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SportsTranscript
00:00I am joined by Robert Griffin, the third James Whitefield.
00:12Yes, Mina Kimes.
00:13All right.
00:14So first play, we're going to look at second into one of the Patriots first offensive plays.
00:21What's going on everyone?
00:22Taylor Kyle's here for CLNS media coming at you with another episode of Pat's daily brought
00:27to you.
00:28Goodbye.
00:29Our good friends and prize picks and game time today.
00:30I am back in the host chair first time in a while and for the first time in a while
00:34beside me is Alex Spark to talk some college football.
00:38We got senior bowl practices next week as well as the actual senior bowl game.
00:42But as we all know, the practices are what matter most.
00:45I will be down there.
00:46Amit Bhattacharjee, our producer, will be down there.
00:49We'll be giving you a lot of good content and firsthand looks at what's going on.
00:52But to get ready, I've written, releasing some senior bowl previews for players at the
00:57most glaring positions to feed for the Patriots and go check them out on CLNS media.
01:02I've got a little quick profiles on all of those guys to get you caught up.
01:05But the purpose of today's episode is to dive into the guys that we're going to be looking
01:10for players to watch, but specifically from a Patriots perspective.
01:13So not going to be a whole lot of five, eight receivers on this list.
01:16Xavier Estrepo may slide in there, but for that point, we're going to be trying to look
01:21at scheme fits based on what we know about the Patriots so far.
01:24Also going to start off with some news that is broken today.
01:26Very busy day in Patriots land, even though it's a Friday.
01:29But before we dive into it, Alex, buddy, welcome back to the pod.
01:34Feels good to be doing college content with you again.
01:36How you doing, pal?
01:37Yeah, this is good.
01:38I mean, it's not even that much college football content anymore in this sense, right?
01:42We're talking about these guys as NFL players.
01:44We've kind of hit that turn.
01:45We've hit that corner as we really get going here in the pre-draft process.
01:48Yes, sir.
01:50So not a lot of actual ball to talk about, but obviously with the games coming up and
01:54even some movement on the coaching staff, some college football adjacent news.
01:57So first, let's dive into some of the current event news.
02:01First and foremost, got to talk about Jabril Peppers.
02:04He was acquitted.
02:05I'm trying to pull up the tweet right now just to make sure I phrase this properly because
02:10this is a legal situation.
02:11But Patriots player Jabril Peppers was acquitted on all charges in a domestic violence slash
02:16assault trial that's gone on the last two days.
02:18Of course, he was placed on the commissioner's exempt list when this first came up about
02:22midseason and didn't play for the Patriots for a while, did return to the team later
02:26in the season.
02:27It was reported that he spoke to Robert Kraft, he spoke to Gerard Mayo, lost his captaincy.
02:31That was a mutual decision.
02:33But the feeling was that if he was allowed back on the team with Robert Kraft's zero
02:36tolerance policy for domestic violence, there was probably some chance that I think we were
02:41hearing whispers of he had actually recorded the incident.
02:44So probably got Kraft's okay to return to the team.
02:47But he was, he did plead guilty to being in possession of cocaine.
02:51So not fully out of the woods, but obviously the one that really worried you, he has been
02:55acquitted of.
02:56So I'm curious, do you think, Alex, there's any chance he ends up getting put on any kind
03:00of list, a suspension or something because of the cocaine, because that is significant?
03:04Or do you think the exempt list was probably enough?
03:06Yeah, look, it's always each of these situations are unique.
03:10You never know, especially with this league and the way they handle these things.
03:13I think because he was on the exempt list, my guess that is, that would be essentially
03:19his punishment, right?
03:20He missed all that time to, does he maybe get a slap on the wrist to find something
03:25like that?
03:26I could see it.
03:27I'm not going to say he won't be suspended, but he's already missed a, what he missed
03:30what?
03:3110 games, 12 games, something like that when he was on the exempt list.
03:34So I think that that is, that that's more than he would have missed a significantly
03:39more than he would have missed more than the average player would miss for a drug charge.
03:43I'd agree.
03:44And then just looking at this on Patriot's perspective, it's a little more encouraging
03:47going into next season because your two top safeties, Kyle Duggar and Jabril Peppers missed
03:51so much time for different reasons.
03:52Andrew Callahan did a great job over at the Boston Herald, writing up a story about Kyle
03:56Duggar, how he suffered injury in week four.
03:59He tried to block a field goal, landed on his leg with all of his weight.
04:02And then it just got progressively worse as he continued to play on it, even though he
04:05did miss some time.
04:06So he's going to have to get surgery.
04:08So he's going to be on the mend, but Jabril Peppers also banged up.
04:11He ended the season hurt, but at least you now know that he's probably going to be on
04:14the team.
04:15We'll see what the health status is going to be, but not going to dredge on with that
04:18one too long.
04:19We're going to move on to the coaching staff, a whole lot of movement in like the past 24
04:24hours, less actually.
04:25So going to go down the list first in we've got quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant.
04:31He's coming over from Cleveland where he spent the past five years.
04:34So going to get a little bit of familiarity, right?
04:36He's worked with Alex Van Pelt before, obviously worked with Kevin Stefanski.
04:40So he's going to understand a bit of what Drake May was taught as a rookie under Van
04:44Pelt under TC McCartney.
04:46Also Ashton Grant interviewed for the quarterbacks coach job at Green Bay this off season.
04:50So that's one very big addition.
04:52Another addition potentially to the quarterback room, Riley Larkin, who is an offensive assistant
04:56at the Oklahoma State University.
04:59He also worked with quarterbacks.
05:01Oh, hi.
05:02Oh, I'm sorry.
05:03What did I say?
05:04Oklahoma.
05:05Oh, Ohio State.
05:06Jeez Louise.
05:07How many of these states to very different quarterback situations there?
05:10I don't know.
05:11Very, very much.
05:12Coach from Oklahoma State.
05:13Right?
05:14Yeah.
05:15No, they got Will Howard.
05:16He coached Will Howard.
05:17The good one.
05:18Will Howard also thanked him after they won the national championship game.
05:19One of the guys he credited for his success.
05:20So also a John Carroll alumni played quarterback there.
05:24Julian Edelman asked on games with names when he was sitting down with Josh McDaniels last
05:28year.
05:29What's in the water at that school?
05:30Because like Nick Casario came from there.
05:32Nick Kaley came from there.
05:33Obviously Josh came from there.
05:35And apparently how that works is that Josh was recommended by, I think it was Brian Dayball.
05:40Then Josh was asked once he got to the team by Bill, Hey, are there any guys you'd recommend?
05:45And then it became this kind of circle of trust where the John Carroll guys were like,
05:48Hey, don't screw this up because these are recommendations.
05:51They matter.
05:52So clearly Riley Larkin, a guy who clearly was valued by Ohio State coming over to the
05:57Patriots.
05:58That should be a very interesting connection.
05:59And Ohio State, another Ohio guy, McDaniels and Rabel, both Ohio guys themselves.
06:04So in Clinton McMillan, defensive assistant, he, for the past few years has been Tennessee's
06:09assistant defensive line coach and pass rush specialist.
06:13So maybe we ended up hearing that he has a different actual title, but with Terrell Williams
06:17being the defensive line coach, you'd assume that McMillan, who there's some videos online,
06:22you can actually see them like repping things together.
06:24We'll continue to do that and then kind of get a Joe Kim replacement as well.
06:28Out is TC McCartney.
06:30As I just said, there's a whole lot of movement in the quarterback room and with Alex van
06:33Pelt not returning to the team, it makes sense that TC McCartney is out, but great
06:37job TC getting Drake May ready to play last year.
06:40Those guys did a really phenomenal job.
06:42And the very last bit of coaching news, early staff news, John Stretch Stryker has been
06:47named officially the vice president of football operations and strategy.
06:52So as I said, whole lot of football news there on the coaching staff, on the regular staff,
06:56but what are their biggest takeaways from everybody named?
06:59You got Grant, you got Larkin, McMillan, McCartney, and then of course, Stretch getting in the
07:03official title.
07:04Yeah.
07:05I just think on the offensive side of the ball, you have all these guys coming in from
07:08all these different backgrounds and when Josh McDaniels was hired and look, there's still
07:12room.
07:13They still need a wide receivers coach.
07:14They still need an offensive line coach.
07:16They still need a tight end coach, right?
07:18And those are big ones.
07:19So there's still room for some of those familiar names to come back, but we all went right
07:24back to the database and people we knew and we thought McDaniels is going to get the band
07:28back together.
07:29So as I said, it's Ashton Grant coming from Cleveland, Tony Dews coming from Tennessee.
07:35I want to say Riley Leonard.
07:37That's not the quarterback.
07:38It's Riley.
07:39Riley Larkin, Riley Larkin.
07:41He comes from that Ohio state tree, which is completely different, but definitely good
07:45offense to tap into.
07:46So Chip Kelly, those, you're getting some of those roots.
07:49That's really exciting.
07:50So you have Ashton Grant who comes from the background of the offense.
07:53Drake May ran last year.
07:55You have Tony Dews who comes from the background of the offense and Mike Vrabel ran in Tennessee.
08:00And then it, you know, McDaniels really means what he says, talking up this time he spent
08:04with college programs in the last year, learning more about some of the newer philosophies
08:09offensively and things like that.
08:10You have a guy in Larkin who's definitely been involved in that at Ohio state.
08:14So there really isn't like last year we knew, right?
08:18They hired Van Pelt.
08:19They hired McCartney.
08:20They, all these guys, they hired outside of Tyler Hughes.
08:23It was all Cleveland guys.
08:25It was all West coast.
08:26It was all that same Stefanski system.
08:30You can't really play that game this year, at least not yet.
08:33Maybe the other pieces, we start to see more of a trend, but it's all different people
08:37coming from different backgrounds, which give it like, if it was last year like this, it
08:42would have worried me because it was a bunch of first time people, all with different backgrounds,
08:46getting everybody on the same page is going to be a pain in the ass because Josh McDaniels
08:50has the experience that he has, and he pretty much knows what kind of show he wants to run.
08:55Now you get these other people who can give these unique inputs.
08:57And I think McDaniels is going to do a very good job, essentially as a funnel, putting
09:01that all together and outputting that into one cohesive plan.
09:06I do.
09:07I do like the direction they've gone so far.
09:08Basically all the people who are upset about not getting a tight pants coach.
09:12It's funny.
09:13They're surrounding McDaniels with what are viewed as a bunch of tight pants kind of coaches.
09:18So there's definitely going to be that influence in the room.
09:21Maybe not as big as some people want it, but there's definitely going to be that influence
09:25in the room.
09:26And when Josh McDaniels was hired, we were kind of hoping, all right, if you're going
09:29to potentially have your OC who's locked in potentially forever.
09:32And one thing I know, Andrew Callahan, guy's been doing a really great job, but he was
09:37speaking to Jeff Howell yesterday or a couple of days ago.
09:40And Jeff mentioned how Josh McDaniels, after what's happened in his past stops, really
09:44New England is home for him.
09:45And it gets to a point where you kind of do want to stay in place because I saw there
09:48was some speculation of, is Josh really going to be that guy?
09:51It sounds like he probably is at least for the foreseeable future.
09:53So then you're hoping, all right, now you get some young guys in the system, right?
09:57So you're getting fresh perspectives consistently.
10:00So it's not just Josh.
10:01It's Josh also hearing from people in different programs and innovative systems.
10:05It feels like that's what you're getting here, where you get the guy, like we mentioned earlier,
10:09who's got the experience with Drake May, that offense, Kevin Stavansky, one of the better
10:12offensive coaches in the league or offensive minded coaches in the league.
10:16And then you get Ohio State.
10:17Everybody wants a piece of Chip Kelly right now.
10:19So that's very, very exciting.
10:21Josh, I know there was a story that just came out where Mike Vrabel, I believe it was WBZ,
10:26was talking about why he hired each of his coordinators.
10:30Once again, he mentioned McDaniels having used this past season to try to learn and
10:35advance his system.
10:36And that was one part of the interview process.
10:38So yeah, I'll say that's the final thing on that.
10:40It is very exciting that they're getting different guys in the room.
10:43Also with McMillan, I like that they're getting someone with Terrell Williams.
10:46Clearly they have a track record of success in Tennessee.
10:48So kind of getting the band back together over there.
10:51But done with that, let's talk about some college football players.
10:56Senior Bowl week.
10:58Next week, going to have a lot of practices.
10:59That's going to be a lot of fun.
11:00Going to get to talk to players, see a lot of one-on-one matchups.
11:03Before we get into the actual position previews, though, is there any position that you're
11:07most excited to be watching, period?
11:09Like one group that's just loaded with talent or guys where maybe you just have a lot of
11:13questions that you're hoping this bowl game answers?
11:15Well, I mean, the line's always fun with the senior bowl.
11:18Offensive and defensive line, that's always kind of the best thing to watch.
11:21And especially with the tackles this year, there's so many people that want that blue
11:26chip player, the guy whose jersey they can buy at the top of the draft.
11:29By the way, normalize buying offensive linemen's jerseys, first of all, since we're not there
11:33yet.
11:34You know, everybody's trying to figure out, you know, well, if it's Carter at four and
11:37this and that, and then trying to wedge that tackle in there somewhere else.
11:41So you and I are happy when we look at their mock drafts.
11:44Look, it's not entirely unrealistic, but you've got to know what you're talking about those
11:48tackles later in the draft.
11:49And right now there's kind of a bunch of guys all bunched together, all grouped together
11:54and in that same tier and how they're going to separate.
11:57And that's what events like this are good for.
12:00So guys like Josh Connolly, guys like Ariante Ursary, Mabow from Purdue, Marcus Mabow, who
12:11I think you were talking about the other day, like learning more about these guys will
12:14be very helpful as you kind of try to figure out what the plan is there.
12:17A hundred percent.
12:18So we're not actually going to start with the trenches cause this is going to be a very
12:21trench heavy show.
12:22First, we're going to give you a teaspoon full of sugar to make the medicine go down
12:26easy.
12:27Let's start with some wide receiver talks.
12:28So Alex, who are some receiver names that you are specifically going to be looking out
12:32for and why?
12:35So I know that there's a couple of big names that people are focused on, right?
12:39I've already seen Jalen Royals in the comments.
12:42I know you're guys, Pat Bryant.
12:44So I'll go kind of a little off the rip here.
12:46I'll give you a couple.
12:47One that's definitely a fit and one that I'm worried is absolutely not a fit, but I'm so
12:51curious about Xavier Restrepo, absolutely Josh McDaniels.
12:55Look, I really like pop Douglas.
12:57I think he's a good player.
12:59He's not the kind of player that's going to be a primary slot in Josh McDaniels.
13:03He's just proven he's not that kind of volume guy.
13:06Restrepo I think can be, he's not the biggest guy, but he's a little bigger.
13:10And we saw him take some big hits at Miami and he, well, a tough receiver, reliable receiver
13:15explosiveness, the explosive good after the catch, he profiles like a Patriot.
13:21So he would be a guy I think you're looking for to have a big week.
13:24And then the one that might not be a fit, but I'm fascinated by.
13:29So I think some of the criticism of Josh McDaniels is, is overblown.
13:33One thing with him that does worry me.
13:36Never been good with scheme touch players, players that kind of figure out creative
13:41ways to get the ball in the hands, you know, point evidence, number one, John,
13:45who Smith, you look at the way he struggled in new England and the success he's had
13:49since with his usage being different.
13:52So I'm nervous talking about scheme touch players, but if there's one scheme touch
13:56player, McDaniels figured out at least in his second stint, it was quarter old Patterson.
14:00And figuring out how to use them as a running back and use them as a slot
14:03receiver and get kind of gadgety with him.
14:05That worked.
14:07I don't know that he fully tapped into Patterson's potential the way the Falcons
14:11and Steelers did, but he was able to get more at a quarter old Patterson than I
14:15think you realistically expected.
14:16So that brings us to Savion Williams from TCU.
14:20It's five fast, but he's quick.
14:24He moves well.
14:25He can change direction, especially for guys size.
14:28It's all very, but he's not exactly a polished wide receiver and he spent
14:33half this year playing running back.
14:35So he's not a guy like he's built.
14:38No, he just did it.
14:40Oh, okay.
14:41God.
14:41Talk about Cordero Patterson.
14:43Like, right.
14:43No, yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:45This is exactly where I'm going.
14:46So like he looked, if you just look at him, you think, all right, it's an X
14:50receiver, but he's not because he's not refined enough to do that, but he's so
14:56athletic, he's so physically dominant.
14:57It's like, how do we get this guy involved?
15:00He's you're not going to have a six, five, 220 pound running back full time.
15:04That's just not going to work, but finding creative, like, I'm just
15:08interested to see kind of what he does.
15:10Does he work with the running backs?
15:11What kind of routes is he running?
15:13And like, I'm really nervous about giving him to Josh McDaniels, but I
15:17like the player so much that there's a part of me that's just like Cordero
15:21Patterson, 2.0 Cordero Patterson, 2.0 Cordero Patterson, 2.0.
15:24So I'm, I have no expectations for Savion Williams.
15:28I'm just fascinated to see what happens with him on the field
15:32and throughout this process.
15:35I will slightly push back on the, I feel like I'm the only one who is of this
15:39opinion with John, who, but I just feel like that here, there were so many like
15:43fine players that did deserve touches.
15:45And he was so inconsistent, like watching him catch the ball was tough.
15:50Well, I mean, there were other awkward.
15:52It takes him a while to like get his footing and it felt like Hunter's better.
15:56It was so obvious that Hunter was better.
15:58Then you also had Jacoby, you had Kendrick and then Nelson Aguilar was
16:01just on the field to be the X.
16:02So I remember being like, ah, I want more Johnny.
16:05And then I studied it and was just like, I don't know how you do anymore.
16:08He just is really weird.
16:09But anyway, that said, if it's a Cordero Patterson, once again,
16:13that would be really cool.
16:14And then hopefully you pray that down the line, he can develop and turn
16:17into more of a consistent, well-rounded receiver.
16:19Where do you think he ends up going actually?
16:21Because physical freak, but such a projection that feels like maybe
16:24mid late day to third round.
16:26What are you thinking?
16:27Uh, yeah, something like that.
16:29I mean, there's a lot of variants there because different teams are
16:31going to view him different ways.
16:32Like you're, you're going to have teams that not just like, oh, we think
16:36he's the 50th best player.
16:37We think he's the 70th.
16:38There's going to be teams that view them.
16:41Almost think kind of like Travis Hunter, right?
16:43Where, all right, well, you know, we think he's primarily a receiver.
16:46We're going to mix him in as a little bit of a running back or we're
16:48going to try to turn him into a tight end and have him return kicks.
16:50Or, you know, we're going to have him do this or that.
16:52It's it's so it's going to be so all over the place.
16:54I don't think he gets outside of the top 100 just because of that athleticism.
16:59My guess would be like, his ceiling is probably, he maybe sneaks into the top 40.
17:05Um, he's going somewhere and that's, if he has a great process, my guess is he's
17:10going somewhere, probably late second, early third round, like you said.
17:14Yep.
17:14Yep.
17:15So over here, I'm going one.
17:17I got to talk.
17:18I got to talk Pat Bryant.
17:19I have to, because he was the first draft crush I had this season.
17:22As soon as I kind of stumbled on him, because I was looking over stats and I
17:26was trying to find who could get the most deep production because it felt like T
17:29Higgins, they may not be able to get them.
17:31And there aren't a lot of other guys that you think could be long-term answers for
17:34you and you might not pick Ted in the draft or early on.
17:36So where can you find those guys?
17:38I saw Pat Bryant, like his numbers were very good on deep targets.
17:42What did the highlight tape first, just to get an idea of the game.
17:44And I was like, Oh my God, for somebody I've never heard of and who people
17:48really aren't talking about very much.
17:50This kid's impressive.
17:51Like he's got the size.
17:53He's the real X receiver, which is often hadn't had in so long.
17:56He doesn't have great vertical speed, which is where some of the deep
17:59stuff is a little bit tricky.
18:00Like there were some just wide open targets that he was able to capitalize on.
18:03But you see him win off the line consistently.
18:06He is so smooth off the line of scrimmage.
18:08He's also physical.
18:09He's very aware and has a good feel for when guys are trying to jam
18:13him and get him off his mark.
18:14And he doesn't really get pressed that makes up for the lack of great vertical
18:18speed because he's going to win off the line and win quickly.
18:21He can win on slants, reminds me a lot of T Higgins after the catch in the way
18:25that he just gets the ball very quickly, tucks it away, and then immediately
18:29looks upfield to try to get more yards, fights for extra yards, his physical
18:34after the catch, like very much a T Jennings or T Higgins light light in my
18:39eyes.
18:39And then on top of it, he's tough as a run blocker, which you really
18:42love kind of a tone setter.
18:43He was a team captain and then he could have transferred.
18:46I believe there was a head coaching change after he had committed or when
18:49he was already there for a year, one or the other, and he actually stayed.
18:52And when the coach talked about him in an interview, like he cried.
18:55This is a guy that is very highly regarded when it comes to that football
18:59program over Illinois.
19:00So I just think if you're talking like a fourth round receiver, where you're
19:03kind of throwing a dart at a guy, that's a good part of your program will
19:06contribute on special teams and also could fit a need that you have.
19:09I really liked that Brian.
19:11And then another guy that I'm intrigued by and is becoming one of my like
19:14mid round darlings is Jalen Royals because size wise, he's perfect.
19:18Where Elliot Wolf looks 46 foot, 205 pounds was first team all mountain
19:22strengths, looking at friend of the channel, Daniel harms profile on him,
19:26route running stemming manipulation, acceleration yards after the catch.
19:30These are all things that Mike Vrabel said he really wanted.
19:33Now, one thing there that doesn't stand out is the catch radius part.
19:36I know he's really big on that, but getting after it.
19:39Um, when you actually have the ball in your hand and also being able to get
19:41open are really good strengths of his.
19:43Some concerns are physicality through the route release variety, press comfort.
19:48So may need to be more of a Z early on, but he feels like he has the kind of
19:51skillset probably going to be a day two player that could be a good value in a
19:55class where it feels like it's very middle heavy, there's not a whole lot of
19:58guys at the top that you're really excited about.
20:00So if he kind of slips and they've got a lot of their needs already filled in the
20:04trenches, Jalen Royals is a guy that I'm pretty intrigued by.
20:07Yeah, that's another guy that we talk about.
20:09Can you find McDaniel's the next Edelman Welker, right?
20:13That sort of guy.
20:14And can he be a high volume target?
20:16He has the size for it.
20:18I think he has the reliability for it.
20:19His ability to create after the catch, cause he's, that's not a guy you're
20:22going to be sending vertically a ton.
20:23So he's going to need to.
20:25And when I say that guy, I mean, that role, right.
20:27Is not a player you're going to be sending vertically a ton.
20:30So can he create with the ball in his hands?
20:32Uh, he's, he's certainly on the list, uh, for players in that spot.
20:36You know, it's kind of becoming clear.
20:38You're starting to see whether it's, it's Jalen Royals, Xavier Restrepo.
20:43And Mecca book is at the top of this list.
20:45Even Nick Nash, who's in the shrine bullets.
20:47I don't know why I did this before I did the senior bowl preview with you.
20:50I'm working on my shrine bowl preview right now for 98, five, the sports hub.com.
20:54Five, all those names stuck in my head.
20:56Uh, we can touch on that a little bit at the end if you want, but yeah, you're
20:59starting to kind of see, see those names, hear those names a lot that are, you
21:04know, potential slots in Josh McDaniel's offense.
21:07That's exciting.
21:08Also real quick.
21:09Lad McConkey is not an X for the chargers.
21:12FYI.
21:13I was right.
21:13I was wrong about him.
21:14Not really being a Z.
21:16That was where I did kind of screw up, but that's okay.
21:19I will say that off and Z and slaughter kind of the same thing.
21:22There's a lot of, he's like a Julian Edelman kind of Z where it's
21:25like, he's not actually a Z it's more like they move them around so that
21:28he's never actually getting touched, but it's okay.
21:30I'll accept responsibility and I will sit in my shame while you hear from
21:33our good friends over at price picks.
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22:48All right, buddy, let's get into the trenches.
22:50Start off on the offensive side of the ball.
22:52Who do you think, whether it's a left tackle, whether it's a right tackle
22:56Patriots did choose Kate Mollison in the third round last year, but
22:59he barely played as a rookie.
23:00So we have no idea how this new regime is going to feel about him.
23:03Who do you think could be a potential fit for the Patriots that you're going
23:06to be looking out for next week?
23:08There there's really two guys you're looking for in this game,
23:11specifically, if you're trying to find that starting left tackle late
23:14on day one, early on day two.
23:16And it's, it's Josh Connerly and it's Ariante Ersery.
23:18Yes.
23:19And those are the guys that are in the mix.
23:20You might end up having to trade back into the first round for either.
23:23I think that would be worth it if you end up getting a starting left tackle,
23:26but that's the main event that might be the main event at this whole game.
23:29Is which one of those two is the guy, which one of those two after
23:33Campbell, after banks is that next tackle.
23:35So that's what, that's going to be fascinating.
23:38That's going to be one of the big takeaways coming, coming away from the week.
23:40Uh, I like Marcus Mabot too.
23:42He's a right tackle, but like you said, I wouldn't rule out them
23:45maybe bringing in somebody comparable.
23:48Yeah.
23:48I don't think they're going to go up high and invest in a right tackle, but
23:51also the third round pick, you bring in another third, fourth round pick.
23:54And you hope between the two of them, you have a starter.
23:56Um, maybe Mabot is, is, is that guy.
23:59So I wouldn't rule that out either, but it's, it's Ersery.
24:02It's Connerly.
24:04That's what you want to see.
24:04I'll tell you the guys I'm less interested in, and I've
24:07seen these names out there.
24:09Um, Wyatt Milam from West Virginia.
24:12And then is he a tackle?
24:13Cause I keep seeing that he's a guard.
24:15So you're jumping, you're, you're, you're getting ahead of me.
24:17All right.
24:17Good job.
24:18Um, and, and, uh, gray Zabel from North Dakota state.
24:21Uh, those two guys I've seen a lot, people trying to find like that,
24:24that day to tackle, those are guards.
24:27Milo might be a center, right?
24:29He's a hell of a center, but he might be a center.
24:32So stop wedging those guys in your mock drafts at 38, thinking you got
24:37to tackle cause he didn't.
24:38Also, I'm looking at the list.
24:39I missed this guy before when I was doing my prep and I know
24:41you like this guy, Taylor.
24:42So I tell me if I'm stealing your thunder, uh, cut me off here.
24:46Anthony Belton.
24:47I do like him, but he wasn't on my list.
24:49So go ahead.
24:50So I, you know, I'm generally anti switching tackles, like switching sides.
24:56I can stomach left to right more than right to left.
25:00Yeah.
25:00And I look at Anthony Belton and I see a Josh McDaniel's right tackle.
25:04Like, yeah, is so what they want in that role that if he slips a little bit, that
25:11is one of the rare instances, right?
25:13Look at it.
25:14And I'm like, cause, cause the thing is you can start to season with Caden Wallace.
25:18If you draft Belton, knowing he's going to play right, right.
25:21And you get him developing on the right side, starting in OTAs, you can start
25:27season with Caden Wallace if he's not ready.
25:28And if it works with Caden Wallace, great.
25:30Now you have a swing tackle backup, a guy that can play on both sides.
25:33And I also think he might have the upside that if it's not going great with Caden
25:36Wallace, I would try him on the right side.
25:38So I'll be interested to see if he plays on the right side this week at practice or
25:42in the game, that'd be very telling.
25:44I wouldn't be surprised if he does just given his makeup.
25:46I don't think the Patriots alone would view him as a potential right tackle.
25:49That might be a handful of teams.
25:51So I, uh, I'm really interested to see what he, I somehow missed him when I was
25:55going through the invites list, but that guy is high on my watch list too.
25:59It's ironic.
26:00You missed him.
26:00He's like, if it was pictures, I wouldn't have missed him, but it's just the list.
26:04So, yeah, no, he's freaking huge.
26:06So, all right.
26:07So mine, those are excellent names.
26:08Those are guys I had on my list as well.
26:11Somebody I'm going to be looking for Ozzie Tropeo out of Boston college.
26:14One, that is a pipeline that I'm sure is going to get established at some point.
26:17Bill O'Brien, Mike Vrabel just makes all the sense in the world.
26:21Another reason why it feels like nature is healing is now we once again have a
26:25Patriots head coach who's actually friends with the Patriots head coach.
26:28You know, it's just like, everything is kind of coming together this year.
26:31Not going to go too deep in the weeds on that, but Tropeo is interesting.
26:34One, not just cause he's a local guy and because his dad actually protected
26:37Doug Flutie back in the day at BC, but I like the versatility.
26:41He's played everything except for center.
26:43He's got size.
26:44He's got like six, seven, 314 pounds.
26:47That sounds like a Josh McDaniels left tackle.
26:49Um, he's also got good feet, a good anchor.
26:51Now the issue is he's not a great athlete.
26:53That's the thing.
26:54He's not a great athlete.
26:56Now the issue is he's not a great athlete.
26:58That's where the comparisons for a Josh McDaniels left tackle.
27:01Those kind of end also redirections, a bit of an issue for him.
27:05And then he can get beat by counters to the inside.
27:07That's an issue where I feel like every offensive tackle that's not going
27:10in like the first round early on, I believe he's more of like a day three
27:14kind of guy, but if they just want to dart throw it, a guy who can just.
27:17Be a super sub.
27:18Maybe you develop well enough.
27:19He can actually be a solid story free starter for you somewhere.
27:22Also really like the play style.
27:24He's a physical dude.
27:25So that's a pretty interesting kind of developmental option.
27:28Another is Jalen Travis out of Iowa state, six, seven, 340 pounds.
27:34Got great size, pretty good hands, really good run blocker.
27:37And he's got good feet, obviously very developmental prospect.
27:40Another probably day two guy might actually go higher than Ozzie Torpeo,
27:44but I like the size profile.
27:46I like the physicality.
27:47Once again, that's kind of where I'm at with these late round guys.
27:50It's like, give me versatility.
27:51That's why I like them bow as well.
27:52If they just want somebody who can start somewhere, if they don't
27:55get the Patrick McCurry, you know, my whole thing is like left guard, right
27:59tackle, we don't know where they're going to have a need, maybe get somebody
28:01who can do a little bit of everything.
28:03So that's kind of where I'm looking.
28:04I like guys who've got some attitude, want to play with violence, like they're
28:07going to be doing defensive side and obviously can line up in a bunch of
28:10places and are very smart players.
28:12I'll give you one more while we're on the line too, before we move over.
28:15Uh, center is potentially a need depending on how they feel about
28:20I would love to get that next guy.
28:22And I know Jake Andrews as well, but we don't know where he's
28:24at coming off that injury.
28:26Ben Brown's a nice player, but I think he's a backup, you know,
28:29replacement level starter trying to get somebody in to develop, to take
28:32over for David Andrews as he's year to year.
28:35And David Andrews was an undersized center coming out of Georgia.
28:39How about another undersized center coming out of Georgia?
28:41Jared Wilson is going to be at this game.
28:43Uh, doesn't have a ton of starting experience.
28:46Only one year as a starter, one full year as a starter.
28:49So he's a little raw in that regard, but again, you're drafting him ideally
28:52with a year of runway before he's going to take over and he can learn from
28:56David Andrews, really smart player.
28:59I love his motor.
29:00He's always looking for work.
29:02Um, good agility for that position.
29:04Like he's a center who you can kind of move around a little bit, can pull and help.
29:08I don't know that he's like, I'm not telling you, he's going to be David
29:11Andrews and be the starter here for 15 years, but if you're looking for
29:14guys on day three, especially later on day three to, to take a shot on and be
29:19like, Hey, this guy, give me your development and see what happens.
29:23I like the tools that Jared Wilson is working with.
29:26Any chance he ends up being a priority UDFA?
29:29No, he's going to, he's going to get trapped.
29:30I'd be pretty surprised.
29:32So what are the, what are the biggest differences between him and a DA?
29:34Cause I don't really, I didn't remember what the hype was like
29:37for Andrews coming out of college.
29:39I don't think Andrews was UDFA wasn't he?
29:41Yeah.
29:42I mean, he was, he was undersized.
29:44He was, you know, he was experienced.
29:47He'd start, I think he was a multi-year starter at Georgia.
29:50This is just kind of, there's a lot of experience centers in this draft.
29:54There's a lot of guys who are, you know, three, four year starters.
29:57So it's kind of like with the wide receivers last year where you had really
30:00good receivers who were day two picks because all right, you know, player B
30:06is as good as player a, but player a, we have three years of tape on player B.
30:10We only have one year of tape on.
30:12So, you know, I think if Jared Wilson had played at this level for two or
30:16three years, it's center, so he's not going to go that high, but you're
30:19talking about a guy who's, you know, maybe pushing the back end of day two.
30:24Now he's like an early to mid day three guy just because he's a
30:27little bit more of an unknown.
30:30Okay.
30:30All right.
30:30Well, we're going to stick to the trenches.
30:33Actually.
30:33We'll talk about it backstage, whether we want to go edge, whether
30:36we want to go defensive interior, maybe tell us in the comments while
30:39you watch this ad from our friends over at game time, be right back.
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31:34It is also time to move on to the defensive interior.
31:38As soon as I find that graphic, there it is.
31:40So who are some inside guys that you like?
31:42Because I know we talked about this yesterday and some don't think that
31:46defensive tackle is a need for this team or that it's not a premium position.
31:50I personally disagree.
31:51I think that pass rusher period is a premium position.
31:55I think if you can do that from the inside while being an every down player,
31:59I think that you have an advantage that's greater than any really in football,
32:02because it's almost impossible to stop a dominant defensive tackle.
32:06And when you actually look at the Patriots, they're very top heavy without
32:09really any developmental depth outside of Jaqueline Roy, who only has
32:13one more season on his deal.
32:14You got Christian Barmore.
32:15We have no idea what his status is history and the issues.
32:18You've also got the blood clots, huge mystery there.
32:21And then Devon Godshaw, he's going to be a free agent after 2025.
32:24And on top of that, he's also exclusively a run stopper.
32:27Patriots are going to be playing more four down fronts consistently.
32:30It's kind of tough to justify not having guys who can get after the passer.
32:34So I really do think that's going to be a position that they end up having to
32:37address at some point in the draft and in for agency.
32:40So who are some guys that stand out to you to potentially fill some of these gaps,
32:44especially in terms of developmental pieces?
32:46Yeah, look, I think it's a need.
32:47I don't know that I would address it at four unless we find out
32:50Farmore is not playing anymore.
32:51But I do think it's a need, um, both in terms of pass rushers and run stoppers.
32:56But Taylor, you know, there's one guy I got to go through here
32:57and we're talking about this.
32:58And that is Deion Walker from Kentucky.
33:00And darling number zero.
33:03So you guys know, like, I get all hot and bothered with the oversized
33:09athletic defensive tackles like Jordan Davis might be a top three
33:13draft prospect I've ever studied.
33:15And Deion Walker's not, he's not Jordan Davis.
33:17Like I'm not going there, but six, six, three 50.
33:22And he gets after the quarterback.
33:24He is so athletic for his size.
33:27He plays the game.
33:28He plays the game violently.
33:30Um, you put him next to Christian Barmore and you're, you're
33:36really cooking with gas here.
33:38Um, I also think he's a player that while he's not the best run
33:42defender right now, can probably grow into a serviceable run stop.
33:47He's not going to be Vince Wilfork, but I think he, you know, you, you'd
33:51still want to have that Devon Godshaw, that nose tackle on your roster.
33:55But if you need some help in a pinch, I think he can be a
33:58guy that can contribute there.
34:01He had a rough year this year.
34:02He was projected to be like a top 20 pick.
34:05He had a rough year.
34:05I know there's some questions maybe about his buy-in his commitment,
34:09but the talent's undeniable.
34:12And if he interviews well, right.
34:14If he clears the interview, I think he's a guy worth taking a 38.
34:17I, they need to beef up the trenches.
34:19He's a guy that can do that.
34:21He, he, he can be a real chess piece.
34:24And for everybody talking about Mason Graham and I get it, Mason
34:26Graham's an unbelievable player.
34:27He's an elite prospect Mason Graham or.
34:34You know, whoever will Campbell plus an extra top 50 pick and you
34:38still end up with Dion Walker.
34:40That package as a whole is probably better.
34:42Yes.
34:43So if you're somebody who like is really into the idea of Mason Graham,
34:46cause you think that's a major need.
34:49I think you can get a hell of an impact from Dion Walker and
34:51end up with more than a trade down.
34:53So I really like him.
34:54The other guy I'd mentioned is Ty Robinson from Nebraska, a physical
34:58player, mean player comes with some of those intangible leadership qualities.
35:03He's probably a hybrid tackle end, which is also kind of intriguing.
35:07Little bit of Lawrence guy ish, where you can play him on the inside on early
35:11downs and then on, uh, or sorry, play him on the, on the, uh, inside on passing
35:16downs, early downs, he's probably more of an end run stop, right?
35:19Like a deep or twice type.
35:20I mean, yeah, he's, he's bigger.
35:23He's like six, six, three, 10.
35:25So he's more stout.
35:26Oh, geez.
35:27Okay.
35:27Yeah.
35:28He looks like he's three 10.
35:29I thought he was like two 90 ish.
35:31He's he's listed at three 10.
35:32We'll see.
35:33You might be right.
35:34But, um, I think he's a guy that, you know, can be a three, four
35:37end can be a four, three tackle.
35:39Um, and it's just going to give you, he's not a guy that, um, what's the
35:44best way to put it like he's, he's not a guy that you're going to move easily.
35:48He's not the most attacking player.
35:50Like Dion Walker is an attacking player.
35:54Ty Robinson is more.
35:55He's going to make the plays that are there to be made, which isn't, I
35:58know it's not the most exciting, but he's a projected day three pick.
36:00And how many plays were there to be made up front last year that they didn't make?
36:04So just getting, getting a guy like that, I would almost say like, you
36:08know how I like to tear the guys, right?
36:10So you have Mason Graham is day one.
36:11Dion Walker is kind of day two Mason Graham.
36:14Uh, Ty Robinson would be more like a day three Jack Sawyer to me.
36:18He's not quite as explosive as Sawyer.
36:21He's not quite as athletic.
36:22But he's going to be a physical force.
36:25He's going to be somebody that offenses have to account for.
36:28That is a really interesting one there.
36:30Ty Robinson.
36:31He just feels like a very page.
36:32I think it's somebody saying in the comments, and I was really glad
36:34that you actually brought him up.
36:36And then with Dion Walker, you know, we're on the same page there.
36:38Yeah.
36:39Graham, if they're stuck at four, I'm very okay.
36:42If they end up taking Graham, because I do think he's going to end up being like
36:45the most dominant player in that top group, assuming that like Travis
36:48Hunter's gone, Abdul Carter is gone.
36:50And we're in that living in that world.
36:52If they trade down, I'm all fine with that.
36:54Cause I do think there's so many, especially in the top 100, even
36:57if you get another, like top 120 pick and the top 100 pick, I think
37:01that's where you can get some really, really good value in those rounds.
37:05Pretty much like every year.
37:07My list, I've got Walter Nolan.
37:09He's a very interesting prospect for me.
37:11He was former five-star recruit has no major injuries throughout his
37:14career and looking at all the profiles on him, a lot of these, like I
37:17haven't had time to watch a ton of these guys as much as I want to.
37:20So a lot of what I have is on profiles.
37:22That's what makes it even more fun.
37:23Actually being at the senior bowl.
37:24Cause I'll get, you get a lot of first impressions like face to face,
37:28but on bleach report, the overall they have on them, all the tools to be a
37:32starter within his first two years in the NFL, and he has pro bowl and all
37:36pro potential down the line schematically.
37:38He's versatile as someone who can line up as a three technique and even
37:41fronts or play as a four eye technique in odd fronts.
37:44Now, again, this may not be a glaring area of need this specific role.
37:49If Christian Barmore does end up returning, but if he doesn't and you
37:52don't get a Milton Williams, again, having those disruptive presences,
37:56especially in the middle, it's just, if it's an edge rusher, it's a little
38:00bit easier to block those guys.
38:01You can ship them.
38:02You can do all that.
38:03The middle.
38:04It's tough.
38:04You can assign to help, but then if it's an obvious pass or situation,
38:07you just say, all right, we're putting six guys on the line.
38:09Everyone's got a one-on-one matchup.
38:11Then you're in a really tough spot as a quarterback.
38:13So I really like his profile.
38:15Also, Joshua Farmer, carry guy out of Florida state.
38:19Second team, all ACC, uh, six, three, 318 pounds.
38:22He's powerful.
38:23He's quick.
38:24He can work in gaps, got good hands and he's versatile.
38:26He can move around now, pad level conditioning anchor are the issues,
38:30but both with Farmer and with Walker, the biggest benefit.
38:34And the thing that gets me excited is you have Terrell Williams.
38:37I feel like defensive line is one of the positions where most commonly it's
38:40like, ah, you just need somebody to get all this potential out of him.
38:43And then he's really going to explode because a lot of the time you're like
38:46taking shots as a defensive lineman.
38:48If you don't want to play the run, it just is very glaringly obvious.
38:51If you're just out there to get out for the passer.
38:53So sometimes these guys need a mentor to kind of just set them along the right
38:56path, kind of change their mentality while also getting the most out of them.
39:00Everything we've heard about Terrell Williams is he's a fantastic teacher, a
39:03great mentor on top of being as Mike Rabel described him and Dan cable best
39:08defensive line coach in the NFL.
39:09So those projects become much more appealing and you hope you can get more
39:13like Christian Barmore's where there were struggles early on, but he finally
39:17kind of clicked and then he became this just game wrecking presence that
39:20we were hoping he would be.
39:22Well, along those lines, Taylor, then we're still at old miss here
39:26and I'm working on this name.
39:28I will have it down by the time we get to the combine.
39:30Princely, you know what I'm talking about?
39:32Yes, I do.
39:32Yes, I do.
39:34And Nylean, I think in human Island, um, more of a, more of a linebacker
39:39outside linebacker, but like he's a pass rusher and right now he's just
39:43winning on like length and athleticism.
39:46The tools are there for him to be a much more diverse pass rusher.
39:50And that's why he's a projected day to pick instead of first round pick.
39:53Cause I think he has the athleticism.
39:56I think he has the explosiveness to be up there with, uh, you know,
40:00Abdul Carter's in his own chair, but to be up there with a guy like a
40:02Michael Williams or a James Pierce, but he's just not as developed as those
40:05guys, but you know, I'm sure Troy Williams will work with some, uh, linebackers
40:10as well, and maybe he can kind of get that another guy that, how'd you phrase
40:16it?
40:16You just need to get the potential out of them.
40:18Yeah.
40:19Just like, sometimes you just gotta make sure you get that mentality shift
40:22where they really get the buy-in and then you just teach them fundamentally
40:25how to be the best versions of themselves.
40:27Then it's like, Oh wait, defending the run can be fun when you're jacking guys
40:31up and you're pushing somebody like two feet behind the line of scrimmage and
40:34making tackles for loss.
40:35Like, yeah, then you're, it's not as much fun as sack on a quarterback, but
40:38it's also pretty fun.
40:39And sometimes these guys just need to kind of get their head on straight.
40:42So they're willing to do everything it takes to succeed in the NFL system.
40:46Right.
40:47Okay.
40:47So while we're already on the topic of edge rushers, let's keep going.
40:51Who are some guys that you're going to be looking at?
40:52Actually, I'm going to start off with a name that I want you to tell me about
40:56Mike green.
40:57I've been seeing his name a lot on Twitter.
40:59All the profiles I've read are like, no, this dude's an absolute menace, but
41:03he doesn't get talked about.
41:03Cause he's out of Marshall.
41:05So is this a guy that you think is going to end up sneaking up into the top of
41:08the draft and how high do you think he might end up going?
41:11Yeah.
41:11So he reminds me a little bit, just in terms of prospect makeup, not
41:14necessarily a similar player, but remember, uh, Muhammad Kamara last year.
41:18Yeah.
41:19Who I really liked.
41:20And he's one of these guys who was incredibly, incredibly
41:24productive in the group of five.
41:26And there's some traits there you like, but when you look at the physical
41:30trait traits specifically, it's always kind of tough to tell.
41:34Okay.
41:34Well, you know, he's not going against these NFL caliber
41:37prospects game in and game out.
41:40And so how do you really measure it up?
41:42Mike Green's like that kind of different than Kamara in the sense that
41:45Kamara was like this big stocky guy.
41:48He wasn't tall, but he was like this guy and it was going to be able
41:52to overpower NFL edge rushers.
41:54Mike Green's the other way where he's just, you know, he's a speed
41:57rusher, but he's kind of undersized.
41:59And is he just going to get pushed around?
42:01You know, he watching him going up against a guy like Anthony
42:03Belton is going to be fascinating.
42:05You has those long arms and he just kind of knock them off the spot.
42:08So for a guy like Mike Green is a huge week for him.
42:12He needs to prove that he can hang with these power five top tier kinds
42:16of prospects, because you like what you see on tape, but the nature of his
42:20position, the nature in which he wins, sometimes these guys translate.
42:25Sometimes they don't, and you don't really know until you
42:27actually get to see it in action.
42:29So, uh, he's got to have a big week this week.
42:33And this is one of the more exciting positions, I think at the senior
42:37bowl, cause there's a lot of good players at these edge spots.
42:40They've all got some deficiencies.
42:41And it's a really good edge draft.
42:43Taylor, everybody yelled about the draft sucking.
42:45Like some positions.
42:47Yes.
42:48Let's let's talk about some good ones too.
42:50And edge might edge or running back is the best position in this draft.
42:55So that's kind of why I wanted to close out with this.
42:57We're going to talk about one more position, but this is like the last
43:00one we're really going to go in depth.
43:01Honestly, man, no nudge.
43:02What are some names that you're excited about?
43:04Because there's a lot of them and I don't want to leave any
43:06out if we don't have to.
43:08Uh, I mean, I'll, I kind of want to talk about, I'm not even going to try again.
43:11The guy from, from, uh, uh, Ole miss, but the other one, cause I think there's a
43:15real chance he's a Patriot and that's Kyle Canard because, you know, he's, he's.
43:22Got all the tool.
43:23Like he looks like a Patriots pass rusher.
43:26When you watch him, he's a very, he's diverse stylistically.
43:31He's got good size.
43:32He's got good burst.
43:33He's disciplined.
43:35So many of these guys now that are great pass rushers, I think kind of know it.
43:39And so they get a little wild.
43:42Yep.
43:43He's not really Canard's not Canard seems.
43:47I mean, he's not the most disciplined pass rush I've ever seen, but I think he's a
43:51little wise beyond his years in that regard.
43:53Now he's probably only a pass rusher and that's the downside with a
43:56lot of the rushers in this draft.
43:58There's not a lot of three down edge guys, which, you know, teams are going to have
44:03to ask themselves some tough questions, James Pierce, and he's not at the senior
44:06bowl, but he's a fascinating player to talk about in this regard and his value
44:11is going to kind of set the value for the rest of these guys.
44:13James Pierce, a hell of a pass rusher.
44:15Yeah, that's probably all he is.
44:17He's not going to be a guy, at least early in his career, the first
44:20few years who plays on three downs.
44:22Generally, if you're going to go in the top 15 as either a defensive
44:26lineman or an outside linebacker.
44:28You have to be able to play all three downs.
44:30Now, maybe you're a better pass rusher than run stopper, but you need
44:33to at least be able to be out there.
44:35And the question this year is, is James Pierce a good enough pass
44:39rusher to justify in a week draft, kind of breaking that mold or not?
44:43Because if he is, he's going to go in the top 10 and then that pushes
44:47some of these other guys up the board.
44:48If teams just kind of start deciding, you know what, it's just not the year.
44:52We're just not going to take these pass rushers and reach.
44:55Well, now James Pierce maybe falls closer to the twenties.
44:58And now you have a guy like Kyle Kennard.
45:00Who's a fringe first round pick.
45:02Who's maybe in play in the forties and it's going to stack all that, but just
45:06looking at where the Patriots are picking kind of their early projections.
45:10I really like Kyle Kennard for the Patriots.
45:12Um, I know you're big on, on Devin, uh, no, wait, as a rocker, right?
45:17Donovan as a rocker.
45:18Yeah.
45:19Donovan as a rocker.
45:21I like Kennard.
45:23So, so with as a rocker, the reason that he kind of intrigues me one, again, the
45:27BC, the BC connection is very obvious, but he's the mold that we talked about
45:31where it was like, okay, if you get like a Josh sweat where he's not just a
45:34situational pastor, you can play him on every down, although his strength is
45:37pass rushing that allows you to wait a little bit for the edge rusher.
45:41You don't have to get an Abdul Carter.
45:43Obviously you'd like to, but then it's like, all right, if we get a guy where
45:46he's really going to be a pass rusher, he could probably do other things that
45:48were just going to take some time to develop him, that'll be fine.
45:51And that feels like as a rocker where he could immediately give
45:53you a lot of juice off the edge.
45:55He is undersized.
45:56But one thing that made me feel even better about this was Terrell Williams
45:59being like, Hey, I've had success with undersized guys before the biggest
46:03Cameron wake when he was in Miami, but he's worked with all different
46:06types of shapes and sizes.
46:08So the undersized part of it doesn't really worry me too much.
46:10Also doesn't hadn't had any major injuries.
46:12He's the ACC defensive player of the year, first team, all ACC.
46:16So he intrigues me as more of like a third round kind of guy.
46:20Also Josiah Stewart.
46:21I really like him as well.
46:22Another undersized edge rusher, but he fits what I think is going to be a better
46:26mold for this style of four down defense where Jelani to buy his values as an
46:32adjuster, where he can be your inside linebacker is the will in the four down
46:36fronts.
46:36But then when you want to go five down, he can be the strong side linebacker
46:40and also set the edge in the run game and kind of be that sort of guy.
46:43I think that what they're going to value more, because if you have four down
46:46linemen, those edge guys have to get up, be able to rush the passer.
46:49They can't just be run stoppers.
46:50Divide gives you no pass rush.
46:52Instead you'd want guys like Carter, like Jihad Campbell, like Stewart, who can
46:57play inside linebacker, but also get down on the line of scrimmage and rush the
47:00passer a lot like a Dante Hightower type, although Dante Hightower is obviously in
47:04his own vein.
47:05So with Stewart, I think you get a similar kind of thing where you can rush the
47:08passer can also play on early downs for you, give you more of that coverage type
47:12linebacker.
47:12So I like the versatility and I'm just kind of obsessed right now with that mold
47:16of guys who can play on and off the ball, giving you real juice, getting after the
47:19past.
47:19Have you done any work on Jalen Walker yet from Georgia?
47:22Not yet.
47:23No.
47:23So that's the, that's the guy in this draft player you're describing.
47:27The top for him has actually been Gerard Mayo.
47:30Um, but that's weird if he's versatile like that, cause Mayo never really played
47:33on the line.
47:34Early career, like early career Mayo.
47:36Oh, okay.
47:37I didn't even, honestly, I didn't watch early career Mayo.
47:38He didn't do it a ton, but he did a little bit, but Jalen Walker.
47:42Now it's, it's the Georgia defense.
47:44So it's kind of tough to project roles cause it's so unique the way they scheme
47:48it up, but he's not senior bowl.
47:50Uh, so we don't need to go a ton into him, but the guy you're describing, that's
47:53kind of the, that's the top of that tree.
47:57If you want to go probably early teens.
48:01So I don't know how realistic he is for the Patriots unless
48:03they're moving way down.
48:04But it, it, it still helps to know because now you kind of look at, okay,
48:09how big are the gaps between these similar players?
48:11And that's how you figure out where you want to get each player.
48:14Um, you know, how, how you kind of want to value different
48:18players throughout the draft.
48:19It's a great point.
48:20And you know, who bleacher report compared him to, Oh, Kyle van Noy.
48:26Oh yeah.
48:27That's another good one.
48:28Is what, like what you're looking for is that's exactly what you want.
48:32So he's just a Patriots linebacker.
48:34Yeah, that's awesome.
48:35All right.
48:35I'm definitely going to dive into him.
48:37All right, buddy.
48:37I know you wanted to talk about tight ends.
48:39I've really done a ton of work into them.
48:40So this is going to be your segment fire away because this
48:43is definitely another need.
48:44I just don't think it's quite as high because you're probably
48:46re-signing Austin Hooper.
48:48You're probably re-signing Hunter Henry.
48:49So really this is going to be a developmental guy, but with
48:52Jaheim Bell late round pick.
48:54Didn't really do much as a rookie, even though he did get time.
48:57I'm all for the Patriots going for somebody.
48:58They think it developed into like a Y or a movable kind of player.
49:02I think it's important because tight end generally has one of the longer
49:06developmental timelines in the NFL.
49:08Like even the best tight end Brock Bowers is such an anomaly, not just
49:12the season he had, but for a rookie tight end to be that in fact, a lot
49:15of great tight ends, it took them two to three years to get going.
49:18So, you know, Hunter Henry's entering his, his age 30 season.
49:21I wouldn't be surprised if Hooper maybe goes try to chase some
49:24tight end one money somewhere.
49:25He might get that, or even still, he's a little older.
49:28He's going to be year to year.
49:30I'd rather get that next guy into building sooner rather than later and
49:33have him kind of learn for a year or two.
49:34So you can hit the ground running.
49:35Um, there's a couple of guys in this game that I like for the Patriots.
49:39Gunner Helm from Texas had a really strong season.
49:42Mason Taylor from LSU is like a good, he, in terms of developmental timeline,
49:47he's further along than most tight ends.
49:49But the guy specifically wanted to talk about is Harold Fannin.
49:51Cause I, I've been getting a lot of questions about him.
49:53Um, kind of like with Mike Green earlier.
49:56Yeah.
49:56So Bowling Green, Harold Fannin dominated the Mac dominated.
50:01He was the first unanimous consensus or unanimous all
50:04American, um, from Bowling Green.
50:07Oh my God.
50:08He's another one of these guys where I love the tools.
50:11How do they play against tougher competition?
50:15And we talked about how good some of these linebackers are in this game.
50:18It's a good safety group too, at the senior bowl.
50:21Like this is going to be, some people think Harold Fannin could
50:24push the end of the first round.
50:26I don't know that I'd go that far, but you know, this could be the
50:30difference between Harold Fannin being sneaking into the top 40 and maybe
50:36still being on the board at the beginning of day three, at the beginning of round
50:39three, I don't think he's falling on top 100, but he's going to be a week.
50:44He's another one of these guys that you look at this week.
50:46And I always like to say at the end of the day, we're evaluating these guys
50:51based on how, who they are, like their ability to play football.
50:55And we just saw that for four months, 11 on 11, full pads, full contact, all of
50:59that, that should be the majority of the evaluation.
51:03We get caught up in the senior bowl.
51:04We get caught up in the combine, but at the end of the day, that's
51:07more about, uh, confirming priors.
51:11And again, when you have two players, you grade out or two or three players
51:15or group of players, you grade out very similarly, it's more of a tiebreaker.
51:18You shouldn't be forming your overall opinion on a player based on the senior
51:22bowl, but it does hold more weight for some than others.
51:25Fannin's a guy, Quinnian Mitchell was a great example of this last year.
51:29He was another Mac guy that was playing at a high level and he came and people
51:32were like, all right, like, let's see it.
51:34And he dominated the senior bowl and that translated.
51:37So for Harold Fannin, it's a similar thing where shouldn't make
51:40or break your evaluation of them.
51:41But I think this game holds more for him than it does for some other players,
51:46especially those coming from power, four schools.
51:49So are there any other players at any other positions that
51:52you're going to be looking forward to?
51:53I, that's why we're going to close this out because obviously
51:55there are positions of need, but the Patriots have needs almost
51:58everywhere, except for probably quarterback.
52:00So there's also a chance maybe in the later rounds, there are some guys
52:03that are going to be on the board that they may want to take best player.
52:07Yeah, I'll give you a couple here.
52:08Just scrolling through the positions.
52:09I'm at running back.
52:10I know everybody is excited, uh, to watch scataboo.
52:14I mean, yeah, he's there, but the name I'll give you is Ollie Gordon.
52:18Ollie Gordon was supposed to be the top back in this class.
52:21And he dominant, dominant year at Oklahoma state in 2023.
52:26And then everybody kind of realized, Hey, if we stack the box against
52:30Oklahoma state, they can't do anything else and they've never tried.
52:35So you had Ollie Gordon running into like eight and nine man boxes and
52:39he got hurt and it was just like, it was not a good year.
52:41It was, he was not a good situation.
52:43It was not a good year.
52:44Meanwhile, you had all these other running backs that soared up the board
52:47and now Ollie Gordon's kind of gotten lost in the wash, but so I think
52:53under Josh McDaniels, uh, they're going to go back to that early down,
52:56passing down back dynamic more so than splitting just by drives.
53:00So if you're looking for that early down back six to two 25 breakaway speed,
53:05good power, like this is a guy that he has the makeup.
53:09He just had a bad year in 2024.
53:11If you go and watch the tape in 2023, he's a top 100 pick.
53:15If you go and watch the tape this past year, he's not.
53:17So him proving that he's still that guy he was in 2023 could go a long way.
53:23And he certainly fits the bill of a Mike Vrabel kind of running back at Josh
53:27McDaniels kind of running back.
53:29So that's exciting.
53:30Um, the Patriots offense real quick, especially in the versus the
53:33Patriots offense, where it's not like with Mac Jones and with Cam Newton,
53:36where everyone was loading up the box last year, what we were seeing
53:39was defensive saying, Oh no, we're not letting Drake may go bombs away on us.
53:43So they were playing a lot of too high.
53:45They just couldn't capitalize on it consistently.
53:47So that makes him a much more exciting potential.
53:49What are you thinking?
53:49Like fifth round kind of guy, late fourth or.
53:52Um, yeah, fourth, fifth, somewhere in there at his, his timing at the
53:57combine is probably going to be big.
53:59And I, I know I just said like, don't let the combine dictate.
54:02But again, is that tiebreaker right?
54:04It's such a competitive running back class.
54:06There's a lot of room for him to move.
54:08I don't think he makes it into the top 100 at this point, but I think the
54:11Patriots could, could benefit off that.
54:13Um, I'll give you a couple of safeties too.
54:15Cause you didn't really talk about that.
54:16That's a need for the Patriots.
54:17Especially.
54:18I would love to see them get a true free safety again.
54:21Andrew McCuba from Texas is a player that I love super instinctive safety.
54:26Great ball skills can cover a lot of ground.
54:29He has the ability to play on the backend like that.
54:31Uh, Latham ran Latham ransom and Xavier Watts.
54:35We both saw in the national championship, Ohio state and Notre Dame respectively.
54:40Kind of similar players.
54:41Watts is probably a little bit better played primarily free safety in college.
54:46They're going to be hybrid guys in the NFL.
54:48I want to see them get that true free safety, but if they stick to the
54:51mold they've been doing Watts, especially as a total Patriots fit.
54:55And then one other guy I'll give you that is relevant for
54:59Patriots fans to watch is Will Howard.
55:02And I don't think the majors are going to draft Will Howard, but
55:04we've talked about this off the air.
55:06We might've talked about it on the air.
55:08Does Will Howard have that JJ McCarthy kind of rise where he's
55:12built like an NFL quarterback.
55:14He just led a power team to a national championship.
55:17He does have a big arm.
55:19Do scouts just kind of see that and, you know, more or do owners see that
55:24and more than evaluating the football player, look and say, that's the kind
55:27of guy I could see as the face of my franchise and does he move up in the
55:32first round conversation because now that if there's another first round
55:35quarterback, I'll throw Jalen Milrow in here too, cause he's going to the game.
55:38But one, I don't know how involved he's going to be on or how
55:41involved Howard's going to be either.
55:42But, um, Howard is just kind of has this run off the national championship.
55:46He has this momentum, another quarterback in the first round, especially
55:50if it's in the top 10 changes, the value of the fourth overall
55:54pick, if you're trying to move down.
55:56And we'll Howard, just from watching him on the sideline,
55:58interacting with teammates and everything.
55:59I feel like he's going to kill it in interviews.
56:01Oh yeah.
56:01I think that he's going to be very well liked.
56:03I remember last year at the senior bowl, St.
56:05Joe Milton, like that was when he really came on my radar where I'm
56:08like, he feels like he's in charge.
56:10He feels like really almost like a coach on the field.
56:13Just the body language, the way he was interacting with people and
56:16we'll Howard, I was like, Oh no, this is a dude who.
56:19If people like his physical profile, then that's probably going to be the,
56:22okay, I actually want to get this kid.
56:24And maybe like you said, making the face of the franchise, that's
56:26going to be very interesting, but buddy, we're almost at the hour mark.
56:29I'm going to let you go.
56:30Thank you for coming on the show.
56:32We got to do more of these as the draft season obviously continues, but we
56:35have a lot of stuff going on before then, but before I let you go, please
56:38remind the people where they can find you and let us know what good stuff
56:41you got coming down the pipeline that we need to be looking out for.
56:43Yeah.
56:4498, five, the sports hub.com.
56:45I will have a shrine bowl preview up tomorrow.
56:49Cause those practices, the practices start tomorrow.
56:51So that'll be up early tomorrow.
56:52Um, and then senior bowl preview, probably Monday.
56:57I did that.
56:58I usually like to wait.
56:59So we didn't talk about this a ton, but it is kind of part
57:03of the senior bowl prep to me.
57:04So they, they have the list of accepted invites.
57:07They haven't, at least not publicly split them into rosters yet.
57:12And that I, like, I, I try to wait for that to write my preview.
57:15Cause like, don't you want to see like Devin as a rock who
57:19against area or whatever, right?
57:21Like who's good.
57:23It's the guys on the same team that are mainly facing each other.
57:26Cause it's three days of practice.
57:27First one day of, of the game.
57:30So I'm going to, I'm holding out as long as I can to write it so
57:33I can hopefully include that.
57:36But we'll see.
57:37Hoping they help you out because honestly now I'm looking forward to it.
57:40So fingers crossed, you keep those dang fingers and toes crossed,
57:44but going to let you go, buddy.
57:45Thank you so much once again for coming on and thank you
57:47all as always for watching.
57:48Now, take care of yourselves.
57:50Take care of each other.
57:51We will see you next time.
57:52Peace y'all.
57:53Bye.