Latest / Patriots Unfiltered / Patriots Draft Countdown: Day 1 of the NFL Scouting Combine With Eliot Wolf, Dane Brugler & Jordan Reid

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Patriots Draft Countdown: Day 1 of the NFL Scouting Combine With Eliot Wolf, Dane Brugler & Jordan Reid · Patriots Unfiltered

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Patriots Draft Countdown, presented by bud Light,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy, bud Light, the official
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: beer sponsor of the New England Patriots. On Matt Smith
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: joined with Evan Lazar forty th year at the Combine
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: for the NFL here in Indianapolis. Haven't set the scene for.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Us since we're here.
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Today I thought was a really good kickoff to
• 0:17
  Speaker 3: the week here with Elliott Wolf talking to us this morning.
• 0:20
  Speaker 4: And I think at this point in.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: The combine there's a lot of conversations that are going
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: on behind the scenes that we don't necessarily see. And
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: then as we get into Wednesday and Thursday, the prospects
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: start to arrive, and then it kind of shifts more
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: to the interviews, the medicals, the things that go on
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: at Lucas Oil Stadium later on in the week.
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  Speaker 4: But for these couple of days.
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  Speaker 3: It's kind of just like a summit of all the
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: decision makers in the NFL are in one place, kind
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: of waiting around until the real action starts, and it's
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: a lot of Frankly, a lot of deals get made
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: at this time of the year.
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  Speaker 1: As Evan mentioned, Elliott Wolf met with the media today
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  Speaker 1: here at the Convention Center in Indianapol And after that
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: meeting with the press, Elliott joined us for this podcast.
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  Speaker 1: Here's a conversation, and we're pleased to be joined by
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  Speaker 1: executive vice president of Player Personnel Elliott Wolf, Matt Smith,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: along with Evan Blazar.
• 1:11
  Speaker 5: Thanks for joining us, Eliot, Thanks for having me.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Not your traditional travel setup to get to Indianapolis and
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: needs a breeze to get to except for maybe this year.
• 1:20
  Speaker 5: No, I feel bad too, because I was.
• 1:22
  Speaker 6: I was kind of talking tough to my wife the
• 1:23
  Speaker 6: day that y'all there's a storm coming, like, don't worry,
• 1:26
  Speaker 6: I'll just go a day later, you know. And then
• 1:28
  Speaker 6: it ended up being we left a day and a
• 1:30
  Speaker 6: half early six am flight and you know, flew to
• 1:34
  Speaker 6: Detroit and five hour drive down and I'm glad you
• 1:37
  Speaker 6: guys made it too.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's always a tough conversation with the missus when
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: you're like, we're gonna have to add an extra full
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: day onto this. But when I saw you there, I
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: was like, all right, we're all in the same boat,
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  Speaker 3: so I have no excuse.
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  Speaker 4: I'm going to make the drive.
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  Speaker 3: But I wanted to ask you just for you personally,
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  Speaker 3: I remember sitting here with you a year ago and
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  Speaker 3: I not coming off a up to the Super Bowl
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: like we are this year. Just how gratifying has this
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: turnaround and this success been for you? Just on an
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: individual level.
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  Speaker 6: I think it's been, I mean, obviously tremendously gratifying. I
• 2:09
  Speaker 6: think it's really cool that, you know, when when Mike
• 2:13
  Speaker 6: and I kind of joined forces, so to speak, and
• 2:15
  Speaker 6: the coaching staff and the scouting staff and everybody working together,
• 2:19
  Speaker 6: the fact that that we were going to get it
• 2:21
  Speaker 6: flip became pretty apparent pretty quickly. The fact that we
• 2:24
  Speaker 6: did it so quickly is really cool now. And now
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  Speaker 6: it's you know, incumbent upon us to try to keep
• 2:28
  Speaker 6: it going.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: So you mentioned the quickly part, Elliott, I think the
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: fans think we're maybe conventional wisdom suggests their super Bowl
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: they're five weeks behind. That's really not the case. Like
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: this is an ongoing process for you and your staff.
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  Speaker 5: Right, Yeah, it's an ongoing process.
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  Speaker 6: Really the only thing that we've had to adjust somewhat
• 2:46
  Speaker 6: was the draft meetings, which normally would start a week
• 2:48
  Speaker 6: before the Super Bowl.
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  Speaker 5: We started.
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  Speaker 6: We flew home from the Super Bowl on Monday and
• 2:54
  Speaker 6: started at seven am on Tuesday, and you know, got
• 2:57
  Speaker 6: everything done that we needed to. So other than that,
• 3:00
  Speaker 6: the planning, you know, we know who the free agency
• 3:02
  Speaker 6: are going to be. Like, the planning and all the
• 3:04
  Speaker 6: things on the pro side are pretty pretty similar.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: You mentioned keeping it going, and I was just wondering,
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  Speaker 3: does it change your sort of approach at all that
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  Speaker 3: you guys made the Super Bowl last year versus it
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: kind of just only being year two. I know, Coach
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Brable keeps saying three hundred and seven days, you know,
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  Speaker 3: does it change the off season that you guys had
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  Speaker 3: so much success last year, maybe a little bit ahead
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  Speaker 3: of schedule here.
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  Speaker 5: I don't think so.
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  Speaker 6: I think I think we have to do what's necessary
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  Speaker 6: to improve the roster, and you know, whether that's free agency,
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  Speaker 6: draft trades, waiver claims, what you name it, We're going
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  Speaker 6: to be very intentional and continue to bring in the
• 3:39
  Speaker 6: right kind of people and the right kind.
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  Speaker 5: Of players to help support our team.
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  Speaker 3: You also have mentioned at the podium edge class maybe
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  Speaker 3: a potential need there where else.
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  Speaker 6: Do you kind of see you know, needs on the roster. Yeah,
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  Speaker 6: I mean I just think increasing the depth throughout. You know,
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  Speaker 6: obviously we could use more playmakers, and you know, everyone's
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  Speaker 6: pretty aware that the offensive line maybe didn't finish the
• 4:00
  Speaker 6: that we would have hoped. So, you know, again, not
• 4:02
  Speaker 6: only those but really just kind of looking looking all
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  Speaker 6: throughout the roster at areas that we can improve, and
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  Speaker 6: if there's a player that that's out there that we
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  Speaker 6: think can help us, we're gonna explore acquiring them.
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  Speaker 1: I want to fall upon something that you also said
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  Speaker 1: at the podium. Maybe this is just a me thing.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know that you bristled, but it's that whole Well,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: it's not a really good draft this year, this is
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: a down year or anything like that. Like it seems
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: like it's kind of a lazy analysis. When people say
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: that that must offend you. Maybe in some sort of way.
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  Speaker 5: It doesn't. It doesn't offend me.
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  Speaker 6: I just feel like I hear it every year, right,
• 4:30
  Speaker 6: Like so like when like this is just what it is, right,
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  Speaker 6: we have to operate, you know, with the players that
• 4:35
  Speaker 6: are available, and you know, is nil changing things as
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  Speaker 6: far as guys staying in school. Yeah, absolutely, But there's
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  Speaker 6: still there's still players. There's still seven rounds. We still
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  Speaker 6: have eleven picks, and we're gonna you know, we're going
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  Speaker 6: to try to get a good player with all those picks,
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  Speaker 6: So you know, I think it I think it would
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  Speaker 6: be making an excuse. Well, you know, if you look
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  Speaker 6: back in the draft two years from now and say, oh,
• 4:57
  Speaker 6: we didn't get any good players because the.
• 5:00
  Speaker 5: Draft was bad, I think I think that's I think
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  Speaker 5: you're lying.
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  Speaker 3: Yourself sticking with the draft that what are the differences
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  Speaker 3: between picking three picking four? Now we're picking thirty one,
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  Speaker 3: and does that kind of increase just the amount of
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  Speaker 3: players you might have to look at for that pick,
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  Speaker 3: because it's not just two or three guys that are
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: going to go ahead of you, guys.
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  Speaker 6: I mean, theoretically, yes, it would increase the amount of
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  Speaker 6: players that you would be available to be picked. But
• 5:26
  Speaker 6: you know, when you're picking at four, you're also picking
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  Speaker 6: at you know, thirty six or whatever, so you're still
• 5:31
  Speaker 6: looking at all those players anyway, So it doesn't really
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  Speaker 6: change anything from that standpoint.
• 5:34
  Speaker 5: It's just tougher to predict who's going in front of you.
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, how do you guys do is that? Do you
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: guys do run your own simulations? Like how do you
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: go about figuring out the first thirty?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 6: I would say, you know, starting really starting at the
• 5:45
  Speaker 6: Senior Bowl and the Combine is kind of the big one,
• 5:48
  Speaker 6: and then into pro days like the draft industry and
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  Speaker 6: the draft machines really moving, and you know, you can
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  Speaker 6: you can get information. There's nuggets of information out there,
• 5:56
  Speaker 6: and there's a lot of nuggets of misinformation out there too,
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  Speaker 6: but you can sort of kind of start to paint
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  Speaker 6: a picture of understanding where guys are going to go,
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  Speaker 6: and you can have a good feel for, you know,
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  Speaker 6: who potentially could be there at any pick.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: You've got a guy who is under contract. I know,
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  Speaker 1: you know, there's not players that you could talk about specifically,
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  Speaker 1: but Christian Gonzalez is under contract. There's an opportunity probably
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: to revisit and say, well, let's see if we can
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  Speaker 1: extend this. Is that a hope of the organization to
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: see if he can come to some sort of agreement
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  Speaker 1: with Christian and keep him here in New England as
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: long as possible.
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  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, obviously we love Christian and you know,
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  Speaker 6: we'll talk about those things when the time is appropriate.
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  Speaker 6: But you know, Christian took a big step forward this year,
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  Speaker 6: not that you know, like his he went from here
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  Speaker 6: to here, like he you know, he took a big
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  Speaker 6: step forward with his play style, and uh, you know,
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  Speaker 6: we're excited about having him be a part of our team,
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  Speaker 6: you know.
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  Speaker 5: For the for the long term.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned, you know, taking a big step, and you
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  Speaker 1: also said something about the draft industry and that's why
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: everybody's really here in Indianapolis. But Elliott, it's draft and
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  Speaker 1: develop isn't it? Like you had a lot of guys
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  Speaker 1: who pitched a lot of innings this year, who were rookies,
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  Speaker 1: who played a lot of snaps we did. It's important
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  Speaker 1: to see those guys make the next take the next step,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 5: Absolutely?
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  Speaker 6: I mean, you know, I feel like I feel like
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  Speaker 6: in this world of instant gratification, it's it's it's easy
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  Speaker 6: to forget that that Will Campbell's twenty two and Drake
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  Speaker 6: May's twenty three. I mean, these guys are still developing,
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  Speaker 6: even though they've had a tremendous amount of success already.
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  Speaker 6: So I think it's a credit to our coaching staff
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  Speaker 6: that we were able to play so many rookies. You know,
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  Speaker 6: those those guys kind of poured their time and effort
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  Speaker 6: into these guys and and you know, got them out
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  Speaker 6: there and they were able to be productive for.
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  Speaker 3: Us, speaking the rookies, and just with Craig Woodson as
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  Speaker 3: a guy that you know, you guys dropped him in
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  Speaker 3: the fourth round. I remember on our draft shows, people said,
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: you know, you took them too high, like it was
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  Speaker 3: a little bit of a reach. He ends up being
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  Speaker 3: this great player for you guys. How do you find
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: the Craig Woodson's Because we all know the Will Campbell's
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: and the Drake Ja's, but how do you find those guys?
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean Craig.
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  Speaker 6: Craig was an interesting one because like almost universally and
• 7:50
  Speaker 6: maybe not almost least universally an organization, like everyone really
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  Speaker 6: liked him.
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  Speaker 5: Everyone thought he was good.
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  Speaker 6: The airy Scout, the National Scout, the college director, the
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  Speaker 6: the over the top scouts, the personnel executive, the analytics
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  Speaker 6: liked them.
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  Speaker 5: Rabel liked them, the defensive coaches liked them. Like it was.
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  Speaker 6: It was an easy one and we got him later
• 8:09
  Speaker 6: than where we had him rated, and we're excited that,
• 8:12
  Speaker 6: you know, he was able to get again. You know,
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  Speaker 6: he still get a guy in the fourth round at
• 8:15
  Speaker 6: a position on the defense. That's all about communication and
• 8:19
  Speaker 6: helping people around you and getting guys lined up and
• 8:23
  Speaker 6: for a fourth round Rooie, those things can be challenging,
• 8:25
  Speaker 6: or any rookie, those things can be challenging.
• 8:26
  Speaker 5: And he was able to answer that and we.
• 8:28
  Speaker 6: Would expect him to continue to develop and get even better.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Is that kind of the perfect storm of everything going right?
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: And that's what you're that's the goal. You're all on
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: the same page. Everybody wants the guy. You can get
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: the guy and then he performs for you right out
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: of the shoot. That's what you're looking for, right.
• 8:45
  Speaker 6: That's what you're looking for. And then that probably doesn't
• 8:47
  Speaker 6: happen that often. So you know, that was a cool one.
• 8:50
  Speaker 6: And the draft, the draft in a lot of ways,
• 8:53
  Speaker 6: not only Craig but some of the other players that
• 8:55
  Speaker 6: we were able to draft. It kind of fell to
• 8:56
  Speaker 6: us in the right way, you know, as our board
• 8:59
  Speaker 6: was set up up in some of the needs that
• 9:01
  Speaker 6: we had.
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  Speaker 5: It was it.
• 9:01
  Speaker 6: You know, it fell well. And you know, there's no
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: telling when that's going to happen. It doesn't happen that
• 9:06
  Speaker 6: way every year, so you know, it was kind of
• 9:08
  Speaker 6: a perfect storm of of you know, good fortune.
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: I guess you mentioned the offensive line earlier, and I
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: know there's a lot of talk about Will and his position,
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: you know, leaving him at left tackle, it sounds like
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: what about Jared though, Like where do you guys kind
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: of see him long term? I know he played center
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: at college, Like do you kind of see him in
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: more as a center guard?
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: What do you kind of think about that?
• 9:29
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, I think he can play either position.
• 9:32
  Speaker 6: You know, he's another guy that came in young, he'd
• 9:35
  Speaker 6: never really played guard before and was thrust into that position.
• 9:38
  Speaker 6: Was one of our best five and you know, played
• 9:41
  Speaker 6: very well for the for the majority of the season.
• 9:44
  Speaker 6: But you know, he's also really smart, so he can
• 9:46
  Speaker 6: handle the calls and the checks at center. So you know,
• 9:49
  Speaker 6: I think I think that kind of remains to be
• 9:50
  Speaker 6: seen as we continue to build this thing out.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: The other thing that you mentioned, and then we'll wrap
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: it up here for you With Gonzo, you mentioned his
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: play demeanor and I know effort and finish is a
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: not negotiable sure, coach, but how do you kind of
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: you know, get that out of players, because I think
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: that that was something that we all see that he's
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: capable of. And then Coach Rabel mentioned, you know, but
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: maybe Baltimore game somewhere around there, that flip switch. When
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: did you kind of see that play demeanor change from him?
• 10:19
  Speaker 6: So I want to be clear, like I've always been
• 10:22
  Speaker 6: very positive on Christian's play demeanor.
• 10:24
  Speaker 5: I just thought he took it to a different level.
• 10:26
  Speaker 5: You know. I don't know if it was Baltimore.
• 10:28
  Speaker 6: I think it was maybe before that, but you know,
• 10:31
  Speaker 6: he started to understand different ways that look, if they're
• 10:35
  Speaker 6: not going to throw at him, Like, he started to
• 10:36
  Speaker 6: understand that he can impact the game in other ways.
• 10:39
  Speaker 6: And I think you saw that, you know with some
• 10:41
  Speaker 6: of the force fumbles and the tackling on the edge,
• 10:43
  Speaker 6: and you know, even just chasing plays down from the backside.
• 10:46
  Speaker 6: So you know, he's he's really gifted, and I think
• 10:49
  Speaker 6: because of those gifts, sometimes he's held to a higher standard.
• 10:52
  Speaker 6: Maybe that's the right thing to do, but he was
• 10:54
  Speaker 6: able to really improve throughout the course of the season.
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, he's definitely one of those guys where he's so
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: talented that sometimes it doesn't look like he's trying, but
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: you just know that he's just like gliding out there.
• 11:05
  Speaker 5: Yeah, he's I go back to the first practice of
• 11:08
  Speaker 5: it wasn't Rooky.
• 11:09
  Speaker 6: It was Veteran mini camp when the vets had come
• 11:11
  Speaker 6: in and they were just doing individual drills with the
• 11:13
  Speaker 6: defensive backs, and you know, he's this first rounder that
• 11:16
  Speaker 6: everyone knows is talented. But when he would when it
• 11:19
  Speaker 6: was his turn, even like Jonathan Jones and the other
• 11:22
  Speaker 6: vets were watching them, you know, they you know, because
• 11:27
  Speaker 6: he moves so impressively for a guy that's you know,
• 11:29
  Speaker 6: six one and a half two hundred ten pounds, like
• 11:31
  Speaker 6: it's incredibly impressive to watch him move.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: I remember his combine workout here and we play that
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: clip around this time every year and it goes viral
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: because his workout here was the same thing.
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: I mean, it was just unbelievable.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Ellie, thank you very much for your time.
• 11:45
  Speaker 5: Appreciate it. I appreciate it.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: I thought there was a couple of really interesting nuggets
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: in there with Elliott. I thought the Woodchen story that
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: he told about and how the perfect storm met with
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: everybody in the organization from a personnel standpoint, that it
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: just sort of clicked. I found that really fascinating.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and then you know, like I said to him
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: in the interview, I remember doing our draft show in
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: the moment and Frankly, Craig Woodson was rated a lot
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: lower than where they picked him in the fourth round,
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: and it just looks like it was a great scout
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: by the Patriots because he was one of their best
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: players in the playoff run certainly, and got better and
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: better as the season wore on. And like I said
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: to Elliott during the interview, it's one thing to be
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: able to identify Will Campbell and Drake May and Christian
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: Gonzales in the first round, but the really good scouting
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: departments are fine in Craig Woodson's right, like those are
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: the guys that are the diamonds in the rough. The
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: Patriots hit on one of those players last year with him.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: A couple of the other things that I thought stood
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: out just from all the different media availability that he
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: did not just with us. I think the conversation of
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: like where are the Patriots in their build is important because,
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: let's face it, they were a little ahead of schedule
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: last year being in the Super Bowl as quickly as
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: they were in three hundred and seven days into Mike
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Rabele's regime, like he likes to say, and Elliott Wolf
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: said that the really the only thing that changes from
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: his perspective is that they are now a destination for
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: free agents and free agents that want to play in
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: a winning culture, that want to play for Mike Rabel,
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: that want to play with Drake May that might allow
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: them to do a little bit more than what they've
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: been able to do. But it did kind of seem
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: like he was acknowledging that they're still in a build phase,
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: like this is not a done, finished product just yet.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: No question about it. I thought that was clear what
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: he said. What also struck me about that those things
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: that he said, he said it with an air of
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: confidence about him. Yeah, that wasn't a cockiness about him.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: But yep, this is what we're doing, this is where
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: our program is. We still have needs, this is going
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: to be a place to attract free agents, and here's
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: what we're going to do. And I thought the way
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: he said it really struck me.
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: And then the couple of positions that he pointed to
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: in terms of needs and where they would like to hit.
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: Ed Rusher came right out immediately at the podium earlier
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: today and he mentioned ed Rusher and then I was
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: able to ask him, like, what kinds of edge rushers
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: are you going to be looking for? And the very
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: first thing that he said to was pass rush ability,
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: and it just kind of juxtapositions. You know, everybody has
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: a different flavor of types of players that they want.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: He didn't say much about run defense, right, it seems
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: like they want their edge rushers to get up the field,
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: to get off the ball, to be speed rushers off
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: the edge, have arsenals and pass rush moves like we
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: saw with Harold Landry, like we saw with Kaylevon, Chase On,
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: like those are their guys. You know, I don't think
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: that we're going to get necessarily the sturdy, set the edge,
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: stop the run type of guy. I think they really
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: do want more of that finesse pass rush type of player.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: He mentioned playmakers.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: He kind of put that into one bucket between wide
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: receiver and tight end. Offensive line was the other one.
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: And you know those three, I think we're all kind
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: of assuming that those will be the ones that they'll hit.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: So a really interesting Patriot Center conversation with Elliott wolf
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: Furlier today. Now, if you want to get into the prospects,
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: and it's somebody who really knows ball besides Evan, Evan
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: had a very interesting conversation with the athletics Dane Brugler.
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: Here it is.
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: We are joined now by Dane Brugler from the Athletic.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: He doesn't need an introduction, though, the Beast himself. Dane,
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: it's your time to shine, buddy. This is your time
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: of year. How is everything going with the draft prep,
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: the Beasts, all of that.
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: This must be your favorite time of year.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: It really is, especially the combine.
• 15:19
  Speaker 7: It feels like because the season, the Super Bowl.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: I mean, I know you guys are busy last month
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: or so.
• 15:27
  Speaker 7: Yeah, but finally everybody has turned the page and we're
• 15:30
  Speaker 7: all focused on the draft now. So I've been wanting
• 15:33
  Speaker 7: to talk draft with people in October, and you know
• 15:35
  Speaker 7: some people will, but now it's like everybody wants to
• 15:38
  Speaker 7: kind of turn the page of the draft and that
• 15:40
  Speaker 7: makes a lot of fun.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: So we were talking draft in October in New England
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: the last two years. We are not doing that this year.
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: And everybody keeps asking me, what do you want to
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: ask Dane? And I said, for help, because we are
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: five weeks behind everybody else. So just tell our listeners,
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: our viewers, just what are some of your high level
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: thoughts on this draft class. You know, positions that are strains,
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: you know things of that nature.
• 16:05
  Speaker 7: I think it matches up fairly well with where we
• 16:07
  Speaker 7: think the Patriots could be looking. Ed rusher wide receiver,
• 16:12
  Speaker 7: two strongest positions.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: In this draft.
• 16:14
  Speaker 7: In my top one hundred, I had seventeen receivers, sixteen
• 16:17
  Speaker 7: EDG rushers, and they're all a little bit different with
• 16:20
  Speaker 7: what they offer. And so I think, especially for this team,
• 16:23
  Speaker 7: it could be interesting that type of EDG rusher they
• 16:25
  Speaker 7: want to attack. You know, we think of Mike Vrabel
• 16:29
  Speaker 7: and I think it'd be fair to assume like he
• 16:31
  Speaker 7: wants that big edge setter and somebody that can's going
• 16:34
  Speaker 7: to hold up versus the run and the toughness and
• 16:36
  Speaker 7: all of that. But also I think he appreciates if
• 16:40
  Speaker 7: you can bring the juice off the edge. He'll compromise
• 16:42
  Speaker 7: a little bit with what you bring in the run
• 16:44
  Speaker 7: game if you have that speed and you can get
• 16:46
  Speaker 7: to the quarterback. So I think that this draft has
• 16:49
  Speaker 7: a little bit of both. And so I don't think
• 16:51
  Speaker 7: that we can zero in exactly on maybe the edge
• 16:54
  Speaker 7: rusher that the Patriots could be targeting at thirty one
• 16:57
  Speaker 7: or late second, but I think it gives them options.
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I want to come back to d Dresser, but
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: you mentioned thirty one. Let's just start there. You know
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: who or what you know? Do you kind of see
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: in the range there?
• 17:07
  Speaker 7: I know what a difference last four And I'm telling you, man,
• 17:11
  Speaker 7: like we had three guys to go to to go
• 17:13
  Speaker 7: in front of the Patriots.
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: Last year, two guys the year before.
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: I knew and not that I knew any inside information,
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: but I knew they were taking Drake man Will Campbell
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: for probably six months. Like this is a completely different
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: animal this time.
• 17:26
  Speaker 7: And that's the thing is we don't know how those
• 17:28
  Speaker 7: first thirty picks are going to play out, and so
• 17:30
  Speaker 7: you know you can set your board, but you know
• 17:33
  Speaker 7: you're gonna be sitting on pins and needles waiting.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: To see who's going to fall to you.
• 17:36
  Speaker 7: And it's just it makes it tough for to project,
• 17:40
  Speaker 7: doing a mock draft and thinking about, you know how
• 17:43
  Speaker 7: you're going to plan out. Okay, we want to do
• 17:44
  Speaker 7: this in the first round and then hopefully in the
• 17:46
  Speaker 7: second round will come back and do this, And it's
• 17:47
  Speaker 7: just a lot more waiting around and being patient to
• 17:50
  Speaker 7: let the board fall to you. I don't think they're
• 17:53
  Speaker 7: going to be moving around all that much. You want
• 17:54
  Speaker 7: to keep those picks, but it does make it a
• 17:57
  Speaker 7: little more interesting this year.
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: All right, let's go back to the dresser, because trying
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: to figure out who they're gonna take it thirty one
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: is a little bit of a needle in a haystack
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: that I'm not used to, to be honest with you,
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: ed Rushers. You know, we just talked to Elliot Wolf,
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: the Patriots personnel chief, and he mentioned what you were
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: kind of saying. Past rush ability is really what they
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: look for first, you know, first step explosiveness, pass rush ability,
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: multiple moves in their arsenal. You know, when you hear
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: that description, you know, who are some guys that come
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: to mind?
• 18:26
  Speaker 7: Yeah, I think that with where they're gonna be picking
• 18:29
  Speaker 7: late first round. You know, you think about an R.
• 18:32
  Speaker 7: Mason Thomas from Oklahoma. It's a little bit undersized, but
• 18:36
  Speaker 7: you want that juice. Will Campbell's knows who R. Mason
• 18:39
  Speaker 7: Thomas is. Will Campbell gave up two sacks in his
• 18:41
  Speaker 7: career at LSU, his entire career. One of those was
• 18:44
  Speaker 7: our Mason Thomas, And I think that, yeah, you're sacrificing
• 18:49
  Speaker 7: a little bit of the size and the ability to
• 18:50
  Speaker 7: set an edge. But if he's going to bring you
• 18:53
  Speaker 7: that edge juice and going to threaten the quarterback and
• 18:55
  Speaker 7: put pressure on what they're doing.
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: That's that's the value.
• 18:59
  Speaker 7: And so but again that's why you know, picking late
• 19:02
  Speaker 7: first round, you have to compromise in some areas. You know,
• 19:05
  Speaker 7: there's a reason these guys are still going to be
• 19:07
  Speaker 7: on the board at that point in the draft. So
• 19:09
  Speaker 7: you have to compromise in some way. And the Patriots
• 19:11
  Speaker 7: need to decide, Okay, where are we willing to compromise?
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: Is it speed? Is it size?
• 19:16
  Speaker 7: If they want someone with more size than maybe a
• 19:18
  Speaker 7: Zion Young from Missouri who big, physical, has length, he'll
• 19:22
  Speaker 7: go through you, He'll set a firm edge, he can
• 19:26
  Speaker 7: rake out the ball, create turnovers.
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: So TJ.
• 19:29
  Speaker 7: Parker from Clempson will always also fall in that group.
• 19:32
  Speaker 7: So I think it just depends on the type of
• 19:33
  Speaker 7: edge rusher they want to target and who they think
• 19:36
  Speaker 7: can best impact because part of it will depend on
• 19:39
  Speaker 7: what they do this offseason. You know, Calavian Chase on
• 19:42
  Speaker 7: is he still on this team? What do they look
• 19:45
  Speaker 7: to address in free agency? So that will depend on
• 19:48
  Speaker 7: the direction or the type of pass rusher maybe they
• 19:51
  Speaker 7: target here in the draft.
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: Yeah, those are two good ones.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: Our Mason Thomas is someone that jumped off to me
• 19:55
  Speaker 3: this in my initial study of the Edges because of
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: that first step, you know, and you look at guys
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: like Chase On, guys like Harold Blandery. It's kind of
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: in that similar mold you mentioned Young. He's been mocked
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: to the Patriots. I've seen a decent amount. What have
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: you heard about some of the off field stuff with
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: him though, because doesn't he have a little bit of
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: a pass and I'm sure will be in the.
• 20:15
  Speaker 7: Beast right and he was so he was at Michigan
• 20:19
  Speaker 7: State before and you know that he was part of
• 20:21
  Speaker 7: that incident you know, in the in the in the
• 20:24
  Speaker 7: tunnel with Michigan way back when. But you know, I
• 20:27
  Speaker 7: don't I don't think that you talk to the Missouri coaches,
• 20:31
  Speaker 7: you talk to scouts, I don't think that they are
• 20:34
  Speaker 7: you know, this is a red flag player. This is
• 20:36
  Speaker 7: someone that we need to really do our extra homework on.
• 20:39
  Speaker 7: They'll do the due diligence and make sure they're comfortable
• 20:41
  Speaker 7: with the person. But I don't think it's a huge
• 20:44
  Speaker 7: worry with you know, his background and someone that you know,
• 20:48
  Speaker 7: you feel like you're bringing in a questionable player into
• 20:51
  Speaker 7: your locker room, your community. I don't think it's that
• 20:54
  Speaker 7: type of situation with Ion Young.
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: Okay, good to hear, and I go to wide receiver next.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: There's player particularly I want to ask you about. But
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: just what did you think about this class as a whole.
• 21:05
  Speaker 7: It's a good group and it kind of like edge rusher,
• 21:08
  Speaker 7: you know, ice cream flavors, right, and they're all good,
• 21:10
  Speaker 7: but you know, do you like vanilla? Do you like chocolate?
• 21:13
  Speaker 7: You know, just depends what you're looking for it at
• 21:15
  Speaker 7: that time. And the Patriots are interesting because are they
• 21:20
  Speaker 7: gonna want the true X on the outside? Are they
• 21:22
  Speaker 7: gonna want maybe someone's more versatile and can play the slot,
• 21:25
  Speaker 7: can also play the Z. I think that there's different
• 21:28
  Speaker 7: ways they could attack it, which could depend you know,
• 21:32
  Speaker 7: does that mean that they want to go with the
• 21:35
  Speaker 7: Denzel Boston from Washington? Does that mean they want to
• 21:37
  Speaker 7: go Casey Conception on Omar Cooper from Indiana? And if
• 21:41
  Speaker 7: they wait till the second third round, there's other options,
• 21:44
  Speaker 7: smaller guys like Brandon Thompson from Missouri or Missippi State,
• 21:47
  Speaker 7: who might pick for the fastest forty this week. A
• 21:51
  Speaker 7: big fan of Ted Hirst, from Georgia State, who big
• 21:54
  Speaker 7: can win down the field. He has more catches at
• 21:56
  Speaker 7: twenty plus yards the last two years than anybody else
• 21:58
  Speaker 7: in college football. So I think that Lake edge rusher.
• 22:02
  Speaker 7: It's like, Okay, this is the.
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: How our offense is looking.
• 22:06
  Speaker 7: Do we want to drop in a run after catch slot?
• 22:09
  Speaker 7: Do we want to you know? I mean you feel
• 22:11
  Speaker 7: you already have that with Douglas? Do you want to
• 22:13
  Speaker 7: get a true X on the outside? Does I feel
• 22:15
  Speaker 7: like that's our biggest need? So I think it's it's
• 22:17
  Speaker 7: interesting that different ways they could attack it.
• 22:19
  Speaker 4: Yeah, one hundred percent.
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: And I you know, obviously a lot also probably rides
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: on what they end up doing with the fun Diggs
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: and is he part of their long term plans. But
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: we've always seen that sort of Z slot role in
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: the Josh McDaniels offense thrive and Diggs was kind of
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: in that role last year and had another thousand yard season.
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: But then you look at Drake May and he's the
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: type of guy that wants to throw the ball down
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: the field, especially on the outside the number, you know,
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: And the one guy that I just really got infatuated
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: with really quickly was Chris Brasel from Tennessee. Sure, and
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: it just seems to me like there's just not that
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: many guys on the planet that are six foot five
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: that run that well. And what really sold me on
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: him is how he catches the football at the catch
• 22:57
  Speaker 3: point too. It's not just you know, hansketchot great speed,
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: he's also got that contested catchability. Talk to me a
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: little bit about him and he transferred correct. So yeah,
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: he played a little bit more diverse offense maybe at two,
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: because that Tennessee offense always freaks me out a little bit.
• 23:11
  Speaker 7: The track record of Tennessee receivers so in that offense
• 23:14
  Speaker 7: isn't isn't great And yeah, part of it is just
• 23:17
  Speaker 7: the route tree that has to run and how much
• 23:19
  Speaker 7: of a transition it is to an NFL offense.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I.
• 23:23
  Speaker 7: Mean it's easy to see why teams are going to
• 23:25
  Speaker 7: be interested in Brazle because of how explosive he is
• 23:29
  Speaker 7: in a straight line. But also he can snap off routes,
• 23:32
  Speaker 7: he can create his own separation and then he will
• 23:36
  Speaker 7: track the ball really well, bring it into his away
• 23:39
  Speaker 7: from his body. And you mentioned the catch radius like
• 23:41
  Speaker 7: it's there. So he is tall, very lean, so maybe
• 23:45
  Speaker 7: you worry about the play strength concerns at times, just
• 23:48
  Speaker 7: expanding his route tree anyone coming from that offense, you
• 23:51
  Speaker 7: know you're gonna worry about that to some degree.
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: But he's a good player.
• 23:54
  Speaker 7: He is a good player, and I think once you
• 23:56
  Speaker 7: get to day two, he's immediately in that mix and
• 24:00
  Speaker 7: that conversation of Okay, this is one of the guys
• 24:03
  Speaker 7: on our short list of a direction, we could go.
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: All right, two more positions and I'll let you go.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: The other one that I think the a lot of
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: Patriots fans are looking at is tight end because Antre
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: Henry's thirty one, thirty two years old.
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: Austin Hooper is a free agent, sort of that next wave.
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: All the things that I've seen on the tight ends
• 24:19
  Speaker 3: is that it's Sadik at the top, and then it's
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: like a big gap and then there's a cluster there
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: like in the middle rounds. Is that how you see
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: it as well? And who are some of the guys
• 24:27
  Speaker 3: that stand out?
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's how I see it.
• 24:29
  Speaker 7: Sadik should be a first round pick, and then I
• 24:31
  Speaker 7: think Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt, Max Claire Ohio State, those
• 24:35
  Speaker 7: guys are second round guys.
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: But I think the.
• 24:39
  Speaker 7: Meat of this draft, why it is so deep. We're
• 24:42
  Speaker 7: talking fourth round, fifth round, those guys. It's a deep
• 24:45
  Speaker 7: group of tight ends. They're twenty seven tight ends invited
• 24:47
  Speaker 7: the Combine this year. The average is like nineteen. So
• 24:51
  Speaker 7: and let's remember the NFL teams are the guy that's
• 24:54
  Speaker 7: who votes, who gets to the combine, who gets an invite.
• 24:57
  Speaker 7: So obviously part of it is just this last and
• 25:00
  Speaker 7: how deep it is. Part of it is teams are
• 25:02
  Speaker 7: really interested in the tight end position as a whole,
• 25:05
  Speaker 7: and so there's a lot of guys they want to see.
• 25:08
  Speaker 7: Will kac Merrick from Ohio State is on that short
• 25:10
  Speaker 7: list of guys that if if I'm going to wait till,
• 25:12
  Speaker 7: say the fourth round and target somebody, that's somebody that
• 25:15
  Speaker 7: I'd be looking at. And you think about a guy
• 25:18
  Speaker 7: that when he's targeted, he'll he'll make plays. He didn't
• 25:20
  Speaker 7: have a single drop in two years at Ohio State,
• 25:22
  Speaker 7: but his value as a blocker, he will try to
• 25:25
  Speaker 7: run through guys, bury them into the ground. He holds
• 25:27
  Speaker 7: up in pass protection. So Chatsmeeric, makes sense. I like
• 25:32
  Speaker 7: Nate Boorkicker from Texas A and M he'd be in there.
• 25:35
  Speaker 7: So it's a there are four or five tight ends
• 25:37
  Speaker 7: I'd be circling if I get to day three, hadn't
• 25:40
  Speaker 7: drafted the position yet, but feel like there's somebody that, Okay,
• 25:44
  Speaker 7: I want to make sure I come away with day
• 25:46
  Speaker 7: from day three with one of these guys.
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Absolutely.
• 25:48
  Speaker 3: You mentioned the blocking ability, and I think that's one
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: area where the Patriots tight ends are maybe a little
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: deficient in. You know, Hunter Henry had a great year
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: top ten and pretty much all receiving categories among tight ends.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: How rare is it though, now to have that well
• 26:02
  Speaker 3: rounded guy, because it doesn't feel like every time I
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: look at a guy, it's like, well, he's a great receiver,
• 26:07
  Speaker 3: but he's not a great blocker. But this guy's a
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: blocking specialist, but he doesn't catch the ball, and it's
• 26:11
  Speaker 3: kind of hard to get the full package.
• 26:13
  Speaker 7: The NFL is all about mismatches, right if we're just
• 26:15
  Speaker 7: gonna boil it down in the most simplistic terms, it's
• 26:18
  Speaker 7: about finding those mismatches, exploiting them, or huffire on defense,
• 26:22
  Speaker 7: making sure. You know, we talk so much about Nick
• 26:24
  Speaker 7: im and worry and what he meant for Seattle this year.
• 26:27
  Speaker 7: He was mismatch proof because on the field, he can cover,
• 26:31
  Speaker 7: he can play the run, he could be a linebacker,
• 26:33
  Speaker 7: vie too whatever. On offense, you're looking for those advantages.
• 26:38
  Speaker 7: How can you get a mismatch? And so in certain
• 26:40
  Speaker 7: personnel packages, team it's an immediate trigger for teams like, okay,
• 26:44
  Speaker 7: well they're in thirteen personnel. Okay, that means it's a
• 26:46
  Speaker 7: run it means it's this. But if you have more
• 26:49
  Speaker 7: of a versatile tight end group, tight end room, you
• 26:52
  Speaker 7: can do different things where okay, twelve personnel thirteen personnel
• 26:55
  Speaker 7: you are. It's not necessarily a run player, You're not
• 26:58
  Speaker 7: necessarily running a certain asking concept. You are doing different things.
• 27:02
  Speaker 7: And so I do think you think about Jackson Hawes
• 27:04
  Speaker 7: and what he meant for Buffalo last year. There are
• 27:07
  Speaker 7: those types of tight ends in this year's class. We're
• 27:09
  Speaker 7: a fourth round, fifth round. Like I mentioned, Will kek
• 27:12
  Speaker 7: Merrick board Kicker. Those are the guys that are going
• 27:15
  Speaker 7: to give you really good blocking, but they also can
• 27:18
  Speaker 7: help you out in the passing game as well.
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: Awesome in the last position. Obviously, the offensive line and
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: the Patriots have all been consistent, whether it's Coach Rabel
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: or Elliot Wolf. Will Campbell's staying at left tackle and
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: they're not going to move him. But I look at
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: left guard because Jared Wilson probably more natural center, you know,
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: moving him back to center long term. There are a
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: couple guys in that first round range, you know, the
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: kid from Oregon for example, that you know are peer
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: left guard prospects. You know, what do you see in
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: this guard class here in the draft.
• 27:50
  Speaker 7: It's it's not a bad group at all. I think,
• 27:52
  Speaker 7: you know we're going to see Vega Yuana from Penn
• 27:54
  Speaker 7: Stego early. He'll be off that board one of the
• 27:57
  Speaker 7: best players in the draft, hands down, you know. I
• 27:59
  Speaker 7: think you know he's gonna be someone top fifteen, no
• 28:03
  Speaker 7: questions asked.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: Guards aren't sexy to draft early, but everyone.
• 28:07
  Speaker 7: Needs him and I think he's the bestest draft has
• 28:10
  Speaker 7: to offer. Chase besonsis from Texas A and M. I
• 28:13
  Speaker 7: think he's the second best guard young player. But man,
• 28:16
  Speaker 7: you're excited about who he is now, but also where
• 28:19
  Speaker 7: he's headed. I think Billy Shroud from Notre Dame. I
• 28:22
  Speaker 7: really like him, and I think in the third round
• 28:25
  Speaker 7: that'd be someone that I would I would love to
• 28:27
  Speaker 7: target if I'm looking for someone I can plug in
• 28:30
  Speaker 7: at the guard position, and he's gonna, I feel like,
• 28:33
  Speaker 7: compete right away for a starting job.
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: Now.
• 28:36
  Speaker 7: He's missed at at least four games each of the
• 28:38
  Speaker 7: last two years with injury. That's why you're getting a
• 28:41
  Speaker 7: little bit of a discount on him. But he's gonna
• 28:43
  Speaker 7: start games in his future. He has that type of ability.
• 28:46
  Speaker 7: So there are some players Manuel Pregnant from Oregon you mentioned,
• 28:50
  Speaker 7: so I think day two if you're looking to come
• 28:53
  Speaker 7: away with a guard which I like that idea. I
• 28:55
  Speaker 7: like the idea of moving you know, Wilson inside. I
• 28:57
  Speaker 7: think that's what is best for him and best for
• 29:00
  Speaker 7: just getting the best five out there. I do think
• 29:02
  Speaker 7: that that is a sound strategy to come away maybe
• 29:05
  Speaker 7: third round with a Billy shroud and feel like, Okay,
• 29:08
  Speaker 7: our offensive line is immediately stronger with this addition.
• 29:11
  Speaker 3: In terms of tackles, the one spot to just Morgan
• 29:15
  Speaker 3: Moses thirty five years old on the right side. You know,
• 29:18
  Speaker 3: there are some guys in that late first round range.
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: I don't know if they would you want a red
• 29:22
  Speaker 3: shirt a guy this early on and in their build,
• 29:24
  Speaker 3: you know, with Vrabel, But how's the depth of the
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: tackle class. Let's say they wanted to get a developmental guy,
• 29:30
  Speaker 3: you know, somewhere on late day two, early day three.
• 29:34
  Speaker 7: You know, I think that's it's possible. I think it's
• 29:38
  Speaker 7: threading the needle a little bit, just because there's it's
• 29:40
  Speaker 7: not a super deep group, and all thirty two teams
• 29:45
  Speaker 7: are looking for that, right I all thirty two teams
• 29:47
  Speaker 7: are looking for offensive line help in some form or fashion.
• 29:51
  Speaker 7: I you know, if they do look at the position
• 29:53
  Speaker 7: lay first round, Blake Miller is really interesting at that point,
• 29:56
  Speaker 7: and you think of a vrabel guy. I think of
• 29:58
  Speaker 7: Blake Miller. I mean I think of he literally missed
• 30:01
  Speaker 7: one practice in four years at Clemson, Like he just
• 30:03
  Speaker 7: does not miss it.
• 30:04
  Speaker 4: I saw that note and I was like, ah, I
• 30:05
  Speaker 4: got it right. This guy's named it.
• 30:06
  Speaker 7: And then yeah, there's a lot that I think translates
• 30:09
  Speaker 7: to what this team wants to be. So if you
• 30:12
  Speaker 7: have Will Campbell on the left side, Miller on the
• 30:14
  Speaker 7: right side, and that's kind of your bookends for the
• 30:16
  Speaker 7: next ten years, I think you're feeling pretty good about that,
• 30:18
  Speaker 7: even if it's not the most immediate need right now.
• 30:22
  Speaker 7: This is a team that they're looking at, Yes, twenty
• 30:24
  Speaker 7: twenty six, they're looking at twenty twenty seven roster. They're
• 30:26
  Speaker 7: looking twenty twenty eight roster. They're going to do what's
• 30:28
  Speaker 7: best for this team long term.
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: Well that's why we had him on because I was
• 30:32
  Speaker 3: just taking mental notes of all the names he just mentioned.
• 30:35
  Speaker 4: You got a target date for the Beast, yet when's
• 30:37
  Speaker 4: it coming?
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: Early April is always the goal.
• 30:38
  Speaker 7: You know, we got a lot to do this week,
• 30:40
  Speaker 7: and then yeah, hide back and going back in my
• 30:42
  Speaker 7: hole in the month of March to get it done,
• 30:43
  Speaker 7: and then hopefully early March or early April it's ready
• 30:47
  Speaker 7: and people can dive in and have it by their
• 30:50
  Speaker 7: side every step of the way.
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: Well, there's nobody better than Dame Brugler on the draft.
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: The Beast is a invaluable tool that I always look
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: at right before the draft as well, and add all
• 30:59
  Speaker 3: your little note data bursts, and you know all the
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: things that the coaches and scouts are saying about these guys.
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: So give Dan to follow. Make sure you subscribe to
• 31:07
  Speaker 3: the Athletic and read his stuff. He's the best. Dane
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: becoming a yearly tradition.
• 31:11
  Speaker 4: I love it. Thanks for joining us.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: Okay, wait, thanks, really good analysis there by Dane Brugler
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: about the draft, and here's another guy who really knows.
• 31:18
  Speaker 4: A draft well.
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: Another conversation Evan had with ESPNS Jordan Reid.
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: All right, we're joined now by Jordan Reid from ESPN.
• 31:26
  Speaker 3: A yearly tradition of you coming down to the table,
• 31:29
  Speaker 3: which I really appreciate. Jordan, one of the best draft
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: analysts in the business.
• 31:34
  Speaker 4: How you doing. That's good to be Yeah, I'm good.
• 31:36
  Speaker 8: I'm just hoping you guys have caught your breath after
• 31:38
  Speaker 8: a long season.
• 31:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I know.
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: I feel like we're you know, the chests out a
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: little bit right, Like we didn't finish the job, but
• 31:45
  Speaker 3: we were pretty close.
• 31:46
  Speaker 4: So it's very exciting.
• 31:48
  Speaker 3: But now that we turn the page to the draft,
• 31:51
  Speaker 3: very very different draft scenario for the Patriots, what do
• 31:55
  Speaker 3: you kind of see as some of the players that
• 31:58
  Speaker 3: they could possibly target. It's a very wide cast a
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: net at thirty one. It's gonna be a bunch of
• 32:03
  Speaker 3: different kind of permutations here. But what do you kind
• 32:07
  Speaker 3: of see as sort of the strength of the draft
• 32:08
  Speaker 3: that might make.
• 32:09
  Speaker 4: It all the way to thirty one.
• 32:10
  Speaker 8: I think there's a lot of depth in this year's
• 32:12
  Speaker 8: defensive class. Honestly, I look at positions like defensive end.
• 32:15
  Speaker 8: I think there's a lot of depth, which I think
• 32:17
  Speaker 8: is the area that the Patriots need a lot of
• 32:18
  Speaker 8: help at dB. I think this is an exceptional corner
• 32:22
  Speaker 8: class and then also safety, but also a linebacker as well,
• 32:25
  Speaker 8: so any defensive position. Honestly, I think there's a lot
• 32:28
  Speaker 8: of depth.
• 32:28
  Speaker 4: To be at. Yeah.
• 32:29
  Speaker 3: I want to stick on the defensive side of the
• 32:31
  Speaker 3: ball because offensive line wide receiver that's going to dominate
• 32:35
  Speaker 3: the headlines for Patriots fans and media. But when we
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: talked to Elliott Wolf earlier today, it was very clear
• 32:41
  Speaker 3: that there were some defensive needs on that side of
• 32:43
  Speaker 3: the ball that he has on his mind as well.
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: Let's start with the safeties because there's two guys, McNeil
• 32:49
  Speaker 3: Warren from Toledo, right and Dylan Dyneman from Oregon. And
• 32:53
  Speaker 3: I liked both those guys tapes a lot, but they're
• 32:56
  Speaker 3: very different types of safeties. What do you see out
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: of those two players and what makes them so different?
• 33:02
  Speaker 8: I guess I'll start with the enemy. He's somebody that's
• 33:05
  Speaker 8: coming over from Purdue. When he was at Purdue, he
• 33:07
  Speaker 8: strictly played at free safety. Like you're seeing him fifteen
• 33:10
  Speaker 8: to twenty yards away from the ball, and he is
• 33:12
  Speaker 8: what I like to call him a staky racer. On
• 33:14
  Speaker 8: the back end, he was just playing sideline to sideline,
• 33:16
  Speaker 8: really trying to keep everything in front of him. But
• 33:18
  Speaker 8: also when those dbs got beaten on the back end,
• 33:21
  Speaker 8: he was just he racing everything. Had six interceptions his
• 33:23
  Speaker 8: final year there at Purdue, and then he transitions to
• 33:26
  Speaker 8: Oregon and they changed his role quite a bit. He's
• 33:29
  Speaker 8: playing all over the place. You're seeing playing nickel, he's
• 33:31
  Speaker 8: playing strong safety, he's playing that middle hole, middle rap player,
• 33:34
  Speaker 8: but also some free safety as well. And you know,
• 33:37
  Speaker 8: the area that he cleaned up the most was his tackling.
• 33:39
  Speaker 8: I thought he really struggled tackling his final season at Purdue,
• 33:43
  Speaker 8: and it mainly was because he was coming from so
• 33:46
  Speaker 8: high from the roof that you know, he would miss
• 33:49
  Speaker 8: time a lot of things, had some bad angles and
• 33:51
  Speaker 8: took some bad pursuit areas as well. So he really
• 33:54
  Speaker 8: cleaned that up. With McNeil Warren, they utilized him quite
• 33:57
  Speaker 8: a bit more so at that strong safety spots. Have
• 34:00
  Speaker 8: some shades of playing at free safety as well, But
• 34:02
  Speaker 8: I think he can be interchangeable. But his hit and
• 34:05
  Speaker 8: power man he comes down and he'll thump you. I
• 34:07
  Speaker 8: think that's the area where he's a little bit more
• 34:09
  Speaker 8: polished than the Enemen. But with him, I think he's
• 34:12
  Speaker 8: going to be a huge tester as well. And I
• 34:13
  Speaker 8: don't even know if he's going to be on the
• 34:15
  Speaker 8: board for the Patriots, but very different stylistically, but definitely
• 34:18
  Speaker 8: first round worthy players.
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: So with McNeil warr, I've heard some nick Ammon Moorrey
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: type Compson does.
• 34:25
  Speaker 4: Do you see them as similar players?
• 34:26
  Speaker 3: We always obviously just learned a lot unfortunately about Nick
• 34:29
  Speaker 3: Avion Warrey in the Super Bowl. So familiar player and
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: it's a type of safety that I'm not sure the
• 34:35
  Speaker 3: Patriots system currently is going to prioritize. But it's also
• 34:39
  Speaker 3: something that they don't really have, Like they kind of
• 34:41
  Speaker 3: have the Craig Woodson's of the world that can play deep,
• 34:44
  Speaker 3: but they don't necessarily have that like Big Nickel does that.
• 34:47
  Speaker 4: How you see him kind of projecting to the pros.
• 34:50
  Speaker 8: I think primarily that's where he has to play, but
• 34:52
  Speaker 8: I don't think you have to limit him to be
• 34:54
  Speaker 8: in that. So let's say seventy five thirty five as
• 34:56
  Speaker 8: far as the splits, just because he does have some
• 34:58
  Speaker 8: really good plays of playing split safety, but also being
• 35:02
  Speaker 8: that single guy high on the roof as well. So
• 35:03
  Speaker 8: I think he's more so interchangeable. But I think you're
• 35:05
  Speaker 8: spot on as far as where you primarily want him
• 35:08
  Speaker 8: to play, which is that big nickel role, that stiffer
• 35:10
  Speaker 8: is what I like to call it, where he can
• 35:12
  Speaker 8: make those plays around the line of scrimmers. But I
• 35:14
  Speaker 8: feel really good about him matching up with those tighty
• 35:16
  Speaker 8: hands in the slot, especially when teams go to those
• 35:19
  Speaker 8: twelve thirteen personnel, which is where you have to have
• 35:22
  Speaker 8: those bigger guys that not only can be consistent as
• 35:24
  Speaker 8: far as in pass covers, but also they have to
• 35:27
  Speaker 8: bring some physicality to the table against the run as well.
• 35:30
  Speaker 3: So going to linebacker, that's another need that Elliot Wolf
• 35:33
  Speaker 3: kind of echoed today. You know, Robert Splain, Christian ellis
• 35:37
  Speaker 3: good players, and the Patriots are going to have back,
• 35:39
  Speaker 3: but getting younger, getting some depth there. Who do you
• 35:42
  Speaker 3: like in that like day two range at linebacker, maybe
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: early day three that's not at thirty one necessarily, but
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: a little bit deeper.
• 35:49
  Speaker 8: I have a huge cluster of those guys right now. Yeah,
• 35:51
  Speaker 8: I mean you talk about Anthony Hill, junior at Texas.
• 35:54
  Speaker 8: He's that big, athletic spark blook that is a little
• 35:57
  Speaker 8: bit more comfortable playing Downhill right now just because he's
• 36:00
  Speaker 8: so aggressive. He's one one I absolutely love is Jake
• 36:03
  Speaker 8: Goldey out of Cincinnati.
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: He's that big, physical guy.
• 36:06
  Speaker 8: They it was kind of weird how they used him,
• 36:08
  Speaker 8: just because he's playing like outside at Nickel and then
• 36:10
  Speaker 8: a transition to wheel and now he'll have some shades
• 36:13
  Speaker 8: of Mike as well. I think he's more comfortable on
• 36:15
  Speaker 8: the weak side. I think that's what he's going to
• 36:17
  Speaker 8: be on the next level. And then one guy that's
• 36:19
  Speaker 8: really gotten a lot of steam here over the past
• 36:20
  Speaker 8: few weeks, very young redstart sophomore Josiah Trotter out of Missoo.
• 36:24
  Speaker 8: Very similar to Anthony Hill as far as run defense.
• 36:27
  Speaker 8: Aggressive Downhill needs to clean up some things in pass covers,
• 36:30
  Speaker 8: but I could see him jumping some guys in that
• 36:33
  Speaker 8: second tier that we talked about.
• 36:35
  Speaker 3: Okay, so we did the defense, that's the nuts and bolts.
• 36:38
  Speaker 3: We got to talk about some wide receivers and playmakers though,
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: because that's.
• 36:41
  Speaker 4: Gotta talk about the pretty guy. All right, Dad right.
• 36:43
  Speaker 3: Moves the needle, right, I know you you always give
• 36:46
  Speaker 3: us like one or two good wide receiver sleepers yea
• 36:48
  Speaker 3: every year, So what do you got for us this year?
• 36:51
  Speaker 8: So one that I like quite a bit is Kevin Coleman,
• 36:53
  Speaker 8: the wide receiver out of Missou And if you remember
• 36:56
  Speaker 8: going back to the Senior Bowl, nobody could guard that
• 36:58
  Speaker 8: guy man. He was absolutely phenomenal well travel start off
• 37:01
  Speaker 8: his career at Jackson State, then shifted to Mississippi State
• 37:05
  Speaker 8: before ending his career at Missouri. Had a big breakout
• 37:08
  Speaker 8: year last season. I think he's going to be a
• 37:10
  Speaker 8: serviceable wide receiver three that's going to give you a
• 37:13
  Speaker 8: lot on special team. So if you're looking for somebody
• 37:15
  Speaker 8: that can fill out your wide receiver corps, I definitely
• 37:17
  Speaker 8: think he is one. Another if you're looking for that
• 37:20
  Speaker 8: vertical guy is Bryce Lance out of North Dakota State.
• 37:23
  Speaker 8: He's somebody that we haven't seen at all during the
• 37:25
  Speaker 8: All Star Game circuit, so he's kind of getting lost
• 37:28
  Speaker 8: in that shuffle of these big X receivers. And I
• 37:30
  Speaker 8: think there's a huge cluster of them right now. Ted
• 37:33
  Speaker 8: Hurst at Georgia State, Chris Brasel at Tennessee.
• 37:38
  Speaker 4: To Dame.
• 37:38
  Speaker 8: So there's this huge cluster of these big X receivers
• 37:41
  Speaker 8: that can run vertical.
• 37:42
  Speaker 3: Yeah, b I just called Brasle caught my eye because
• 37:45
  Speaker 3: when you start to look at you know, Drake May
• 37:47
  Speaker 3: six foot five, the downfield receiver, really seems to fit that.
• 37:50
  Speaker 4: Bill.
• 37:50
  Speaker 3: Where are you at with Denzel Boston, because that's one
• 37:53
  Speaker 3: player obviously first round you're probably but I see like
• 37:57
  Speaker 3: wild swings of where in the first round people have going.
• 38:00
  Speaker 8: It's just because the prototype that we've seen like that
• 38:03
  Speaker 8: hasn't translated will in the NFL. But I think he's
• 38:06
  Speaker 8: much different than some of the guys that we have
• 38:08
  Speaker 8: seen in years past because I think he's underrated as
• 38:11
  Speaker 8: a separator. But how they used him at Washington was
• 38:14
  Speaker 8: just how they ran him vertically. But when you see
• 38:16
  Speaker 8: him separating the shorten intermediate thereas, I definitely think he's
• 38:19
  Speaker 8: very good in that facet. But his hand strength, man like,
• 38:22
  Speaker 8: he catches everything that's in his vicinity. He had some
• 38:25
  Speaker 8: great catches against Washington State this year of where you're
• 38:28
  Speaker 8: able to see a lot of hand strength and body
• 38:30
  Speaker 8: control with him.
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, like I've heard, you know, a couple of Kean Coleman,
• 38:35
  Speaker 3: I think he moves different from Kenia.
• 38:36
  Speaker 4: With that question, I would agree.
• 38:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And you know that Washington State filming that dad
• 38:40
  Speaker 3: a little stutter and go and toe tap on the side.
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: I was like, that's also a Drake may receiver right there. Well,
• 38:46
  Speaker 3: that's why we had Jordan read on because as you
• 38:48
  Speaker 3: can tell, he's an encyclopedia where it comes to this
• 38:50
  Speaker 3: kind of stuff. You can find him on ESPN doing
• 38:53
  Speaker 3: all their draft coverage as well.
• 38:54
  Speaker 4: Jordan, thanks for joining us.
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: Thanks as always, Evan, good stuff there from Jordan's been
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: really a lot of great infection, Elliott, Dane, Jordan, you
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: want to stay tuned to the Patriots Draft Contown presented
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: by bud Light, because we're gonna have more guests this
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: week from Indianapolis. For Evan Lazar, I'm Matt Smith. More
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: content coming your way from the Combine