out well.
34:00 And it does feel like if you're picking responsibly,
34:02 it's the Bills at the top and the Patriots at the bottom.
34:05 That's just kind of how it's going to have to be
34:06 until we see anything different.
34:08 - The interesting is going to be,
34:09 that middle is going to be very interesting
34:10 because you really don't know whether, you know,
34:13 the Jets are going to stay healthy
34:15 and be able to live up to the expectations
34:16 that they're going to go into another season with.
34:19 Or if the Dolphins are going to, you know,
34:20 finally make a push and capitalize
34:22 on some of the offensive talent they added,
34:24 maybe improve on defense.
34:25 Or if this is going to be another season
34:27 where towards the end,
34:28 the results are kind of disappointing
34:29 and you just see the Bills pull ahead like they usually do.
34:32 Kyle, great time as always, brother.
34:34 Thank you so much for taking the time.
34:36 Please let the people know where they can find you
34:38 and what great stuff you got coming down the pipeline
34:39 that we should be looking out for.
34:41 - Yeah, so I do Dolphins podcast on Locked On every day.
34:45 So it's five days a week, Monday through Friday.
34:47 I'm sure with the new cycle that we are in
34:50 and contract extensions,
34:51 we get some on the weekend,
34:52 you might get me on the weekend too, who knows.
34:54 But I also do Locked On NFL Scouting,
34:56 which is kind of a podcast league-wide
34:58 dedicated to team building.
35:00 That's with Joe Marino.
35:01 You can find those on YouTube
35:02 or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
35:04 I'm on social media @grindingthetab
35:06 and then I also do long form Miami Dolphins written contact
35:08 on Substack at Touchdown Miami.
35:11 - That's excellent work, brother.
35:12 Once again, thank you so much for your time
35:14 and thank you all so much for watching.
35:15 Now take care of yourselves, take care of each other.
35:18 We will see you tonight for our schedule predictions
35:21 and breakdown show at 8.30.
35:23 Make sure you keep it locked on.
35:24 Peace.
35:25 (upbeat music)
35:28 (upbeat music)
35:31 (upbeat music)
35:33 (upbeat music)