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Patriots Draft Prospect Review: Defensive Line · Patriots Unfiltered

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is the Draft Prospect Review podcast on Patriots dot
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  Speaker 1: Com Radio. Welcome to the NFL Draft. The Draft Prospect
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  Speaker 1: Review Podcast is your source for all the latest news
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  Speaker 1: and information on the NFL Draft. The New England Patriots
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  Speaker 1: like now here to preview the defensive lineman. The writers
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  Speaker 1: of Patriots dot Com All right, we're back for another
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  Speaker 1: draft podcast preview and we're ready to tackle the defense.
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  Speaker 1: You have to tackle on defense, That's what you have
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  Speaker 1: to do. The goal meticia see, the goal on defense
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  Speaker 1: is to tackle the guy with the ball. So we're
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  Speaker 1: gonna tackle some of the prospects. Will start up front
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  Speaker 1: with the defensive line, and obviously a lot of different
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  Speaker 1: kinds of players. You have big, run stuffing defensive tackles,
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  Speaker 1: you have smaller, angular, athletic defensive end edge kind of guys.
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  Speaker 1: So a lot of different categories to fall in. But
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna start on the edge, mainly because that's the
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  Speaker 1: top of the draft class. I mean, I think most
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  Speaker 1: people feel like there's at least two that probably fall
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  Speaker 1: on the top five with with Aidan Hutchinson in Cavon Thibodeaux.
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  Speaker 1: I'll start with Matisse Ballman, who again is with us
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  Speaker 1: for another draft Draft podcast preview teas, Which one of
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  Speaker 1: those two guys did you like the most. You're gonna
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  Speaker 1: talk about both of them, but I want to know
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  Speaker 1: which one you like the most. I like Hutchinson. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: he's a monster. Reminds me of both. Hey, he got
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  Speaker 1: a nominated for the Heisman as a defensive player, which
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  Speaker 1: is like the first time and forever that's happened. And
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  Speaker 1: fourteen sacks school record when he was double teams most
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  Speaker 1: of the year. So I mean, I think he stands
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  Speaker 1: out the most. And Thibodeau, what did you not like
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  Speaker 1: about him? Evidently I'm the only one that likes I
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  Speaker 1: like Thibodeaux, but he seems uh, I know, he's more
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  Speaker 1: of a bull rusher. I mean, sorry, Hutchinson, more of
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  Speaker 1: a bull rusher. I think Thibodeaux he can drop into
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  Speaker 1: I would agree with that speed around the corner. That's
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  Speaker 1: what I thought. If you're an edge player, I want
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  Speaker 1: to see some sacks. Yeah, well, you know, get to
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  Speaker 1: the quarterback. Yeah. I mean my guy I think has
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  Speaker 1: the higher upside, but he also has motor issues and
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  Speaker 1: he doesn't play hard all the time. And Tibodau, I'm
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  Speaker 1: talking about um that's not good. You know, you're when
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  Speaker 1: you're when you're not playing hard all the time in college.
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  Speaker 1: Why am I going to give you thirty million dollars
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  Speaker 1: and expect you to play hard all the time in
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  Speaker 1: the pros? So I think I think there is a
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  Speaker 1: higher ceiling there, but I'm not positive that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: I would feel all that comfortable. It doesn't matter if
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  Speaker 1: we really for the Patriots, because I think both of
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  Speaker 1: these guys are at worst top ten, probably top five. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: and uh, you know a guy that I would throw
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  Speaker 1: in there, and he's a little bit different, but but
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  Speaker 1: Travell and Walker from Georgia, who has just been one
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  Speaker 1: of the fastest risers, I think the start of the process.
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  Speaker 1: He you know, a lot of mock drafts have him
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  Speaker 1: in the second round somewhere. He tested out of the building.
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  Speaker 1: I just I when I look at Trayvon Walker, he's
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  Speaker 1: a guy that screams Patriots to me, just because he
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  Speaker 1: can do so much. You do have a little bit
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: of a worry that he's one of those workout warriors.
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  Speaker 1: He looks the party tests really well. Is it going
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  Speaker 1: to translate to the field. I'm not sure that they
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  Speaker 1: knew quite you know how to use him and employ
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  Speaker 1: him in Georgia. But from what I see, he's just
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  Speaker 1: a tough, tough football player. I think it's kind of
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  Speaker 1: what the Patriots need, you know. I think they need
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  Speaker 1: kind of a presence in the front seven, and Walker
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  Speaker 1: is probably gonna be long gone. I mean I saw
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  Speaker 1: a mock draft today where he went first overall. Um,
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  Speaker 1: but I think in this Patriot system they could move
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  Speaker 1: him and play him in any number of you a
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  Speaker 1: mock draft that Walker went first overall? Yeah, today, just today.
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  Speaker 1: I know, Well, anybody, anyone can do a mock draft.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, it wasn't I haven't seen that at all,
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  Speaker 1: but not that I but I've seen him. I see
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  Speaker 1: I've seen him sniffing sniff in the top five and
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  Speaker 1: then oh yeah based on guy yeah, but uh, you know,
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  Speaker 1: he's he's just a one that's a little bit different
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  Speaker 1: than than those guys who were kind of pure edge rushers.
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  Speaker 1: And then you know, just to then tie it kind
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  Speaker 1: of into Jermy Johnson, I think maybe a little bit
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  Speaker 1: more of that traditional you know, edge kind of like
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  Speaker 1: Jeremy Johnson. Him very fast, He's not not scared to
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  Speaker 1: get into contact with the lineman and you know he'll
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  Speaker 1: he'll chase you down in the backfield. Yeah. And you
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  Speaker 1: know there's a couple of big ten guys too that
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about for different reasons. What helped
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: me out with the pronun I lost Collaptist right from Purdue,
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: George Colloptus Collaptus M. I think of him like Hutchinson.
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  Speaker 1: I think he's a good, really good college football player,
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  Speaker 1: works really hard. I just look and I wonder how
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  Speaker 1: when I watched both of those guys, how close they
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  Speaker 1: are to max out. Yeah, I think that they play
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  Speaker 1: really hard all the time. Ryan Kerrigan a little bit that,
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  Speaker 1: oh yeah, I'll take Ryan Kerrigan. I mean, I you know,
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  Speaker 1: in fairness, I probably thought similarly of Ryan Kerrigan coming
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  Speaker 1: out that, you know, a Wisconsin guy like kind of
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  Speaker 1: looks like he's playing with his hair on fire all
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  Speaker 1: the time. And do you have another gear to go
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  Speaker 1: to as a pro? And he did, And Ryan Kerrigan's
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  Speaker 1: had a terrific career so uh in the other one
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  Speaker 1: is from Michigan. Uh, Hutchinson's teammate a job and just
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  Speaker 1: a terrible situation with him going down to this pro day. Um,
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  Speaker 1: you know, with a significant injury. I'm curious to see
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  Speaker 1: how that will impact is I mean, it's gonna definitely
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  Speaker 1: impact his draft status, but how much. Um, he was
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: a guy that a lot of people felt was the
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: first round pick two, and now it probably doesn't look
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  Speaker 1: like that's going to be the case. Since you're an
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  Speaker 1: expert in all the mocks, Mike, where where has he
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  Speaker 1: fallen out of the first round? Now? I mean I
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  Speaker 1: think probably, But I mean he certainly has the size.
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  Speaker 1: I mean six four, two fifty. I mean that's you
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  Speaker 1: know that that's the Patriots size that they look for.
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  Speaker 1: And I think this is, you know, a big need.
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  Speaker 1: I really do. I wish that there was more of
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  Speaker 1: a sweet spot kind of at twenty one. It feels
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  Speaker 1: like they're kind of in no man's land with some
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  Speaker 1: of these guys with that pick. I feel like a
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  Speaker 1: lot of these guys are probably going to go in
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  Speaker 1: the teens, but you know, a lot to like, how
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  Speaker 1: are they going to go? What direction? I think that's
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  Speaker 1: the tough thing with you know, three to four guys
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  Speaker 1: standing up hand down. I mean we've been talking about
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  Speaker 1: how fluid the edge position is generally and even more
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: so for the Patriots based on you know, you had
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  Speaker 1: guys last year Kyle van noy Dante High Tower think
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: when the Patriots defense was playing well, those guys were
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  Speaker 1: kind of leading the way and they're probably not going
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  Speaker 1: to be back now, so I think you need some
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  Speaker 1: some new presence on the edge. I know we've talked
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  Speaker 1: about a lot of the top guys, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: just a couple of low round guys that I liked.
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  Speaker 1: Drake Jackson from usc who I think is kind of
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  Speaker 1: a potential guy. He seems like he's one of those
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  Speaker 1: hair on fire but hasn't quite grown into his body
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  Speaker 1: just yet. I know William mc ginniss has known him
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  Speaker 1: for a while, so that kind of picked my radar
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  Speaker 1: a little bit. But him and then the other one
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  Speaker 1: is Josh Pascal from Kentucky, who I kind of see
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  Speaker 1: like a poor man's Trayvon Walker. He kind of he's
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  Speaker 1: not as good, he's not as physically imposing as him,
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  Speaker 1: but they used him in a similar kind of way,
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  Speaker 1: and just a tough, kind of brute front seven guy
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  Speaker 1: that you can kind of move around. I enjoyed. I
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  Speaker 1: kind of stumbled on him late in the process, but
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  Speaker 1: I think he's kind of intriguing one of those Day
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  Speaker 1: two guys that that intrigued me a little bit, just
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  Speaker 1: first play style and versatility, any of those other guys
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  Speaker 1: maybe in the middle rounds taste that caught your eye. Um, well,
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  Speaker 1: could you consider boy a Mofe as a edge rusher?
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  Speaker 1: It's he more of just a straight up line back. Yeah, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: he has the measurables to be Yeah. I mean he's
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  Speaker 1: quick off the line too. He's played in the four
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  Speaker 1: three bass I think he played three four also, so
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  Speaker 1: I think he'd be an interesting player to take. So
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  Speaker 1: another Big ten guy. So you know, there's a handful
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  Speaker 1: of those edge kind of guys in the Big ten.
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  Speaker 1: Now the Patriots have have gone in that direction. The
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: reason I bring up the Big ten they you know,
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  Speaker 1: a couple of Michigan guys in Winnovich and Uch that
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  Speaker 1: are sort of in that mold. And I would say,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, obviously they've moved on already from Winnovich Ouch
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  Speaker 1: entering year three still as yet to you know, really
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  Speaker 1: establish himself in a role. I'd be curious to see
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  Speaker 1: if they go back into that. Um, you know that
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  Speaker 1: pool of players, not not just Michigan, but Big ten
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  Speaker 1: in general, I'm a little bit I'm a little bit
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  Speaker 1: gunshy with the Michigan guys. I mean it's just, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we haven't gotten much returns yet from what they've taken.
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  Speaker 1: I agree, that's why it's it's it's you. I'm always
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  Speaker 1: concerned about something, yeah, and it's you know, and especially
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  Speaker 1: with a guy like Ouch where didn't really have a
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  Speaker 1: natural college position that translated the pros and I think
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  Speaker 1: they're still searching for it. I think you need guys
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  Speaker 1: now that can come in and play right away and
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: you kind of know what they can do, uh to,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and you can play at the NFL level.
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  Speaker 1: I don't think there's time right now for more projects
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  Speaker 1: and try to figure it out for a couple of years,
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  Speaker 1: all right. I also want to talk a little bit
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  Speaker 1: about Mike's bread and butter. Yeah, at least this is
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  Speaker 1: what you and I do know. Just be quiet. Let
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: we grab our diapepsies and we leave Mike to himself.
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  Speaker 1: The defensive tackles. Patriots have had a bitch of a
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  Speaker 1: time stopping the run the last I would say, at
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: least three seasons now, and they've not for a lack
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  Speaker 1: of trying. They've devoted some resources to it, they devoted
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: some money last year in free agency to it. Still
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be fixed. So I do think a
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  Speaker 1: run stuffing defensive tackle wouldn't be out of the realm
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  Speaker 1: of possibility at twenty one. If that is the case,
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  Speaker 1: I know, you know, Jordan Davis is a guy that
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: everybody talks about. But Mike, at twenty one, is there
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  Speaker 1: a guy that you sort of think has a chance
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  Speaker 1: to be there that the Patriots could be interested in.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: I mean, before before the Combine, I might have said
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: Jordan Davis. But I think after the combine, with the
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: way he tested as a one of those Bill Parcels
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Planet players, I think he might might be gone. But
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  Speaker 1: certainly would he look good sitting next to Christian Barmore
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: as a kind of complimentary piece. Absolutely, um. But I
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  Speaker 1: think my thing right now is I look at Tah
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: and I look at you know, at Josh Allen in Buffalo,
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  Speaker 1: and I think those are the focal points. And when
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: you ask yourself, yeah, is Jordan Davis going to be
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  Speaker 1: a three down guy that really helps you against the Probably?
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: But I think I I look now more at trying
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: to find speed around the Edges. I think you can
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: find big guys on annopoul. This must be surprising for
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: you to hear that I'm not all in on a
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  Speaker 1: d tackle at twenty one. Um, well, it's nice that
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: you're talking like the rest of the grown ups at
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  Speaker 1: the table. But but, but I but I certainly like him.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: You know, Davante Wyatt another one from Georgia who I
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: think is a little bit more like Barmore and more
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: of a penis. So I don't know if you guys
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: have noticed a pattern, but Georgia won the national title,
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: and there are a lot of good players from Geordan,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: especially on defense. You're gonna be talking about a lot
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: of those guys over the next you know, three four
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: podcasts that we do here. Yeah, I think why it
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: was you know, a little bit more like Barmore. But
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  Speaker 1: I think he's a guy who's in that twenty range
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  Speaker 1: that that would probably go, you know. And then after that,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: I think Travis Jones from Yukon is probably in the mix,
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: and I think he's maybe a guy that if you
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: don't look at twenty one, I think, you know, day two,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't I wouldn't hate that pick. I just I
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: think edge is a little bit more of a big,
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: bigger need. I think he can find these big guys.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: But I really did like Travis Jones. He fits all
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: the measurables of that kind of interior space heater that
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: they like. I agree a lot with Mike Tis because
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: even though Mike puts more emphasis on the position itself,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: I feel like unless you can get, you know, a
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: special kind of player like an Aaron Donald. I'm not
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: saying it has to be Aaron Donald, but that level,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: you know, that level of all around play dominance, like
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: he's going to impact the game at multiple levels. You
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: can get a defensive tackle later on, like you don't
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: have to do it at in the first round. If
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: he's just like a run stuffer or maybe just a
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: situation the pocket collapser. I think you can get good
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: players later. I mean Christian Barmore is you know the
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: second now, Christian Barmore probably was a first round pick
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  Speaker 1: if not for one of the questions about his work,
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: ethic and whatnot at Alabama, and he went very early
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: in the second round. It's not like he slipped, but
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: I feel like there's a need there. But I agree
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: with Mike. I'd be surprised if the Patriots went went
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: there at twenty one. Maybe a day two guy or
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: two tists that stood out to you. I like the
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Haskell Garrett and I think he'd definitely be a mid
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: round guys from Ohio State. Has the ability to push
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: the pocket. I mean making noise on Ohio State. It's
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: not easy to do. So yeah, good h I'll throw
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: a couple in the mix. M John Ridgeway from Arkansas.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: He just looked like Lawrence guy. I mean maybe a
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: little bit bigger, but you know, big tough guy. I
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: mean he just he looks the part completely. And then
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: another one I think you gotta keep on the radar
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: is Federia. Mathis from Alabama. Of course Alabama, but I
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: think he's one of those value you mid round kind
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: of picks that obviously he comes from from Crimson Tide,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: we know that they're well aware of him. But character
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: space eater, um, you know, he's he's that kind of
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: guy too, that that instead of having a reach in
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: those first you know round or two of the draft,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: he can maybe get a guy that that that plays
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: the way you want in the in the later rounds. Yeah,
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: a little smaller, but for the same reasons that you
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: just spent. Perry and Winfrey from Oklahoma. You know, these
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: are the programs that I think Bill looks at. And
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we all know about Alabama, but he
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: does seem like he's had a few Michigans, He's had
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: a few Oklahomas. There's some of these coaches I think
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: he feels more comfortable with than others, and he tends
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: to lean on some of those guys. And it'll be
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: interesting to see. Now, um, you know, Oklahoma is going
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: to be losing Lincoln Riley, so be interesting to see
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: if they maybe tap into that one more time, or
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: they go to USC start taking those start going out west. Absolutely,
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: I saw Winfrey. I liked him hard pursuit, and I
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: may a little bit of Wyatt, similar kind of upfield,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: get off the ball, go get the ball. That that
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: kind of guy. Did you have Matthew Butler from Tennessee
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: at all m He's pretty good. I think it's funny though,
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: because we always say Alabama, but for Butler it's, Oh,
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: he had very good tape against Alabama. So if you're
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: able to make an impact against Alabama, you're going to
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: get noticed. So maybe by accident and Osmosis Bill looks
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: at that, looks in that direction. But yeah, again another
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: position where we could see the Patriots tapping into. But
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: we have some more to go, and I think our
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: next podcast that will do you know with linebackers could
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: be one that we might see a little bit more of.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: So we'll put a rap on the defensive line. We're
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: moving our way quickly through the defense. Thank you for
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