Latest / Patriots Unfiltered / Patriots Draft Prospect Review: Running Backs

Transcript

Patriots Draft Prospect Review: Running Backs · Patriots Unfiltered

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is the Draft Prospect Review podcast on Patriots dot
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Com Radio. Welcome to the NFL Draft. The Draft Prospect
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Review podcast is your source for all the latest news
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: and information on the NFL Draft. The New England Patriots
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: like now here to preview the running backs. The writers
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: of Patriots dot Com and Matisse bomb So, Mic Deso,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Paul Perlo, and the aforementioned tise with you to break
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: down some running backs today as we continue our series
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: on previewing the prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. Running
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: back is a spot that I think the Patriots will
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: have some interest in. I don't think it'll be Day
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: one interests. Certainly won't be Day one interest, but you know,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: I'm not hope it's interested day one. Yeah, I'm not
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: sure that there are any of these guys that will
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: be Day one candidates at running back. But before we
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: sort of move this to Patriots centric, let's let's set
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: the table a little bit at the position tis. I'll
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: have you go Firstance. You had to wait and then
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: you got all nerves when we did the quarterbacks on Monday.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: So what what what guy do you like the most,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: who stands at the top of your running backboard. Um,
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: the top is definitely Kenny Walker and Kyron Williams. Love
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Kenny Walker. Um, James Cook is pretty good too. And
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: then as I did more research, I really like Kennedy
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Brooks from Oklahoma. Okay, so you can't just take every guy.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I know. I know, I'm just saying my top, my
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: top two, top top two, Kenny Walker and k Williams.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I know. So wait, what about Kenneth Walker? Because I
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: know that Deuce likes Kyron Williams, so I'm gonna let
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: you talk about him. Um, what about Kenneth Walker really
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: stood out to you? Big back, downhill runner, not scared
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: to embrace contact, and I really saw him take over. Um,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: there was a game he had five touchdowns. I forgot
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: who the opponent was, Northwestern north mistaken Megan, Sorry Megan. Yeah,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: but he's no big back that looks NFL ready. Yeah,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: ran a four three eight two. I mean he's he's
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: probably the only guy that That's what stood out to
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: me because I kind of thought of him as one
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: of those you know Michigan State. You know, it's it's
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: the middle of November. It's like sleading sideways and the
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: field is a mess and here comes Kenneth Walker. He's
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: just gonna run the ball forty two times between the tackles.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: He's way more than that. He's way more dynamic than
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: just a plow horse. And that four three eight sort
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: of validated that. You see it like that game that
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: you're talking about, Tease against Northwestern, he was dynamic in
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: that game, making guys missing the whole big play after
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: big play, and then you see him run a time
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: that it's commensurate with that. So I agree with you
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: he was the one at the top of my list,
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: But I know Deuce. Deuce is looking more for the
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Patriots type guys, guys that have some versatility to their
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: game and could catch the ball out of the backfield.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: And you like I like William I do. I think
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Kyra will is probably my favorite Patriots fit. I mean,
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: I'm looking a little bit more towards receiving backs, just
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: with James White kind of getting up there, he's kind
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: of on a prove it deal. I don't know if
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: that that's set in stone. And you also have Damien
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Harris still coming in, So I do think that there's
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: a need for really any kind of running back. But
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: you know, I think Kyra and Williams. And it sounds
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: maybe silly, but the thing that you know jumps out
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: to me and reading the scouting reports, is like, he's
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: one of those guys that knows how to pass protect
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: and isn't willing is willing to stick his face in
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: there and uh and and protect the quarterback. And I
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: think that's just a huge thing. Captain seventy eight catches
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: over the last two seasons. You know, he ran a
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: four six five. I think he looks a little faster
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: than that, um, but I think overall he looks like
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a balance running back that you know, could maybe slip
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: into that third down roll uh sooner than later. With
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: his ability to kind of, you know, know how to
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: know how to protect the quarterback. I think that's a
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: huge thing for a rookie to get on the field. Yeah,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: a couple other guys that stood out to me in
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: that regard in the sort of third down role. And
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: I do like Williams and the fact that I was
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: reading a little bit about him. He was a high
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: school wide receiver, so he's not just swinging out of
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: the backfield catching passes. He can run routes, UM. So
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: he's got a little sophistication to his game as a receiver.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: But James Cook, who Teas brought up as a guy
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: he liked to out of Georgia, you know, Dalvin Cook's brother,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: little brother, not as big as his brother, but a
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: you know, a really really good receiver. And then Rashard
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: White from Arizona State is another guy who can catch
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: the ball extremely well. Here's a little bit of an
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: upright style running which I always worry about. I know,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: like everybody says, well it works for Eric Dickerson, Yeah,
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: it did you know, there's a Hall of Fame caliber
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: player to work for him. He ran straight up and
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: he got away with it. A lot of guys with
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: that sort of that body lean that's straight up and
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: down do not last. So I am impressed with his
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: ability to catch the ball, and I think that is
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: something that the Patriots might be looking to replace. I
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: agree with Mike's summation of the James White situation because
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: even if they lose Damien Harris, they still have Stevenson,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: so the urgency is not huge. You can always pick
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: up a veteran guy to plug in, as you know,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: the number two in a committee. But I do think
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: there's a chance that they're going to need another guy
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: to catch passes in the near future. And those are
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: a couple of guys that stood out to me. Yeah,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: I mean James Cook probably right behind Cairo moments for me,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: just in terms of Patriot fit, you know, a little bit,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: a little bit smaller, a little bit more of that
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: out side zone kind of guy. So I think maybe
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: he has a little bit of that um thing where
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: he might be kind of stuck in that third down role.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: But but I don't think that necessarily hurts him. Obviously,
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: good good blood lines there, and we know the Patriots
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: are well familiar with Georgia's running backs. I'm surprised I
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: didn't hear anybody talk about Bruce Hall from Iowa State speedster. Yeah,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: oh yeah, you can run. And another guy with a
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: tremendous workload, I mean, over seven hundred carries in his
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: career um. Out of these guys, I think there's only
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: I think he had the most carries in his career
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: out of the guys that that I watched, and by
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: a good by a good amount. Yeah, another four three
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: nine kind of guy. Uh, five seventy five plus yard
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: touchdowns in his career. So great protulusive can can score
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: from anywhere. Um, and he catched the ball too. Yeah,
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: great hands, definitely. I I just my my notes power
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: and fast, my two notes on on him. I usually
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: go power speed combo. I'm ready it out. We all
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: have our own lingo into scouting. Man, do you know
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: how many times I've written versatile in the last like
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: ten years writing about the frigging draft. Like with these guys,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: it's like versas, Oh boy, he can do it all,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: let's go get him so uh, you know, moving down
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: day three kind of guys you mentioned Kennedy Brooks tease.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: You know, it's kind of hard to get a gauge
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: is where these guys might get taken. There used to
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: be a website that I absolutely loved and I relied
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: on NFL Draft Scout, and it's no longer in service.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: But they used to have projected rounds and they were
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: pretty good. I mean they were pretty accurate. I am
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: really like scouring all over the place to try to
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: find where these experts think these guys are gonna go.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: I've seen him all over the place, Kennedy Brooks, I've
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: seen him in the twenties among running backs, and I've
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: seen him like as a third fourth round pick. So
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: there's no sort of rhyme or reason with these guys.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: But what about Brooks did you really like? Um? I
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: watched the Red River showdown, I believe, and he just
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: took the game over. He can catch run a vase
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: of tease. He's a college football fan. See you know
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: what he does brings college football. He comes prepared, he
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: watches the game. Can't I just read this? Tell me
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: what he does now? He just gotta see stands out.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: He has very good hands. I could totally see him
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: fit in here safety belt for Mac. But I think, Paul,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: you're a point two of these guys being all over
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: the place, it's indicative, indicative of the whole draft as
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: a whole. I mean, we did the quarterbacks. You know,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: we've talked about them. Just I think you look at
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: all the different projections, the different mocks, it's it's all
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: over the place. Um. But but you know, my one
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: one guy had a out of Missouri was Tyler Batty. Um,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: he was kind of like my third guy down in
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: terms of you know, potential receiving back fifty four catches.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: He's a little small he's not really going to be tough,
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: but I think once you get down into the into
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: the later rounds, you're getting guys that were maybe a
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: little bit more limited. So you know, he's he's the
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: third guy kind of in my my big three of
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: of James White potential. I also wanted to talk a
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: little bit about Brian Robinson for the obvious Alabama connection
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: that stands out, but also he's a guy you had
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: a tremendous senior season and you might be like, well,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: why was the only play in one year? You know,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: kind of like Mac Jones. It's Alabama. Okay, he was
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: behind Josh Jacobs and Naji Harris, even both Scarborough. I mean,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Alabama has had some I don't know if you know,
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: but Alabama is usually pretty talented and pretty deep at
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: the skill position, so he didn't get a lot of opportunities.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: He got it this year. Two hundred and seventy one
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: carries thirteen hundred and forty three yards, you know, so
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: a really productive year. Also caught thirty five balls. So
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: say it with me, versatility to his game and an
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Alabama connection, probably a Day three kind of guy. I
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: wouldn't I wouldn't. Yeah, wouldn't rule him out. I think
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: two to twenty five. I mean, I think that's what
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: stood out to me with him. You know, you talk
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: about maybe replacement if you're drafted and replace Harris next year.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: Just the size that that that's really what what stood
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: out with him to me. Um, you know. And he's
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: not Derrick Henry h and I you know, he's not
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Naji Harris either. But I think that there's some upside there.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: And I mean, I think in the other thing you
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: get into two is these guys is like some guys
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: are really productive and they've had like six, seven, eight
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: hundred touches, and then you have other guys who are
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: really productive only in a couple of seasons, and so
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: you get into that how much terror do they have
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: on them? Is? You know? And so he's a guy
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: that you know you'd be on the other side, yeah,
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: too much. But this is a guy who maybe you say,
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: he hasn't gotten much of a chance and maybe now
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: in the pro game he's able to blossom. Especially because
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: of his size. He can he can carry the ball
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: and run. Guys, if anyone else you want to throw
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: out there, like Jerry and Elie, I believe he was
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: all miss, yeah, all miss kick returner two. You know,
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: first shifty guy catch the ball and he can plug
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: him with the kicks losing gunners. So yeah. And earlier
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: in the week when we talked about quarterbacks, Mike, you
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: brought up just the amount of talents that you're seeing
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: on Cincinnati and Jerome Ford. Here's another guy, um that
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: would fall into that category. He could be a Day
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: two pick. You know, he's you know, pretty productive guy. Uh,
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: you know, four four six forty so solid, you know, solid,
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: solid prospect. Had some again, another guy who caught some
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: passes as well, and since then, twenty one catches last year.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: So he's another guy to sort of keep an eye on.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: But I do think, Mike, at the beginning of this podcast,
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: you summarize the Patriot situation, I think it's probably more
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: third down type, I would say, as a higher priority,
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: but I wouldn't be surprised if they're looking for and
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: every down guy too, given Damian Harris's status entering the
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: final year of his deal. And I mean, I think,
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: you know, Ramandre is kind of an interesting example that
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: they selected him last year, you know, talking talking to
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: guys at the combat talking to one of his former
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: teammates at the Combine, one of the offensive linemen that
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: is also in the draft. You know, he called him
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: him a third down back, and you know, I don't
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: think any of us really looked at him as a
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: third down back. But I think what you're seeing, certainly
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: down down the list, some of these guys are a
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: little bit more specialized. But you know, you can't get
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: these guys who do it all. And I think that
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: maybe that, you know, maybe it doesn't have to be
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: as specific where all right, here comes our third down
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: back as what gun play we're gonna run here, you know,
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: So maybe you can get another guy that's a little
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: more balanced in and just be able to throw running
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: back out there independent of what down it is. All right,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: so the train is rolling. We're we're well underway here
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: with our twenty twenty two version of the Draft Prospect Previews.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: That's right. Did I say that? I almost never do. So.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: We we gave your quarterbacks earlier in the week, we
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: give your running backs today. So next up we'll talk
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: about some of the receivers that'll be uh, look for
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: that one on Patriots dot Com in the near that's
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: a big one. That one that one might go a
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: little bit longer, I hope than these first couples. Thank
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: you for downloading this podcast. Subscribe on Apple, google Play,
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: and everywhere else you listen. Like the show, please rate
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: and review us. Listener comments and ratings help keep us
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: high in the podcast rankings so new listeners can find us.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Be sure to Checkpatriots dot com for more news and
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: more podcasts.