Patriots Catch-22 12/12: Cardinals Preview, Draft Talk, Final Four

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He's a red shirt rookie at that point, so it's really that's his rookie season essentially too. So now we're really not talking about them, really knowing.

Search for Patriots Unfiltered anywhere you get your podcasts. This is the Patriots Catch twenty two podcasts with Evan Lazar and Alex Barth.

And Lazarre.

Hello, everybody nailed it, Joined as always by our Bark.

Here is Evan Lazar and Alex bars.

All right, number one down.

We already did this, just yes, just as a whole we were We did twenty minutes on that.

Yeah, yeah, yep, I let you do minutes on that.

It was important.

What are you talking about?

Let the story of the game. That was the story of the game, Evan.

I know, That's why I had to talk about it, you know, to do his job. It's painful. It's pa. There's a couple of things that that we have to talk about on this show that are painful to me. One of them is is game management, time management, like did he timeouts at the right time? Did they manage the clock correctly? Did they challenge this play or not challenge that play like that? That stuff is insufferable. It's insufferable.

I I didn't didn't think you're gonna have to said it was a non story.

I didn't say that. That's not what I said. That's not what I said. We'll get to Bill here in a second. It's obviously the story that day. I think his introductory press conference is going on as we speak, are about to start any minute now. So it was a two o'clock press conference, but we know from Bill Belichick press conference. Yeah, maybe he's a couple of minutes. So we'll talk about that, and I have some draft takes.

I guess we could just do like buy week ups and downs, so the bill stuff, the college football playoffs, just whatever, three things that were up and three things that were down in the football world during the last week.

Okay, would you like to do that?

No, we can. I don't have it ready.

No, I don't have it ready either. So we have a little bit of everything on the board today, as you can see. Because no, obviously no Patriots game last weekend, so we can't do our normal autopsy of the game three up, three down, all that kind of stuff. So we'll be active on the emails and the phones as well, So give us an email shout at Patriots podcast at Patriots dot com. There we go, because we got to mess with everything and change it on me all the time.

Yeah, it's a teen on a D.

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Yeah, I mean, just as a whole general progress. I'll just pick up where I left off or where I've been with since the beginning of the year. Are you better at the end of the year than you are at the beginning? I said this a couple of weeks ago. What was the best game, the most complete game they'd played? I think there's an argument it's Week two against the Seahawks. Now the Colts game may supersede that, but can you show some progress from September to December? And I look

Yeah. I think that's a really good point. And I just go back to what direction do they go in in the offseason. I know we talk a whole lot about personnel, and you know, can you see a rookie pop. Can you see you know, a Jalen Polk, a Leyden Robinson, a Cadaan Wallace, you know, one of these players. There's a merge here in the last four games of the season.

And I'm good. I'm good.

Yeah, he's uh, he's he's been sick. You've been you're playing hurt a little bit today? Fine, you've been playing. He doesn't like that. I'm pointing it out. I can tell.

Uh.

Anyways, I I pushed back on the notion a little bit that they uh, because there's something I don't think that really necessarily there's something Jalen Polk is going to do in the next four weeks barring that he goes for like one hundred and four touchdowns and every you know, four touchdowns total, but like one hundred every game with a touchdown, you know, it looks like he's, uh, he's justin Jefferson all of a sudden that I'm going to start to sit here and say, they don't you know,

Real quick, Patriots breaking news, ish, we kind of knew this. Teed McMillan has a officially declared for the draft.

Okay, so we'll get to some of the guys.

I just wanted to throw Literally just happens, So I just wanted to throw that in like, I also feel like they've played the Cardinals tough, like this is kind of the same, and they've also played them like oddly regularly with that seventeenth game as the NFC opponent, And I feel like all these games have kind of in the same thing where the Cardinals are this team that's kind of backsliding when they play the Patriots, but they're still seeing this like the tier above, and then the

Yes, absolutely, Yeah, it's interesting with the Cardinals that you mentioned that they started hot again and then kind of fizzled out. We always joke and kind of label that as like a Cliff Kingsbury problem, right, Like Kingsbury's offenses tend to teeter off post Thanksgiving, and it's kind of happening in Washington a little bit, like it's not as bad as it's been in the past, and the commanders

It's truth Cliff going back to like Texas.

Oh, I know, I'm not saying that cliff is off the hook. I'm just saying that it's interesting that that is happening again to a Kyler Murray Cardinals team. Kyler is an interesting player, just real quick and aside. You know, I love watching Kyler. Yeah, he's a really good quarterback in my mind, but he's he's interesting. One of those

Should be a good week for the Longhorn package.

Yeah, so maybe the Longhorn package gets involved is a great point. And Brendan Schooler gets involved is a perfect spy on Kyler Murray but you see him get really rattled when teams bring the heat against him. And Brian Flores did that quite a bit, as he always does. A couple of weeks ago in that game that I watched is you know, similar defenses and things like that, and he brought the heat a lot against Kyler Murray.

Certainly looks like it sometimes.

Right, And I say that with again, like I'm not trying to be mean, but I genuinely wonder if he struggles in those situations over the rush, and when there isn't six guys coming at him, he can kind of scramble or move off his spot to try to find those launch angles. Whereas when you bring all that all out heat, he I think he kind of doesn't see

Yeah, it's a big game for the front as a hole, which is obviously a group that struggled this year, especially compared to expectations. But Christian Barmore has been back. He continues to ramp up, other guys getting healthier. They've added Yannick and Gockway, Like this group may be set up better than any other for that, you know, upward trajectory at the end of the year. Great test for them to start off this final push.

All right, last thing on the Cardinals, and then I want to talk about some breaking news, you know, more of Belichick stuff. There's a couple bits of news. You know, guys are declaring left and right at this point for the NFL Draft. Garrett Bull signs an extension today, which I think is topical. But the last thing that I want to bring up about the Patriots in this game on Sunday, and really just down the stretch in general, the whole cold strange of it all, I find a

I couldn't agree more everything I've said is make this as easy on Drake may as possible. Does col Shit maybe have a future at center? Yes, I don't even hate getting inim the practice reps right now, but like you said, like training camp next year, it makes a lot more sense to make that change. I still don't understand the blind commitment to Laydon Robinson, like there is another way to get Cold Strange in the lineup if you want him on the field. But they just won't

By it.

But I have seen some people suggest like a rotation where it's Cole Strange and Ben Brown rotating. That's probably worse than just col Strange outright. That's the one thing I don't want to see them do. But no, I'd like to see them stick with Ben Brown and stick with the continuity.

I would just say it would be easier to change, Like if you wanted to have a rotation to try to get both those guys reps, I can I could hear that if it was like tackle or guard. I think that's more doable where you have a rotation, or

Elements.

Yeah, and the communication is a big piece of it. So I think it's really difficult to rotate at center. Specifically, they wanted to rotate Landon Robinson and cold Strange at left guard. I would be more open to that. I still don't necessarily think it's necessary, Like, I don't know why we're doing this for cold Strange. I really just don't, especially this late in the season. Like it's not like he hasn't he has shown at times that he can

They gave him a cut off unc hoodie sick. He also held up his dad's hoodie for what his dad coached there in the fifties.

Wow, wow, I.

Hate this all you want? You're in the minority on that, am I? Yeah?

Okay. So we've argued about this off the air already, and I want to bring some of the text messages to light. Some of it's probably not great for air. Some of it is, though, And I just think for me, and this is strictly my opinion.

Did you want to start here? Did you want to start with bulls? And I go to you into this because we can start with bulls.

No, I wanted to start with, it doesn't matter. It didn't matter the order when it comes to Bill at UNC, I have two different ways of looking at it that end up in the same place, right.

Yeah.

The first place that I look at it is this job is beneath Bill Belichick. Okay. And that's no disrespect to the University of North Carolina. It just is beneath it. It's a basketball school, it's an ACC program in college football that's never really been part of the conversation of an elite program. And on the football side of the things, you can Dora May like that, but like Drake made is such a great example of this. Like Drake May was the only reason why they've been relevant in like

So this is where I think, maybe like there's really two. This story's fascinating because you see coaches jump back and forth sometimes between college and the pros, but that's usually a certain coach, Pete Carroll it was one example. I don't know why these names are coming to be Matt Ruhl. Right. You have these rare instances, though, where a lifer on

Yeah, but Deon, But that's a perfect example because Dion. It couldn't have worked out better than it has with Dion in Colorado. And part of the reason why it's worked out so well is that his son is a really good quarterback. So he got him by default because that's his son. And Travis Hunter is the best player in college football. He is, don't tell me about your running back. Okay, he's the best player in college football. And he was at Jackson State with Dion and like

Sure, But like I'm expecting Bill to do well in the portal.

Yeah, Like, maybe.

Bill's not that that that Yukon team last year went six and six with the backup quarterback Max Johnson broke his leg first month of the season and was out right, yeah when when And Michael Lombardi was on MCAFEW today and he was already talking about we're going to hit the portal heavy. When Dion showed up to Colorado, you talk about you talk about Travis Hunter. Obviously they were big pieces, but they brought in fifty two players through the portal and they had fifty leave. It was an

Great, But like, but why would I Why do I care? Like this is the others my other angle.

It's it's because it's fascinating.

Why is it fascinating? Because this is why do I care? What Bill Belichick does in two months, you know whatever? How many months? Six months? For now when we get back to college football next fall and he's coaching, you know, at North Carolina down in Chapel Hill next year, Like, what do I care about North Carolina n C State and Bill Belichick coaching a college football game for twelve pm on a Saturday on free Form?

So what is all c W?

Why would I care? Why would I watch? Like? Am I gonna start doing like film breakdowns on if.

You always complained college football? Well, it's so basic. They only run you know.

That's another piece of it though, and you give your take and can.

Bill put some more complex systems into the college game? And that No, just no, you're not you're not even open to the possibility of it.

Not at that program. No, that pro okay, but.

You need to move on from the idea of that program because Colorado was that program. Colorado wasn't.

But Colorado can't do that either. Like that's the other them into this that I find fascinating, Uh, that I just can't wrap my head around, is like, okay, so they're they're gonna treat it like an NFL team. Yeah, right, where it's good. You're like you just said, they're gonna hit the portal and they're gonna be fifty in and fifty out. It's gonna be like the draft and free agency right where the whole roster is gonna turn over

I really think they might.

Alwa's gonna get torched, is he? Yes?

In the ACC?

Yes, you can't do that. And because you just don't have the horses, like, you don't have the personnel to do, don't have Stefan Gilmour to go out there.

First of all, you're not facing the same level of opponents.

I get that, But I'm more talking about, like the scheme, the.

Best wide receiver in the ACC just transfer out case he conception on well, we don't know where he's going yet, but he's leaving m C State. They What makes it so interesting to me is you never Bill is the greatest NFL coach of all time, period, full stop. There is a strong arguments we made that he's the greatest coach in the history of the sport, period, full stop. A lot of these guys don't have that crossover. This

Not many?

Three? You know who they are? Pete Carroll, Barry Switzer, Yeah, and Jimmy Johnson.

That's that's an interesting group. I would not have guessed Barry Switzer.

Yeah, that's the what everybody forgets. But like you had that, and Bill's never gonna be He doesn't have enough time to be the greatest college coach of all time. He's not He's not catching Saban Like, that's not gonna happen. He's not gonna be there that long.

It just doesn't like he knows himself doesn't matter.

I think you're in the minority on that. I don't find it fascinating.

You like college football. It's not just college in the state of Massachusetts that cares about college football.

That's changing. I put out a poll last night. There's people said they're gonna follow you at The reality is, once we start following the stuff, you get hooked.

Look, no, there's a difference between yeah, like I'll follow it, like you know, I'll I'll know what they're they're doing relatively, and you know, if the.

College football hooks people, that's what it does. It hooks, Yes, it does. It doesn't hook you, hook me, It doesn't hook you, but it hooks people. And that's the other element to this, to go back to my point about you have two different groups looking at this. Yesterday is a major win for the sport of college football. I think it's a win for football as a whole.

Belichick at that level crazy that you think that this is good for football, that Bill Belichick is not going to be coaching in the NFL and he's going to be coaching North Carolina Bill Belichick, Well, no.

But I think it's better than him working in media. I think it's better than him not beat not having hands hoffs.

It's the best part of this interesting. Only interesting part of this story to me is why isn't Bill in the NFL? Like that's the only interesting part of the story to me, because the other piece of this that that irks me, and this is just on a personal level, it just irks me. I understand a lot of people don't care about this side of it, but the you know, you're texting me this morning that that college football that Bill is was disgusted by the.

State a quote.

I know, but you're the one that told me that this came out right, that he's disgusted and that the words that you used were that college football. After you said, this is my coach because he likes college football better than the NFL. You said that this is the purest form of football. Blah, Like just blah, all right, And then all I'm getting at here with this is like stop it with the spin zone, Like can we just be real? Can we just stop it? Like he did?

Do you but what do you want? Like you won't leave open the monoker of a possibility that there grew up around the college game.

There is a zero point zero percent chance that Bill Belichick, if he had his pick, would pick North Carolina over coaching an NFL team. Zero point zero. There is no way. And all of this stuff that's coming out, the Wickersham article and all this stuff that's coming out about how he was done with the no, the NFL was done with you, And if we could just have that conversation like real people, then I'd be open to it.

What does that say more about the NFL or Bill Belichick?

It's irrelevant to the point that I'm trying to make, Like the point that I am trying to make is that every single time something goes down with Bill the spin zone that has to happen after it. Like you don't need that, dude, Like you don't need it. You're Bill Belichick. You're the greatest coach of all time in

You don't think that there's a little bit of a possibility. Maybe it's not his first top choice. I think his first top choice would have been to finish here and get the record here, right, But you don't think that there's a little bit of a possibility that he grew up around the college game. He was raised in it, and he's had an affinity for it. And there was never really an opportunity for him to leave or for him to go to make that jump, Like he was

No, if he did that, I'd be like, yeah, I'm being real about this. I I agree that come next fall, people will be generally aware of what's going on at North Carolina. I would say, in a lot of ways, it's similar to Bill O'Brien going to Boston College, right, Like it wasn't the main story in town by any stretch of the imagination, Bill Belichick, But you really truly think that, Like your station is gonna be doing full segments on what is going on with North Caroline.

I think on Monday you'll probably get a segment of what do you think of the North Carolina game? Would you think the job Bill did this week? Do it?

That's my station.

I'm gonna do it on the website.

That's crazy, that's absolutely crazy. If people are gonna be actually sitting.

Down if we did we did, if we did full days of Brady and Tampa. I think Bill in North Carolina gets a segment that I'm not saying it's gonna be as close as Brady and.

Tem so different and Brady and Tampa was so much more compelling. Like I think that's the do.

You remember what everybody said when Brady went to go to Tampa barely an NFL team. It's like the same thing, people the same thing.

I I just I don't want to keep laboring Bill because I really don't care. But at the same time, I just the part of that irks me about this is that it would have been so much more interesting to see what he did with an NFL team, Like could he get back to the top in the NFL.

I think this is more challenge.

You just will not admit that anything bad about college football. You just won't.

I was saying the college team is more of a challenge because because a good pay for college.

What's the ceiling for him at North Carolina?

Like national championship?

Oh, there's no way he's winning a national championship.

You don't think there's any shot in that conference. You can't even get to the college football Playoff. No, he made the pitch on McAfee the other day. This program is going to be geared solely around getting players ready for the NFL. That is going to resonate with a lot of players in the portal high school recruits. That's going to resonate a lot.

I'm not saying that he's not going to attract players. I agree. You know, we had this conversation on PU as a story was developing, and the whole thing, And I think this is a really interesting point that you can kind of speak to more than most people, right, Like the whole point of oh, like, you know, he's going to have to go on a seventeen year old's couch and recruit them to come play North football in North Carolina.

No no, no, no, no no, that's not the kind of kids he's recruits.

He's gonna recruit out of the portal. And Mike Lombardi went on visiting his old station, old network, and he mentioned that they are going to build an NFL front office in college football at North Carolina where they are going to have their primary responsibility is going to be scouting the portal. It's not going to be scouting the sixteen year old at you know, a freaking odesci Permian, right Like, it's that's not what they're gonna They'll do

That's why I think Bill's gonna be there for three years. It's gonna be this first for I mean, it'll be portal heavy, but this first freshman class will be his class. These are gonna be the kids that he's going with. And the guy to watch that I'm gonna be fascinated with is a guy named Faizon Brandon. So the number so the one thing our old friend Track Yeah, tweeted

In fact, that from Greensboro.

I looked usup last night from Greensboro, less than an hour from Chapel Hill. Yeah, he's currently committed to Tennessee. Does Bill go and try to Benedict Arnold on our hands here? Does Bill? Does Bill go and try to flip skip right over? Because if because I know what you meant, If.

Bill does her, he's a trader. That's what it means.

Okay, Well, I mean, uh, Tennessee recruits heavily North Carolina for other positions with the guns quarterback. If Bill goes and and Faison was asked about this, that's the impact of Bill Belichick. They're asking the number one recruit in the country, who was already committed, what did you think? And he went down. So he says talent. So the kid says, yeah, you know, it's a good hire. I don't think i'd take a call from him. He said

Okay, I I know that's fascinating to you, and I'm a piece of me is kind of happy for you because I know that this is this is like your two worlds alliding and and good for people like you that that like college football for beyond just the draft, because this is this is a this is a win for you. This is a win for you, guys. So I'm not surprised at all that this is your take on this whole shit.

I bring up one more point because I see it in the chat about Bill being able to recruit.

I cause I don't. But that's not what I'm doubting.

Well no, but like that's not what's interesting.

Thing.

He's just he's Bill Belichick. You shouldn't be coaching it North Carolina, all right.

Like the the thing I was gonna say is because some people are all right, well, how's he gonna resonate with these young kids at least when it comes to recruiting. It's one thing when you get him in the program. Recruiting is a lot about the parents, and the parents saw Bill win for how many years The kids, you know, maybe a little younger, but I think it's gonna be fascinating. You're the greatest coach of all time taking on a

Okay, I look, if they are, they are, I'll own up to it. In the fall off, if people are glued to their televisions on there on Saturdays to watch you know, North Carolina versus Chattanooga, I'll take it back. Okay, I'll take it back.

They don't play Chattanooga's here.

And I also, just like I want to be clear, like this is not a negative Bill take Like I get we're getting emails of me being negative. Like it's not anti Bill, like it's nothing. It's actually pro Bill. Like I think Bill should be in the NFL. That's where he belongs. He should have a job in the NFL. It was time here, It just was time, all right. It was twenty five years. It was a great run. But that's a long long time in the in professional

Well, but is that on him or is that on the league?

Well, that part, to me is the more fascinating conversation. Will he succeed at North Carolina? Because I think he will do a good job because he's Bill Belichick and he's pretty much done a good job everywhere.

Right, So I just said, you don't think he win national championship.

I don't think you can win a national championship. But that's not because you think you can get to the college Football payoff now as twelve teams Like, yeah, maybe the ACC.

So he's basically just to win the ACC. I think he can win the ACC. Well, you I cannot wait to watch him hang seventy on DABO. That is going And people who like we only talk NFL here you hear me talk about Kylee Shanahaning. These guys you don't even know how I feel about Dabo.

So I do think that there's a possibility to make the College Football Playoff because of what you just said. You win the ACC, it's an automatic bid, you're in.

You get in, and you talk about this a lot. It's it's your best college football Take that to win a national championship in college football. So about the line?

Yep?

Right? Are you built big enough up front? Because the SEC teams are generally just so much bigger than every other conference. But it's usually the team that's the best at the line of scrimmage, not necessar the best quarterback that wins. You look at Michigan next year. You don't think Bill Belichick's going right to the tackle guard page and the transfer portal, going right there.

Like you, you know, he's looking for sixteen guards lit.

But this is my point. He so this is what was when TCU made their run. When Michigan made their run, you'll hear college football analysts talk about they have an SEC offensive line, which basically means they have the side. It's not about talent, it's about physical size. There's only so many these six five, six, six three ten pound guys that can move like this. I fully trust Bill Belichick is going to build an SEC line at North Carolina and that is going to change things because North

I agree with you, And this is the only part of your take that I agree with that I find interesting a little bit.

Yeah, is said that about like three or four things.

But okay, well, no, what was the other thing I said that about.

I don't remember, but I remember you said fascinating.

I was like, okay, okay, well maybe that was exaggerating the point. This is the only element really that I truly care about with this whole thing in terms of like his coaching down there at North Carolina. My guess is that he's gonna pants like the entire ACC.

Well not just the ACC. Let's say he gets the playoff Bill versus Kirby smart. Wait yeah see that Bill versus Lane Kiffy.

Yeah, but that's where I feel as though those guys, I personally feel like have the chops to go toe to toe with Bill, Like Kirby is really good, would.

Definitely awesome to and maybe Kirby's a little different because they're not Kirby's defensive coach.

Yeah, Bill versus.

Lane Kiffen, Bill versus Lincoln Riley. Yeah, I see like Bill verse some of these guys.

Yeah, Like it's it's interesting.

That doesn't that doesn't give you stand the hairs up a little bit.

I told you that was the only interesting element. But at the same time, like they have to get there first, and I'm talking about North Carolina. Kirby is going to be there, Kirby's going to be at the party, and I think there are they going to get an invite? I don't know. I I the only part about it is that these and that's a different level, Like I'm just talking about like that poor coach at like Wake Forest or like at you know, uh even like like schools like Duke and NC State. Uh No, I don't

I'll give you, I'll give you a good one.

Uh.

Fran Brown from Syracuse and and Syracuse had that big win at the end of the year and they finished on a high note. He's considered he was actually an assistant under Dabo. He's considered one of the top up and coming coaches in college football right now. He's somebody that's been talked about, is not this year but next year being like the top name among the openings, Bill versus Fran Like, if Fran Brown wants to really be on that line, he's gonna face Bill. Syracuse plays you UNC.

Cool. I just ultimately, you have to admit, even you, even mister college football over there, you personally have to admit that it would be more interesting if he was in the NFL. It would just be more interesting.

It would maybe be more interesting on a game to game level. I think the overall story of what he is in college is there's so much meat on the ball in there. It's it's so fascinating to disagree.

You don't think it would be more fascinating for us to have a Bill Brady comes back with the Bucks. But for Bill, like next year the Patriots have a home game where the other coach on the other sideline is Bill Belich.

One game that one game would be really interesting.

But this is so unique, Bill chasing Shule in a different I like, you know.

What Bill become Bill getting that that that rarefied super Bowl in national championship. Again, Carol Switchers.

So out of control thinking and that's gonna happen.

And think that hasn't happened in twenty years. But that's and and he would have done it.

He's noting a national championship at North Carolina. His best that's crazy. His best case scenario at North Carolina is that they make the College Football Playoff and he like puts that program on a on the map. In that respect, there's no way he's winning a national champion. All right, let's take these calls and and get into some of the draft stuff. So much college football today, it's.

This is it's not so you better get used to it.

So it's gonna be a long three years. Buddy nooking a minute of North Carolina football program, We're not talking a minute of that. Bridgestone, the official tire the Newland Patriots, is proud to partner with Sullivan Tyre, New England's headquarters for quality Bridgestone tires. Visit Sullivantyre dot com to find a location near you. And this movie right here, Patriots fans, are you ready for this blockbuster Alex? The most nail

What's up?

Gentlemen? How's your Thursday going?

What's going well?

How are you pretty good? Evan, I got to talk some more college football. Sorry, but I got I got a question for each of you. Alvin, you brought up I think it was the last week of the week before when you started breaking down film that Travis Hunter he felt like, was the only blue chip that you felt like Will Campbell was also worthy of taking top five.

Okay, thanks Patti, thanks for the call on Will Campbell. This is a gonna be an ongoing debate I can tell for the next five months about Will Campbell and where he fits on the offensive line. I believe that Will Campbell is has Pro Bowl caliber traits as an offensive lineman. Where on the offensive line, whether that's on the inside or the outside. I'm still TBD on right. I need to see the measuables. I need to watch a little bit more. I need to hear a little

Yeah. I will come down to the our measurement, right, Yeah. Yeah, So the two guys he asked, I know I haven't done a ton on the Iowa State receiver, so sorry, I'm gonna have to TVD there. Who is the other one?

I don't remember. Thought that was your job to keep track of those guys.

I know it was, and I can't what was the.

It's okay, it's okay. He throws two random names at you every single week, Patty email and if you can, yeah dot com because Alex base gadeted so then we can get that second name for you.

Terrence Ferguson from Morgan That's who was. Yeah, he's I mean, like a lot of these type the tight ends in this class. I feel like there's kind of a type.

He got a couple of touchdowns in the championship game.

Right yeah, big physical tight end, not afraid to go over the middle, like like very much. You know, central casting. That kind of thing where pretty traditional if you're you know, projected to be a mid round pick early day three, if you're looking for a player to draft and develop for a year or two behind Hunter Henry, maybe he replaces Austin Hooper as a second tight end with the idea that he's eventually gonna become that primary tight end. He'd be a fit in that role certainly.

Yeah, he has a lot of move skills what I see right Like, they move him around the formation a lot. He plays off the line a lot more what I saw at least a little bit more receiving tight end, I would say in that game. But Oregon's offense was fun. Watch them on film and we can get to that here in a second. A little bit about some of those guys that popped in in that championship game. But they run some some weird stuff, like they'll run like

I don't know that he's doing in the NFL, some of the formational stuff that Bell's doing. Yeah, I mean, I guess you could. You could maybe coach him up to that. He's just kind of Bell's not as tall as lower center of gravity, who was a little more agile, Ferguson, more upright, But yeah, I could see that. He also like he has the size to become a blocker, he's so big.

Yeah, all right. Riley is in Phoenix. What's up? Riley? Riley?

All right?

Riley, give us a call back and we'll get you on the air. Uh. DeShawn is in Virginia. What's up to Shawn?

Getting off from work?

We're good? How are you good?

Good? I want? I wanted to talk about like the the strategy of trying to actually when you got to talk about the lineman. But I was thinking about, like if you guys, I think I happen to get t Mac and Hr get the free agency and the niggas pocos on the line agency trying to worry about too much in the drift.

Yeah, it's a good question, DeShawn. Thanks for the call. It's a good segue for us because one of the big blocks off the free agency market went back to Denver today. I guess it is the easiest way to say it. Garrett Bowles signs an extension with the Denver Broncos. I never expected Garrett Bulls to hit unrestricted free agency. Uh still young ish, really good tackle, starting caliber tackle

Would be shocked if Yeah.

So it does sound like Cam Robinson, who, Like I'm not trying to look down on Cam Robinson. I think Cam Robinson would be a upgrade over what the Patriots currently have. But he is a mid level starter, right Like, He's like an NFL average starter, which again is an upgrade over what they have, but it's not We've solved this position for the next ten years. Like drafting, somebody might do.

Yeah, if you're gonna if you're gonna draft like a project player like Josh Simmons or maybe Josh Connery falls into that territory. I know you're high on him after watching him, like he's a good plan B, but that you know, set it and forget it left tackle, you're not getting that guy in free agency.

Yeah. Cam Robinson's a solid player and he like I keep saying, you'd be better on what the Patriots have, But he's also going to be the best available tackle on the market, which means that he's gonna get paid good amount of money. Like, my guess is that you're looking at somewhere between fifteen and twenty million dollars a year to lock up Cam.

Robbins's gonna get because he's the number one player at the position. He's gonna be paid like it, and you're gonna have to pay a tax for lack of talent of the position even if the dollar amount doesn't line up with the ability.

Yeah, and we talk about this all the time with these guys. Is you know you always are weary of paying top of the market dollars for a average player, right, Like you don't want to be stuck in that position where you're paying premium dollar amounts for a C C plus player, like you want to play premium dollar amounts for Blue Chippers. You don't want to pay him for

And I'll ad this too. It to one other point, I've seen people say this, Well, you know, if you sign T Higgins and your draft Ted McMillan, No, yeah, I get it, Like, all right, we're gonna infuse the wide receiver room with talent. Old belichickism. It's not about collecting talent, it's about building a team. Yeah, tep McMillan and T Higgins too much overlap. You can't have those same guys, they play same positions. Spider Man meme, Right, So I mean, if that's what you want to do,

Yeah, I agree. There's an email here about Ted McMillan in my take on him, So we'll get to that here in a second. But Riley's back, so let's get Riley on. What's up? Riley?

Hey, fellows, how we doing good? Doing good?

So a couple quick things here.

So I used to be in the camp of, if the Patriots have a top five pick, that we need to trade down just to secure as many future draft picks as possible so we can replenish all the assets that we need since the laundry list is long.

But as of recently, I've kind of come around to the idea of drafting Travis Hunter, just given the fact that he is the best bona fide player in the entire draft, or if not one of the best. So I just kind of wanted to get your guys' thoughts on that, if they do end up picking in the top five, would you rather select Travis Hunter or trade down and stock up and get some more draft picks.

Appreciated. I hope you have fun at the game if you're headed to the game on Sunday.

So the Travis Hunter just named AP College Football Player of the Year so there you go. Yeah, so that's a player in the country.

So to the first point with Travis, oh really not not your running back you second, Oh, you didn't get the vote though he was second. Does that usually foreshadow of the Heisman vote?

Or is this?

Are they not?

Not exclusively? But yeah, so last year was like a rare year where it didn't Pennix won those. I'm pretty sure was Pennis that won it.

Okay, huh interesting? He good? Anyways, I just say good mostly because I don't.

Know Jane Daniels did with Oh, I'm thinking of the Maxwell. Jane Daniels did win this last year. Yeah, it's been Hunter Daniels, Williams, Bryce Young, Davante Smith. Yeah. So mostly yeah, mostly the Shadows, and I'm thinking of the Maxwell words.

I don't I don't have a you know, a care about who wins the Heisman, But just to watch all of you sickos lose your mind that it's not Ashton Gentry is enough for me. I'm good with that.

Going historic season, he wins it. He would have won them last year against Jane Daniels, you would have.

No Jenden dan is an unreal year at LSU.

Last year it's his What gent's done is truly historic. You're not going to act it's a running back in college football player.

I'm not gonna is the Mountain West.

He was doing it, and then why isn't everybody doing it? And Daniels did it in the SEC Then why isn't everybody doing it the most?

Okay, well, this is not the point that we don't need to get bogged down.

We're college football talk.

God, this is just insufferable.

Uh.

Anyways to the Travis Hunter point I have. I have also come around to Travis Hunter for the Patriots because my big thesis of this entire draft is that they have to come away with the player who's worthy of the pick. Right That's that's my big thesis. And I worry a little bit in this draft about the talent

Uh.

Ted McMillan is not everybody's cup of team mine included, right, Like, that's not everybody's favorite style of receiver so to speak, or whatever. You know, guy like Mason Graham, who I watched I wanted to talk to a little talk about a little bit today. Awesome talent, but he's an interior defensive lineman, right Like, not usually a position that's considered premium level positions. So all these other guys have these

I think there's because you know my thing. There's no such thing as a perfect prospect, ye, And there's two sides to that. It's also to say that you can say a guy has areas of improvement or weaknesses and still admit he's elite. An elite prospect to me, with Hunter, it's won the development plan and then just durability and some of that ties in with the development plan. But he's not exactly like he could probably put weight on.

I still think that he can play a wide receiver at a really high level. I got some flak on on the X machine yesterday about this, who said he couldn't Well, just I think some people, you mean, without putting on weight or just no, no, I just think some people if you're gonna.

Send him over the middle like that, like he needs a little more questions.

I think some people are of the thinking that Will Johnson, who declared yesterday, is one of the guys I wanted to talk about of his decision, which you know, a lot of people think Will Johnson is the best corner in the draft. A lot of people think that Teed McMillan is the best wide receiver in the draft. So now that those are Travis Hunter, so.

Can I can I say something on that real quick? Because I tweeted earlier about McMillan and people jumped down my throat. I'm calling Tep McMillan the best receiver in the draft. I'm calling Will Johnson the best corner in the draft. Travis Hunter is the best Travis Hunter in the draft. He is his own thing. Okay, Okay, I am not classic, but but isn't that because like we don't know this. This goes to the whole thing that crawls up my ass about edge. Yeah, but this is

That's such a hue answer. I would urge people to watch a little bit more than just casually watching college football on a college football Saturday with Travis Hunter at wide receiver. Travis Hunder at wide receiver really impressed me, like really did. His instincts and his ball skills are

So all I had this too on Hunter. I think a lot of people who aren't big time college football fans, they watched Colorado early on last year when they kind of made that initial surge, didn't follow him down the stretch and then this year, they weren't in the national picture till very late. It's night and day last year to this year. If you're thinking of Travis Hunter the receiver last year, I understand why maybe you're not super sold. I wasn't at first. I had to go back and

On it well, because I think he wants to play.

Because I think he went right exactly because he saw it was possibility in the NFL. Probably didn't consider that before. So don't you gotta go off of that more than just that initial burst last year? Like he he got tremendously better from last year this year, and even over the course of this year.

Okay, so I have a list here of things I wanted to to hit on with the draft as well. I know we already, we're gonna get one tech McMillan taken there because I have a I did research on something and so I have him on my declared list here. So let's start because I have a recency bias. Oh boy, I already we already go in recent I.

Have one too. Let me tell check my notes. I think I have one too.

So we're already going recency by which is fun. But I have some Let's get to like the new Zier items first. Okay, So the big one I wanted to talk about today was I got my hands on the help me here Oregon Penn State with Big ten Big Ten.

I'm not even gonna knock you for not knowing the conferences at this point because.

I didn't know before. I'm definitely not gonna note now. So the Big Ten championship game that was played last week in Oregon Penn State really fun game. I watched it live. We were even Jess was kind of into it. She was like, this is what the heck is going on?

I was not expecting that to be a good game. Yeah, it was, especially following did you watch Texas Georgia till yes, a little bit.

I didn't watch it as closely as I watched Oregon Penn State. But the two kind of big takeaways from Oregon Penn State. One, Abdul Carter is an absolute dude. Like that guy. I had him on my list of like top he was the top guy in my next tier. If the Patriots were to trade down a little bit. We talked about this when we were waiting to go out to practice today. I'm pretty close to moving him up into the S tier, Like he's.

The worthy of a top five pick. You're not trading down, You're taking him on the spot.

Yeah, that I'm close, And if he has a good playoff, then he's gonna definitely be in this list for me, I think the things that stand out about his game and you know this is what I mentioned to you earlier. Yeah, I'm really big on I don't tell me the number, don't tell me the position. I just want to turn on the tape and be able to point to the guy I'm.

Supposed to be. You can just tell this guy's different.

He is a different human being. Like he moves differently than everybody else on the field. He moves like a top ten, top five, top ten pick in an NFL draft. His explosiveness and his just twitch and athleticism is incredible. It's elite, right like he's he is shot out of

APEX competitor, Yeah, and.

So I loved that aspect of that game. You know, he has the athleticism, you know that he has the big splash playability with his explosiveness and ability to get

Penn State hurt themselves. They stopped rushing and they started playing them off the ball.

Yeah, they did a little spy stuff with him and a few drops with him in coverage. I didn't mind it as much watching back as a live I was like, what are you doing? But overall, I I don't know if I'm fully ready yet to put him in that you know, stick and pick category at three. But he's really darn close for me right now. And you know the exciting part about that. You start to talk about getting that defense back built up for the Patriots next season.

Yeah, yeah, I mean there's there's a ton of potential. There's a ton of upside there.

Yeah. And he's one of those guys too. You you mentioned him playing a little bit off the ball. He did that earlier on in his career at Penn State. He can also rush in line, like over the guard and over the center. He can stunt like you can loop him around and stuff like that. On stunts like there's just a lot of different things that you can do with an explosive player like that. You know, we were trying to come up with a comp for him.

All these guys are. It's a weird thing with his class pretty much. All these guys are true juniors. And just to piggyback off of that because I love this element of it. So Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks also true juniors. Yeah, the number one offensive line recruit in that class, not Will Campbell, not Kelvin Banks, was Josh Connery. Yeah, Banks, Campbelon Banks jumped in because they started all three years.

So he's clearly got in my mind, and not top half of the first round, but first round athleticism. Like he's got first round physical tools to his game, springy right out of his stance, can mirror the edge, did a really nice job on multiple reps running Abdul Carter pass the quarterback, Like, he can get to those spots and he can push guys past the QB and he

Yeah, Yeah, and I think he's the guy. Again. He has less experience, so that's why he's not there with campbellon Banks, but projected second round right now. I don't know that that stays. But that guy we talked about Josh Simmons last week, I think he's that guy. People want Josh Simmons to be. Where you can take Travis Hunter, Teed McMillan, Abdul Carter at the top of the draft and still get your potential franchise tackle. It's more second

Yeah, I agree, he's the guy that look and I want to see him in the playoff and like, let's see some more tape. I've only watched one game. I have the Ohio State game loaded for the plane, so we'll watch that one too.

But then Oregon's in that that murderer's row of the bracket where he's either gonna get James Pearce or Jack Sawyer.

In the first row, right, So he's already played Ohio State right once before earlier this year. So I'm gonna watch that on the plane on Friday to Arizona, so I'll.

So he'll do that, and then he'll either get in the first round playoff, either get a Hio State again or Tennessee, which James Pearce is another first round edge rushing. Yeah, so'd be good to see because he's gonna get some quality, quality reps here.

Yeah, it'd be good to see because the one thing that I worry about with him a little bit is his play strength and his anchor, Like I think he can get pushed around at times, but at the same time.

Pierce isn't the guy to judgem against because Pierce is a fan.

Yeah, So like that was like sort of as the game were on, And I love the chess match between a good pass rusher and a tackle because like Abdul Carter kept on trying to beat him around the edge, and you're not gonna beat Josh Connerly around the edge, like he's got too much athleticism and he's too quick on his feet. It's gonna be really hard to do that.

Was that your recency bias guy?

No, it wasn't, okay, But I was impressed with the game that I watched. Now a lot of people would tell you that the Big Ten Championship game was his best game of the year, So I'll have to watch some more with him.

You know where a ceiling is, though, and that's.

Yeah, you know where his ceiling is. And I would also just say, as much as you know, I don't necessarily wholly agree with this take if you want to start building, you know, mock drafts or go through scenarios where they still can pick. You know, the three guys that you mentioned, Hunter, McMillan, Carter at the top of the draft and then still get a tackle with real premium starter upside. Then Connerly I think fits that. Bill. He might be that guy at thirty four in this draft.

I don't think he's falling that far. But do you move thirty four, maybe that third you got for Judah and a future pick get up to the twenties. Yeah, and that's I second round pick in second pick, need to they're not anonymous for this team. There's real arguments we made their second pick should be in the first round.

Yeah, that's fair.

And if so, Connorly is the exact kind of guy.

Okay, So a few more guys that declared, and then we'll get to recency byas Mason Graham declared. And I don't think anybody's surprised by that. So what I saw with Mason Graham throw on his table real quick.

Sorry, cutch Off. Yeah, none of these guys have None of these have been surprises. There's one guy every year was Fashan who a couple of years ago. Remember, Yeah, that is like a top fifteen pick that, for one reason or the other goes back to school still waiting to see who that is because we haven't had that surprise yet this year. Yes, class can't afford it.

Yeah, So Mason Graham. I made this comparison when I was texting you about him. I see a lot of Brandon Fiskey with the Rams and Mason Graham maybe like a more complete pro style defensive tackle, maybe a little bit better against the run. But Brandon Fiskey has had an awesome year for the Rams, and you see a

I'm well, one of them is like frozen, so there's still a bunch in there, but it doesn't help me.

But yeah, uh, My thing with Mason Graham is that in the NFL, I think he's a three technique through and through, Like I don't think that this is I was hoping that maybe he was gonna be a little bit stouter to play him over the tax Yeah, so

Yeah, same thing I said last week. If that's the kind of player you want, and not that high of an investment on that guy, trade down, take Dean Walker. Add more, you can't burn that pick on a player that Look, they need blue chip talent, and he's blue chip talent. But Christian Barmore is one of the few blue chip players you have. You don't I talk about upgrades in additions when we come to the draft, where an upgrade is a better version of a player you

You basically would have three guys that all want to rush on the guards, right, and you can only have two guys that rush on the guard on any given play, right, So at that point, trying to find that that usually would mean someone's playing at a position or not to their strength. Right, So you're trying to find the pieces. Whereas like a guy like Abdul Carter clearly an edge rusher, right, then.

He's your Matthew jud Yeah.

Right, you can see how those puzzle pieces fit together. The other guy that declared who I feel similarly about, but also one of these you know, blue chip town Will Johnson, who we talked a little bit about earlier. He declared out of Michigan as well. What I do like about Will Johnson goes back to my true junior thing. We all knew Will Johnson was going to be a top ten pick in this draft last year after the

He got hurt six games in and then there were some questions about like was he doing the most he could get back?

He might have shut down. Yeah, yeah, I don't necessarily knock guys for that. I know some people do. I know it's not some people's cup of teacas. They want competitors and all that kind of stuff. I don't necessarily not guys for that as much. You know. I'll give you a great example of the Jamar Chase.

Jamar Chase is the one everybody goes back to.

Jamar Chase said the exact same thing. It hasn't done anything.

Well, no, he literally just sat out the year.

Yeah, and uh he he did pretty good in the NFL. Leonard Fournette like a little bit, remember like he goes back to LSU.

For that last yearn Marvin Harrison, there were some question well not games, but like he didn't even do the pro day. Yeah, we've heard of guys sitting out the combine, but didn't he sit out his pro day? There was something weird where like he wasn't doing things that everybody else was doing.

So needless to say, I don't put a ton of stock in that kind of stuff. But Will Johnson, just what are your thoughts on him as a prospect.

Really good man corner, like he is a Bill Belichick corner. He's got the length, he's got the mirroring skills, he's got the instincts. He's not an elite, elite athlete, but he's like Gonzales. He's not quite the athlete Gonzalez is, for instance, but I think he's more polished than Gonzalez was coming out. Just technically, he's amazing technically and for a team like the Patriots, Okay, Gonzalez, who's the athlete? So how many times are you going to face two

Like, this draft stinks.

If you want a blue chip corner, yeah it's Will Johnson or again, Travis Hunter is his own thing, the number one Travis Hunter in the draft. But if you want that guy to pair full time with Christian Gonzales, it's probably Will Johnson. Do you want to do that or would you rather spread it?

Well, yeah, I'm not really super high on doing that. I think it's more of like a philosophical thing where I feel like, if they build a pass rush then I think their corners are good enough that they can cover on the back end. Right now, I say the biggest problem with the Patriots defense is not their cornerbacks. It's their coverage or their pass rush. To excuse me, So I would look at that, you know, the Patriots right now, just analytically. I believe there. It fluctuates every week.

I think that's more a free agency. We talked about Carlton Davis.

Yeah, like Carlton Davis or you know, any one of these guys that are going to be you know, there are a couple I'm not banking on some of their names right now. Yeah, I know DJ Moore is like the other wise or not DJ Reid, but he's he's kind of like a Jonathan Jones replacement more than he would be, you know, that kind of guy. But I look at free agency and I wonder if you can get even just like you know, I keep I always think of the Bills getting Rasoul Douglas. He's just a

Let me this way, Bill was still here, that's the pick.

It'd be at the top of their board.

I will on Revel real quick. I'm watch him at some point. So you and Ecu Corner going in the first round, it's like, what's going on? Well, Toledo Corner went in the first, right, but he was special. Yeah, so Reveel also Qui Quin Mitchell had multiple years. Sean Revel really only has one full year of tape. Let's say he falls a little bit, they have those two third round picks, Like, if he really falls, I wouldn't mind them taking a shot on him at day two, Like that would be an interesting pick.

Doubt to me, it would be. If we're gonna draft corner draft, that's where I would do it. Third or fourth round draft the trades guy, right draft, a longer trades guy.

He's like six three one ninety elite.

App Yeah, go find your your wrek oneling right.

I don't know that he'll fall that far. I think he might still end up being at fifty pick. Medical testing will be big from obviously, but uh, if he starts to fall, like he should absolutely be on their radar.

Yep. All right, last one on the declared list, and then we'll get to the last couple of calls, emails, recency, bias, all that good stuff. Everybody's favorite tech McMillan declared for the NFL Draft. No shocker there whatsoever. So we have an email here from a regular listener. This is John in Louisiana, and he said that he believes that my dislike of Tech McMillan dislikes probably strong, just not. I'm

Remembering Mike Evans in college. No, you, Johnny Manzil, it's all give you know. I could see you being out on Johnny Manziel. I could see Johnny Manziel, Sure, sorry on on Yeah, I was out on Manziel. I could see being out on Mike.

I loved Mike Evans in college. I was. I was a Mike Evans guy. I was. I thought he made Johnny Manziel and that's not revision.

No, it's true. But like you weren't hardened yet by the process.

That's true. That's true. I haven't been current.

You look at that, you would have you would have were Oh well, you know, they're too worried about Manzel running around.

And I could see feel about Mike Evans.

I think you would feel the same way you can do about McMillan. I think you would say I like him, but I don't love him.

You know how I feel about Mike Evans. Mike Evans to me, Mike the NFL player, Mike Evans the what we the NFL player fine, the Tampa Bay buccaneer. Mike Evans has graduated in the category of I will not player comp college prospects to Mike Evans. He is too good. We have graduated Mike Evans to the to the elite, uh, you know, elite club right where like we can't comp players to Randy Moss, we don't comp players to Mike Evans,

Oh, it's a good rule. I every year the number one tight end is Baby Gronk. Yeah, like they can't all be because he's one of one, right, So the Bowers he's pretty good. He's not Gronk, but he's pretty good.

I still stand by my take on Teed McMillan for right, now I think he's a first round prospect. Like, don't, don't get it twisted, like I'm not fifteen prospect probably in this draft. Yeah, but my biggest concern about it is what I just said. In this draft, right like in other drafts at that position, like last year's wide receiver group, it's a loaded group. I get that, but he's still wide receiver four at best in that class

I mean, I agree. All right, well, so then let's do this one three. Tell me want to stop Flowers? That was also a bad receiver draft. All right, so time we're to stop Zay Flowers. Yeah, Jackson Smith and Jigba Yeah, Jordan Addison.

Stop. He's better than than Adison. He's definitely a player, and he's also definitely better than the kid in Quentin Johnson.

Yea, yeah, you don't like quin I'm glad you said stop because I was trying. I can't. I was like, I can't say Quentin Johnson, Josh Downs.

Yeah, no, he's better than those guys, Okay, I I thought that, you know, I love in that class. I thought Jason. I thought jays N was the best receiver in that class. Even I thought you would say, no, I had jays N even though I even though I love Zay personally, I I had j s N better. And jays N has been great by the way for Seattle this year.

Uh.

But uh, I can't come around on Ted McMillan just yet. I think the two things that look it's you could be right, John. I'll allow for this one hundred and ten percent. This could be a personal issue. This could be me the one thing that I can't the two things that I can't come away from thinking. Number one,

Forsaken every team plays in and by the way you would.

I can't go out there, nice. I can't go out there and watch and be like all jazzed up that he took a dig route that with like no one around him, and I turned up field and ran for.

Ford does after the catch is impressive.

It's impressive, but like he's gonna be in phone boosts in the NFL, there's gonna be people around him that's every.

Receiver, Like, you can only gauge him against the competition he's facing.

Else.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I don't see enough film that translates to the lead right, like, And that's the part that worries me about Ted McMillan. He's extremely talented. The traits are all there. He's six ' five, he's two fifteen, he moves like a smaller guy. Like. I see all of it from an eye test standpoint. What I don't see are like the translatable clips that I can cut out and I can say, here's him winning at the college level, and here's how that's going

And I said this to you last week. I don't think he's as slow as you think he is, Okay, I think because he's so big and he's all legs right, he looks he moves so naturally he moves. Ever you think he's a glider, I think he's a glider. I'm gonna be very interested to see what he runs. We did the whole rumored high school forty yard dash thing like we did last year. The rumor is four or five flat.

If he runs a four, If he runs any four or five, I'm gonna say I confirm my priors. If he runs in the four to four is I will watch again.

Change I can't. I'm trying to find the origin of this because I had multiple people send it to me, and I cannot find the origin. But enough people sent it to me that I'll pull the Felburn maz Here in brown check Market, you always say, well, you know, the forty time is great, but where what's the data? Say? What does the tracker say? Supposedly on one of his poll aways from I know it's New Mexico, but God,

Yeah, but that's like because he had a runway to get up to twenty two miles an hour. Right. The best part about Tag McMillan to me is that he's super smooth at six foot five. Yeah, right, he transitions really smoothly at the top of the route. He's bendy, he's he's got great body control. He's got a great ability to snap off routes. He has that ability to like come out of the gate, get the corner in the pedal, and then snap right out of it, right,

Okay, Well, I just I'm interested to see what he runs at the fort. Let me ask you this just so you can clarify for yourself. Yeah, would you call him slow or would you call him not fast? Because there is not fast?

Okay, and I want I want personally in this again.

You want speed, and that's fine. I just it's a personal thing to clarify. If you want to say he's not fast, I would agree. He's not a burner. He's not Isaiah Bond, he's not Savior where He's not one of these guys. He's not slow either. He's not Quentin Johnson. He's not you know people Harry.

And Johnson I think was actually fast.

I'm trying to think of who these big like, yeah, thank you perfect. He's not Keon Coleman. He's not one of these big receivers that just lugs around the field. And it's just well, I'm bigger and stronger than you, so I'm gonna dominate you without like because I feel like when you say, oh, you know, big receiver who's not fast, people think that he's not slow.

No, and and he's a lot. The thing that gives me hope about Ted McMillan, uh, if the Patriots were to draft him, is that what I saw with Uh that I learned from Nikhil Harry and what I saw with Quinton Johnston and what I saw a little bit with Kean Coleman as well is stiffness, right, like they they are roboty. He's not. He is not, And so that does give me hope. Those guys are had two left feet right, like they just were a stiff robot.

Nope, Hey, you feel had a good week, you know, so I wanted to ask.

I was watching.

Thursday Night football with my mom last week and was explaining the concept of hashmarks to her and like why Jared Goff went to the other side to take me for the kick, And then just just watching college football and you know, looking at the end of the Georgia Texas game, that was a crazy difficult kick the guy hit because of like how like the angle he had

So yeah, yeah, cool, good college college hash marks and kicker evaluation, that's your call. Let's go, that's your call.

Let's go.

That adrenaline rush I got from that all of a sudden, you don't feel sick anymore.

No, I really know. I legitally just got an adrenaline rush because I was waiting for you to just lose your mind over that call.

That's what gives you an adrenaline rush.

Your reaction to it, and then I jumped the gun. Bill's gonna have to really play the hashes now. This is another thing we're gonna have to see a manage that we've never seen.

Actually, I think college ashes does it right, do you? I do?

I like it. They're different.

I think it does it right in college because to the caller's point, with kickers, it's obviously a different angle, which I think is it's more legitimate, like that's where the ball actually was on the field. The other thing that I like about the college hashes is like you have to make a true far hash throw right, Like that's not like the far hash throws in the NFL are are not quite the same.

Anyways, give me the only reason I don't like it. I think, with how much speed there is in the modern NFL, defenses wouldn't have a chance with Detroit in the field. It would be I mean, games would be in the fifties. Yeah, every ear.

That's a good point.

Howard works for scouting college kickers from people I've talked when every team does it differently, but just people I've talked in the past, the big thing you look at scouting kickers and punters is kind of like scouting pitchers, where what teams really want to see your motion? Right, how consistent is it? Because when kickers start to miss,

That's it. That's on kickers. Can I respond to the chat real quick? I don't normally do this, but there's some blasphemy going on in this chat.

Right You shouldn't look at the chat. This is why I look at the chat.

There's some blasphemy being talked about in the chat right now.

I don't.

I try. I've tried to be less less full of myself on the air a little bit, Alex, all right, I've been trying. I've been trying not to be as braggy about certain things. Sitting here, saying that I'm bad with wide receivers is blasphemy, all right, All of my rankings for the last like four or five years are all public, by the way, so you can go ahead

Man. You kept going back to Taekwon once he was here.

Okay, but that's different.

No, but that's why people think you're bad.

But I'm contractually obligated to hype up Taekwon Thornton as a patriot, Okay, like that. Unfortunately that comes with the territory of working in this building. Okay, you have to be a little bit open minded to some guys, uh that you don't necessarily see it with. Okay, but this type of stuff, I'll put my tracker up with wide receivers up against anyone. I think you can vouch for me on this.

No, you're you're you're pretty good with receiving. Were you in on Garrett Wilson people saying you were out on here?

Of course I was in on Garrett Wilson.

I was gonna say, that's the exact kind of you.

Yeah, no, I did. I might have had a lave ahead of you.

Saw Lobby is a true freshman where you text me you said, yeah, where's this guy supposed to go? I said, in two years?

Yeah, I can look it up. I still I have all of my spreadsheets. Uh, well, you should do at some point. Is that's retroactively. But that's twenty one draft, right?

Oh yeah, yeah that was the Matchell's draft. You should you should like start doing a collective wide receiver board.

So like, oh no, it's twenty two draft.

Put the guy No. Twenty two is in Jigba.

No, that's twenty three.

Okay, I'm thinking twenty twenty twenty.

Two is like Jamar Chase and those guys.

You should you should do like a collective wide receiver board. You can't do it now because it's it's retroactive. So people are gonna be, oh, well, you know, hindsight's twenty twenty, but rank all the receivers from the last five years, include this year's class, and like do it all as one big board.

Yeah, so I had, you know, more way I do migratings, you know, like a seven or above is like an instant star in the league. I had Garrett Wilson with a seven. I had as an instant star in the NFL. I had Chris O Lave. Uh so I split it up at the time. I split it up between Z slot X, so I don't have these all, you know, perfectly aligned here. Yeah, but I added Jamison Williams, who I feel like I still am right about even though it hasn't been great.

I was a big Jameson Williams gus, so I'll give you that one. Yeah, it hasn't been great, like he's been great when he's on the field. That's more like he just the field.

Yeah, Jamison Williams a lave.

Yeah, Garrett Wilson, Drake London.

That was my time?

Was there another first round?

Traylon Burks was the other one, neither of us like no I had. I had Christian Watson, Traylon Burks, George Pickens, Alec Pierce.

Here was that I had one guy like oddly high that year and I can't remember who. I always have that one guy that It's like, it wasn't Bryce Ford Wheaton. He might have been in that class, but it wasn't him. Oh, I'll give you one you were wrong on just because I saw it on the list. I hate to do this to you, sky Moore. Yeah, all right, well let's do this. Let's make this educational. Why did you miss what you learned?

That's a good point. I haven't watched like a ton of him in Kansas City played an right, so I I I don't know for a fact that this could be a fun offseason show. The biggest thing at the prospect we were high on what you miss. I think the biggest thing that I missed was sky Moore was a lot of his stuff was in the slot against

When he was at Western Michigan, he was in the max.

And yeah, and then the word the probably the other thing you know that I've evolved and learned the most about receivers is at the NFL level, how important finishing and playing through contact is. I think that's probably been

Think this is a good offseason topic. I'll do it too. Would you miss what you learned? The two guys I had John Metchi's a first round pick that year. Yeah, which obviously we'll see. The other guy was super high on Wondale Robinson. I was super there were the Kentucky guys that here is Wandale Robinson and Darien Knord.

Yeah.

I wanted all the Kentucky guys that.

Y're all right, let's take DC is in New Hampshire. What's up DC?

Hey, guys, quick pop quiz for you, because I think there is a right answer here. Okay, so outside of Mike, who do you who do you think is the best O lineman the Pats have drafted in the last five years?

Right off the top of your head, Oh man, the best O Lignement in the last five years.

I mean, well, let's go back, so it's near the guy. Neither guys this year they ever really played.

I mean twenty three was five years probably Isaiah Win.

That's more five years ago. That was twenty eighteen nineteen. Is it Isaiah Win?

That's six years.

I think the answer is play hold.

Oh okay, oh that was your big yell to pro guy. Fair.

Fair.

I was gonna say, Justin Barran.

Yeah, no, y'all de for a hold. It's a good shout. That's fair.

We got we got.

The the All Day Revenge game coming up.

Remember he's been really good, he's center.

Yeah, nice to have him.

But a quick question that, since you were talking about the big board of receivers, I'm curious maybe in the last couple of years, where you'd have Travis Hunter the receiver on there, because I'm getting more and more convinced and uh uh persuaded to going all in on Travis Hunter if he's there. And I might be in the minority of this, but I think the past draft them. We are drafting Travis Hunter the receiver. That is who I would want, and I'm just curious where you have

Thanks.

You might be in the minority. But like I'm with you, I think if they draft Travis Hunter, they do it primarily as a receiver.

Yeah, I agree, and I would have him as the best receiver in the draft in this dull.

But what he was saying is like, all right, so Harrison Neighbors of Doonesday, where you saw him? Oh but hie and all three of those behind all three of them, Brian Thomas. I'd probably put him ahead of Brian Thomas. I probably would put him Xavier Worthy. I forget where you had thomasin Worthy.

I would probably I had Thomas ahead of Worthy. I think I would probably put Travis Hunter in the same tier as Romadonsay, but behind Roemadonsay. So like I would have Ted McMillan, to me, would be in that next tier. Like I don't think he's belonged after Yeah, but I think that Travis Hunter would be with the Donsay. But I really thought Marvin Harrison and Malik Neighbors are rare, rare problems.

So JSN, Quentin Johnson, Jay Flowers, Jordan Addison, he might be the best receiver in that draft that draft.

Yeah, besides maybe JSN, js N was a really good prospect.

Jamison Williams, Garret Wilson, Chris Olave, Drake London.

Yeah, he's in the in the epar echelon of that one too.

I'd probably go Williams, Lave Wilson. I put him head of Drake London.

Yeah. Yeah, I wasn't a big Drake London guy. Shock. All right, right, let's wrap it up with recency bias. So, uh, my recency bias pick is not going to shock you in the least bit.

I'm gonna be bummed. I was like, who didn't we talk about yet?

We haven't talked about him?

I know so well, we have this weekend we have, but is so stupid.

No, okay, we've talked about him, but we haven't talked about him lately. Because you told me about this player last year that I was gonna love this player this year was and you could not have been more correct. My friends, Oh is it Tory Horton, No, geez, Luther Burden. Oh yeah, Luther Burden. This dude is my type of dude. This is your counter point.

You don't like receivers, Luthor Bird, I do this every year, Zavier were the same thing. I know the receivers you want, so Luther Bird and everybody's knocked on Luther Bird and is that he's had some like you know, little diva wide receiver tirades like I don't care, Okay, I don't care. Luther Burden explosive, explosive, explosive, right like, this guy is

I love the Swiss army knife element right like. You can do all sorts of different gadgety type things with him as well. But man, oh man, is that guy just shot out of a cannon like double moves verticals from the slot, just ball cat you know, yards after catch, you know, catch and run type routes, that sort of thing, my comp Right now, I'm gonna be a little bit like you and go a little outside the box. I see a lot of the same sort of elements of

You put him ahead of te McMillan.

Uh, I can't cantus about him like this because McMillan. I can't allow my skill set bias to set in too much, right like I can't he is. I would draft him if I was building an offense, because that's the type of offense I would want to build, right like I would want to build the Miami Dolphins, right, like I would put all the speed on the world on the field. I don't think that he's I think he's a little different than Jalen Waddle, but I could see the some overlap and usage and style and that

When you do your ranks, who's going to be number one?

I'd probably I probably am gonna not let my my biases get in the way, and I'd probably put tet McMillan in.

Everything you said about McMillan before, or why.

I think because I keep on coming back to the fact with McMillan that he's a loose athlete, Like he's not this stiff Nikhil Harry robotic athlete. So I see, I see it. I do see it with him. It's just not my cup of tea, and I can't I

So pick it three, Ted McMillan, or trade down and get Luther Burton.

If they traded down and they took Luther Burden ten eleven, twelve like some So.

This is where we excuse me. We talked about this earlier with like T Higgins. Yeah, you're not gonna pair te Higgins with Ted McMillan because there's overlap. You pair Luther Burden with T Higgins. Now you have a more complete offense. So there is a path to Luthor burdon Twitchy. No, he's which, he's he's an electric player. He's he's an electric player. And I just talked about how much I loved Wandale Robinson because he was that kind of guy.

Oh? Man, I don't know. That's tough. I I would say that I probably would still have Hunter a little bit ahead. But I'm excited about Luther Burden.

No, here's the thing.

Want to try to like, I know I'm saying that he's probably my third receiver, but I just again, I think what comes down to that with Luther Burden is a lot of it is going to be scheme related, right, Like what kind of offense do you want to be? How are you you scheming him open? How are you scheming him opportunities to get the football? I don't necessarily like Teed McMillan touch guy. Yeah, Ted McMillan for all of his for all my issues with him, Like he's

And we know that. And now there's a different coaching staff. We know they've had trouble with scheme touch guys. Yeah. I really like Burton and and part of what I like is I think you're gonna be setting him over the middle. He's gonna be taking hits. This is a guy that can take hits. This is a guy that is not afraid to play physically, and I think there's tremendous value in that at that position. I think McMillan

It's a room.

You got, you got. You went from one of the least explosive wide receiver rooms one of the most explosive. Overnight.

Yeah, not overnight.

It is gonna take two months.

Great, great, like yin and yang with with T Higgins potential there and then I also still think, you know, I heard a little bit of like, well, isn't that just Pop Douglas, Like, No, I don't think so.

Like he's six foot two hundred, he's much more competitive at the catch point. He's no, he's he's probably he's closer to Kendrick Borne than he is to Pop Douglas.

I think he's a base receiver, whereas I think Pop is a true slot in eleven. Yeah, right, like and so I think you can play both of them together by having one of them be the off the line, you know, the Z, and then one of them is the true slot.

Who the comp be for for Burden from last year's draft, last year's draft, it's.

Kind of I don't know if there's there is. I think the two years ago, like, I I think he's like I said, I a lot of the ways that he moves and runs routes is a lot like Za a lot.

Yeah, the bigger fly.

Like when he ran I forget who was against, but he ran an out and up for like a forty yard touchdown and I did a flat, I did a double tap. I was like, Oh, I think that's Day Flowers right like, but he's bigger and thicker, kind of built like Deebo Samuel, so that I really am am. I'm bullish on the guy. I think he's gonna if he goes to the right offensive coordinator, he goes to the right offense, he's gonna happen.

Chiefs are gonna trade up and take him.

Yeah, I mean that he'd be a problem.

A big thing with Luthor Burden was well Rischie Rice a little bit, yeah, Well, and the big thing with Luthor Burden was that he's from Saint Louis. Yeah, and he stayed. He's a five star number two. He was ranked ahead of McMillan. McMillan was number four in that class. He was number two. Yeah, and he stayed at Missouri. And there's this whole thing about how he made it cool to stay in state because Missouri was losing all

Who was the guy that? Who was it last year on Clemson? Linebacker because they play that there's a guy yeah two years ago? Uh do you keep that's that role? You know?

Yeah?

Yeah, So he's the next guy in that like the jack of all trades linebacker role does everything does at a high level. Really smart player. Uh has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. I just think he's a guy that's like just very You can plug him into an NFL defense and I think he'd be ready to go.

Yeah.

And you know, Fred Werner's the apex. I don't know that he's Fred Werner, but if you're chasing that sort of player, Carter's in that mold. To me, he's somebody. He's projected to be a Day two pick if things go the right way and free agency. Like, definitely a guy look for. I don't know how much he's gonna pass rush in the NFL. He's probably more of a coverage guy, but they need that. Yeah, I like, I just looked this up pro comp Evan tell me I feel about this Kwan Alexander.

Okay, Yeah, the guy I was thinking of was Trenton Simpson who got got drafted. I don't think his third round.

Yeah, he's bigger, I don't think he's quite as athletic, but yeah, similar Robert Splaine would be another guy I throw as a camp Yeah.

I like Kwan Alexander in his peak obviously.

Yeah, yeah, I assume that means peak. But yeah, he's got to bulk up a little bit. But he would give them that. You put him next to Bentley your set.

Yeah, pretty not like a number one need, but like a sneaky need linebacker.

Well, yeah, I don't know that they can. You're probably gonna have to take him in the second round, early third round. So they gotta get some business done in free agency to be able to do that. But if they do, it just fails. We'll watch him in the playoff against Texas.

It feels like, unfortunately this staff is not very high on Marte Mapu.

My guy, and so definitely not as a linebacker.

It definitely sounds like they're not as high on him really really quickly, and then we're gonna go, Uh, Patriot's injury report just came out, so Javon Baker obviously it was the d MP without a with a CONCUSSI, Jalen Hawkins has an illness of whatever is going around. Jalen Hawkins in the club, and Jacquela and Roy misspractice with that foot injury that he's been fighting through. Marcus Jones back in a limited capacity. I think that changed. So

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