WEBVTT - Patriots Catch-22 3/2: Checking in at the Combine, Previewing DL/LB prospect workouts 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:05.840 This is the Patriots Catch twenty two podcasts with Evan 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:10.800 Lazar and Alex Bars. I'm Lazar. Hello, everybody nailed it. 0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:17.800 He joined us, always buying our batch. Here's Evan Lazar 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:20.320 and Alex Bars. And that's what I'll be doing. Well, 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:22.840 you're trying to, like, you know, follow any read into 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:28.560 an elevator with so peak following Andy read into an elevator. 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:34.760 All right, We're gonna catch up on Evan's elbow rubbing 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:36.400 here in a little bit. But it is the Catch 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:40.720 twenty two podcast on Patriots dot Com Combine Week. Alex 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:43.519 Bark in the host chair today. Evan is here, but 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:46.800 he is in Indianapolis. We've got a lot to get to. 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:48.959 You want to join us eight five five Pats, five 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.920 hundred Patriots at web radio dot com. Evan, how are 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:56.560 your elbows? Are they rubbed? How do they look? How 0:00:56.600 --> 0:00:59.960 do they look like they're they're pretty rubbed? His sweatshirts 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:04.040 all worn out folks. The other day. Yet two days ago, 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:07.520 I was sitting at a table at Prime forty seven, 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:10.920 as you do in Indianapolis, and Ian Rappaport sat down 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.720 next to us. So you had rap sheet in our 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.880 area as well as some other couple of people. You know, 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:19.280 I think that's it's cool. It's a cool part of 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:22.000 the combine for fans of the game as well as 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:25.600 reporters like like us, where You're just walking down the 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:28.560 hallway and I'm walking down the hallway one way and 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:31.400 Sean Payton's walking down the same hallway and you just 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:33.680 kind of say a quick clo. You know, I'm not 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:36.959 trying to go up to him and talk to him 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.200 too much about football or anything like that, but it's 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:44.440 just everybody's here. We were just surrounded by a bunch 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:48.320 of different people, media people, NFL people. It's a it's 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:51.200 NFL spring break, That's what I always call it. It's 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:54.520 just a summit for everybody in the NFL in one place. Well, 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:58.240 Evan is certainly starstruck by a lot of the coaches 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:00.360 and gms, but we're gonna get to the play who 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:04.680 are there. So we've already had two rounds of player 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.160 media availability, so that's you know, we kind of find 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:10.520 out who's meeting with what teams or whatever. First workouts 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:12.480 coming up. We'll be off the air as those beginn 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:14.840 I think it's three o'clock eastern, right is when the 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:18.720 first workouts begin, and that will be defensive linemen and 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:23.400 linebackers today, it will be cornerbacks tomorrow. I believe it's 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:26.200 running backs an offensive lineman on Saturday. Right, and then 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.200 they saved the best for last, which is wide receivers, 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:34.160 tight ends, quarterbacks. That's what everybody really want. Wide receivers 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:37.280 or Saturday line and running backs or Sunday. Okay, well, 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:40.120 so the offense is the second two days of workouts, 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:43.880 so we don't have any workouts to go off of, Evan, 0:02:44.280 --> 0:02:47.400 but already a ton of news, a ton of news 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:49.079 coming out of the combat. Where do you want to start? 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:50.639 Where do you want to start? We got some directions. 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:52.840 I want to start with two big picture things. One 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:55.440 related directly to the Patriots, and I'm interested to get 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:57.799 your take on an outs. And the other thing is 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.639 more a big picture takeaway as it relates to the draft. 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:05.520 So let's start with the Patriots. It has now been reported, 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:09.320 it's now out there that Bill Belichick is not here 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:13.120 in Indianapolis, and this is becoming a lot more popular 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:17.240 around the league. Teams like the Rams don't even show up, 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.520 Not even their GM is here. I don't believe less 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.520 need is even here at the combine. So I think 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:25.680 the biggest reason why this is becoming a little bit 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:30.200 more popular is because free agency is so close to 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:35.720 the combine that it's difficult to do all the homework 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:38.440 that you need to do from a veteran market standpoint 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.400 and do the combine all at once. So I think 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:44.640 that there's a lot more of that going on. But 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.320 I think the main thing is is that Macro is 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:54.040 reportedly again here running the ship for the Patriots, and 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.839 I have a positive spin on it for the most part, 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:01.320 but Alex, I'm interested to hear opinion on it of 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.880 Bill Belichick maybe being a little bit more hands off 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.160 on the draft and allowing Macro, Elliott Wolf and Cameron 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:12.160 Williams and the staff do his thing. Well, I think, 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:15.560 whoever you are, your opinion depends on what you think 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:18.000 of Matt Grow, because I think that it signals that 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:21.640 Matt grow is getting more agency, at least when it 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.480 comes to the draft. He is the director of player Personnel, 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:28.000 so he technically oversees and when I say overseas, I 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.480 mean under the general manager that is Bill Belichick. He 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.600 oversees both. So you have a director of pro personnel 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.560 who handles like free agency, trades, things like that. You 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:42.320 have I forget what the college one is called. It's 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.520 director of so they just call a director of college 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.640 scout college scouting. Okay. You also have Elliott Wolf who's 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:53.080 just director of scouting maybe more his role I think 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:57.159 is more about pro personnel, exact type of role. Okay, 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.400 in general, he's the number two. And then you have 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:04.000 Cam Williams's the college scouting director right as that, but 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:06.600 so generally, and again the Patriots set ups a little 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:08.720 different because the head coach is the general manager. But 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:11.920 the way teams are generally set up, and these titles 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:13.800 can vary. We all know how teams like to change 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.280 the titles and one up each other. But you have 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.360 your director of pro personnel, which is free agency and trades, 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.359 some sort of guy who's the equivalent for the draft 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:24.800 and college scouting and that. And then you have the 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.760 director of player Personnel, who's essentially the GM's number two, 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.520 who both of those two, both of those two people 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:35.120 report too. That's what Matt grows title. And we don't 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:37.200 know for sure how they work every little thing, but 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.960 that's Matt Grows title. But it seems like in this 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:45.800 he came from a scouting background, a college personnel background, 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:48.880 and it to me him being there tells me that 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:51.919 they are kind of to an extent, putting the draft 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.520 process in his hands, or at least the preparation process 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:56.400 for the draft in his hands. I don't know that 0:05:56.680 --> 0:06:00.120 this means he gets carte blanche say on picks, but 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:02.919 in terms of Evan you say it all the time, right, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.880 it's a fact finding mission the combine. Yes, he is 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.520 the one in charge of finding facts. Yeah, And I 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:10.600 think that, you know, the positive spin that I'll put 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:14.159 on it is I think that we're trending towards the direction. 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:16.560 I know. Mike reas head into Sunday notes last week 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:20.120 that Macro was also the one signing off on contracts 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:25.279 player contracts now as well Slater's contract, assume Connor McDermott's 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.280 contract as well if that deal is done. And I 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:30.600 think a lot of what this is pointing towards is 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:34.320 that Macro's influence is growing in the front office. And 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:38.080 I would also say that it might be his draft board. 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.000 It might be his draft board. And I know Bill 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.800 Belichick is always going to have the influence and always 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.240 going to have finals say and is always going to 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:50.640 be there in the process. But if it's truly Macro's bored, 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:55.560 where Bill is maybe saying the Macro, we need this, this, this, 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.520 and this find me the best this, this, and this 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:02.720 in the draft. Right, and that's the case. I think 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:04.720 that's a good thing for the Patriots because it's a 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:08.080 it's a little bit of fresh perspective, it's a younger 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.600 perspective and in someone that grew up, like you said, 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.240 in the scouting way of life, right, that was that 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:18.080 was how he grew up in his background, for lack 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.560 of better termers backgrounds an amateur player personnel not not 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.760 pro personnel correct in college scouting. So yeah, I think 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:30.240 that's a big he's a draft guy. He's a draft guy. 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:34.360 I have his resume right here. Came in as a 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.760 scouting assistant, then was an area scout, then was a 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:40.040 national scout. In twenty twenty one, was the director of 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.400 college scouting, and then he moved into his current role, 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:47.640 which is his first non full scout, non full college 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:50.680 related role last year. Right, And so maybe this was 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:54.440 the plan all along, Right, Maybe they knew that that 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.200 he had this scouting background and he was somebody that 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:59.760 was very involved in the college game and understood the 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:04.160 colleg edge game. And Bill handles more free agency trades 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.840 the veteran market, and Macro has the board. And like 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.920 I said, I think that this is all just conjecture. 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.320 I'm not saying that this is you know, information or 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:16.400 anything like that. But I think what I'm hoping is 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:20.120 happening here is what I just said. Bill says to him, Matt, 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.520 we need a corner with some size, we need a receiver, 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:27.280 we need a tackle maybe, And you go out and 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:30.520 you find me the highest rated players at those three 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:32.960 positions that you guys have. Which it's funny you put 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:35.240 it that way, because I've always felt like, as long 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.000 as we've done a show together, that's kind of how 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:40.000 the show works. During draft season, you are the film guru, 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:41.600 like you're the one who can get into the nuts 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:43.920 and bolts of the player archetypes. I like to think 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:46.480 of myself as somebody who understands team building pretty well. 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:48.240 So I say, hey, they need this, this, this, and this, 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:51.079 and then you come along and say, well, this guy 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.840 I saw on tape does this. So you know, funny 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.959 how that works out, isn't it? It's a well, you know, 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.360 you're shopping for the grocery still if you're Bill bell Chet, 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.600 but you're you're allowing somebody else to do the legwork, 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:05.480 which I think is a good about well what you're doing. 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:09.480 It's like, you know, uh, take frozen pizzas for example. 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:11.720 You know there's all the different brands of frozen pizza. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:13.880 You want a frozen pizza, but it's just looking to 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.160 see which brand you always haven't asked somebody else for 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.400 advice on which brandy should get. That's pretty much what 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:22.280 it is. I did not need to compare future NFL athletes. 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:24.560 They're frozen pizza. But you got what I'm saying, shopping 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.120 from hopefully some like Elios or something like that that 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:30.679 they end up getting. Oh yeah, you're an Elios guy. 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.839 Of course Elios is fine. I don't know. I like 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.000 Mystic pizza, the frozen Mystic pizzas, Okay, I mean, if 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:39.800 you I feel like if you grew up in New 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:42.160 England in the nineties, zero and Eliot's guy. I know 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:44.120 I ate a lot of Eliot. Maybe it's because I 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:45.600 ate too much of it that it just like didn't 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.439 it stopped wowing me. Anyway, I just I got the 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.400 little sections. All right, Yeah, we're that's that's a that's 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:54.840 a that's a true offseason time. We're off the rails. Uh. 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:58.040 So the Belichick report him not being at the combine 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:03.400 uh came from a report from Chad Graff of The Athletic. 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:06.000 The other thing Chad had in his column this morning 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.720 was that what the Patriots plans are a wide receiver, 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.360 and it sounds like they'd rather go the veteran route 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.640 than use that fourteenth pick. Now, we've talked a lot 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:19.360 about the wide receivers in this class. Evan, how do 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:23.000 you feel about that? You know where I've been on 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.760 the wide receivers for I would say a week or 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:29.800 two now, and that's I'll use the phrasing luke warm, 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:33.319 like I'm not a sold on any of these receivers. 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:36.520 As Targets had fourteen in the first round. I think 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:39.200 if you're the Patriots in their history at the wide 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:41.719 receiver position in the draft, if you were going to 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:44.679 draft a receiver that high up in the draft, you 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:48.000 better be sure about it, like you have that has 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.760 to be like a home run type of player. I 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:54.319 understand that that doesn't always last. Till fourteen. But a 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.120 guy that I would really give an example of is 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:00.520 somebody like Justin Jefferson or Ceedee Lamb right who did 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.120 last to later in the middle of the first round. 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.520 It would have been on the board at fourteen at 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.200 the Patriots that we're picking in those drafts, But don't 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.760 we also have to consider the fact that those were 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:18.000 better receiver classes. Yeah, And I think that that's where 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:23.240 I'm at, is that you're looking at a board where you're, yes, 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:27.520 you maybe Jordan Addison or Zay Flowers or Jackson Smith 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:31.280 and Jigba is number one on your board, is wide 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:34.199 receiver one, and you're getting him at fourteen, which is 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:37.800 some value potentially. But I think what you're looking at 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:42.880 is that in general, but these guys all have flaws 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:45.040 to their game. I mean, there's a report out there 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:48.120 right now, Alex and I we're talking him to him 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:51.320 tomorrow and I'm really fascinated to see what we can 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:53.640 get out of him on this that Jackson Smith and 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:56.520 Jigba is not running the forty in Indianapolis. He's not 0:11:56.679 --> 0:12:00.520 running at the Combine. There's also a report out there 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.720 that he potentially might not run a forty at all. Okay, 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.280 and it's not gonna Let me just add a context 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:09.199 to that real quick. I actually saw somebody say this 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.480 last night and I looked it up. Ohio State's one 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:13.280 of the few schools where the forty times at the 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:16.000 pro day are actually slower than the forty times at 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:19.720 the combine, right, right, So maybe the case, and maybe 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:23.760 we can get an answer out of him about this tomorrow. 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:26.559 Maybe the case. Maybe he's not one hundred percent yet 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:29.280 because he did have those nagging injuries at Ohio State 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:31.640 last year, and he doesn't want to run the forty 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.640 at las than one hundred percent. But I think an 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:38.520 optimistic view for JSN and the forty would have been 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.679 a high four or four, low four or five time. 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.280 So if that's the optimistic view and he doesn't even 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.600 want to run, then that tells me that he's actually 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.800 closer to like a four or six. And then look, 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:55.720 I don't I think he I think Smith and Chick 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:58.400 is a better player. But and we talked about this 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.800 on the last show, Evan, you look at a guy 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.640 like David Bell last year, who was projected to be 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:08.520 a first round pick, ran a four to six something right, 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.480 and then was a third four six five and then 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:14.360 was a third round pick, almost fell to the fourth round. 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.160 He's the ninety nineth pick overall. And look, I'm not 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:20.640 saying that. You know, maybe in Jig's confident in his 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:23.680 abilities and he knows even at a four six five, 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:26.400 he can be a good NFL player, and maybe he 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.400 can be like Jarvis Landry, I think ran like a 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:33.480 four seven something. But yeah, these guys also are looking 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:35.120 out for their livelihood and they want to get paid. 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:37.560 And if you run a four to six five, maybe 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:39.600 you prove eventually you should have gone in the first round, 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.320 but you get third round money, not first round money, 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:44.440 and then what happens if you get hurt, you never 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.160 get that, you know, first round money kind of contract. Right, 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.319 So he's looking out for his best interest, but it 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:53.719 definitely is kind of telling Yeah, that's that's where I'm at. 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:57.240 Is that. So Jason has the speed concern whether or 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.839 not he's gonna have top end speed, and yeah, like 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.600 he said, maybe he ends up being I know your 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.199 opinion on Michael Thomas Aux and sometimes Luke for but 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:09.680 Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, like maybe 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:14.600 that's like to range those guys project a little bit. 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.400 I would say to something that Jason one of those 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.560 crafty route runner. I know I've always compared him in 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:23.880 the past to Aman Ross Saint Brown on the Lions, 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.800 who's another guy that ran a slower forty times. So 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.520 maybe he compares nicely to those players and ends up 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:32.360 being a thousand yard receiver. And this looks ridiculous, but 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:36.080 it's all about variants in the draft. It's all about 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:39.120 hedging your bets and taking risks in the draft. And 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.240 is that at risk you cannot I'll say this way, 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:46.320 you cannot take a four six receiver in the first round. 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.480 I don't care if he's the best route runner on 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:51.000 the planet Earth. You can't do that and not you 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:55.120 just like specifically this team because speed is such a need, right, 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:57.920 you just can't. And I would also say, you know, 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:00.800 with Jordan Addison, I like a law the aspects of 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.600 his film, but I have concerns about his ability to 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.560 finish through contact and play the football down the field 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.960 and beat press coverage on the outside to a point 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:14.320 where maybe he is more of a slot detached receiver 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.560 that's able to kind of just get in eat up space. 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:20.880 Zay Flowers is the one guy that in fourteen I 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:22.960 still think is a little bit too early unless he 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:27.600 absolutely dazzles here over the weekend. But Zay Flowers is 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.760 the one guy where I'm starting to come around to 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:34.560 the idea of him being a first round talent. The 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:37.040 reports are I guess that picture is out there that 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:39.600 he's up to like one eighty three now, so he's 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:41.880 going to come in at like five to nine, one 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.800 hundred to eighty pounds with a four three. That basically 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:48.480 that profile is what Jaalen Waddle came out of the 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:51.200 draft to a couple of years ago, So it's not 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:54.520 too far off from what the guy like Waddle was 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:57.480 like when he was entering the league. So I think 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:01.920 that there's a little bit more support there for Za potentially. 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.200 But my point being, with all these guys, and you 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.880 can throw Quentin Johnson into this mix as well, I 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:10.160 don't love any of them. And for a team that 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.960 has struck out a bunch at the receiver position at 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.440 the top of the draft over the years, and a 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:19.400 team that desperately needs to hit on a playmaker, the 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:21.760 fact that I am not one hundred percent sold on 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.600 any of them. It tells me that fourteen is not 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.160 a good investment. But that pig so whether it's trading 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.600 for a receiver in the veteran market, or maybe it's 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.080 just bringing Jakobe Meyers back on a reasonable deal and 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:38.320 in trying to run it back for a year. I 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:40.440 don't love that option. I don't think any of us do. 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:44.320 But I don't think I think that's sort of where 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:45.920 I'm at. But I have one more thing to say 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.840 about this, but go ahead on some of those other guys. No, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:50.520 I was gonna say, I don't think they believe that 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:52.040 that's the best way to do it. I mean that 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:56.480 the reports indicate otherwise so far this offseason. I would 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:58.720 just say kind of the other half of your argument, 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.520 where you're not sold on any of these receivers and 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:03.840 kind of touched on it there. They've struggled developing at 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:07.119 the position, and in what's such a crucial year for 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:09.560 the offense and what's such a crucial year for Mac Jones. 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:12.320 I mean, in reality, what's a crucial year for Bill Belichick? 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:15.600 Do you want to be kind of carrying along a 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.359 young receiver because even if he's good, I mean, it's 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.399 still a learning process, right, I've said, Evan, I've been 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.800 saying this to you. I think since like October, they've 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:26.719 got to get a guy that has proven he can 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:28.560 do it in this league and knows what it takes 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.760 to get it done in this league. And look some 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.159 of those names. I don't know if these other gms 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.480 at the combine right, they're saying these players aren't available, 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.400 Maybe they're really not. Maybe they're just trying to help 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.880 their bargaining position. It's very possible. At this time last year, 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:45.560 we didn't know j Brown was going to be available, 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:47.320 and we didn't know Tyreek Hill was going to be available. 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:51.280 But they can still like there's good contributing players they 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.840 can get and it's not necessarily going to cost the 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:56.720 bank to do it. I look at a guy like 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:59.720 Jerry Judo I've talked about a lot. I actually was 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.720 had asked Patton the question about Judy thank you the 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:08.280 other day, and he he was very very tight lipped 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:12.840 about the situation. And to put that in contrast of 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:16.880 the answers about Keenan Allen, the answers about te Higgins, 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:19.840 I think there was one more guy that I can't remember. 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:21.600 Definitely was one more. And I was trying to remember 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:23.440 this morning when I was writing, but I couldn't figure 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.119 it out. It wasn't Hopkins, right, I know it was 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:28.679 Keenan Allen. I think it was Keenan Allen and Higgins 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.320 are the ones that the door was completely shut on 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:34.800 right where they said go get your own receiver. I 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:39.320 think was Duke Tobin. Great quote, by the way, yeah great. 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:44.640 So he that's the one guy that we asked about 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.960 other than Hopkins who's out there basically requesting a trade 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:52.520 or recognizing that his type in Arizona might be coming 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:55.560 to an end. And Brandon Cooks who requested a trade 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.200 from the Texans. The one other guy that I thought 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:02.000 was a little bit to answer tight Limp didn't really 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.359 say much. I was patting on Jerry Judy, so I 0:19:05.440 --> 0:19:08.040 didn't get the question into Sean Payton because the Broncos 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:11.600 reporters and the Broncos contingent there were you know, all 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.480 over that him when he was at the podium. But 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:16.760 I was able to get it into their GM and 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.080 he said that we haven't made a decision on the 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:22.800 fifth year option. That's not really something that we're thinking 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:27.600 about right now. Case closed, which tells me. I don't know. 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:29.760 I think that they were a little bit on the 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:31.720 fence about they have less than two months to make it. 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:33.520 If they're not thinking about it, that tells me that 0:19:33.600 --> 0:19:35.600 it's not that they don't plan on being the ones 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:38.280 making day. He mentioned that he was happy with the 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:41.680 way that Judy finished the season last year, so that 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:45.240 it wasn't necessarily a shot at Judy not performing or 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:48.359 something like that, but it wasn't a ringing endorsement about 0:19:48.440 --> 0:19:50.600 him being a future Bronco. Let me put you that 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:53.600 way again. Eight five five, Pats five hundred if you 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:56.879 want to call in Patriots at web radio dot com. 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.440 And I mean, we can just kind of do a 0:19:59.600 --> 0:20:02.080 proSP back free for all here. But Evan, the other 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:04.879 news of the day obviously the meetings, and really the 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:08.920 last two days, I get, let's just go chronologically with this. 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:13.560 I guess Patriots met with two of the top edge 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.040 rushers in this class, Guy and Tyree Wills or you know, 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:20.159 this is what the players told the media, Tyree Wilson, 0:20:20.200 --> 0:20:22.160 who's projected to be a top ten, if not top 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:24.760 five pick. So I don't know, maybe that's a little 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:28.280 a little bold. And then Lucas van Ness from Iowa 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:30.800 who's projected to go into twenties. So he's a possibility 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:34.320 very productive player. I will throw this out when it 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:37.880 comes to the meetings Patriots met with I can't remember 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:39.360 the exact number off the top of my head, at 0:20:39.400 --> 0:20:42.879 forty something, I want to say, forty two players last year. 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:44.520 At least it was reported they probably met with some 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.320 other guys and it never came out, but forty two 0:20:47.359 --> 0:20:49.680 reported draft meetings last year. The Patriots drafted two of 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:52.760 those players. Now, they both turned out to be pretty 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:56.320 good players, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones. But take all 0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:57.720 of it with the grain of salt. Also, when it 0:20:57.760 --> 0:20:59.080 comes to the guys at the top, oh are they 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:01.960